bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Temporal–Spatial Distribution of Ecosystem Health and Its Response to Human Interference Based on Different Terrain Gradients: A Case Study in Gannan, China
Authors: Shi Yu , Han Rui , Guo Luo
Published: March 2020

The exploitation, utilization, and protection of land resources are some of the great social problems during the process of rapid urbanization in China. The status of land use directly affects ecosystem health (ESH). The evaluation of ESH and the spatial correlations between urbanization caused by human interference help us to analyze the influence of urbanization on ecosystems and also provide new insight into reasonable and scientific resource management. In this study, we evaluated the ESH of Gannan, in Jiangxi Province, China, based on ecosystem service values (ESV) and selected a series of indicators to detect the impact of urbanization on ecosystem health in 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010. and 2015. Remote sensing (RS) and the Geographic Information System (GIS) were used as processing tools to calculate basic data and to map the results based on different terrain gradients. The results show that ecosystem health suffered a downward trend from 1990 to 2015. Especially, the area proportion at an unhealthy level and average health (ave-health) level increased prominently, and the area of a well state decreased. Further, the results indicate that urbanization had a negative impact on ESH. The degree of a negative correlation increases with the process of urban sprawl. In addition, we found that from 1990 to 2015, the area proportion of a degraded level and unhealthy level was the highest on the first terrain gradient, and as the terrain gradient increased, this area proportion also decreased. However, the high interference region occupies a higher proportion in the lower terrain gradient. Consequently, the results could reveal the impact of urbanization on ecosystem health and could provide an even more effective service for a sustainable development.
Fad or Trend? Rethinking the Sustainability of Connected Health
Authors: Chen Sonia Chien-I , Liu Chenglian , Hu Ridong
Published: March 2020

Policymakers, academics, and industry players have been focused on determining whether connected health (CH) is a fad or a trend by looking at its sustainability. Although the significance of innovation in healthcare is gradually rising, a definitive identification and systematic comprehension of the core drivers, structure, content, and pattern of innovation in CH are missing. To bridge this gap, this study re-examines and analyses CH from the perspectives of its industrial chain and structure, to assess its future prospects and sustainability by focusing on how its structures and participants act in the ecosystem. This study involves an inductive theory building approach based on multi-stage, semi-structured interviews (n = 60 in total). The results indicate that the core drivers, constituents, and components of CH need to be identified and restructured. A valid discourse, which is missing in the current literature, should be proposed with regard to the sustainability of CH. A sustainable business model innovation (BMI) system and the methods employed to achieve sustainability are suggested to discover indicators for future success. This study enriches the current CH understanding from a technology perspective and suggests some implications for practitioners as well as policymakers to enhance sustainable development in the healthcare sector.
The Convergence of Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) Emissions Per Capita in China
Authors: Zhang Yu-Chen , Si Deng-Kui , Zhao Bing
Published: March 2020

As the third-largest SO2 emitter in the world, China is facing mounting domestic and external pressure to tackle the increasingly serious SO2 pollution. Figuring out the convergence and persistence of sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions matters much for environmental policymakers in China. This study mainly utilizes the Fourier quantile unit root test to survey the convergence of the SO2 emissions per capita in 74 cities of China during the period of December 2014 to June 2019, by conducting five traditional unit root tests and a quantile root unit test as a comparative analysis. The empirical results indicate that the SO2 emissions per capita in 72 out of 74 cities in China are convergent in the sample period. The results also suggest that the unit root behavior of the SO2 emissions per capita in these cities is asymmetrically persistent at different quantiles. For the cities with the convergent SO2 emissions, the government should consider the asymmetric mean-reverting pattern of SO2 emissions when implementing environmental protection policies at different stages. For Hefei and Nanjing, the local governments need to enact stricter environmental protection policies to control the emission of sulfur dioxide.
On-Road Bus Emission Comparison for Diverse Locations and Fuel Types in Real-World Operation Conditions
Authors: Wang Chao , Sun Zhuoqun , Ye Zhirui
Published: March 2020

Urban buses have energy and environmental impacts because they are mostly equipped with heavy-duty diesel engines, having higher emission factors and pollution levels. This study proposed a mean distribution deviation (MDD) method to identify bus pollutant emissions including CO, CO2, HC, and NOX at road sections, intersections, and bus stops for different fuel types; and explore the changes in emissions for different locations in the road sections, bus stops, and intersection influence areas. Bus speed, acceleration, and emissions data were collected from four fuel types in China. For different locations and fuel types, the differences in emissions were all statistically significant. MDD values for different locations indicated that there were more obvious differences in emissions between road sections and intersections. In addition, heat maps were applied in this study to better understand changes in bus emissions for different locations in the bus stop influence areas, intersection influence areas, and road sections.
The Impact of Street Space Perception Factors on Elderly Health in High-Density Cities in Macau—Analysis Based on Street View Images and Deep Learning Technology
Authors: Meng Lingchao , Wen Kuo-Hsun , Zeng Zhijie , Brewin Richard , Fan Xiaolei , Wu Qiong
Published: March 2020

