bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Inter-Agency Committee on Radiation Safety—30 years of international coordination of radiation protection and safety matters
Authors: Mundigl Stefan , Blackburn Carl , Pinak Miroslav , Colgan Tony , Clement Christopher , Otto Thomas , Voytchev Miroslav , Niu Shengli , Coates Roger , Guen Bernard Le , Rannou Alain , Lazo Edward , Garnier-Laplace Jacqueline , Jimenez Pablo , Batandjieva-Metcalf Borislava , Shannoun Ferid , Pérez Maria Del Rosario
Published: June 2021

The Inter-Agency Committee on Radiation Safety (IACRS) was constituted in 1990, as a forum for collaboration and coordination between international bodies with regards to radiation safety. It consists today of representatives of eight intergovernmental member organizations (the European Commision, Food and Agriculture Organization, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Labour Office, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development/ Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD/NEA), Pan American Health Organization, United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation and the World Health Organization) and five observer non-governmental organizations (International Commission on Radiological Protection, International Commission on Radiation Units & Measurements, International Electrotechnical Commission, International Radiation Protection Association and International Organization for Standardization). The IACRS provides a platform for interaction between these relevant international bodies to contribute to a common understanding of the scientific basis and legal framework for the application of the system of radiation protection, towards global harmonisation of radiation safety standards. The IACRS played a key role in the development of the International Basic Safety Standards (BSS) in 1996 and in its revision in 2014. Further, an IACRS specific Task Group—chaired by the IAEA—fosters the implementation of the BSS in a consistent and coherent manner in all Member States of the United Nations. The IACRS operates via a standing secretariat jointly provided by the IAEA and OECD/NEA and is chaired by one of its member organizations on a rotating basis for periods of about 18 months. This approach has proved to be effective and was the foundation for ensuring continuity of the work of the committee and at the same time allowing a rotating leadership for all member organizations. Currently, the IACRS is chaired by the WHO. The International Radiation Safety Framework under which the IACRS works is structured around four main areas: (a) science; (b) principles; (c) standards; and (d) practice. This paper presents briefly the mandates, roles and functions of the various international bodies that are relevant to the four above mentioned areas of work, discusses how these bodies coordinate their actions and complement each other to enhance radiation protection and safety worldwide and describes their contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The paper also provides an overview of the main accomplishments of the IACRS since its inception 30 years ago, and an outlook on key challenges for its future activities.
Coherence of oscillations in matter and
supernova neutrinos
Authors: Porto-Silva Yago P. , Smirnov Alexei Yu.
Published: June 2021

We study the propagation coherence for neutrino oscillations in
media with different density profiles.
For each profile, we find the dependence of the
coherence length, Lcoh, on neutrino energy and
address the issue of correspondence
of results in the distance and energy-momentum representations.
The key new feature in matter is existence of
energy ranges with enhanced coherence around the energies
E0 of “infinite coherence” at which Lcoh→∞.
In the configuration space, the infinite coherence corresponds
to equality of the (effective) group velocities of the eigenstates.
In constant density medium, there is a unique E0, which coincides with the MSW resonance energy of oscillations of mass states and is close to the MSW resonance energy of flavor states.
In the case of massless neutrinos or negligible masses in a very dense
medium
the coherence persists continuously.
In the adiabatic case, the infinite coherence is realized for periodic
density change. Adiabaticity violation changes the shape factors of
the wave packets (WPs) and leads to their spread. In a medium with sharp density
changes (jumps), splitting of the eigenstates occurs at crossing
of each jump. We study the increase of the coherence length
in a single jump and periodic density jumps — castle-wall (CW) profiles.
For the CW profile, there are several E0 corresponding to parametric resonances. We outlined applications of the results for supernova neutrinos.
In particular, we show that coherence between two shock wave fronts leads to observable oscillation effects, and our analysis suggests that the decoherence can be irrelevant for flavor transformations in the central parts of collapsing stars.
Inclusive production of fully-charmed 1+− tetraquark at B factory *
Authors: Huang Yingsheng , Feng Feng , Jia Yu , Sang Wen-Long , Yang De-Shan , Zhang Jia-Yue
Published: June 2021

Inspired by the recent discovery of the

meson in the

experiment, we investigate the inclusive production rate of the

-odd fully-charmed tetraquarks associated with light hadrons at the

factory within the nonrelativistic QCD (NRQCD) factorization framework. The short-distance coefficient is computed at the lowest order of velocity and

. Employing two different kinds of phenomenological models to approximately estimate the long-distance NRQCD matrix element, we predict the rate for the inclusive production of the

state and discuss the observation prospect of the

experiment.
Effect of pairing correlation on low-lying quadrupole states in Sn isotopes *
Authors: Sun Shuai , Zhang Shi-Sheng , Zhang Zhen-Hua , Cao Li-Gang
Published: June 2021

