bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploring the Opportunities and Challenges of European Design Policy to Enable Innovation. The Case of Designscapes Project
Authors: Li Chuan , Rausell Köster Pau
Published: June 2020

Design policy for innovation and prosperity has been acknowledged and adopted globally. Existing literature on design policy usually adopts a top-down perspective to analyse the components of the design innovation system and ignores the practical needs of practitioners. Our study aims to explore potential opportunities and challenges of design policies for design-enabled innovation from a bottom-up perspective. We firstly discussed the enabling role of design in the context of design as input, output and process of innovation with emphasis on design-enabled innovation conception; then European design policies are reviewed in terms of characteristics, priorities and strategies at EU, national and regional levels. Based on multiple case studies on the SWOT (i.e., Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis of 50 European design innovation initiatives, we summarised eight dimensions of SWOT factors—organisation, production, performance, knowledge, environment, market, technology and institution—so as to identify main strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that practitioners are facing, and discussed common and specific factors that might influence the identification of SWOT forces by taking into account country and sector factors. We concluded that European design policy is located at a point of intergenerational transition from awareness raising to capacity building, which calls for more coordinated policies to tackle current opportunities and challenges.
Trends in Educational Research about e-Learning: A Systematic Literature Review (2009–2018)
Authors: Valverde-Berrocoso Jesús , Garrido-Arroyo María del Carmen , Burgos-Videla Carmen , Morales-Cevallos María Belén
Published: June 2020

The concept of e-learning is a technology-mediated learning approach of great potential from the educational perspective and it has been one of the main research lines of Educational Technology in the last decades. The aim of the present systematic literature review (SLR) was to identify (a) the research topics; (b) the most relevant theories; (c) the most researched modalities; and (d) the research methodologies used. To this end, the PRISMA protocol was followed, and different tools were used for the bibliographic management and text-mining. The literature selection was carried out in three first-quartile journals indexed in JCR-SSCI specialized in Educational Technology. A total of 248 articles composed the final sample. The analysis of the texts identified three main nodes: (a) online students; (b) online teachers; and (c) curriculum-interactive learning environments. It was revealed that MOOC was the most researched e-learning modality. The Community of Inquiry and the Technological Acceptance Model, were the most used theories in the analyzed studies. The most frequent methodology was case study. Finally, the conclusions regarding the objectives of our SRL are presented: Main themes and research sub-themes, most researched e-learning modality, most relevant theoretical frameworks on e-learning, and typologies of research methodologies.
Design of Appropriate Technology-Assisted Urine Tester Enabling Remote and Long-Term Monitoring of Health Conditions
Authors: Lee Hyun-Kyung , Bae Jeong-Hyeon
Published: June 2020

A novel design idea supported by affordable design processes can address unresolved social problems such as the imbalance of opportunity in healthcare services, owing to high costs and a lack of access. We designed an appropriate technology-assisted urine tester to provide healthcare services for the elderly and underprivileged in order to monitor their health conditions daily and remotely help them determine whether to visit hospitals/clinics for in-depth diagnoses. To minimize production costs, we used a charge-coupled device camera for colorimetric-type urine analysis in conjunction with commercially available urine test strips; all other electronic components were mass-produced. We calibrated this urine tester and compared it with a commercially available high-end tester; the results showed high accuracy for most urine compounds. We verified its major device functions by recruiting four participants who tested their urine over four weeks and provided self-surveys of their health conditions. The proposed tester demonstrates a low price-to-performance ratio with high reliability, while its production and maintenance costs are as low as 20 USD per set. We focused on a human-centered technological approach from a simple and innovative design point of view in order to serve people and healthcare providers in an affordable way. We believe that the tester can be widely distributed, exemplifying appropriate technological application for those who require, but cannot enjoy, proper medical services, thereby improving social healthcare sustainability.
An Optimal Fourth Order Derivative-Free Numerical Algorithm for Multiple Roots
Authors: Kumar Sunil , Kumar Deepak , Sharma Janak Raj , Cesarano Clemente , Agarwal Praveen , Chu Yu-Ming
Published: June 2020

A plethora of higher order iterative methods, involving derivatives in algorithms, are available in the literature for finding multiple roots. Contrary to this fact, the higher order methods without derivatives in the iteration are difficult to construct, and hence, such methods are almost non-existent. This motivated us to explore a derivative-free iterative scheme with optimal fourth order convergence. The applicability of the new scheme is shown by testing on different functions, which illustrates the excellent convergence. Moreover, the comparison of the performance shows that the new technique is a good competitor to existing optimal fourth order Newton-like techniques.
Landslide Susceptibility Mapping Using the Slope Unit for Southeastern Helong City, Jilin Province, China: A Comparison of ANN and SVM
Authors: Yu Chenglong , Chen Jianping
Published: June 2020

