bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Imposed Self-Governance on Irrigation Rules Design among Horticultural Producers in Peri-Urban Kenya
Authors: Joseph Kanyua Mwangi
Published: August 2020

While high urban vegetable demand has driven unprecedented intensification of small private irrigation in peri-urban Kenya, absence of appropriate local governance mechanisms has necessitated interventions by concerned state agencies. Based on Ostrom’s design principles for sustainable commons, this paper evaluates the robustness of the irrigation management regime emanating from involuntary self-governance among peri-urban farmers. Findings show that since conflicts were fueled by water scarcity peaks corresponding with market price peaks, the interventions overemphasized facilitating water sharing among users. With conflicting users viewed as the problem by the agency, their experiences with the resource system, existing social structures, and resource use dynamics causing conflicts were largely ignored in the change process. Consequently, narrowly focused use rules that failed to properly define important resource parameters resulted. Further, user drawing rights have no significant input requirement, monitoring of water resource condition and sanctioning of deviant behavior are overlooked due to a lack of sufficient social capital and commitment to the collective establishment. Although inherent conflicts signify high economic valuation of water access by users, the lack of local ownership of the transition process made the policy interventions fail to produce rules that can guarantee sustainable irrigation development in an environment characterized by intensive irrigation and agrochemicals application, and growing domestic and industrial water demand. Therefore, recognizing water as a commercial input, recognizing conflicting users and their experiences as an essential solution, and integrating them in a participatory manner in subsequent institutional change is deemed necessary for effective governance in the post-conflict setup.
Using Traditional Methods for Collaborative Fieldwork in a Uranium Food Chain Study on Diné Lands in the US Southwest
Authors: Samuel-Nakamura Christine
Published: August 2020

Collaborative research between scientists and local community members is often required to collect needed study samples and inform the overall study. This is particularly true in Indigenous communities where local knowledge and practices are integral to data collection, analysis, and dissemination. This study reports on a traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) collaborative methodological approach utilized for data collection in this unique community. In collaboration with Diné (Navajo) tribal harvesters and leaders in northwestern New Mexico, participants were recruited utilizing chain-referral recruitment and selection from a preexisting cohort. The research examined the extent of metal(loid) contamination in the primary food chain in a uranium (U) mining impacted area. Key food chain items (sheep, squash, herbal tea plants), water, and livestock forage samples were collected and determined for metal(loid)s (cesium, cadmium, molybdenum, lead, thorium, U, vanadium, arsenic, and selenium). This paper reports on the five-step process employed that involved local Diné food harvesters incorporating indigenous TEK and practices with Western science-based knowledge and practices. The five steps of harvest-based monitoring are: (1) identify goal and research questions, (2) design the study according to Diné and scientific protocols, (3) determine respective collaborative roles during fieldwork, (4) implement the fieldwork, and (5) analyze and disseminate the findings. Collaborative work supported constructs of respectfulness, trust, kinship, enhanced communication, and provided better understanding of contamination by researchers, community members, and leaders. The study allowed for the collection of baseline data and realistic reassessment goal recommendations for the future.
Modelling Municipal Social Responsibility: A Pilot Study in the Region of Extremadura (Spain)
Authors: Sánchez-Hernández Maria Isabel , Aguilar-Yuste Manuel , Maldonado-Briegas Juan José , Seco-González Jesús , Barriuso-Iglesias Cristina , Galán-Ladero Maria Mercedes
Published: August 2020

Social Responsibility in the Public Administration is an emerging phenomenon responding to the challenges and opportunities for public institutions faced by the rapidly evolving world. The general and ambitious global goal of sustainability is at risk because inequality is increasing among countries, but also within countries at the regional and local levels. Facing this problem, the aim of this paper is to approach how the social responsibility of local governments is impacting citizens’ participation as a way of managing the required transformation to sustainable development. In order to contribute to seed light in the field, a pilot study was carried out, employing partial least squares as an exploratory method, with an ad hoc structural equation model, and with a sample of 256 inhabitants in three municipalities in Extremadura (Spain). The findings are promising for place marketing, local public management and democracy reinforcement because it is empirically demonstrated that the municipality’s orientation towards responsibility impacts citizen´s connection, attraction, and identification with the municipality, increasing citizen participation.
Is the Distribution of Research Grants Sustainable? An Empirical Study of Grant Assessment
Authors: Bączkiewicz Aleksandra , Dagil Jakub , Kizielewicz Bartłomiej , Urbaniak Karol , Sałabun Wojciech
Published: August 2020

