bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Precise Orbit Determination and Accuracy Analysis for BDS-3 Satellites Using SLR Observations
Authors: An Zicong , Shao Kai , Gu Defeng , Wei Chunbo , Xu Zheyu , Tong Lisheng , Zhu Jubo , Wang Jian , Liu Daoping
Published: March 2023

Satellite laser ranging (SLR) is the space geodetic technique with the highest degree of range, measuring precision and distances right down to the millimeter level. Thanks to the improvement of SLR station layouts and the advance of SLR technology, in recent years, more research has been conducted to determine Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) satellite orbits using SLR data. The primary goal of this contribution is to investigate the accuracy of BeiDou Navigation-3 (BDS-3) Satellite precise orbit determination (POD) using solely SLR data, as well as explore the impact of various factors on that accuracy. Firstly, we used actual SLR data to make the POD for BDS-3 satellites, and the POD accuracy was positively connected with the orbital arc lengths. The 9-day median root mean square (RMS) in radial (R), along-track (T), and cross-track (N) directions were estimated at 4.7–8.2, 22.1–35.2, and 27.4–43.8 cm, respectively, for comparison with WUM precise orbits. Then, we explored the impact of SLR observations and stations on POD accuracy. For 9-day orbital arc lengths, five station or 20 observation arcs may offer an orbit with a 1 m precision. Six to eight stations or 30–35 observation arcs allow an improved orbit accuracy up to approximately 0.5 m. Furthermore, we examined how measurement errors and orbit modeling errors affect the SLR-only POD accuracy using simulated SLR data. For orbital arc lengths of 9 days, each cm of random error leads to a 9.3–11.0 cm decrease in orbit accuracy. The accuracy of an orbit is reduced by 10.1–15.0 cm for every 1 cm of systematic error. Moreover, for solar radiation pressure (SRP) errors, the effect of POD accuracy is 20.5–45.1 cm, respectively.
Combination of InSAR with a Depression Angle Model for 3D Deformation Monitoring in Mining Areas
Authors: Wang Zhihong , Dai Huayang , Yan Yueguan , Liu Jibo , Ren Jintong
Published: March 2023

The current three-dimensional (3D) deformation monitoring methods, based on the single line-of-sight (LOS) interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) technology, are constructed by combining the deformation characteristics of mining subsidence basins, which are incompletely suitable in the edge area of the subsidence basin and some large deformation gradient mines with surface uplift in the LOS direction.The 3D deformation monitoring method of InSAR combined with the surface displacement vector depression angle model (InSAR+ depression angle model) is proposed to obtain more detailed and accurate deformation information of the entire basin. This method first establishes a surface displacement vector depression angle model based on the probability integral method (PIM). The magnitude of the surface displacement vector—owing to the spatial relationship between the LOS direction and the surface displacement vector—is obtained because the horizontal movement direction field and the displacement vector depression angle field of the mining area determine the 3D directions of the surface displacement vector. Then, the PIM model is used to obtain the settlement information of the central area with a large deformation gradient. A complete subsidence basin of the mining area is received by combining the proposed method and the PIM. A total of 35 Sentinel-1A data from 31 March 2018 to 13 May 2019 and the leveling data were used to apply and analyze the accuracy of this method. The experimental results show that this method can obtain more accurate information on surface subsidence around the mining area. Moreover, the overall settlement is more consistent with the actual situation, and the monitoring ability is significantly improved compared with the InSAR and PIM.
Three-Dimensional Dual-Mesh Inversions for Sparse Surface-to-Borehole TEM Data
Authors: Wang Luyuan , Liu Yunhe , Yin Changchun , Su Yang , Ren Xiuyan , Zhang Bo
Published: March 2023

The surface-to-borehole transient electromagnetic (SBTEM) method can provide images at higher resolution for deep earth because its receivers are close to targets. However, as usually the boreholes distribute sparsely, the limited EM data can result in an “equivalent trap” in SBTEM inversions, i.e., the data are well-fitted, but the model is not properly recovered. To overcome this non-unique problem, we propose a dual-mesh three-dimensional (3D) SBTEM inversion scheme. We first use a coarse mesh to obtain a rough resistivity distribution near the borehole, and then we map the coarse mesh attribute into a fine one and capture details from the fine mesh inversion. We test our method on both synthetic data and survey data acquired in Daye, Hubei Province, China. Numerical experiments show that our dual-mesh inversion strategy can better recover the location and resistivity of targets.
Validation of Swarm Langmuir Probes by Incoherent Scatter Radars at High Latitudes
Authors: Fast Hayden , Koustov Alexander , Gillies Robert
Published: March 2023

