bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Construction of Time-Resolved Luminescence Nanoprobe and Its Application in As(III) Detection
Authors: Chen Teng , Wang Haitao , Wang Zhouping , Tan Mingqian
Published: March 2020

As(III) is a toxic heavy metal which causes serious health problems. Therefore, the development of highly sensitive sensors for As(III) detection is of great significance. Herein, a turn-on luminescence resonance energy transfer (LRET) method based on luminous nanorods was designed for As(III) detection. Biotin-labelled As(III) aptamers were tagged to avidin functionalized luminous nanorods as energy donors, while graphene oxide (GO) acted as the energy acceptor. The adsorption of single-stranded DNA on graphene oxide resulted in the efficient quenching of the luminescence of the nanorods through the LRET process. In the presence of As(III), aptamers bonded to As(III) preferentially and resulted in the formation of aptamer-As(III) complexes. The aptamer-As(III) complexes were rubbed off from the GO surface due to their conformational change, which led to the recovery of the luminescence of the nanorods. A good linear relationship between the luminescence intensity and concentration of As(III) was obtained in the range from 1 to 50 ng·mL−1, with a detection limit of 0.5 ng·mL−1. Furthermore, the developed sensors showed good specificity towards As(III) and proved capable of detecting As(III) in the environment and food samples. The proposed time-resolved sensors provide a promising sensing strategy for the rapid and sensitive detection of As(III).
Cellulose Aerogel Derived Hierarchical Porous Carbon for Enhancing Flavin-Based Interfacial Electron Transfer in Microbial Fuel Cells
Authors: Wang Deng , Wang Ying , Yang Jing , He Xiu , Wang Rui-Jie , Lu Zhi-Song , Qiao Yan
Published: March 2020

The flavin-based indirect electron transfer process between electroactive bacteria and solid electrode is crucial for microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Here, a cellulose-NaOH-urea mixture aerogel derived hierarchical porous carbon (CPC) is developed to promote the flavin based interfacial electron transfer. The porous structure of the CPC can be tailored via adjusting the ratio of urea in the cellulose aerogel precursor to obtain CPCs with different type of dominant pores. According to the electrocatalytic performance of different CPC electrodes, the CPCs with higher meso- and macropore area exhibit greatly improved flavin redox reaction. While, the CPC-9 with appropriate porous structure achieves highest power density in Shewanella putrefaciens CN32 MFC due to larger active surface for flavin mediated interfacial electron transfer and higher biofilm loading. Considering that the CPC is just obtained from the pyrolysis of the cellulose-NaOH-urea aerogel, this work also provides a facile approach for porous carbon preparation.
Crystallization, Structures, and Properties of Different Polyolefins with Similar Grafting Degree of Maleic Anhydride
Authors: Wang Ying , Shi Ying , Shao Wenjun , Ren Yi , Dong Wanyu , Zhang Farao , Liu Li-Zhi
Published: March 2020

Maleic anhydride (MAH) grafting to different polyolefins with similar grafting degree can have different effects on crystallization, crystal structure, and mechanical and thermal properties. The grafting leads to a smaller crystal size, less ordered lamellar structure, and a shorter long period for HDPE, LLDPE, and PP. The grafting makes PP lamellar packing less ordered the most and almost no effect to LLDPE. The grafting does not have that much impact on the crystallization ability of the HDPE, LLDPE, and HDPE/PP blend, but appreciably reduces the crystalline ability of PP-g-MAH, due to a dramatical drop in its molecular weight during the grafting process. As a result, the grafting makes PP a very brittle material with a lowered average melting point than the corresponding neat PP, but the grafting has almost no effect on elongation at break for LLDPE and some effect on HDPE (decreased by one-third). However, the PP degradation due to MAH grafting can be avoided in the presence of PE component, i.e., making the grafting of PP and PE at the same time with HDPE/PP blend. The grafted HDPE/PP blend shows a significantly improved compatibility, which leads to overall appreciably better mechanical properties than the neat HDPE/PP blend.
Detection and Characterisation of Eemian Marine Tephra Layers within the Sapropel S5 Sediments of the Aegean and Levantine Seas
Authors: Satow Christopher , Grant Katharine M. , Wulf Sabine , Schulz Hartmut , Mallon Addison , Matthews Ian , Lowe John
Published: March 2020

The Eemian was the last interglacial period (~130 to 115 ka BP) to precede the current interglacial. In Eastern Mediterranean marine sediments, it is marked by a well-developed and organic-rich “sapropel” layer (S5), which is thought to reflect an intensification and northward migration of the African monsoon rain belt over orbital timescales. However, despite the importance of these sediments, very little proxy-independent stratigraphic information is available to enable rigorous correlation of these sediments across the region. This paper presents the first detailed study of visible and non-visible (cryptotephra) layers found within these sediments at three marine coring sites: ODP Site 967B (Levantine Basin), KL51 (South East of Crete) and LC21 (Southern Aegean Sea). Major element analyses of the glass component were used to distinguish four distinct tephra events of Santorini (e.g., Vourvoulos eruption) and possible Anatolian provenance occurring during the formation of S5. Interpolation of core chronologies provides provisional eruption ages for the uppermost tephra (unknown Santorini, 121.8 ± 2.9 ka) and lowermost tephra (Anatolia or Kos/Yali/Nisyros, 126.4 ± 2.9 ka). These newly characterised tephra deposits have also been set into the regional tephrostratigraphy to illustrate the potential to precisely synchronise marine proxy records with their terrestrial counterparts, and also contribute to the establishment of a more detailed volcanic history of the Eastern Mediterranean.
“I Get Peace:” Gender and Religious Life in a Delhi Gurdwara
Authors: Arora Kamal
Published: March 2020

