bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Low Power Sigma-Delta Modulator with Hybrid Architecture
Authors: An Shengbiao , Xia Shuang , Ma Yue , Ghani Arfan , See Chan Hwang , Abd-Alhameed Raed A. , Niu Chuanfeng , Yang Ruixia
Published: September 2020

Analogue-to-digital converters (ADC) using oversampling technology and the Σ-∆ modulation mechanism are widely applied in digital audio systems. This paper presents an audio modulator with high accuracy and low power consumption by using a discrete second-order feedforward structure. A 5-bit successive approximation register (SAR) quantizer is integrated into the chip, which reduces the number of comparators and the power consumption of the quantizer compared with flash ADC-type quantizers. An analogue passive adder is used to sum the input signals and it is embedded in a SAR ADC composed of a capacitor array and a dynamic comparator which has no static power consumption. To validate the design concept, the designed modulator is developed in a 180 nm CMOS process. The peak signal to noise distortion ratio (SNDR) is calculated as 106 dB and the total power consumption of the chip is recorded as 3.654 mW at the chip supply voltage of 1.8 V. The input sine wave of 0 to 25 kHz is sampled at a sampling frequency of 3.2 Ms/s. Moreover, the results achieve a 16-bit effective number of bits (ENOB) when the amplitude of the input signal is varied between 0.15 and 1.65 V. By comparing with other modulators which were realized by a 180 nm CMOS process, the proposed architecture outperforms with lower power consumption.
Array of Horns Fed by a Transverse Slotted Groove Gap Waveguide at 28 GHz
Authors: Ng Mou Kehn Malcolm , Hsieh Chih-Kai , Rajo-Iglesias Eva
Published: September 2020

An array of low profile horns fed by transverse slots on a groove gap waveguide (GGWG) is presented. The GGWG is implemented with glide symmetrical holes and the design frequency is 28 GHz. The low profile horns are integrated in the same waveguide wall as the slots. The designed antenna is a linear array of these horns but the solution can be easily extended to a planar array. Experimental results support this work. The designed antenna is a good candidate for applications related to 5G technologies where medium to high gains as well as high efficiencies are required and reasonable manufacturing costs are demanded.
Stress Classification Using Photoplethysmogram-Based Spatial and Frequency Domain Images
Authors: Elzeiny Sami , Qaraqe Marwa
Published: September 2020

Stress is subjective and is manifested differently from one person to another. Thus, the performance of generic classification models that classify stress status is crude. Building a person-specific model leads to a reliable classification, but it requires the collection of new data to train a new model for every individual and needs periodic upgrades because stress is dynamic. In this paper, a new binary classification (called stressed and non-stressed) approach is proposed for a subject’s stress state in which the inter-beat intervals extracted from a photoplethysomogram (PPG) were transferred to spatial images and then to frequency domain images according to the number of consecutive. Then, the convolution neural network (CNN) was used to train and validate the classification accuracy of the person’s stress state. Three types of classification models were built: person-specific models, generic classification models, and calibrated-generic classification models. The average classification accuracies achieved by person-specific models using spatial images and frequency domain images were 99.9%, 100%, and 99.8%, and 99.68%, 98.97%, and 96.4% for the training, validation, and test, respectively. By combining 20% of the samples collected from test subjects into the training data, the calibrated generic models’ accuracy was improved and outperformed the generic performance across both the spatial and frequency domain images. The average classification accuracy of 99.6%, 99.9%, and 88.1%, and 99.2%, 97.4%, and 87.6% were obtained for the training set, validation set, and test set, respectively, using the calibrated generic classification-based method for the series of inter-beat interval (IBI) spatial and frequency domain images. The main contribution of this study is the use of the frequency domain images that are generated from the spatial domain images of the IBI extracted from the PPG signal to classify the stress state of the individual by building person-specific models and calibrated generic models.
AI Approaches towards Prechtl’s Assessment of General Movements: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Irshad Muhammad Tausif , Nisar Muhammad Adeel , Gouverneur Philip , Rapp Marion , Grzegorzek Marcin
Published: September 2020

General movements (GMs) are spontaneous movements of infants up to five months post-term involving the whole body varying in sequence, speed, and amplitude. The assessment of GMs has shown its importance for identifying infants at risk for neuromotor deficits, especially for the detection of cerebral palsy. As the assessment is based on videos of the infant that are rated by trained professionals, the method is time-consuming and expensive. Therefore, approaches based on Artificial Intelligence have gained significantly increased attention in the last years. In this article, we systematically analyze and discuss the main design features of all existing technological approaches seeking to transfer the Prechtl’s assessment of general movements from an individual visual perception to computer-based analysis. After identifying their shared shortcomings, we explain the methodological reasons for their limited practical performance and classification rates. As a conclusion of our literature study, we conceptually propose a methodological solution to the defined problem based on the groundbreaking innovation in the area of Deep Learning.
Reducing Road Transport Emissions in Europe: Investigating A Demand Side Driven Approach †
Authors: Enzmann Johannes , Ringel Marc
Published: September 2020

