bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Two-Way Split-Step Wavelet Scheme for Tropospheric Long-Range Propagation in Various Environments
Authors: Bonnafont Thomas , Benhmammouch Othmane , Khenchaf Ali
Published: June 2022

In the context of improving the dimensioning of observation and telecommunication, the characterization of the propagation canal is very important. Thus, accurate models of propagation phenomenona in their environment and above a rough surface (maritime or terrestrial) are of major interest for many applications (such as radar, communications, and teledetection). To provide solutions to this problem, in this paper, we propose a fast, memory-efficient, and accurate asymptotic method for 2D tropospheric propagation for a large band of frequency that accounts for relief, as well as ground composition and roughness. This latter is a two-way split-step wavelet scheme with an intrinsic stopping criterion. For overseas propagation, roughness effects are considered through a hybrid method. A complete theoretical comparison with SSF in terms of memory and time efficiency is proposed. Simulations in various environments (ground, sea, and snow), as well as different frequencies (UHF, S, and X-band) are performed to validate the method and highlight its advantages. To highlight the interest of the developed methodology, this latter is applied to different real-life applications, such as the prediction of radar coverage and the optimization of an antenna location.
Carbon Emission Inversion Model from Provincial to Municipal Scale Based on Nighttime Light Remote Sensing and Improved STIRPAT
Authors: Wang Qi , Huang Jiejun , Zhou Han , Sun Jiaqi , Yao Mingkun
Published: June 2022

Carbon emissions and consequent climate change directly affect the sustainable development of ecological environment systems and human society, which is a pertinent issue of concern for all countries globally. The construction of a carbon emission inversion model has significant theoretical importance and practical significance for carbon emission accounting and control. Established carbon emission models usually adopt socio-economic parameters or energy statistics to calculate carbon emissions. However, high-precision estimates of carbon emissions in administrative regions lacking energy statistics are difficult. This problem is especially prominent in small-scale regions. Methods to accurately estimate carbon emissions in small-scale regions are needed. Based on nighttime light remote-sensing data and the STIRPAT (Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence, and Technology) model, combined with the environmental Kuznets curve, this paper proposes an ISTIRPAT (Improved Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence, and Technology) model. Through the improved STIRPAT model (ISTIRPAT) and panel data regression, provincial carbon emission inventory data were downscaled to the municipal level, and municipal scale carbon emission inventories were obtained. This study took the 17 cities and prefectures of Hubei Province, China, as an example to verify the accuracy of the model. Carbon emissions for 17 cities and prefectures from 2012 to 2018 calculated from the original STIRPAT model and the ISTIRPAT model were compared with real values. The results show that using the ISTIRPAT model to downscale the provincial carbon emission inventory to the municipal level, the inversion accuracy reached 0.9, which was higher than that of the original model. Overall, carbon emissions in Hubei Province showed an upward trend. Regarding the spatial distribution, the main carbon emission area was formed in the central part of Hubei Province as a ring-shaped mountain peak. The lowest carbon emissions in the central area expanded outward, increased, and gradually decreased to the edge of the province. The overall composition of carbon emissions in eastern Hubei was higher than those in western Hubei.
A Sustainability Improvement Strategy of Interconnected Data Centers Based on Dispatching Potential of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
Authors: Wang Xihao , Wang Xiaojun , Liu Yuqing , Xiao Chun , Zhao Rongsheng , Yang Ye , Liu Zhao
Published: June 2022

With the rapid development of information technology, the electricity consumption of Internet Data Centers (IDCs) increases drastically, resulting in considerable carbon emissions that need to be reduced urgently. In addition to the introduction of Renewable Energy Sources (RES), the joint use of the spatial migration capacity of IDC workload and the temporal flexibility of the demand of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (EVCSs) provides an important means to change the carbon footprint of the IDC. In this paper, a sustainability improvement strategy for the IDC carbon emission reduction was developed by coordinating the spatial-temporal dispatch flexibilities of the IDC workload and the EVCS demand. Based on the Minkowski sum algorithm, a generalized flexible load model of the EVCSs, considering traffic flow and Road Impedance (RI) was formulated. The case studies show that the proposed method can effectively increase the renewable energy consumption, reduce the overall carbon emissions of multi-IDCs, reduce the energy cost of the DCO, and utilize the EV dispatching potential. Discussions are also provided on the relationship between workload processing time delay and the renewable energy consumption rate.
Review of the Integrated Development of Ecological and Cultural Forestry
Authors: Huang Luyu , Cao Yukun
Published: June 2022

