bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessing Forest Type and Tree Species Classification Using Sentinel-1 C-Band SAR Data in Southern Sweden
Authors: Udali Alberto , Lingua Emanuele , Persson Henrik J.
Published: August 2021

The multitemporal acquisition of images from the Sentinel-1 satellites allows continuous monitoring of a forest. This study focuses on the use of multitemporal C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data to assess the results for forest type (FTY), between coniferous and deciduous forest, and tree species (SPP) classification. We also investigated the temporal stability through the use of backscatter from multiple seasons and years of acquisition. SAR acquisitions were pre-processed, histogram-matched, smoothed, and temperature-corrected. The normalized average backscatter was extracted for interpreted plots and used to train Random Forest models. The classification results were then validated with field plots. A principal component analysis was tested to reduce the dimensionality of the explanatory variables, which generally improved the results. Overall, the FTY classifications were promising, with higher accuracies (OA of 0.94 and K = 0.86) than the SPP classification (OA of 0.66 and K = 0.54). The use of merely winter images (OA = 0.89) reached, on average, results that were almost as good as those using of images from the entire year. The use of images from a single winter season reached a similar result (OA = 0.87). We conclude that multiple Sentinel-1 images acquired in winter conditions are feasible to classify forest types in a hemi-boreal Swedish forest.
Fast Ground Segmentation for 3D LiDAR Point Cloud Based on Jump-Convolution-Process
Authors: Shen Zhihao , Liang Huawei , Lin Linglong , Wang Zhiling , Huang Weixin , Yu Jie
Published: August 2021

LiDAR occupies a vital position in self-driving as the advanced detection technology enables autonomous vehicles (AVs) to obtain much environmental information. Ground segmentation for LiDAR point cloud is a crucial procedure to ensure AVs’ driving safety. However, some current algorithms suffer from embarrassments such as unavailability on complex terrains, excessive time and memory usage, and additional pre-training requirements. The Jump-Convolution-Process (JCP) is proposed to solve these issues. JCP converts the segmentation problem of the 3D point cloud into the smoothing problem of the 2D image and takes little time to improve the segmentation effect significantly. First, the point cloud marked by an improved local feature extraction algorithm is projected onto an RGB image. Then, the pixel value is initialized with the points’ label and continuously updated according to image convolution. Finally, a jump operation is introduced in the convolution process to perform calculations only on the low-confidence points filtered by the credibility propagation algorithm, reducing the time cost. Experiments on three datasets show that our approach has a better segmentation accuracy and terrain adaptability than those of the three existing methods. Meanwhile, the average time for the proposed method to deal with one scan data of 64-beam and 128-beam LiDAR is only 8.61 ms and 15.62 ms, which fully meets the AVs’ requirement for real-time performance.
Edge Caching Based on Collaborative Filtering for Heterogeneous ICN-IoT Applications
Authors: Gupta Divya , Rani Shalli , Ahmed Syed Hassan , Verma Sahil , Ijaz Muhammad Fazal , Shafi Jana
Published: August 2021

The substantial advancements offered by the edge computing has indicated serious evolutionary improvements for the internet of things (IoT) technology. The rigid design philosophy of the traditional network architecture limits its scope to meet future demands. However, information centric networking (ICN) is envisioned as a promising architecture to bridge the huge gaps and maintain IoT networks, mostly referred as ICN-IoT. The edge-enabled ICN-IoT architecture always demands efficient in-network caching techniques for supporting better user’s quality of experience (QoE). In this paper, we propose an enhanced ICN-IoT content caching strategy by enabling artificial intelligence (AI)-based collaborative filtering within the edge cloud to support heterogeneous IoT architecture. This collaborative filtering-based content caching strategy would intelligently cache content on edge nodes for traffic management at cloud databases. The evaluations has been conducted to check the performance of the proposed strategy over various benchmark strategies, such as LCE, LCD, CL4M, and ProbCache. The analytical results demonstrate the better performance of our proposed strategy with average gain of 15% for cache hit ratio, 12% reduction in content retrieval delay, and 28% reduced average hop count in comparison to best considered LCD. We believe that the proposed strategy will contribute an effective solution to the related studies in this domain.
Fault Diagnosis Method for Rolling Mill Multi Row Bearings Based on AMVMD-MC1DCNN under Unbalanced Dataset
Authors: Zhao Chen , Sun Jianliang , Lin Shuilin , Peng Yan
Published: August 2021