We examined the low-lying quadrupole states in Sn isotopes in the framework of fully self-consistent Hartree-Fock+BCS plus QRPA. We focus on the effect of the density-dependence of pairing interaction on the properties of the low-lying quadrupole state. The SLy5 Skyrme interaction with surface, mixed, and volume pairings is employed in the calculations, respectively. We find that the excitation energies and the corresponding reduced electric transition probabilities of the first 2+ state are different, given by the three pairing interactions. The properties of the quasiparticle state, two-quasiparticle excitation energy, reduced transition amplitude, and transition densities in 112Sn are analyzed in detail. Two different mechanisms, the static and dynamical effects, of the pairing correlation are also discussed. The results show that the surface, mixed, and volume pairings indeed affect the properties of the first 2+ state in the Sn isotopes.
NLO effects for ΩQQQbaryons in QCD Sum Rules *
Authors: Wu Ren-Hua , Zuo Yu-Sheng , Meng Ce , Ma Yan-Qing , Chao Kuang-Ta
Published: June 2021

We study the triply heavy baryonsin the QCD sum rules by performing the first calculation of the next-to-leading order (NLO) contribution to the perturbative QCD part of the correlation functions. Compared with the leading order (LO) result, the NLO contribution is found to be very important to the. This is because the NLO not only results in a large correction but also reduces the parameter dependence, making the Borel platform more distinct, especially for thein thescheme, where the platform appears only at NLO but not at LO. Particularly, owing to the inclusion of the NLO contribution, the renormalization schemes (and On-Shell) dependence and the scale dependence are significantly reduced. Consequently, after including the NLO contribution to the perturbative part in the QCD sum rules, the masses are estimated to beGeV forandGeV for, where the results are obtained atwith errors including those from the variation of the renormalization scaleμin the range. A careful study of theμdependence in a wider range is further performed, which shows that the LO results are very sensitive to the choice ofμwhereas the NLO results are considerably better. In addition to theresult, a more stable value, (4.75-4.80) GeV, for themass is found in the range of, which should be viewed as a more relevant prediction in our NLO approach because ofdependence.
Rain height dynamics over some coastal cities of South Africa for earth-space links design
Authors: Olurotimi E O , Ojo J S
Published: June 2021

One of the major parameters required for the prediction of rain-induced attenuation is the rain height. This paper presents some dynamic features of rain height measurement from TRMM-PR over two coastal cities in the Republic of South Africa. The analysis of 5-year data on the variation of bright band height, atmospheric pressure, relative humidity, and temperature reveal seasonal dependence over the studied locations. The result shows the existence of stratiform-convective interaction within the season, especially during the summer months. The observed exceedance in the probability of the bright band also shows the presence of two rain type (stratiform and convective). Comparison of rain height measurements with the recommended ITU-R reveals above 1 km variations with the percentage difference of about 30%, which could create a serious negative effect on the link design. This study suggests the adaptation of local rain height data for better accuracy of link design for the region.
Comparison of Muscle Activation between Traditional, Diamond and Knuckle Push Up Among Trained Men
Authors: Nadzalan Ali Md , Mohamad Muhamad Hasrulnizam , Shafiee Mohd Syamil , Omar Nur Farihah , Malek Nor Fazila Abd , Janep Mandra , Karim Zulakbal Abd
Published: June 2021

This study was conducted to compare the muscle activation during traditional, diamond and knuckle push up among trained men. Thirty men that had at least one year experience in fitness training involved as participants in this study. Participants were required to perform all the three kinds of push up in a randomised order to avoid bias effects in exercise order. Electromyography method was used to obtain the pectoralis major, triceps brachii and anterior deltoid muscle activation. Muscle activation was reported as percentages of maximal voluntary contraction. One way repeated measure analysis of variances (ANOVA) was conducted to compare the muscle activation between the three push up protocols. Results showed that the muscle activation of pectoralis major and anterior deltoid were highest during traditional push up while being the lowest during diamond push up. However, the muscle activation of triceps brachii was highest during diamond push up and lowest during traditional push up. As the conclusion, we can see that the position and distance of hands on the floor will give effects on the muscle activation. As the implication of this study, coaches, athletes and individuals can manipulate techniques while performing a movement to obtain more muscle activation to specific muscle of interest during a movement.
Analysis the Energy Saving of Chiller Plant (CHIP) Daily Operation by Using Optimal Projected Capacity of Ice Thermal Energy Storage (ITES)
Authors: Shaari SR , Othman M.L. , Hizam H. , Dahlan NY , Chik Mohd Hanafiah , Yahaya Mohamad Suhaimi , Bakar Hamzah Abu , Anuar Suhafizudin Zainal , Amir Zulhelmi
Published: June 2021

