bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spectral Diversity Metrics for Detecting Oil Pollution Effects on Biodiversity in the Niger Delta
Authors: Onyia Nkeiruka , Balzter Heiko , Berrio Juan
Published: November 2019

Biodiversity monitoring in the Niger delta has become pertinent in view of the incessant spillages from oil production activities and the socio-economic impact of these spillages on the inhabitants who depend on the resources for their livelihood. Conventional methods of post-impact assessments are expensive, time consuming, and cause damage to the environment, as they often require the removal of affected samples/specimens for laboratory analysis. Remote sensing offers the opportunity to track biodiversity changes from space while using the spectral variability hypothesis (SVH). The SVH proposes that the species diversity of a sampled area is linearly correlated with the variability of spectral reflectance of the area. Several authors have tested the SVH on various land cover types and spatial scales; however, the present study evaluated the validity of the SVH against the backdrop of oil pollution impact on biodiversity while using vascular plant species as surrogates. Species richness and diversity indices were computed from vegetation data collected from polluted and non-polluted transects. Spectral metrics that were derived from Sentinel 2 bands and broadband vegetation indices (BVIs) using various algorithms, including averages, spread, dimension reduction, and so on, were assessed for their ability to estimate vascular plants species richness and diversity. The results showed significant differences in vegetation characteristics of polluted and control transects (H = 76.05, p-value = <0.05 for abundance and H = 170.03, p-value < 0.05 for richness). Spectral diversity metrics correlated negatively with species data on polluted transects and positively on control transects. The metrics computed using Sentinel 2A bands and vegetation indices proved to be sensitive to changes in vegetation characteristics following oil pollution. The most robust relationship was observed between the metrics and indices on control transects, whereas the weakest relationships were observed on polluted transects. Index-wise, the Simpson’s diversity index regressed better with spectral metrics (R2 > 0.5), whereas the Chao-1 richness index regressed the least (R2 < 0.5). The strength of the relationship resulted in successfully estimating species richness and diversity values of investigated transects, thereby enhancing biodiversity monitoring over time and space.
New Insights of Geomorphologic and Lithologic Features on Wudalianchi Volcanoes in the Northeastern China from the ASTER Multispectral Data
Authors: Fu Han , Fu Bihong , Ninomiya Yoshiki , Shi Pilong
Published: November 2019

Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) imaging system onboard NASA’s (National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s) Terra satellite is capable of measuring multispectral reflectance of the earth’s surface targets in visible and infrared (VNIR) to shortwave infrared (SWIR) (until 2006) as well as multispectral thermal infrared (TIR) regions. ASTER VNIR stereo imaging technique can provide high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) data. The DEMs data, three-dimensional (3D) perspective, and ratio images produced from the ASTER multispectral data are employed to analyze the geomorphologic and lithologic features of Wudalianchi volcanoes in the northeastern China. Our results indicate that the 14 major conical volcanic craters of Wudalianchi volcanoes are arranged as three sub-parallel zones, extending in a NE (Northeast) direction, which is similar to the direction of regional fault system based on the ASTER DEMs data. Among the 14 volcanic craters in Wudalianchi, the Laoheishan, and Huoshaoshan lavas flows, after the historic eruptions, pouring down from the crater, partially blocked the Baihe River, which forms the Five Large Connected Pools, known as the Wudalianchi Lake. Lithologic mapping shows that ASTER multispectral ratio imagery, particularly, the Lava Flow Index (LFI) (LFI = B10/B12) imagery, can clearly distinguish different lava flow units, and at least four stages of volcanic eruptions are revealed in the Wudalianchi Quaternary volcano cluster. Thus, ASTER multispectral TIR data can be used to determine relative dating of Quaternary volcanoes in the semi-arid region. Moreover, ASTER 3D perspective image can present an excellent view for tracking the flow directions of different lavas of Wudalianchi Holocene volcanoes.
Using Multi-Sensor Satellite Images and Auxiliary Data in Updating and Assessing the Accuracies of Urban Land Products in Different Landscape Patterns
Authors: Yang Fengshuo , Wang Zhihua , Yang Xiaomei , Liu Yueming , Liu Bin , Wang Jun , Kang Junmei
Published: November 2019

