bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sport Fans’ Price Sensitivity Based on Loyalty Levels: A Case of Korean Professional Baseball League
Authors: Bae Jung-Sup , Chiu Weisheng , Nam Sang-Back
Published: March 2021

For the sustainable development of the Korean Professional Baseball League (a.k.a., KBO League), it is critical to propose profitable and efficient pricing strategies for each team in the KBO League. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to understand KBO League fans’ perceptions of price sensitivity. More specifically, this study explored how fans’ perceptions of price sensitivity and latitude of price acceptance vary between different loyalty groups. A total of 213 valid responses were recruited from KBO League fans by using a convenience sampling approach. As a result, based on the levels of attitudinal loyalty and behavioral loyalty, fans were classified into four categories: loyal fans, latent fans, spurious fans, and indifferent fans. Moreover, loyal fans were found to be less sensitive to the ticket price increase of different levels (i.e., 10%, 20%, and 30%), followed by latent fans, spurious fans, and indifferent fans. Meanwhile, loyal fans have the highest level of the latitude of price acceptance, followed by latent fans, spurious fan, and indifferent fans. The findings of this study contribute to a better understanding of sport fans’ responses to the change of ticket price and their perceptions of the accepted price range. Meanwhile, this study offers practical implications for marketers of KBO League teams to develop tailored pricing strategies for their fans by considering different loyalty levels.
Coding Engines in Participatory Social Housing Design—A Case to Revisit Pattern Languages
Authors: Bukovszki Viktor , Dóci Gabriella , Reith András
Published: March 2021

Participation has been touted as a critical instrument for both citizen empowerment and responsibility-sharing in sustainability. In architecture, participation allows for the progression of green building to sustainable habitation that integrates environmental, economic, and social dimensions. However, participation in practice rarely delegates meaningful decisions to marginalized groups and is mostly a one-sided process. This study seeks to investigate which factors of the participatory method afford both empowerment and behavioral change to a sustainable lifestyle in low-income groups. To do so, a case study of designing a social housing estate in Hungary is presented, where participatory design was used to codevelop a building that considers and adjusts to the sustainable lifestyle envisioned by the future residents. A coding engine based on the concept of pattern languages was developed that places conditions and experience of everyday activities at the center of design, translating them to spatial features. As a result, a focus group of social housing tenants and cohousing experts were able to define explicit shared spaces, allocate square meters to them, and articulate legible design criteria. Of the early-stage design decisions, 45% were made with or by the participants, and the bilateral process made it possible to convince the tenants to adopt a more sustainable habitation format.
The Contradictions between District and Individual Heating towards Green Deal Targets
Authors: Balode Lauma , Dolge Kristiāna , Blumberga Dagnija
Published: March 2021

The blind spot can be defined as the area around the vehicle where the driver cannot see through the mirrors without turning their head or taking their eyes off the road. Similar blind spots occur in energy policy. Blind spots can occur in forecasting economic development and creating policy documents. This study uncovers potential blind spots and controversies in the sustainability assessment of energy supply technologies. A composite sustainability index was constructed to compare district heating with four individual heating technologies—wood pellet boilers, natural gas boilers, solar collectors, and heat pumps. A total of 19 indicators were selected and grouped into four dimensions of sustainability—technical, environmental, economic, and social. The results reveal that district heating can compete with individual heating technologies in all dimensions of sustainability; however, a possible blind spot lies in evaluating environmental performance indicators of the different heating technologies. This study provides a novel decision-making tool that policy-makers could use to identify and avoid potential blind spots and uncertainties in energy policy at an early stage.
Barrier Layer Characteristics for Different Temporal Scales and Its Implication to Tropical Cyclone Enhancement in the Western North Pacific
Authors: Wu Ding-Rong , Zheng Zhe-Wen , Gopalakrishnan Ganesh , Ho Chung-Ru , Zheng Quanan
Published: March 2021

The barrier layer (BL) is a layer of water separating the thermocline from the density mixed layer in the upper ocean, which has the capability of reducing the negative feedback effect caused by tropical cyclone (TC) acting on the upper ocean and back on the TC itself. This study analyzed in-situ Argo floats measurements, data-assimilated HYCOM/NCODA reanalysis, and the longer-term (1961–2010) variations of Ocean Reanalysis System 4 (ORAS4) based BL in the TC main development region (MDR) to characterize the BL in the western North Pacific (WNP) for different temporal scales and to understand its role in resisting TC induced sea surface cooling. First, the result indicates that the effect of BL on TC enhancement in the MDR of WNP might be overestimated. Further analysis based on partial correlation shows that the BL plays a key role in resisting the cooling response only while BL is strong (BL thickness ≥ 5 m) and TC wind forcing is weak. Meanwhile, the distribution of BL demonstrates markedly the mesoscale characteristic. BL with thickness 0–5 m occupies the highest proportion (~67.55%), while thicker BL (BL thickness (BLT) larger than 5 m) takes up about 25–30%. Besides, there are ~3% with BL thicker than 30 m. For life length, BLT with 0–5 m is limited to 5 days, while BL with thickness more than 30 m can persist for more than 30 days. The scenario is attributed to diverse processes that result in different characteristic temporal scales of BL. Additionally, the analysis of coverage region and average BLT in the recent decade shows a serious situation: both the spatial coverage and BLT increase sharply from 2001 to 2010, which implies that TC–BL interactions might occur more frequently and more vigorously in future if the changing trend of BL remains unchanged.
Introducing a Degrowth Approach to the Circular Economy Policies of Food Production, and Food Loss and Waste Management: Towards a Circular Bioeconomy
Authors: Hoehn Daniel , Laso Jara , Margallo María , Ruiz-Salmón Israel , Amo-Setién Francisco José , Abajas-Bustillo Rebeca , Sarabia Carmen , Quiñones Ainoa , Vázquez-Rowe Ian , Bala Alba , Batlle-Bayer Laura , Fullana-i-Palmer Pere , Aldaco Rubén
Published: March 2021