High total cooling load (COLA) relatively during peak and mid-peak as compared to off-peak hour’s period requires more operating equipment of chiller plant (CHIP) to be operated during that period. The more operating equipment working, the more energy consumed is required to provide cooling thermal for COLA. High energy consumption of CHIP operation during peak and mid-peak hour lead high electricity cost due to higher energy charge charged by utility for every per kWh energy consumed by a CHIP operation. Therefore, this study aims to determine potential energy saving of CHIP operation by using optimal charging of ice thermal energy storage (ITES), then provide cooling thermal (COMA) for total COLA through discharging operation. Cooling thermal of ITES was charged based on maximum required COLA during peak and mid-peak hour. In this study, an optimization technique of linear programming was used to charge ITES optimally during off-peak hour. Analysis was conducted to compare the energy consumption of CHIP operation by using ITES discharging operation with the current practice of CHIP operator. This analysis showed that, the potential energy saving based on this strategy by using optimization technique is 27.89%.
Comparative Analysis in Execution of Machine Learning in Breast Cancer Identification: A Review
Authors: Nadarajan Ravindran , Sulaiman Noorazliza
Published: June 2021

Carcinoma known as breast cancer is a significant common cancer among women worldwide. In line with the global trends, it accounts for many new cancer cases and cancer-related deaths, giving it a substantial public health issue in today’s culture. Early diagnosis is the most effective method to reduce the number of deaths in patients with breast cancer. Effective and early diagnosis of breast cancer ensure like mammography or biopsy to ensure the long-term survival of affected patients. Several conflicts arise in using traditional approaches, such as overdiagnosis or under-diagnosis. Machine learning is used to overcome the issues where it can strengthen the current conventional diagnosing of patients with breast cancer. The application of the classification method for diagnosing breast cancer is reviewed in this paper. Support Vector Machine (SVM), Naïve Bayes, K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN), Decision Tree, Artificial Neural Network (ANN), and logistic regression are six methods presented in the review. These techniques are integrated with conventional methods, often allow physicians to diagnose breast cancer effectively. In summary, machine learning improvises in diagnosing breast cancer in terms of accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity with excellent performance and quality of patients.
Review of Lean Manufacturing with IR4.0 in Automotive Industry
Authors: Affydah Dara , Rose ANM , Rashid MFF Ab , Mohamed NMZ Nik
Published: June 2021

This paper aims to study the possibility of integration between Lean Manufacturing (LM) and Industrial Revolutions 4.0 (IR4.0). LM is generally known and acknowledged as a feasible system in the industrial sector. However, a new paradigm of IR4.0 has influenced manufacturers to look further into how LM could be implemented and adopted. It drives the integration of an intelligent factory to control machines, humans, products, and cloud solutions along the value chain. Manufacturers, especially in the automotive industry such as Toyota Company, have been using lean concepts and methods for so many years to eliminate wastes, reduce operational costs, and improve production performance. By integrating LM with IR4.0, the manufacturers could enhance productivity and quality by using the implementation chain. Besides, it enables self-management operational processes that could ensure the customer’s quality of production.
The effect of dimethyl sulfoxide on Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis biofilm: An in silico prediction and experimental validation
Authors: Yaacob Mohamad Fakhri , Abdullah Faez Firdaus Jesse , Jamil Norashirene Mohamad , Yunus Norfatimah Mohamed , Aazmi Shafiq , Yahya Mohd Fakharul Zaman Raja
Published: June 2021

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis is a Gram-positive pathogen that commonly causes caseous lymphadenitis which occurs in sheep, goats, cattle, buffalo and horses. This disease has long been shown to be a major cause of economic loss on sheep industries. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is known to be effective against a wide spectrum of pathogens however, its efficacy against C. pseudotuberculosis biofilm remains uncertain. The objective of this study was to predict the antibiofilm potential of DMSO against C. pseudotuberculosis using in silico protein interaction network analysis and experimentally determine the antibiofilm activity using standard microplate assay system. As compared to the protein interaction network of S. typhimurium biofilm that had previously been shown to be inhibited by DMSO, the protein interaction network of C. pseudotuberculosis showed similar nodes, hub proteins and functional linkages between glycolytic enzymes. Further experimental validation revealed that the treatment with DMSO significantly (p<0.05) inhibited C. pseudotuberculosis biofilm at all tested concentrations (1.56% - 50%). The findings from the present study suggest the potential application of DMSO in controlling caseous lymphadenitis in ruminants.
The effects of attitude on the intention to use Pahang Mart Portal: An evidence from Malaysia during MCO
Authors: Misaridin Nur Aulia Fahada binti , Mokhtar Mohammad Zulfakhairi bin , Bakar Wan Hashridz Rizal bin Wan Abu
Published: June 2021