In October and November of 1984, after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards, approximately 3500 Sikh men were killed in Delhi, India. Many of the survivors—Sikh widows and their kin—were relocated thereafter to the “Widow Colony”, also known as Tilak Vihar, within the boundary of Tilak Nagar in West Delhi, as a means of rehabilitation and compensation. Within this colony lies the Shaheedganj Gurdwara, frequented by widows and their families. Based on ethnographic fieldwork, I explore the intersections between violence, widowhood, and gendered religious practice in this place of worship. Memories of violence and experiences of widowhood inform and intersect with embodied religious practices in this place. I argue that the gurdwara is primarily a female place; although male-administered, it is a place that, through women’s practices, becomes a gendered counterpublic, allowing women a place to socialize and heal in an area where there is little public space for women to gather. The gurdwara has been re-appropriated away from formal religious practice by these widows, functioning as a place that enables the subversive exchange of local knowledges and viewpoints and a repository of shared experiences that reifies and reclaims gendered loss.
Lullaby: Births, Deaths and Narratives of Hope
Authors: Pryor Rebekah
Published: March 2020

Guided by the hopeful possibilities of birth, breath and beginning that Hannah Arendt and Luce Irigaray variously articulate, this paper examines the lullaby as an expressive form that emerges (in a variety of contexts as distinct as medieval Christendom and contemporary art) as narrative between natality and mortality. With narrative understood as praxis according to Arendt’s schema, and articulated in what Irigaray might designate as an interval between two different sexuate subjects, the lullaby (and the voice that sings it) is found to be a telling of what it is to be human, and a hopeful reminder of our capacity both for self-affection and -preservation, and for meeting and nurturing others in their difference.
Cobot with Prismatic Compliant Joint Intended for Doppler Sonography
Authors: Sandoval Juan , Laribi Med Amine , Zeghloul Saïd , Arsicault Marc , Guilhem Jean-Michel
Published: March 2020

This paper deals with a collaborative robot, i.e., cobot, coupled with a new prismatic compliant joint (PCJ) at its end-effector. The proposed collaborative solution is intended for Doppler sonography to prevent musculoskeletal disorders issues. On one hand, the Doppler sonographer’s postures are investigated based on motion capture use during the arteries examination. This study highlighted that configurations adopted by angiologists lead to the musculoskeletal disorder. On the other hand, the proposed PCJ with variable stiffness gives an intrinsic compliance to the cobot handling the probe. This feature allows preserving the human safety when both human and cobot share a common workspace. The effectiveness of the proposed solution is experimentally validated through a 7-DoF Franka Emika robot virtually coupled with the PCJ, during the execution of a trajectory performed during a Doppler ultrasound exam. The impact force criterion is considered as a safety performance.
Crop Loss Evaluation Using Digital Surface Models from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Data
Authors: Garcia Millan Virginia E. , Rankine Cassidy , Sanchez-Azofeifa G. Arturo
Published: March 2020

Precision agriculture and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) are revolutionizing agriculture management methods. Remote sensing data, image analysis and Digital Surface Models derived from Structure from Motion and Multi-View Stereopsis offer new and fast methods to detect the needs of crops, greatly improving crops efficiency. In this study, we present a tool to detect and estimate crop damage after a disturbance (i.e., weather event, wildlife attacks or fires). The types of damage that are addressed in this study affect crop structure (i.e., plants are bent or gone), in the shape of depressions in the crop canopy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of four unsupervised methods based on terrain analyses, for the detection of damaged crops in UAV 3D models: slope detection, variance analysis, geomorphology classification and cloth simulation filter. A full workflow was designed and described in this article that involves the postprocessing of the raw results from the terrain analyses, for a refinement in the detection of damages. Our results show that all four methods performed similarly well after postprocessing––reaching an accuracy above to 90%––in the detection of severe crop damage, without the need of training data. The results of this study suggest that the used methods are effective and independent of the crop type, crop damage and growth stage. However, only severe damages were detected with this workflow. Other factors such as data volume, processing time, number of processing steps and spatial distribution of targets and errors are discussed in this article for the selection of the most appropriate method. Among the four tested methods, slope analysis involves less processing steps, generates the smallest data volume, is the fastest of methods and resulted in best spatial distribution of matches. Thus, it was selected as the most efficient method for crop damage detection.
The Role of Earth Observation in an Integrated Deprived Area Mapping “System” for Low-to-Middle Income Countries
Authors: Kuffer Monika , Thomson Dana R. , Boo Gianluca , Mahabir Ron , Grippa Taïs , Vanhuysse Sabine , Engstrom Ryan , Ndugwa Robert , Makau Jack , Darin Edith , de Albuquerque João Porto , Kabaria Caroline
Published: March 2020