Financing of basic research is an important task in supporting research activities and development of dynamically advancing interdisciplinary fields of science. A significant challenge in this aspect is the correct distribution of limited finances sustainably. In this paper, we present an empirical study related to National Science Centre (NSC), which is the main government agency in Poland. NSC funds projects in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Life Sciences and Physical Sciences and Engineering. In this work, we analyse three primary funding schemes of NSC, which are called PRELUDIUM, SONATA and OPUS. Each of theses programms is asigned to another group of scientists from beginners to experts. Projects’ data concerning PRELUDIUM, SONATA and OPUS schemes are collected from NSC projects database (only completed projects) and proccessed for further investigation. Effectiveness and sustainability of projects implemented in scientific fields are analysed concerning criteria such as the total number of book publications, papers, amount of grants and IF points. The results obtained are presented regarding scientific disciplines and panels. Prevailingly, the PRELUDIUM scheme exhibits better results in the majority of criteria and panels.
Life Cycle Assessment of Variable Rate Fertilizer Application in a Pear Orchard
Authors: Vatsanidou Anna , Fountas Spyros , Liakos Vasileios , Nanos George , Katsoulas Nikolaos , Gemtos Theofanis
Published: August 2020

Precision Agriculture (PA) is a crop site-specific management system that aims for sustainability, adopting agricultural practices more friendly to the environment, like the variable rate application (VRA) technique. Many studies have dealt with the effectiveness of VRA to reduce nitrogen (N) fertilizer, while achieving increased profit and productivity. However, only limited attention was given to VRA’s environmental impact. In this study an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) based Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) performed to identify the environmental effects of N VRA on a small pear orchard, compared to the conventional uniform application. A Cradle to Gate system with a functional unit (FU) of 1 kg of pears was analyzed including high quality primary data of two productive years, including also the non-productive years, as well as all the emissions during pear growing and the supply chains of all inputs, projecting them to the lifespan of the orchard. A methodology was adopted, modelling individual years and averaging over the orchard’s lifetime. Results showed that Climate change, Water scarcity, Fossil fuels and Particulate formation were the most contributing impact categories to the overall environmental impact of the pear orchard lifespan, where climate change and particulates were largely determined by CO2, N2O, and NH3 emissions to the air from fertilizer production and application, and as CO2 from tractor use. Concerning fertilization practice, when VRA was combined with a high yield year, this resulted in significantly reduced environmental impact. LCA evaluating an alternative fertilizer management system in a Greek pear orchard revealed the environmental impact reduction potential of that system.
The Tea Bag Index—UK: Using Citizen/Community Science to Investigate Organic Matter Decomposition Rates in Domestic Gardens
Authors: Duddigan Sarah , Alexander Paul D. , Shaw Liz J. , Sandén Taru , Collins Chris D.
Published: August 2020

Gardening has the potential to influence several ecosystem services, including soil carbon dynamics, and shape progression towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals, (e.g., SDG 13). There are very few citizen/community science projects that have been set up to test an explicit hypothesis. However, citizen/community science allows collection of countrywide observations on ecosystem services in domestic gardens to inform us on the effects of gardening on SDGs. The geographical spread of samples that can be collected by citizen/community science would not be possible with a team of professional science researchers alone. Members of the general public across the UK submitted soil samples and buried standardised litter bags (tea bags) as part of the Tea Bag Index—UK citizen/community science project. Participants returned 511 samples from across the UK from areas in their garden where soil organic amendments were and were not applied. The project examined the effects of application of soil amendments on decomposition rates and stabilisation of litter, and in turn, effects on soil carbon and nitrogen concentrations. This was in response to a call for contributions to a global map of decomposition in the Teatime4Science campaign. Results suggested that application of amendments significantly increased decomposition rate and soil carbon, nitrogen, and carbon: nitrogen ratios within each garden. So much so that amendment application had more influence than geographic location. Furthermore, there were no significant interactions between location and amendment application. We therefore conclude that management in gardens has similar effects on soil carbon and decomposition, regardless of the location of the garden in question. Stabilisation factor was influenced more prominently by location than amendment application. Gardening management decisions can influence a number of SDGs and a citizen/community science project can aid in both the monitoring of SDGs, and involvement of the public in delivery of SDGs.
Sustainable Assessment of Public Works through a Multi-Criteria Framework
Authors: Perlingeiro Rogério Moreno , Pereira Lima Perlingeiro Mayra Soares , Chinelli Christine Kowal , Vazquez Elaine Garrido , Qualharini Eduardo Linhares , Haddad Assed N. , Hammad Ahmed W. A. , Soares Carlos Alberto Pereira
Published: August 2020

Enhancing the sustainability of public works has been a key agenda in recent years for many governmental organizations. Public works contribute significantly to a large portion of engineering works and have great potential to impact the sustainability of cities. Thus, evaluating the sustainability of these projects is highly relevant, mainly regarding their impacts on environmental, social, and economic aspects. There are currently assessment systems and methods with different scopes and approaches. Yet, there remains uncertainty when it comes to considering public works’ sustainability and how useful criteria can be incorporated into the proposed assessment tasks to ensure such a goal. This study contributes to filling this gap by developing, through an extensive and detailed bibliographic research, a flexible and comprehensive framework composed of 214 criteria distributed across nine categories that measure the degree of sustainability of public works, with emphasis on economic, social and environmental goals. The proposed framework can act as a practical tool, functioning as a checklist applicable to all types of public construction works, and at any stage of the lifecycle. Evaluation of the framework by professionals indicated its suitability when encompassing sustainability objectives, its viability, and its ease of use.
Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Social Skills Scale for Young Immigrants
Authors: Tomé-Fernández María , Fernández-Leyva Christian , Olmedo-Moreno Eva María
Published: August 2020