The use of online shopping has been gaining interest, particularly after the outbreak of the Covid 19 epidemic. However, if this system is not fully used then the government and the service provider will suffer losses. Therefore, this study aims to identify the role of attitude in explaining the acceptance of online shopping among consumers in Malaysia. This study is a quantitative study that uses non-probability sampling techniques. A total of 127 respondents were successfully collected. Findings prove that attitude has a significant relationship with the acceptance of online shopping. The implications of the study are also discussed
Performances of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) Using KDD Cup ‘99 Dataset in Intrusion Detection System (IDS)
Authors: Norwahidayah S. , Noraniah  , Farahah N. , Amirah Ainal , Liyana N. , Suhana N.
Published: June 2021

Nowadays, the number of attacker increasing fast due to the current technologies. Most companies or an organization use Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to protect their network system. Many researchers suggest different ways to improve the IDS such using optimization techniques. Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods also proposed in IDS to attained high accuracy of detection for example; artificial neural network, particle swarm optimization and genetic algorithm. Artificial neural network (ANN) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) used in this paper to equate the method and performances in IDS environment. The ANN output value will be compared with the result where ANN supported by PSO to produce higher accurate value. KDD CUP ’99 Dataset used as the benchmark of IDS and will be simulated in MATLAB Simulink 2013. 200 datasets used consists of attacks and normal activities as an input. In this paper, DoS attack which are Smurf and Neptune attacks selected for detection.
Discriminant Validity: A Comparison of CBSEM and Consistent PLS using Fornell & Larcker and HTMT Approaches
Authors: Afthanorhan Asyraf , Ghazali Puspa Liza , Rashid Norfadzilah
Published: June 2021

Discriminant validity is recognized as the essential approach in structural equation modelling method to determine the construct uniqueness in a research model. Using this approach, the applied researchers can identify the distinction role on each construct applied in the study. To date, there are several available approaches has been introduced to perform the discriminant validity. In applied research, the Fornell & Larcker approach is known as the method of choice for discriminant validity. Thus, this study attempt to make a comparison Fornell & Larcker approach with HTMT using CBSEM and Consistent PLS. From here, the results revealed that HTMT based Consistent PLS approach is comparable to Fornell & Larcker based CBSEM but not empirical standard to Fornell & Larcker based Consistent PLS. The discussion and recommendations also provided for this justifications.
Roles selection: a computational approach using ELECTRE and CFFR based on Multi Criteria Tacit Knowledge Acquisition
Authors: Yusof Yau’mee Hayati Hj Mohamed , Arshah Ruzaini Abdullah , Romli Awanis
Published: June 2021

During the Talent Development Intervention programme, there is a need to provide an effective model to assess awareness, skills and experience among potential academics. To qualify as an Academic Leader or Academic Manager, there are certain characteristics and t raits necessary. However, there is a lack of research on the training of talented academicians to improve and avoid the loss of these characteristics and traits. Lack of this training would also contribute to vacancy positions of Academic Administrator without being hired. This paper aims to formulate and compare the Multi-criteria Decision-Making methods using ELECTRE (Elimination and Choice Expressing Reality) and CFPR (Consistent Fuzzy Preference Relations) based on proposed model of Multi Criteria Tacit Knowledge Acquisition (MC-TKAF). One set of empirical study based on proposed model contain seventeen (17) main criteria’s and one hundred eights (108) sub criteria are used to select the best candidate to fill in academic administrator roles. In this study, our focus is to integrate MCDM using CFFR and ELECTRE into implementation of Talent Development Intervention based on MC-TKAF development criteria. This paper also highlighted previous literatures which has shown how MC TKAF is formed and the justification of MCDM technique that will be used. The finding shows that both techniques produce the same results.
A complex of manometric methods for studying thermophysical, thermochemical properties and thermal stability of energy-intensive compounds
Authors: Tarasov G.A. , Molokanov A.A. , Plishkin N.A , Kazakov A.I. , Varlamova N.I. , Yanovskiy L.S. , Larikova T.S.
Published: June 2021

A comprehensive manometric method for studying thermophysical characteristics and kinetics of thermal decomposition of components of fuels or lubricants for aircraft engines has been developed and tested, including a low-temperature unit of the Bourdon type and a new manometric unit for high temperatures and pressures. A comprehensive method has been developed for carrying out computational and experimental studies of the properties of new compounds on manometric installations. New data on thermophysical properties and kinetics of decane thermal decomposition for temperature and pressure ranges that are absent in the NIST information base was obtained [1].
Research on Vibration Characteristics of Zither Based on Modal Analysis
Authors: Hu bing , Li Haoran
Published: June 2021