Rapid and accurate updating of urban land areas is of great significance to the study of environmental changes. Although there are many urban land products (ULPs) at present, such as GlobeLand30, Global Urban Footprint (GUF), and Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL), these products are all static data of a certain year, and are not able to provide high-accuracy updating of urban land areas. In addition, the accuracies of these data and their application value in the update of urban land areas need to be urgently proven. Therefore, we proposed an approach to quickly and accurately update urban land areas in the Kuala Lumpur region of Malaysia, and assessed the accuracies of urban land products in different urban landscape patterns. The approach combined the advantages of multi-source data including existing ULPs, OpenStreetMap (OSM) data, Landsat Operational Land Imager (OLI), and Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) images. Three main steps make up this approach. First, the urban land training samples were selected in the urban areas consistent with GlobeLand30, GUF, and GHSL, and samples of bare land, vegetation, water bodies, and road auxiliary data were obtained by GlobeLand30 and OSM. Then, the random forest was used to extract urban land areas according to the object’s features in the OLI and PALSAR images. Last, we assessed the accuracies of GlobeLand30, GUF, GHSL, and the results of this study (ULC) by using point and area validation methods. The results showed that the ULC had the highest overall accuracy of 90.18% among the four products and could accurately depict urban land in different urban landscapes. The GHSL was the second most accurate of the four products, and the accuracy in urban areas was much higher than that in rural areas. The GUF had many omission errors in urban land areas and could not delineate a large area of complete spatial information of urban land, but it could effectively extract scattered residential land with small patches. GlobeLand30 had the lowest accuracy and could only express rough, large-scale urban land. The above conclusions provide evidence that ULPs and the approach proposed in this study have a great application potential for high-accuracy updating of urban land areas.
Multi-Temporal Cliff Erosion Analysis Using Airborne Laser Scanning Surveys
Authors: Zelaya Wziątek Dagmara , Terefenko Paweł , Kurylczyk Apoloniusz
Published: November 2019

Rock cliffs are a significant component of world coastal zones. However, rocky coasts and factors contributing to their erosion have not received as much attention as soft cliffs. In this study, two rocky-cliff systems in the southern Baltic Sea were analyzed with Airborne Laser Scanners (ALS) to track changes in cliff morphology. The present contribution aimed to study the volumetric changes in cliff profiles, spatial distribution of erosion, and rate of cliff retreat corresponding to the cliff exposure and rock resistance of the Jasmund National Park chalk cliffs in Rugen, Germany. The study combined multi-temporal Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data analyses, rock sampling, laboratory analyses of chemical and mechanical resistance, and along-shore wave power flux estimation. The spatial distribution of the active erosion areas appear to follow the cliff exposure variations; however, that trend is weaker for the sections of the coastline in which structural changes occurred. The rate of retreat for each cliff–beach profile, including the cliff crest, vertical cliff base, and cliff base with talus material, indicates that wave action is the dominant erosive force in areas in which the cliff was eroded quickly at equal rates along the cliff profile. However, the erosion proceeded with different rates in favor of cliff toe erosion. The effects of chemical and mechanical rock resistance are shown to be less prominent than the wave action owing to very small differences in the measured values, which proves the homogeneous structure of the cliff. The rock resistance did not follow the trends of cliff erosion revealed by volume changes during the period of analysis.
Using Digital Cameras on an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle to Derive Optimum Color Vegetation Indices for Leaf Nitrogen Concentration Monitoring in Winter Wheat
Authors: Jiang Jiale , Cai Weidi , Zheng Hengbiao , Cheng Tao , Tian Yongchao , Zhu Yan , Ehsani Reza , Hu Yongqiang , Niu Qingsong , Gui Lijuan , Yao Xia
Published: November 2019

Commercially available digital cameras can be mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for crop growth monitoring in open-air fields as a low-cost, highly effective observation system. However, few studies have investigated their potential for nitrogen (N) status monitoring, and the performance of camera-derived vegetation indices (VIs) under different conditions remains poorly understood. In this study, five commonly used VIs derived from normal color (RGB) images and two typical VIs derived from color near-infrared (CIR) images were used to estimate leaf N concentration (LNC). To explore the potential of digital cameras for monitoring LNC at all crop growth stages, two new VIs were proposed, namely, the true color vegetation index (TCVI) from RGB images and the false color vegetation index (FCVI) from CIR images. The relationships between LNC and the different VIs varied at different stages. The commonly used VIs performed well at some stages, but the newly proposed TCVI and FCVI had the best performance at all stages. The performances of the VIs with red (or near-infrared) and green bands as the numerator were limited by saturation at intermediate to high LNCs (LNC > 3.0%), but the TCVI and FCVI had the ability to mitigate the saturation. The results of model validations further supported the superiority of the TCVI and FCVI for LNC estimation. Compared to the other VIs derived using RGB cameras, the relative root mean square errors (RRMSEs) of the TCVI were improved by 8.6% on average. For the CIR images, the best-performing VI for LNC was the FCVI (R2 = 0.756, RRMSE = 14.18%). The LNC–TCVI and LNC–FCVI were stable under different cultivars, N application rates, and planting densities. The results confirmed the applicability of UAV-based RGB and CIR cameras for crop N status monitoring under different conditions, which should assist the precision management of N fertilizers in agronomic practices.
Estimation of the Precision of a Structured Light System in Oil Paintings on Canvas
Authors: Sánchez-Jiménez David , Buchón-Moragues Fernando , Bravo José M. , Sánchez-Pérez Juan V.
Published: November 2019