There is a growing debate surrounding the contradiction between an unremitting increase in the use of resources and the search for environmental sustainability. Therefore, the concept of sustainable degrowth is emerging aiming to introduce in our societies new social values and new policies, capable of satisfying human requirements whilst reducing environmental impacts and consumption of resources. In this framework, circular economy strategies for food production and food loss and waste management systems, following the Sustainable Development Goals agenda, are being developed based on a search for circularity, but without setting limits to the continual increase in environmental impacts and resource use. This work presents a methodology for determining the percentage of degrowth needed in any food supply chain, by analyzing four scenarios in a life cycle assessment approach over time between 2020 and 2040. Results for the Spanish case study suggested a degrowth need of 26.8% in 2015 and 58.9% in 2040 in order to achieve compliance with the Paris Agreement targets, highlighting the reduction of meat and fish and seafood consumption as the most useful path.
Exploring the Potential of a Gamified Approach to Reduce Energy Use and Carbon Emissions in the Household Sector
Authors: Gangolells Marta , Casals Miquel , Macarulla Marcel , Forcada Núria
Published: March 2021

This paper analyzes the impact of an innovative approach based on gamification to promote reduced energy consumption in social housing. The game was developed and validated under the auspices of the EU-funded project EnerGAware-Energy Game for Awareness of energy efficiency in social housing communities in an affordable housing pilot located in Plymouth (United Kingdom). The results showed that the future exploitation of the game holds important energy- and emissions-saving potential. Assuming that the game is distributed freely by European energy providers to their domestic end-users, the game was found to be able to save more than 48.9 secondary terawatt-hours per year (TWhs) and 18.8 million tons of CO2e annually, contributing up to around 8% to the target set for the European buildings sector to keep global warming under 2 °C. The results also showed that the game is highly feasible from the energy point of view, even when we consider the energy consumed upstream, due to its low cumulative energy demand and its potential for household energy reduction. The results of this research provide helpful information for private and public stakeholders, as they contribute to determining the sustainability of promoting energy saving through gaming.
Citizens’ Food Habit Behavior and Food Waste Consequences during the First COVID-19 Lockdown in Spain
Authors: Vidal-Mones Berta , Barco Héctor , Diaz-Ruiz Raquel , Fernandez-Zamudio Maria-Angeles
Published: March 2021

During the first COVID-19 wave in Spain, confining the population at home was seen as an effective way to prevent the disease from spreading. This limited mobility affected citizens’ routines at homes because it influenced their life habits, including food management. The main objective of this paper was to understand citizens’ food waste (FW) behavior during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Spain by understanding related food practices that could have influenced FW generation. An online survey was conducted from 14 May to 11 June, 2020; 6293 valid responses were collected and analyzed, and 95% of the participants declared not wasting more food than usual. On average, they reported wasting 234 g per household per week, which equals 88 g per capita. We found significant differences in the reported FW generation between participants regarding their age, gender, household composition, and employment status due to COVID-19. In addition, food-related behaviors such as buying more food than usual due to fear or anxiety, storing more food than before the lockdown, and improvising when buying groceries seemed to affect the FW reported by the participants. The paper ends by comparing the conclusions drawn by different works conducted in other countries for a similar purpose.
Comparing Wild and Cultivated Arnica montana L. from the Italian Alps to Explore the Possibility of Sustainable Production Using Local Seeds
Authors: Leoni Valeria , Borgonovo Gigliola , Giupponi Luca , Bassoli Angela , Pedrali Davide , Zuccolo Marco , Rodari Alessia , Giorgi Annamaria
Published: March 2021