The integration of young immigrants in the societies that host them highlights the need for the intervention of social workers to facilitate their adaptation and inclusion from an individualized diagnosis of their needs. The development of social skills in the immigrants is one of the main ways to make that integration happen, and therefore its diagnosis is fundamental. However, at present, there are no valid and reliable instruments that take into account the sociocultural factors that surround young immigrants for the evaluation of their social skills. It is for this reason that the purpose of this study was to adapt and validate a current and useful instrument for the diagnosis of such social skills to young immigrants welcomed in Spain. To do this, it was started on the choice and adaptation of The Social Skills Scale (Escala de Habilidades Sociales). Subsequently, the questionnaire was submitted to concurrent, predictive, and nomological validation processes. The construct validity was carried out by factor analysis first and second order to confirm the hierarchical structure of the scale. After validation with Exploratory Factor Analysis (n = 330), the structure was checked, and the model was later adjusted with Confirmatory Factor Analysis (n = 568) by means of structural equations. The reliability and internal consistency of the instrument was also tested with values in all dimensions above 0.8. It is concluded that this new instrument has 29 items and 6 dimensions, has acceptable validity and reliability, and can be used for the diagnosis of Social Skills in Young Immigrants.
Using Characteristic Energy to Study Rural Ethnic Minorities’ Household Energy Consumption and Its Impact Factors in Chongqing, China
Authors: Mao Shuxin , Qiu Sha , Li Tao , Tang Mingfang , Deng Hongbing , Zheng Hua
Published: August 2020

In the context of general household energy transition, identifying different household energy consumption patterns is of great significance for the formulation of refined energy conservation and emission reduction policies. For historical reasons, the households of ethnic minorities in China tend to face more severe energy poverty problems. In this study, we proposed the concept and research method of characteristic energy, a new method to depict household energy use pattern. Combined with the diversity analysis, the energy use pattern of Tujia and Miao rural households in Chongqing, China, were studied. Households in research area were clustered into four groups with different characteristic energy sources: firewood, electricity, coal and gasoline, representing four types of household energy use pattern. The main impact factors of rural household energy use pattern are electrical appliances and amount of pig raising, indicating that household production and lifestyle play a decisive role in household energy use patterns. In addition, the research depicts the energy consumption characteristics of rural households with different incomes, ethnic groups and in different regions. The study puts forward corresponding energy saving countermeasures for different energy use pattern, helps to identify the heterogeneity of rural household energy use and promote the formulation of refined regional energy conservation and emission reduction policies.
Co-Fermentation of Food Waste and Municipal Sludge from the Saudi Arabian Environment to Improve Lactic Acid Production by Lactobacillus rhamnosus AW3 Isolated from Date Processing Waste
Authors: Al-Dhabi Naif Abdullah , Esmail Galal Ali , Valan Arasu Mariadhas
Published: August 2020

Food waste and municipal sludge were used as the substrates for the biosynthesis of lactic acid in a batch fermentor. The probiotic bacterial strain Lactobacillus rhamnosus AW3 isolated from date processing waste was used to produce lactic acid in a batch fermentor. Co-fermentation enhanced the biosynthesis of lactic acid and decreased substrate inhibition more than mono-substrate fermentation. A maximum yield of 28.4 ± 0.87 g/L of lactic acid was obtained through co-fermentation of food waste and municipal sludge at an optimized ratio of 2:0.5. Lactic acid production was improved by the supplementation of fructose, peptone, and sodium dihydrogen phosphate at pH 5.5 after 48 h fermentation. This production was approximately three-fold higher than that during mono-fermentation of food waste. The tested bacterial strains were obtained from the Microbial Type Culture Collection (MTCC). Lactic acid showed potent antimicrobial activity against pathogenic organisms, such as Bacillus subtilis MTCC 5981 (14 mm), Staphylococcus aureus MTCC 737 (20 mm), Pseudomonas aeruginosa MTCC 424 (24 mm), Enterobacter aerogenes MTCC111 (19 mm), Escherichia coli MTCC 443 (18 mm), Penicillium chrysogenum MTCC 5108 (19 mm), and Aspergillus niger MTCC 282 (19 mm). The antimicrobial properties of lactic acid have significant potential to inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria and fungi and improve probiotic properties. The lactic acid extracted from L. rhamnosus AW3 decreased the pH value of soil (p < 0.01) and increased the availability of soil phosphorus (p < 0.01). These findings demonstrate the bioconversion of food waste and municipal sludge into lactic acid, and the recycling of food wastes in urban areas to enhance soil nutrients.
Geography Pre-Service Teachers’ Perspectives on Multimedia Technology and Environmental Education
Authors: Guo Fengtao , Meadows Michael E , Duan Yushan , Gao Changhai
Published: August 2020