Rolling mill multi-row bearings are subjected to axial loads, which cause damage of rolling elements and cages, so the axial vibration signal contains rich fault character information. The vertical shock caused by the failure is weakened because multiple rows of bearings are subjected to radial forces together. Considering the special characters of rolling mill bearing vibration signals, a fault diagnosis method combining Adaptive Multivariate Variational Mode Decomposition (AMVMD) and Multi-channel One-dimensional Convolution Neural Network (MC1DCNN) is proposed to improve the diagnosis accuracy. Additionally, Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Network (DCGAN) is embedded in models to solve the problem of fault data scarcity. DCGAN is used to generate AMVMD reconstruction data to supplement the unbalanced dataset, and the MC1DCNN model is trained by the dataset to diagnose the real data. The proposed method is compared with a variety of diagnostic models, and the experimental results show that the method can effectively improve the diagnosis accuracy of rolling mill multi-row bearing under unbalanced dataset conditions. It is an important guide to the current problem of insufficient data and low diagnosis accuracy faced in the fault diagnosis of multi-row bearings such as rolling mills.
Nonlinear Guided Wave Tomography for Detection and Evaluation of Early-Life Material Degradation in Plates
Authors: Zhao Chengwei , Tanweer Sunia , Li Jian , Lin Min , Zhang Xiang , Liu Yang
Published: August 2021

In this paper, the possibility of using nonlinear ultrasonic guided waves for early-life material degradation in metal plates is investigated through both computational modeling and study. The analysis of the second harmonics of Lamb waves in a free boundary aluminum plate, and the internal resonance conditions between the Lamb wave primary modes and the second harmonics are investigated. Subsequently, Murnaghan’s hyperelastic model is implemented in a finite element (FE) analysis to study the response of aluminum plates subjected to a 60 kHz Hanning-windowed tone burst. Different stages of material degradation are reflected as the changes in the third order elastic constants (TOECs) of the Murnaghan’s model. The reconstructed degradations match the actual ones well across various degrees of degradation. The effects of several relevant factors on the accuracy of reconstructions are also discussed.
Political Leaders in the APP Ecosystem
Authors: Quevedo-Redondo Raquel , Navarro-Sierra Nuria , Berrocal-Gonzalo Salome , Gómez-García Salvador
Published: August 2021

This article analyzes the process of symbolic and critical-discursive construction of applications developed for mobile devices for some of the world’s most important heads of state through their manifestation in the ecosystem of mobile applications for iOS and Android. The sample includes 233 applications of 45 politicians from 37 countries. A content analysis-based method was applied to the discourse of these apps and users’ comments. The results reveal the dominant discourses in this scenario and identify the characteristics that influence their popularity, the influence of viral content and their reception in the connection between the mobile ecosystem and the political sphere. The discourse on the apps reveals a commercial interest and the existence of a diffuse diffusion of political commitment in terms of entertainment, parody and virality.
Biodegradable Hydrogels: Evaluation of Degradation as a Function of Synthesis Parameters and Environmental Conditions
Authors: Turioni Chiara , Guerrini Giacomo , Squartini Andrea , Morari Francesco , Maggini Michele , Gross Silvia
Published: August 2021

The development of functional materials that promote the infiltration and retention of water and the controlled release of fertilizers and nutrients in soil is of interest in agriculture. In this context, hydrogels, three-dimensional polymeric structures able to absorb high amounts of water in their swelling process, play an important role. The swelling ability of hydrogels depends on their crosslinking: the higher the crosslinking degree, the higher the number of interactions in the structure, the lower the swelling response. In this work, we describe biodegradable hydrogels composed of natural feedstocks: cellulose, clay minerals, and humic acids, designed to (i) protect, hydrate, and help germinating seedlings to root even in unfavorable conditions; (ii) sustainably contribute to soil fertility in terms of moisture and nutrients; and (iii) act as a nutritive and protective coating for the seeds. Upon assessing the correlations between curing process and swelling degree (SW), we evaluated the degradation of new biodegradable hydrogels as a function of the synthesis parameters (swelling degree and composition) and environmental conditions (type of soil and water amount for the hydration of the hydrogels). The term curing is hereafter referred to the operation of baking the ingredients at given combinations of time and temperature to obtain a dry hydrogel. The results show that the environmental parameters considered, i.e., amount of hydration water and physical and chemical properties of the soil, play a more decisive role in determining the stability of these hydrogels in soil than their synthesis parameters, such as the composition and the swelling degree.
Integrated Approach for Quality Assessment of Technosols in Experimental Mesocosms
Authors: Napoletano Pasquale , Colombo Claudio , Di Iorio Erika , Memoli Valeria , Panico Speranza Claudia , Ruggiero Anna Gabriella , Santorufo Lucia , Maisto Giulia , De Marco Anna
Published: August 2021