Chinese Zither is one of the traditional Chinese national musical instruments. It has a clear tone and a wide range of plucked strings, which is comparable to Western instruments. In recent years, with the increasing number of zither students, the method of making zither has gradually changed from manual production to machine production. In the background of the mass production of musical instruments, it has become the consensus of the manufacturers to establish a more complete and scientific zither-making specification. Among them, the problem of zither noise and vibration is an urgent problem to be solved. This paper constructs a three-dimensional finite element model of Chinese Zither based on the principle of vibration and noise, and analyzes its vibration characteristics. [1] The finite element model of the zither is established by combining computer simulation technology with traditional Chinese musical instrument manufacturing. It is obtained the zither dynamic characteristics through analyzing and provided data and theoretical support for the structure research and optimization of the zither.
Research on Analysis and Prediction of Elderly Medical Satisfaction Based on Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Gao Jing , Song Jiayang , Han Le
Published: June 2021

In order to adapt to the development of economic and social aging, solve the practical problem of incomplete medical security system in China, and provide higher quality medical services to more elderly people. In this paper, a comprehensive and effective survey and data collection on the status quo of medical services for the elderly were conducted by means of questionnaire survey, and an evaluation index system affecting the satisfaction with medical services for the elderly was established by using SERVQUAL model. On this basis, this paper will survey the one dimensional data into two dimensional data, taking advantage of computer vision in depth study using convolution neural network model to generate satisfaction evaluation system for the weight of each index, and then using the trained network model as an effective assessment tools, effective training sample sets of the sample satisfaction accurately forecast, forecast results to improve the elderly health work provides some feasible suggestions.
Modeling and Analysis of Millimeter Wave 5G Cellular Networks Based on 3-D Spatial Model
Authors: Xu Teng , Pan Ziyu , Zhang Haolin , Zou Qiqi , Bao Can
Published: June 2021

Wireless cellular networks are usually modeled and analysed in two-dimensional (2-D) space. The 2-D model is suitable for the analysis of cellular networks in suburb area but not for the dense millimeter cellular networks in the urban environments. In this work, a three-dimensional (3-D) model based on stochastic geometry is proposed, in which the distribution of base stations (BSs) are modelled as a 3-D Poisson point process (PPP), the blockage is modelled as line of sight (LOS) ball, the shadowing of wireless channel is modelled as Nakagami-m fading, and both the transmitters and receivers obtain maximum gain of beamforming by a large array of antennas. Based on the model, the distribution of the distance between the target user and the nearest the BS is given, and then the average coverage probability and transmission rate of the networks are derived. We analyse the impact of parameters such as path loss, cell radius on average coverage and the relationship between BS density and average rate through Monte Carlo simulation. The simulation results show that in the dense urban environment, the performance of 3-D PPP model of the millimeter wave cellular network analysis is more precise.
Design of the Fire Command Vehicle Simulation Operating Software
Authors: Zhang Yansu , Du Kunze , Tian Junjing
Published: June 2021

With the development of computer technology and fire informatization, virtual reality technology is widely used in job training and simulation training of fire fighting forces. Based on the virtual reality technology, studying the function and operation process of the fire command vehicle, and simulating the actual operation of the fire command vehicle by computer, all these can meet the actual demand of the fire command vehicle to the greatest extent. Firstly, the fire command vehicle simulation operating software uses 3DS Max to build a three-dimensional model of the fire command vehicle in the paper. Then, it uses panoramic and interactive technology to design the internal and external panoramic models of the fire command vehicle. Also, the simulation operation of the fire command vehicle panel is realized. Finally, the common faults and solutions of the fire command vehicle are analyzed. The implementation of the software can help the operators learn about the structure of the fire command vehicle and the function of the operation panels in the fire command vehicle and grasp the operation process. It is helpful to deepen the operator’s familiarity with the fire command vehicle and improve the combat effectiveness of the fire force.
Impact on Property Market from Economic Policy Uncertainty and Its Spillover
Authors: Zhang Yunyi , Gu Huaying
Published: June 2021

The property market plays an important role in the economic system, and it would be greatly affected by the change of economic policies. Understanding the impact of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) is helpful for the investment and management. The EPU of an economy is not only acting on its own property market; the transmission of EPU between different economies, or called as the spillover of EPU, also makes influence on other property markets. However, the impact from the spillover of EPU is not considered previously due to the lack of methods and thus still remains unclear. Therefore, in this work, we combine a generalized VAR model and a DSP-GARCH model to simultaneously take the EPU and its spillover into account. The data of property indices and EPU indices for eight economies are used. Empirical analysis shows that the increased change of EPU has significant negative effect on the property market, and the effect from the spillover of EPU also significantly exist between property markets. The property market with large spillover of EPU yields strong volatility spillover effect.
Accounting for internal migration in spatial population projections—a gravity-based modeling approach using the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways
Authors: Reimann Lena , Jones Bryan , Nikoletopoulos Theodore , Vafeidis Athanasios T
Published: June 2021