The European Union aims at net-zero emissions by 2050. A key sector to achieve this goal is road transport, where emissions show no signs of reducing but continue to grow. A review of policies undertaken by EU member states and the G20 to reduce transport emissions reveals that both present and planned policies focus on binding supply-side measures, but offer only weak demand-side incentives. To address this imbalance, we developed a downstream, demand-side policy prototype through an expert interview design process. We call the prototype “cap-and-surrender” because it caps road emissions, and then allocates tradable emission allowances to individual vehicles that drivers surrender at each fill-up. Allowance pricing, both by the state and in the secondary market, is designed to incentivize decarbonization of the sector. Though the system would require significant investment, its revenue potential to the state should exceed this investment by several multiples. We discuss the potential economic, environmental and social impacts of the policy, as assessed by European transport experts. We find that the approach can deliver significant transport emission reductions in an effective and economically efficient manner. Through the appropriate design of national allocation rules and a gradual phasing in of cap and surrender, potential negative social consequences can be mitigated, and public acceptance of the policy promoted.
Open Education through Interactive Training Material
Authors: Hernández-Castellano Pedro Manuel , Martínez-Rivero María Dolores , Marrero-Alemán María Dolores , Suárez-García Luis , Gutiérrez-Barcenilla Alejandro
Published: September 2020

This work has come about as a result of an attempt to improve educational practices by taking advantage of research experience in the field of additive manufacturing technologies. As a result of the work carried out, an open educational resources project was developed by the group of educational innovation Ingeniería de Fabricación of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. It consists of interactive teaching material adapted to the new international standards that regulate these technologies and includes a methodology for selecting the most appropriate technology for the specific application. In this paper, we describe the co-creation process that was carried out with students in order to develop the resources, as well as a description of the didactic material itself together with its interactive elements. An analysis of its use in various academic courses is included and also an evaluation of its impact, both in teaching a specific subject and in other training activities. Our findings indicate that the process has led to the production of didactic materials that present content in an attractive way and which, in combination with active methodologies, noticeably improves students’ learning experiences, and is also considered a successful experience in open educational practices.
Heterogeneity of Internal Migrant Household Consumption in Host Cities: A Comparison of Skilled Migrants and Labor Migrants in China
Authors: Zhou Chunshan , Li Ming , Zhang Guojun , Wang Yuqu , Liu Song
Published: September 2020

Improvements in migrant families’ consumption are crucial to economic development after the economic crisis. With China’s participation in economic globalization, industrial transformation and college enrolment expansion, a new type of migrant worker has emerged, skilled migrants, who have attained a college diploma or above and whose consumption behaviors differ from traditional labor migrants because education helps to improve the income and consumption structure. This study uses comparative analysis and Tobit model to examine differences in income and consumption patterns, and determinants of consumption between skilled migrant and labor migrant households. Education helps to increase income and alter consumption behaviors. The income and consumption levels of skilled migrant households are significantly higher than the levels of labor migrant households, and the propensity to consume among skilled migrant households is higher than among labor migrant households. Moreover, the consumption structure of skilled migrant households is more advanced than that of labor migrant households. Education indirectly influences consumption by influencing economic, familial, individual, settlement intention, and social security factors. These factors have different effects on skilled migrant and labor migrant household consumption. Authorities should improve the education level and social welfare system to cover migrant households, especially for low-income labor migrants, to improve their consumption.
Machine Learning for Conservation Planning in a Changing Climate
Authors: Mosebo Fernandes Ana Cristina , Quintero Gonzalez Rebeca , Lenihan-Clarke Marie Ann , Leslie Trotter Ezra Francis , Jokar Arsanjani Jamal
Published: September 2020

Wildlife species’ habitats throughout North America are subject to direct and indirect consequences of climate change. Vulnerability assessments for the Intermountain West regard wildlife and vegetation and their disturbance as two key resource areas in terms of ecosystems when considering climate change issues. Despite the adaptability potential of certain wildlife, increased temperature estimates of 1.67–2 °C by 2050 increase the likelihood and severity of droughts, floods, heatwaves and wildfires in Utah. As a consequence, resilient flora and fauna could be displaced. The aim of this study was to locate areas of habitat for an exemplary species, i.e., sage-grouse, based on current climate conditions and pinpoint areas of future habitat based on climate projections. The locations of wildlife were collected from Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) observations in addition to normal temperature and precipitation, vegetation cover and other ecosystem-related data. Four machine learning algorithms were then used to locate the current sites of wildlife habitats and predict suitable future sites where wildlife would likely relocate to, dependent on the effects of climate change and based on a timeframe of scientifically backed temperature-increase estimates. Our findings show that Random Forest outperforms other competing models, with an accuracy of 0.897, and a sensitivity and specificity of 0.917 and 0.885, respectively, and has great potential in Species Distribution Modeling (SDM), which can provide useful insights into habitat predictions. Based on this model, our predictions show that sage-grouse habitats in Utah will continue to decrease over the coming years due to climate change, producing a highly fragmented habitat and causing a loss of close to 70% of their current habitat. Priority Areas of Conservation (PACs) and protected areas might be deemed insufficient to halt this habitat loss, and more effort should be put into maintaining connectivity between patches to ensure the movement and genetic diversity within the sage-grouse population. The underlying data-driven methodical approach of this study could be useful for environmentalists, researchers, decision-makers, and policymakers, among others.
From Center to Periphery and Back Again: A Systematic Literature Review of Refugee Entrepreneurship
Authors: Heilbrunn Sibylle , Iannone Rosa Lisa
Published: September 2020