The urban space environment has been proven to be related to the health of the elderly. However, as a high-density city, Macau’s limited urban space must cope with the growing population and the arrival of an aging society. In the existing studies, less attention has been paid to Macau, especially the relationship between Macanese elderly and urban space. This study uses Baidu Street View (BSV) on the Macau Peninsula and conducts field surveys to obtain street view data to evaluate the openness, greenness, interface coverage, and road area ratio of street space and its association with the physical and mental health of the elderly and social health. The results show that the data truly reflect the overall street space conditions on the Macau Peninsula. The street openness, greenery rate, and interface enclosure are all related to the elderly in various evaluations in areas with a higher population dependency index and aging index. Human space perception is related to health gain, and road area ratio is weaker than other indicators. The research results have certain policy implications and have practical significance for city managers and designers.
Predicting the Water-Conducting Fracture Zone (WCFZ) Height Using an MPGA-SVR Approach
Authors: Guo Changfang , Yang Zhen , Li Shen , Lou Jinfu
Published: March 2020

Mine water that inrushes from coal-roof strata has always posed a substantial threat to mining activities every year. Therefore, an accurate prediction of the water-conducting fracture zone (WCFZ) height in the mining overburden strata is of great significance for the prevention and control of mine water accidents. The support vector regression (SVR) is proposed to predict the height of the WCFZ based on the mining depth, hard rock proportional coefficient, mining thickness and length of the working face. Simultaneously, the multi-population genetic algorithm (MPGA) is employed to search for the optimal SVR parameters. The MPGA-SVR model is trained and tested with a total of 69 collected data samples, and it is also applied to a field test. The accuracy and stability of the model were measured by the mean squared error and correlation coefficients. The obtained results show that the MPGA-SVR model achieves a higher accuracy and stability than the traditional empirical formula and genetic algorithm (GA)-SVR model. In terms of the process for optimizing the SVR parameters, the MPGA can find the optimal parameters more quickly and accurately, and it can effectively overcome the problem of premature and slow convergence of the genetic algorithm (GA). The proposed model improves the prediction accuracy and stability, which will help to avoid accidents caused by the inrush of water inrush in mining overburden strata and protect the ecological environment of the mining area.
Obstacles to Sustainable Entrepreneurship amongst Tourism Students: A Gender Comparison
Authors: Butkouskaya Vera , Romagosa Francesc , Noguera Maria
Published: March 2020

Students’ start-ups are making a significant contribution towards sustainable entrepreneurship development. Thus, this article examines the obstacles to sustainable entrepreneurship amongst university students of tourism and focuses on gender difference. The empirical analysis was based on data from 290 tourism students’ surveys accomplished in Spain, in the period from 2012 to 2018. Descriptive statistics were used for the data analysis and a t-test for gender comparison analysis. The research revealed that the students’ entrepreneurial intentions did not affect their evaluation of the barriers preventing them from creating their own businesses. The main barriers to new business creation were mainly related to economic factors (both societal and university related), the level of innovation in society, and the students’ self-confidence (mostly with regard to interest and motivation). Female students were more conscious of the possible obstacles to new business creation than male students. A significant difference between male and female students regarding personal obstacles was explained by the fact that the females considered their lack of entrepreneurial education as more significant than did the males. In addition, the female students tended to need more economic and practical support than male students. Finally, practical suggestions to encourage sustainable entrepreneurship amongst tourism students are discussed.
Integrating Green-Infrastructures Design in Strategic Spatial Planning with Geodesign
Authors: Campagna Michele , Di Cesare Elisabetta Anna , Cocco Chiara
Published: March 2020

In the last decades green infrastructure planning, design, and management have been widely recognized as a way to contribute to reach higher levels of sustainability of development. However, often green infrastructures are considered in a sectoral way, while their design should be more integrated within comprehensive planning and design. The paper proposes the use of geodesign methods and technology to support the early phases of integrated strategic territorial planning, in order to enrich the relationships between the design of green infrastructure and of the other relevant systems via more comprehensive planning and design, and by applying systems thinking. A case study developed with architecture and engineering students under the umbrella of the International Geodesign Collaboration is used, to demonstrate how with intensive geodesign workshops it is possible to create spatially explicit design scenarios which take into account the relationships between green infrastructure and other territorial systems and dynamics. A set of analyses on the case study results of the two scales is used to demonstrate the assumption. It is also argued that geodesign intensive workshops can, in a very short time, contribute to raising the awareness among the participants of collaborative design to the importance of green infrastructure in strategic territorial planning.
Waste Reduction for Green Service Supply Chain—the Case Study of a Payment Service Provider in Iran
Authors: Aghazadeh Ardebili Ali , Padoano Elio , Rahmani Najmeh
Published: March 2020

