bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ground-based “Pot-in-Pot” system and its effectiveness in growing Thuja occidentalis “Smaragd” planting material in a nursery
Authors: Tseplyaev A N , Tseplyaeva A A
Published: November 2021

For the sparsely wooded regions of Russia, and in particular, the Central forest-steppe, new technologies for growing seedlings and seedlings of tree species are extremely important. It provids rapid growth and high survival rate, which is compared to classic technologies. The purpose of our experiment was to establish the effect of temperature screens from pots of various sizes on the temperature in the root zone of the substrate, and, as a consequence, on the growth and productivity of Thuja occidentalis “Smaragd” in plastic pots for three seasons. The most favorable temperature conditions for plants are formed in large pots, which is facilitated by smooth temperature drops in the substrate and a large area of contact between the substrate and the root system. Agrotechnical methods of growing plants have shown the main advantages of “Pot-in-Pot” technology. This is accelerated plant growth due to more efficient use of water and fertilizers on a specially prepared substrate under conditions of minimal temperature fluctuations. Plants, especially large ones, will have a favorable presentation due to better leafing, a well-developed crown, and a large crown diameter. High safety during wintering also increases the efficiency of the technology providing a higher yield and subsequent more intensive growth.
The growth of geographical crops of Scots pine on drained lands
Authors: Navalikhin S , Shurygin S , Danilov Yu , Chikalyuk V , Fetisova A , Lugovoy Ph , Bacherikov I
Published: November 2021

The research analyzes observation materials and condition assessment of 100-year geographical Scots pine forest cultures created in 1913 by professor Ogievsky V D on drained lands of the Okhta forestry territory to study the intensity of Scots pine trees growth depending on the seeds origin. The planting material was grown from seeds collected in the northern, southern, eastern, southwestern and central parts of Russia. The growth of Scots pine cultures was studied and changes in wood stock, trees amount, annual increments, influence of meteorological factors on radial increments were analyzed depending on the origin of the planting material. The results of research show that sustainable and highly productive cultures can be grown from seeds of northern and eastern regions of Russia.
Variations of precipitable water vapor from 2012 to 2019 over the Philippines using radiosondes
Authors: Rivera Y , Capacete K C , Rodriguez S K , David A R , Macalalad E
Published: November 2021

Precipitable Water Vapor (PWV) refers to the content of water vapor in the atmosphere which is significant in observing climate changes. The trends and variations of precipitable water vapor in Laoag, Legazpi, Mactan, and Puerto Princesa from 2012-2019, are presented through the use of radiosonde data derived from the database of the Integrated Global Radiosonde Archives (IGRA). These data were analyzed for possible patterns through a time series of its daily, monthly, and annual mean, together with a Lomb-Scargle periodogram, and Mann-Kendall test. The results observed varying trends and variability. Legazpi and Puerto Princesa with a minimum value of 20 mm, observed a gradual downward trend of PWV. Laoag and Mactan detected an upward trend of PWV with a minimum of 10 mm and 20 mm, respectively. It also showed an annual and bi-annual periodicity of PWV. Furthermore, all cities detected an increase of PWV during the wet months of May to September, while the dry months of October to April with slight variations over 8 years. In terms of seasonality, only Laoag observed a slightly different dry season, with January, February, and March experiencing around 5 mm less in monthly PWV variation compared to the other cities. The correlation of surface temperature and relative humidity of PWV observed an overall increasing trend while showing a general moderate positive correlation. This study can be used for future references for meteorologists for upcoming forecasting on the likelihood of different weather phenomena in the Philippines.
Spatio-temporal of surface ozone (O3) variations at urban and suburban sites in Sarawak region of Malaysia
Authors: Mahidin H , Latif M T , Hamdan A , Salleh J , Dominick D , Ooi M C G , Juneng L , Zawawi S
Published: November 2021

Sarawak Region of Malaysia is currently experiencing a high demand for capital needs such as transformation forest to plantations, economic development, and improving transportation systems. Those land cover changes will increase primary pollutant emissions and trigger surface O3 formation. Surface O3 is a secondary pollutant and a significant greenhouse gas contributing to climate change and declining air quality. In this study, variations in surface O3 concentrations at urban and suburban sites in Sarawak were explored using the Malaysian Department of Environment data spanning a two-year cycle (2018-2019). The primary aim of this study is to ascertain the variation of surface O3 concentrations reported at four monitoring stations in Sarawak, namely Kuching (SQ1) (Urban), Sibu (SQ2) (Suburban), Bintulu (SQ3) (Suburban), and Miri (SQ4) (Suburban). The study also analysed the relationship between O3 distribution and nitrogen oxides (NO and NO2). The findings showed that O3 concentrations observed in the region during the study period were lower than the maximum permissible value of 100 ppbv suggested by the Malaysian Ambient Air Quality Standard (2020). SQ4 (Miri) at suburban sites recorded the highest average surface O3 concentrations with an hourly average and daily maximum O3 concentration of 15.7 and 89.5 ppbv, respectively. Temperatures, UV exposure, and wind speed all impact the concentration of surface O3 in Sarawak. In all stations, concentrations of O3 were inversely linked with NO, NO2, and relative humidity (RH). This research will assist the relevant agency in forecast, monitor, and mitigate the level of O3 in the ambient environment, especially in the Sarawak Region.
Wave runup and overtopping on smooth-slope NEXC block
Authors: Benson’ YA , Wahab A K Abd , Othman I K , Jamal M H , Desa S Mat , Lee H L , Noh M N Md
Published: November 2021