The purpose of this study is to produce a landslide susceptibility map of Southeastern Helong City, Jilin Province, Northeastern China. According to the geological hazard survey (1:50,000) project of Helong city, a total of 83 landslides were mapped in the study area. The slope unit, which is classified based on the curvature watershed method, is selected as the mapping unit. Based on field investigations and previous studies, three groups of influencing Factors—Lithological factors, topographic factors, and geological environment factors (including ten influencing factors)—are selected as the influencing factors. Artificial neural networks (ANN’s) and support vector machines (SVM’s) are introduced to build the landslide susceptibility model. Five-fold cross-validation, the receiver operating characteristic curve, and statistical parameters are used to optimize model. The results show that the SVM model is the optimal model. The landslide susceptibility maps produced using the SVM model are classified into five grades—very high, high, moderate, low, and very low—and the areas of the five grades were 127.43, 151.60, 198.77, 491.19, and 506.91 km2, respectively. The very high and high susceptibility areas included 79.52% of the total landslides, demonstrating that the landslide susceptibility map produced in this paper is reasonable. Consequently, this study can serve as a guide for landslide prevention and for future land planning in the southeast of Helong city.
Prediction of the Neutrino Mass Scale Using Coma Galaxy Cluster Data
Authors: Morley Peter D.
Published: June 2020

The near degeneracy of the neutrino masses—a mass symmetry—allows condensed neutrino objects that may be the Dark Matter everybody is looking for. If the KATRIN terrestrial experiment has a neutrino mass signal, it will contradict the analysis of the Planck Satellite Consortium reduction of their raw cosmological microwave data. Using Condensed Neutrino Objects as the Dark Matter along with Coma Galaxy Cluster data, we predict that KATRIN will indeed see a neutrino mass signal. If this physics drama unfolds, there will be profound implications for cosmology, which are discussed in this paper.
Recent Advances on Macrocyclic Trichothecenes, Their Bioactivities and Biosynthetic Pathway
Authors: Zhu Muzi , Cen Youfei , Ye Wei , Li Saini , Zhang Weimin
Published: June 2020

Macrocyclic trichothecenes are an important group of trichothecenes bearing a large ring. Despite the fact that many of trichothecenes are of concern in agriculture, food contamination, health care and building protection, the macrocyclic ones are becoming the research hotspot because of their diversity in structure and biologic activity. Several researchers have declared that macrocyclic trichothecenes have great potential to be developed as antitumor agents, due to the plenty of their compounds and bioactivities. In this review we summarize the newly discovered macrocyclic trichothecenes and their bioactivities over the last decade, as well as identifications of genes tri17 and tri18 involved in the trichothecene biosynthesis and putative biosynthetic pathway. According to the search results in database and phylogenetic trees generated in the review, the species of the genera Podostroma and Monosporascus would probably be great sources for producing macrocyclic trichothecenes. Moreover, we propose that the macrocyclic trichothecene roridin E could be formed via acylation or esterification of the long side chain linked with C-4 to the hydroxyl group at C-15, and vice versa. More assays and evidences are needed to support this hypothesis, which would promote the verification of the proposed pathway.
Host–Pathogen Responses to Pandemic Influenza H1N1pdm09 in a Human Respiratory Airway Model
Authors: Pharo Elizabeth A. , Williams Sinéad M. , Boyd Victoria , Sundaramoorthy Vinod , Durr Peter A. , Baker Michelle L.
Published: June 2020

The respiratory Influenza A Viruses (IAVs) and emerging zoonotic viruses such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pose a significant threat to human health. To accelerate our understanding of the host–pathogen response to respiratory viruses, the use of more complex in vitro systems such as normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cell culture models has gained prominence as an alternative to animal models. NHBE cells were differentiated under air-liquid interface (ALI) conditions to form an in vitro pseudostratified epithelium. The responses of well-differentiated (wd) NHBE cells were examined following infection with the 2009 pandemic Influenza A/H1N1pdm09 strain or following challenge with the dsRNA mimic, poly(I:C). At 30 h postinfection with H1N1pdm09, the integrity of the airway epithelium was severely impaired and apical junction complex damage was exhibited by the disassembly of zona occludens-1 (ZO-1) from the cell cytoskeleton. wdNHBE cells produced an innate immune response to IAV-infection with increased transcription of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines and the antiviral viperin but reduced expression of the mucin-encoding MUC5B, which may impair mucociliary clearance. Poly(I:C) produced similar responses to IAV, with the exception of MUC5B expression which was more than 3-fold higher than for control cells. This study demonstrates that wdNHBE cells are an appropriate ex-vivo model system to investigate the pathogenesis of respiratory viruses.
Nuclear Egress Complexes of HCMV and Other Herpesviruses: Solving the Puzzle of Sequence Coevolution, Conserved Structures and Subfamily-Spanning Binding Properties
Authors: Marschall Manfred , Häge Sigrun , Conrad Marcus , Alkhashrom Sewar , Kicuntod Jintawee , Schweininger Johannes , Kriegel Mark , Lösing Josephine , Tillmanns Julia , Neipel Frank , Eichler Jutta , Muller Yves A. , Sticht Heinrich
Published: June 2020