Electron density measured at high latitudes by the Swarm satellites was compared with measurements by the incoherent scatter radars at Resolute Bay and Poker Flat. Overall, the ratio of Swarm-based electron density to that measured by the radars was about 0.5–0.6. Smaller ratios were observed at larger electron densities, usually during the daytime. At low electron densities less than 3 × 1010 m−3, the ratios were typically above 1, indicating an overestimation effect. The overestimation effect was stronger at night and for Swarm B. It was more evident at lower solar activity when the electron densities in the topside ionosphere were lower.
Dynamic Obstacle Avoidance for USVs Using Cross-Domain Deep Reinforcement Learning and Neural Network Model Predictive Controller
Authors: Li Jianwen , Chavez-Galaviz Jalil , Azizzadenesheli Kamyar , Mahmoudian Nina
Published: March 2023

This work presents a framework that allows Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) to avoid dynamic obstacles through initial training on an Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) and cross-domain retraining on a USV. This is achieved by integrating a Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) agent that generates high-level control commands and leveraging a neural network based model predictive controller (NN-MPC) to reach target waypoints and reject disturbances. A Deep Q Network (DQN) utilized in this framework is trained in a ground environment using a Turtlebot robot and retrained in a water environment using the BREAM USV in the Gazebo simulator to avoid dynamic obstacles. The network is then validated in both simulation and real-world tests. The cross-domain learning largely decreases the training time (28%) and increases the obstacle avoidance performance (70 more reward points) compared to pure water domain training. This methodology shows that it is possible to leverage the data-rich and accessible ground environments to train DRL agent in data-poor and difficult-to-access marine environments. This will allow rapid and iterative agent development without further training due to the change in environment or vehicle dynamics.
SR-FEINR: Continuous Remote Sensing Image Super-Resolution Using Feature-Enhanced Implicit Neural Representation
Authors: Luo Jinming , Han Lei , Gao Xianjie , Liu Xiuping , Wang Weiming
Published: March 2023

Remote sensing images often have limited resolution, which can hinder their effectiveness in various applications. Super-resolution techniques can enhance the resolution of remote sensing images, and arbitrary resolution super-resolution techniques provide additional flexibility in choosing appropriate image resolutions for different tasks. However, for subsequent processing, such as detection and classification, the resolution of the input image may vary greatly for different methods. In this paper, we propose a method for continuous remote sensing image super-resolution using feature-enhanced implicit neural representation (SR-FEINR). Continuous remote sensing image super-resolution means users can scale a low-resolution image into an image with arbitrary resolution. Our algorithm is composed of three main components: a low-resolution image feature extraction module, a positional encoding module, and a feature-enhanced multi-layer perceptron module. We are the first to apply implicit neural representation in a continuous remote sensing image super-resolution task. Through extensive experiments on two popular remote sensing image datasets, we have shown that our SR-FEINR outperforms the state-of-the-art algorithms in terms of accuracy. Our algorithm showed an average improvement of 0.05 dB over the existing method on ×30 across three datasets.
Transfer Learning in Trajectory Decoding: Sensor or Source Space?
Authors: Srisrisawang Nitikorn , Müller-Putz Gernot R.
Published: March 2023

In this study, across-participant and across-session transfer learning was investigated to minimize the calibration time of the brain–computer interface (BCI) system in the context of continuous hand trajectory decoding. We reanalyzed data from a study with 10 able-bodied participants across three sessions. A leave-one-participant-out (LOPO) model was utilized as a starting model. Recursive exponentially weighted partial least squares regression (REW-PLS) was employed to overcome the memory limitation due to the large pool of training data. We considered four scenarios: generalized with no update (Gen), generalized with cumulative update (GenC), and individual models with cumulative (IndC) and non-cumulative (Ind) updates, with each one trained with sensor-space features or source-space features. The decoding performance in generalized models (Gen and GenC) was lower than the chance level. In individual models, the cumulative update (IndC) showed no significant improvement over the non-cumulative model (Ind). The performance showed the decoder’s incapability to generalize across participants and sessions in this task. The results suggested that the best correlation could be achieved with the sensor-space individual model, despite additional anatomical information in the source-space features. The decoding pattern showed a more localized pattern around the precuneus over three sessions in Ind models.
Involvement of Human Volunteers in the Development and Evaluation of Wearable Devices Designed to Improve Medication Adherence: A Scoping Review
Authors: Marengo Lívia Luize , Barberato-Filho Silvio
Published: March 2023

Wearable devices designed to improve medication adherence can emit audible and vibrating alerts or send text messages to users. However, there is little information on the validation of these technologies. The aim of this scoping review was to investigate the involvement of human volunteers in the development and evaluation of wearable devices. A literature search was conducted using six databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, PsycInfo, and Web of Science) up to March 2020. A total of 7087 records were identified, and nine studies were included. The wearable technologies most investigated were smartwatches (n = 3), patches (n = 3), wristbands (n = 2), and neckwear (n = 1). The studies involving human volunteers were categorized into idea validation (n = 4); prototype validation (n = 5); and product validation (n = 1). One of them involved human volunteers in idea and prototype validation. A total of 782 participants, ranging from 6 to 252, were included. Only five articles reported prior approval by a research ethics committee. Most studies revealed fragile methodological designs, a lack of a control group, a small number of volunteers, and a short follow-up time. Product validation is essential for regulatory approval and encompasses the assessment of the effectiveness, safety, and performance of a wearable device. Studies with greater methodological rigor and the involvement of human volunteers can contribute to the improvement of the process before making them available on the market.
Correlation between Suicidal Ideation and Addiction to Various Social Media Platforms in a Sample of Young Adults: The Benefits of Physical Activity
Authors: Mendes Liliana , Leonido Levi , Morgado Elsa
Published: March 2023