Arnica montana L. is an alpine herbaceous plant typical of nutrient-poor grasslands. It is a popular medicinal plant for the treatment of bruises, cuts and pain, and it is also an endangered alpine species. For this reason, the sustainable production of inflorescences instead of the spontaneous collection of plant material, coupled with the use of local ecotypes, should be incentivized. Inflorescences of a wild accession of arnica were compared versus an accession cultivated in Valsaviore (Italian Alps) in terms of seed germination performance and phytochemical characterization by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques. The germination percentage was high (>75%) for both cultivated and wild seeds. The NMR spectra of arnica extracts were very similar and confirmed the presence of sesquiterpene compounds, esters of helenaline and dehydroelenaline. A significant high percentage of acetic acid methyl ester (38 μg/g) and the 2-methyl methyl ester of propanoic acid (31 μg/g) were found in cultivated arnica and were probably associated with fermentation processes linked to the traditional method of air drying on a trellis. The possibility of growing A. montana and a controlled local first transformation are important to incentivize local, good quality and sustainable production. The growing of seedlings “in loco” could be of great interest both for farmers and for natural conservation purposes.
Island Colonization and Environmental Sustainability in the Postglacial Mediterranean
Authors: Plekhov Daniel , Leppard Thomas P. , Cherry John F.
Published: March 2021

Island environments present challenges to human colonization, but we have a poor understanding of how environmental difference drives heterogeneous patterns of insular settlement. In this paper, we assess which environmental and geographic variables positively or negatively affect the long-term sustainability of human settlement on islands. Using the postglacial Mediterranean basin as a case study, we assess the impact of area, isolation index, species richness, and net primary productivity (NPP) on patterns of island occupation for both hunter-gatherer and agropastoral populations. We find that models involving area most effectively accounts for sustainability in hunter-gatherer island settlement. The agropastoral data are noisier, perhaps due to culturally specific factors responsible for the distribution of the data; nonetheless, we show that area and NPP exert profound influence over sustainability of agropastoral island settlement. We conclude by suggesting that this relates to the capacity of these variables to impact demographic robusticity directly.
Investigating the Impact of Integration the Saudi Code of Energy Conservation with the Solar PV Systems in Residential Buildings
Authors: Almasri Radwan , Alardhi Abdullah , Dilshad Saad
Published: March 2021

The demand for air conditioning is increasing day by day in the world’s hot and humid climate areas. Energy conservation in buildings can play a vital role in meeting this high cooling demand. This paper attempts to consider the impacts of energy efficiency and renewable energy measures on the energy demand of Saudi Arabia’s residential buildings. The energy analysis and economic feasibility analysis of thermal insulations are performed in this paper by investigating the effect of residential buildings’ thermal insulations on the economic feasibility of grid-connected photovoltaic systems. This was the combined effort of building owners and government, and buildings were examined if a photovoltaic system and thermal insulation were used. The study was conducted in the three climate zones in Saudi Arabia. The results showed that the building base case’s annual electrical energy consumption in Riyadh city was 67,095 kWh, Hail 57,373 kWh, and Abha 26,799 kWh. For the basic case-building in Riyadh, 69% of the total electrical energy was used for cooling and heating. Applying the Saudi Building Code requirement for Riyadh will provide only 18% of the total energy used for cooling and heating. RETScreen 6.1 software was used to design a photovoltaic system; the analysis was done using technical and economic indicators. The annual yield factor for Riyadh, Hail, and Abha was 1649 kWh/kWp/year, 1711 kWh/kWp/year, and 1765 kWh/kWp/year, respectively. The capacity factors for Riyadh, Hail, and Abha were 18.8%, 19.5%, and 20.1%, respectively. The Unified photovoltaic Levelized energy costs were 0.031, 0.030, and 0.029 $/kWh for Riyadh, Hail, and Abha, respectively. Finally, the Net Present Value and greenhouse gas emissions reduction have been estimated.
City Digital Twin Potentials: A Review and Research Agenda
Authors: Shahat Ehab , Hyun Chang T. , Yeom Chunho
Published: March 2021

The city digital twin is anticipated to accurately reflect and affect the city’s functions and processes to enhance its realization, operability, and management. Although research on the city digital twin is still in its infancy, the advancement of the digital twin technology is growing fast and providing viable contributions to augmenting smart city developments. This study reviews the literature to identify the current and prospective potentials and challenges of digital twin cities. A research agenda is also proposed to guide future research on the city digital twincity digital twin to reach the utmost level of a comprehensive and complete city digital twin. Enhancing the efficiency of data processing, promoting the inclusion of socio-economic components of the city, and developing mutual integration between the two counterparts of the digital twin are proposed to be the future research directions to achieve and utilize a completely mirrored city digital twin.
Farming Resilience: From Maintaining States towards Shaping Transformative Change Processes
Authors: Darnhofer Ika
Published: March 2021

Resilience is a concept that focuses on change: it includes the ability of a system to maintain its current state despite disturbances, its ability to adapt, and to transform. While resilience covers both stability and change, conceptual developments and empirical studies have put more emphasis on identifying what enables a farm to cope with the impact of a shock, such as a shift in markets or an extreme weather event, while remaining essentially unchanged. Much less emphasis has been put on what enables a farm to shape change, especially transformative change. I argue that this bias is partly due to the ecological roots of the concept, and partly to the use of conventional methods and their underlying substantialist worldview. A process-relational approach might be better suited to capture change. This approach shifts the conceptualization of a ‘farm’ as a stable material structure, to ‘farming’ as an open process of becoming, composed of heterogenous relations that are continuously made and remade. By exploring the differences between these two approaches to farm/farming resilience, I show how a process-relational approach displaces the presumption of structural determination and thus allows to highlight the ever-present openings for change.
Total Factor Productivity of Major Crops in Southern Ethiopia: A Dis-Aggregated Analysis of the Growth Components
Authors: Meja Merihun Fikru , Alemu Bamlaku Alamirew , Shete Maru
Published: March 2021

