bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Monitoring and Understanding Urban Transformation: A Mixed Method Approach
Authors: Bannan Thomas J. , Evans James , Benton Jack S. , Edwards Pete , Diez Sebastian , Marsden Nicholas , Flynn Michael , Coe Hugh , Burke Clare , Murabito Ettore , Anderson Jamie , Cruickshank Sheena M. , Topping David
Published: January 2022

Cities must address many challenges including air quality, climate change and the health and wellbeing of communities. Public authorities and developers increasingly look to improve these through the implementation of interventions and innovations, such as low traffic neighbourhoods, deep housing retrofits and green infrastructure. Monitoring the impacts of interventions is essential to determine the success of such projects and to build evidence for broader urban transformation. In this paper we present a mixed-method cross-disciplinary approach that brings together cutting edge atmospheric and data science, measurements of activity in public spaces and novel methods to assess wellbeing-promoting behaviours. The Manchester Urban Observatory focuses on living areas that have a high density of inter-related systems, which require observation, understanding and intervention at multiple levels. This must be completed in line with urban planning goals as well as a clear and succinct data solution that allows robust scientific conclusions to be made and viewed in real time. Delivery of such a monitoring strategy is not trivial and is time, resource and expertise heavy. This paper discusses the methods employed by the Manchester Urban Observatory to monitor the effectiveness off interventions implemented within cities and effective communication strategies with local communities.
Assessing International Sport Federations' Sustainability Practices: Toward Integrating Sustainability in Their Main Sports Events
Authors: Moon Philjoo , Bayle Emmanuel , François Aurélien
Published: January 2022

Research Question: Sustainability has become a pressing issue for a wide range of organizations, including sports' world governing bodies. This paper examines (1) how sustainability can be defined in the context of international sport federations and (2) how international federations implement social and environmental sustainability practices. We used an eight-dimensional analytical framework to analyze multiple case studies and drew on neo-institutional theory to interpret the recent changes international federations have made with regard to sustainability.

Research Methods: Our methodology combined a multiple case study with analyses of official documents and in-depth semi-structured interviews.

Results and Findings: Our six case studies revealed five approaches to sustainability: (a) implementing sustainability pilot events; (b) partnering with NGOs; (c) partnering with sustainability consultancies; (d) creating a sustainability committee; and (e) launching a comprehensive sustainability strategy with at least a full-time sustainability manager.

Implications: In terms of theory, examining our data through the lens of neo-institutional theory provides insights into international federations' recent sustainability behaviors. Our findings enabled us to draw up a “sustainability ladder” of sport federations' responsibilities, which can be used to assess the degree to which they have embraced sustainability. In practical terms, our findings should encourage more sport federations to take concrete steps to improve their sustainability by implementing the five approaches.
Impact of Measures Aiming to Reduce Sugars Intake in the General Population and Their Implementation in Europe: A Scoping Review
Authors: Bucher Della Torre Sophie , Moullet Clémence , Jotterand Chaparro Corinne
Published: January 2022

Objectives: Implementing public health measures is necessary to decrease sugars intake, which is associated with increased risk of noncommunicable diseases. Our scoping review aimed to identify the types of measures implemented and evaluated to decrease sugars intake in the population and to assess their impact.

Methods: Following a review of systematic reviews (SRs) published in 2018, we systematically searched new SR (May 2017–October 2020) in electronic databases. We also searched the measures implemented in Europe in the NOURISHING database. Two researchers selected the reviews, extracted and analysed the data.

Results: We included 15 SRs assessing economic tools (n = 5), product reformulation and labels/claims (n = 5), and educational/environmental interventions (n = 7). Economic tools, product reformulation and environmental measures were effective to reduce sugar intake or weight outcomes, while labels, education and interventions combining educational and environmental measures found mixed effects. The most frequently implemented measures in Europe were public awareness, nutritional education, and labels.

Conclusion: Among measures to reduce sugar intake in the population, economic tools, product reformulation, and environmental interventions were the most effective, but not the more frequently implemented in Europe.
The Tangential Extraperitoneal Retrorenal Approach in Kidney Transplant Biopsy: An Observational Study to Assess Complication and Adequacy Rates
Authors: Pirklbauer Markus , Berger Martin , Boban Miro D. , Tiefenthaler Martin
Published: January 2022

Introduction: Ultrasound-guided percutaneous kidney allograft biopsy is the gold-standard for pathology work-up. Recent studies postulate better safety and efficacy for tangential approaches, however, there is no recommendation regarding biopsy needle path. In this context, we previously described the unified tangential extraperitoneal retrorenal (TER) approach for standard allograft biopsy.

Methods: A single-center retrospective observational study evaluated safety and efficacy of the TER biopsy approach among 250 patients that underwent 330 ultrasound-guided kidney transplant biopsies between January 2011 and May 2020.