The rise in suicide death rates has become a major public health concern, which has led to increased addiction to internet and social media platforms. Despite the limited research available on the relationship between suicidal ideation and addiction to social media such as Instagram and TikTok, this study aims to examine this connection. The study design is cross-sectional, quantitative, comparative, and correlational, with a quasi-experimental approach. The sample includes 315 young adults aged 20 to 30 who were surveyed through the administration of the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire (SIQ) and the Social Media Disorder Scale-Short Form (SMDS-SF) surveys. The results showed differences in addiction levels based on the type of social media, specifically between TikTok and other social media platforms. The study found that female participants who engage in physical activity (PA) four times a week had lower levels of suicidal ideation than those who did not; there were no differences compared to male participants. This suggests that PA may be a potential strategy for preventing and reducing suicide-related phenomena. The results also indicate that addiction to social media was a statistically significant predictor of suicidal ideation, after controlling for gender and PA.
Click Surveillance of Your Partner! Digital Violence among University Students in England
Authors: Montero-Fernández Delia , Hernando-Gómez Angel , García-Rojas Antonio Daniel , Del Río Olvera Francisco Javier
Published: March 2023

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have given rise to new forms of contact as well as new forms of violence. This research analyses whether ICTs are the cause of a new form of digital violence and studies the prevalence of this digital violence exercised through screens among university couples. A quantitative and qualitative methodology was applied in this study: a non-probabilistic purposive or discretionary sample of 303 (Age = 22.79; SD = 47.32; 58.7% male), with the use of an ad hoc questionnaire, and two focus groups of students studying in the same country. The results reveal a prevalence of 51.04% in the perception of digital violence through electronic devices in dating relationships among young people; 15.84% in the prevalence of digital violence in young couples’ relationships; 9.36% in the prevalence of traditional violence; and 35.78% in the tolerance of digital violence among young people. The results highlight a slightly higher prevalence of women compared with men in digital violence. We conclude that there is a significant prevalence of digital violence among these young couples in the university context, which should be the subject of the creation of different awareness-raising, prevention and specific training programmes against it.
Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Governing Unconventional Natural Gas at the Local Level in the United States
Authors: Young Corey
Published: March 2023

While numerous studies have addressed the impact of unconventional natural gas development on communities in the United States during the initial boom period (2007 to 2014), few works synthesizing local governance issues exist. This paper aims to address the gap in the research by reviewing the literature and identifying challenges local governments encountered while attempting to govern the burgeoning industry. After conducting an integrative literature review of 43 studies, the author contends that the industry’s newness, regulatory confusion, information asymmetries, distrust of producers, conflicting interests, and ambiguous costs and benefits of extraction hindered local governments and their ability to address the industry and its impacts. The paper suggests that local officials should adopt collaborative frameworks to exchange information, establish best practices, and clarify regulatory landscapes. This study adds to the literature on local governance in communities with mineral resource extraction and provides insights for future industries or resources with local impacts.
Has the Development of the Digital Economy Reduced the Regional Energy Intensity—From the Perspective of Factor Market Distortion, Industrial Structure Upgrading and Technological Progress?
Authors: Zeng Guohua , Wu Peiying , Yuan Xinxin
Published: March 2023

The digital economy has become the key driver of improving the quality and efficiency of the social economy and reshaping core competitiveness with the new technological revolution. This paper uses China’s provincial panel data from 2011 to 2019 and the entropy method to measure the digital economy development index of China’s provinces and cities and examines the impact of digital economy development on regional energy intensity using the fixed effect model. The results show that: (1) There is a significant difference in the development levels of the digital economy in the eastern and western regions of China. In addition, there is also a significant difference in the intensities of energy use between the northern and southern regions. (2) The development of the digital economy can significantly reduce China’s regional energy intensity. (3) There are three intermediary transmission paths for digital economy development to reduce the energy intensity through alleviating factor market distortion, promoting industrial structure upgrading and improving the technological innovation level, which are optimizing factor allocation, reducing factor distortion, adjusting and upgrading industrial structure and driving technological innovation applications. In general, all regions should further promote the development of digital industrialization and industrial digitization, enhance digital technology innovation and application, deepen the integrated development of digital economy and real economy and promote a new round of technological change and industrial upgrading on the basis of optimizing the allocation of important factors such as information data and artificial intelligence.
Structural Characteristics and Evolution Trend of Collaborative Governance of Air Pollution in “2 + 26” Cities from the Perspective of Social Network Analysis
Authors: Li Jiancheng
Published: March 2023