This paper presents a qualitative, systematic literature review of refugee entrepreneurship research that has been published in academic outlets, up to 2018. We synthesize the contributions to the field, providing a state of the art, so as to elucidate our current understandings of the phenomenon and highlight gaps that will help enhance our future approaches and knowledge. The empirical analysis reveals a fast emerging, eclectic field, with research from a wide range of disciplines, produced by the ‘academic center’, largely in the ‘academic periphery’. Publication numbers have been on the rise, especially in the last ten years, yet, there is very little mutual acknowledgement and discussions arising between researchers, as revealed by a bibliometric analysis. A content analysis shows three main waves of publications based on countries of origin, countries of residence, and migration timeframes. The vast majority of publications take on an exploratory approach to research, with diverse theoretical framings from an array of disciplines, and the thematic clusters reveal how researchers are attempting to tease out the distinctiveness of refugee entrepreneurs from other, closely related entrepreneurship groups.
A Multi-Criteria Multi-Cloud Service Composition in Mobile Edge Computing
Authors: Pang Beibei , Hao Fei , Park Doo-Soon , Maio Carmen De
Published: September 2020

The development of mobile edge computing (MEC) is accelerating the popularity of 5G applications. In the 5G era, aiming to reduce energy consumption and latency, most applications or services are conducted on both edge cloud servers and cloud servers. However, the existing multi-cloud composition recommendation approaches are studied in the context of resources provided by a single cloud or multiple clouds. Hence, these approaches cannot cope with services requested by the composition of multiple clouds and edge clouds jointly in MEC. To this end, this paper firstly expands the structure of the multi-cloud service system and further constructs a multi-cloud multi-edge cloud (MCMEC) environment. Technically, we model this problem with formal concept analysis (FCA) by building the service–provider lattice and provider–cloud lattice, and select the candidate cloud composition that satisfies the user’s requirements. In order to obtain an optimized cloud combination that can efficiently reduce the energy consumption, money cost, and network latency, the skyline query mechanism is utilized for extracting the optimized cloud composition. We evaluate our approach by comparing the proposed algorithm to the random-based service composition approach. A case study is also conducted for demonstrating the effectiveness and superiority of our proposed approach.
Improved Framework for Assessing Vulnerability to Different Types of Urban Floods
Authors: Yang Quntao , Zhang Shuliang , Dai Qiang , Yao Rui
Published: September 2020

Vulnerability assessment is an essential tool in mitigating the impact of urban flooding. To date, most flood vulnerability research has focused on one type of flood, such as a pluvial or fluvial flood. However, cities can suffer from urban flooding for several reasons, such as precipitation and river levee overtopping. Therefore, a vulnerability assessment considering different types of floods (pluvial floods, fluvial floods, and compound flooding induced by both rainfall and river overtopping) was conducted in this study. First, a coupled urban flood model, considering both overland and sewer network flow, was developed using the storm water management model (SWMM) and LISFLOOD-FP model to simulate the different types of flood and applied to Lishui, China. Then, the results of the flood modeling were combined with a vulnerability curve to obtain the potential impact of flooding on different land-use classes. The results indicated that different types of floods could have different influence areas and result in various degrees of flood vulnerability for different land-use classes. The results also suggest that urban flood vulnerability can be underestimated due to a lack of consideration of the full flood-induced factors.
Resilience and Creativity in Teenagers with High Intellectual Abilities. A Middle School Enrichment Experience in Vulnerable Contexts
Authors: López-Aymes Gabriela , Acuña Santiago Roger , Ordaz Villegas Gabriela
Published: September 2020

This article presents and describes an extracurricular enrichment intervention program to promote the development of resilience factors, aimed at teenagers with high abilities from vulnerable social contexts. In addition, its effects on aspects related to creativity and resilience are explored. This program proposes a series of creative and meaningful activities so that students can explore, experiment, express their emotions and analytically contrast their own identity characteristics with their surrounding reality. A comparative case study was carried out with a mixed methodological approach. Three students (two male and one female) of 13 and 14 years of age and with high abilities, who attended a public middle school located in a disadvantaged sector of the Mexican capital, participated. The program was developed over nine sessions (90 min each), over two months. The quantitative analysis did not show significant differences in the creativity and resilience factors. However, the qualitative analysis of the tasks and products created by the participants has provided positive evidence about the program’s contribution to enhancing their self-knowledge and coping skills, considering the adversities of their family, school and social contexts.
Bigger Data and Quantitative Methods in the Study of Socio-Environmental Conflicts
Authors: Haslam Paul Alexander
Published: September 2020