The conservation and authentication of pictorial artworks is considered an important part of the preservation of cultural heritage. The use of non-destructive testing allows the obtention of accurate information about the state of pictorial artworks without direct contact between the equipment used and the sample. In particular, the use of this kind of technology is recommended in obtaining three-dimensional surface digital models, as it provides high-resolution information that constitutes a kind of fingerprint of the samples. In the case of pictorial artworks with some kind of surface relief, one of the most useful technologies is structured light (SL). In this paper, the minimum difference in height that can be distinguished with this technology was estimated, establishing experimentally both the error committed in the measurement process and the precision in the use of this technology. This study focused on the case of oil paintings on canvas and developed a low-cost system to ensure its wide use.
Relevance of Social, Economic, and Environmental Impacts on Residents’ Satisfaction with the Public Administration of Tourism
Authors: Sánchez del Río-Vázquez María-Elena , Rodríguez-Rad Carlos J. , Revilla-Camacho María-Ángeles
Published: November 2019

Those in charge of tourism destinations face the need to create tourism development models compatible with the essence of the localities that they manage. These models have to be sustainable, both environmentally and socially, and also must become drivers of the local economy. However, tourists also generate negative impacts in the locality which, when they are perceived by the residents, can give rise to a rejection of visitors. Hence, improving the tourism management is necessary. This is why to know the residents’ perceptions about the impacts of tourism is essential. Moreover, measuring the impact effects on their satisfaction with the public administration of the destination can be of great usefulness. This study falls into this research line, as it proposes a model to measure these impacts and their effect on satisfaction. To do so, an empirical study is performed among residents in the city of Seville (southern Spain, one of the most visited destinations in the world), based on subjective economic, social, and environmental indicators. The results show that the citizens value three types of impacts, the social impact coming after the economic impact as to its influence on their satisfaction with the administration. Based on this, we postulate that the efforts made to attract events to the city, or to improve connections to access a broader market, must be approached as public procurements in which selection criteria that are compatible with the destination’s positioning and strategy prevail. Social and environmental criteria should be considered among these criteria.
Ecological Environment Assessment in World Natural Heritage Site Based on Remote-Sensing Data. A Case Study from the Bayinbuluke
Authors: Liu Qin , Yang Zhaoping , Han Fang , Shi Hui , Wang Zhi , Chen Xiaodong
Published: November 2019

Ecological environment assessment would be helpful for a rapid and systematic understanding of ecological status and would contribute to formulate appropriate strategies for the sustainability of heritage sites. A procedure based on spatial principle component analysis was employed to measure the ecological status in Bayinbuluke; exploratory spatial data analysis and geo-detector model were introduced to assess the spatio-temporal distribution characteristics and detect the driving factors of the ecological environment. Five results are presented: (1) During 2007–2018, the average values of moisture, greenness, and heat increased by 51.72%, 23.10%, and 4.99% respectively, and the average values of dryness decreased by 56.70%. However, the fluctuation of each indicator increased. (2) The ecological environment of Bayinbuluke was improved from 2007 to 2018, and presented a distribution pattern that the heritage site was better than the buffer zone, and the southeast area was better than the northwest area. (3) The ecological environment presented a significant spatial clustering characteristic, and four types of spatial associations were proposed for assessing spatial dependence among the samples. (4) Elevation, protection partition, temperature, river, road, tourism, precipitation, community resident, and slope were statistically significant with respect to the changes in ecological status, and the interaction of any two factors was higher than the effect of one factor alone. (5) The remote-sensing ecological index (RSEI) could reflect the vegetation growth to a certain extent, but has limited ability to respond to species structure. Overall, the framework presented in this paper realized a visual and measurable approach for a detailed monitoring of the ecological environment and provided valuable information for the protection and management of heritage sites.
The Impact of Sport Sponsorship Perceptions and Attitudes on Purchasing Decision of Fans as Consumers—Relevance for Promotion of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Practices
Authors: Melovic Boban , Rogic Suncica , Cerovic Smolovic Julija , Dudic Branislav , Gregus Michal
Published: November 2019

The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of sponsorship perceptions and attitudes of sport team fans on their purchasing decision, as well as to investigate the significance of sport sponsorship in promoting socially responsible companies and other sustainable practices in society. This paper gives insight in possibilities and effects of promoting sustainable activities and socially responsible companies, through sport sponsorship, by targeting and educating sport team fans as a very important consumer segment. Data were collected from anonymous respondents who are fans of different sport teams. Attitudes were measured by asking the respondents to rank the statements based on a 5-point Likert scale. In order to analyze the data, structural equation modelling was conducted using R package. Results show that the attitudes towards sponsorship, as well as sponsorship perceptions, have a strong positive impact on the purchasing decisions of consumers, regarding products of sponsors, which enables the creation of a loyal base of fans as consumers. Results also reveal that sport sponsorship can be an effective way of promoting socially responsible companies and sustainable practices, giving an opportunity to create an educated and highly dedicated consumer base. In this way the positive effects of sports and sponsorship are spreading beyond the stadiums and arenas. These findings can help companies that are considering investing in this form of marketing, in adequately selecting and managing the campaign, but also can be very useful for official institutions in their efforts to foster sustainable practices in society. Although the fact that the research was conducted only in Montenegro can be stated as a limitation, it should be noted that this type of research has been done for the first time in this area, which gives special value to the research and increases the importance of its contribution to the existing base of scientific papers in this field.
Economic Productivity vs. Ecological Protection in Danube Floodplain. Case Study: Danube’s Sector between Olt and Vedea
Authors: Vijulie Iuliana , Preda Mihaela , Lequeux-Dincă Ana Irina , Cuculici Roxana , Matei Elena , Mareci Alina , Manea Gabriela , Tudoricu Anca
Published: November 2019