Multimedia technology (MT) is now widely used in primary and secondary classrooms and has excellent potential for environmental education. The discipline of Geography has strong synergies with environmental education. The paper uses the Q methodology to investigate the responses of pre-service geography teachers regarding the use of multimedia in environmental education (EE). The viewpoints of respondents were clustered into three broad perspectives relating to the use of multimedia: Perspective 1: the use of multimedia is regarded as valuable but difficult to apply; perspective 2: the use of multimedia is rewarding and practicable; perspective 3: the use of all types of multimedia is seen as highly valuable, although in the case of GIS the attitude is more equivocal. All three perspectives align with the idea that MT can improve EE, although the respondents suggest it cannot be a direct replacement for fieldwork. While all three perspectives are consistent with the view that multimedia teaching has many functional advantages in relation to environmental education, concerns are expressed regarding teachers’ capacity to fulfill its potential. The authors suggest that understanding these perspectives can help improve pre-service teacher education and advance environment education in middle school.
Impacts of Climatic and Agricultural Input Factors on the Water Footprint of Crop Production in Jilin Province, China
Authors: Zheng Xiaoxue , Qin Lijie , He Hongshi
Published: August 2020

Water consumption ensures crop production and grain security, and is influenced by many factors. Analyzing the impact factors of water consumption during crop production will be beneficial to the full use of water resources and crop growth. Jilin Province is one of the major crop production areas in China and is facing water shortages. Using the water footprint as an indicator, this study evaluated the water consumption of crop production in Jilin Province during 2000–2016, explored the impacts of climatic and agricultural input factors on the water consumption of crop production, and identified the most influential factors in years under different levels of rainfall. The results indicate that the crop water footprint exhibited a decreasing trend during 2000–2016, and the most influential factors of the crop water footprint changed over the years with different levels of rainfall. Precipitation and the effective irrigation area were the most influential factors in the drought year, and accumulated temperature, machinery power, and chemical fertilizer consumption were the most influential factors in normal and humid years. The most influential factors of the crop water footprint differed in different regions with the differences in natural and human interfered conditions. Identifying the impacts of the most influential factors on the water consumption of crop production would be conducive to optimizing farmland management and achieving sustainable agricultural production.
Conceptualizing Inclusive Learning and Development: A Framework towards Entrepreneurial Competency Practices for Sustainability
Authors: Chander Naidu , Siow May Ling , Ramachandran Sridar , Kunasekaran Puvaneswaran , Rathakrishnan Thanuja
Published: August 2020

This paper reviews the position of entrepreneurial competency practices for sustainability within the learning and development (L&D) narrative over the last three decades. In alignment with the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, gaps within the context of entrepreneurial learning theories, learning delivery, and roles of interlocutors are addressed. The discourse unfolds the meaning and measurement attributes of entrepreneurial competencies, advocating for developing an inclusive framework within the entrepreneurial L&D space. Extant literature posits exclusivity in learning theories, learning delivery, and role of interlocutors as approaches to achieving Entrepreneurial Competencies (EC); however, scarcity in research adapting a dynamic and inclusive framework for amalgamating learning theories, learning delivery, and roles of interlocutors can impact entrepreneurial competency sustainability. This paper analyzes EC to achieve L&D sustainability, employing a mixed-method content analysis to develop a dynamic and inclusive framework encompassing learning theories, learning delivery, and roles of interlocutors. The paper concludes by establishing an Inclusive Framework of Entrepreneurial Competency Practices (IFECP) that bridges learning and development gaps, namely learning theories, learning delivery, and roles of interlocutors. The IFECP is aimed at assisting interlocutors and learners from nascent to mastery stages in ECs to embody the core values of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Intervention Strategies on the Wastewater Treatment Behavior of Swine Farmers: An Extended Model of the Theory of Planned Behavior
Authors: Wang Ming-Yeu , Lin Shih-Mao
Published: August 2020