Constant wave runup and overtopping during monsoon coupled with storm-surge events have poses threat to the coastal’s community in flooding and land loss. The study was to further the research on the wave interaction issue using the modified NAHRIM Coastal Protection and Expansion (NEXC) block. The aim was to determine the significant relationship prediction model from the experiment variables due to water level changes. The study was conducted in 30 m long, 2 m height, and 1.5 m width of wave flume using gamma 3.30 of wave height JONSWAP spectrum under 1:15 and 1:8 mobile bed scenarios. Parameters were downscaled to 1:10 and based on Peninsular Malaysia’s east coast hydrodynamics conditions. 36 different test scenarios were simulated every 20 minutes with three repetitions, enables 108 samples to be retrieved. Using statistical tools, correlation tests between the variables in the experiment results indicates wave runup, significant wave height and overtopping discharges are strongly correlated to the bed gradient and smooth-slope NEXC block. Changes in water level from shallow to deep, mild to steep mobile bed gradient with 30° to 60° block affect the relationship Hs-q decrease while Ru2%-q positively increase. Overtopping was not directly affected by water level but positively affected on wave runup and negatively to significant wave height. The fitted relationship design model using a General Full Factorial method was verified with 0.338069 of standard error and 98.12 % of R-square. Finally, the significant relationship predictive model was obtained to have 26 interaction terms in the model successful.
The influence of temperature and nutrient concentrations on growth rate, biomass, Chlorophyll-a, and biochemical compositions of Tetraselmis suecica (Chlorophyta)
Authors: Sas A A , Turki A J , Affan A , Al-Taisan W A , Das S K , Su S N , Cob Z C
Published: November 2021

Microalgae have been got high attention due to its potentiality in aquaculture as live feed, and in industries as ingredients for pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and biofuel industries. The objective of this study was to know the optimum culture condition for profuse growth and biochemical composition of Tetraselmis suecica under two parameters: temperature (20°C, 25°C, and 30°C) and modified F/2 medium nutrients concentrations. Culture of group “A” 20°C was categorized as A1 (F/2 stock solution-A; 0.50 ml. L-1 and F/2 stock solution-B; 0.20 ml. L-1), A2 (F/2 stock solution-A; 1. 00 ml L-1 and F/2 stock solution-B; 0.40 ml. L-1) and A3 (F/2 stock solution-A;1.50 ml. L-1 and F/2 stock solution-B; 0.60 ml. L-1). Cultures in 25°C and 30°C were also categorized as groups “B” 25° C (B1, B2, and B3) and “C” 30°C (C1, C2, and C3), respectively. The culture was done for 2 weeks with L:D cycle of 12:12 by using fluorescent light. The highest biomass production was 0.80, 0.64, and 0.45 gL-1 in C2, B3, and A3, respectively. Biochemical analysis showed that protein; 21.92, 20.83, and 18.68 %, lipid; 10.76, 9.42, and 11.71 %, carbohydrate; 38.51, 37.78, and 41.49 %, ash; 15.89, 15.61, and 13.7 %, and moisture; 14.26, 15.02, and 14.42 % in biomass grown of “A”, “B” and “C” culture group, respectively. From the study, it could be said that T. suecic is a eurythermal and mesotrophic habitant microalga which produce high protein and high carbohydrate in low and high temperature, respectively.
A case study on water price calculation of key projects at Fenglinwan irrigation areas in JiangXi Province, China
Authors: Tan Linlu , Zhu Xiaoming , Liu Xiaoping , Wan Yiguo , Fitri Arniza , Melinda Siska
Published: November 2021

Reasonable water price plays an important role in the healthy operation of an irrigation area. This study evaluates the current operation and management of Fenglinwan irrigation area in JiangXi Province, including implementation of agricultural water price, employee salary, current comprehensive agricultural water price and investment of engineering facilities. The cost of agricultural water supply of key project in irrigation area and the total cost of irrigation area were calculated to measure the agricultural water price. The result shows that the cost which has been spent for operation and maintenance of irrigation area was about 3.76 million yuan per year and the total cost for irrigation area was about 5.33 million yuan per year. The excessive number of employees and low wage level have greatly affected the work enthusiasm of employees. The cost of engineering maintenance was too small to guarantee the good operation of irrigation and water conservancy projects. The current implementation of agricultural water price which is about 20 yuan per mu is lower than the evaluated operation and maintenance cost for agricultural water supply which is 71.13 yuan per mu. A part of that, the current comprehensive agricultural water price which is 49.20 yuan per mu is also lower than the whole cost for agricultural water supply which is about 100.87 yuan per mu. Neither the current implementation of agricultural water price nor the current comprehensive agricultural water price can meet the basic requirements of operation and management.
Study of the effect of climate variation on irrigated and rainfed rice productivity based on aquacrop crop modelling simulation (Case Study of Java Island)
Authors: Aprilina K , Susandi A , Sopaheluwakan A , Harsa H
Published: November 2021