Urbanization in the global South has been accompanied by the proliferation of vast informal and marginalized urban areas that lack access to essential services and infrastructure. UN-Habitat estimates that close to a billion people currently live in these deprived and informal urban settlements, generally grouped under the term of urban slums. Two major knowledge gaps undermine the efforts to monitor progress towards the corresponding sustainable development goal (i.e., SDG 11—Sustainable Cities and Communities). First, the data available for cities worldwide is patchy and insufficient to differentiate between the diversity of urban areas with respect to their access to essential services and their specific infrastructure needs. Second, existing approaches used to map deprived areas (i.e., aggregated household data, Earth observation (EO), and community-driven data collection) are mostly siloed, and, individually, they often lack transferability and scalability and fail to include the opinions of different interest groups. In particular, EO-based-deprived area mapping approaches are mostly top-down, with very little attention given to ground information and interaction with urban communities and stakeholders. Existing top-down methods should be complemented with bottom-up approaches to produce routinely updated, accurate, and timely deprived area maps. In this review, we first assess the strengths and limitations of existing deprived area mapping methods. We then propose an Integrated Deprived Area Mapping System (IDeAMapS) framework that leverages the strengths of EO- and community-based approaches. The proposed framework offers a way forward to map deprived areas globally, routinely, and with maximum accuracy to support SDG 11 monitoring and the needs of different interest groups.
Object-Based Change Detection of Very High Resolution Images by Fusing Pixel-Based Change Detection Results Using Weighted Dempster–Shafer Theory
Authors: Han Youkyung , Javed Aisha , Jung Sejung , Liu Sicong
Published: March 2020

Change detection (CD), one of the primary applications of multi-temporal satellite images, is the process of identifying changes in the Earth’s surface occurring over a period of time using images of the same geographic area on different dates. CD is divided into pixel-based change detection (PBCD) and object-based change detection (OBCD). Although PBCD is more popular due to its simple algorithms and relatively easy quantitative analysis, applying this method in very high resolution (VHR) images often results in misdetection or noise. Because of this, researchers have focused on extending the PBCD results to the OBCD map in VHR images. In this paper, we present a proposed weighted Dempster-Shafer theory (wDST) fusion method to generate the OBCD by combining multiple PBCD results. The proposed wDST approach automatically calculates and assigns a certainty weight for each object of the PBCD result while considering the stability of the object. Moreover, the proposed wDST method can minimize the tendency of the number of changed objects to decrease or increase based on the ratio of changed pixels to the total pixels in the image when the PBCD result is extended to the OBCD result. First, we performed co-registration between the VHR multitemporal images to minimize the geometric dissimilarity. Then, we conducted the image segmentation of the co-registered pair of multitemporal VHR imagery. Three change intensity images were generated using change vector analysis (CVA), iteratively reweighted-multivariate alteration detection (IRMAD), and principal component analysis (PCA). These three intensity images were exploited to generate different binary PBCD maps, after which the maps were fused with the segmented image using the wDST to generate the OBCD map. Finally, the accuracy of the proposed CD technique was assessed by using a manually digitized map. Two VHR multitemporal datasets were used to test the proposed approach. Experimental results confirmed the superiority of the proposed method by comparing the existing PBCD methods and the OBCD method using the majority voting technique.
Concept and Performance Evaluation of a Novel UAV-Borne Topo-Bathymetric LiDAR Sensor
Authors: Mandlburger Gottfried , Pfennigbauer Martin , Schwarz Roland , Flöry Sebastian , Nussbaumer Lukas
Published: March 2020

We present the sensor concept and first performance and accuracy assessment results of a novel lightweight topo-bathymetric laser scanner designed for integration on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), light aircraft, and helicopters. The instrument is particularly well suited for capturing river bathymetry in high spatial resolution as a consequence of (i) the low nominal flying altitude of 50–150 m above ground level resulting in a laser footprint diameter on the ground of typically 10–30 cm and (ii) the high pulse repetition rate of up to 200 kHz yielding a point density on the ground of approximately 20–50 points/m2. The instrument features online waveform processing and additionally stores the full waveform within the entire range gate for waveform analysis in post-processing. The sensor was tested in a real-world environment by acquiring data from two freshwater ponds and a 500 m section of the pre-Alpine Pielach River (Lower Austria). The captured underwater points featured a maximum penetration of two times the Secchi depth. On dry land, the 3D point clouds exhibited (i) a measurement noise in the range of 1–3 mm; (ii) a fitting precision of redundantly captured flight strips of 1 cm; and (iii) an absolute accuracy of 2–3 cm compared to terrestrially surveyed checkerboard targets. A comparison of the refraction corrected LiDAR point cloud with independent underwater checkpoints exhibited a maximum deviation of 7.8 cm and revealed a systematic depth-dependent error when using a refraction coefficient of n = 1.36 for time-of-flight correction. The bias is attributed to multi-path effects in the turbid water column (Secchi depth: 1.1 m) caused by forward scattering of the laser signal at suspended particles. Due to the high spatial resolution, good depth performance, and accuracy, the sensor shows a high potential for applications in hydrology, fluvial morphology, and hydraulic engineering, including flood simulation, sediment transport modeling, and habitat mapping.
OIC-MCE: A Practical Land Cover Mapping Approach for Limited Samples Based on Multiple Classifier Ensemble and Iterative Classification
Authors: Lei Guangbin , Li Ainong , Bian Jinhu , Yan He , Zhang Lulu , Zhang Zhengjian , Nan Xi
Published: March 2020