New data sources that I characterize as “bigger data” can offer insight into the causes and consequences of socio-environmental conflicts, especially in the mining and extractive sectors, improving the accuracy and generalizability of findings. This article considers several contemporary methods for generating, compiling, and structuring data including geographic information system (GIS) data, and protest event analysis (PEA). Methodologies based on the use of bigger data and quantitative methods can complement, challenge, and even substitute for findings from the qualitative literature. A review of the literature shows that a particularly promising approach is to combine multiple sources of data to analyze complex problems. Moreover, such approaches permit the researcher to conduct methodologically rigorous desk-based research that is suited to areas with difficult field conditions or restricted access, and is especially relevant in a pandemic and post-pandemic context in which the ability to conduct field research is constrained.
Exploration of Influential Determinants for the Adoption of Business Intelligence System in the Textile and Apparel Industry
Authors: Ahmad Sumera , Miskon Suraya , Alabdan Rana , Tlili Iskander
Published: September 2020

The textile and apparel industry is prone to digitization with business intelligence systems (BIS) and big data concepts to contribute the global sustainability. BIS, an impactful and leading technology, is being implemented in many industrial sectors but almost 80% of BIS fail to give expected results due to unknown reasons. Although many scholars put effort into finding the influential determinants for the BIS implementation, they neglect the BIS adoption context, especially in the textile and apparel industry. A purposive and proportionate choice of potential determinants in the context of adoption would contribute significantly to the success of BIS. Multi-stage research is employed to identify and prioritize the significant determinants. In the first stage, twenty-two semi-structured in-depth interviews are conducted with seventeen textile and apparel companies. Ten significant determinants emerged after thematic analysis of interview data. The determinants are sustainability, competitive pressure, market trends, compatibility, technology maturity, leadership commitment and support, satisfaction with existing systems, sustainable data quality and integrity, users’ traits, and interpersonal communications that influence the adoption of BIS. In the second stage, the Best Worst Method (BWM) is used to calculate the weights for prioritizing the determinants based on experts’ opinion. These weights are then used to evaluate and rank the determinants. The findings of this research show that the leadership commitment and support, sustainability, users’ traits, and technology maturity, are the top-ranked determinants that influence the practitioners’ choice to adopt the BIS in the textile and apparel industry. The results of this study enable the BIS stakeholders to holistically comprehend the significant determinants that would drive or impede the success of BIS projects in the sustainable textile and apparel industry.
Effects of Biochar on Irrigation Management and Water Use Efficiency for Three Different Crops in a Desert Sandy Soil
Authors: Baiamonte Giorgio , Minacapilli Mario , Crescimanno Giuseppina
Published: September 2020

This paper aimed at investigating if the application of biochar (BC) to desert sand (DS) from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), characterized by a very poor soil-water retention (SWR) and by a very low value of the maximum water available for crops (AWmax), could positively affect soil water balance, by reducing the irrigation needs (VIRR) and improving the irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) and the water use efficiency (WUE). The analysis was performed for three crops, i.e., wheat (Triticum aestivum), sorghum (Sorghum vulgare) and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum). BC was applied to the DS at different fractions, fBC (fBC = 0, 0.091, 0.23 and 0.33). Drip irrigation was adopted as a highly efficient water saving method, which is particularly relevant in arid, water-scarce countries. Soil water balance and irrigation scheduling were simulated by application of the AQUACROP model, using as input the SWR measured without and with BC addition. The effect of BC was investigated under either a no-water stress (NWS) condition for the crops or deficit irrigation (DI). The results showed that the application of BC made it possible to reduce the predicted VIRR and to increase the IWUE under the NWS scenario, especially for wheat and sorghum, with less evident benefits for tomato. When a deficit irrigation (DI) was considered, even at the lowest considered fBC (0.091), BC counterbalanced the lower VIRR provided under DI, thus mitigating the yield reduction due to water stress, and improved the WUE. The influence of BC was more pronounced in wheat and tomato than in sorghum. The results evidenced that the application of BC could be a potential strategy for saving irrigation water and/or reducing the effects of drought stress in desert sand. This means that biochar could be used a management option to promote local production and reduce the dependency on food import, not only in the UAE, but also in other countries with extremely arid climatic conditions and large extensions of sandy soils similar to the considered DS.
Social Innovations for Sustainable Consumption and Their Perceived Sustainability Effects in Tehran
Authors: Iran Samira , Müller Martin
Published: September 2020