Analyzing and designing how service is provided to the customer is crucial for sustainable supply chains in services. In this respect, there can be barriers to applying sustainable improvements due to regulations, practices and customer culture. This study is focused on finding the waste produced by the service of one of the biggest payment service provider (PSP) companies in Iran and how to meet the essential needs of the sustainable supply chain. It has been observed that using thermal papers as a biohazardous material causes environmental problems and even it is hazardous to mix them with normal paper waste in the recycling process. Moreover, preventive maintenance of the thermal printers itself causes a huge number of unnecessary shuttles between the customers and service suppliers, which represents a source of CO2 emission, traffic—especially in the capital—and high maintenance costs for the company. Three main alternatives to the thermal paper receipt were analyzed and ranked by means of a TOPSIS (Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) model, which employed the sustainability pillars and the technical point of view as evaluation criteria. The priorities against the set of criteria were obtained by means of surveys, which targeted a sample of customers and a pool of experts. The results highlighted that customers’ habits and legislation are the most important barriers to the transition to a more sustainable service.
Sustainable Development Goals and Investment Strategies: The Profitability of Using Five-Factor Fama-French Alphas
Authors: Miralles-Quirós José Luis , Miralles-Quirós María Mar , Nogueira José Manuel
Published: March 2020

This study focuses on assets related to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are the most recent aspect of the Socially Responsible Investment framework and have caught the attention of investors due to their investment opportunities as well as the global challenges that can be achieved. The profitability of developing an investment strategy is shown based on the value of the alphas obtained from the estimation of the Fama-French five-factor model when compared to an equally weighted portfolio, even when transaction costs are taken into consideration. In addition, it is proven that investors should focus their investments on two main SDGs: Good health and well-being (Goal 3) and Industry, innovation and infrastructure (Goal 9).
Corporate Hypocrisy and Counterproductive Work Behavior: A Moderated Mediation Model of Organizational Identification and Perceived Importance of CSR
Authors: Miao Qing , Zhou Jun
Published: March 2020

When companies say one thing and do another in a corporate social responsibility context, they run the risk of corporate hypocrisy. Apart from the negative attitudes within customers, the purpose of our study was to explore what consequence corporate hypocrisy would cause on employees. This study investigated the possible link between corporate hypocrisy and employees’ counterproductive work behaviors with a moderated mediation model. Based on social identity theory, our research found that the influence of corporate hypocrisy on organization-directed counterproductive work behaviors was partially mediated by organizational identification, while the first stage of mediation is moderated by the levels of employees’ perceived importance of corporate social responsibility. Data from 259 employees in China, collected across three time periods, suggest that corporate hypocrisy will lead to a decrease of organizational identification, triggering CWB against the company. The indirect effect of corporate hypocrisy on CWB-O via organizational identification is enhanced when employees’ perceived importance of corporate social responsibility is high. Our findings provide contributions to both corporate running and theoretical research.
Spatial Zoning of Cultivated Land in Shandong Province Based on the Trinity of Quantity, Quality and Ecology
Authors: Wang Nan , Zu Jian , Li Mu , Zhang Jinyi , Hao Jinmin
Published: March 2020

The spatial zoning of cultivated land is a core aspect of territorial spatial planning and an important basis for implementing differentiated cultivated land protection policies. To provide theoretical guidance for the future direction of the protection and utilization of cultivated land in Shandong Province, this paper built a theoretical framework for the spatial zoning of cultivated land based on the trinity of quantity, quality, and ecology and formed an indicator system for the spatial zoning of cultivated land based on these three elements. Based on the analysis and grading results of spatial zoning indicators of cultivated land, hierarchical clustering analysis was performed on 133 county-level administrative units, and then the cultivated land resources of Shandong Province were divided into four types of zones: Key protection zones, comprehensive promotion zones, multifunctional utilization zones, and ecological utilization zones. Future development directions in relation to the protection and utilization of cultivated land in each type of zone were proposed. The results showed that the spatial zoning of cultivated land based on the trinity of quantity, quality, and ecology has important theoretical and practical significance for guiding the protection and utilization of cultivated land in Shandong Province and other regions.
The Effect of Coastal City Development on Flood Damage in South Korea
Authors: Park Hyungjun , Paterson Robert , Zigmund Stephen , Shin Hyunsuk , Jang Youngsu , Jung Juchul
Published: March 2020

Flood damage continues to be an issue in coastal cities. Impervious areas that contribute to flood damage are increasing due to the continuous development of ports in cities. However, previous research has not explored development in port hinterlands and in the coastal flood risk areas of coastal cities. Therefore, this study analyzed the impact of coastal city development on flood damage in Korea. A panel Tobit analysis was conducted on 58 coastal cities between 2002 and 2018. The results revealed that a 1% increase in impervious surfaces and one coastal development permit would increase damage costs by 1.29% and 2%, respectively. The analysis revealed that the increasing development of coastal cities had a significant impact on flood damage. The findings suggest that land-use plans highlight a conflict between port development and safety. This article provides insight that can be used by policy makers to manage risk areas near ports.
Assessment of Multi-Use Offshore Platforms: Structure Classification and Design Challenges
Authors: Nassar Walid M. , Anaya-Lara Olimpo , Ahmed Khaled H. , Campos-Gaona David , Elgenedy Mohamed
Published: March 2020