The regional and complex air pollution problem has become a major bottleneck restricting the sustainable development of regional economies and societies. Constructing a regional collaborative governance network has become a key solution to solving the cross-regional air pollution problem. By performing a social network analysis, this paper analyzes the overall structure, internal characteristics, and evolution trend of the collaborative governance network of regional air pollution by selecting the data samples of the “2 + 26” cities from 2017 to 2021. The study found that the excellent results of air pollution control in Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei and its surrounding areas are due to precise and efficient collaboration among the “2 + 26” cities. The collaborative network formed by “2 + 26” cities based on the joint initiation of severe weather emergency responses is an important measure that can help to effectively control regional air pollution problems. There is a distinct difference in the collaborative pattern in the “2 + 26” cities air pollution collaborative governance model, showing a nested-difference network structure.
A Study on the Effect of Medical Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction during COVID-19 for Foreigners in Korea
Authors: Kim Seieun , Kim Hak-Seon
Published: March 2023

With the increasing number of foreigners residing in Korea, there is a need for further research on medical service satisfaction for this demographic. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the impact of medical service quality on customer satisfaction and revisit intention of foreigners in Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey was conducted from 15 March to 15 May 2022 to gather data from foreign residents in Korea. A total of 201 questionnaires were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 26.0 and Smart PLS3.0 for empirical analysis. The results of the study demonstrate that reliability, empathy, and COVID-19 regulations (excluding responsiveness, assurance, and tangibles) positively impact customer satisfaction with medical services. Additionally, customer satisfaction with medical services positively affects revisit intention. Furthermore, variables, such as nationality and medical department, show average differences. These findings suggest that hospitals should focus on COVID-19 prevention and the quality of medical services, while also taking into account unique characteristics, such as nationality and medical department. This study provides essential reference data for medical institutions exposed to infinite competition, informing management strategies to increase customer satisfaction and revisit intention during COVID-19.
Dynamic Characteristics of Rock Holes with Gravel Sediment Drilled by Bit Anchor Cable Drilling
Authors: Gao Kuidong , Liu Jihai , Chen Hong , Li Xu , Huang Shuan
Published: March 2023

Gravel and sediment frequently build up in holes during the anchor cable installation process, which makes it harder to install the anchor cable and causes reinforcement to fail, which can lead to accidents. In this paper, a bit anchor setup approach is proposed to set up a drill bit at the front of the anchor cable to aid the anchor cable drilling. The feasibility of this approach is established with the aid of DEM-MBD joint simulation and proves the correctness of the simulation model. The major elements affecting drilling effectivity have been studied by the use of ‘check + simulation’. The effects exhibit that the axial velocity and working aperture are negatively correlated with the drilling resistance of the anchor cable; the feed price is positively related to the anchor cable drilling resistance; with the increase in anchor cable pitch, the drilling resistance of the anchor cable changes into a hump shape. When the bit is 0.2 m from the backside of the hole, the particle pace vector at the decrease stop of the bit gives a conical distribution. This paper is of fantastic magnitude in relation to the environment-friendly setup of anchor cables and protection against disasters.
Effects of Ammonification–Steam Explosion Pretreatment on the Production of True Protein from Rice Straw during Solid-State Fermentation
Authors: Li Bin , Zhao Chao , Sun Qian , Chen Kunjie , Zhao Xiangjun , Xu Lijun , Yang Zidong , Peng Hehuan
Published: March 2023

It is difficult to obtain high-protein contents from rice straw using direct fermentation due to its low nitrogen content. This study investigates the effects of ammonification–steam explosion pretreatment of rice straw on the protein content after solid-state fermentation (SSF). The pretreatment is carried out under multi-strain inoculation conditions. The samples of rice straw after ammonification (TA), steam explosion (TSE), and ammonification and steam explosion (TA-SE) were compared to the control group (TC). The results indicate that both ammonification and steam explosion could disintegrate rice straw’s lignocellulosic structure, releasing nutrients that can be used for microbial reproduction. In addition, amino compounds are formed along with depolymerization products, thus effectively promoting the true protein content. Post-fermentation, total crude protein contents of TA, TSE, and TA-SE samples were 2.56, 1.83, and 4.37 times higher than that of Tc samples, respectively, and true protein contents were 2.52, 1.83, and 5.03 times higher. This study shows that the true protein content by combined ammonification and steam explosion pretreatment of rice straw during 96 h of solid-state fermentation was 46.7% of its total matter, rendering it a suitable alternative to high-protein animal feed.
Identification of the Main Lines of Research in Gastronomic Tourism: A Review of the Literature
Authors: Barzallo-Neira Cristina , Pulido-Fernández Juan Ignacio
Published: March 2023

This article presents a review of research trends in gastronomic tourism. The objective is to identify the main lines of research of this type of tourism based on the scientific production published in the last five years in three scientific databases. It is an exploratory, descriptive, and analytical study based on a comprehensive narrative review and content analysis methodology. The results show the evolution in the scientific research of gastronomic tourism and the current state of knowledge within each line of research identified as a basis for future research.
Correction: Cheng, Y. Carbon Derivatives-Directed International Supervision Laws and Regulations and Carbon Market Mechanism. Sustainability 2022, 14, 16157
Authors: Cheng Yao
Published: March 2023