Against the backdrop of current sustainability problems, various social innovations for sustainable consumption are emerging across the globe. In order to explore the sustainability potentials of such initiatives, it is vital to understand (1) why consumers are accepting and joining these initiatives and (2) how they perceive the sustainability potentials of initiatives’ offers. In order to correctly estimate the sustainability potential of the initiatives, one should consider possible negative sustainability impacts as well as rebound effects alongside all the positive sustainability effects. Moreover, studies on social innovations for sustainable consumption have mostly been conducted in the context of the Global North. This paper focuses on studying and understanding the current situation of social innovations for sustainable consumption and its sustainability potentials in Tehran, Iran. A qualitative explorative study was conducted using desk research as well as semi-structured in-depth interviews with Iranian consumers. The results of this study confirm the existence of growing supply and demand trends for such initiatives in Iran. Among the different initiatives, those that are copies of international companies or offering alternative mobility solutions seem to have more chances for diffusion, as consumers are more motivated to use their offers. The sample of this study believed that by joining these initiatives, they could contribute to achieving greater sustainability. However, the results of the interviews also show that the possible negative sustainability and rebound effects of their engagement in such initiatives were often neglected. Therefore, there is still a need not only for educating consumers about the overall sustainability potentials of these initiatives but also for exhibiting the sustainability impacts that their consumption behaviors regarding the use of initiatives’ offers can have. This way, these initiatives can be more successful in terms of contributing to sustainability.
Sustainable Development of Human Resources in Globalization Period
Authors: Stofkova Zuzana , Sukalova Viera
Published: September 2020

The article deals with human resource management, its theoretical principles, and its use in practice in the era of globalization. The main goal of this paper is to analyze and describe human resource management focused on the process of human resource development and education. The article shows how the principles are applied in a selected Information-Communication Technologies (ICT) company in Slovakia as an attractive employer who is interested in satisfaction, education, and growth of its employees, thus employer branding. The data was collected through a questionnaire survey with employees in the selected company. Secondary data from corporate sources were used, too. The aim of the survey was to point out the human resources management in a selected company and to examine the perception of the impact of employees development on their performance and to design effective approaches to personnel development in a selected company with an impact on employee performance. The aim of the survey was to find out whether there was a dependence between the subjectively perceived performance of the employees and individual aspects, which are the completion of technical training programs, individual evaluation of the employee, relocation of the employee, and the number of completed training activities. A questionnaire survey was used to achieve this goal.
Smart Consumers: A New Segment for Sustainable Digital Retailing in Korea
Authors: Ahn Soo-kyoung
Published: September 2020

Today’s smart consumers are intelligent consumers with multiple roles in the digital consumption environment. Consumer smartness refers to the multi-dimensional qualities that support various roles. Aiming to discover who the smart consumers are in the digital consumption context, this study classifies consumer segments based on consumer smartness and explores each segment’s profile in terms of demographic and behavioral characteristics. Using the data of 541 adult consumers, a clustering analysis generated four optimal clusters: Go-getters, Socialites, Realists, and Shopping-pococurante. Consumers with a higher level of consumer smartness were likely to have stronger shopping and sharing intentions, which indicates that smart consumers are active entities in the digital consumption context. This is the first attempt to segment today’s consumers carrying out multiple roles based on the concept of consumer smartness.
Will Third-Party Treatment Effectively Solve Issues Related to Industrial Pollution in China?
Authors: Peng Qiao , Xiao Yao
Published: September 2020

China expanded the application of the third-party treatment model (TPTM) in 2017 for effectively tackling the issues related to industrial pollution on a trial basis, and the model could diversify the government’s toolbox for addressing industrial pollution. With multiple players such as local governments, polluters, and environmental services providers (ESP) involved in the TPTM, appropriate guidance and coordination among the three players are critical to the success of the TPTM. This study constructs an evolutionary game model for the three players to capture their interaction mechanisms and simulates the three-player evolutionary game dynamics with the replicator dynamics equation. The simulation results show that heavier penalties for pollution and lower regulatory costs incurred by local governments could effectively improve the performance of the TPTM. Moreover, although environmental incentives provided by the central government to local levels do not affect the ultimate performance of the TPTM, they do shorten the time needed for the effect of the TPTM to emerge. The study concludes by proposing policy recommendations based on these results.
The Three Dialectics of Adaptation Finance in Vietnam
Authors: Pannier Emmanuel , Vu Toan Canh , Espagne Etienne , Pulliat Gwenn , Nguyen Thi Thu Ha
Published: September 2020

The goal of this paper is to analyze the complex institutional landscape of adaptation finance in Vietnam, a middle-income country highly vulnerable to the impact of climate change. While resources from international organizations and national authorities occupy a prominent position in adaptation funding, the use of local resources that directly or indirectly support adaptation practices is also an important factor to consider. We hypothesize that it is that interplay between official climate change finance on the one hand and local social dynamics on the other hand that shapes the structure of adaptation funding. These very particular financing circuits consequently determine the kind of adaptation actions that are actually implemented. The paper unfolds the adaptation finance flows at all scales by using qualitative field studies, technical and legal reports, and a wide-ranging literature on adaptation project financing, and thus identifies three types of dialectical tensions that might hinder Vietnamese institutional readiness for adaptation finance: the adaptation/development financing nexus, the adaptation/reaction financing behaviors, and the endogenous/exogenous financing dichotomy. Ultimately, the paper derives from these dialectical tensions within the architecture and functioning of adaptation finance key takeaway messages for a prospective analysis of adaptation funding that better informs adaptation finance policies.
Effect of Chloride Ions on Electro-Coagulation to Treat Industrial Wastewater Containing Cu and Ni
Authors: Huang Chien-Hung , Shen Shan-Yi , Chen Chiu-Wen , Dong Cheng-Di , Kumar Mohanraj , Dakshinamoorthy Balasubramanian , Chang Jih-Hsing
Published: September 2020