(1) Background: Even though agriculture is the backbone of the Ethiopian economy, the improvements made regarding crop productivity appeared insufficient and had slow progress. Several studies suggest possible ways to identify the challenges in the productivity of the crop sub-sector. Nevertheless, there are gaps in the empirical literature in both knowledge and methods. The current study intends to identify the factors that affect growth in the productivity of teff, maize, barley, wheat, and sorghum crops. (2) Methods: Cobb-Douglass stochastic production function is estimated using a panel data set of the Living Standard Measurement Survey. To address the objectives of the study, a parametric estimation with a time-varying decay model with deterministic and stochastic components was adopted. (3) Results and Discussion: The effect of inputs on aggregate output was positive and significant at the 1% significance level, implying the presence of economies of scale. Variation in the inefficiency term explained 46.4% of the total variance in the composed error term. The average productivity of major crops was 6.19 per year. This study implied that technical change in the production of major crops increased by 22% with better use of available technology. (4) Conclusions and Policy Implication: The findings pinpoint that farmers should focus on technical change and intensification of improved agricultural inputs.
The Impact of Perceived Hapkido Service Quality on Exercise Continuation and Recommendation Intentions, with a Focus on Korean Middle and High School Students
Authors: Park Tae-Seung , Kim Jun-Su , Kim Jiyoun
Published: March 2021

This research analyzes the impact of quality of service as perceived by Hapkido students on their exercise continuation and recommendation intentions. It also identifies measures to reduce the rate of student dropout, strengthen competitiveness, and create more efficient marketing strategies for consumer patterns that are rapidly diversifying Hapkido. A questionnaire survey method was conducted with 300 middle and high school students, aged 14–19 years, with between three months and two years of Hapkido training in Incheon and Bucheon during March and April 2019. Frequency, factor, reliability, correlation, and standard multiple regression analyses were conducted on the surveyed data. The study concludes that, first, considering the impact of service quality on exercise continuation intention, service quality positively affects reliability, personification, and perceptual openness; in terms of possibility, it positively affects typicality, personification, and perceptual openness; and in terms of reinforcement, it positively affects reliability and perceptual openness. Second, regarding the impact of service quality on recommendation intention, it positively affects reliability, personification, and perceptual openness. Third, exercise continuation intention positively affects recommendation intention. This study suggests that various efforts should be made to increase the reliability, tangibility, confidence, and empathy of the service quality to increase the exercise continuation and recommendation intentions of the trainees of Hapkido gymnasiums.
Application of System Thinking and Factors Interrelationship Analysis to Identify Primary Success Factors of Post-Natural Disaster Recovery Projects
Authors: Bahmani Homa , Zhang Wei
Published: March 2021

An increasing number of natural disasters and deficiencies in recovery projects have emerged recently and necessitated the creation of versatile guidelines to achieve successful Post-Natural Disaster Recovery (PNDR) projects. Although some criteria have been set to measure these PNDR projects’ success, this topic needs further investigation. The solution may be extensive studies offering a holistic explanation for PNDR projects’ success. This paper creates a comprehensive continual cycle to illustrate these projects’ objectives. Subsequently, subsets or influential elements of the defined objectives can be recognized. Recently, several attempts have been made to apply System Thinking to construct a framework of the influential factors in a successful PNDR project; however, there is little focus in the previous works on identifying all the influential elements. This study can be separated into two parts; the first involves context analysis, which is applied to numerous resources coded by NVivo 2020 and several codes derived from five subsystems. Subsequently, the identified factors within the PNDR projects’ life cycle are analyzed twice, and the existing interrelationships are found out. The factors’ redundancy is examined, and among the 59 final factors, an objective-based categorization is performed. The time-based objectives, known as Primary Success Factors (PSFs), and their subsets/influential parameters are lastly illustrated and used to structure the identification and measurement of Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for future research.
Vegetation Cover and Tumuli’s Shape as Affecting Factors of Microclimate and Biodeterioration Risk for the Conservation of Etruscan Tombs (Tarquinia, Italy)
Authors: Caneva Giulia , Langone Simone , Bartoli Flavia , Cecchini Adele , Meneghini Carlo
Published: March 2021