As the world continues to experience problems including a lack of seafood and high energy demands, this paper provides an assessment for integrated multi-use offshore platforms (MUPs) as a step towards exploiting open seawater in a sustainable way to harvest food and energy. The paper begins with background about MUPs, including information regarding what an MUP is and why it is used. The potential energy technologies that can be involved in an offshore platform are introduced while addressing similar applications all over the world. The paper presents the state of the art of MUP structures on the light of EU-funded programs. An MUP would have a positive impact on various marine activities such as tourism, aquaculture, transport, oil and gas and leisure. However, there are concerns about the negative impact of MUPs on the marine environment and ecosystem. Building an MUP with 100% renewable energy resources is still a challenge because a large storage capacity must be considered with a well-designed control system. However, marine bio-mass would play a vital role in reducing battery size and improving power supply reliability. Direct Current (DC) systems have never been considered for offshore platforms, but they could be a better alternative as a simpler control system that requires with lower costs, has lower distribution losses, and has an increased system efficiency, so studying the feasibility of using DC systems for MUPs is required.
Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Oil Sludge with Corn Stover for Efficient Biogas Production
Authors: Yang Qian , Zhang Chenxi , Li Lei , Xu Weijie
Published: March 2020

The feasibility of anaerobic co-digestion for the utilization of oil sludge was verified using corn stover, to assess the influence of different raw material ratios and inoculum volumes on the properties of the generated gas. The anaerobic co-digestion method is a novel treatment technology, which may help to solve the problem of pollution by hazardous waste oil sand from the oil exploitation and smelting process. Results showed that single-oil sludge was not suitable for gas production as a digestive substrate due to the lack of organic materials and possible hazardous materials. With the increase in the quality of exogenous organic matter (corn stover), the cumulative gas production volume was proportional to the amount of corn stover material added. It was established that when the mass ratio of corn stover to oil sludge was 4:1, the gas production performance was optimal, with a cumulative gas yield of 1222.5 mL using an inoculum volume of 30 mL. The results of this study provide a fundamental parameter baseline for the treatment of oil sludge and the improvement of gas production efficiency.
Trust, Control, and Value Creation in Strategic Networks of SMEs
Authors: Antoldi Fabio , Cerrato Daniele
Published: March 2020

This paper investigates the role of trust and control in networks of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with a focus on both their direct and interaction effects on value creation. To delve into the interplay between trust and control, we unpack control mechanisms into three different forms: output, process, and social control. Our hypotheses are tested on a sample of 58 Italian SME networks based on formal agreements. Results show that the competitiveness and sustainability of inter-firm networks require trust-based relationships among entrepreneurs. Additionally, the adoption of output control mechanisms reinforces the positive link between trust and value creation, whereas a substitution effect exists between trust and process control and, with limited significance, between trust and social control.
The Determinants of Cooperative Banks’ Community Service—Empirical Study from Poland
Authors: Idasz-Balina Marta , Balina Rafał , Achsani Noer Azam , Błaszczak Iwona , Chrostowska-Juszczyk Grażyna
Published: March 2020

This research concentrated on the socio-financial qualities of Poland’s co-op banking. The study’s results enabled answering the question of whether the cooperative banks (co-op banks) are exclusively focused on maximum financial effectiveness or faithful to the idea of cooperation, which basically means supporting its membership and community development. The main objective of the study was to determine the influence of internal factors on initiated support to the community within the framework defining the activities pertaining to a business’s social responsibility, as seen for Poland’s co-op banks. A seven-year study period was adopted, i.e., 2011–2017, inclusive. The research indicated that the co-op banks decide about a sum of contributions for community initiatives based on their current condition—according to current profits, current credits volume, total accounts number and considering financial security as expressed by the level of the solvency coefficient of the previous year.
The Relationships between Children’s Ego Function and Fear of Negative Evaluation Affecting Academic Failure Tolerance in Early School Age: Analysis by Grade Level Considering Sustainability of Academic Motivation
Authors: Kim Seyoung , Choi Naya
Published: March 2020