For a long time, wetlands were perceived as non-productive areas and were drained in an attempt to increase Romania’s agricultural surface, without acknowledging their ecological functions. This paper aims to identify possible ecological restoration models for the Danube floodplain according to the principles of sustainable development and the needs of the population living and working here. The research methodology included direct field observation, GIS techniques, and the survey method. The analysis proved the need for achieving the ecological restoration of this area while ensuring a harmonious relationship between nature and economic activities. After evaluating the views of local decision-making actors, different groups of stakeholders with divergent opinions emerged. While owners of agricultural holdings and agriculture experts pleaded for maintaining the status quo, NGOs voted for complete ecological restoration, and landowners with small farms, local authorities’ representatives, and environmental experts argued for partial ecological restoration. The study emphasises that the ecological restoration of the Danube floodplain is necessary but only possible through a consensus between the existing stakeholders and done based on the principles of sustainable development (conserving its biodiversity, protection against floods, economic activities).
Creating the Habit of Recycling in Early Childhood: A Sustainable Practice in Spain
Authors: Buil Pilar , Roger-Loppacher Olga , Tintoré Mireia
Published: November 2019

Early childhood education on sustainability has been an issue of high relevance in the last decade. In Spain, many different efforts have been made to increase children’s knowledge, skills, and awareness related to sustainability issues. However, uncertainty about the effectiveness of education on sustainable development exists. This research reports on an exploratory study organized by the association that promotes aluminum packaging recycling in Spain (Arpal). Seven teachers were trained on sustainability in general and on aluminum packaging recycling in particular. These teachers defined and implemented a teaching unit with active learning activities that involved three preschools. Fifty-four children under 6 years of age, mainly 2 and 3 years old, along with their parents, participated in the teaching unit. Qualitative and quantitative methods (questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and focus groups) were carried out to assess the impact. The results proved that different partners, such as children, parents, teachers, managers, and associations, can work together with the common goal of improving education on sustainable development in early childhood, and all of them benefit from this collaboration. Moreover, this study confirmed that education on sustainability should be embedded in the daily routine of preschools. Furthermore, after the exploratory study, the teaching unit was implemented in 29 Andalusian preschools.
Research on the Factors Affecting the Risk Premium of China’s Green Bond Issuance
Authors: Wang Qinghua , Zhou Yaning , Luo Li , Ji Junping
Published: November 2019

Green bonds have both “bond” and “green” attributes and are one of the important financing tools for green financial markets. The green bond risk premium directly reflects the financing cost of bond issuers and the capital gains of investors. A reasonable risk premium is the key to the successful issuance and trading of green bonds. Therefore, this paper studies the factors affecting the risk premium of China’s green bond issuance, aiming to provide a basis for determining a more reasonable risk premium. Based on the primary issuance market of green bonds, this paper takes into account the macro- and microscopic cross-sectional data of green bond issuance and comprehensively considers the main factors affecting the green bond risk premium from macro-influence factors, micro-influence factors, and green attribute factors. An empirical study of the factors affecting the risk premium of China’s green bond issuance was conducted using multivariate statistical regression analysis. The study found that the green attribute factor affecting the risk premium of green bonds is third-party green assessment certification. The bond factors affecting the risk premium of green bond issuance mainly include debt credit rating, issue period, and issue size, all of which affect the risk of green bond issuance. The issuer factors affecting the risk premium of green bonds include debt principal, nature of property rights, and return on net assets. The macro factor affecting the risk premium of green bonds is the current market interest rate.
The Influence of Destination Image on Tourist Loyalty and Intention to Visit: Testing a Multiple Mediation Approach
Authors: Kanwel Shahida , Lingqiang Zhou , Asif Muhammad , Hwang Jinsoo , Hussain Abid , Jameel Arif
Published: November 2019

Pakistan holds an important geographical status, but extremism and sabotage have severely damaged the tourism industry. In the present study, we examined the impact of destination image (DI) on tourist loyalty (TL) and intension to visit (IV) in Pakistan. Additionally, the study analyzed the mediation effects of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) and tourist satisfaction (TS) on these relationships. Data was collected from 780 tourists in Pakistan. We used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) to obtain the results. Our results demonstrated the positive relationships among DI, eWOM, TS, TL, and IV. This study also disclosed that eWOM has a partial mediation effect on the DI–TL relationship, and both eWOM and TS fully mediate the association between DI and IV. Hence, tourist satisfaction can be enhanced by eWOM and destination image, which directly effect tourist loyalty and intention to visit in Pakistan. The proposed framework and research findings will help stakeholders significantly to recognize the multi-facet association in the tourism industry of Pakistan. Testing the above relationships through multiple mediators is a relatively novel idea.
Sustainability in Mega-Events: Beyond Qatar 2022
Authors: Meza Talavera Abel , Al-Ghamdi Sami , Koç Muammer
Published: November 2019