The author would like to make the following corrections about the published paper [...]
Integrated Ocean Management (IOM) for Marine Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)14: A Case Study of China’s Bohai Sea
Authors: Xue Yongjie , Yan Jinling , Li Dahai , Zheng Haijing
Published: March 2023

Marine development and eco-environmental management have received increasing attention over the past two decades, however, no effective universal approach has been established to achieve marine development without destroying marine ecosystems. This study discusses the integrated ocean management (IOM) for meeting the sustainable development goal (SDG14) through the following four aspects: the marine eco-environment foundation, market mechanism, management support, and space consideration. Our findings highlight how to enhance the coastal and marine areas management efficiency to achieve ecological and socioeconomic values for sustainable development through the benign interaction of marine ecosystem and socioeconomic systems. The presented case study examines the IOM framework for achieving SDG14 in the Bohai Sea. Furthermore, content analysis and semi-structured interviews were conducted. The framework is theoretically and empirically explored in light of the Bohai Sea’s management, focusing on the role of the government and incentive. Further, issues preventing effective IOM are highlighted and a framework for optimizing the IOM implementation to better balance the interests of various industries is suggested. When implementing the IOM framework, each region should fully play to its own advantages and push forward with some focused aspects first. The long-term effect of the Bohai Sea’s management may need time to be verified, and the role of the market mechanism and multi-interest coordination mechanism need more special attention for the Bohai Sea in the future.
Study on the Spatial and Temporal Evolution of NDVI and Its Driving Mechanism Based on Geodetector and Hurst Indexes: A Case Study of the Tibet Autonomous Region
Authors: Wang Jian , Zhao Junsan , Zhou Peng , Li Kangning , Cao Zhaoxiang , Zhang Haoran , Han Yang , Luo Yuanyuan , Yuan Xinru
Published: March 2023

The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) is located in the mid-latitude and high-cold regions, and the ecological environment in most areas is fragile. Studying its surface vegetation coverage can identify the ecosystem’s development trends and provide a specific contribution to global environmental change. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) can better reflect the coverage of surface vegetation. Therefore, based on remote sensing data with a resolution of 1 km2, air temperature, precipitation, and other data in the same period in the study area from 1998 to 2019, this paper uses trend analysis, F-significance tests, the Hurst index, and the Geodetector model to obtain the spatial distribution, change characteristics, and evolution trends of the NDVI in the TAR in the past 22 years. At the same time, the quantitative relationship between natural and human factors and NDVI changes is also obtained. The study results show that the NDVI in the southern and southeastern parts of the TAR is higher, with mean values greater than 0.5 showing that vegetation cover is better. The NDVI in the western and northwestern parts of the TAR is lower, with mean values less than 0.3, indicating vegetation cover is worse. NDVI in the TAR showed an overall increasing trend from 1998 to 2019 but a decreasing trend in ridgelines, snow cover, and glacier-covered areas. The areas where NDVI values show a trend of increasing and then decreasing in the future account for 53.69% of the total area of the TAR. The most crucial factor affecting NDVI changes in the TAR is soil type, followed by influencing factors such as vegetation cover type, average annual air temperature, and average annual precipitation. The influence of natural elements is generally more significant than anthropogenic factors. The influencing factors have synergistic effects, and combining anthropogenic factors and other factors will show mutual enhancement and non-linear enhancement relationships. This study provides a theoretical basis for natural resource conservation, ecosystem restoration, and sustainable human development strategies in the TAR.
Use of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi for Boosting Antioxidant Enzyme Metabolism and Mitigating Saline Stress in Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.)
Authors: Yilmaz Abdurrahim , Yildirim Ertan , Yilmaz Hilal , Soydemir Hakkı Ekrem , Güler Emrah , Ciftci Vahdettin , Yaman Mehmet
Published: March 2023

Salinity is one of the outstanding abiotic stress conditions that a significant part of the world faces. In recent years, beneficial microorganisms started to be utilized in plants to overcome several abiotic factors, including salinity. The effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) mixture on growth and enzymatic responses in basil under salt stress were investigated using saline doses of 0 mM (Control), 150 mM, and 300 mM. Results showed that AMF enhanced all growth parameters, but only the leaf number was statistically significant. However, antioxidant enzymes, such as ascorbate peroxidase (APX) by 25%, catalase (CAT) by 25%, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) by 5%, significantly enhanced. At the same time, the accumulation of oxidative enzymes, like hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and malondialdehyde (MDA), was reduced, from 12.05 μmol g−1 fw (control) to 11.17 μmol g−1 fw (AMF) and from 14.29 μmol g−1 fw to 10.74 μmol g−1 fw, respectively. AMF also significantly alleviated the chlorophyll loss caused by increasing saline doses. Multivariate analyses revealed the co-occurrence of stress metabolism enzymes as well as the proximate effect of AMF inoculation on basil yield and enzymatic activity. As a result, AMF was considered an appropriate tool for increasing growth and reducing salt stress under both stress-free and saline conditions.
Deer Slayers: Examining the Scope of and Arguments for and against Legal Deer Theriocide in the US
Authors: Lynch Michael J. , Genco Leonard J.
Published: March 2023