Land cover samples are usually the foundation for supervised classification. Unfortunately, for land cover mapping in large areas, only limited samples can be used due to the time-consuming and labor-intensive sample collection. A novel and practical Object-oriented Iterative Classification method based on Multiple Classifiers Ensemble (OIC-MCE) was proposed in this paper. It systematically integrated object-oriented segmentation, Multiple Classifier Ensemble (MCE), and Iterative Classification (IC). In this method, the initial training samples were updated self-adaptively during the iterative processes. Based on these updated training samples, the inconsistent regions (ICR) in the classification results of the MCE method were reclassified to reduce their uncertainty. Three typical case studies in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) indicate that the overall accuracy of the OIC-MCE method is significantly higher than that of the single classifier. After five iterations, the overall accuracy of the OIC-MCE approach increased by 5.58%–8.38% compared to the accuracy of the traditional MCE method. The spatial distribution of newly added training samples generated by the OIC-MCE approach was relatively uniform. It was confirmed by ten repeated experiments that the OIC-MCE approach has good stability. More importantly, even if the initial sample size reduced by 65%, the quality of the final classification result based on the proposed OIC-MCE approach would not be greatly affected. Therefore, the proposed OIC-MCE approach provides a new solution for land cover mapping with limited samples. Certainly, it is also well suited for land cover mapping with abundant samples.
Signal Extraction from GNSS Position Time Series Using Weighted Wavelet Analysis
Authors: Ji Kunpu , Shen Yunzhong , Wang Fengwei
Published: March 2020

The daily position time series derived by Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) contain nonlinear signals which are suitably extracted by using wavelet analysis. Considering formal errors are also provided in daily GNSS solutions, a weighted wavelet analysis is proposed in this contribution where the weight factors are constructed via the formal errors. The proposed approach is applied to process the position time series of 27 permanent stations from the Crustal Movement Observation Network of China (CMONOC), compared to traditional wavelet analysis. The results show that the proposed approach can extract more exact signals than traditional wavelet analysis, with the average error reductions are 13.24%, 13.53% and 9.35% in north, east and up coordinate components, respectively. The results from 500 simulations indicate that the signals extracted by proposed approach are closer to true signals than the traditional wavelet analysis.
Organic Molecules: Is It Possible To Distinguish Aromatics From Aliphatics Collected By Space Missions in High-Speed Impacts
Authors: Burchell Mark , Harriss Kathryn
Published: March 2020

A prime site of astrobiological interest within the Solar System is the interior ocean of Enceladus. This ocean has already been shown to contain organic molecules, and is thought to have the conditions necessary for more complex organic biomolecules to emerge and potentially even life itself. This sub-surface ocean has been accessed by Cassini, an unmanned spacecraft that interacted with the water plumes ejected naturally from Enceladus. The encounter speed with these plumes and their contents, was 5 km s−1 and above. Encounters at such speeds allow analysis of vapourised material from submicron-sized particles within the plume, but sampling micron-sized particles remains an open question. The latter particles can impact metal targets exposed on the exterior of future spacecraft, producing impact craters lined with impactor residue, which can then be analysed. Although there is considerable literature on how mineral grains behave in such high-speed impacts, and also on the relationship between the crater residue and the original grain composition, far less is known regarding the behaviour of organic particles. Here we consider a deceptively simple yet fundamental scientific question: for impacts at speeds of around 5−6 kms−1 would the impactor residue alone be sufficient to enable us to recognise the signature conferred by organic particles? Furthermore, would it be possible to identify the organic molecules involved, or at least distinguish between aromatic and aliphatic chemical structures? For polystyrene (aromatic-rich) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (solely aliphatic) latex particles impinging at around 5 km s-1 onto metal targets, we find that sufficient residue is retained at the impact site to permit identification of a carbon-rich projectile, but not of the particular molecules involved, nor is it currently possible to discriminate between aromatic-rich and solely aliphatic particles. This suggests that an alternative analytical method to simple impacts on metal targets is required to enable successful collection of organic samples in a fly-by Enceladus mission, or, alternatively, a lower encounter speed is required.
Preparing for Satellite Laser Uplinks and Downlinks
Authors: Dmytryszyn Mark , Crook Matthew , Sands Timothy
Published: March 2020