The assessment of Technosols quality in urban environments is pivotal for the maintenance of ecosystems impacted by human activities. The study was performed on Technosols constructed in experimental mesocosms in the suburban area of Naples (Southern Italy) to highlight changes in the main soil properties over eight years and to identify the most suitable indices at quality monitoring. In this study, several chemical, biological, and integrated indices were analysed to evaluate the mineral accumulation, potential ecological risk, edaphon activity, fertility, and the overall soil quality. The Technosols showed alkaline pH, nitrogen ranged from 24.5 to 39.5 g kg−1, high organic matter contents above 40 g kg−1, and there were no evident processes of soil compaction. Heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) did not exceed the thresholds defined by the Italian law for urban soils, despite their volcanic components. During eight years, the chemical indices depicted changes in the elements balance and increase in ecological risk; the biological indices indicated a reduction in the fungal fraction (fivefold) and in the resources utilisation and carbon storage. The soil quality index with all parameters highlighted the reduction in the soil quality (from 0.78 to 0.65) due to the decrease of the chemical quality, the increase of microbial stress conditions, and changes of the microbial composition, underlining the importance of integrating chemical and biological information for monitoring Technosols.
Accessibility of Services in Rural Areas: Southern Moravia Case Study
Authors: Vaishar Antonín , Šťastná Milada
Published: August 2021

The accessibility of basic services in rural settlements in the South Moravian Region was evaluated; the accessibility by public transport was taken into account because the accessibility by individual car transport does not manifest any problems. The accessibility was calculated for 768 rural settlements, defined as spatially separate places which do not belong to municipalities with extended power. The time distance includes the time of the ride plus 8 min walking distance to and from the stop. The data was taken from the Integrated Transport System of the South Moravian Region, which ensures that each populated place in the region has to be connected by public transport at least six times on working days. The results show that for 99.8% of the inhabitants of the region, central places equipped with a post office, a basic school and a general practitioner’s office are accessible in a shorter time than 30 min. The accessibility of the services depends primarily on the characteristics of the settlement system and the physical conditions of the transport. In lowland areas, the share of settlements with comfortable accessibility is expressively higher than that of the highland and peripheral territories. The possible future improvement consists of the digitization of the services.
Do Playfulness and University Support Facilitate the Adoption of Online Education in a Crisis? COVID-19 as a Case Study Based on the Technology Acceptance Model
Authors: Wang Shaofeng , Tlili Ahmed , Zhu Lixin , Yang Junfeng
Published: August 2021

A large number of universities worldwide are paying more and more attention to the application and exploration of online education. As the group with the most significant number of online education users, their participation attitude and participation intention directly determine the teaching performance of online education. This research will incorporate playfulness teaching and scenario variables that reflect the universities’ ability to respond to emergencies. Based on the technology acceptance model, this research proposes an integrated research model of online education participation intention to investigate university students’ online education participation intention to reveal the key factors and mechanisms that affect online education participation intention. A structural equation model of participation intention is constructed, and 342 valid samples are obtained by questionnaire survey. The empirical results of PLS-SEM show that: (1) students’ participation attitude positively affects their participation intention; (2) the perceived ease of use and usefulness positively affect their participation attitude, and the perceived usefulness and ease of use affect their participation intention through the complete mediation of participation attitude; (3) the perceived playfulness does not have a significant impact on participation attitude but has a positive impact on participation intention; (4) the innovative discovery university support positively moderates the relationship between participation attitude and intention during such emergencies. The research found that improving students’ attitudes toward participation, perceived ease of use, usefulness, playfulness, and strengthening university support are all helpful to optimize students’ participation intention in online education. At the same time, it also explored operability suggestions for improving the quality of online education and optimizing future education.
Selection of Production Mix in the Agricultural Machinery Industry Considering Sustainability in Decision Making
Authors: Hoose Anderson , Yepes Víctor , Kripka Moacir
Published: August 2021

Competition among companies is growing globally, with the need to increase productivity and efficiency in the product sector. However, there is also a growing concern about global warming and the depletion of natural resources, as well as their effects on human health. In this context, all human activities that involve intense usage of resources must take into account sustainability as one of the decision criteria. This work presents the application of decision-making methods to define the best product mix in the agricultural machinery industry. With this objective, the current schedule of the production line was identified, along with the production flow, by performing an inventory analysis and an environmental impact study (endpoint). A total of seven alternatives for the production mix of grain trailers were defined, considering different materials and production processes. The selection of the best schedule according to the different criteria was performed through the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) to evaluate the managerial implications for decision making. The results obtained through AHP identified a single alternative as being the best, which facilitates the decision making. The DEA method identified two alternatives as the most efficient, and in this case the manager can choose between a product mix that generates lesser environmental impact or greater profitability. Although applied to agricultural industry, the presented methodology can be easily adapted to other activities related to the built environment, such as construction industry.
Management of Global Warming Effects in the European Water Framework Directive: Consideration of Social–Ecological System Features in the Elbe River Basin District
Authors: Sievers Eva , Zielhofer Christoph , Hüesker Frank
Published: August 2021