Herpesviruses uniquely express two essential nuclear egress-regulating proteins forming a heterodimeric nuclear egress complex (core NEC). These core NECs serve as hexameric lattice-structured platforms for capsid docking and recruit viral and cellular NEC-associated factors that jointly exert nuclear lamina as well as membrane-rearranging functions (multicomponent NEC). The regulation of nuclear egress has been profoundly analyzed for murine and human cytomegaloviruses (CMVs) on a mechanistic basis, followed by the description of core NEC crystal structures, first for HCMV, then HSV-1, PRV and EBV. Interestingly, the highly conserved structural domains of these proteins stand in contrast to a very limited sequence conservation of the key amino acids within core NEC-binding interfaces. Even more surprising, although a high functional consistency was found when regarding the basic role of NECs in nuclear egress, a clear specification was identified regarding the limited, subfamily-spanning binding properties of core NEC pairs and NEC multicomponent proteins. This review summarizes the evolving picture of the relationship between sequence coevolution, structural conservation and properties of NEC interaction, comparing HCMV to α-, β- and γ-herpesviruses. Since NECs represent substantially important elements of herpesviral replication that are considered as drug-accessible targets, their putative translational use for antiviral strategies is discussed.
Phycoremediation of Landfill Leachate with Desmodesmus subspicatus: A Pre-Treatment for Reverse Osmosis
Authors: Kholomyeva Marina , Vurm Radek , Tajnaiová Lucia , Šír Marek , Maslova Mariya , Kočí Vladimír
Published: June 2020

Reverse osmosis is widely used as one of the most effective and advanced technologies for the treatment of leachate from landfill sites. Unfortunately, high leachate contamination—above all, ammonia nitrogen—affects membrane selectivity and is reflected in permeate quality. Furthermore, iron contained in leachate can facilitate chelates forming, which reduces the membrane anti-fouling capacity. The addition of a pre-treatment step could alleviate the adverse impact of the pollutants. As such, we investigated pollutant removal by phycoremediation. Initial ecotoxicity tests of three algal strains (Scenedesmus obliquus (S. obliquus), Desmodesmus subspicatus (D. subspicatus), and Chlorella vulgaris (C. vulgaris)) identified D. subspicatus as the strain most tolerant to leachate toxicity. Subsequently, D. subspicatus was cultivated in six landfill leachates of different origin and, after the cultivation, removal rates were determined for ammonia nitrogen and iron. Furthermore, the impact of input leachate parameters on remediation efficiency was also investigated. By phycoremediation, the reduction of up to 100% in iron and 83% in ammonia nitrogen load was achieved, which demonstrates the high potential of microalgae to mitigate environmental risks and reduce membrane foulant content.
A Spatially Distributed Investigation of Stream Water Temperature in a Contemporary Mixed-Land-Use Watershed
Authors: Horne Jason P. , Hubbart Jason A.
Published: June 2020

Stream water temperature (°C) is an important physical variable that influences many biological and abiotic water quality processes. The intermingled mosaic of land-use/land-cover (LULC) types and corresponding variability in stream water temperature (Tw) processes in contemporary mixed-land-use watersheds necessitate research to advance management and policy decisions. Water temperature was analyzed from 21 gauging sites using a nested-scale experimental watershed study design. Results showed that forested land use was negatively correlated (α = 0.05) with mean and maximum Tw. Agricultural land use was significantly positively correlated (α = 0.05) with maximum Tw except during the spring season. Mixed development and Tw were significantly correlated (α = 0.05) at quarterly and monthly timescales. Correlation trends in some reaches were reversed between the winter and summer seasons, contradicting previous research. During the winter season, mixed development showed a negative relationship with minimum Tw and mean Tw. During the summer season, higher minimum, maximum, and mean Tw correlations were observed. Advanced understanding generated through this high-resolution investigation improves land managers’ ability to improve conservation strategies in freshwater aquatic ecosystems of contemporary watersheds.
Green Infrastructure and Water: An Analysis of Global Research
Authors: Caparrós-Martínez José Luis , Milán-García Juan , Rueda-López Nuria , de Pablo-Valenciano Jaime
Published: June 2020

Green infrastructure (GI) is a nature-based solution that encompasses all actions that rely on ecosystems and the services they provide to respond to various societal challenges such as climate change, food security or disaster risk. The objective of this work is to analyze the state of the art and latest trends in research on GI related to the water cycle for the period 2002–2019. For this purpose, a bibliometric study is carried out taking as reference the two most important scientific databases, Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus. The results show that, as of 2013, there is an exponential increase in the number of publications. This is due to the fact that significant regions of the planet, such as Europe, have adopted strategies aimed at promoting the use of GI since 2013. The keyword analysis points out that ecosystem services is the most relevant concept, which shows the capacity of these infrastructures to facilitate multiple goods and services related to the water cycle. New lines of research are opened up which are based on the analysis of other elements of GI related to water, such as groundwater.
Understanding Future Water Challenges in a Highly Regulated Indian River Basin—Modelling the Impact of Climate Change on the Hydrology of the Upper Narmada
Authors: Rickards Nathan , Thomas Thomas , Kaelin Alexandra , Houghton-Carr Helen , Jain Sharad K. , Mishra Prabhash K. , Nema Manish K. , Dixon Harry , Rahman Mohammed M. , Horan Robyn , Jenkins Alan , Rees Gwyn
Published: June 2020