The conservation of underground tombs is affected by several physical-chemical and biological factors, which could be reduced by insulating systems able to maintain the microclimatic stability also decreasing the biodeterioration risk. In Mediterranean areas, wild ephemeral plants, which reduce their cover during the hot season, seem unsuitable for reducing summer overheating. In this study, we wish to assess the influence of vegetation cover and of overlaying soil, after the establishment of an evergreen turf of a cultivar of Cynodon dactylon, on two tombs in the Etruscan Necropolis of Monterozzi, covered by linear-shaped tumuli. Therefore, we evaluated for 10 months the thermo-hygrometric values of these tombs, together with two tombs as controls. We also evaluated the different tumuli’s morphologies and the related received solar radiation. Results confirmed that late summer and early autumn as critical microclimatic periods for the risk factors of hypogeal paintings when peaks of superficial temperature occur. A positive influence of vegetation cover on maintaining constant humidity and internal temperatures was detected, but the mounds orientation, as well as soil depth, seems to have a relevant role. Considering the naturalistic features of the area and the related cultural ecosystem services, a careful selection of wild plants is suggested.
Bill Hillier’s Legacy: Space Syntax—A Synopsis of Basic Concepts, Measures, and Empirical Application
Authors: Yamu Claudia , van Nes Akkelies , Garau Chiara
Published: March 2021

Bill Hillier’s space syntax method and theory enables us to describe the spatial properties of a sustainable city. Empirical testing of the space syntax method over time has confirmed the capacity and innovativeness of analyzing spatial relationships with the purpose of understanding and explaining the socio-spatial organization of built environments. However, the conceptual framework of space syntax elements is scattered around in various academic writings. This article, therefore, gives a holistic and compact overview of the various concepts that are used in space syntax, from its basic elements to various analytical techniques and theories. To achieve this compact overview, we reviewed all space syntax literature accessible since the 1970s for finding core references to various concepts used in space syntax. Following a short description of its foundation and evolution through the work of Bill Hillier, we explain its basic concepts and measures in the form of an extended glossary. Explanations are enriched with various space syntax analyses and scenario testing on various scales that were applied to the city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. We conclude with a discussion about the advantages and limitations of space syntax and about how this method adds value to the creation of sustainable cities.
Quantum-Chemical Search for Keto Tautomers of Azulenols in Vacuo and Aqueous Solution
Authors: Raczyńska Ewa D.
Published: March 2021

Keto-enol prototropic conversions for carbonyl compounds and phenols have been extensively studied, and many interesting review articles and even books appeared in the last 50 years. Quite a different situation takes place for derivatives of biologically active azulene, for which only scanty information on this phenomenon can be found in the literature. In this work, quantum-chemical studies have been undertaken for symmetrically and unsymmetrically substituted azulenols (constitutional isomers of naphthols). Stabilities of two enol (OH) rotamers and all possible keto (CH) tautomers have been analyzed in the gas phase {DFT(B3LYP)/6-311+G(d,p)} and also in aqueous solution {PCM(water)//DFT(B3LYP)/6-311+G(d,p)}. Contrary to naphthols, for which the keto forms can be neglected, at least one keto isomer (C1H, C2H, and/or C3H) contributes significantly to the tautomeric mixture of each azulenol to a higher degree in vacuo (non-polar environment) than in water (polar amphoteric solvent). The highest amounts of the CH forms have been found for 2- and 5-hydroxyazulenes, and the smallest ones for 1- and 6-hydroxy derivatives. The keto tautomer(s), together with the enol rotamers, can also participate in deprotonation reaction leading to a common anion and influence its acid-base properties. The strongest acidity in vacuo exhibits 6-hydroxyazulene, and the weakest one displays 1-hydroxyazulene, but all azulenols are stronger acids than phenol and naphthols. Bond length alternation in all DFT-optimized structures has been measured using the harmonic oscillator model of electron delocalization (HOMED) index. Generally, the HOMED values decrease for the keto tautomers, particularly for the ring containing the labile proton. Even for the keto tautomers possessing energetic parameters close to those of the enol isomers, the HOMED indices are low. However, some kind of parallelism exists for the keto forms between their relative energies and HOMEDs estimated for the entire molecules.
The Impact of the Nephrotoxin Ochratoxin A on Human Renal Cells Studied by a Novel Co-Culture Model Is Influenced by the Presence of Fibroblasts
Authors: Schwerdt Gerald , Kopf Michael , Gekle Michael
Published: March 2021

The kidney is threatened by a lot of potentially toxic substances. To study the influence of the nephrotoxin ochratoxin A (OTA) we established a cell co-culture model consisting of human renal proximal tubule cells and fibroblasts. We studied the effect of OTA on cell survival, the expression of genes and/or proteins related to cell death, extracellular matrix and energy homeostasis. OTA-induced necrosis was enhanced in both cell types in the presence of the respective other cell type, whereas OTA-induced apoptosis was independent therefrom. In fibroblasts, but not in tubule cells, a co-culture effect was visible concerning the expression of the cell-cycle-related protein p21. The expression of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition-indicating protein vimentin was independent from the culture-condition. The expression of the OTA-induced lncRNA WISP1-AS1 was enhanced in co-culture. OTA exposure led to alterations in the expression of genes related to energy metabolism with a glucose-mobilizing effect and a reduced expression of mitochondrial proteins. Together we demonstrate that the reaction of cells can be different in the presence of cells which naturally are close-by, thus enabling a cellular cross-talk. Therefore, to evaluate the toxicity of a substance, it would be an advantage to consider the use of co-cultures instead of mono-cultures.
Combining Patulin with Cadmium Induces Enhanced Hepatotoxicity and Nephrotoxicity In Vitro and In Vivo
Authors: Cui Jinling , Yin Shutao , Zhao Chong , Fan Lihong , Hu Hongbo
Published: March 2021