Gridded population projections constitute an essential input for climate change impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability (IAV) assessments as they allow for exploring how future changes in the spatial distribution of population drive climate change impacts. We develop such spatial population projections, using a gravity-based modeling approach that accounts for rural-urban and inland-coastal migration as well as for spatial development patterns (i.e. urban sprawl). We calibrate the model (called CONCLUDE) to the socioeconomically diverse Mediterranean region, additionally considering differences in socioeconomic development in two geographical regions: the northern Mediterranean and the southern and eastern Mediterranean. We produce high-resolution population projections (approximately 1 km) for 2020–2100 that are consistent with the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs), both in terms of qualitative narrative assumptions as well as national-level projections. We find that future spatial population patterns differ considerably under all SSPs, with four to eight times higher urban population densities and three to 16 times higher coastal populations in southern and eastern Mediterranean countries compared to northern Mediterranean countries in 2100. In the South and East, the highest urban density (8000 people km−2) and coastal population (107 million) are projected under SSP3, while in the North, the highest urban density (1500 people km−2) is projected under SSP1 and the highest coastal population (15.2 million) under SSP5. As these projections account for internal migration processes and spatial development patterns, they can provide new insights in a wide range of IAV assessments. Furthermore, CONCLUDE can be extended to other continental or global scales due to its modest data requirements based on freely available global datasets.
Negative ozone anomalies at a high mountain site in northern Italy during 2020: a possible role of COVID-19 lockdowns?
Authors: Cristofanelli Paolo , Arduni Jgor , Serva Federico , Calzolari Francescopiero , Bonasoni Paolo , Busetto Maurizio , Maione Michela , Sprenger Michael , Trisolino Pamela , Putero Davide
Published: June 2021

Several studies investigated the possible impacts of the restriction measures related to the containment of the spread of the COrona VIrus Disease (COVID-19) to atmospheric ozone (O3) at global, regional, and local scales during 2020. O3 is a secondary pollutant with adverse effects on population health and ecosystems and with negative impacts on climate, acting as greenhouse gas. Most of these studies focused on spring 2020 (i.e. March–May) and on observations in the planetary boundary layer (PBL), mostly in the vicinity of urban agglomerates. Here, we analyzed the variability of O3 above the PBL of northern Italy in 2020 by using continuous observations carried out at a high mountain WMO/GAW global station in Italy (Mt. Cimone–CMN; 44°12′ N, 10°42′ E, 2165 m a.s.l.). Low O3 monthly anomalies were observed during spring (MAM) and summer (JJA), when periods of low O3 intertwined with periods with higher O3, within climatological ranges. A similar variability was observed for O3 precursors like NO2 and 15 anthropogenic non-methane volatile organic carbons, but the systematic O3 anomalies were not reflected in these variables. The analysis of meteorological variables and diel O3 cycles did not suggest major changes in the vertical transport related to the thermal circulation system in the mountain area. The analysis of five days back-trajectories suggested that the observed O3 anomalies cannot be explained by differences in the synoptic-scale circulation with respect to the previous years alone. On the other hand, the characterization of two transport patterns (i.e. air masses from the regional PBL or from the free troposphere) and the analysis of back-trajectories suggested an important contribution of transport from the continental PBL during the periods with the lowest O3 at CMN. When proxies of air mass transport from the regional PBL are considered, a lower NO
x
content was pointed out with respect to the previous years, suggesting a lower O3 production in a NO
x
-limited atmosphere. Our study suggested for the first time that, during MAM and JJA 2020, the reduced anthropogenic emissions related to the COVID-19 restrictions lowered the amount of this short-lived climate forcer/pollutant at remote locations above the PBL over northern Italy. This work suggests the importance of limiting anthropogenic precursor emissions for decreasing the O3 amount at remote locations and in upper atmospheric layers.
Carrageenan assisted synthesis of morphological diversity of CdO and Cd (OH)2 with high antibacterial activity
Authors: Mirzaei Akbar , Jamshidi Edris , Morshedloo Ehsan , Javanshir Shahrzad , Manteghi Faranak
Published: June 2021

This research reports a simple and novel method for the controlled synthesis of cadmium oxide (CdO) and cadmium hydroxide (Cd(OH)2) with different new morphologies in the presence of NaBH4 or LiBH4 as reducing agent, by using κ-carrageenan as a capping/stabilizing agent and potassium bromide as a template. The synthesized products were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The impacts of reducing agent, reaction atmosphere, and concentration of reducing agent on size and morphology of the particles were discussed. We suggested that chemical etching and Kirkendall effect play a key role in the morphology of particles, and the etch rate depends on reducing agent concentration. It was found that by increasing the concentration of the reducing agent, the intensified etching leads to an increase in the size of the particles. The results show an increase in particle size with decreasing reducing agents power. The various morphologies obtained for CdO and Cd(OH)2 such as hollow cube, macro rod, nanoplate, and macroplate were discussed based on the Kirkendall effect and chemical etching. Finally, the antibacterial activity of the synthesized nanoparticles was screened against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (s.aureus). The inhibition zones were ranged from 36–47 mm and 25–47 mm for different morphologies of CdO and Cd(OH)2, respectively. Furthermore, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) production assay in the presence of bacteria was performed. The results did not show any positive result of ROS production.
Outcome of environmental change from historical sediment discharge in a Mediterranean fluvial basin, 1500–2019 CE
Authors: Diodato Nazzareno , Ljungqvist Fredrik Charpentier , Bellocchi Gianni
Published: June 2021