This study identified the relational paths between children’s ego function and fear of negative evaluation affecting academic failure tolerance across three grades. The ego function consisted of four factors: competence, initiative, resilience, and sociality. In total, data of 872 elementary school students (Grade 1–3) in South Korea were collected through parent-reported questionnaires. Results reflected various paths between these variables. Firstly, in all three grades, greater initiative and resilience and less fear of negative evaluation resulted in higher tolerance for academic failure. In particular, fear of negative evaluation was found to fully mediate the effect of academic failure tolerance on resilience. Secondly, notable differences in paths were found among grade levels. For first grade students, competence lowered the fear of negative evaluation and academic failure tolerance. For second grade students, initiative had an indirect effect on academic failure tolerance through fear of negative evaluation. For third grade students, sociality lowered the fear of negative assessment and increased academic failure tolerance. Fear of negative evaluation partially mediated the relationship between first graders’ competence, second graders’ initiative, and third graders’ sociality and academic failure tolerance. Conclusively, children’s ego function is an important factor affecting academic failure tolerance, and the fear of negative evaluation mediates the relationship between the two variables. The four factors of ego have been found to have a different impact on each grade level. In consideration of effectiveness and sustainability, viable methods of psychological intervention to improve children’s academic motivation, specifically created to meet the needs of children at each grade level, are necessary. This study is meaningful in that it provides applicable results for sustainability-based psychological interventions to improve children’s academic failure tolerance.
Eco-Holonic 4.0 Circular Business Model to Conceptualize Sustainable Value Chain towards Digital Transition
Authors: Ávila-Gutiérrez María Jesús , Martín-Gómez Alejandro , Aguayo-González Francisco , Lama-Ruiz Juan Ramón
Published: March 2020

The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize a circular business model based on an Eco-Holonic Architecture, through the integration of circular economy and holonic principles. A conceptual model is developed to manage the complexity of integrating circular economy principles, digital transformation, and tools and frameworks for sustainability into business models. The proposed architecture is multilevel and multiscale in order to achieve the instantiation of the sustainable value chain in any territory. The architecture promotes the incorporation of circular economy and holonic principles into new circular business models. This integrated perspective of business model can support the design and upgrade of the manufacturing companies in their respective industrial sectors. The conceptual model proposed is based on activity theory that considers the interactions between technical and social systems and allows the mitigation of the metabolic rift that exists between natural and social metabolism. This study contributes to the existing literature on circular economy, circular business models and activity theory by considering holonic paradigm concerns, which have not been explored yet. This research also offers a unique holonic architecture of circular business model by considering different levels, relationships, dynamism and contextualization (territory) aspects.
New Policy Approaches for Increasing Response to Climate Change in Small Rural Municipalities
Authors: Bausch Thomas , Koziol Karin
Published: March 2020

Although nearly half of the world population lives in rural small municipalities, research on climate change policy at this level is widely neglected. Frequently climate change adaptation is not a policy field in these small municipalities, which is both a problem and a risk. This paper aims at analyzing the climate policy of small and medium-sized local authorities with specific focus on adaptation. It presents results from a comprehensive survey among approximately 400 small municipalities in Bavaria, Germany. The study analyzes the perception of climate change risks and the perceived need for response, the fields of action, the triggering and influencing factors in the political process, and the people and bodies involved. Our findings reveal that in most cases small municipalities do not follow a strategic and holistic approach for climate change adaptation. Especially among small and very small municipalities, the study shows a gap between discussing climate change and setting up mitigation or adaptation measures. In conclusion, we present three policy implications for increasing the adaptive capacity of small municipalities. These address the increase of awareness of adaptation needs, effective management structures and the mandatory integration of a climate strategy into the long-term local political agenda.
The Influence of Corporate Environmental Responsibility on Overinvestment Behavior: Evidence from South Korea
Authors: Lee Jaehong , Kim Eunsoo
Published: March 2020

The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between corporate environmental responsibility (CER) activities and investment efficiency as measured by overinvestment, and whether the industry-level competition affects this association. We investigate a sample of 2285 non-financial firms with fiscal year-end in December listed in the Korea Stock Exchange Market for the period of 2013–2018, measuring the investment efficiency by overinvestment model. Using environmental scores from the Korea Corporate Governance Service to measure CER activities, we show that, on average, firms can decrease overinvestment behavior through CER activities in South Korea. Moreover, in firms in a highly competitive market, the negative association between CER activities and overinvestment is pronounced, indicating that strong product market competition are effective in monitoring managerial opportunistic behavior. These results are robust, even after controlling for different setting and alternative CER. These findings also suggest that the relationship between CER and overinvestment appears to be benefit firms that are sound and sustainable and honestly present their financial information.
Heavy-Metal Pollution Characteristics and Influencing Factors in Agricultural Soils: Evidence from Shuozhou City, Shanxi Province, China
Authors: Yan Dingxuan , Bai Zhongke , Liu Xiaoyang
Published: March 2020