Food can be contaminated by various types of contaminants such as mycotoxins and toxic heavy metals. Therefore, it is very likely that simultaneous intake of more than one type of food contaminant by consumers may take place, which provides a strong rationale for investigating the combined toxicities of these food contaminants. Patulin is one of the most common food-borne mycotoxins, whereas cadmium is a representative of toxic heavy metals found in food. The liver and kidneys are the main target organ sites for both patulin and cadmium. We hypothesized that simultaneous exposure to patulin and cadmium could produce synergistic hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. Alpha mouse liver 12 (AML12) and Human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 (HEK293) cell lines together with a mouse model were used to explore the combination effect and mechanism. The results demonstrated, for the first time, that the co-exposure of liver or renal cells to patulin and cadmium caused synergistic cytotoxicity in vitro and enhanced liver toxicity in vivo. The synergistic toxicity caused by the co-administration of patulin and cadmium was attributed to the boosted reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1 (JNK1) and p53 as downstream mediators of oxidative stress contributed to the synergistic toxicity by co-exposure of patulin and cadmium, while p53/JNK1 activation promoted the second-round ROS production through a positive feedback loop. The findings of the present study extend the toxicological knowledge about patulin and cadmium, which could be beneficial to more precisely perform risk assessments on these food contaminants.
Shiga Toxins: An Update on Host Factors and Biomedical Applications
Authors: Liu Yang , Tian Songhai , Thaker Hatim , Dong Min
Published: March 2021

Shiga toxins (Stxs) are classic bacterial toxins and major virulence factors of toxigenic Shigella dysenteriae and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC). These toxins recognize a glycosphingolipid globotriaosylceramide (Gb3/CD77) as their receptor and inhibit protein synthesis in cells by cleaving 28S ribosomal RNA. They are the major cause of life-threatening complications such as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), associated with severe cases of EHEC infection, which is the leading cause of acute kidney injury in children. The threat of Stxs is exacerbated by the lack of toxin inhibitors and effective treatment for HUS. Here, we briefly summarize the Stx structure, subtypes, in vitro and in vivo models, Gb3 expression and HUS, and then introduce recent studies using CRISPR-Cas9-mediated genome-wide screens to identify the host cell factors required for Stx action. We also summarize the latest progress in utilizing and engineering Stx components for biomedical applications.
Thrombolome and Its Emerging Role in Chronic Kidney Diseases
Authors: Fryc Justyna , Naumnik Beata
Published: March 2021

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at an increased risk of thromboembolic complications, including myocardial infarction, stroke, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism. These complications lead to increased mortality. Evidence points to the key role of CKD-associated dysbiosis and its effect via the generation of gut microbial metabolites in inducing the prothrombotic phenotype. This phenomenon is known as thrombolome, a panel of intestinal bacteria-derived uremic toxins that enhance thrombosis via increased tissue factor expression, platelet hyperactivity, microparticles release, and endothelial dysfunction. This review discusses the role of uremic toxins derived from gut-microbiota metabolism of dietary tryptophan (indoxyl sulfate (IS), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), kynurenine (KYN)), phenylalanine/tyrosine (p-cresol sulfate (PCS), p-cresol glucuronide (PCG), phenylacetylglutamine (PAGln)) and choline/phosphatidylcholine (trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO)) in spontaneously induced thrombosis. The increase in the generation of gut microbial uremic toxins, the activation of aryl hydrocarbon (AhRs) and platelet adrenergic (ARs) receptors, and the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway can serve as potential targets during the prevention of thromboembolic events. They can also help create a new therapeutic approach in the CKD population.
An Amplicon-Based Approach for the Whole-Genome Sequencing of Human Metapneumovirus
Authors: Tulloch Rachel L. , Kok Jen , Carter Ian , Dwyer Dominic E. , Eden John-Sebastian
Published: March 2021

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is an important cause of upper and lower respiratory tract disease in individuals of all ages. It is estimated that most individuals will be infected by HMPV by the age of five years old. Despite this burden of disease, there remain caveats in our knowledge of global genetic diversity due to a lack of HMPV sequencing, particularly at the whole-genome scale. The purpose of this study was to create a simple and robust approach for HMPV whole-genome sequencing to be used for genomic epidemiological studies. To design our assay, all available HMPV full-length genome sequences were downloaded from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) GenBank database and used to design four primer sets to amplify long, overlapping amplicons spanning the viral genome and, importantly, specific to all known HMPV subtypes. These amplicons were then pooled and sequenced on an Illumina iSeq 100 (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA); however, the approach is suitable to other common sequencing platforms. We demonstrate the utility of this method using a representative subset of clinical samples and examine these sequences using a phylogenetic approach. Here we present an amplicon-based method for the whole-genome sequencing of HMPV from clinical extracts that can be used to better inform genomic studies of HMPV epidemiology and evolution.
Establishment of a Reverse Genetic System from a Bovine Derived Influenza D Virus Isolate
Authors: Holwerda Melle , Laloli Laura , Wider Manon , Schönecker Lutz , Becker Jens , Meylan Mireille , Dijkman Ronald
Published: March 2021