Aquacrop is free-licensed Food and Agricultural Organization’s crop modelling that requires minimum inputs of climate variables namely rainfall, maximum temperature, minimum temperature variables and geographic information of the area to be simulated (longitude, latitude, altitude). This study aims to measure the difference in irrigated and rainfed rice productivity from the Aquacrop crop modelling simulation to the influence of climate pattern variations in Java Island, Indonesia. The k-means clustering method applied to the rainfall, maximum, and minimum temperature variables from the bias-corrected MERRA2 data resulted in two climate regions. The principal component analysis result showed that the maximum and minimum temperature variables are the variables that most contribute to the determination of the clustering area using the k-means method compared to the rainfall variable. This study has calculated the probability of the irrigated and rainfed rice productivity resulting from the Aquacrop simulation in those climate regions during La Nina [El Nino] years that will be higher [smaller] than the mean value of rice productivity during neutral years. However, the validation between the actual irrigated and rainfed rice productivity with the Aquacrop simulation results from 2001-2014 showed low correlation values that vary between negative and positive values in all climate regions. Meanwhile, the validation on the El Nino composite years generally showed positive correlation values. In addition, the neutral and La Nina composite years resulted in varying correlation values between negative and positive correlation.
Analyzing canopy height variations in secondary tropical forests of Malaysia using NASA GEDI
Authors: Adrah E , Mohd Jaafar W S Wan , Bajaj S , Omar H , Leite R V , Silva C A , Cardil A , Mohan M
Published: November 2021

Tropical forests play a significant role in regulating the average global atmospheric temperature encompassing 25 % of the carbon present in the terrestrial biosphere. However, the rapid change in climate, arising from unsustainable human practices, can significantly affect their carbon uptake capability in the future. For understanding these deviations, it is important to identify and quantify the large-scale canopy height variations arising from previous anthropogenic disturbances. With the advent of NASA GEDI spaceborne LiDAR (light detection and ranging), it is now possible to acquire three-dimensional vertical structural data of forests globally. In this study, we evaluate the applicability of GEDI for analyzing relative canopy height variations of secondary tropical forests of different age groups located across multiple geographical regions of peninsular Malaysia. The results for RH98 GEDI metric trends for the lowland and hill forests category across 4 different disturbance groups show a positive correlation between mean relative height and secondary forest ages. The consistency of these findings with previous studies in the region indicate the usefulness of GEDI to provide valuable insights into the patterns and drivers of forest height variation. Thus, this study contributes toward the operationalization of spaceborne LiDAR technology for monitoring forest disturbances and measuring biomass recovery rates and should help support large-scale sustainable forest management initiatives with respect to the tropical forests of Malaysia.
Effect of different heating rate on properties of fired brick produced from industrial waste and natural clay
Authors: Hamid N J A , Kadir A A , Hashar N N H , Hashim A A , Sarani N A , Hassan M I H
Published: November 2021

Gypsum waste is generated from the wastewater treatment plant activities from chemical industry. The environmental issues and secured landfill costs caused by this waste increasing every year. Therefore, this study is an attempted to reuse gypsum waste as a substitution material for natural clay in fired brick production. This study consisted of two stages where in the first stage, fired brick were produced from natural clay and gypsum waste with substitution of clay with 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% gypsum waste. The second stage was the investigation of the experimental when the brick samples were fired at different heating rates (1 °C/min, 2 °C/min and 3 °C/min). Next, the shrinkage, dry density, water absorption and compressive strength for each sample were examined and were compared to the control brick. Based on the results, the shrinkage and water absorption increased with the addition of gypsum waste in brick samples. In contrast, the density and compressive strength values were decreased in the brick samples containing gypsum waste. The mechanical properties met the conditions prescribed in the specified standards for all the samples and the optimization result showed that up to 10% of gypsum waste incorporation into fired brick (fired at 1°C/min heating rate) had a sufficient compressive strength over 20 MPa. The reclamation of gypsum waste was proved for the fired brick production insights reducing the environmental pollution. Gypsum waste can be used as a natural clay substitution whilst fulfilling the demand for fired brick requisition.
Water Quality of Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting System (MyRAWAS)
Authors: Nizam N U M , Hanafiah M M , Mokhtar M B , Jalal N A
Published: November 2021

Prolonged drought, population growth and water demand for various purposes have increased the water scarcity issue. To overcome this issue, a rainwater harvesting system can be utilized as an alternative for clean water supply. A rainwater harvesting system is a method of collecting rainwater from man-made surfaces such as rooftops and constructed surfaces and can be used for various sectors including household, agricultural and commercial. This study was conducted to determine the quality of rainwater harvested collected directly from rooftop. The quality of the rooftop rainwater was taken in three consecutive months and the water quality for before and after treatment was measured and compared. Commercial activated carbon was used to treat the rainwater obtained from the rooftop. The water quality was compared with the Water Quality Index (WQI) and the National Water Quality Standards (NWQS). The parameters involved are pH, temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen (DO), total suspended solids (TSS), ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3-N), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD),E.coli and total coliform bacteria. The results showed that the total value of WQI before and after treatment was 86.3 ± 8.963 and 87.6±2.081, respectively. Positive correlations were found for parameter NH3-N, COD and pH, while paired T-test showed a significant in the COD and the presence of bacteria. Total Coliform is still at a safe level by NWQS with the average value and the standard deviation for before and after treatment were 38.11 ± 13.960 cfu/ml and 10.33 ± 6.671 cfu/ml, respectively.
Comparative response of Malaysian weedy rice (Oryza sativa) initial growth towards the allelopathic potential of Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit and Dicranopteris linearis (Burm. f.) Underw
Authors: Ishak M S , Iberahim Z , Mardiana-Jansar K
Published: November 2021