In this study, we examined the extent to which global warming management is currently integrated into the European Water Framework Directive (WFD), the central legal framework for water management in the EU. We focused on the Elbe River Basin District and how global warming is addressed in its water management. We used the social–ecological systems (SES) approach as our theoretical framework, representing an eminent analytical frame of biosphere-based sustainability science. In our study, we analysed core characteristics of SES in the context of global warming to evaluate the effectiveness of current water management in the Elbe River basin concerning long-term changing climate conditions. To determine to what extent each SES feature is considered in the Elbe water management, we applied a scale of 1 to 5. Our results show that the SES feature “scale and openness” is best addressed (score 4.0) by the Elbe River basin management, followed by “context dependency” (score 3.9); however, “non-linearity, uncertainty, unpredictability” (score 3.2), “self-organisation and adaptability” (score 3.1), and “dynamics” (score 3.0) have only moderate impacts. SES features can only be considered comprehensively if global warming is accounted for in an integrated way at a European level. In order to ensure effective implementation, explicit regulations and legally binding obligations are most likely required.
Toward Renewable Energy in China: Revisiting Driving Factors of Chinese Wind Power Generation Development and Spatial Distribution
Authors: Ma Li , Xu Die
Published: August 2021

As the biggest renewable energy installation and generation country globally, it is important to deeply understand China’s wind power production determinants and draw implications for energy policy. This paper analyzes local electricity deployment, electricity consumption, investment in wind power, and price of wind power electricity on-grid apart from traditional GDP and CO2 factors in the panel data regression model, and some interesting results are found. The investment of installation and the price of wind power electricity on-grid have negative impacts on wind power generation, while local electricity consumption and inter-provincial power transmission capacity significantly impact wind power generation positively. GDP and CO2 emission per capita have negative and positive impacts on wind power production, respectively. As for different wind power zones, the most influencing factors are local electricity consumption. Hence, this paper concludes that local absorbing capacity is still an important limiting factor to Chinese renewable energy development. At last, some policies are suggested to enhance the local absorbing capacity of renewable energy.
Youth Participation in Agriculture: A Scoping Review
Authors: Geza Wendy , Ngidi Mjabuliseni , Ojo Temitope , Adetoro Adetoso Adebiyi , Slotow Rob , Mabhaudhi Tafadzwanashe
Published: August 2021

Providing economic opportunities for youth in agriculture is essential to securing the future of agriculture in Africa, addressing poverty, unemployment, and inequality. However, barriers limit youth participation in agriculture and the broader food system. This scoping review aimed to investigate the opportunities and challenges for youth in participating in agriculture and the food system in Africa. This review conducted a scoping review using the PRISMA guideline. Published studies were retrieved from online databases (Web of Science, Cab Direct, and Science Direct) for 2009 to 2019. The findings showed that existing agricultural interventions are production-centric and provide low-income earnings and inadequate social protection. We also found that the youth have pessimistic perceptions about agriculture’s capability of improving their living standards. This could be ascribed to the minimal youth involvement in agricultural activities and the youth’s shared understanding of the agricultural sector’s contribution to general economic growth. From a policy perspective, the literature revealed that current agricultural development programs do not adequately address structural issues underpinning youth participation in the economy. Therefore, to enhance the involvement of youths in agriculture, there is a need for policy implementation in the area of integrated agricultural-based interventions that are context-specific and promote meaningful youth participation in shaping future food systems.
Developing an Ensembled Machine Learning Prediction Model for Marine Fish and Aquaculture Production
Authors: Rahman Labonnah Farzana , Marufuzzaman Mohammad , Alam Lubna , Bari Md Azizul , Sumaila Ussif Rashid , Sidek Lariyah Mohd
Published: August 2021

The fishing industry is identified as a strategic sector to raise domestic protein production and supply in Malaysia. Global changes in climatic variables have impacted and continue to impact marine fish and aquaculture production, where machine learning (ML) methods are yet to be extensively used to study aquatic systems in Malaysia. ML-based algorithms could be paired with feature importance, i.e., (features that have the most predictive power) to achieve better prediction accuracy and can provide new insights on fish production. This research aims to develop an ML-based prediction of marine fish and aquaculture production. Based on the feature importance scores, we select the group of climatic variables for three different ML models: linear, gradient boosting, and random forest regression. The past 20 years (2000–2019) of climatic variables and fish production data were used to train and test the ML models. Finally, an ensemble approach named voting regression combines those three ML models. Performance matrices are generated and the results showed that the ensembled ML model obtains R2 values of 0.75, 0.81, and 0.55 for marine water, freshwater, and brackish water, respectively, which outperforms the single ML model in predicting all three types of fish production (in tons) in Malaysia.
The Crossfire Rhetoric. Success in Danger vs. Unsustainable Growth. Analysis of Tourism Stakeholders’ Narratives in the Spanish Press (2008–2019)
Authors: Velasco González María , Ruano José M.
Published: August 2021