The ruminant-associated influenza D virus (IDV) has a broad host tropism and was shown to have zoonotic potential. To identify and characterize molecular viral determinants influencing the host spectrum of IDV, a reverse genetic system is required. For this, we first performed 5′ and 3′ rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) of all seven genomic segments, followed by assessment of the 5′ and 3′ NCR activity prior to constructing the viral genomic segments of a contemporary Swiss bovine IDV isolate (D/CN286) into the bidirectional pHW2000 vector. The bidirectional plasmids were transfected in HRT-18G cells followed by viral rescue on the same cell type. Analysis of the segment specific 5′ and 3′ non-coding regions (NCR) highlighted that the terminal 3′ end of all segments harbours an uracil instead of a cytosine nucleotide, similar to other influenza viruses. Subsequent analysis on the functionality of the 5′ and 3′ NCR in a minireplicon assay revealed that these sequences were functional and that the variable sequence length of the 5′ and 3′ NCR influences reporter gene expression. Thereafter, we evaluated the replication efficiency of the reverse genetic clone on conventional cell lines of human, swine and bovine origin, as well as by using an in vitro model recapitulating the natural replication site of IDV in bovine and swine. This revealed that the reverse genetic clone D/CN286 replicates efficiently in all cell culture models. Combined, these results demonstrate the successful establishment of a reverse genetic system from a contemporary bovine IDV isolate that can be used for future identification and characterization of viral determinants influencing the broad host tropism of IDV.
Treatment Protocol for COVID-19 Based on T2R Phenotype
Authors: Taha Mohamed A. , Hall Christian A. , Shortess Colin J. , Rathbone Richard F. , Barham Henry P.
Published: March 2021

COVID-19 has become a global pandemic of the highest priority. Multiple treatment protocols have been proposed worldwide with no definitive answer for acure. A prior retrospective study showed association between bitter taste receptor 38 (T2R38) phenotypes and the severity of COVID-19. Based on this, we proposed assessing the different T2R38 phenotypes response towards a targeted treatment protocol. Starting July 2020 till December 2020, we tested subjects for T2R38 phenotypic expression (supertasters, tasters, and nontasters). Subjects who were subsequently infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (diagnosed via PCR) were included. Based on their taster status, supertasters were given dexamethasone for 4 days; tasters were given azithromycin and dexamethasone +/− hydroxychloroquine for 7 days; and nontasters were given azithromycin and dexamethasone for 12 days. Subjects were followed prospectively and their outcomes were documented. Seven hundred forty-seven COVID-19 patients were included, with 184 (24.7%) supertasters, 371 (49.6%) tasters, and192 (25.7%) nontasters. The average duration of symptoms with the treatment protocol was 5 days for supertasters, 8.1 days for tasters, and 16.2 days for nontasters. Only three subjects (0.4%) required hospitalization (3/3 nontasters). Targeted treatment protocol showed significant correlation (p < 0.05) based on patients’ T2R38 phenotypic expression. Assessing treatment protocols for COVID-19 patients according to their T2R38 phenotype could provide insight into the inconsistent results obtained from the different studies worldwide. Further study is warranted on the categorization of patients based on their T2R38 phenotype.
Environmental Surveillance for Polioviruses in Haïti (2017–2019): The Dynamic Process for the Establishment and Monitoring of Sampling Sites
Authors: Alleman Mary M. , Coulliette-Salmond Angela D. , Wilnique Pierre , Belgasmi-Wright Hanen , Sayyad Leanna , Wong Kimberly , Gue Edmund , Barrais Robert , Rey-Benito Gloria , Burns Cara C. , Vega Everardo
Published: March 2021

Haïti is at risk for wild poliovirus (WPV) importation and circulation, as well as vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) emergence. Environmental surveillance (ES) for polioviruses was established in Port au Prince and Gonaïves in 2016. During 2017–2019, initial ES sites were re-evaluated, and ES was expanded into Cap Haïtien and Saint Marc. Wastewater samples and data on weather, hour of collection, and sample temperature and pH were collected every 4 weeks during March 2017–December 2019 (272 sampling events) from 21 sites in Cap Haïtien, Gonaïves, Port au Prince, and Saint Marc. Samples were processed for the detection of polio and non-polio enteroviruses using the two-phase and “Concentration and Filter Elution” methodologies. Polioviruses were serotyped and underwent intra-typic characterization. No WPV or VDPVs were isolated. Sabin-like polioviruses (oral vaccine strain) of serotypes 1 and 3 were sporadically detected. Five of six (83%), one of six (17%), five of six (83%), and two of three (67%) sites evaluated in Cap Haïtien, Gonaïves, Port au Prince, and Saint Marc, respectively, had enterovirus isolation from >50% of sampling events; these results and considerations, such as watershed population size and overlap, influence of sea water, and excessive particulates in samples, were factors in site retention or termination. The evaluation of 21 ES sampling sites in four Haïtian cities led to the termination of 11 sites. Every-four-weekly sampling continues at the remaining 10 sites across the four cities as a core Global Polio Eradication Initiative activity.
Improving Mean Annual Precipitation Prediction Incorporating Elevation and Taking into Account Support Size
Authors: Buttafuoco Gabriele , Conforti Massimo
Published: March 2021