The infestation of weedy rice has becoming a threat which leads to competition between weedy rice and commercial rice for nutrient uptake. Weedy rice management is more dependent on the herbicides application that can contribute to various environmental problems. Thus, this study was conducted to assess the allelopathic potential of two invasive plants namely L. leucocephala and D. linearis in controlling the growth of weedy rice. The allelopathic potential was evaluated through laboratory bioassay namely the dish pack method, sandwich method and plant box method to determine the allelopathic potential on the seedling growth of two weedy rice variants collected in Peninsular Malaysia (designated as WRE and WRN) and MR220 CL2 rice variety. Highest concentration of L. leucocephala leaf litter (50 mg) inhibited the radicle elongation of MR220 CL2, WRN and WRE by 49 %, 51 % and 83 % compared to control, respectively. Through the dish pack method, the volatile compound from D. linearis leaf were found to disrupt the radicle growth of MR220 CL2, WRN and WRE by 21 %, 29 % and 25 % of the control at the nearest distance (41 mm) of the bioassay plants with the D. linearis leaf. Compared with D. linearis, the root exudate from L. leucocephala exhibited higher inhibitory effect towards the bioassay species. Overall, the findings from this study showed that the allelopathic potential of L. leucocephala was more preferable to be investigated further for sustainable weedy rice management in the future by infusing the biological approach.
Parameter estimation and hypothesis testing of geographically and temporally weighted bivariate Gamma regression model
Authors: Wasani Desy , Purhadi  , Sutikno
Published: November 2021

Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) study potential relationships in regression models that distinguish geographic spaces using non-stationary parameters to overcome spatial effects. The use of gamma regression, namely regression with the dependent variable with a gamma distribution, can be an alternative if the data do not follow a normal distribution. Gamma distribution is a continuous set of non-negative values, generally skewed to the right or positive skewness. Gamma regression is developed to be Bivariate Gamma Regression (BGR) when there are two dependent variables with gamma distribution. If the observation units are location points, spatial effects may occur. The Geographically Weighted Bivariate Gamma Regression (GWBGR) model can be a solution for spatial heterogeneity. However, during its development, many cases require information from panel data. Using panel data can provide complete information because it covers several periods, but it allows for temporal effects. This study developed a Geographically and Temporally Weighted Bivariate Gamma Regression (GTWBGR) model to handle spatial and temporal heterogeneity simultaneously. The estimation of the GTWBGR model parameters uses the Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) method that followed by the numerical iteration of Berndt Hall Hall Hausman (BHHH). The simultaneous testing uses the Maximum Likelihood Ratio Test (MLRT) method to get a test statistic. With a large sample size, the distribution of the test statistic approaches chi-square. Meanwhile, partial testing uses the Z test statistic.
Mixed estimator of spline truncated, Fourier series, and kernel in biresponse semiparametric regression model
Authors: Husain Hartina , Budiantara I N , Zain Ismaini
Published: November 2021

Regression analysis is a method of analysis to determine the relationship between the response and the predictor variables. There are three approaches in regression analysis, namely the parametric, nonparametric, and semiparametric approaches. Biresponse Semiparametric regression model is a regression model that uses a combination approach between parametric and nonparametric components, where two response variables are correlated with each other. For data cases with several predictor variables, different estimation technique approaches can be used for each variable. In this study, the parametric component is assumed to be linear. At the same time, the nonparametric part is approached using a mixture of three estimation techniques, namely, spline truncated, Fourier series, and the kernel. The unknown data pattern is assumed to follow the criteria of each of these estimation techniques. The spline is used when the data pattern tends to change at certain time intervals, the Fourier series is used when the data pattern tends to repeat itself, and the kernel is used when the data does not have a specific way. This study aims to obtain parameter estimates for the mixed semiparametric regression model of spline truncated, Fourier series, and the kernel on the biresponse data using the Weighted Least Square (WLS) method. The formed model depends on the selection of knot points, oscillation parameters, and optimal bandwidth. The best model is based on the smallest Generalized Cross Validation (GCV).
Antibacterial activity of aquatic extract of Myrtus communis leaves against Periodontitis isolated bacteria
Authors: Nayf Eman Mubdir , Salman Hamzah Abdulrhaman
Published: November 2021