Results: The overall major complication rate was 0.56% per biopsy attempt (1.21% per biopsy) including blood transfusion, arterial embolization and bladder catheterization for gross hematuria in 0.28, 0.14 and 0.14% of biopsy attempts, respectively (0.61, 0.30 and 0.30% of biopsies, respectively). Minor complications included subcapsular and/or perinephric hematoma, superficial bleeding, arteriovenous fistula and gross hematuria in 12.6, 3.0, 2.5 and 1.4% of biopsy attempts, respectively (27.0, 6.4, 5.5 and 3.0% of biopsies, respectively). Sample adequacy rate was 86.7%, ranging from 82.2 to 94.1% if one or ≥two cores were analyzed, respectively. Residents and consultants yielded similar complication and adequacy rates.

Conclusion: According to current literature, ultrasound-guided TER kidney transplant biopsy is a safe and efficient approach eligible for nephrology training.
The Impact of Drought Stress on Soil Microbial Community, Enzyme Activities and Plants
Authors: Bogati Kalisa , Walczak Maciej
Published: January 2022

Nowadays, the most significant consequence of climate change is drought stress. Drought is one of the important, alarming, and hazardous abiotic stresses responsible for the alterations in soil environment affecting soil organisms, including microorganisms and plants. It alters the activity and functional composition of soil microorganisms that are responsible for crucial ecosystem functions and services. These stress conditions decrease microbial abundance, disturb microbial structure, decline microbial activity, including enzyme production (e.g., such as oxidoreductases, hydrolases, dehydrogenase, catalase, urease, phosphatases, β-glucosidase) and nutrient cycling, leading to a decrease in soil fertility followed by lower plant productivity and loss in economy. Interestingly, the negative effects of drought on soil can be minimized by adding organic substances such as compost, sewage slugs, or municipal solid waste that increases the activity of soil enzymes. Drought directly affects plant morphology, anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry. Its effect on plants can also be observed by changes at the transcriptomic and metabolomic levels. However, in plants, it can be mitigated by rhizosphere microbial communities, especially by plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) and fungi (PGPF) that adapt their structural and functional compositions to water scarcity. This review was undertaken to discuss the impacts of drought stress on soil microbial community abundance, structure and activity, and plant growth and development, including the role of soil microorganisms in this process. Microbial activity in the soil environment was considered in terms of soil enzyme activities, pools, fluxes, and processes of terrestrial carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles. A deep understanding of many aspects is necessary to explore the impacts of these extreme climate change events. We also focus on addressing the possible ways such as genome editing, molecular analysis (metagenomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics) towards finding better solutions for mitigating drought effects and managing agricultural practices under harsh condition in a profitable manner.
Varying Degrees of Animal Reification by Stakeholders in Experimental Research
Authors: Cabaret Jacques , Fortin Ludivine
Published: January 2022

The attitude towards animals in research depends on both the role of the stakeholder and their personal characteristics. Most studies on the subject have been carried out on stakeholders from biomedical research institutes with comparatively few sociological studies on stakeholders from agricultural research centers. Previous findings suggest that animal caretakers at agricultural research centers felt undervalued by the hierarchy, and that animal reification was present in the sector. This may indicate that a lack of consideration for the animal subjects correlates with an inadequate sensitivity towards humans. Since these findings were published twenty years ago, there has been an increasing emphasis on the importance and actions of ethics committees in research, animal welfare bodies, and public concern for animals, which may have impacted the current perspective. To better understand current degrees of animal reification amongst stakeholders of agricultural research, we conducted semi-directive interviews at a leading agricultural research institute in France (INRAE). The interviews targeted both animal caretakers and researchers who were involved in the study of infectious diseases in livestock, or the behavior of horses and quails. After having transcribed the recorded interviews into text, semi-automatized analyses were carried out to categorize them into distinct groups, from which the most characteristic words and sentences were extracted. Three groups of stakeholders were identified: (i) animal caretakers involved in invasive infectious disease research; (ii) animal caretakers involved in behavioral research; and (iii) researchers. The findings show that animal caretakers felt acknowledged by their hierarchy. It is possible the increased skill criteria for people recruited into this position over the years, combined with greater prospects for continuous learning and development in the profession, may have fostered a more respectful regard across the hierarchy. The animal caretakers clearly expressed that their primary objective was to successfully execute the research protocols and that the animals were viewed as prototypes for research, with which they could, on occasion, develop a bond with. The bond was more important for animal caretakers involved in behavioral studies than for those involved in the study of infectious diseases, where invasive biological sampling and restraining of the animals is required. Researchers prioritized the procurement of robust data to test hypotheses, analyze phenomena, and publish their results. Their concern for the animals rather reflected the views of the general public opposed to thought-out personal opinions on the matter; this is possibly due to their comparatively limited interaction with the animals. They considered the animals in abstract terms that were indicative of reification. This study concludes that animal reification is still present, albeit to varying degrees amongst the stakeholders.
Sensitivity Analysis of Holdback Bar Release Load during Catapult-Assisted Takeoff of Carrier-Based Aircraft
Authors: Zhu Enze , Zhang Zhipeng , Nie Hong
Published: January 2022