The Narmada river basin is a highly regulated catchment in central India, supporting a population of over 16 million people. In such extensively modified hydrological systems, the influence of anthropogenic alterations is often underrepresented or excluded entirely by large-scale hydrological models. The Global Water Availability Assessment (GWAVA) model is applied to the Upper Narmada, with all major dams, water abstractions and irrigation command areas included, which allows for the development of a holistic methodology for the assessment of water resources in the basin. The model is driven with 17 Global Circulation Models (GCMs) from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) ensemble to assess the impact of climate change on water resources in the basin for the period 2031–2060. The study finds that the hydrological regime within the basin is likely to intensify over the next half-century as a result of future climate change, causing long-term increases in monsoon season flow across the Upper Narmada. Climate is expected to have little impact on dry season flows, in comparison to water demand intensification over the same period, which may lead to increased water stress in parts of the basin.
Experimental Investigation on Pouring Aggregate to Plug Horizontal Tunnel with Flow Water
Authors: Zhang Gailing , Hui Shuang , Li Weixin , Sui Wanghua
Published: June 2020

This paper presents an experimental investigation on the main factors that influence the effects of pouring aggregate to plug a tunnel that has been inundated by groundwater to reduce the flow velocity. Moreover, a criterion for plugging the tunnel under infiltrating water to resist flow is proposed. A range analysis and analysis of variance both show that the influencing factors on the efficiency of plugging in descending order is the aggregate particle size, followed by initial velocity of the water flow, and then the water–solid mass ratio. The sedimentation process of the aggregate is likened to the deposition of solid particles into slurry in which the particles settle under gravitational force, thus accumulating at the bottom of the tunnel model due to the forces of the water flow and gravity. The critical velocity of the water that will transport the aggregate without settling can be used as a criterion to determine whether there has been a successful plug of the resistance to flow in the tunnel. The experimental results show that the critical velocity of fine aggregate is less than that of coarse aggregate, and the section with smaller sized aggregate or fine aggregate that resists water flow is flatter. In addition, the required minimum space between two pouring boreholes for a successful resistance to flow is discussed.
Advances in Modelling and Prediction on the Impact of Human Activities and Extreme Events on Environments
Authors: Rubinato Matteo , Luo Min , Zheng Xing , Pu Jaan H. , Shao Songdong
Published: June 2020

Fast urbanization and industrialization have progressively caused severe impacts on mountainous, river, and coastal environments, and have increased the risks for people living in these areas. Human activities have changed ecosystems hence it is important to determine ways to predict these consequences to enable the preservation and restoration of these key areas. Furthermore, extreme events attributed to climate change are becoming more frequent, aggravating the entire scenario and introducing ulterior uncertainties on the accurate and efficient management of these areas to protect the environment as well as the health and safety of people. In actual fact, climate change is altering rain patterns and causing extreme heat, as well as inducing other weather mutations. All these lead to more frequent natural disasters such as flood events, erosions, and the contamination and spreading of pollutants. Therefore, efforts need to be devoted to investigate the underlying causes, and to identify feasible mitigation and adaptation strategies to reduce negative impacts on both the environment and citizens. To contribute towards this aim, the selected papers in this Special Issue covered a wide range of issues that are mainly relevant to: (i) the numerical and experimental characterization of complex flow conditions under specific circumstances induced by the natural hazards; (ii) the effect of climate change on the hydrological processes in mountainous, river, and coastal environments, (iii) the protection of ecosystems and the restoration of areas damaged by the effects of climate change and human activities.
Feeding the Building Plumbing Microbiome: The Importance of Synthetic Polymeric Materials for Biofilm Formation and Management
Authors: Neu Lisa , Hammes Frederik
Published: June 2020

The environmental conditions in building plumbing systems differ considerably from the larger distribution system and, as a consequence, uncontrolled changes in the drinking water microbiome through selective growth can occur. In this regard, synthetic polymeric plumbing materials are of particular relevance, since they leach assimilable organic carbon that can be utilized for bacterial growth. Here, we discuss the complexity of building plumbing in relation to microbial ecology, especially in the context of low-quality synthetic polymeric materials (i.e., plastics) and highlight the major knowledge gaps in the field. We furthermore show how knowledge on the interaction between material properties (e.g., carbon migration) and microbiology (e.g., growth rate) allows for the quantification of initial biofilm development in buildings. Hence, research towards a comprehensive understanding of these processes and interactions will enable the implementation of knowledge-based management strategies. We argue that the exclusive use of high-quality materials in new building plumbing systems poses a straightforward strategy towards managing the building plumbing microbiome. This can be achieved through comprehensive material testing and knowledge sharing between all stakeholders including architects, planners, plumbers, material producers, home owners, and scientists.
Water Balance Backward: Estimation of Annual Watershed Precipitation and Its Long-Term Trend with the Help of the Calibration-Free Generalized Complementary Relationship of Evaporation
Authors: Szilagyi Jozsef
Published: June 2020