Untreated swine wastewater pollutes rivers and harms the environment. The pollution can be minimized if swine farmers take wastewater treatment (WWT) action before the wastewater is discharged into rivers. Thus, the WWT behavior of swine farmers is key to environmental sustainability. However, WWT behavior, characterized by high costs and inconvenience, has received little attention from previous studies. Due to the high cost, some intervention strategies are helpful in ensuring that farmers behave in a pro-environmental manner. Therefore, this study compares the effects of two intervention factors, i.e., environmental knowledge and perceived effectiveness of enforcement, on the WWT behavior of swine farmers in Taiwan. The comparisons and empirical tests are based on an extended model of the theory of planned behavior (TPB). The findings reveal that all three classic factors in the TPB, i.e., attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, had significant and positive effects on the intention of farmers to perform WWT behavior. Contradicting most previous studies, behavioral intentions did not have a significant effect on WWT behavior; however, perceived behavioral control did. The total effects of both intervention factors on WWT behavior were significant and positive. Moreover, the total effect of environmental knowledge was larger than that of the perceived effectiveness of enforcement. The findings suggest that a combination of the two strategies of increasing the environmental knowledge of individuals and enhancing the enforcement of environmental regulations will be helpful in inducing the sustained WWT behavior of farmers. Policy makers can allocate more resources to increasing farmers’ environmental knowledge than to enhancing the enforcement of environmental regulations. Finally, future research directions are discussed.
Sustainable Knowledge Management and Firm Innovativeness: The Contingent Role of Innovative Culture
Authors: Mohamad Abang Azlan , Ramayah T. , Lo May Chiun
Published: August 2020

This study presents the moderating effect of innovative culture on the relationship between knowledge management and firm innovativeness. The consequences of organisations that do not practice innovative culture would result in their inability to respond and react effectively to changes in the dynamic nature of the business environment and henceforth unable to achieve superior performance. In attempting to answer the research questions, a total of 202 MSC Malaysia organisations took part in the survey. To assess the developed model, WarpPLS (version 7.0) was applied based on path modelling and then bootstrapping. The results highlighted that three of the four dimensions of knowledge management, namely knowledge acquisition, knowledge application and knowledge protection were positively and significantly related to firm innovativeness. On the other hand, innovative culture was found to moderate the relationships between knowledge acquisition and firm innovativeness; and knowledge application and firm innovativeness.
Functions, Capacities, and Traffic Safety Characteristics of Some Types of Two-Level Roundabouts
Authors: Tollazzi Tomaž , Guerrieri Marco , Jovanović Goran , Renčelj Marko
Published: August 2020

Over recent decades, roundabouts have become increasingly used when building new at-grade intersections or up-grade junctions all over the world. Consequently, control of traffic flows at at-grade intersections and up-grade junctions using roundabouts creates unique design problems. Nowadays, ‘alternative’ types of roundabouts have started to become very popular, especially because of their advantages compared with ‘standard’ roundabouts and standard types of up-grade junctions. Some of these alternative types of roundabouts are two-level roundabouts, which are still currently in the development phase. It is for this reason that they can be called ‘theoretical roundabouts’. Two-level roundabouts are particularly useful in urban and suburban areas with space limitations due to their relatively small footprint. This paper illustrates three new alternative types of two-level roundabouts—‘target’, ‘four flyover’, and ‘roundabout with left and right bypasses’—as well as their functions, capacities, and traffic safety characteristics.
Solar Energy Prediction Model Based on Artificial Neural Networks and Open Data
Authors: Barrera Jose Manuel , Reina Alejandro , Maté Alejandro , Trujillo Juan Carlos
Published: August 2020

With climate change driving an increasingly stronger influence over governments and municipalities, sustainable development, and renewable energy are gaining traction across the globe. This is reflected within the EU 2030 agenda, that envisions a future where there is universal access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy. One of the challenges to achieve this vision lies on the low reliability of certain renewable sources. While both particulars and public entities try to reach self-sufficiency through sustainable energy generation, it is unclear how much investment is needed to mitigate the unreliability introduced by natural factors such as varying wind speed and daylight across the year. In this sense, a tool that aids predicting the energy output of sustainable sources across the year for a particular location can aid greatly in making sustainable energy investments more efficient. In this paper, we make use of Open Data sources, Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and installations distributed across Europe to create such tool through the application of Artificial Neural Networks. We analyze how the different factors affect the prediction of energy production and how Open Data can be used to predict the expected output of sustainable sources. As a result, we facilitate users the necessary information to decide how much they wish to invest according to the desired energy output for their particular location. Compared to state-of-the-art proposals, our solution provides an abstraction layer focused on energy production, rather that radiation data, and can be trained and tailored for different locations using Open Data. Finally, our tests show that our proposal improves the accuracy of the forecasting, obtaining a lower mean squared error (MSE) of 0.040 compared to an MSE 0.055 from other proposals in the literature.
Urban Water Governance and Learning—Time for More Systemic Approaches?
Authors: Johannessen Åse , Mostert Erik
Published: August 2020