Tourism has always stood out in terms of economic opportunities and personal enjoyment. However, the problem of overtourism has emerged in recent years in urban contexts of cities with diversified economies. Overtourism has become—to a much greater extent than any other variable challenging the sustainability of the tourism model—an object of public debate and the media reflect this debate, which, in the case of Spain, is concentrated in the term “tourismphobia.” This paper aims to analyse the two main opposing narratives reflected in the Spanish media on the emergence of the problem of tourismphobia and that defined what was happening to influence both public opinion and public policymakers themselves. The methodological approach used is the narrative policy framework (NPF), which considers public policies as a social construct, shaped by particular ideologies, values, and worldviews that are structured in narratives. The conclusions point to the fact that even though the “success in danger” narrative was the winner, for the first time the sustainability of the country’s tourism model is being broadly questioned and by very diverse actors. It is also clear that in order to change the trajectory of consolidated tourism policies, it is necessary to build tangible public policy alternatives that can be articulated and implemented by public actors. Based on the findings of the paper, future lines of research could use the “Narrative Policy Framework” for the analysis of sustainable tourism policies or for the study of overtourism in different countries from a comparative perspective.
Factors Affecting Drivers to Participate in a Carpooling to Public Transport Service
Authors: Mitropoulos Lambros , Kortsari Annie , Ayfantopoulou Georgia
Published: August 2021

Several studies have focused on understanding travelers’ attitudes and characteristics toward using carpooling services. However, few of these studies have focused the driver’s behavior and carpooling services that are organized to feed public transport. This research investigates the willingness of drivers to accept a carpooling ride, as part of their trip, to/from public transport stations (i.e., rail, tram and metro). Data from the EU project Ride2Rail are used, for which a survey (n = 327) was conducted in EU27 and the UK. Fisher’s exact and chi-square tests are used to explore the relationships between drivers/non-drivers and explanatory variables. A binary logit model is developed to estimate the likelihood of carpooling as a driver to/from a public transport station. The results show that delay, convenience, residence location, security and the number of passengers influence the drivers’ decision toward using their private vehicle in carpooling services. Findings provide concrete recommendations for carpooling drivers regarding the planning of a successful carpooling service. The recommendations to “recruit” the drivers become significant, as the concept of carpooling cannot be realized without them.
The Inter-Relationship between Innovation Capability and SME Performance: The Moderating Role of the External Environment
Authors: Fu Qinghua , Sial Muhammad Safdar , Arshad Muhammad Zulqarnain , Comite Ubaldo , Thu Phung Anh , Popp József
Published: August 2021

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) play a crucial part in a country’s economic growth and sustainable development. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between innovation and the performance of SMEs. An external environmental factor acts as a moderating variable between the exogenous and endogenous variables. Data were collected from 350 textile SMEs operating in Pakistan using a cross-sectional study design through self-administered questionnaires. Of these, only 335 surveys were valid for further analysis. The structural equational modeling technique was used for analyzing the data and testing the hypotheses that innovation and the external environment affect an SME’s performance. The results indicate a significant association between innovation and SME performance, and the external environment has a moderating impact on innovation and SME performance. This paper offers valuable recommendations to senior managers and owners of SMEs to consider the innovation and external environment as crucial factors when assessing their SME’s performance. This study contributes towards the body of knowledge on this subject and can help practitioners and researchers explore the effects of innovation and the external environment on the performance of SMEs.
Anthropogenic Actions and Socioenvironmental Changes in Lake of Juá, Brazilian Amazonia
Authors: Cardoso Marcelia Castro , Alves Helionora da Silva , Costa Izaura Cristina Nunes Pereira , Vieira Thiago Almeida
Published: August 2021

The Amazonia rainforest has natural spaces that have undergone extensive and intense transformations, mainly to meet economic demands, camouflaged in biological and social needs. As one of the consequences of this process, the production and expansion of the urban space stand out. In this context, this research describes the historical, spatial, and temporal aspects of land use and occupation in the surroundings of Lake of Juá, located in the municipality of Santarém, west of the State of Pará, Brazil, in order to highlight the main changes in the landscape and socioenvironmental changes arising from this dynamic. The study was conducted based on photographic records, elaboration, and analysis of cartographic data, in addition to the perceptions of residents and fishermen located in the study area, which, together, contributed to the understanding of the historical and spatial changes that led to the current socioenvironmental transformations in the surroundings of the lake. The residents and local fishermen of Lake of Juá, through semi-structured interviews, listed several socioenvironmental overlapping problems that had many impacts on this lake ecosystem, such as deforestation, silting, contamination of water resources and, consequently, fishing resources, loss of biodiversity and conflict of interest. The degradation and decharacterization of the landscape around the lake has compromised the maintenance of this lake ecosystem, as significant and even irreversible transformations have been caused in the community and in the ecological environment, especially when taking into account the absence of public policies or their inefficiency.
Reduced Expression of Metallothionein-I/II in Renal Proximal Tubules Is Associated with Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: Lu Yi-Jhu , Wu Ya-Ju , Chen Lu-Jen , Ko Bor-Sheng , Chang Tzu-Ching , Wu Yi-Ju , Liang Shu-Man , Jan Yee-Jee , Liou Jun-Yang
Published: August 2021