The use of Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation (i.e., LASERs or lasers) by the U.S. Department of Defense is not new and includes laser weapons guidance, laser-aided measurements, even lasers as weapons (e.g., Airborne Laser). Lasers in support of telecommunications is also not new. The use of laser light in fiber optics shattered thoughts on communications bandwidth and throughput. Even the use of lasers in space is no longer new. Lasers are being used for satellite-to-satellite crosslinking. Laser communication can transmit orders-of-magnitude more data using orders-of-magnitude less power and can do so with minimal risk of exposure to the sending and receiving terminals. What is new is using lasers as the uplink and downlink between the terrestrial segment and the space segment of satellite systems. More so, the use of lasers to transmit and receive data between moving terrestrial segments (e.g., ships at sea, airplanes in flight) and geosynchronous satellites is burgeoning. This manuscript examines the technological maturation of employing lasers as the signal carrier for satellite communications linking terrestrial and space systems. The purpose of the manuscript is to develop key performance parameters (KPPs) to inform U.S. Department of Defense initial capabilities documents (ICDs) for near-future satellite acquisition and development. By appreciating the history and technological challenges of employing lasers rather than traditional radio frequency sources for satellite uplink and downlink signal carriers, this manuscript recommends ways for the U.S. Department of Defense to employ lasers to transmit and receive high bandwidth, large-throughput data from moving platforms that need to retain low probabilities of detection, intercept, and exploitation (e.g., carrier battle group transiting to a hostile area of operations, unmanned aerial vehicle collecting over adversary areas). The manuscript also intends to identify commercial sector early-adopter fields and those fields likely to adapt to laser employment for transmission and receipt.
Mass Balances of a Drained and a Rewetted Peatland: on Former Losses and Recent Gains
Authors: Mrotzek Almut , Michaelis Dierk , Günther Anke , Wrage-Mönnig Nicole , Couwenberg John
Published: March 2020

Drained peatlands are important sources of greenhouse gases and are rewetted to curb these emissions. We study one drained and one rewetted fen in terms of losses—and, after rewetting—gains of organic matter (OM), carbon (C), and peat thickness. We determined bulk density (BD) and ash/OM (and C/OM) ratios for 0.5 cm thick contiguous slices from peat monoliths to calculate losses. Whereas one site has lost 28.5 kg OM m−2 corresponding to annual emissions of ~10 t CO2 ha−1 a−1 over 50 years of effective drainage, the other site has lost 102 kg OM m−2, corresponding to an annual loss of ~30 t CO2 ha−1 a−1 for 30 years of intensive drainage and 6 t CO2 ha−1 a−1 during ~225 years of weak drainage before that. Height losses ranged from 43 to 162 cm. In the 20 years after rewetting, 2.12 kg C m−2 was accumulated, equaling an average annual uptake of ~0.4 kg CO2 m−2 a−1. The results indicate that rewetting can lead to carbon accumulation in fens. This sink function is only small compared with the high emissions that are avoided through rewetting.
An Acute Bout of Self-Myofascial Release Does Not Affect Drop Jump Performance despite an Increase in Ankle Range of Motion
Authors: Godwin Mark , Stanhope Edward , Bateman James , Mills Holly
Published: March 2020

This study examined the acute effects of self-myofascial release plus dynamic warm up versus dynamic warm up alone on ankle range of motion and drop jump performance. Twenty-five recreationally active participants (male: 16, female: 9) were randomly assigned into a foam rolling (FR) or a dynamic warm up group (CON) (age: 22.8 ± 3.9 years, body mass 75.9 ± 13.2 kg, stretch stature: 174.1 ± 10.1 cm). In a randomised crossover design, each participant completed two experimental sessions that were separated by seven days. Ankle range of movement was assessed while using a weight-bearing lunge test and drop jump performance was recorded via bilateral force plates. Following a 5 min cycle, the foam rolling group undertook self-myofascial release to the lower limb and thoracic/lumbar regions, followed by a dynamic warm up. The control group undertook the same initial warm up plus the dynamic exercises. The level of significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. There was a significant increase (p < 0.001) in ankle range of motion immediately after the warm up for both groups (pre CON: 37.5 ± 5.31, post CON: 39.8 ± 5.76; pre FR 38.7 ± 7, post FR: 40.3 ± 7.3 deg). No significant difference was found between the conditions (p > 0.05). There were no significant differences for any indices of jump performance (p > 0.05). Based on these results, foam rolling plus dynamic exercises does not appear to impair or enhance drop jump performance, despite the increases in ankle range of movement.
How Are Unemployed Individuals with Obesity Affected by an Economic Crisis?
Authors: Antelo Manel , Magdalena Pilar , Reboredo Juan C. , Reyes-Santias Francisco
Published: March 2020