Watershed-scale annual evapotranspiration (ET) is routinely estimated by a simplified water balance as the difference in catchment precipitation (P) and stream discharge (Q). With recent developments in ET estimation by the calibration-free generalized complementary relationship, the water balance equation is employed to estimate watershed/basin P at an annual scale as ET + Q on the United States (US) Geological Survey’s Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) 2- and 6-level watersheds over the 1979–2015 period. On the HUC2 level, mean annual PRISM P was estimated with a correlation coefficient (R) of 0.99, relative bias (RB) of zero, root-mean-squared-error (RMSE) of 54 mm yr−1, ratio of standard deviations (RS) of 1.08, and Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) of 0.98. On the HUC6 level, R, RS, and NSE hardly changed, RB remained zero, while RMSE increased to 90 mm yr−1. Even the long-term linear trend values were found to be fairly consistent between observed and estimated values with R = 0.97 (0.81), RMSE = 0.63 (1.63) mm yr−1, RS = 0.99 (1.05), NSE = 0.92 (0.59) on the HUC2 and HUC6 (in parentheses) levels. This calibration-free water-balance method demonstrates that annual watershed precipitation can be estimated with an acceptable accuracy from standard atmospheric/radiation and stream discharge data.
Conceptual Mini-Catchment Typologies for Testing Dominant Controls of Nutrient Dynamics in Three Nordic Countries
Authors: Hashemi Fatemeh , Pohle Ina , Pullens Johannes W.M. , Tornbjerg Henrik , Kyllmar Katarina , Marttila Hannu , Lepistö Ahti , Kløve Bjørn , Futter Martyn , Kronvang Brian
Published: June 2020

Optimal nutrient pollution monitoring and management in catchments requires an in-depth understanding of spatial and temporal factors controlling nutrient dynamics. Such an understanding can potentially be obtained by analysing stream concentration–discharge (C-Q) relationships for hysteresis behaviours and export regimes. Here, a classification scheme including nine different C-Q types was applied to a total of 87 Nordic streams draining mini-catchments (0.1–65 km2). The classification applied is based on a combination of stream export behaviour (dilution, constant, enrichment) and hysteresis rotational pattern (clock-wise, no rotation, anti-clockwise). The scheme has been applied to an 8-year data series (2010–2017) from small streams in Denmark, Sweden, and Finland on daily discharge and discrete nutrient concentrations, including nitrate (NO3−), total organic N (TON), dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP), and particulate phosphorus (PP). The dominant nutrient export regimes were enrichment for NO3− and constant for TON, DRP, and PP. Nutrient hysteresis patterns were primarily clockwise or no hysteresis. Similarities in types of C-Q relationships were investigated using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) considering effects of catchment size, land use, climate, and dominant soil type. The PCA analysis revealed that land use and air temperature were the dominant factors controlling nutrient C-Q types. Therefore, the nutrient export behaviour in streams draining Nordic mini-catchments seems to be dominantly controlled by their land use characteristics and, to a lesser extent, their climate.
Comparative Characteristics of Percentage Edibility, Condition Index, Biochemical Constituents and Lipids Nutritional Quality Indices of Wild and Farmed Scallops (Flexopecten glaber)
Authors: Biandolino Francesca , Parlapiano Isabella , Grattagliano Asia , Fanelli Giovanni , Prato Ermelinda
Published: June 2020

The consumption of seafood has considerably increased over recent decades; however, as wild seafood stocks are limited, the cultured ones represent a possible valuable alternative. The purpose of this study was to compare wild and cultured scallops, Flexopecten glaber, on the basis of their marketability indices and biochemical characteristics. Wild and cultured specimens were harvested from the Ionian Sea (the Central Mediterranean Sea). Protein and lipid were significantly different between scallops, with the values of protein of 8.50 and 11.6 g/100 g and lipid of 1.45 and 1.70 g/100 g for wild and cultured scallops, respectively. Regarding fatty acids (FAs), statistical differences were also detected. The cultured species showed significantly (p < 0.05) higher polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) than its wild counterpart. Eicosapentaenoic (EPA, 20:5 n3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6:3) were the major polyunsaturated fatty acids, although only DHA showed significant differences between wild and culture scallops (p < 0.05). The ratio of n3/n6 PUFA showed high values, with 2.7 and 3.1 for wild and cultured scallops, respectively. The atherogenic and thrombogenic indices and hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic fatty acid ratio indicated an import role in human diet. The appreciated nutritional properties of this species could support the interest to promote its cultivation, ensuring high food nutritive value for the purchasers.
Studying Hydraulic Interconnections in Low-Permeability Media by Using Bacterial Communities as Natural Tracers
Authors: Rizzo Pietro , Petrella Emma , Bucci Antonio , Salvioli-Mariani Emma , Chelli Alessandro , Sanangelantoni Anna Maria , Raimondo Melinda , Quagliarini Andrea , Celico Fulvio
Published: June 2020