Myrtus communis is an evergreen plant that can survive stressful environments and high-temperature seasons. Treatment using green plants was the most trended in recent years. The present study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial effects of Myrtus communis leaves against bacteria isolated from periodontitis. Fifty samples were collected from periodontitis subjects in both genders (female 32 % and male 68 %). The isolates were diagnosed by morphological characterization and biochemical tests. M. communis leaves were identified, collected, and prepared for extraction. The plant leaves were extracted using distilled water. The antibacterial susceptibility testing was performed by the well diffusion method. Antibiotics susceptibility patterns were executed using the disc diffusion method. All the isolates belonged to gram-positive bacteria. Among the isolated bacteria, 20, 18, and 12 were Lactobacillus spp., Streptococcus spp., and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. The antibacterial susceptibility testing of M. communis extract showed a potential zone of inhibition against all the tested bacteria. Of the different concentrations, 30 mg/ml showed the highest zone of inhibition, 18.2 mm, 19.50 mm, and 30.66 mm against Streptococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp., and Lactobacillus spp. Among the tested antibiotics, ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol exhibited the highest zone of inhibition against the tested bacteria. The aquatic extract of M. communis leaves was found to be effective against gram-positive bacteria. Further studies are warranted to investigate the active bio-compounds.
The use of entropy based fuzzy membership on weighted logistic regression for the unbalanced data
Authors: Harumeka Ajiwasesa , Purnami Santi Wulan , Rahayu Santi Puteri
Published: November 2021

Logistic regression is a popular and powerful classification method. The addition of ridge regularization and optimization using a combination of linear conjugate gradients and IRLS, called Truncated Regularized Iteratively Re-weighted Least Square (TR-IRLS), can outperform Support Vector Machine (SVM) in terms of processing speed, especially when applied to large data and have competitive accuracy. However, neither SVM nor TR-IRLS is good enough when applied to unbalanced data. Fuzzy Support Vector Machine (FSVM) is an SVM development for unbalanced data that adds fuzzy membership to each observation. The fuzzy membership makes the interest of each observation in the minority class higher than the majority class. Meanwhile, TR-IRLS developed into a Rare Event Weighted Logistic Regression (RE-WLR) by adding weight to logistic regression and bias correction. The weighting of the RE-WLR depends on the undersampling scheme. It allows an “information loss”. Between FSVM and RE-WLR has a similarity, the weight based only on class differences (minority or majority). Entropy Based Fuzzy Support Vector Machine (EFSVM) is a method used to accommodate the weaknesses of FSVM by considering the class certainty of class observations. As a result, EFSVM is able to improve SVM performance for unbalanced data, even beating FSVM. For this reason, we use EF on the TR-IRLS algorithm to classify large and unbalanced data, as a proposed method. This method is called Entropy-Based Fuzzy Weighted Logistic Regression (EF-WLR). This Research shows the review of EF-WLR for unbalanced data classification.
Spatiotemporal assessment of effects of leachate from landfills on groundwater in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria
Authors: Suleiman H A , Hanafiah M M
Published: November 2021

Improper solid waste management in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria has become a serious threat to human health and ground water quality. Groundwater monitoring should be conducted to assess the groundwater contamination, especially originated from leachate generated from the dumpsites. Most of the dumpsites are located nearby water body that subsequently affecting the quality of the water for human purposes. This study aims to investigate the relationships between different physical-chemical and biological parameters during the two seasons (dry and wet seasons) in Kano Metropolis area as well as to identify the sources of variation during the two seasons. The level of some physical-chemical and biological parameters of the groundwater (wells) and dump sites were assessed (i.e. temperature, pH, conductivity, suspended solids, turbidity, hardness colour, e-coli and coliform). Mean concentration of some physical-chemical and biological parameters except that of temperature, colour, pH and total dissolved solids were found to be above the acceptable limit of the National and International standard of drinking water quality, NESREA and WHO. The sources and variations of the samples results were tested using statistical analysis. The water samples show a considerable level of pollution. The analysis of the groundwater and that of dump sites reveals no significant difference in the parameters measured. It is therefore recommended that the water from this source should be monitored and treated properly before consumption.
Life cycle design and efficiency strategy for sustainable membrane technology
Authors: Razman K K , Mohammad A W , Hanafiah M M
Published: November 2021

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an assessment tool to evaluate the potential environmental impact of a system or product throughout its life cycle. Results from LCA provides an insight on developing a more sustainable system while identifying its environmental hotspots. With recent advancements in membrane treatment systems especially for wastewater treatment (WWT), there is a rising interest in its sustainability aspect. Thus, it is crucial to review on previous published studies to highlight the challenges and achievements in implementing LCA for the membrane system. Hence, this paper presents a review of 33 recent papers published from year 2017-2020 conducting LCA on membrane systems for WWT. Bounded by the key frameworks of ISO standards, the analysis of papers showed variance in defining its functional unit, system boundaries, impact assessment categories and method to evaluate LCA, which makes it a challenge to do comparison. Some of the challenges discussed and highlighted in this paper include the inconsistencies in specifying the impact assessment and methodology used for some journals and the lack of LCA study in certain regional areas. A more uniform implementation of LCA should be considered to ensure the reliability and reproducibility of results to allow adoptions on novel or existing membrane systems.
Population trends of passage and wintering barn swallows (Hirundo Rustica) in Peninsular Malaysia
Authors: Ismail N A , Daud U N S , Nor S M , Mansor M S
Published: November 2021