The release load of holdback bar will affect the safety of catapult-assisted takeoff of carrier-based aircraft, and the accurate control of releasing the load will ensure success. The magnitude and the control accuracy of release load are important parameters which impact the takeoff performance, therefore unstable release load and insufficient release precision are the main factors affecting the takeoff safety. In this paper, mechanical models of the carrier-based aircraft in the catapult-assisted takeoff tensioning state and gliding state after release are established based on multi-body dynamics, contact mechanics and tribological theory, and the influence of the release load of the holdback bar on the catapult-assisted takeoff performance is analyzed. Furthermore, a kinetic model of the holdback bar device is established, and the kinetic characteristics of the release process of the holdback bar are studied. Based on the kinetic model and friction model of the holdback bar, the influencing factors of the sensitivity of the holdback bar release load are analyzed and the structural parameters are optimized. The results show that the released load decreases slowly with the increase of the contact surface angle of the holdback bar structure and increases rapidly when that angle reaches the critical value; besides, the release load increases slowly with the increase of the friction coefficient of the contact surface and increases faster when the critical friction coefficient is reached.
Staging of Endometrial Cancer Using Fusion T2-Weighted Images with Diffusion-Weighted Images: A Way to Avoid Gadolinium?
Authors: Neves Teresa Resende , Correia Mariana Tomé , Serrado Maria Ana , Horta Mariana , Caetano António Proença , Cunha Teresa Margarida
Published: January 2022

Endometrial cancer is the eighth most common cancer worldwide, and its prognosis depends on various factors, with myometrial invasion having a major impact on prognosis. Optimizing MRI protocols is essential, and it would be useful to improve the diagnostic accuracy without the need for other sequences. We conducted a retrospective, single-center study, which included a total of 87 patients with surgically confirmed primary endometrial cancer, and who had undergone a pre-operative pelvic MRI. All exams were read by an experienced radiologist dedicated to urogenital radiology, and the depth of myometrial invasion was evaluated using T2-Weighted Images (T2WI) and fused T2WI with Diffusion-Weighted Images (DWI). Both results were compared to histopathological evaluations. When comparing both sets of imaging (T2WI and fused T2WI-DWI images) in diagnosing myometrial invasion, the fused images had better accuracy, and this difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). T2WI analysis correctly diagnosed 82.1% (70.6–88.7) of cases, compared to 92.1% correctly diagnosed cases with fused images (79.5–97.2). The addition of fused images to a standard MRI protocol improves the diagnostic accuracy of myometrial invasion depth, encouraging its use, since it does not require more acquisition time.
Prediction of B20 Storage Tank Precipitate Removal Based on Biodiesel Monoglyceride Content
Authors: Gozan Misri , Paryanto Imam , Darmawan Muhammad Arif , Sahlan Muhammad , Hermansyah Heri , Rismana Eriawan , Arbianto Alfan Danny , Prakoso Tirto , Aroua Mohamed Kheireddine , Cognet Patrick
Published: January 2022

Precipitate in B20 fuel stored in storage tanks can accumulate at the bottom level of the tank and affect the fuel filter, clogging in the fuel distribution and engine system. This study examines the precipitate formation prediction in B20 fuel based on the monoglyceride content in biodiesel. This research used a modified CSFT method of ASTM D7501 for the precipitation test. Monopalmitin was added to biodiesel with a variation of monoglyceride content. Each biodiesel sample was then blended with petroleum diesel fuel to produce two groups of samples. Each sample was separately soaked in the cooling chamber at constant and room temperature for 21 days. The bottom layer of each B20 fuel sample stored in the measuring cylinder was then pipetted and filtered, washed with petro-ether, vacuum-dried, and weighed for a constant amount of precipitate retained on the filter. The simulation results show that the ratios between the amount of collected precipitate at the bottom layer of the 2-liter measuring cylinder and the total amount of collected precipitate for the 2-liter measuring cylinder increased with the monoglyceride content biodiesel. This ratio was used to predict the amount of accumulated sludge for a given volume of B20 fuel loaded into the storage tank. This study shows the effect of monoglyceride content on the precipitation behaviour in the storage tank concerning general tank storage dimension parameters and B20 loading frequency. This approach can be applied to estimate the sludge removal frequency for biodiesel storage.
Fusion Domain-Adaptation CNN Driven by Images and Vibration Signals for Fault Diagnosis of Gearbox Cross-Working Conditions
Authors: Mao Gang , Zhang Zhongzheng , Qiao Bin , Li Yongbo
Published: January 2022