Soil loss is a challenge for sustainable river management, not the least in the Mediterranean region, with climate extremes altering erosion and overland sediment transport. The dynamics of these processes, and their ecological consequences, are poorly documented in the Mediterranen region. For the Arno River Basin (ARB), located by the Tyrrhenian coast of Italy, we estimated changes in annual sediment discharge (SD) as a function of the landscape characteristics within the basin, the seasonal distribution of precipitation and flooding, and the vegetation cover. Owing to a semi-empirical modelling framework, we identified critical erosion-/deposition-prone periods from 1500 to 2019 CE. The long-term estimated mean gross soil erosion in the ARB was ∼900 Mg km−2yr−1, whereas mean net erosion was ∼200 Mg km−2yr−1. The results revealed that during the Little Ice Age (ending ∼1850 CE), increased storms andSDhad a large impact on the landscape and agricultural activity of the ARB. The downward trend inSDobserved after ∼1903 CE occurred with high soil movement, along with environmental change and basin reforestation. The basin area thus experienced, on average, only slight soil losses, with ∼76% of the eroded soil being trapped along the stream reaches, on gently sloping areas as well as in the foot slopes and the valley terrains which divide the basin area. Relying on credible information regardingSDand its hydrological drivers, we showed how historical climatology and parsimonious modelling can be implemented to obtain basin-wide estimates of soil loss, and are appropriate tools for sustainable river basin management.
Women’s rights and critical junctures in constitutional reform in Africa (1951–2019)
Authors: Paulson-Smith Kaden , Tripp Aili Mari
Published: June 2021

Women’s rights are being enshrined in African constitutions today to an unprecedented extent. African countries have on average more constitutional provisions addressing women’s rights than any other region of the world. This longitudinal cross-national study shows that constitutional reforms in African contexts are increasingly evident in the areas of gender equality, customary law, discrimination, violence against women, gender quotas, and citizenship rights, and they sometimes reflect gender-inclusive language. By analysing a novel data set of constitutional reforms across all African countries over 68 years (1951–2019), this article identifies four critical junctures when the adoption of women’s rights reforms arose, namely (i) after independence, particularly in Muslim-majority countries; (ii) after political opening in the 1990s; (iii) after the end of major civil conflicts; and (iv) after the 2011 Arab uprisings. At each juncture, women’s movements capitalized on political openings to advance constitutional reforms that are unmatched on a global scale. This article goes beyond the existing explanations of cumulative gains, international influence, diffusion, learning, and borrowing to show that a ‘critical junctures’ approach may help explain when, why, and how women’s rights reforms occur in constitutions.
Integrative machine learning framework for the identification of cell-specific enhancers from the human genome
Authors: Basith Shaherin , Hasan Md Mehedi , Lee Gwang , Wei Leyi , Manavalan Balachandran
Published: June 2021

Enhancers are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fragments which when bound by transcription factors enhance the transcription of related genes. Due to its sporadic distribution and similar fractions, identification of enhancers from the human genome seems a daunting task. Compared to the traditional experimental approaches, computational methods with easy-to-use platforms could be efficiently applied to annotate enhancers’ functions and physiological roles. In this aspect, several bioinformatics tools have been developed to identify enhancers. Despite their spectacular performances, existing methods have certain drawbacks and limitations, including fixed length of sequences being utilized for model development and cell-specificity negligence. A novel predictor would be beneficial in the context of genome-wide enhancer prediction by addressing the above-mentioned issues. In this study, we constructed new datasets for eight different cell types. Utilizing these data, we proposed an integrative machine learning (ML)-based framework called Enhancer-IF for identifying cell-specific enhancers. Enhancer-IF comprehensively explores a wide range of heterogeneous features with five commonly used ML methods (random forest, extremely randomized tree, multilayer perceptron, support vector machine and extreme gradient boosting). Specifically, these five classifiers were trained with seven encodings and obtained 35 baseline models. The output of these baseline models was integrated and again inputted to five classifiers for the construction of five meta-models. Finally, the integration of five meta-models through ensemble learning improved the model robustness. Our proposed approach showed an excellent prediction performance compared to the baseline models on both training and independent datasets in different cell types, thus highlighting the superiority of our approach in the identification of the enhancers. We assume that Enhancer-IF will be a valuable tool for screening and identifying potential enhancers from the human DNA sequences.
Defining the functional divergence of orthologous genes between human and mouse in the context of miRNA regulation
Authors: Cui Chunmei , Zhou Yuan , Cui Qinghua
Published: June 2021