In Peninsular Malaysia, passage and wintering Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) often congregate at nocturnal roosts in towns. As a Holarctic migratory species, it is at risk of population collapse. Despite extensive research, little is known about this species in its wintering grounds, especially in the tropics. This study aimed to determine how climate change influences the population growth of this species across a geographical area over a decade, from 2009 to 2019. A species distribution model was constructed using data obtained from the eBird database – a citizen science project – of records from diverse locations. We used the Kernel Density tool in ArcGIS to describe Barn Swallow density and expansion pattern across Peninsular Malaysia. We demonstrate that the Barn Swallow’s population has fallen by about 27.1% over the last decade. In 2009, the species was dispersed in two distinct areas: Perlis to Pulau Pinang; and the Pahang region bordering Selangor and Negeri Sembilan; in addition, some individuals chose to winter in south-eastern Johor. Within ten years, the flock has descended from Perlis to the northwest corner of Perak, while the vast wintering area in Pahang has decreased and stretched down to Melaka and Johor. The differences in Barn Swallow numbers and distribution patterns observed in this study could be a result of climate and land use changes which have caused this species to spread to parts of other wintering regions, altering the arrival and departure times of migration, thereby interfering with its breeding season.
The adverse effect of long term intake of Monosodium Glutamate on kidney performance
Authors: Hussin Amer M. , Tala’a Ali A. , Fadhil Safa Abdul Naser , Salman Hamzah Abdulrahman
Published: November 2021

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a food additive that is considered as a water and environmental pollutant and affects the tissues of the living being. This study was aimed to find the effect of long-term administration of MSG on the mass of mesangial cells of the kidneys. Forty adult male rats were divided into four groups (10 each). Control groups 1&2 were supplied orally with distilled water for 30 and 60 days, respectively. Treatment groups 1&2 were supplied orally with 15 mg/kg Bwt of MSG for 30 & 60 days, respectively. Control and treatment groups were sacrificed, specimens of kidneys were obtained, fixed with 10% neutral buffered formalin, processed by Routine histological techniques, stained by Hematoxylin and eosin, and PAS (Periodic Acid-Schiff) stains then examined under the light microscope. The result found enlargement in a mesangial mass represented by hypertrophy and hyperplasia of mesangial cells leading to mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis. Accordingly, the study showed an increase in creatinine values, indicating a disturbance in renal function. This will lead to a decrease in the sizes of the glomeruli of renal corpuscles and a relative increase of Bowman’s space. With the time of the experiment, the glomerular capillaries and gates of basement membranes will be closed, resulting in renal filtration disorders. It was concluded that the long-term intake of MSG leads to indirect narrowing of the glomerular capillary lumen, causing kidney failure.
Valley polarization of trions in monolayer MoSe2 interfaced with bismuth iron garnet
Authors: Kravtsov Vasily , Ivanova Tatiana , Abramov Artem N , Shilina Polina V , Kapralov Pavel O , Krizhanovskii Dmitry N , Berzhansky Vladimir N , Belotelov Vladimir I , Shelykh Ivan A , Chernov Alexander I , Iorsh Ivan V
Published: November 2021

Interfacing atomically thin van der Waals semiconductors with magnetic substrates enables additional control on their intrinsic valley degree of freedom and provides a promising platform for the development of novel valleytronic devices for information processing and storage. Here we study circularly polarized photoluminescence in heterostructures of monolayer MoSe2 and thin films of ferrimagnetic bismuth iron garnet (BIG). We observe strong emission from charged excitons with circular polarization opposite to that of the pump and demonstrate contrasting response to left and right circularly polarized excitation, associated with finite out-of-plane magnetization in the substrate. We propose a theoretical model accounting for magnetization-induced imbalance of charge carriers in the two valleys of MoSe2, as well as for valley-switching scattering from B to A excitons and fast formation of trions with extended valley relaxation times, which shows excellent agreement with the experimental data. Our results establish monolayer MoSe2 interfaced with BIG as a promising system for valley control of charged excitons.
Coupling effect of temperature and Cr content on the steam oxidation of Ni-Fe-Cr alloys
Authors: Zhang Huihui , Huang Lezheng , Yang Zhen , Chen Jie , Liu Yanjia , Zan Chaofei , Yuan Juntao
Published: November 2021

Excellent resistance to steam oxidation is a key required property for heat-resistant alloys used in next-generation fossil power plants. In order to clarify the degradation mechanism of Ni-Fe-Cr alloys in high temperature steam, four kinds of Ni-Fe-Cr model alloys with various Cr content were prepared and their long-term steam oxidation were investigated at 650 °C and 700 °C. The microstructure and composition of oxide scales were characterized by SEM equipped with EDS, and the oxide phases were identified by XRD. The results showed significant dependence of temperature and Cr content in alloys on the oxidation kinetics, cross-section morphology and elemental section-distribution. For Ni-Fe-Cr alloys with low Cr contents (12∼16 wt.%), the increase of temperature made the oxide scale change from breakaway scale morphology (nodule-crater microstructure with external exfoliation) to protective scale morphology (uniform layer and internal oxidation). For Ni-Fe-Cr alloy with 18wt.% Cr, the effect of temperature was greatly reduced. The oxidation mechanism was discussed from the perspectives of selective oxidation and the effect of alloying elements.
Study of a sub-wavelength scale plasmonic traveling wave amplifier with electrically pumped multiple quantum wells
Authors: Rao Ruijian , Chen Shuwen , Chen Bing , Bai Cheng
Published: November 2021