Hosting a mega-event such as the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup is a defining moment for Qatar, a country that is in transition, small in size and population, and rich in natural gas reserves. It is a unique opportunity to host a universal event and leave a sustainable positive legacy for the country. However, the preparation, execution, and after-effects of such events are challenging initiatives with significant long-term impacts on the economy, society, and environment in the hosting country and nearby region. This study addresses the intersection between mega sports events and sustainability, to systematically compare and learn from past mega-events and apply that to the case of the Qatar 2022 World Cup. The Qatari bid proposed a new FIFA Men’s World Cup (WC) spatial compact model around just one city area and the goal of achieving the first carbon-neutral WC. Herein, the challenges, opportunities, and progress in this scenario are evaluated accordingly, showing that local organizers are applying green technologies, urban development concepts, and strongly upholding the idea of legacies based on the Qatar National Vision 2030, which envisions sustainable development of the country. However, additional work is still needed to reduce environmental impacts and on several reported social issues.
Determinants of Consumers’ Retention and Subjective Well-Being: A Sustainable Farmers’ Market Perspective
Authors: Tsai Bi-Kun
Published: November 2019

Farmers’ markets have received much attention in many countries, and the amount of research on farmers’ markets is gradually increasing. The consumption process of consumers at farmers’ markets include both economic and social aspects, but most past studies have only focused on a single aspect. The economic perspective mainly focuses on transaction issues such as purchase motives, quality, satisfaction, purchase behavior, and post-purchase behavior, whereas the social perspective focuses on the social relations and psychological feelings created when consumers go to markets. This study aimed to integrate the economic and social perspectives and analyze the relationships among product performance evaluation, relational capital, repurchase intention, and subjective well-being of consumers at farmers’ markets after their purchase experiences. I chose three recurrent farmers’ markets in Taiwan, obtained 358 valid samples, and performed structural equation modelling analysis. The results indicated that the economic product performance exerted a significant and positive influence on repurchase intention, but its influence on subjective well-being was not significant. In contrast, the social relational capital was found to be a positive and significant factor of both repurchase intention and subjective well-being. On the whole, relational capital is more important than product performance. The suggestions for practice were as follows. First, farmers’ markets have economic and social value and are thus worth being promoted by government agencies. Second, the managers of farmers’ markets should implement a set of management mechanisms to ensure product performance and also create a market atmosphere that facilitates social interactions between farmers and consumers.
Impact of Land Use/Land Cover Change on Hydrological Components in Chongwe River Catchment
Authors: Tena Tewodros M. , Mwaanga Phenny , Nguvulu Alick
Published: November 2019

Chongwe River Catchment, a sub-catchment of the Zambezi River Basin, has been experiencing changes in land use/land cover (LULC) and in its hydrology. This study aims to assess the impact of LULC changes on the catchment’s hydrological components such as streamflow, evapotranspiration and water abstractions. LULC change data, detected from the 1984, 1994, 2014 and 2017 USGS Landsat imagery using a maximum likelihood supervised classifier, were integrated into the WEAP Model along with soil, slope and hydro–climate data. The results showed that between 1984 and 2017 built-up area increased by 382.77% at 6.97 km2/year, irrigated agriculture increased by 745.62% at 1.70 km2/year, rainfed farms/ranch/grassland increased by 14.67% at 14.53 km2/year, forest land decreased by 41.11% at 22.33 km2/year and waterbodies decreased by 73.95% at 0.87 km2/year. Streamflow increased at a rate of 0.13 Mm3 per annum in the wet seasons and showed a high variation with flow volume of 79.68 Mm3 in February and 1.01 Mm3 in September. Annual actual evapotranspiration decreased from 840.6 mm to 796.3 mm while annual water abstraction increased from 8.94 mm to 23.2 mm from the year 1984 to 2017. The pattern of LULC change between 1984 and 2017 has negatively impacted the hydrology of the Chongwe River Catchment. From these findings, an integrated catchment management and protection approach is proposed to mitigate the negative impacts of LULC dynamics on hydrological components in the Chongwe River Catchment.
Construction of the Ecological Security Pattern of Urban Agglomeration under the Framework of Supply and Demand of Ecosystem Services Using Bayesian Network Machine Learning: Case Study of the Changsha–Zhuzhou–Xiangtan Urban Agglomeration, China
Authors: Ouyang Xiao , Wang Zhenbo , Zhu Xiang
Published: November 2019