The vibration signal of gearboxes contains abundant fault information, which can be used for condition monitoring. However, vibration signal is ineffective for some non-structural failures. In order to resolve this dilemma, infrared thermal images are introduced to combine with vibration signals via fusion domain-adaptation convolutional neural network (FDACNN), which can diagnose both structural and non-structural failures under various working conditions. First, the measured raw signals are converted into frequency and squared envelope spectrum to characterize the health states of the gearbox. Second, the sequences of the frequency and squared envelope spectrum are arranged into two-dimensional format, which are combined with infrared thermal images to form fusion data. Finally, the adversarial network is introduced to realize the state recognition of structural and non-structural faults in the unlabeled target domain. An experiment of gearbox test rigs was used for effectiveness validation by measuring both vibration and infrared thermal images. The results suggest that the proposed FDACNN method performs best in cross-domain fault diagnosis of gearboxes via multi-source heterogeneous data compared with the other four methods.
Weighted Relative Group Entropies and Associated Fisher Metrics
Authors: Hirica Iulia-Elena , Pripoae Cristina-Liliana , Pripoae Gabriel-Teodor , Preda Vasile
Published: January 2022

A large family of new α-weighted group entropy functionals is defined and associated Fisher-like metrics are considered. All these notions are well-suited semi-Riemannian tools for the geometrization of entropy-related statistical models, where they may act as sensitive controlling invariants. The main result of the paper establishes a link between such a metric and a canonical one. A sufficient condition is found, in order that the two metrics be conformal (or homothetic). In particular, we recover a recent result, established for α=1 and for non-weighted relative group entropies. Our conformality condition is “universal”, in the sense that it does not depend on the group exponential.
A Hybrid Data Analytics Framework with Sentiment Convergence and Multi-Feature Fusion for Stock Trend Prediction
Authors: Daradkeh Mohammad Kamel
Published: January 2022

Stock market analysis plays an indispensable role in gaining knowledge about the stock market, developing trading strategies, and determining the intrinsic value of stocks. Nevertheless, predicting stock trends remains extremely difficult due to a variety of influencing factors, volatile market news, and sentiments. In this study, we present a hybrid data analytics framework that integrates convolutional neural networks and bidirectional long short-term memory (CNN-BiLSTM) to evaluate the impact of convergence of news events and sentiment trends with quantitative financial data on predicting stock trends. We evaluated the proposed framework using two case studies from the real estate and communications sectors based on data collected from the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) between 1 January 2020 and 1 December 2021. The results show that combining news events and sentiment trends with quantitative financial data improves the accuracy of predicting stock trends. Compared to benchmarked machine learning models, CNN-BiLSTM offers an improvement of 11.6% in real estate and 25.6% in communications when news events and sentiment trends are combined. This study provides several theoretical and practical implications for further research on contextual factors that influence the prediction and analysis of stock trends.
Development of Combined Load Spectra for Offshore Structures Subjected to Wind, Wave, and Ice Loading
Authors: Braun Moritz , Dörner Alfons , ter Veer Kane F. , Willems Tom , Seidel Marc , Hendrikse Hayo , Høyland Knut V. , Fischer Claas , Ehlers Sören
Published: January 2022

Fixed offshore wind turbines continue to be developed for high latitude areas where not only wind and wave loads need to be considered but also moving sea ice. Current rules and regulations for the design of fixed offshore structures in ice-covered waters do not adequately consider the effects of ice loading and its stochastic nature on the fatigue life of the structure. Ice crushing on such structures results in ice-induced vibrations, which can be represented by loading the structure using a variable-amplitude loading (VAL) sequence. Typical offshore load spectra are developed for wave and wind loading. Thus, a combined VAL spectrum is developed for wind, wave, and ice action. To this goal, numerical models are used to simulate the dynamic ice-, wind-, and wave-structure interaction. The stress time-history at an exemplarily selected critical point in an offshore wind energy monopile support structure is extracted from the model and translated into a VAL sequence, which can then be used as a loading sequence for the fatigue assessment or fatigue testing of welded joints of offshore wind turbine support structures. This study presents the approach to determine combined load spectra and standardized time series for wind, wave, and ice action.
Heterotopian Disorientation: Intersectionality in William Oldroyd’s Lady Macbeth
Authors: Tronicke Marlena
Published: January 2022

This article reads William Oldroyd’s Lady Macbeth (2016) through the lens of Michel Foucault’s concept of the heterotopia to explore the film’s ambivalent gender and racial politics. The country house that Katherine Lester is locked away in forms a quasi-heterotopia, mediated through a disorienting cinematography of incarceration. Although she manages to transgress the ideological boundaries surrounding her, she simultaneously contributes to the oppression of her Black housemaid, Anna. On the one hand, the film suggests that the coercive space of the colony—another Foucauldian heterotopia—may threaten white hegemony: While Mr Lester’s Black, illegitimate son Teddy almost manages to claim his inheritance and, hence, contest the racialised master/servant relationship of the country house, Anna’s voice threatens to cause Katherine’s downfall. On the other hand, through eventually denying Anna’s and Teddy’s agency, Lady Macbeth exposes the pervasiveness of intersectional forms of oppression that are at play in both Victorian and twenty-first-century Britain. The constant spatial disorientation that the film produces, this article suggests, not only identifies blind spots in Foucault’s writings on heterotopian space as far as intersectionality is concerned, but also speaks to white privilege as a vital concern of both twenty-first-century feminism and neo-Victorian criticism.
A Descriptive Cohort of Suicidal Cancer Patients: Analysis of the Autopsy Case Series from 1993 to 2019 in Milan (Italy)
Authors: Gentile Guendalina , Tambuzzi Stefano , Calati Raffaella , Zoja Riccardo
Published: January 2022