We propose a hybrid gap plasmonic traveling wave amplifier (TWA) with electrically pumped multiple quantum wells (MQW). This TWA has deep sub-wavelength mode field scale and works at 1310 nm window. For the polarization-independent amplification we design the InGaAlAs tensile-strain MQW. Furthermore we analyze this plasmonic TWA’s optical, electrical and thermal characteristics by finite element method. First we get the suitable trade-off point between the affordable mode propagation loss and moderate mode field size by adjusting the gap width and height. Second we find that the narrower the MQW, the higher the MQW local gain. Third, our device has good thermal performance as the plasmonic wave power is less than 5 μw. Simulation results suggest that the independent polarization gain appears at 1317 nm wavelength. At this wavelength 3.60 cm
−1 mode gain and 161 nm mode width are obtained as the 9.39 kA cm−2 injection current and 10 nm × 240 nm gap size.
Towards automating structural discovery in scanning transmission electron microscopy
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Authors: Creange Nicole , Dyck Ondrej , Vasudevan Rama K , Ziatdinov Maxim , Kalinin Sergei V
Published: November 2021

Scanning transmission electron microscopy is now the primary tool for exploring functional materials on the atomic level. Often, features of interest are highly localized in specific regions in the material, such as ferroelectric domain walls, extended defects, or second phase inclusions. Selecting regions to image for structural and chemical discovery via atomically resolved imaging has traditionally proceeded via human operators making semi-informed judgements on sampling locations and parameters. Recent efforts at automation for structural and physical discovery have pointed towards the use of ‘active learning’ methods that utilize Bayesian optimization with surrogate models to quickly find relevant regions of interest. Yet despite the potential importance of this direction, there is a general lack of certainty in selecting relevant control algorithms and how to balance a priori knowledge of the material system with knowledge derived during experimentation. Here we address this gap by developing the automated experiment workflows with several combinations to both illustrate the effects of these choices and demonstrate the tradeoffs associated with each in terms of accuracy, robustness, and susceptibility to hyperparameters for structural discovery. We discuss possible methods to build descriptors using the raw image data and deep learning based semantic segmentation, as well as the implementation of variational autoencoder based representation. Furthermore, each workflow is applied to a range of feature sizes including NiO pillars within a La:SrMnO3 matrix, ferroelectric domains in BiFeO3, and topological defects in graphene. The code developed in this manuscript is open sourced and will be released at github.com/nccreang/AE_Workflows.
Algebraic properties of Hermitian sums of squares, II
Authors: Brooks Jennifer , Grundmeier Dusty , Schenck Hal
Published: November 2021

We study real bihomogeneous polynomials

r
(
z
,

z
¯

)

r(z,\bar {z})

in

n
n

complex variables for which

r
(
z
,

z
¯

)

‖

z

‖

2

r(z,\bar {z}) \left \lVert {z} \right \rVert ^2

is the squared norm of a holomorphic polynomial mapping. Such polynomials are the focus of the Sum of Squares Conjecture, which describes the possible ranks for the squared norm

r
(
z
,

z
¯

)

‖

z

‖

2

r(z,\bar {z}) \left \lVert {z} \right \rVert ^2

and has important implications for the study of proper holomorphic mappings between balls in complex Euclidean spaces of different dimension. Questions about the possible signatures for

r
(
z
,

z
¯

)

r(z,\bar {z})

and the rank of

r
(
z
,

z
¯

)

‖

z

‖

2

r(z,\bar {z}) \left \lVert {z} \right \rVert ^2

can be reformulated as questions about polynomial ideals. We take this approach and apply purely algebraic tools to obtain constraints on the signature of

r
r

.
Beyond 2020: Collecting Time Capsules in a Year of Pandemic
Authors: Clulow Adam , Berry Daina Ramey
Published: November 2021

2020 saw a perfect storm of events. It began with the COVID-19 pandemic that swept across the globe, followed by waves of racial unrest, economic distress, and political turbulence even as wildfires, hurricanes and tropical storms tore across our region. It was clear to all of us that we were living through sweeping historical change compressed into a short space of time. This article describes the creation of Beyond 2020: Living History, a public history project at the University of Texas at Austin that aimed to respond to the events of the year. It charts the development of the project and how it came to diverge from its original design in productive ways underpinned not by an attempt to impose order or build hierarchy, the traditional tools of historical analysis, but rather by a willingness to relinquish control to create a shared space for our university community.
Toward the assessment of predicted inter-residue distance
Authors: Du Zongyang , Peng Zhenling , Yang Jianyi
Published: November 2021

Motivation

Significant progress has been achieved in distance-based protein folding, due to improved prediction of inter-residue distance by deep learning. Many efforts are thus made to improve distance prediction in recent years. However, it remains unknown what is the best way of objectively assessing the accuracy of predicted distance.