Knowledge about the processes governing subsurface microbial dynamics in and to groundwater represents an important tool for the development of robust, evidence-based policies and strategies to assess the potential impact of contamination sources and for the implementation of appropriate land use and management practices. In this research, we assessed the effectiveness of using microorganisms as natural tracers to analyze subsurface dynamics in a low-permeability system of northern Italy. Microbial communities were investigated through next-generation sequencing of 16S rRNA gene both to study hydraulic interconnections in clayey media and to verify the efficacy of outcropping clayey horizons in protecting groundwater against contamination. During the observation period, a rapid water percolation from the ground surface to the saturated medium was observed, and the mixing between lower-salinity fresh-infiltration waters and higher-salinity groundwater determined the formation of a halocline. This rapid percolation was a driver for the transport of microorganisms from the topsoil to the subsurface, as demonstrated by the presence of soil and rhizosphere bacteria in groundwater. Some of the species detected can carry out important processes such as denitrification or nitrate-reduction, whereas some others are known human pathogens (Legionella pneumophila and Legionella feeleii). These findings could be of utmost importance when studying the evolution of nitrate contamination over space and time in those areas where agricultural, industrial, and civil activities have significantly increased the levels of reactive nitrogen (N) in water bodies but, at the same time, could highlight that groundwater vulnerability of confined or semi-confined aquifers against contamination (both chemical and microbiological) could be higher than expected.
Physical Factors Impacting the Survival and Occurrence of Escherichia coli in Secondary Habitats
Authors: Petersen Fritz , Hubbart Jason A.
Published: June 2020

Escherichia (E.) coli is a fecal microbe that inhabits the intestines of endotherms (primary habitat) and the natural environment (secondary habitats). Due to prevailing thinking regarding the limited capacity of E. coli to survive in the environment, relatively few published investigations exist regarding environmental factors influencing E. coli’s survival. To help guide future research in this area, an overview of factors known to impact the survival of E. coli in the environment is provided. Notably, the lack of historic field-based research holds two important implications: (1) large knowledge gaps regarding environmental factors influencing E. coli’s survival in the environment exist; and (2) the efficacy of implemented management strategies have rarely been assessed on larger field scales, thus leaving their actual impact(s) largely unknown. Moreover, the persistence of E. coli in the environment calls into question its widespread and frequent use as a fecal indicator microorganism. To address these shortcomings, future work should include more field-based studies, occurring in diverse physiographical regions and over larger spatial extents. This information will provide scientists and land-use managers with a new understanding regarding factors influencing E. coli concentrations in its secondary habitat, thereby providing insight to address problematic fecal contamination effectively.
Impact of Permafrost Thaw and Climate Warming on Riverine Export Fluxes of Carbon, Nutrients and Metals in Western Siberia
Authors: Pokrovsky Oleg S. , Manasypov Rinat M. , Kopysov Sergey G. , Krickov Ivan V. , Shirokova Liudmila S. , Loiko Sergey V. , Lim Artem G. , Kolesnichenko Larisa G. , Vorobyev Sergey N. , Kirpotin Sergey N.
Published: June 2020

The assessment of riverine fluxes of carbon, nutrients, and metals in surface waters of permafrost-affected regions is crucially important for constraining adequate models of ecosystem functioning under various climate change scenarios. In this regard, the largest permafrost peatland territory on the Earth, the Western Siberian Lowland (WSL) presents a unique opportunity of studying possible future changes in biogeochemical cycles because it lies within a south–north gradient of climate, vegetation, and permafrost that ranges from the permafrost-free boreal to the Arctic tundra with continuous permafrost at otherwise similar relief and bedrocks. By applying a “substituting space for time” scenario, the WSL south-north gradient may serve as a model for future changes due to permafrost boundary shift and climate warming. Here we measured export fluxes (yields) of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), major cations, macro- and micro- nutrients, and trace elements in 32 rivers, draining the WSL across a latitudinal transect from the permafrost-free to the continuous permafrost zone. We aimed at quantifying the impact of climate warming (water temperature rise and permafrost boundary shift) on DOC, nutrient and metal in rivers using a “substituting space for time” approach. We demonstrate that, contrary to common expectations, the climate warming and permafrost thaw in the WSL will likely decrease the riverine export of organic C and many elements. Based on the latitudinal pattern of riverine export, in the case of a northward shift in the permafrost zones, the DOC, P, N, Si, Fe, divalent heavy metals, trivalent and tetravalent hydrolysates are likely to decrease the yields by a factor of 2–5. The DIC, Ca, SO4, Sr, Ba, Mo, and U are likely to increase their yields by a factor of 2–3. Moreover, B, Li, K, Rb, Cs, N-NO3, Mg, Zn, As, Sb, Rb, and Cs may be weakly affected by the permafrost boundary migration (change of yield by a factor of 1.5 to 2.0). We conclude that modeling of C and element cycle in the Arctic and subarctic should be region-specific and that neglecting huge areas of permafrost peatlands might produce sizeable bias in our predictions of climate change impact.
THE CONCEPT OF REFORMING THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE AUTHORITIES IN THE CONTEXT OF ANTI-CORRUPTION ACTIONS
Authors: Odnolko I.
Published: June 2020

The article is devoted to the consideration of the concept of reforming criminal justice authorities in the context of combating corruption.