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a commonly occurring complex renal syndrome that causes overall mortality in many diseases. The clinical manifestations of CKD include renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis and loss of renal function. Metallothionein-I/II (MT-I/II) is potentially expressed in the liver and kidney, and possesses antioxidant and metal detoxification properties. However, whether MT-I/II expression is associated with the prognosis of nephropathy remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the MT-I/II level in human CKD, using immunohistochemistry. MT-I/II is located on the proximal tubules and is notably reduced in patients with CKD. MT-I/II expression was significantly correlated with the functional and histological grades of CKD. In an aristolochic acid (AAI)-induced nephropathy mouse model, MT-I/II was abundantly increased after AAI injection for 7 days, but decreased subsequently compared to that induced in the acute phase when injected with AAI for 28 days. Furthermore, we found that ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (PDTC) restored AAI-induced MT-I/II reduction in HK2 cells. The injection of PDTC ameliorated AAI-induced renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis and reduced the concentrations of blood urea nitrogen and creatinine in mouse sera. Taken together, our results indicate that MT-I/II reduction is associated with advanced CKD, and the retention of renal MT-I/II is a potential therapeutic strategy for CKD.
Nedd8-Activating Enzyme Is a Druggable Host Dependency Factor of Human and Mouse Cytomegalovirus
Authors: Flores-Martínez Yulia Alejandra , Le-Trilling Vu Thuy Khanh , Trilling Mirko
Published: August 2021

Human cytomegalovirus causes diseases in individuals with insufficient immunity. Cytomegaloviruses exploit the ubiquitin proteasome pathway to manipulate the proteome of infected cells. The proteasome degrades ubiquitinated proteins. The family of cullin RING ubiquitin ligases (CRL) regulates the stability of numerous important proteins. If the cullin within the CRL is modified with Nedd8 (“neddylated”), the CRL is enzymatically active, while CRLs lacking Nedd8 modifications are inactive. The Nedd8-activating enzyme (NAE) is indispensable for neddylation. By binding to NAE and inhibiting neddylation, the drug MLN4924 (pevonedistat) causes CRL inactivation and stabilization of CRL target proteins. We showed that MLN4924 elicits potent antiviral activity against cytomegaloviruses, suggesting that NAE might be a druggable host dependency factor (HDF). However, MLN4924 is a nucleoside analog related to AMP, and the antiviral activity of MLN4924 may have been influenced by off-target effects in addition to NAE inhibition. To test if NAE is indeed an HDF, we assessed the novel NAE inhibitor TAS4464 and observed potent antiviral activity against mouse and human cytomegalovirus. Additionally, we raised an MLN4924-resistant cell clone and showed that MLN4924 as well as TAS4464 lose their antiviral activity in these cells. Our results indicate that NAE, the neddylation process, and CRLs are druggable HDFs of cytomegaloviruses.
New Parvoviruses and Picornavirus in Tissues and Feces of Foals with Interstitial Pneumonia
Authors: Altan Eda , Hui Alvin , Li Yanpeng , Pesavento Patricia , Asín Javier , Crossley Beate , Deng Xutao , Uzal Francisco A. , Delwart Eric
Published: August 2021

Six foals with interstitial pneumonia of undetermined etiology from Southern California were analyzed by viral metagenomics. Spleen, lung, and colon content samples obtained during necropsy from each animal were pooled, and nucleic acids from virus-like particles enriched for deep sequencing. The recently described equine copiparvovirus named eqcopivirus, as well as three previously uncharacterized viruses, were identified. The complete ORFs genomes of two closely related protoparvoviruses, and of a bocaparvovirus, plus the partial genome of a picornavirus were assembled. The parvoviruses were classified as members of new ungulate protoparvovirus and bocaparvovirus species in the Parvoviridae family. The picornavirus was classified as a new species in the Salivirus genus of the Picornaviridae family. Spleen, lung, and colon content samples from each foal were then tested for these viral genomes by nested PCR and RT-PCR. When present, parvoviruses were detected in both feces and spleen. The picornavirus, protoparvovirus, and eqcopivirus genomes were detected in the lungs of one animal each. Three foals were co-infected with the picornavirus and either a protoparvovirus, bocaparvovirus, or eqcopivirus. Two other foals were infected with a protoparvovirus only. No viral infection was detected in one animal. The complete ORFs of the first equine protoparvoviruses and bocaparvovirus, the partial ORF of the third equine picornavirus, and their detection in tissues of foals with interstitial pneumonia are described here. Testing the involvement of these viruses in fatal interstitial pneumonia or other equine diseases will require larger epidemiological and/or inoculation studies.
What Binds Cationic Photosensitizers Better: Brownian Dynamics Reveals Key Interaction Sites on Spike Proteins of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Fedorov Vladimir , Kholina Ekaterina , Khruschev Sergei , Kovalenko Ilya , Rubin Andrew , Strakhovskaya Marina
Published: August 2021