Deer hunting has a long history in the US. It is supported by hunting cultures, described as necessary for protecting forest/plant biodiversity and ecosystems, but opposed by animal welfare and rights advocates as cruel. Using multiple literature sources, we examine the trade-off between protecting deer and ecosystems from harm in the context of contemporary America. We examine various approaches for exploring harms affecting nonhuman animal populations found in the green criminological, environmental sociology, wildlife conservation and management, and ecological literature. We argue that making sense of these opposing positions requires examining the extent of deer hunting to quantify those harms in some way. Here, we examine reported deer kills for US states for the period 1999–2020. These data indicate that nearly 7 million deer are taken annually in the US. We also examined some hypothesized correlates of deer harvesting across states. While these data tell us something about the number of deer killed, these data alone are insufficient. We argue no clear conclusion about the acceptability of deer hunting can be reached given the difficulty rectifying opposing moral/philosophical positions on deer hunting, opposing deer management objectives, and scientific evidence on the ecological impacts of deer populations in the US under contemporary conditions that include shrinking forest ecosystems and impaired ecosystem stability.
Effects of Organizational Justice on Employee Satisfaction: Integrating the Exchange and the Value-Based Perspectives
Authors: Lee Hyung-Woo , Rhee Dong-Young
Published: March 2023

Organizational justice is known to help promote organizational sustainability. The literature has explained the impact of organizational justice relying heavily on the social exchange perspective, the idea that employees are motivated to show favorable attitudes in return for the fair rewards that organization has provided. To the contrary, little attention has been given to the proposition that it affects employee’s attitudes by increasing their intrinsic motivation. The latter has a greater implication of sustainable management since intrinsic motivation of its employees is the key to the sustained success of an organization. This approach can be called a value-based perspective. To fill that gap, this study examined the mediating effects of both the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation links between organizational justice and employee satisfaction. The analysis revealed that the indirect mediating effects of intrinsic motivation were greater than those of extrinsic motivation for procedural and interactional justice, while the mediating effect of extrinsic motivation was greater when it comes to distributive justice. In addition, the sum of the indirect effects of intrinsic motivation was comparable to that of extrinsic motivation. This result implies that the mediating effects of intrinsic motivation are as important as those of extrinsic motivation, confirming our prediction that organizational justice contributes to organizational sustainability via the path that has not been verified so far.
MS-CANet: Multi-Scale Subtraction Network with Coordinate Attention for Retinal Vessel Segmentation
Authors: Jiang Yun , Yan Wei , Chen Jie , Qiao Hao , Zhang Zequn , Wang Meiqi
Published: March 2023

Retinal vessel segmentation is crucial in the diagnosis of certain ophthalmic and cardiovascular diseases. Although U-shaped networks have been widely used for retinal vessel segmentation, most of the improved methods have insufficient feature extraction capability and fuse different network layers using element or dimension summation, leading to redundant information and inaccurate retinal vessel localization with blurred vessel edges. The asymmetry of small blood vessels in fundus images also increases the difficulty of segmenting blood vessels. To overcome these challenges, we propose a novel multi-scale subtraction network (MS-CANet) with residual coordinate attention to segment the vessels in retinal vessel images. Our approach incorporates a residual coordinate attention module during the encoding phase, which captures long-range spatial dependencies while preserving precise position information. To obtain rich multi-scale information, we also include multi-scale subtraction units at different perceptual field levels. Moreover, we introduce a parallel channel attention module that enhances the contrast between vessel and background, thereby improving the detection of marginal vessels during the decoding phase. We validate our proposed model on three benchmark datasets, namely DRIVE, CHASE, and STARE. The results demonstrate that our method outperforms most advanced methods under different evaluation metrics.
Hantavirus Infection in Children—A Pilot Study of Single Regional Center
Authors: Mocanu Adriana , Cajvan Ana-Maria , Lazaruc Tudor Ilie , Lupu Vasile Valeriu , Florescu Laura , Lupu Ancuta , Bogos Roxana Alexandra , Ioniuc Ileana , Scurtu Georgiana , Dragan Felicia , Starcea Iuliana Magdalena
Published: March 2023

Background: Hantaviruses are infectious etiological agents of a group of rodent-borne hemorrhagic fevers, with two types of clinical manifestations in humans: hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). According to available statistics, the disease occurs mainly in adults, but the lower incidence in the pediatric population might also be related to a lack of diagnosis possibilities or even unsatisfactory knowledge about the disease. Materials and Methods: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cases of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome diagnosed and treated in the Department of Nephrology at St. Mary’s Emergency Hospital for Children in Iasi, Romania, representative of the North-East of Romania. We also reviewed the specialized literature on the topic. Results: Between January 2017 and January 2022, eight cases of HFRS, all men, and seven from rural areas, aged 11–18 years old, were referred to our clinic because of an acute kidney injury (AKI). Seven cases were identified as Dobrava serotype while one case was determined by Haantan serotype. Conclusions: HFRS should always be considered as a differential diagnosis when faced with a patient with AKI and thrombocytopenia. Dobrava serotype is the most common hantavirus subtype in the Balkans. For the specific prevention of human infections, mainly in high-risk groups, vaccines are needed. As far as we know, this is the first study on HFRS in Romanian children.
Positive Selection and Duplication of Bat TRIM Family Proteins
Authors: Xie Jiazheng , Tan Bowen , Zhang Yi
Published: March 2023