Although soil quality can be highly altered by mining activities, there are few reports on soil pollution in mining cities. We systematically characterized the heavy metals (HMs) pollution, risks, sources, and influencing factors in the surrounding soils of Shuozhou. Specifically, 146 samples were collected, and the potential ecological risk index (RI) and the single-factor index were jointly used to understand the environmental risk of HMs. Meanwhile, correlation analysis was applied to find the influencing factors of HMs. The results of the soil pollution risk assessment in the entire area of Shuozhou were compared with those in the open-pit mine area. (1) The mean concentrations of Cr, As, Cd, Pb, and Hg in our study were found to be higher than the background value. The RI results indicated that most soil samples (82.88%) in Shuozhou had a low potential ecological risk. Compared with the Pingshuo open-pit mine (average RI value: 200.07), the potential ecological RI was lower. (2) The HM correlation indicated that Cr and As were associated with the parent rock, whereas Cd, together with Hg and Pb, were associated with anthropic activities. (3) There was no significant correlation between HM concentrations and farmland slope. Located in the Datong Basin, the terrain of Shuozhou is relatively flat and open and has little impact on the distribution of HMs. (4) Only Hg and Pb have a negative correlation with pH. This suggests that soil with a lower pH value may be beneficial to the accumulation of Hg and Pb in soil. (5) Among the eight industry types examined, the pollution capacity level of the leather, fur, feather, and footwear industries is the strongest, indicating that HMs around LI industry sites represent the maximum level among the eight types.
Postboxes Quantitative Optimization Model
Authors: Šelmić Milica , Nikolić Miloš , Čupić Aleksandar
Published: March 2020

Technological developments are having a significant impact on purchasing habits and consumer behavior, and threaten the traditional model of the delivery of goods by post. The replacement of traditional letter-post items with electronic forms of communication has led to declines in the volume of postal items. Therefore, the collection of postal items has become very inefficient. This paper proposes that the postal network segment needs to be reorganized by reducing the current number of installed postboxes. To this end, a mathematical model has been defined. Considering that postboxes are one of the most basic access points to the postal network, territorial accessibility must be taken into account. The proposed model, with minor modifications, can easily be applied to optimize other access points in transportation networks. For testing purposes, this paper presents the results of computational experiments based on real data. The final result consists of scenarios that present a decision support system for the redesign of postal networks.
Antivirals Against Chikungunya Virus: Is the Solution in Nature?
Authors: Oliveira Silva Martins Daniel , de Andrade Santos Igor , Moraes de Oliveira Débora , Riquena Grosche Victória , Carolina Gomes Jardim Ana
Published: March 2020

The worldwide outbreaks of the chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in the last years demonstrated the need for studies to screen antivirals against CHIKV. The virus was first isolated in Tanzania in 1952 and was responsible for outbreaks in Africa and Southwest Asia in subsequent years. Between 2007 and 2014, some cases were documented in Europe and America. The infection is associated with low rates of death; however, it can progress to a chronic disease characterized by severe arthralgias in infected patients. This infection is also associated with Guillain–Barré syndrome. There is no specific antivirus against CHIKV. Treatment of infected patients is palliative and based on analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce arthralgias. Several natural molecules have been described as antiviruses against viruses such as dengue, yellow fever, hepatitis C, and influenza. This review aims to summarize the natural compounds that have demonstrated antiviral activity against chikungunya virus in vitro.
Viromics on Honey-Baited FTA Cards as a New Tool for the Detection of Circulating Viruses in Mosquitoes
Authors: Birnberg Lotty , Temmam Sarah , Aranda Carles , Correa-Fiz Florencia , Talavera Sandra , Bigot Thomas , Eloit Marc , Busquets Núria
Published: March 2020

Worldwide, emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) are a major burden on public and animal health. Arthropod vectors, with mosquitoes being the main contributors of global disease, transmit more than 70% of the recognized EIDs. To assess new alternatives for arthropod-borne viral diseases surveillance, and for the detection of new viruses, honey-baited Flinders Technology Associates (FTA) cards were used as sugar bait in mosquito traps during entomological surveys at the Llobregat River Delta (Catalonia, Spain). Next generation sequencing (NGS) metagenomics analysis was applied on honey-baited FTA cards, which had been exposed to field-captured mosquitoes to characterize their associated virome. Arthropod- and plant-infecting viruses governed the virome profile on FTA cards. Twelve near-complete viral genomes were successfully obtained, suggesting good quality preservation of viral RNAs. Mosquito pools linked to the FTA cards were screened for the detection of mosquito-associated viruses by specific RT-PCRs to confirm the presence of these viruses. The circulation of viruses related to Alphamesonivirus, Quaranjavirus and unclassified Bunyavirales was detected in mosquitoes, and phylogenetic analyses revealed their similarities to viruses previously reported in other continents. To the best our knowledge, our findings constitute the first distribution record of these viruses in European mosquitoes and the first hint of insect-specific viruses in mosquitoes’ saliva in field conditions, demonstrating the feasibility of this approach to monitor the transmissible fraction of the mosquitoes’ virome. In conclusion, this pilot viromics study on honey-baited FTA cards was shown to be a valid approach for the detection of viruses circulating in mosquitoes, thereby setting up an alternative tool for arbovirus surveillance and control programs.
Influenza A Virus Antibodies with Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity Function
Authors: Gao Rongyuan , Sheng Zizhang , Sreenivasan Chithra C. , Wang Dan , Li Feng
Published: March 2020