In the article it is analyzed the definitions of criminal justice according to different researchers, which reforms of criminal justice authorities have already been carried out during the independence of Ukraine and what results these reforms have achieved, marked mandatory tasks that should be put by any concept of criminal justice reform in the context of anti-corruption actions.

The author reveals the theoretical basis of the legal category of criminal justice authorities and analyzes in detail the place and importance of the National AntiCorruption Bureau of Ukraine in the system of criminal justice authorities.

In the article, the attention is drawn to the fact that reforming criminal justice agencies provides for a certain reload and introduction of new methods in activities. It was made the remark that the reform of criminal justice authorities could be the starting point for further reforms in our state in other areas of life.

To conclude it was determined that the result of the reform of criminal justice activities in the field of combating corruption, when applying any concept, should be the transformation of law enforcement agencies from purely punitive and pursuing harsh methods to authorities whose main purpose is to restore violated human rights and to prevent this violations at all.
A intolerância religiosa e o preconceito racial nas escolas:
Authors: Lobato Glauber , Lima de Oliveira Arthur
Published: June 2020

Este artigo tem por objetivo central discutir a atuação dos professores em relação preconceito religioso presente nas escolas, principalmente contra religiões de matriz africana e seus adeptos. Para tal, abordamos a atividade dos movimentos relacionados à negritude e suas contribuições além de apontarmos o papel essencial que o professor exerce no Âmbito educacional a fim de dirimir as perspectivas preconceituosas nesse espaço, que deve promover a pluralidade, respeito e liberdade. O preconceito deve ser mitigado em todos os setores da sociedade e, principalmente, nos ambientes educacionais, visto que novos cidadãos sairão desses espaços para atuar na sociedade e não há mais tempo nem espaço para mantermos um sistema social baseado em hierarquização de credos.
Ponte de um só fio
Authors: Da Costa Fernandes Pedro
Published: June 2020

Este artigo tem como objetivo a compreensão dos elementos religiosos temáticos e simbólicos apresentados em Os Irmãos Karamázov de Fiódor Dostoiévski e adaptadas por Ryūnosuke Akutagawa em O Fio da Aranha, de modo a analisar as representações particulares da ideia de soteriologia e suas respectivas adaptações para o contexto religioso mais amplo encontrado nas obras, especialmente quanto à ideias de compaixão e redenção frente a um mundo que rechaça cada vez mais a religiosidade – dentro perspectiva cristã para Dostoiévski e da perspectiva budista para Akutagawa.
A New Hypred Improved Method for Measuring Concept Semantic Similarity in WordNet
Authors: Zhang Xiaogang , Sun Shouqian , Zhang Kejun
Published: June 2020

Computing semantic similarity between concepts is an important issue in natural language processing, artificial intelligence, information retrieval and knowledge management. The measure of computing concept similarity is a fundament of semantic computation. In this paper, we analyze typical semantic similarity measures and note Wu and Palmer’s measure which does not distinguish the similarities between nodes from a node to different nodes of the same level. Then, we synthesize the advantages of measure of path-based and IC-based, and propose a new hybrid method for measuring semantic similarity. By testing on a fragment of WordNet hierarchical tree, the results demonstrate the proposed method accurately distinguishes the similarities between nodes from a node to different nodes of the same level and overcome the shortcoming of the Wu and Palmer’s measure
Privacy-Preserving Data Aggregation Framework for Mobile Service Based Multiuser Collaboration
Authors: Liu Hai , Wu Zhenqiang , Peng Changgen , Tian Feng , Lu Laifeng
Published: June 2020

Considering the untrusted server, differential privacy and local differential privacy has been used for privacy-preserving in data aggregation. Through our analysis, differential privacy and local differential privacy cannot achieve Nash equilibrium between privacy and utility for mobile service based multiuser collaboration, which is multiuser negotiating a desired privacy budget in a collaborative manner for privacy-preserving. To this end, we proposed a Privacy-Preserving Data Aggregation Framework (PPDAF) that reached Nash equilibrium between privacy and utility. Firstly, we presented an adaptive Gaussian mechanism satisfying Nash equilibrium between privacy and utility by multiplying expected utility factor with conditional filtering noise under expected privacy budget. Secondly, we constructed PPDAF using adaptive Gaussian mechanism based on negotiating privacy budget with heuristic obfuscation. Finally, our theoretical analysis and experimental evaluation showed that the PPDAF could achieve Nash equilibrium between privacy and utility. Furthermore, this framework can be extended to engineering instances in a data aggregation setting
Design and Implementation of Inter-operable and Secure Agent Migration Protocol
Authors: Shah Shakir-Ullah , Ahmad Jamil , Rehman Najeeb-ur
Published: June 2020