Coordinating ecosystem service supply and demand equilibrium and utilizing machine learning to dynamically construct an ecological security pattern (ESP) can help better understand the impact of urban development on ecological processes, which can be used as a theoretical reference in coupling economic growth and environmental protection. Here, the ESP of the Changsha–Zhuzhou–Xiangtan urban agglomeration was constructed, which made use of the Bayesian network model to dynamically identify the ecological sources. The ecological corridor and ecological strategy points were identified using the minimum cumulative resistance model and circuit theory. The ESP was constructed by combining seven ecological sources, “two horizontal and three vertical” ecological corridors, and 37 ecological strategy points. Our results found spatial decoupling between the supply and demand of ecosystem services (ES) and the degradation in areas with high demand for ES. The ecological sources and ecological corridors of the urban agglomeration were mainly situated in forestlands and water areas. The terrestrial ecological corridor was distributed along the outer periphery of the urban agglomeration, while the aquatic ecological corridor ran from north to south throughout the entire region. The ecological strategic points were mainly concentrated along the boundaries of the built-up area and the intersection between construction land and ecological land. Finally, the ecological sources were found primarily on existing ecological protection zones, which supports the usefulness of machine learning in predicting ecological sources and may provide new insights in developing urban ESP.
Implementation Barriers for a System of Environmental-Economic Accounting in Developing Countries and Its Implications for Monitoring Sustainable Development Goals
Authors: Pirmana Viktor , Alisjahbana Armida Salsiah , Hoekstra Rutger , Tukker Arnold
Published: November 2019

The desire to include environmental information in national accounts has resulted in the construction of a system of environmental-economic accounting (SEEA). As the international statistical standard for environmental-economic accounting, the SEEA can provide valuable support for monitoring Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study assesses the potential use of the SEEA for monitoring SDGs. This paper shows that, in theory, the potential for this system is significant. However, based on a literature review and survey of SEEA experts, practical problems in implementing the SEEA are significant, especially in developing countries. Such issues include data availability and quality, as well as the availability of funding and human resources. Capacity development is key to establishing successful implementation of the SEEA in developing countries. For example, the World Bank’s WAVES program (Wealth Accounting and Valuation of Ecosystem Services) has been instrumental in capacity building in developing countries, which, however, still show great variation in how they implement SEEA.
Zika Virus Dissemination from the Midgut of Aedes aegypti is Facilitated by Bloodmeal-Mediated Structural Modification of the Midgut Basal Lamina
Authors: Cui Yingjun , Grant DeAna G. , Lin Jingyi , Yu Xiudao , Franz Alexander W. E.
Published: November 2019

The arboviral disease cycle requires that key tissues in the arthropod vector become persistently infected with the virus. The midgut is the first organ in the mosquito that needs to be productively infected with an orally acquired virus. Following midgut infection, the virus then disseminates to secondary tissues including the salivary glands. Once these are productively infected, the mosquito is able to transmit the virus to a vertebrate host. Recently, we described the midgut dissemination pattern for chikungunya virus in Aedes aegypti. Here we assess the dissemination pattern in the same mosquito species for Zika virus (ZIKV), a human pathogenic virus belonging to the Flaviviridae. ZIKV infection of secondary tissues, indicative of dissemination from the midgut, was not observed before 72 h post infectious bloodmeal (pibm). Virion accumulation at the midgut basal lamina (BL) was only sporadic, although at 96–120 h pibm, virions were frequently observed between strands of the BL indicative of their dissemination. Our data suggest that ZIKV dissemination from the mosquito midgut occurs after digestion of the bloodmeal. Using gold-nanoparticles of 5 nm and 50 nm size, we show that meal ingestion leads to severe midgut tissue distention, causing the mesh width of the BL to remain enlarged after complete digestion of the meal. This could explain how ZIKV can exit the midgut via the BL after bloodmeal digestion. Ingestion of a subsequent, non-infectious bloodmeal five days after acquisition of an initial, dengue 4 virus containing bloodmeal resulted in an increased number of virions present in the midgut epithelium adjacent to the BL. Thus, subsequent bloodmeal ingestion by an infected mosquito may primarily stimulate de novo synthesis of virions leading to increased viral titers in the vector.
A Toxicity Screening Approach to Identify Bacteriophage-Encoded Anti-Microbial Proteins
Authors: Mohanraj Ushanandini , Wan Xing , Spruit Cindy M. , Skurnik Mikael , Pajunen Maria I.
Published: November 2019

The rapid emergence of antibiotic resistance among many pathogenic bacteria has created a profound need to discover new alternatives to antibiotics. Bacteriophages, the viruses of microbes, express special proteins to overtake the metabolism of the bacterial host they infect, the best known of which are involved in bacterial lysis. However, the functions of majority of bacteriophage encoded gene products are not known, i.e., they represent the hypothetical proteins of unknown function (HPUFs). In the current study we present a phage genomics-based screening approach to identify phage HPUFs with antibacterial activity with a long-term goal to use them as leads to find unknown targets to develop novel antibacterial compounds. The screening assay is based on the inhibition of bacterial growth when a toxic gene is expression-cloned into a plasmid vector. It utilizes an optimized plating assay producing a significant difference in the number of transformants after ligation of the toxic and non-toxic genes into a cloning vector. The screening assay was first tested and optimized using several known toxic and non-toxic genes. Then, it was applied to screen 94 HPUFs of bacteriophage φR1-RT, and identified four HPUFs that were toxic to Escherichia coli. This optimized assay is in principle useful in the search for bactericidal proteins of any phage, and also opens new possibilities to understanding the strategies bacteriophages use to overtake bacterial hosts.
A Mass Balance of Nitrogen in a Large Lowland River (Elbe, Germany)
Authors: Ritz Stephanie , Fischer Helmut
Published: November 2019