Influenza causes millions of cases of hospitalizations annually and remains a public health concern on a global scale. Vaccines are developed and have proven to be the most effective countermeasures against influenza infection. Their efficacy has been largely evaluated by hemagglutinin inhibition (HI) titers exhibited by vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies, which correlate fairly well with vaccine-conferred protection. Contrarily, non-neutralizing antibodies and their therapeutic potential are less well defined, yet, recent advances in anti-influenza antibody research indicate that non-neutralizing Fc-effector activities, especially antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), also serve as a critical mechanism in antibody-mediated anti-influenza host response. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with Fc-effector activities have the potential for prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of influenza infection. Inducing mAbs mediated Fc-effector functions could be a complementary or alternative approach to the existing neutralizing antibody-based prevention and therapy. This review mainly discusses recent advances in Fc-effector functions, especially ADCC and their potential role in influenza countermeasures. Considering the complexity of anti-influenza approaches, future vaccines may need a cocktail of immunogens in order to elicit antibodies with broad-spectrum protection via multiple protective mechanisms.
Neuronal Activity in the Rat Pulvinar Correlates with Multiple Higher-Order Cognitive Functions
Authors: Yang Fang-Chi , Burwell Rebecca D.
Published: March 2020

The pulvinar, also called the lateral posterior nucleus of the thalamus in rodents, is one of the higher-order thalamic relays and the main visual extrageniculate thalamic nucleus in rodents and primates. Although primate studies report the pulvinar is engaged under attentional demands, there are open questions about the detailed role of the pulvinar in visuospatial attention. The pulvinar provides the primary thalamic input to the posterior parietal cortex (PPC). Both the pulvinar and the PPC are known to be important for visuospatial attention. Our previous work showed that neuronal activity in the PPC correlated with multiple phases of a visuospatial attention (VSA) task, including onset of the visual stimuli, decision-making, task-relevant locations, and behavioral outcomes. Here, we hypothesized that the pulvinar, as the major thalamic input to the PPC, is involved in visuospatial attention as well as in other cognitive functions related to the processing of visual information. We recorded the neuronal activity of the pulvinar in rats during their performance on the VSA task. The task was designed to engage goal-directed, top–down attention as well as stimulus-driven, bottom–up attention. Rats monitored three possible locations for the brief appearance of a target stimulus. An approach to the correct target location was followed by a liquid reward. For analysis, each trial was divided into behavioral epochs demarcated by stimulus onset, selection behavior, and approach to reward. We found that neurons in the pulvinar signaled stimulus onset and selection behavior consistent with the interpretation that the pulvinar is engaged in both bottom–up and top–down visuospatial attention. Our results also suggested that pulvinar cells responded to allocentric and egocentric task-relevant locations.
Layanan Reservasi Online di Orchid Forest
Authors: Rahmatya Myrna Dwi , Wicaksono Mochamad Fajar , Mubarok M N
Published: March 2020

Orchid Forest adalah salah satu wisata edukasi yang berlokasi di Cikole, Indonesia. Orchid Forest sering digunakan sebagai lokasi acara. Namun, tidak banyak informasi tentang Hutan Anggrek tersedia di internet. Promosi dan informasi terbatas pada feed Instagram Orchid Forest. Untuk dapat memperoleh informasi lebih lanjut, pelanggan harus menghubungi atau mengunjungi Orchid Forest. Sebagian besar pelanggan Orchid Forest berasal dari luar kota. Kebanyakan dari mereka mengetahui Orchid Forest dari mulut ke mulut. Orchid Forest tidak memiliki media lain untuk memperluas jangkauan promosinya, di mana pelanggan dapat memperoleh informasi yang memadai tentang prosedur dan biaya menyewa lokasi acara di Orchid Forest. Oleh karena itu, perlu untuk merancang situs web yang dapat menyajikan informasi yang memadai tentang Orchid Forest. Metode pendekatan sistem yang digunakan untuk menganalisis sistem adalah pendekatan berorientasi objek dan metode pengembangan sistem yang digunakan adalah waterfall. Desain sistem informasi reservasi adalah tujuan dari penelitian ini. Sistem ini dirancang tidak hanya sebagai media promosi tetapi juga sebagai sistem informasi yang memungkinkan pelanggan melakukan reservasi untuk lokasi acara dan pembayaran melalui situs web.
Akselerasi Pengembangan Pariwisata Indonesia yang Berkelanjutan
Authors: Sayuti Memet Achmad
Published: March 2020