Bats have received increasing attention because of some unique biological features they possess. TRIM is a large family of proteins that participate in diverse cellular functions, such as antiviral immunity, DNA damage repair, tumor suppression, and aging. These functional areas appear to be highly consistent with the special characteristics of bats, such as tolerance to viruses and DNA damage generated in flight, low cancer incidence, and longevity. However, there is still a lack of systematic study of the TRIM family in bats. Here, we explored the TRIM family of bats using the genomes of 16 representative species. The results showed that the bat TRIM family contains 70 members, with 24 under positive selection and 7 duplicated. Additional transcriptomic analysis revealed the tissue-specific expressions of TRIM9, 46, 54, 55, 63, and 72. Additionally, following interferon or viral stimulation, TRIM orthologs associated with antiviral immunity reported in humans were also upregulated in bat cells. The present study systematically analyzed the composition, evolution, and expression of bat TRIM genes. It may provide a theoretical basis for studies of bat TRIM in the fields of antiviral immunity, longevity, and tolerance to DNA damage.
Viral Protein VP1 Virus-like Particles (VLP) of CVB4 Induces Protective Immunity against Lethal Challenges with Diabetogenic E2 and Wild Type JBV Strains in Mice Model
Authors: Gharbi Jawhar , Hadj Hassine Ikbel , Hassine Mouna , Al-Malki Mohammed , Al-Yami Ameera , Al-Bachir Anwar , Ben M’hadheb Manel
Published: March 2023

Several epidemiological studies demonstrated that coxsackievirus B4 (CVB4) causes viral pancreatitis and can ultimately result in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D). Prevention of CVB4 infection is therefore highly desirable. There is currently no vaccine or antiviral therapeutic reagent in clinical use. VLP are structurally similar to native virus particles and therefore are far better immunogens than any other subunit vaccines. Many studies have shown the potential of capsid protein VP1 on providing protective effects from different viral strains. In this study, we contributed towards the development of a CVB4 VLP-based vaccine from the total protein VP1 of the diabetogenic CVB4E2 strain and assessed whether it could induce a protective immunity against both the wild-type CVB4JBV and the diabetogenic CVB4E2 strains in mice model. Serum samples, taken from mice immunized with VLP, were assayed in vitro for their anti-CVB4 neutralizing activity and in vivo for protective activity. We show that VLP vaccine generates robust immune responses that protect mice from lethal challenges. Results demonstrate that CVB4 VP1 capsid proteins expressed in insect cells have the intrinsic capacity to assemble into non-infectious VLP, which afforded protection from CVB4 infection to mice when used as a vaccine.
Phylogeny of Shrew- and Mole-Borne Hantaviruses in Poland and Ukraine
Authors: Kikuchi Fuka , Arai Satoru , Hejduk Janusz , Hayashi Ai , Markowski Janusz , Markowski Marcin , Rychlik Leszek , Khodzinskyi Vasyl , Kamiya Hajime , Mizutani Tetsuya , Suzuki Motoi , Sikorska Beata , Liberski Paweł P. , Yanagihara Richard
Published: March 2023

Earlier, we demonstrated the co-circulation of genetically distinct non-rodent-borne hantaviruses, including Boginia virus (BOGV) in the Eurasian water shrew (Neomys fodiens), Seewis virus (SWSV) in the Eurasian common shrew (Sorex araneus) and Nova virus (NVAV) in the European mole (Talpa europaea), in central Poland. To further investigate the phylogeny of hantaviruses harbored by soricid and talpid reservoir hosts, we analyzed RNAlater®-preserved lung tissues from 320 shrews and 26 moles, both captured during 1990–2017 across Poland, and 10 European moles from Ukraine for hantavirus RNA through RT-PCR and DNA sequencing. SWSV and Altai virus (ALTV) were detected in Sorex araneus and Sorex minutus in Boginia and the Białowieża Forest, respectively, and NVAV was detected in Talpa europaea in Huta Dłutowska, Poland, and in Lviv, Ukraine. Phylogenetic analyses using maximum-likelihood and Bayesian methods showed geography-specific lineages of SWSV in Poland and elsewhere in Eurasia and of NVAV in Poland and Ukraine. The ATLV strain in Sorex minutus from the Białowieża Forest on the Polish–Belarusian border was distantly related to the ATLV strain previously reported in Sorex minutus from Chmiel in southeastern Poland. Overall, the gene phylogenies found support long-standing host-specific adaptation.
Retrospective Analysis of Vaccination Status and Predominant Viral Variants in Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19 in Reus, Spain
Authors: Iftimie Simona , López-Azcona Ana F. , Lozano-Olmo María José , Naval-Ferrando Àngels , Domingo-Cortés Vicent , Castañé Helena , Jiménez-Franco Andrea , Hernández-Aguilera Anna , Guilarte Carmen , Riu Francesc , Camps Jordi , Joven Jorge , Castro Antoni
Published: March 2023