Objective: The purpose of this study was to measure the extent to which the advent of an economic crisis affects the magnitude of the impact of unemployment on obesity prevalence (IUOP). Methods: Using data corresponding to a boom period and a bust period of the Spanish economy, we calculated the IUOP in the Spanish population aged 16–65 years using propensity score matching, and using the difference-in-differences approach, analyzed to what extent the advent of an economic crisis affected the magnitude of such an IUOP. Results: The results point to significant differences in the body mass index (BMI) values of Spanish unemployed individuals depending on the phase of the economic cycle. Compared to a period of economic boom, a bust period increases the (log) BMI values of unemployed people by 0.22% and the (log) BMI of long-term unemployed people by a further 0.011%. Conclusions: The design of health policies for the treatment and prevention of adult obesity should be tailored to the phase of the economic cycle and focus especially on the long-term unemployed individuals.
The Corporate Shared Value for Sustainable Development: An Ecosystem Perspective
Authors: Yang Ta-Kai , Yan Min-Ren
Published: March 2020

While corporate social responsibility (CSR) is prevailing, the concept of creating shared value (CSV) by coordinating business activities and social concerns brings a great opportunity to transforming the business model for sustainable development. To better understand the systems comprising corporate shared value chains would be beneficial to economics, society, and sustainability. This study refers to the ecosystem as the theoretical lens in the exploration of the CSV components and contexts, and takes Macy’s as a focal case. In terms of academic contributions, this study generalizes the CSV components, including markets, social innovations, social performances, new business models, corporate entrepreneurship, and social network support. The research findings contribute to conceptualize and systemize the concept of CSV. In terms of practical contributions, the contexts for the operation of CSV, as summarized by this study, can serve as a template for corporate planning of CSV activities and sustainable development.
Stability of the HSV-2 US-6 Gene in the del II, del III, CP77, and I8R-G1L Sites in Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara After Serial Passage of Recombinant Vectors in Cells
Authors: Atukorale Vajini N. , Weir Jerry P. , Meseda Clement A.
Published: March 2020

The modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA), a severely attenuated strain of vaccinia virus, is a promising vector platform for viral-vectored vaccine development because of its attributes of efficient transgene expression and safety profile, among others. Thus, transgene stability in MVA is important to assure immunogenicity and efficacy. The global GC content of the MVA genome is 33%, and GC-rich sequences containing runs of C or G nucleotides have been reported to be less stable with passage of MVA vectors in cells. The production of recombinant MVA vaccines requires a number of expansion steps in cell culture, depending on production scale. We assessed the effect of extensive passage of four recombinant MVA vectors on the stability of the GC-rich herpes simplex type 2 (HSV-2) US6 gene encoding viral glycoprotein D (gD2) inserted at four different genomic sites, including the deletion (del) II and del III sites, the CP77 gene locus (MVA_009–MVA_013) and the I8R-G1L intergenic region. Our data indicate that after 35 passages, there was a reduction in gD2 expression from del II, del III and CP77 sites. Sequencing analysis implicated US6 deletion and mutational events as responsible for the loss of gD2 expression. By contrast, 85.9% of recombinant plaques expressed gD2 from the I8R-G1L site, suggesting better accommodation of transgenes in this intergenic region. Thus, the I8R-G1L intergenic region may be more useful for transgene insertion for enhanced stability.
Percepción y prácticas docentes para una educación inclusiva
Authors: Vallejo-Ruiz Mónica , Ana Torres-Soto  , Elvira Curiel-Marin  , Olga Campillo-Drieguez
Published: March 2020

Para que una sociedad evolucionada se construya como inclusiva es imprescindible reconocer, desdela escuela, la diversidad como un aspecto positivo que enriquece los procesos de enseñanza yaprendizaje; y garantizar la igualdad de oportunidades mediante la construcción de entornos seguros,democráticos y equitativos. Para ello, es primordial asegurar actitudes positivas hacia la inclusiónentre los profesores. Se presenta una investigación cuyo principal objetivo fue conocer la percepciónde docentes de Educación Primaria acerca de la educación inclusiva, así como las estrategiasdesarrolladas con el fin de favorecerla.
Short-Term Immunopathological Changes Associated with Pulse Steroids/IVIG/Rituximab Therapy in Late Kidney Allograft Antibody Mediated Rejection
Authors: Degner Kenna R. , Wilson Nancy A. , Reese Shannon R. , Parajuli Sandesh , Aziz Fahad , Garg Neetika , Mohamed Maha , Singh Tripti , Mandelbrot Didier A. , Panzer Sarah E. , Redfield Robert R. , Van Hyfte Kristin , Zhong Weixiong , Hidalgo Luis G. , Djamali Arjang
Published: March 2020

Background

B cell depletion is a common treatment of antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR). We sought to determine the specific immunopathologic effects of this therapeutic approach in kidney transplantation.

Methods

This was a prospective observational study of recipients of kidney transplants diagnosed with late ABMR (>3 months after transplant). Patients received treatment with pulse steroids, IVIG, and rituximab. Donor-specific HLA antibodies (DSA), kidney allograft pathology, renal function, immune cell phenotypes, and 47 circulating cytokines were assessed at baseline and at 3 months.