Accounting for secondary exhaustive variables (such as elevation) in modelling the spatial distribution of precipitation can improve their estimate accuracy. However, elevation and precipitation data are associated with different support sizes and it is necessary to define methods to combine such different spatial data. The paper was aimed to compare block ordinary cokriging and block kriging with an external drift in estimating the annual precipitation using elevation as covariate. Block ordinary kriging was used as reference of a univariate geostatistical approach. In addition, the different support sizes associated with precipitation and elevation data were also taken into account. The study area was the Calabria region (southern Italy), which has a spatially variable Mediterranean climate because of its high orographic variability. Block kriging with elevation as external drift, compared to block ordinary kriging and block ordinary cokriging, was the most accurate approach for modelling the spatial distribution of annual mean precipitation. The three measures of accuracy (MAE, mean absolute error; RMSEP, root-mean-squared error of prediction; MRE, mean relative error) have the lowest values (MAE = 112.80 mm; RMSEP = 144.89 mm, and MRE = 0.11), whereas the goodness of prediction (G) has the highest value (75.67). The results clearly indicated that the use of an exhaustive secondary variable always improves the precipitation estimate, but in the case of areas with elevations below 120 m, block cokriging makes better use of secondary information in precipitation estimation than block kriging with external drift. At higher elevations, the opposite is always true: block kriging with external drift performs better than block cokriging. This approach takes into account the support size associated with precipitation and elevation data. Accounting for elevation allowed to obtain more detailed maps than using block ordinary kriging. However, block kriging with external drift produced a map with more local details than that of block ordinary cokriging because of the local re-evaluation of the linear regression of precipitation on block estimates.
Technologies for Water Reuse: Current Status and Future Challenges
Authors: Capocelli Mauro , Piemonte Vincenzo
Published: March 2021

Water is fundamental for the quality of both ecosystems and society, and plays a key role for energy and food production, a prerequisite for the sustainable development [...]
Ecological Network Analysis for Water Pollution Metabolism in Urban Water Use System: Case Study of Fuzhou, China
Authors: Gao Xiaoping , Zeng Yao , Ji Fangying , Jiang Lei
Published: March 2021

Water environment deterioration in urban environments is a critical concern in sustainable water management processes, and the method of urban water metabolism has not been developed more fully in this field. Therefore, there is a requirement to evaluate urban water metabolism with a focus on water quality for sustainable water use. In this study, information and network environ analyses in ecological network analysis (ENA) were explored to measure the water pollutant metabolism state. Six sub-basins in the old part of Fuzhou in China using data from 2016 and 2019 were selected for the case study. Results showed that (1) water pollutant metabolism amount decreased and the metabolism efficiency was improved; (2) the contribution of sub-basins III and IV for pollutant metabolism were more important than the other sub-basins; (3) the river in sub-basin III was the maximum recipient control as a sink node; and (4) ecological relations between compartments were improved for pollutant metabolism. Based on the results, we proposed five types of ENA indicators including TST, a, wj, matrix CX, matrix sgnU, and C for the water pollutant metabolism assessment. The method developed here provided new insights to understand the production, transport, degradation, and discharge of pollutants in water use activities in urban environments, and we hope it can be helpful to improve the extension and application of the water metabolism approach in managing urban water quantity and quality in future.
Portraying the Water Crisis in Iranian Newspapers: An Approach Using Structure Query Language (SQL)
Authors: Amiraslani Farshad , Dragovich Deirdre
Published: March 2021

Water is a valuable resource for which demand often exceeds supply in dry climates. Managing limited water resources becomes increasingly difficult in circumstances of recurring drought, rising populations, rapid urbanisation, industrial development, and financial constraints, such as occur in Iran. Newspapers both report on and influence people’s understanding of water-related issues. An analysis was undertaken of two major Iranian daily newspapers over a 7-year period. Structure Query Language (SQL) was employed to identify relationships among a total of 1275 records/fields which were extracted from 84 water-related news items. They were analysed for message, contributor, spatiality and allocated space. Of the water-related items, wetlands comprised 33% (class), public awareness 54% (message), local level 56% (spatiality), and authorities 53% (contributor). Space allocation on each page was mostly <40% (94% of items). Four examples were highlighted of ambitious engineering projects adopted in response to water distribution issues. It is concluded that the general lack of educating messages about water use efficiency in rural areas and water consumption in cities does not assist in developing positive water-saving local behaviours. Newspapers could be a useful tool in a broader strategy for addressing and managing the demand side of the water crisis in Iran.