Results

A total of 19 metrics were proposed to measure the accuracy of predicted distance. These metrics were discussed and compared quantitatively on three benchmark datasets, with distance and structure models predicted by the trRosetta pipeline. The experiments show that a few metrics, such as distance precision, have a high correlation with the model accuracy measure TM-score (Pearson’s correlation coefficient >0.7). In addition, the metrics are applied to rank the distance prediction groups in CASP14. The ranking by our metrics coincides largely with the official version. These data suggest that the proposed metrics are effective for measuring distance prediction. We anticipate that this study paves the way for objectively monitoring the progress of inter-residue distance prediction. A web server and a standalone package are provided to implement the proposed metrics.

Availability and implementation

http://yanglab.nankai.edu.cn/APD.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Maternal immune activation downregulates schizophrenia genes in the foetal mouse brain
Authors: Handunnetthi Lahiru , Saatci Defne , Hamley Joseph C , Knight Julian C
Published: November 2021

Susceptibility to schizophrenia is mediated by genetic and environmental risk factors. Maternal immune activation by infections during pregnancy is hypothesized to be a key environmental risk factor. However, little is known about how maternal immune activation contributes to schizophrenia pathogenesis. In this study, we investigated if maternal immune activation influences the expression of genes associated with schizophrenia in foetal mouse brains. We found that two sets of schizophrenia genes were downregulated more than expected by chance in the foetal mouse brain following maternal immune activation, namely those genes associated with schizophrenia through genome-wide association study (fold change = 1.93, false discovery rate = 4 × 10−4) and downregulated genes in adult schizophrenia brains (fold change = 1.51, false discovery rate = 4 × 10−10). We found that these genes mapped to key biological processes, such as neuronal cell adhesion. We also identified cortical excitatory neurons and inhibitory interneurons as the most vulnerable cell types to the deleterious effects of this interaction. Subsequently, we used gene expression information from herpes simplex virus 1 infection of neuronal precursor cells as orthogonal evidence to support our findings and to demonstrate that schizophrenia-associated cell adhesion genes, PCDHA2, PCDHA3 and PCDHA5, were downregulated following herpes simplex virus 1 infection. Collectively, our results provide novel evidence for a link between genetic and environmental risk factors in schizophrenia pathogenesis. These findings carry important implications for early preventative strategies in schizophrenia.
Superior vena cava graft infection in thoracic surgery: a retrospective study of the French EPITHOR database
Authors: Filaire Laura , Mercier Olaf , Seguin-Givelet Agathe , Tiffet Olivier , Falcoz Pierre Emmanuel , Mordant Pierre , Brichon Pierre-Yves , Lacoste Philippe , Aubert Axel , Thomas Pascal , Le Pimpec-Barthes Françoise , Molnar Ioana , Vidal Magali , Filaire Marc , Galvaing Géraud
Published: November 2021

OBJECTIVES

To report our experience on the management of superior vena cava graft infection.

METHODS

Between 2001 and 2018, patients with superior vena cava synthetic graft or patch reconstruction after resection of intrathoracic tumours or benign disease were selected retrospectively from the French EPITHOR database and participating thoracic centres. Our study population includes patients with superior vena cava graft infection, defined according to the MAGIC consensus. Superior vena cava synthetic grafts in an empyema or mediastinitis were considered as infected.

RESULTS

Of 111 eligible patients, superior vena cava graft infection occurred in 12 (11.9%) patients with a polytetrafluoroethylene graft secondary to contiguous contamination. Management consisted of either conservative treatment with chest tube drainage and antibiotics (n = 3) or a surgical graft-sparing strategy (n = 9). Recurrence of infection appears in 6 patients. Graft removal was performed in 2 patients among the 5 reoperated patients. The operative mortality rate was 25%.

CONCLUSIONS

Superior vena cava graft infection may develop as a surgical site infection secondary to early mediastinitis or empyema. Graft removal is not always mandatory but should be considered in late or recurrent graft infection or in infections caused by aggressive microorganisms (virulent or multidrug resistant bacteria or fungi).
Immunization for Children Living With HIV: A Scoping Review
Authors: Kampiire Leatitia , Archary Moherndran , Frigati Lisa , Penazatto Martina , Brusamento Serena
Published: November 2021

Background

Immunosuppression secondary to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) increases the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases in children living with HIV (CLHIV). Although vaccines are cost-effective interventions, their efficacy, immunogenicity, safety, and persistence of post-vaccination immunity in CLHIV receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) is unclear. We aimed at identifying existing scientific evidence on immunization of CLHIV generated in the last 10 years to identify the need for a systematic review.

Methods

Studies were identified using a broad search strategy applied in multiple databases. Included studies involved CLHIV aged 0-10 years and presented outcomes on safety, efficacy, effectiveness, immunogenicity, and use of booster vaccines.

Results

Nineteen publications were identified. There was variable immunogenicity to and efficacy of vaccines by HIV and ART status. All vaccines were safe.

Conclusion

The heterogeneity of available studies makes it complex to do a systematic review and meta-analysis. A more uniform approach to sampling and follow-up in future studies would make comparison and interpretation of results more robust.