Social learning, especially triple-loop social learning involving institutional and governance changes, has great potential to address urban water issues such as flooding, drought, and pollution. It facilitates urban transition and the adoption of more systemic approaches and innovations. Social learning in water governance is a growing field, but the triple-loop learning concept remains vague and underexplored. Additionally, the focus is often on how social learning can contribute to progress with little attention being paid to barriers to learning. The aim of this paper is to increase understanding of triple-loop social learning to improve the “learning infrastructure”. It investigates key learning barriers for realizing green (livable) and adaptive cities in Malmö and Gothenburg, Sweden. Integration of nature-based solutions in spatial planning and development of these cities has been slow. The results found three types of barriers contributing to this: systemic (disconnecting parts with the whole); opacity (reducing communication between error detection and correction); and process-related (reducing the adoption of innovations). The paper contributes to understanding the social learning barriers for implementing planning. These insights could help overcome “adaptation inertia” and speed up policy learning towards sustainability and resilience.
Design of a Predictive Model of Rock Breakage by Blasting Using Artificial Neural Networks
Authors: Rosales-Huamani Jimmy Aurelio , Perez-Alvarado Roberth Saenz , Rojas-Villanueva Uwe , Castillo-Sequera Jose Luis
Published: August 2020

Over the years, various models have been developed in the stages of the mining process that have allowed predicting and enhancing results, but it is the breakage, the variable that connects all the activities of the mining process from the point of view of costs (drilling, blasting, loading, hauling, crushing and grinding). To improve this process, we have designed and developed a computational model based on an Artificial Neural Network (ANN), the same that was built using the most representative variables such as the properties of explosives, the geomechanical parameters of the rock mass, and the design parameters of drill-blasting. For the training and validation of the model, we have taken the data from a copper mine as reference located in the north of Chile. The ANN architecture was of the supervised type containing: an input layer, a hidden layer with 13 neurons and an output layer that includes the sigmoid activation function with symmetrical properties for optimal model convergence. The ANN model was fed-back in its learning with training data until it becomes perfected, and due to the experimental results obtained, it is a valid prediction option that can be used in future blasting of ore deposits with similar characteristics using the same representative variables considered. Therefore, it constitutes a valid alternative for predicting rock breakage, given that it has been experimentally validated, with moderately reliable results, providing higher correlation coefficients than traditional models used, and with the additional advantage that an ANN model provides, due to its ability to learn and recognize collected data patterns. In this way, using this computer model we can obtain satisfactory results that allow us to predict breakage in similar scenarios, providing an alternative for evaluating the costs that this entails as a contribution to the work.
WebShell Attack Detection Based on a Deep Super Learner
Authors: Ai Zhuang , Luktarhan Nurbol , Zhou AiJun , Lv Dan
Published: August 2020

WebShell is a common network backdoor attack that is characterized by high concealment and great harm. However, conventional WebShell detection methods can no longer cope with complex and flexible variations of WebShell attacks. Therefore, this paper proposes a deep super learner for attack detection. First, the collected data are deduplicated to prevent the influence of duplicate data on the result. Second, to detect the results of the algorithm, static and dynamic feature are taken as the feature of the algorithm to construct a comprehensive feature set. We then use the Word2Vec algorithm to vectorize the features. During this period, to prevent the outbreak of the number of features, we use a genetic algorithm to extract the validity of the feature dimension. Finally, we use a deep super learner to detect WebShell. The experimental results show that this algorithm can effectively detect WebShell, and its accuracy and recall are greatly improved.
Nucleon Polarizabilities and Compton Scattering as Playground for Chiral Perturbation Theory
Authors: Hagelstein Franziska
Published: August 2020

I give a summary of recent results on nucleon polarizabilities, with emphasis on chiral perturbation theory. The predictive calculations of Compton scattering off the nucleon are compared to recent empirical determinations and lattice QCD calculations of the polarizabilities, thereby testing chiral perturbation theory in the single-baryon sector.
Energy-Momentum Relocalization, Surface Terms, and Massless Poles in Axial Current Matrix Elements
Authors: Teryaev Oleg
Published: August 2020

The energy-momentum relocalization in classical and quantum theory is addressed with specific impact on non-perturbative QCD and hadronic structure. The relocalization is manifested in the existence of canonical and symmetric (Belinfante and Hilbert) energy momentum tensors (EMT). The latter describes the interactions of hadrons with classical gravity and inertia. Canonical EMT, in turn, is naturally emerging due to the translation invariance symmetry and appears when spin structure of hadrons is considered. Its relation to symmetric Hilbert and Belinfante EMTs requires the possibility to neglect the contribution of boundary terms for the classical fields. For the case of quantum fields this property corresponds to the absence of zero-momentum poles of matrix element of the axial current dual to the spin density. This property is satisfied for quarks manifesting the symmetry counterpart of UA(1) problem and may be violated for gluons due to QCD ghost pole.
Magneto-Optical Tools to Study Effects in Dirac and Weyl Semimetals
Authors: Cheskis Dima
Published: August 2020