Suicide in cancer patients has always been a subject of clinical studies, but the contribution of forensic pathology to this phenomenon is poorly reported. With the aim of at least partially filling this gap in information, at the Institute of Forensic Medicine of Milan, Italy, we assessed all suicides that occurred in cancer patients. A descriptive and retrospective analysis was carried out by examining the database of the Institute and autopsy reports. We included 288 suicide cases with proven cancer diseases. For each suicide, sex, age, country of origin, body area affected by cancer, further pathological history, medications, previous suicide attempts and suicidal communications, as well as the place where the suicide occurred, were assessed. Furthermore, from a forensic point of view, we considered the chosen suicide method and any involved means. The majority of cases were male older adults affected by lung, colon and prostate cancer. Violent suicide methods were prevalent, and the most represented suicide method was falling from height regardless of the body area affected by cancer. Such data may be of clinical use for clinicians engaged in the front lines in order to address suicide risk prevention strategies among cancer patients.
Clinical Risk Management: As Modern Tool for Prevention and Management of Care and Prevention Occupational Risk
Authors: La Russa Raffaele , Ferracuti Stefano
Published: January 2022

Clinical Risk Management aims to improve the performance quality of healthcare services through procedures that identify and prevent circumstances that could expose both the patient and the healthcare personnel to risk of an adverse event [...]
Psychological Reactions of Hospital Workers to a Pandemic: A Comparison of SARS-CoV-2 in 2020 and SARS in 2003
Authors: Lee Yu , Wang Liang-Jen , Chou Wen-Jiun , Chiang Ming-Chu , Huang Shan , Lin Yi-Chun , Lin Jie-Yi , Chiu Nien-Mu , Chen Chih-Hung , Lee Ing-Kit , Kung Chia-Te , Wang Chih-Chi , Chong Mian-Yoon
Published: January 2022

Epidemic viral infections, including the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003 and SARS-CoV-2 in 2019, have brought tremendous loss to people across the nations. The aim of this study was to compare the psychological impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in 2020 and the SARS pandemic in 2003 on hospital workers. Hospital workers at a medical center in Southern Taiwan (n = 1816) were invited to complete questionnaires (SARS-CoV-2 Exposure Experience, the Impact of Event Scale, the Chinese Health Questionnaire, and the Distress Thermometer). The current data were compared to the data collected from hospital workers (n = 1257) at the same medical center during the SARS pandemic in 2003. We found the psychological impact on hospital workers during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was significantly lower than that during the previous SARS period. During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic period, hospital workers with SARS experience were more accepting of the risk, felt a greater responsibility to take care of the SARS-CoV-2 patients, and were more likely to perceive the danger of becoming infected. The associated factors of psychiatric morbidity in hospital workers with SARS experience were being female, the degree of intrusion severity, and severity of psychological distress. Proper management strategies and lessons learned from the SARS experience might have led to low psychiatric morbidity during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
Fear and Attitude towards SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Infection in Spanish Population during the Period of Confinement
Authors: Recio-Vivas Ana María , Font-Jiménez Isabel , Mansilla-Domínguez José Miguel , Belzunegui-Eraso Angel , Díaz-Pérez David , Lorenzo-Allegue Laura , Peña-Otero David
Published: January 2022

In January 2020, the WHO classified SARS-CoV-2 infection as a public health emergency and it was declared a pandemic on 11 March 2020. The media warned about the danger of infection, fuelling the population’s fear of the new situation and increasing the perception of risk. This fear can cause behaviour that will determine the course of the pandemic and, therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyse the fear of infection from COVID-19 among the Spanish population during the state of emergency. A cross-sectional, descriptive observational study was conducted with 16,372 participants. Data on sociodemographic factors, health factors, risk perception and fear were collected through an online survey. Level of fear is associated with older age, a lower level of education, having a person infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the immediate surroundings and living with and belonging to the most socioeconomically vulnerable group of people. Risk perception is associated with increased preventive behaviour. This paper provides relevant information for the public health sector since it contributes first-hand knowledge of population data that is highly useful in terms of prevention. Understanding the experiences of people in this pandemic helps to create more effective future intervention strategies in terms of planning and management for crisis situations.
Using Data Integration to Improve Health and Welfare Insights
Authors: Jensen Linda R.
Published: January 2022