Ecological and cultural forestry need to be integrated for successful rural revitalization. A proper rural revitalization strategy should be linked to the value of the eco-cultural forestry industry. To adjust and optimize the structure of this industry, we need to develop the primary and tertiary industries and structurally optimize the secondary industry. The sustainable development of forestry requires us to promote the unity of the ecological, social, and economic benefits of forestry. By unifying ecological forestry and the cultural industry, we can capture consumer market trends, enhance industrial development policies, and increase the training of high-level talents to better deal with the danger of industrial hollowing out and resolve the embarrassment of the low end of the value chain. By integrating and promoting the two systems of ecological forestry and the cultural industry, we can converge their respective values and allow more nuanced value cognition when exploring the development paths of industry integration. In the period of overall transfer of forestry development strategy, it is of great significance to develop a forestry economy according to the evolution law of forestry industry, give full play to the advantages of forestry ecological culture resources, and vigorously develop forestry ecological culture industry under the background of rural revitalization strategy. Based on the integration of forestry industry, the aim of this study is to summarize the forestry ecological culture industry development mechanism, summarize the value of forestry ecological culture industry development strategy, put forward building a new era forestry ecological culture industry system, capture the consumer market trend, optimize industrial development policy, increase the high-level talent training industry integration development path, improve rural ecological advantages into ecological economic advantages, provide more and better green ecological products and services, promote the ecological and economic virtuous cycle, and realize the sustainable development of the forestry economy.
Comprehensive Evaluation and Spatial-Temporal Pattern of Green Development in Hunan Province, China
Authors: Li Zhirong , Zheng Kaiheng , Zhong Qikang
Published: June 2022

Hunan Province in China is in the initial stage of green development. Human activities and urban construction lead to ecological environmental problems. Based on the physical geography, environmental quality and socio-economic data from 2005 to 2020, this study established a green development evaluation system based on the DPSIR model by analyzing the logical relationship of green development in Hunan Province. In addition, we explored the change characteristics of the green development level, and evaluated the green development in Hunan Province from the time and space dimensions. The results showed that there are significant spatial differences in the green development level of counties in Hunan Province, showing a pattern of “strong in the east, weak in the central and western regions”. In addition, from 2005 to 2020, the county’s green development index showed agglomeration distribution. The driving forces and pressure systems have a significant role in promoting the green development of the county, while the state and impact systems also have a certain role in promoting the green development of the county. Based on the evolution mechanism of green development in Hunan Province, this paper studied the new green development evaluation system and proposed green development policy recommendations, aiming to provide a scientific basis for the construction of ecological civilization in the region.
Prioritizing Cleaner Production Actions towards Circularity: Combining LCA and Emergy in the PET Production Chain
Authors: Bustamante Gustavo , Giannetti Biagio Fernando , Agostinho Feni , Liu Gengyuan , Almeida Cecília M. V. B.
Published: June 2022

Petrochemicals, which convert oil and gas into products such as plastics, are fundamental to modern societies. Chemists recognize their role in designing materials and the adverse effects that these may have on the environment, preventing sustainable development. Several methodological frameworks and sustainability assessment approaches have been developed to evaluate the resources used in the petrochemical sector in terms of environmental costs. Still, there is a need to evaluate these systems in terms of environmental costs deeply. A combination of life cycle assessment and emergy accounting—to assess the environmental support for resource use—is applied in this study of the PET production chain in Europe. The unit emergy values of several intermediates are calculated or updated to facilitate the discernment of the quality of energy used and the processes’ efficiency. Several routes for synthesizing renewable para-xylene and ethylene glycol from biomass are discussed and confronted with the efforts focused on recycling and recovering the final product, providing concurrently a procedure and a valuable data set for future CP actions. The results show that understanding the efficiencies changing across the production chain may help stakeholders decide where and when interventions to promote a circular economy are most effective along a petrochemical production chain.
Audit Evaluation and Driving Force Analysis of Marine Economic Development Quality
Authors: Gao Sheng , Sun Huihui , Wang Runjie
Published: June 2022