Research regarding topological Dirac and Weyl semimetals contributes to our understanding not only of the field of solid-state physics, but also the field of high-energy physics as the physics of Dirac and Weyl semimetals resembles the physics of Dirac and Weyl massless fermions. In condensed matter physics, the Weyl nodes are detached in momentum space and may be realized as emergent quasiparticles with a distinct chirality, left-handed or right-handed. These states lead to phenomena like the chiral anomaly and the anomalous Hall effect (AHE). Furthermore, the combination of quantum effects and magnetic effects in magnetic Weyl semimetals is very intriguing. Magneto-optical tools, which are usually used to study magnetic phenomena, also contribute to magnetic Weyl semimetals. Moreover, with the magneto-optical technique, it is possible to follow the dynamics of the processes and to study the lifetime of the Weyl states. In this work, we review and discuss the effects of using magneto-optical tools for studying quantum effects like the chiral anomaly or magnetic effects in magnetic Weyl and Dirac systems using the magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) or Faraday systems including a single detection and imaging. Examples of using magneto-optical systems in the research of ultrafast magnetic dynamics of thin polycrystalline nickel and permaloy are reviewed as are the magnetic spatial dynamics by employing magneto-optical Kerr or Faraday microscopy tools with ferromagnetic thin films. Interestingly, the excitation of a circularly polarized femtosecond laser pulse could lead to the breakage of time-reversal symmetry and to the transformation of the Dirac state to the Floquet–Weyl semimetal state. The development of a suitable ultrafast magneto-optical system for Weyl systems is discussed, and the practical difficulties for the realization of such a system are considered.
Saporin from Saponaria officinalis as a Tool for Experimental Research, Modeling, and Therapy in Neuroscience
Authors: Bolshakov Alexey P. , Stepanichev Mikhail Yu. , Dobryakova Yulia V. , Spivak Yulia S. , Markevich Vladimir A.
Published: August 2020

Saporin, which is extracted from Saponaria officinalis, is a protein toxin that inactivates ribosomes. Saporin itself is non-selective toxin but acquires high specificity after conjugation with different ligands such as signaling peptides or antibodies to some surface proteins expressed in a chosen cell subpopulation. The saporin-based conjugated toxins were widely adopted in neuroscience as a convenient tool to induce highly selective degeneration of desired cell subpopulation. Induction of selective cell death is one of approaches used to model neurodegenerative diseases, study functions of certain cell subpopulations in the brain, and therapy. Here, we review studies where saporin-based conjugates were used to analyze cell mechanisms of sleep, general anesthesia, epilepsy, pain, and development of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. Limitations and future perspectives of use of saporin-based toxins in neuroscience are discussed.
Lytic Cell Death Mechanisms in Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus-Infected Macrophages: Roles of Pyroptosis and Necroptosis
Authors: Bedient Lori , Pokharel Swechha Mainali , Chiok Kim R. , Mohanty Indira , Beach Sierra S. , Miura Tanya A. , Bose Santanu
Published: August 2020

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of viral bronchiolitis and pneumonia in infants and children worldwide. Inflammation induced by RSV infection is responsible for its hallmark manifestation of bronchiolitis and pneumonia. The cellular debris created through lytic cell death of infected cells is a potent initiator of this inflammation. Macrophages are known to play a pivotal role in the early innate immune and inflammatory response to viral pathogens. However, the lytic cell death mechanisms associated with RSV infection in macrophages remains unknown. Two distinct mechanisms involved in lytic cell death are pyroptosis and necroptosis. Our studies revealed that RSV induces lytic cell death in macrophages via both of these mechanisms, specifically through the ASC (Apoptosis-associated speck like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain)-NLRP3 (nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich-containing family, pyrin domain-containing-3) inflammasome activation of both caspase-1 dependent pyroptosis and receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 3 (RIPK3), as well as a mixed lineage kinase domain like pseudokinase (MLKL)-dependent necroptosis. In addition, we demonstrated an important role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during lytic cell death of RSV-infected macrophages.
Sexual Transmission of Arboviruses: A Systematic Review
Authors: Blitvich Bradley J. , Magalhaes Tereza , Laredo-Tiscareño S. Viridiana , Foy Brian D.
Published: August 2020

Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are primarily maintained in nature in transmission cycles between hematophagous arthropods and vertebrate hosts, but an increasing number of arboviruses have been isolated from or indirectly detected in the urogenital tract and sexual secretions of their vertebrate hosts, indicating that further investigation on the possibility of sexual transmission of these viruses is warranted. The most widely recognized sexually-transmitted arbovirus is Zika virus but other arboviruses, including Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus and dengue virus, might also be transmitted, albeit occasionally, by this route. This review summarizes our current understanding on the ability of arboviruses to be sexually transmitted. We discuss the sexual transmission of arboviruses between humans and between vertebrate animals, but not arthropod vectors. Every taxonomic group known to contain arboviruses (Asfarviridae, Bunyavirales, Flaviviridae, Orthomyxoviridae, Reoviridae, Rhabdoviridae and Togaviridae) is covered.
The Yin and the Yang of Treatment for Chronic Hepatitis B—When to Start, When to Stop Nucleos(t)ide Analogue Therapy
Authors: Hall Samuel , Howell Jessica , Visvanathan Kumar , Thompson Alexander
Published: August 2020