We compared the electrostatic properties of the spike proteins (S-proteins) of three coronaviruses, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2, and their interactions with photosensitizers (PSs), octacationic octakis(cholinyl)zinc phthalocyanine (Zn-PcChol8+) and monocationic methylene blue (MB). We found a major common PS binding site at the connection of the S-protein stalk and head. The molecules of Zn-PcChol8+ and MB also form electrostatic encounter complexes with large area of negative electrostatic potential at the head of the S-protein of SARS-CoV-2, between fusion protein and heptad repeat 1 domain. The top of the SARS-CoV spike head demonstrates a notable area of electrostatic contacts with Zn-PcChol8+ and MB that corresponds to the N-terminal domain. The S-protein protomers of SARS-CoV-2 in “open” and “closed” conformations demonstrate different ability to attract PS molecules. In contrast with Zn-PcChol8+, MB possesses the ability to penetrate inside the pocket formed as a result of SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain transition into the “open” state. The existence of binding site for cationic PSs common to the S-proteins of SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, and MERS-CoV creates prospects for the wide use of this type of PSs to combat the spread of coronaviruses.
Disparities in COVID-19 Vaccination among Low-, Middle-, and High-Income Countries: The Mediating Role of Vaccination Policy
Authors: Duan Yuqi , Shi Junyi , Wang Zongbin , Zhou Shuduo , Jin Yinzi , Zheng Zhi-Jie
Published: August 2021

Inequity in the access to and deployment of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines has brought about great challenges in terms of resolving the pandemic. Aiming to analyze the association between country income level and COVID-19 vaccination coverage and explore the mediating role of vaccination policy, we conducted a cross-sectional ecological study. The dependent variable was COVID-19 vaccination coverage in 138 countries as of May 31, 2021. A single-mediator model based on structural equation modeling was developed to analyze mediation effects in different country income groups. Compared with high-income countries, upper-middle- (β = −1.44, 95% CI: −1.86–−1.02, p < 0.001), lower-middle- (β = −2.24, 95% CI: −2.67–−1.82, p < 0.001), and low- (β = −4.05, 95% CI: −4.59–−3.51, p < 0.001) income countries had lower vaccination coverage. Vaccination policies mediated 14.6% and 15.6% of the effect in upper-middle- (β = −0.21, 95% CI: −0.39–−0.03, p = 0.020) and lower-middle- (β = −0.35, 95% CI: −0.56–−0.13, p = 0.002) income countries, respectively, whereas the mediation effect was not significant in low-income countries (β = −0.21, 95% CI: −0.43–0.01, p = 0.062). The results were similar after adjusting for demographic structure and underlying health conditions. Income disparity remains an important cause of vaccine inequity, and the tendency toward “vaccine nationalism” restricts the functioning of the global vaccine allocation framework. Stronger mechanisms are needed to foster countries’ political will to promote vaccine equity.
Efficient Maternal to Neonate Transfer of Neutralizing Antibodies after SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination with BNT162b2: A Case-Report and Discussion of the Literature
Authors: Douxfils Jonathan , Gillot Constant , De Gottal Émilie , Vandervinne Stéphanie , Bayart Jean-Louis , Dogné Jean-Michel , Favresse Julien
Published: August 2021

This case reports on the successful maternal to fetal transfer of neutralizing antibodies after vaccination with BNT162b2 in a pregnant woman at 25 weeks of gestation. The levels of neutralizing antibodies were approximately 5-fold higher in the umbilical cord than in the maternal blood while the level of total antibodies showed only a 2-fold increase. This suggest that the antibodies that crossed the syncytiotrophoblast cell barrier have specific characteristics that correlate to functional neutralizing capacity. Although pregnant and lactating women have been excluded from clinical trials for several reasons including ethical concerns about fetal exposure, accumulating evidence has now revealed that these vaccines are safe and efficient for both the fetus and the woman. Vaccination against COVID-19 in pregnancy is vital to control disease burden and to decrease morbidity in the ante-, peri- and post-natal periods. Inclusion of pregnant women in research programs for the development of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines should be mandatory to provide this population with the equitable benefits of vaccine research.
Do Freshwater Fish Eat Microplastics? A Review with A Focus on Effects on Fish Health and Predictive Traits of MPs Ingestion
Authors: Galafassi Silvia , Campanale Claudia , Massarelli Carmine , Uricchio Vito Felice , Volta Pietro
Published: August 2021

Microplastics (MPs) have received increasing attention in the last decade and are now considered among the most concerning emerging pollutants in natural environments. Here, the current knowledge on microplastic ingestion by wild freshwater fish is reviewed with a focus on the identification of possible factors leading to the ingestion of MPs and the consequences on fish health. Within the literature, 257 species of freshwater fishes from 32 countries have been documented to ingest MPs. MPs ingestion was found to increase with rising level of urbanization, although a direct correlation with MPs concentration in the surrounding water has not been identified. MPs ingestion was detected in all the published articles, with MPs presence in more than 50% of the specimens analyzed in one study out of two. Together with the digestive tract, MPs were also found in the gills, and there is evidence that MPs can translocate to different tissues of the organism. Strong evidence, therefore, exists that MPs may represent a serious risk for ecosystems, and are a direct danger for human health. Moreover, toxicological effects have also been highlighted in wild catches, demonstrating the importance of this problem and suggesting the need for laboratory experiments more representative of the environmental situation.
Aquatic Biota Is Not Exempt from Coronavirus Infections: An Overview
Authors: Núñez-Nogueira Gabriel , Valentino-Álvarez Jesús Alberto , Granados-Berber Andrés Arturo , Ramírez-Ayala Eduardo , Zepeda-González Francisco Alberto , Tintos-Gómez Adrián
Published: August 2021