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) is a leader in the provision of high-quality health and welfare information. Its work program has built a strong evidence base for better decisions that deliver improved health and welfare outcomes. The evolution of the AIHW’s data integration program has exemplified innovation in identifying and addressing key information gaps, as well as responsiveness to opportunities to develop and capture the data required to inform national priorities. The AIHW conducts data integration in partnership with data custodians and specialists in integration and analysis. A linkage project requiring the integration of Australian government data must be undertaken by an accredited integrating authority. The AIHW has met stringent criteria covering project governance, capability, and data management to gain this accreditation. In this capacity, the AIHW is trusted to integrate Australian government data for high-risk research projects. To date, the AIHW’s integration projects have generated improved research outcomes that have identified vulnerable population groups, improved the understanding of health risk factors, and contributed to the development of targeted interventions. These projects have fostered new insights into dementia, disability, health service use, patient experiences of healthcare, and suicide. Upcoming projects aim to further the understanding of interrelationships between determinants of wellbeing.
Research on the Safety and Security Distance of Above-Ground Liquefied Gas Storage Tanks and Dispensers
Authors: Kukfisz Bożena , Kuczyńska Aneta , Piec Robert , Szykuła-Piec Barbara
Published: January 2022

Many countries lack clear legal requirements on the distance between buildings and petrol station facilities. The regulations in force directly determine the petrol station facilities’ required distance to buildings, and such distances are considered relevant for newly designed and reconstructed buildings. Public buildings must be located no closer than 60 m to the above-ground liquefied gas tanks and liquid gas dispensers. Still, based on engineering calculations and the applied technical measures, it is possible to determine a safe distance for buildings that are constructed, extended and reconstructed, to which superstructures are added or whose utilisation method changes. The paper presents the results of calculations devoted to determining a safe distance between public buildings and LPG filling station facilities, using selected analytical models. The analyses were carried out for the LPG gas system commonly used in petrol stations, consisting of two gas storage tanks of 4.85 m3 capacity each, and a dispenser. It is legitimate to eliminate the obligation to observe the 60 m distance between LPG filling stations and public buildings and the mandatory distance of 60 m between liquefied gas dispensers and public buildings is not justified in light of the implemented requirements to use various protections at self-service liquefied gas filling stands.
The Impact of Absorptive Capacity on Innovation: The Mediating Role of Organizational Learning
Authors: Sancho-Zamora Rafael , Hernández-Perlines Felipe , Peña-García Isidro , Gutiérrez-Broncano Santiago
Published: January 2022

Although the relevant literature has already demonstrated the impact that absorptive capacity has on companies’ innovation capacity, we have found few studies that analyze the role of learning capability in this relationship. The main objective of this study was to examine the role of organizational learning in this relationship. For this purpose, a quantitative research approach was used. A total of 306 valid questionnaires were obtained from small and medium-sized Spanish companies in different sectors. The collected data were analyzed using the multivariate Partial Least Square (PLS) quantitative structural equation technique. According to the result, absorption capacity turns into innovation mainly when learning capacity is involved in this process. This study provides empirical evidence of this relationship and fills this gap. It can also help organizations understand and clarify what would be the most appropriate way in to manage knowledge to improve their innovation levels.
Partial Replacement of Dietary Fat with Krill Oil or Coconut Oil Alleviates Dyslipidemia by Partly Modulating Lipid Metabolism in Lipopolysaccharide-Injected Rats on a High-Fat Diet
Authors: Son Hee-Kyoung , Kim Bok-Hee , Lee Jisu , Park Seohyun , Oh Chung-Bae , Jung Sunyoon , Lee Jennifer K. , Ha Jung-Heun
Published: January 2022

This study investigated the effects of partial replacement of dietary fat with krill oil (KO) or coconut oil (CO) on dyslipidemia and lipid metabolism in rats fed with a high-fat diet (HFD). Sprague Dawley rats were divided into three groups as follows: HFD, HFD + KO, and HFD + CO. The rats were fed each diet for 10 weeks and then intraperitoneally injected with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (1 mg/kg). The KO- and CO-fed rats exhibited lower levels of serum lipids and aspartate aminotransferases than those of the HFD-fed rats. Rats fed with HFD + KO displayed significantly lower hepatic histological scores and hepatic triglyceride (TG) content than rats fed with HFD. The KO supplementation also downregulated the adipogenic gene expression in the liver. When treated with LPS, the HFD + KO and HFD + CO groups reduced the adipocyte size in the epididymal white adipose tissues (EAT) relative to the HFD group. These results suggest that KO and CO could improve lipid metabolism dysfunction.
Effect Mechanism of Land Consolidation on Soil Bacterial Community: A Case Study in Eastern China
Authors: Lin Yaoben , Ye Yanmei , Liu Shuchang , Wen Jiahao , Chen Danling
Published: January 2022