Nitrogen (N) delivered by rivers causes severe eutrophication in many coastal waters, and its turnover and retention are therefore of major interest. We set up a mass balance along a 582 km river section of a large, N-rich lowland river to quantify N retention along this river segment and to identify the underlying processes. Our assessments are based on four Lagrangian sampling campaigns performed between 2011 and 2013. Water quality data served as a basis for calculations of N retention, while chlorophyll-a and zooplankton counts were used to quantify the respective primary and secondary transformations of dissolved inorganic N into biomass. The mass balance revealed an average N retention of 17 mg N m−2 h−1 for both nitrate N (NO3–N) and total N (TN). Stoichiometric estimates of the assimilative N uptake revealed that, although NO3–N retention was associated with high phytoplankton assimilation, only a maximum of 53% of NO3–N retention could be attributed to net algal assimilation. The high TN retention rates in turn were most probably caused by a combination of seston deposition and denitrification. The studied river segment acts as a TN sink by retaining almost 30% of the TN inputs, which shows that large rivers can contribute considerably to N retention during downstream transport.
Cool Steam Method for Desalinating Seawater
Authors: Arnau Pedro , Navarro Naeria , Soraluce Javier , Martínez-Iglesias Jose , Illas Jorge , Oñate Eugenio
Published: November 2019

Cool steam is an innovative distillation technology based on low-temperature thermal distillation (LTTD), which allows obtaining fresh water from non-safe water sources with substantially low energy consumption. LTTD consists of distilling at low temperatures by lowering the working pressure and making the most of low-grade heat sources (either natural or artificial) to evaporate water and then condensate it at a cooler heat sink. To perform the process, an external heat source is needed that provides the latent heat of evaporation and a temperature gradient to maintain the distillation cycle. Depending on the available temperature gradient, several stages can be implemented, leading to a multi-stage device. The cool steam device can thus be single or multi-stage, being raw water fed to every stage from the top and evaporated in contact with the warmer surface within the said stage. Acting as a heat carrier, the water vapor travels to the cooler surface and condensates in contact with it. The latent heat of condensation is then conducted through the conductive wall to the next stage. Net heat flux is then established from the heat source until the heat sink, allowing distilling water inside every parallel stage.
Hydrological Drought Regimes of the Huai River Basin, China: Probabilistic Behavior, Causes and Implications
Authors: Sun Peng , Zhang Qiang , Yao Rui , Wen Qingzhi
Published: November 2019

Hydrological droughts were characterized using the run-length theory and the AIC (Akaike information criterion) techniques were accepted to evaluate the modeling performance of nine probability functions. In addition, the copula functions were used to describe joint probability behaviors of drought duration and drought severity for the major tributaries of the Huai River Basin (HRB) which is located in the transitional zone between humid and semi-humid climates. The results indicated that: (1) the frequency of hydrological droughts in the upper HRB is higher than that in the central HRB, while the duration of the hydrological drought is in reverse spatial pattern. The drought frequency across the Shiguan River along the south bank of the HRB is higher than the other two tributaries; (2) generalized Pareto distribution is the appropriate distribution function with the best performance in modelling the drought duration over the HRB; while the Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distribution can effectively describe the probabilistic properties of the drought severity. Joe copula and Tawn copula functions are the best choices and were used in this study. Given return periods of droughts of <30 years, the droughts in the upper HRB are the longest, and the shortest are in the central HRB; (3) the frequency of droughts along the mainstream of the HRB is higher than tributaries of the HRB. However, concurrence probability of droughts along the mainstream of the HRB is lower than the tributaries of the HRB. The drought resistance capacity of HRB has been significantly improved, effectively reducing the impact of hydrological drought on crops after 2010.
PENGUJIAN MEDIUM ALTERNATIF AIR CUCIAN BERAS AGAR UNTUK PERTUMBUHAN Aspergillus niger
Authors: Handarini Handarini , Pakpahan Suyarta Efrida , Hatimah Irma
Published: November 2019