A series of experiments with different NaCl concentrations added to the PCB (printed circuit board) wastewater were prepared to investigate the chloride effect on the formation of aluminum floc and removal efficiency of Cu and Ni. The effects of pH, current density, and different concentration of NaCl were studied and the results are discussed. Results imply that chloride ions are favored to avoid the passivation of the aluminum anode in the EC (electro-coagulation) system. Chloride ions used as the electrolyte can facilitate the release of Al3+, which results in the current efficiency of over 100% in the EC system. For the PCB factory’s wastewater, the EC system could remove Cu2+ and Ni2+ effectively (both Cu and Ni concentration of treated wastewater was less than 1.0 mg/L within three minutes). PCB wastewater’s pH value could maintain stably about 9.0 in the EC system when the initial pH value was around 2.5. The estimated electricity consumption for treating PCB wastewater by the EC process was about 0.894 kWh for each meter of cubic wastewater.
Comparison of Approaches for Irrigation Scheduling Using AquaCrop and NSGA-III Models under Climate Uncertainty
Authors: Mwiya Richwell Mubita , Zhang Zhanyu , Zheng Chengxin , Wang Ce
Published: September 2020

In the face of increased competition for water resources, optimal irrigation scheduling is necessary for sustainable development of irrigated agriculture. However, optimal irrigation scheduling is a nonlinear problem with many competing and conflicting objectives and constraints, and deals with an environment in which conditions are uncertain. In this study, a multi-objective optimization problem for irrigation scheduling was presented in which maximization of net benefits and water use efficiency and minimization of risk were the objectives. The presented optimization problem was solved using four different approaches, all of which used the AquaCrop model and nondominated sorting genetic algorithm III. Approach 1 used dynamic climate data without adaption; Approach 2 used dynamic climate data with adaption; Approach 3 used static climate data without adaption; and Approach 4 used static climate data with adaption. The dynamic climate data were generated using the bootstrap resampling of original climate data. A case study of maize production in north Jiangsu Province of China was used to evaluate the proposed approaches. Under the multi-objective scenario presented and other conditions of the study, Approach 4 gave the best results, and showed that irrigation depths of 400, 325, and 200 mm were required to produce a maize crop in a dry, normal, and wet year, respectively.
Surface Interactions of Transonic Shock Waves with Graphene-Like Nanoribbons
Authors: Chinke Shamal L. , Sandhu Inderpal Singh , Bhave Tejashree M. , Alegaonkar Prashant S.
Published: September 2020

Graphene-like nanoribbons (GLNRs) were fabricated (length—20 μm; width—2 μm) and subjected to blast-like pulsed pressure >1.5 GPa (pulse speed ≈1 Mach, impulse duration, ≈µs) to examine the amount of absorption. GLNRs prepared by the chemical vapor deposition technique via controlled biomass combustion were subjected to investigate the structure–property characteristics using microspectroscopic techniques. Following this, GLNRs were employed to high strain rate (HSR) studies with the help of the technique known as split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) to evaluate numerous dynamic parameters. The parameters were extracted from variations in the stress and strain rates. Their analysis provided insight into the damping response of blast energy within GLNRs. By and large, the impact generated modified the microstructure, exhibiting modifications in the number of layers, conjugated loops, and dynamic disorder. Signal processing analysis carried out for incident and transmitted impulse pressure revealed an interaction mechanism of shock wave with GLNR. Details are presented.
First Detection of Tetrodotoxin in Bivalves and Gastropods from the French Mainland Coasts
Authors: Hort Vincent , Arnich Nathalie , Guérin Thierry , Lavison-Bompard Gwenaëlle , Nicolas Marina
Published: September 2020

In 2015, tetrodotoxins (TTXs) were considered a potential threat in Europe since several studies had shown the presence of these toxins in European bivalve molluscs. In this study, we investigated the occurrence of TTXs in 127 bivalve samples (mussels and oysters) and in 66 gastropod samples (whelks) collected all along the French mainland coasts in 2017 and 2018. Analyses were carried out after optimization and in-house validation of a performing hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography associated with tandem mass spectrometry (HILIC-MS/MS) method. The concentration set by European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) not expected to result in adverse effects (44 µg TTX equivalent/kg) was never exceeded, but TTX was detected in three mussel samples and one whelk sample (1.7–11.2 µg/kg). The tissue distribution of TTX in this whelk sample showed higher concentrations in the digestive gland, stomach and gonads (7.4 µg TTX/kg) than in the rest of the whelk tissues (below the limit of detection of 1.7 µg TTX/kg). This is the first study to report the detection of TTX in French molluscs.
Detection and Phylogenetic Analyses of Taura Syndrome Virus from Archived Davidson’s-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded Shrimp Tissue
Authors: Ochoa Lauren Marie , Cruz-Flores Roberto , Dhar Arun K.
Published: September 2020