Farmland consolidation is an effective tool to improve farmland infrastructures, soil quality, and sustain a healthy farmland ecosystem and rural population, generating contributions to food security and regional sustainable development. Previous studies showed that farmland consolidation regulates soil physical and chemical properties. Soil microorganisms also play an important role in soil health and crop performance; however, few studies reported how farmland consolidation influence soil microecology. Here, we used DNA sequencing technology to compare bacterial community structure in farmlands with and without consolidation. DNA sequencing technology is the most advanced technology used to obtain biological information in the world, and it has been widely used in the research of soil micro-ecological environment. In September 2018, we collected soil samples in Jiashan County, Zhejiang Province, China, and used DNA sequence technology to compare the bacterial community structure in farmlands with and without consolidation. Our results found that (1) farmland consolidation had significant impacts on soil microbial characteristics, which were mainly manifested as changes in microbial biomass, microbial diversity and community structure. Farmland consolidation can increase the relative abundance of the three dominant bacteria phyla and the three fungal dominant phyla, but it also negatively affects the relative abundance of the six dominant bacteria phyla and the three fungal dominant phyla. (2) Farmland consolidation had an indirect impact on soil bacterial community structure by adjusting the soil physical and chemical properties. (3) The impact of heavy metals on bacterial community structure varied significantly under different levels of heavy metal pollution in farmland consolidation areas. There were 6, 3, 3, and 5 bacterial genera that had significant correlations with heavy metal content in cultivated land with low pollution, light pollution, medium pollution, and heavy pollution, respectively. The number of heavy metal-tolerant bacteria in the soil generally increased first and then decreased under heavy metal polluted conditions. Our study untangled the relationship between varied farmland consolidation strategies and bacteria through soil physcicochemical properties and metal pollution conditions. Our results can guide farmland consolidation strategies and sustain soil health and ecological balance in agriculture.
Factors Associated with Cardiovascular Disease Risk among Employees at a Portuguese Higher Education Institution
Authors: Brandão Maria Piedade , Sa-Couto Pedro , Gomes Gonçalo , Beça Pedro , Reis Juliana
Published: January 2022

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and to assess the CVD risk (CVDRisk) in a sample of workers at a specific workplace: a higher education institution in Portugal. Data were collected using a questionnaire (e.cuidHaMUs.QueST®) with 345 HEI workers from June 2017–June 2018 with a high response rate (93.3%). Two constructs of risks for CVD were considered: (i) metabolic risk and hypertension (CVDRisk1); and (ii) modifiable behavioural risk (CVDRisk2). Logistic regression analyses were used to establish a relationship between risk indexes/constructs (CVDRisk1 and CVDRisk2) and groups of selected variables. The most prevalent CVD risk factor was hypercholesterolaemia (43.2%). Sixty-eight percent of participants were in the construct CVDRisk1 while almost half of the respondents were in CVDRisk2 (45.2%). The consumption of soft drinks twice a week or more contributed to a significantly increased risk of CVD in CVDRisk1. Lack of regular exercise and lack of daily fruit consumption significantly increased the risk of CVD in CVDRisk2. The challenge to decision makers and the occupational medical community is to incorporate this information into the daily practices of health surveillance with an urgent need for health promotional education campaigns in the workplace.
Process Optimization of Electrochemical Treatment of COD and Total Nitrogen Containing Wastewater
Authors: Yao Jiachao , Mei Yu , Jiang Junhui , Xia Guanghua , Chen Jun
Published: January 2022

In this work, an electrochemical method for chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total nitrogen (TN, including ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite) removal from wastewater using a divided electrolysis cell was developed, and its process optimization was investigated. This process could effectively relieve the common issue of NO3−/NO2− over-reduction or NH4+ over-oxidation by combining cathodic NO3−/NO2− reduction with anodic COD/NH4+ oxidation. The activity and selectivity performances toward pollutant removal of the electrode materials were investigated by electrochemical measurements and constant potential electrolysis, suggesting that Ti electrode exhibited the best NO3−/NO2− reduction and N2 production efficiencies. In-situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to study the in-situ electrochemical information of pollutants conversion on electrode surfaces and propose their reaction pathways. The effects of main operating parameters (i.e., initial pH value, Cl− concentration, and current density) on the removal efficiencies of COD and TN were studied. Under optimal conditions, COD and TN removal efficiencies from simulated wastewater reached 92.7% and 82.0%, respectively. Additionally, reaction kinetics were investigated to describe the COD and TN removal. Results indicated that COD removal followed pseudo-first-order model; meanwhile, TN removal followed zero-order kinetics with a presence of NH4+ and then followed pseudo-first-order kinetics when NH4+ was completely removed. For actual pharmaceutical wastewater treatment, 79.1% COD and 87.0% TN were removed after 120 min electrolysis; and no NH4+ or NO2− was detected.
Cooking at Home, Fast Food, Meat Consumption, and Dietary Carbon Footprint among US Adults
Authors: Wolfson Julia A. , Willits-Smith Amelia M. , Leung Cindy W. , Heller Martin C. , Rose Donald
Published: January 2022