Coronaviruses are pathogens recognized for having an animal origin, commonly associated with terrestrial environments. However, in a few cases, there are reports of their presence in aquatic organisms like fish, frogs, waterfowl, and marine mammals. None of these cases has led to human health effects when contact with these infected organisms has taken place, whether they were alive or dead. Aquatic birds seem to be the main group carrying and circulating these types of viruses among healthy bird populations. Although the route of infection for COVID-19 by water or aquatic organisms has not yet been observed in the wild, the relevance of its study is highlighted because there are cases of other viral infections known to have been transferred to humans by aquatic biota. It is encouraging to know that aquatic species, such as fish, marine mammals, and amphibians, show very few coronavirus cases. Some other aquatic animals may also be a possible source of cure or treatment against, as some evidence with algae and aquatic invertebrates suggest.
A Review on Silver Nanoparticles: Classification, Various Methods of Synthesis, and Their Potential Roles in Biomedical Applications and Water Treatment
Authors: Zahoor Muhammad , Nazir Nausheen , Iftikhar Muhammad , Naz Sumaira , Zekker Ivar , Burlakovs Juris , Uddin Faheem , Kamran Abdul Waheed , Kallistova Anna , Pimenov Nikolai , Ali Khan Farhat
Published: August 2021

Recent developments in nanoscience have appreciably modified how diseases are prevented, diagnosed, and treated. Metal nanoparticles, specifically silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), are widely used in bioscience. From time to time, various synthetic methods for the synthesis of AgNPs are reported, i.e., physical, chemical, and photochemical ones. However, among these, most are expensive and not eco-friendly. The physicochemical parameters such as temperature, use of a dispersing agent, surfactant, and others greatly influence the quality and quantity of the synthesized NPs and ultimately affect the material’s properties. Scientists worldwide are trying to synthesize NPs and are devising methods that are easy to apply, eco-friendly, and economical. Among such strategies is the biogenic method, where plants are used as the source of reducing and capping agents. In this review, we intend to debate different strategies of AgNP synthesis. Although, different preparation strategies are in use to synthesize AgNPs such as electron irradiation, optical device ablation, chemical reduction, organic procedures, and photochemical methods. However, biogenic processes are preferably used, as they are environment-friendly and economical. The review covers a comprehensive discussion on the biological activities of AgNPs, such as antimicrobial, anticancer anti-inflammatory, and anti-angiogenic potentials of AgNPs. The use of AgNPs in water treatment and disinfection has also been discussed in detail.
The laws of the origin of culture
Authors:   Nizhny Novgorod State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Zelenov L.A. , Balakshin A.S. ,   Volga State University of Water Transport, Vladimirov A.A. ,   Volga State University of Water Transport
Published: August 2021

The paper, from a dialectical point of view, outlines the essence and main features of the formation, functioning and development of the laws of the emergence of culture. The substantiation is given that the laws of any science are the quintessence of its theoretical knowledge, since they reflect the content of all other aspects of science.
The number is — nothing personal! — the intimasy of the gullotine
Authors:   New institute of cultural studies, Moscow, Menshikova E.R.
Published: August 2021

The unfolded by us in the pressconcept of “Trojan terrorism” testifies that the Idea, having acquired the Image of the Сoncept: capture as a formality, owns society as a sovereign, establishing its Principle, demonstrating not only quasi and ultra anarchic freedom of will (as dogma and credo) of everyone, but also quite Martian chronicles of existence in every state on the planet, wills and completely the Martian chronicles of existence, relying on the 'multiple unity' of Consciousness in the context of total human (humanistic) impoverishment.
Interactive excursion-play “In search of a map of Clio” on objects of cultural heritage of ancient Chersonesos. Part 2
Authors:   Department of Theory and History of Culture of the Institute of Human Philosophy, Russian State Pedagogical University named after A.I. Herzen, Dmitrieva L.V.
Published: August 2021

The proposed scenario of the interactive excursion-performance is designed for a children's audience of 6–9 years. The task of the excursion-performance is to immerse the historical and cultural environment of the ancient policy through the participation of the child in gaming cognitive activity. The project is part of the academic partnership program of the Russian State Pedagogical University named after A.I. Herzen with the historical and archaeological museum-reserve “Chersonesos Tauric” and is implemented during visiting summer practices of bachelors of the Department of Theory and History of Culture.