Medium pertumbuhan yang umum digunakan untuk kapang adalah Potato Dextrose Agar. Tujuan penelitian adalah menganalisa pengaruh penggunaan air cucian beras dalam beberapa konsentrasi sebagai salah satu komponen medium terhadap pertumbuhan koloni Aspergillus niger, (2) menentukan konsentrasi air cucian beras yang berpengaruh paling baik terhadap pertumbuhan koloni Aspergillus niger. Parameter pertumbuhan koloni yang diamati adalah diameter koloni dan diameter conidial head. Taraf konsentrasi air cucian beras yang diujikan adalah 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, dan 100% yang dilarutkan bersama dengan agar dan dextrose. Hasil pengujian menunjukkan adanya pengaruh penggunaan air cucian beras terhadap pertumbuhan Aspergillus niger. Koloni Aspergillus niger yang tumbuh pada medium air cucian beras dengan konsentrasi 50% sampai dengan 100% menunjukkan diameter koloni lebih besar daripada diameter koloni yang tumbuh pada medium PDA. Ukuran diameter conidial head dari sel yang tumbuh pada konsentrasi 80% sampai dengan 100% menunjukkan lebih besar dari ukuran diameter conidial head dari sel yang tumbuh pada medium PDA Konsentrasi air cucian beras yang menunjukkan pengaruh paling baik terhadap pertumbuhan koloni Aspergillus niger adalah konsentrasi 100%.
PENGARUH SUHU PEMANASAN FORMALIN 10% TERHADAP PERKEMBANGAN TELUR Ascaris lumbricoides
Authors: Aryadnyani Ni Putu
Published: November 2019

AbstractBackground Ascaris lumbricoides eggs had very thick walls consisted of three layers, they were albuminoid layer, hyaline layer and vitelin layer. These layers were impermeable causing the Ascaris lumbricoides eggs resistant to less supportive environmental factors. Formalin 10% was a preservative that was often used to preserve faeces containing parasites such as protozoa and worm eggs. However, without heating, formalin 10% was not effective to preserve the Ascaris lumbricoides eggs because they would keep developing to become infective (containing larvae). Objective This study aims to prove whether there is an effect of adding 10% formalin which is heated at 60 C, 70 C and 80 C to the development of Ascaris lumbricoides eggs.Methods The design of this research was an experimental study with The Randomized Posttest Control Group Design. Result The Ascaris lumbricoides eggs were still growing into infective eggs in faeces although they were heated by formalin 10% at 60C, 70C and 80C. conclusion Based on the results of the study, there was no effect of heating temperature of formalin 10% on the development of Ascaris lumbricoides egg.Keywords: Formalin 10%, Ascaris lumbricoides, Heating, Soil Transmitted Helminth
EFEKTIVITAS EKSTRAK KAPANG ENDOFIT ISOLAT BR-S1 (A) TERHADAP BAKTERI Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
Authors: Kurniawan Kurniawan Kurniawan , Ratnaningtyas Nuniek Ina
Published: November 2019

Background Tea parasitic plant (Scurrula oortiana L.) is one of medicinal plants (herba medicina) containing several active compounds but its utilization is still constrained by some problems, so that there needs other approaches by utilizing potential of BR-S1 (A) isolate endophytic fungi which grows in these plants to control MRSA pathogenic bacteria. Objective This research aimed to examine the effectiveness of the four types of BR-S1 (A) endophytic fungi extract  from the origin of tea parasites to the growth of MRSA bacteria.Methods The researchers used laboratory experimental method by Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method and the data obtained were analyzed statistically. Result The research result showed that MRSA bacteria had various sensitivity on four types of BR-S1 (A) isolate endophytic fungi; with its highest sensitivity on extract of ethyl acetate and its lowest sensitivity was extract of n-hexane (no inhibition). The difference of sensitivity test results was suspected to be related to active compound content found in ethyl acetate extract in form of flavonoid and tannin class compounds which had been proven to inhibit growth of pathogenic bacteria.  Conclusion It can be concluded that  the four types of BR-S1 (A) endophytic fungus extract originating from tea parasites, only ethyl acetate extract was the most effective in inhibiting the growth of MRSA bacteria, this is due to the content of two active compounds from the flavonoid and tannin groups.
IDENTIFIKASI TELUR CACING NEMATODA USUS PADA KUKU MURID SEKOLAH DASAR NEGERI 11 RANOMEETO
Authors: Askrening Askrening -
Published: November 2019

Background: Humans are intestinal nematode hosts whose transmission occurs through soil or soil transmited helminthes, as a place of life and development of worm eggs and larvae before they are transmitted to the human body, especially in children who are used to playing or direct contact with the soil, allowing the nails of Nematode eggs to be exposed the intestine.Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the presence of intestinal nematode worm eggs on Ranomeeto 11 elementary school students. Methode: The type of research used is descriptive research, which was conducted on 28 June - 2 July 2016. The sample in this study was taken by Simple Random Sampling. The data taken in the form of primary and secondary data with the research instrument is a checklist and examination results. Data analysis techniques and data presentation are descriptive and presented in the form of frequency distribution tables and narrated.Result: The results of research conducted on 37 nail samples of Ranomeeto 11 Elementary School students showed that there were 5 positive samples containing intestinal Nematode eggs which were 4 positive Ascaris lumbricoides (10.82%) and 1 positive Trichuris trichiura (2.70%) and 32 (86 , 48%) negative samples do not contain intestinal nematodes.Conclusion: The conclusion of this study is that there are 5 positive samples of intestinal Nematode worm eggs 13.51% and 32 negative samples 86.48% do not contain intestinal nematode worm eggs.