Shifting consumer behavior towards more sustainable diets can benefit environmental sustainability and human health. Although more frequent home cooking is associated with a better diet quality and fast-food consumption with worse diet quality, the environmental impact of diets based on frequency of cooking or eating fast food is not well understood. The objective of this study was to investigate whether the frequency of cooking dinner at home or eating fast food is associated with dietary greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE). We linked 24-h dietary recall data from adult respondents in the 2007–2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (N = 11,469) to a database of GHGE factors to obtain a measure of dietary GHGE (kgCO2-eq/2000 kcal) (the sum of emissions released in the production of food for an individual’s diet), adjusted by energy intake (kgCO2-eq/2000 kcal). We examined associations between frequency of cooking dinner (the only meal for which cooking frequency was measured), frequency of eating fast food, and dietary GHGE and protein sources (beef, pork, poultry, other meat, and fish and seafood (g/2000 kcal)) using generalized linearized regression models that controlled for age, sex, and other socio-economic characteristics. Greater cooking frequency was associated with higher dietary GHGE. In fully adjusted models, cooking 5–6 times/week was associated with an additional 0.058 kgCO2-eq/2000 kcal (SE 0.033) and cooking 7 times/week was associated with an additional 0.057 kgCO2-eq/2000 kcal (SE 0.027) when compared to cooking 0–2 times/week. Individuals in households who cooked dinner more frequently consumed significantly more meat, poultry, and fish (cooking 7 times/week: 148.7 g/2000 kcal vs. cooking 0–2 times/week: 135.4 g/2000 kcal, p-trend = 0.005), which could explain the association with a higher carbon footprint diet. There were few associations of note between fast-food frequency and GHGE. Policies and interventions that reduce consumption of meat and increase consumption of plants when both cooking meals at home and eating meals out are needed to shift toward diets that will be beneficial for both human health and the health of the planet.
Comment on Blancafort Alias et al. A Multi-Domain Group-Based Intervention to Promote Physical Activity, Healthy Nutrition, and Psychological Wellbeing in Older People with Losses in Intrinsic Capacity: AMICOPE Development Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 5979
Authors: Inzitari Marco , Pérez Laura Mónica , Villa-García Lorena , Cesari Matteo
Published: January 2022

We read with interest the article by Blancafort et al. [...]
Factors Associated with Levels of Organophosphate Pesticides in Household Dust in Agricultural Communities
Authors: Kuiper Grace , Young Bonnie N. , WeMott Sherry , Erlandson Grant , Martinez Nayamin , Mendoza Jesus , Dooley Greg , Quinn Casey , Benka-Coker Wande O. , Magzamen Sheryl
Published: January 2022

Organophosphate (OP) pesticides are associated with numerous adverse health outcomes. Pesticide use data are available for California from the Pesticide Use Report (PUR), but household- and individual-level exposure factors have not been fully characterized to support its refinement as an exposure assessment tool. Unique exposure pathways, such as proximity to agricultural operations and direct occupational contact, further complicate pesticide exposure assessment among agricultural communities. We sought to identify influencing factors of pesticide exposure to support future exposure assessment and epidemiological studies. Household dust samples were collected from 28 homes in four California agricultural communities during January and June 2019 and were analyzed for the presence of OPs. Factors influencing household OPs were identified by a data-driven model via best subsets regression. Key factors that impacted dust OP levels included household cooling strategies, secondary occupational exposure to pesticides, and geographic location by community. Although PUR data demonstrate seasonal trends in pesticide application, this study did not identify season as an important factor, suggesting OP persistence in the home. These results will help refine pesticide exposure assessment for future studies and highlight important gaps in the literature, such as our understanding of pesticide degradation in an indoor environment.
Enhanced Production of Bacterial Cellulose from Miscanthus as Sustainable Feedstock through Statistical Optimization of Culture Conditions
Authors: Son Jemin , Lee Kang Hyun , Lee Taek , Kim Hyun Soo , Shin Weon Ho , Oh Jong-Min , Koo Sang-Mo , Yu Byung Jo , Yoo Hah Young , Park Chulhwan
Published: January 2022

Biorefineries are attracting attention as an alternative to the petroleum industry to reduce carbon emissions and achieve sustainable development. In particular, because forests play an important role in potentially reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero, alternatives to cellulose produced by plants are required. Bacterial cellulose (BC) can prevent deforestation and has a high potential for use as a biomaterial in various industries such as food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. This study aimed to improve BC production from lignocellulose, a sustainable feedstock, and to optimize the culture conditions for Gluconacetobacter xylinus using Miscanthus hydrolysates as a medium. The productivity of BC was improved using statistical optimization of the major culture parameters which were as follows: temperature, 29 °C; initial pH, 5.1; and sodium alginate concentration, 0.09% (w/v). The predicted and actual values of BC production in the optimal conditions were 14.07 g/L and 14.88 g/L, respectively, confirming that our prediction model was statistically significant. Additionally, BC production using Miscanthus hydrolysates was 1.12-fold higher than in the control group (commercial glucose). Our result indicate that lignocellulose can be used in the BC production processes in the near future.