Results

We enrolled 23 patients in this study between April 2015 and March 2019. The majority of patients were male (74%) and white (78%) with an average age of 45.6±13.8 years. ABMR was diagnosed at 6.8±5.9 years (4 months to 25 years) post-transplant. Treatment was associated with a significant decline in circulating HLA class I (P=0.003) and class II DSA (P=0.002) and peritubular capillaritis (ptc;P=0.04) compared to baseline. Serum creatinine, BUN, eGFR, and proteinuria (UPC) remained stable. Circulating B cells were depleted to barely detectable levels (P≤0.001), whereas BAFF (P=0.0001), APRIL (P<0.001), and IL-10 (P=0.02) levels increased significantly post-treatment. Notably, there was a significant rise in circulating CD4+ (P=0.02) and CD8+ T cells (P=0.003). We also noted a significant correlation between circulating cytotoxic CD8+ T cells and BAFF (P=0.05), regulatory T cells and IL-10 (P=0.002), and regulatory T cells and HLA class I DSA (P=0.005).

Conclusions

Short-term pulse steroids/IVIG/rituximab therapy was associated with inhibition of ABMR (DSA and ptc), stabilization of kidney function, and increased regulatory B cell and T cell survival cytokines. Additional studies are needed to understand the implications of B cell depletion on the crosstalk between T cells and B cells, and humoral components that regulate ABMR.
Virtual Reality in Education from the Perspective of Teachers
Authors: Serin Hamdi
Published: March 2020

Virtual reality is the system in which users feel that they are in a virtual world with various equipment and the users interact with this world. With this feature, virtual reality is very useful for many fields of activity, as well as education. Virtual reality applications in education enable students to gain experiences that are dangerous or impossible for them to acquire in real life and learn by doing and living. For this reason, virtual reality is an important innovation for future educational environments.

The population of this study is composed of teachers in private schools in Iraq in the 2017-2018 academic year. One hundred thirty teachers participated in the online questionnaire, 101 of which were considered valid. The sample consisted of 101 teachers who completed the questionnaire. Based on the findings, the results of the research were stated, and recommendations were developed.

As a result of the research, we realized that the vast majority of teachers think that virtual reality is interesting, encourages students to be active, is suitable for students with schematic and visual thinking style, provides students with a general idea about the subject, facilitates the implementation of information, makes it easier to learn, and it provides a quick review of the course they have studied. They also think it requires concentration.
The municipal authorities of Eastern European countries: Financial and economic aspects
Authors: Trachuk Petro , Mykhaylyshyn Uliana , Dashutin Ihor , Hubska Olena , Hetman Yevhen
Published: March 2020

Description: The purpose of the article is to study theoretical and practical aspects of local government organization and activities in Eastern Europe. The subject of the article is the issues of legislative support of the financial and economic bases of functioning of the municipal authorities of the Eastern Europe Statesю Methodology. In the course of study general scientific and special methods were used, which are the means of scientific research. In particular, comparative legal method was used for the analysis of the norms of substantive law of Eastern European countries, scientific categories, definitions and approaches. Historical and legal method gave an opportunity to reveal the meaning of the concepts of «local budget», «local self-government», to highlight the development of scientific views on specific issues. System analysis method was applied for an integrated generalization of the features of each country under consideration. The system-structural method made it possible to determine the state and government objective factors in the financial and economic spheres. The results of the study. It is recognized that due to the relatively low share of income, the entire financial system of municipalities is unstable, as well as the economic conditions in which local self-government operates. Although the analysis showed that the size of municipal budgets gradually increased, in the end they do not correspond to the level of inflation in these countries Practical implications. To ensure the autonomy of local government, it is especially important to manage the own revenue base of the territories and reduce their dependence on subsidies from higher-level budgets. In our opinion, subsidies should cover only certain types of expenditures of either national or regional importance and ensure equalization of the financial situation of the territories. Value / originality. The analysis of the relevant legislation and legal literature of the countries in question allows us to conclude that the expenditure part of the minimum budget determined by the legislator is calculated according to the norms and standards established by representative higher authorities on the basis of the law and the available funds, while the revenues of the minimum budget should cover the minimum necessary expenses guaranteed by higher authorities.
Multimedia technologies in vocational education
Authors: Vaganova Olga I. , Bakharev Nikolay P. , Kulagina Julia A. , Lapshova Anna V. , Kirillova Inna K.
Published: March 2020

Modern higher professional education is aimed at the formation of a highly qualified competent specialist. In the conditions of the competence approach, there is an active introduction in the educational process of multimedia technologies. This is one of the most rapidly developing areas of information technology. Therefore, the training of students should be carried out with the use of various information and communication tools, ensuring the improvement of the quality of education. The purpose of the article is to present the experience of training students of pedagogical University using multimedia technologies. The analysis of the impact of these technologies on the motivation and training of students when studying discipline "technology of training teachers of the past" (media technologies have been embedded in the discipline content). For the study, we measured the motivation of students. We compared the indicators of motivation diagnostics in 2017 (before the introduction of multimedia technologies) and 2018 (after the introduction of technologies). We compared the motives of creative realization (MTR) and professional motives (PM). According to the control event on the discipline "Technologies of teaching teachers of the past", we found that the percentage of "excellent" in 2018 has increased significantly, the percentage of unsatisfactory ratings have decreased.