Animal models have a certain degree of similarity with human in genes and physiological processes, which leads them to be valuable tools for studying human diseases and for assisting drug development. However, translational researches adopting animal models are largely restricted by the species heterogeneity, which is also a major reason for the failure of drug research. Currently, computational method for exploring the functional differences between orthologous genes is still insufficient. For this purpose, here, we presented an algorithm, functional divergence score (FDS), by comprehensively evaluating the functional differences between the microRNAs regulating the paired orthologous genes. Given that mouse is one of the most popular model animals, currently, FDS was designed to dissect the functional divergence of orthologous genes between human and mouse. The results showed that gene FDS value is significantly associated with gene evolutionary characteristics and can discover expression divergence of human–mouse orthologous genes. Moreover, FDS performed well in distinguishing the targets of approved drugs and the failed ones. These results suggest that FDS is a valuable tool to evaluate the functional divergence of paired human and mouse orthologous genes. In addition, for each orthologous gene pair, FDS can provide detailed differences in functions and phenotypes. Our study provided a useful tool for quantifying the functional difference between human and mouse, and the presented framework is easily to be extended to the orthologous genes between human and other species. An online server of FDS is available at http://www.cuilab.cn/fds/.
Embeddings of genomic region sets capture rich biological associations in lower dimensions
Authors: Gharavi Erfaneh , Gu Aaron , Zheng Guangtao , Smith Jason P , Cho Hyun Jae , Zhang Aidong , Brown Donald E , Sheffield Nathan C
Published: June 2021

Motivation

Genomic region sets summarize functional genomics data and define locations of interest in the genome such as regulatory regions or transcription factor binding sites. The number of publicly available region sets has increased dramatically, leading to challenges in data analysis.

Results

We propose a new method to represent genomic region sets as vectors, or embeddings, using an adapted word2vec approach. We compared our approach to two simpler methods based on interval unions or term frequency-inverse document frequency and evaluated the methods in three ways: First, by classifying the cell line, antibody or tissue type of the region set; second, by assessing whether similarity among embeddings can reflect simulated random perturbations of genomic regions; and third, by testing robustness of the proposed representations to different signal thresholds for calling peaks. Our word2vec-based region set embeddings reduce dimensionality from more than a hundred thousand to 100 without significant loss in classification performance. The vector representation could identify cell line, antibody and tissue type with over 90% accuracy. We also found that the vectors could quantitatively summarize simulated random perturbations to region sets and are more robust to subsampling the data derived from different peak calling thresholds. Our evaluations demonstrate that the vectors retain useful biological information in relatively lower-dimensional spaces. We propose that vector representation of region sets is a promising approach for efficient analysis of genomic region data.

Availability and implementation

https://github.com/databio/regionset-embedding.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Mobile Gene Sequence Evolution within Individual Human Gut Microbiomes Is Better Explained by Gene-Specific Than Host-Specific Selective Pressures
Authors: N’Guessan Arnaud , Brito Ilana Lauren , Serohijos Adrian W R , Shapiro B Jesse
Published: June 2021

Pangenomes—the cumulative set of genes encoded by a population or species—arise from the interplay of horizontal gene transfer, drift, and selection. The balance of these forces in shaping pangenomes has been debated, and studies to date focused on ancient evolutionary time scales have suggested that pangenomes generally confer niche adaptation to their bacterial hosts. To shed light on pangenome evolution on shorter evolutionary time scales, we inferred the selective pressures acting on mobile genes within individual human microbiomes from 176 Fiji islanders. We mapped metagenomic sequence reads to a set of known mobile genes to identify single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and calculated population genetic metrics to infer deviations from a neutral evolutionary model. We found that mobile gene sequence evolution varied more by gene family than by human social attributes, such as household or village. Patterns of mobile gene sequence evolution could be qualitatively recapitulated with a simple evolutionary simulation without the need to invoke the adaptive value of mobile genes to either bacterial or human hosts. These results stand in contrast with the apparent adaptive value of pangenomes over longer evolutionary time scales. In general, the most highly mobile genes (i.e., those present in more distinct bacterial host genomes) tend to have higher metagenomic read coverage and an excess of low-frequency SNVs, consistent with their rapid spread across multiple bacterial species in the gut. However, a subset of mobile genes—including those involved in defense mechanisms and secondary metabolism—showed a contrasting signature of intermediate-frequency SNVs, indicating species-specific selective pressures or negative frequency-dependent selection on these genes. Together, our evolutionary models and population genetic data show that gene-specific selective pressures predominate over human or bacterial host-specific pressures during the relatively short time scales of a human lifetime.