SARS-CoV-2 infection in already-vaccinated individuals is still possible and may require hospitalization. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical evolution of patients with COVID-19 admitted to a public hospital. The outcomes were assessed in relation to the predominant viral variant and the vaccination status. This retrospective study was performed on 1295 COVID-19-positive patients who attended a 352-bed university hospital between 2021 and 2022. Clinical variables and vaccination status were recorded. Of the patients, 799 had not been vaccinated (NV, 61.7%), 449 were partially vaccinated (PV, 34.7%), and 47 were completely vaccinated (CV, 3.6%). The mean age of the CV patients was significantly higher than that of PV and NV. Additionally, they had higher percentages of chronic diseases. The outcomes depended on age but not on vaccination status. There were 209 patients admitted during the Omicron-infection period, of whom 70 (33.5%) were NV, 135 (64.6%) were PV, and 4 (1.9%) were CV. In conclusion, correct vaccination greatly reduces the risk of acquiring severe COVID-19. Partial vaccination does not guarantee protection of the population. This highlights the need for continuous vaccination promotion with all recommended doses, while also investigating alternative treatments for those patients who do not respond to the vaccines.
Effects of Vaccine Literacy, Health Beliefs, and Flu Vaccination on Perceived Physical Health Status among Under/Graduate Students
Authors: Shon En-Jung , Lee Lena
Published: March 2023

Physicians highlight that receiving the flu vaccine is critical, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic period. Younger groups’ flu vaccination coverage is very low, and this tendency is potentially related to a lower level of vaccine literacy and perceptions toward vaccination. This study investigated the relationship between flu vaccine literacy, health beliefs, and flu vaccinations (benefit, barrier, severity, and susceptibility) and their impact on perceived health status controlling for socioeconomic factors. It used the Health Belief Model andHealth Literacy Skills Framework with under/graduate students (N = 382) in Ohio, U.S. Path analyses were performed to examine the causal process using SPSS and Amos 23.0. Indicators of CFI, RMSEA, SRMR, and the chi-square/df of the path models were good–acceptable. Vaccine literacy directly impacted on health beliefs and vaccination. Susceptibility belief directly influenced perceived health status. The mediation effects of health beliefs (benefit, barrier) between vaccine literacy and vaccination were confirmed. The study highlights the need for healthcare providers and governments to work together to improve flu vaccine literacy and reduce negative perceptions toward vaccination among younger populations. Educational programs and official communication channels can be used to address concerns and provide accurate information about vaccines to increase flu vaccination rates and protect public health.
Strategic sustainability of socio-territorial systems on the example of rural territories
Authors:   All-Russian Research Institute of Agriculture Economics, Moscow, Novichkov N. V. , Novikov V. G. ,   Russian Academy of Personnel provision of the agro-industrial complex, Moscow, Novichkova A. V. ,   Nizhny Novgorod Institute of Management — Branch of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), Nizhny Novgorod, Savchenko E. A. ,   All-Russian Research Institute of Agriculture Economics, Moscow
Published: March 2023

The article considers the essence and content of the strategic stability of socio-territorial systems as the most important system characteristic within the framework of the concept of harmonious spatial development. The analysis of the phenomenon of strategic stability of socio-territorial systems is made on the example of Russian rural territories as characteristic administrativeterritorial formations and socio-economic systems. The article reveals the main features of the strategic sustainability of territories as a phenomenon, formulates its defi nition based on the analysis of relevant scientifi c and methodological literature, identifi es essential basic features and main manifestations from the point of view of a systematic approach to the implementation of harmonious spatial development. The article analyzes a number of essential features of the strategic stability of socio-territorial systems from the point of view of the integrated socio-economic development of the Russian countryside. The essential importance of ensuring the strategic stability of socio-territorial systems from the point of view of modern social, economic and other challenges is noted. The parameters of the strategic stability of the rural area are revealed. The paper outlines the essential importance of implementing the strategic sustainability of territories as a basic condition for the progressive social and economic development of the Russian countryside. It is noted that Russian rural areas are currently subject to signifi cant challenges, both internal and external environment, socio-territorial systems. The paper presents a comprehensive analysis of possible challenges to the strategic sustainability of rural areas and substantiates the need to form a system for warning and responding to possible challenges, as well as restoring the normative state, functioning and development of socio-territorial systems. The article also formulated a number of recommendations to ensure the strategic sustainability of Russian rural areas. In particular, conclusions are drawn about the systemic signifi cance of the formation of the basic elements of the strategic sustainability of socio-territorial systems and their implementation as comprehensive measures to ensure harmonious spatial development.