The growth of world tourism industry was indicated by increasing 4,7% in 2014 compared to 2013, reach over 1.138 billion tourist. Tourism fundamentally generate economic activity in destination all around the world. Sustainability still become main issue in tourism development, pushed to balance between mass tourism and alternative tourism. This happens also in Indonesia, when "ocean axis" offered by President of Indonesian Republic has open the unbalance west and east Indonesia in development, including tourism which targeting 20 million tourist in 2019. We have to improve accesibility and facility to support tourist movement all over Indonesia. To protect Bali, we have to set Bali not only as an entry point but as exit point, make the journey more meaningful. Closed by happy ending in Bali. Five models is offered to spread out tourist surrounding Indonesia. Those models are possible to develop because it's suitable with national policy to accelerate tourism growing in Indonesia in a sustainable way. Cross province activity can give more benefit by creating alternative tourism and the tourists will get more choice to visit. Utilization of four technical unit assistant under Ministry of Tourism will bring more benefit to accelerate the program.
ANTEROLATERAL THIGH FLAP IN LOWER LIMB RECONSTRUCTION
Authors: Le Hong Phuc , Tran Thiet Son , Le Nghi Thanh  Nhan
Published: March 2020

Introduction: Anterolateral thigh flap is one of the most researched and widely used perforator flaps in the recent decades in plastic surgery as a whole and in limb reconstruction, especially in cases with complex deflects, in particular. This report aimed to evaluate anterolateral thigh flap in reconstruction of complex lower limb soft tissue defects.
Subjects and methods: From August 2014 to August 2015, at Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, 12 cases with complex soft tissue defects in lower limb were reconstructed and covered with ALT flaps: two distal based pedicle ALT flaps for popliteal and around knee joint defects and 10 composite ALT free flaps for lower leg reconstruction.
Results: Twelve flaps used included: two peripheral pedicled fasciocutaneous flaps, ten complex free flaps (01 complex myo-fasciocutaneous flap providing muscle for deep space filled, fascial for tendon reconstruction and surface covering of the defect; 05 vastus lareralis myocutaneous flaps providing muscle for dead space filling and covering; 04 fasciocutaneous flaps involving the fascia lata for fascial reconstruction and covering). The size of flaps ranged from 8 to 27cm in length and from 6 to 13cm in width. The largest flap was 240cm2,the smallest was 50cm2. All 12 flaps survived. Short-term results at one month after surgery were consideredas good in eleven patients and fair in one patient. There were no special complications at donor sites. Paresthesia at the donor site was noted in two cases.
Conclusion: ALT flap with its versatility as peripheral pedicled flap or free flap can be used in lower limb reconstruction with high success rate of 100% (12/12). Preoperative skin perforator mapping by Doppler was highly accurate (12/12) compared with intraoperative findings. Complex free ALT flap is suitable for reconstruction of major defects involving different type of tissue in lower limb with satisfied results.

Key words: Anterolateral thigh flap, limb, ower limb
Istina u Akvinca, Merciera i Zimmermanna
Authors: Škarica Dario
Published: March 2020

Glavna
je tema rada Tomin pojam istine, posebno njegova distinkcija između istine uma
(veritas intellectus) i istine stvari
(veritas rerum). Pritom je veritas intellectus (logička istina)
istražena u punom njenu značenju, tj. ne samo kao podudaranje sudova s njihovim
objektima nego i kao svrha kojoj sudovi prirodno teže, kao i unutar njezine
vlastite svrhe (znanja). Unutar ove rasprave izložene su i neke misli o naravi
suda, znatno prožete Tominom distinkcijom između praktičnog i spekulativnog
znanja. Nadalje, pokazano je da Tomin termin
veritas rerum obuhvaća dva veoma
različita pojma istine: prvo, pojam objektivne istine, koji se tiče stvari kao
objekata naših sudova i normi njihove istinitosti, i drugo, pojam ontološke
istine, koji se tiče stvari u mjeri u kojoj one reflektiraju Božje ideje kao
svoje egzemplarne uzroke i norme svoje stvarnosti. Konačno, utvrđeno je da
Mercier i Zimmermann sekulariziraju Tomin pojam istine, ali sekularizacijom
bitno provizornog karaktera.
TISSUE DISTRIBUTION OF TRANSCRIPTS INVOLVED IN BIOSYNTHESIS OF BENZYLISOQUINOLINE ALKALOID IN MATURE PLANTS OF Argemone mexicana L. (Papaveraceae)
Authors: Vázquez-Flota Felipe , Rubio-Piña Jorge , Xool-Tamayo Jorge , Vergara-Olivares Mariela , Tamayo-Ordoñez Yahaira , Monforte-González Miriam , Guízar-González Cecilia , Mirón-López Gumersindo
Published: March 2020

The distribution of berberine and sanguinarine was analyzed in roots, stems and leaves of mature Argemone mexicana plants, along with that of transcripts corresponding to selected genes involved in both early biosynthetic reactions, which are common to both alkaloids, and in the late specific reactions conducting to the formation of each of them. Roots were the main sites of alkaloid accumulation, though they showed the lowest accumulation of the analyzed transcripts. Results are discussed in terms of the operation of a possible transport mechanism of alkaloids between the aerial tissues and the roots, or the occurrence of different biosynthetic alternative reactions in both parts, aerial and underground tissues, involving different gene products, yet with similar catalytic capacities.