The obtained data allowed detecting positive changes after the introduction of multimedia technologies into the educational process. The motivation of students to study the discipline has increased, their preparedness has increased, and the quality of education has increased. The high efficiency of multimedia technologies was determined, so their implementation in the training of students of pedagogical University will continue.
The essence of temporary differences under the conditions of changes in RSA 18/02 and convergence with IAS 12 “Income taxes” and their impact on the financial statements
Authors: Trofimova Liudmila B. , Prodanova Natalia A. , Nudel Sara A. , Dikikh Vadim A. , Savina Natalia V.
Published: March 2020

The article examines the latest changes in RSA 18/02 "Accounting for corporate income tax payments", adopted by order of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation. The new version of the Regulation comes into effect since January 01, 2020. As a result of the study, the authors revealed a convergence of Russian standards for determining temporary differences and deferred taxes, and at the same time indicated differences that still remained, and also assessed the existing differences. The authors considered it appropriate to systematize new principles for calculating deferred income taxes. For clarity, the definitions of current tax, net profit and other concepts, calculations of current tax and income tax expenses are presented in the form of formulas that can be easily compared with a previously existing methodology.

The results of the study can be used when transforming financial statements, as well as in the construction of the consolidated financial statements generated in Russia in accordance with the requirements of IFRS, since the latest amendments in RSA 18/02 include the calculation of income tax for members of a consolidated group of taxpayers.
Conceptual idea to optimize institutional typological series of organization and legal forms of legal entities
Authors: Dmitriev Oleg N.
Published: March 2020

The concept of a legal entity’s organization and form is introduced in a meaningful aspect. The existing typology of Russian enterprises/firms as legal entities in its organization and forms’ context with an emphasis on commercial organizations is given. There are defined priority discriminatory aspects of the Russian enterprises’ organization and legal form, that means for commercial organization.

An assessment is made regarding the applied intuitive-empirical method of these subjects of juridical relations’ organization and legal forms existing typology forming and, accordingly, its non-optimization by the set and institutional characteristics. The conceptual idea to transit in the direction to optimized institutional series of the enterprises’ organization and legal forms is formulated. A general methodological scheme for forming of the optimized institutional series of them is proposed.
Insurance as a Component of The Marketing Mechanism to Develop Aquaculture
Authors: Paptsov Andrei Gennadievich , Avarskii Nabi Dalgatovich , Kolonchin Kirill Viktorovich , Bogachev Aleksandr Ivanovich , Seregin Sergey Nikolaevich , Gasanova Khatimat Nabievna
Published: March 2020

The study aims at assessing the current aquaculture insurance in the Russian market. Due to this, it is necessary to understand the role of the aquaculture industry in the economy and determine its development in Russia, as well as to assess the modern concepts and processes of the aquaculture insurance. According to the general conclusions of the study, the fish farmers’ need in insurance varies depending on the type and size of aquaculture enterprises, the financial structure of their business, and the types of the grown aquatic organisms. In the study it is indicated that the aqua-insurance has not yet become a marketing instrument to minimize economic risks for most fish farmers. This is mainly due to the fact that the aquaculture industry in Russia is still relatively small, and therefore there is a lack of knowledge and experience in the aquaculture insurance. However, the Russia’s strategic position, an extensive fund of inland waters and marine areas, and a diverse species composition of farmed and cultivated aquatic biological resources make the aquaculture development rather attractive for business development. Thus, in the study it is concluded that in case of the further development of fish farming, the demand for knowledge and experience in the area of aquaculture insurance will increase.
Personal Educational Medium of A Creative Teacher In The Continuing Education System
Authors: Sergeeva Marina Georgiyevna , Sokolova Natalia Leonidovna , Pryazhnikova Elena Yurevna , Poliakova Iana Viktorovna , Shvyrev Boris Anatoliyevich , Repkina Yulia Anatolevna , Petrov Grigorij Pavlovich
Published: March 2020

Along with the sociocultural, natural and technogenic life environments in the post-industrial society, the information environment, embodied by the media and the global Internet, is becoming the leading one. In the information environment, individual activity is transferred to the Internet. It includes professional activities mediated by distance technologies, social networking, Internet communities, personal sites, blogs, twitters, collections of scientific, educational, literary and artistic publications, news, movies, concerts, meetings, etc. In this context, the dual social role of the teacher as a provider and, at the same time, consumer of educational services is highlighted. The development of general and professional competencies (especially socio-communicative) affects the success of a teacher in the field of socialization, education and upbringing of young people in the society based on innovations and high technologies. The education system demands a teacher who is able to implement innovative changes in the educational process, requires fundamentally new technological support for innovations and involves the development of the relevant norms of innovative behavior and description of the models, types and methods of disseminating innovative pedagogical experience. Such a teacher meets the requirements of the Russian national project “Our New School” and should be one of the most important resources for modernizing the education system as a whole and, in particular, in terms of continuing professional development. High-quality performance of professional labor functions (training, educating, upbringing) implies the possession of competencies in the analysis, exchange and dissemination of innovative pedagogical technologies. Professional development of a teacher is impossible without the need to transmit the positive experience to wide pedagogical communities.