Taura syndrome is a World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)-listed disease of marine shrimp that is caused by Taura syndrome virus (TSV), a single-stranded RNA virus. Here we demonstrate the utility of using 15-year-old archived Davidson’s-fixed paraffin-embedded (DFPE) shrimp tissues for TSV detection and phylogenetic analyses. Total RNA was isolated from known TSV-infected DFPE tissues using three commercially available kits and the purity and ability to detect TSV in the isolated RNA were compared. TSV was successfully detected through RT-qPCR in all the tested samples. Among the TSV-specific primers screened through RT-PCR, primer pair TSV-20 for the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), primers TSV-15 and TSV-16 for the capsid protein gene VP2 and primers TSV-5 for the capsid protein gene VP1 amplified the highest number of samples. To assess the phylogenetic relation among different TSV isolates, the VP1 gene was amplified and sequenced in overlapping segments. Concatenated sequences from smaller fragments were taken for phylogenetic analyses. The results showed that the TSV isolates from this study generally clustered with homologous isolates from the corresponding geographical regions indicating RNA derived from DFPE tissues can be used for pathogen detection and retrospective analyses. The ability to perform genomic characterization from archived tissue will expedite pathogen discovery, development of diagnostic tools and prevent disease spread in shrimp and potentially other aquaculture species worldwide.
Recognition of Dimeric Lewis X by Anti-Dimeric Lex Antibody SH2
Authors: Jegatheeswaran Sinthuja , Asnani Ari , Forman Adam , Hendel Jenifer L. , Moore Christopher J. , Nejatie Ali , Wang An , Wang Jo-Wen , Auzanneau France-Isabelle
Published: September 2020

The carbohydrate antigen dimeric Lewis X (DimLex), which accumulates in colonic and liver adenocarcinomas, is a valuable target to develop anti-cancer therapeutics. Using the native DimLex antigen as a vaccine would elicit an autoimmune response against the Lex antigen found on normal, healthy cells. Thus, we aim to study the immunogenic potential of DimLex and search internal epitopes displayed by DimLex that remain to be recognized by anti-DimLex monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) but no longer possess epitopes recognized by anti-Lex mAbs. In this context, we attempted to map the epitope recognized by anti-DimLex mAb SH2 by titrations and competitive inhibition experiments using oligosaccharide fragments of DimLex as well as Lex analogues. We compare our results with that reported for anti-Lex mAb SH1 and anti-polymeric Lex mAbs 1G5F6 and 291-2G3-A. While SH1 recognizes an epitope localized to the non-reducing end Lex trisaccharide, SH2, 1G5F6, and 291-2G3-A have greater affinity for DimLex conjugates than for Lex conjugates. We show, however, that the Lex trisaccharide is still an important recognition element for SH2, which (like 1G5F6 and 291-2G3-A) makes contacts with all three sugar units of Lex. In contrast to mAb SH1, anti-polymeric Lex mAbs make contact with the GlcNAc acetamido group, suggesting that epitopes extend further from the non-reducing end Lex. Results with SH2 show that this epitope is only recognized when DimLex is presented by glycoconjugates. We have reported that DimLex adopts two conformations around the β-d-GlcNAc-(1→3)-d-Gal bond connecting the Lex trisaccharides. We propose that only one of these conformations is recognized by SH2 and that this conformation is favored when the hexasaccharide is presented as part of a glycoconjugate such as DimLex-bovine serum albumin (DimLex-BSA). Proper presentation of the oligosaccharide candidate via conjugation to a protein or lipid is essential for the design of an anti-cancer vaccine or immunotherapeutic based on DimLex.
The influence of metal on the performance of 2,4,5-triphenylimidazole as an inhibitor of dengue virus replication
Authors: Sumarsih Sri , Pratiwi Muthia Dewi , Ainni Indah Nur , Sinatriya Hardinata Rachmad , Soegijanto Soegeng , Sucipto Teguh Hari , Setyawati Harsasi
Published: September 2020

Dengue is a contagious disease caused by dengue virus and transmitted to humans by the bite of infected Aedes aegypti mosquito. Imidazole and its derivatives are proven have ability impairing dengue virus. One of potential imodazole’s derivatives is 2,4,5-triphenylimidazole (TPI). The presence of metal to the 2,4,5-triphenylimidazole (TPI) structure through a complex compound formation highly contributes to their ability as an inhibtor dengue virus replication. Iron, cobalt and zinc were used as an ion center in the complex compound. Complex Zn-TPI and Fe-TPI showed low cytotoxic effect at all the evaluated concentrations (viability > 50%). Complex Co-TPI showed reduction of DENV-3 growth, at the lowest concentration (6.25 µg/ml) exhibited the antiviral activity (DENV-3 reduction 43%). For Fe-TPI and Zn-TPI, the reduction values of DENV-3 were 56% and 54.9% respectively.
Aluminum accumulation in treatment using submerged membrane electro-bioreactor of young landfill leachate: Statistical analysis
Authors: Kurtoglu Akkaya Gulizar , Ayvaz-cavdaroglu Nur , Bilgili Mehmet Sinan
Published: September 2020