Mobile agent technology is an active research topic and has found its uses in various diverse areas ranging from simple personal assistance to complex distributed big data systems. Its usage permits offline and autonomous execution as compared to classical distributed systems. The free roaming nature of agents makes it prone to several security threats during its transit state, with an added overhead in its interoperability among different types of platforms. To address these problems, both software and hardware based approaches have been proposed to ensure protection at various transit points. However, these approaches do not ensure interoperability and protection to agents during transit over a channel, simultaneously. In this regard, an agent requires a trustworthy, interoperable, and adaptive protocol for secure migration. In this paper, to answer these research issues, we first analyse security flaws in existing agent protection frameworks. Second, we implemented a novel migration architecture which is: 1) fully inter-operable compliance to the Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents (FIPA) and 2) trustworthy based on Computing Trusted Platform Module (TPM). The proposed approach is validated by testing on software TPM of IBM, JSR321, and jTPMTools as TPM and Trusted Computing Software Stack (TSS) interfaces, JADE-agent framework and 7Mobility Service (JIPMS). Validation is also performed on systems bearing physical TPM-chips. Moreover, some packages of JIPMS are also modified by embedding our proposed approach into their functions. Our performance results show that our approach merely adds an execution overhead during the binding and unbinding phases
Diagnostic and predictive value of white blood cell count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and coagulation tests in patients with blunt head trauma
Authors: Ghaffarzad Amir , Pouraghaei Mahboub , Parsian Zahra , Ghilani Neda , Cicek Mustafa , Salmannezhad Khorami Farzad
Published: June 2020

Introduction: Head trauma is the third leading cause of death and one of the most common causes of referral to the emergency department. Prognosis in these patients identifies individuals at higher risk and provides them with faster and more complete treatment, so it is of particular importance. The aim of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic and predictive value of white blood cell (WBC) count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and coagulation tests in the outcome of patients with blunt head trauma. Methods: In this retrospective study, 91 patients referred to the emergency department of Imam Reza hospital of Tabriz, with a complaint of DAI type of blunt head trauma, were enrolled in a complete and sequential study during the first six months of the year 2017. The patientswere divided into two groups according to good or poor prognosis and their association with leukocytosis status and other paraclinical factors at the baseline. Results: The final outcome in high consciousness group was 13.3% need for intubation,26.7% need for surgery, 50% improvement without complications, and 10% mortality. In the low consciousness group, 16.7% required intubation, 20.0% required surgery, 10% had no complications, and 53.3% experienced mortality. The significance level of the chi-squaretest was 0.001. Independent t test results showed that the WBC and ESR values in the lowconsciousness group were significantly higher than the high consciousness group. But the international normalized ratio (INR) in the high consciousness group was significantly higher than the low consciousness group (P<0.05). Conclusion: There is a significant relationship between severity of injury and leukocytosis, ESRelevation, and related coagulopathy after major trauma.
Can 5-minute Apgar score be considered as an additional independent risk factor for screening of retinopathy of prematurity?
Authors: Eftekhari Milani Amir , Niyousha Mohamad Reza , Kiavar Ali , Sakha Hanieh , Mahdavi Fard Ali , Abdollahi Zahra
Published: June 2020

Introduction: Because of increasing the population of premature infants due to improving neonatal care we try to find other independent criteria in addition to birth weight and gestational age to reduce the number of infants who need a retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening examination. Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study, included 150 preterm infants with gestational age of ≤ 32 weeks or birth weight ≤ 1500 g or receives oxygen therapy for more than 2 days, who were examined from the fourth week of life for ROP in Tabriz Al-Zahra hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), from March 2017 to January 2018. All infants with other risk factors such as multi gestational pregnancy, blood transfusion or exchange, phototherapy, underlying disease, cerebral hemorrhage, chronic lung disease and sepsis were excluded from the study. Infants divided to two group ROP (n=47) and non-ROP (n=133) and their 5-minute Apgar score was Apgar score was compared as an independent risk factor. Exploratory data analysis was performed using descriptive measures with independent samples t tests. Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests were used to test the normality of data distribution. Results: The mean 5-minute Apgar scores were statistically lower in ROP group (5.4±2.3) than non-ROP group 6.2±2.1 (P value=0.041). Conclusion: Apgar score was statistically significant, but in light of the very close results obtained, it seems prudent to consider an independent risk factor.
Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19): A New Emerging Pandemic Threat
Authors: Rezabakhsh Aysa , Ala Alireza , Hassanpour Khodaei Sepideh
Published: June 2020

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), with high-transmission power, is spreading rapidly, and researchers are endeavoring to discover eligible medications for its efficacious prevention and treatment globally. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) reports, several multicenter clinical trials are launched to determine effective treatment protocols against COVID- 19-associated pneumonia. In this article, we aimed to discuss some critical issues concerning novel coronavirus.