Over 257 million individuals worldwide are chronically infected with the Hepatitis B Virus (HBV). Nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) are the first-line treatment option for most patients. Entecavir (ETV) and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) are both potent, safe antiviral agents, have a high barrier to resistance, and are now off patent. They effectively suppress HBV replication to reduce the risk of cirrhosis, liver failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Treatment is continued long-term in most patients, as NA therapy rarely induces HBsAg loss or functional cure. Two diverging paradigms in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B have recently emerged. First, the public health focussed “treat-all” strategy, advocating for early and lifelong antiviral therapy to minimise the risk of HCC as well as the risk of HBV transmission. In LMICs, this strategy may be cost saving compared to monitoring off treatment. Second, the concept of “stopping” NA therapy in patients with HBeAg-negative disease after long-term viral suppression, a personalised treatment strategy aiming for long-term immune control and even HBsAg loss off treatment. In this manuscript, we will briefly review the current standard of care approach to the management of hepatitis B, before discussing emerging evidence to support both the “treat-all” strategy, as well as the “stop” strategy, and how they may both have a role in the management of patients with chronic hepatitis B.
Investigation on Spontaneous Abortion and Human Papillomavirus Infection
Authors: Tognon Mauro , Tagliapietra Andrea , Magagnoli Federica , Mazziotta Chiara , Oton-Gonzalez Lucia , Lanzillotti Carmen , Vesce Fortunato , Contini Carlo , Rotondo John Charles , Martini Fernanda
Published: August 2020

Viral infections are considered to be risk factors for spontaneous abortion (SA). Conflicting results have been reported on the association between Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and SA. HPV DNA was investigated in matched chorionic villi tissues and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from women who experienced SA (n = 80, cases) and women who underwent a voluntary interruption of pregnancy (VI; n = 80, controls) by qualitative PCR and quantitative droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). Viral genotyping was performed using real-time PCR in HPV-positive samples. Specific IgG antibodies against HPV16 were investigated in sera from SA (n = 80) and VI (n = 80) females using indirect ELISA assays. None of the DNA samples from SA subjects was HPV-positive (0/80), whilst HPV DNA was detected in 2.5% of VI women (p > 0.05), with a mean viral DNA load of 7.12 copy/cell. VI samples (n = 2) were found to be positive for the HPV45 genotype. The ddPCR assay revealed a higher number of HPV-positive samples. HPV DNA was detected in 3.7% and 5% of SA and VI chorionic tissues, respectively, with mean viral DNA loads of 0.13 copy/cell in SA and 1.79 copy/cell in VI (p >0.05) samples. All DNA samples from the PBMCs of SA and VI females tested HPV-negative by both PCR and ddPCR. The overall prevalence of serum anti-HPV16 IgG antibodies was 37.5% in SA and 30% in VI (p > 0.05) women. For the first time, HPV DNA was detected and quantitatively analyzed using ddPCR in chorionic villi tissues and PBMCs from SA and VI women. Circulating IgG antibodies against HPV16 were detected in sera from SA and VI females. Our results suggest that HPV infection in chorionic villi may be a rare event. Accordingly, it is likely that HPV has no significant role in SA.
Spatiotemporal Variation of Groundwater Arsenic in Pampanga, Philippines
Authors: Solis Kurt Louis B. , Macasieb Reygie Q. , Parangat Roel C. , Resurreccion Augustus C. , Ocon Joey D.
Published: August 2020

Several confirmed cases of arsenic (As) poisoning have been reported in Central Luzon, the Philippines, in recent years. There is a growing interest in As research in the Philippines due to the reported As poisoning cases. However, an extensive spatiotemporal As study has not been conducted. In this work, As concentration measurements were conducted in 101 wells in Guagua, Pampanga, in Central Luzon, the Philippines, from November 2018 to November 2019. The wells included 86 public hand pumps, 10 pumping stations, and 5 private, jet-powered pumps. Using hydride generation—inductively coupled plasma—optical emission spectroscopy (HG-ICP-OES), analysis of the wells in 12 barangays in Guagua revealed that 38.7% had average As concentrations beyond the 10 ppb limit with some wells having high Mn (4.0 ppm) and Fe (2.0 ppm) content as well. The high pH and reducing conditions in the wells in Guagua may have contributed to the persistence of As in the groundwater. The mean difference in wet season versus dry season As measurements were −4.4 (As < 10 ppb), −13.2 (10 to 50 ppb As), and −27.4 (As > 50 ppb). Eighty-three wells (82.2%) had higher As concentrations in the dry season, 8 wells (7.92%) had higher As concentrations in the wet season, 7 wells (6.93%) had no significant difference between the wet and dry season, and 3 wells had been decommissioned. These results indicate that there is a significant difference in As concentrations in the wet and dry seasons, and this could have implications in water treatment technology and policy implementation. The work resulted in the first year-long characterization of groundwater As in the Philippines.