Herein, landfill leachate containing high amount of organic matter, which is quite difficult to treat, was first treated using the new submerged membrane electro-bioreactor (SMEBR) system. Aluminum (Al) electrode was used for the treatment of leachate in the SMEBR and Al accumulation was detected. This study aims to examine Al accumulation in the treatment of leachate with high organic content in the SMEBR system. The Al values obtained were plotted on a graph using MS Excel, and Mann–Whitney U test was used to determine whether there is a statistical difference between the observed Al values. Also, correlations between Al accumulations and conductivity and TOC in SMEBR and SMBR were evaluated. Resultantly, it was found that relationship between Al and conductivity is very weak, correlation between Al and TOC% is a weak-moderate, the Al accumulation in the SEMBR has a linear relationship with time and there is a very strong correlation between the two variables (R2= 0.7591). Its correlation with time in the SMBR is moderate (R2= 0.3316). MS Excel 2016 and Minitab 16.0 programs were utilized in the statistical analyses.
PREVENÇÃO DE ACIDENTES NA INFÂNCIA: ATUAÇÃO DO ENFERMEIRO NA ATENÇÃO PRIMÁRIA
Authors: Nunes Truta Camylla
Published: September 2020

Os acidentes na infância já se constituem como um problema de saúde pública, pois apresentam grande representação como causa de morbimortalidade. Eles podem ser controlados, uma vez que existe uma série de fatores que tornam sua ocorrência previsível. A sua prevenção significa garantir um espaço rico em oportunidades e seguro para a criança. O trabalho teve como objetivo geral elaborar uma proposta de intervenção para atuação do enfermeiro da Estratégia de Saúde da Família na prevenção de acidentes nos dois primeiros anos de vida. Trata-se de uma pesquisa do tipo Revisão Integrativa baseada em pesquisas com temáticas similares, sendo, portanto um importante instrumento para a Prática Baseada em Evidências (PBE). Dentre os tipos de acidentes que mais acometem as crianças até os dois anos de idade, encontram-se as quedas, cortes, queimaduras, contusões e a sufocação. Tendo em vista que a formação do enfermeiro da saúde coletiva está voltada à prevenção e promoção da saúde, estes profissionais se encontram capacitados a desenvolver estas ações visando a prevenção de acidentes na infância. Ao analisar os estudos pode-se realizar um planejamento para desenvolver programas educacionais de prevenção de acidentes e atuar nos espaços que permitam essa comunicação seja com pais, professores e até mesmo a comunicação em massa através de sites e mídias televisivas. Com isto, visa-se diminuir o número de acidentes na infância causados pela falta de atenção aos infantes e ao ambiente em que eles convivem. Palavras chave: Enfermeiros. Estratégia Saúde da Família. Prevenção de Acidentes.
EFEITOS DA ANDIROBA (CARAPA GUIANENSIS) NO EDEMA ARTICULAR E NA DEAMBULAÇÃO DE CAMUNDONGOS COM ARTRITE EXPERIMENTAL INDUZIDA POR ZYMOSAN
Authors: José Guimarães da Poça Jadson , Cunha Silva Renata , Frank Moreira de Souza Emerson , Pacheco de Almeida Christian , Cristina do Reis Ferreira Tereza , Silva Santos Alberdan
Published: September 2020

OBJETIVO: Verificar os efeitos da andiroba sobre o edema articular e a deambulação de camundongos induzidos à artrite por Zymosan. MÉTODOS: Os animais foram distribuídos em 4 grupos de 5 camundongos (controle, Zymosan, dexametasona e andiroba), recebendo a administração de acordo com o nome especificado do grupo, uma hora antes da indução à artrite experimental. Seis horas depois, os animais foram reavaliados com o intuito de medir diâmetro articular e o teste de deambulação forçada. RESULTADOS: A média do diâmetro da articulação dos camundongos que receberam tratamento com andiroba (1,26 ± 0,61) não atingiu resultados esperados, sendo maiores que as médias do grupo controle (0,296 ± 0,18) e dexametasona (0,22 ± 0,21). Enquanto isso, no teste de deambulação forçada o grupo andiroba (3,6 ± 0.55) obteve resultados satisfatórios e com scores médios próximos do grupo dexametasona (3,8 ± 0.45), ou seja, evidenciou-se um baixo comprometimento funcional na deambulação. CONCLUSÃO: Apesar de a andiroba não ter apresentado efeito esperado acerca do edema articular na articulação dos animais induzidas à artrite por Zymosan, em contrapartida, sua administração apresentou efeito satisfatório sobre a deambulação dos animais induzidos a artrite e que receberam dose de andiroba, seus efeitos foram próximo ao da grupo dexametasona, este último um anti-inflamatório de controle positivo. Logo, a andiroba mostrou ser uma alternativa em potencial para tratamento de artrite, necessitando de mais estudos para sua comprovação.

Palavras chave: Artrite Experimental; Camundongos; joelho; inflamação.