High quality development of the marine economy is the main focus of China’s future. This paper combined principal component analysis (PCA) method, coupling coordination degree (CCD) model, and data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to evaluate the quality of marine economic development, and analyze the drivers in Jiangsu Province, China, from 2008 to 2016. The results show that the investment in marine economic development has gradually declined, while the output has been increasing. It gradually presents a state of intensive development with low input and high output. The coupling coordination level of high-quality development of the marine economy in 2009–2014 and 2016 was above the good coordination level. The quality of marine economic development continued to grow, with an average increase of 25.1%, of which the technological progress change index played a decisive role, mainly through improving total factor productivity. Marine economic development is becoming more diversified. Total industrial wastewater discharge, the added value of marine and related industries, and the number of marine-related employees are the main influencing factors.
The Groundwater Flow Behavior and the Recharge in the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System during the Wet and Arid Periods
Authors: Mohamed Ahmed , Ahmed Ezzat , Alshehri Fahad , Abdelrady Ahmed
Published: June 2022

The Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System (NSAS) is made up of three major sub-basins: Kufra, Dakhla, and the N. Sudan Platform. It is one of the world’s largest groundwater systems. The aquifer’s hydrologic setting, connectivity of its sub-basins, and groundwater flow across these sub-basins are currently unclear. To address these issues, we used a combined approach that included: (1) a regionally calibrated groundwater flow model that mimics early (>10,000 years) steady-state conditions under wet climatic periods and later (<10,000 years BP–1960; 1960–2010) transient conditions under arid climatic periods; and (2) groundwater ages (36Cl, 81Kr) and isotopic (18O, 2H) data. The NSAS was recharged on a regional scale in previous wet climatic periods; however, in dry periods, its outcrops are still receiving local modest recharge. A progressive increase in 36Cl groundwater ages was found along groundwater flow directions and along structures that are sub-parallel to the flow direction. The NE–SW Pelusium mega shear zone is a preferential groundwater flow conduit from the Kufra to the Dakhla sub-basin. The south-to-north groundwater flow is hampered by the Uweinat–Aswan basement uplift. The findings provide useful information about the best ways to use the NSAS.
Identification and Evaluation of Determining Factors and Actors in the Management and Use of Biosolids through Prospective Analysis (MicMac and Mactor) and Social Networks
Authors: Venegas Camilo , Sánchez-Alfonso Andrea C. , Vesga Fidson-Juarismy , Martín Alison , Celis-Zambrano Crispín , González Mendez Mauricio
Published: June 2022

The reuse of biosolids in agriculture and its inclusion within the circular economy model requires evaluating and analyzing factors that intervene in its management. The objective of the study was to analyze those factors that influence the management and use of biosolids. Fifty-three actors were questioned, and their answers were analyzed using two prospective methods and Social Network Analysis (SNA) identifying between 14 and 19 variables. Six should be prioritized due to their criticality and potential in management and reuse scenarios. It was observed that the formulation of objectives, such as the improvement of infrastructure, creation of an institutional policy, and the establishment of definitions for the kinds of biosolids, are opposed by internal agents. Seven key actors and four to six determining agents were identified in the scenarios. The network of management and use of biosolids in agriculture presented low density (0.28) and the exclusive action of three key actors. Consequently, the participation of a greater number of better-connected actors is required to project networks with a higher density (between 0.49 and 0.57), facilitating the diffusion of information and the inclusion of new actors not previously contemplated. The application of prospective and SNA methodologies focused on biosolids allows the prioritization of determinants, the evaluation of the level of involvement and communication between actors, and other aspects that have not been considered previously in the management of WWTPs in Colombia.
Human–System Interaction Based on Eye Tracking for a Virtual Workshop
Authors: Gao Zenggui , Li Jiaying , Dong Mengyao , Yang Ruining , Liu Lilan
Published: June 2022

With the constant exploration and development of intelligent manufacturing, the concept of digital twins has been proposed and applied. In view of the complexity and intellectualization of virtual workshop systems, real workshops can link with virtual workshosp based on AR under the structure of digital twins, which allows users to interact with virtual information and perceive the virtual information superimposed on the real world with great immersion. However, the three-dimensionality of virtual workshops and interaction with complex workshop information can be challenging for users. Due to a shortage of input bandwidth and the nontraditional mode of interaction, a more natural interaction technique for virtual workshops is required. To solve such problems, this paper presents a technical framework for 3D eye movement interaction applied to a virtual workshop. An eye movement interaction technique, oriented to implicit interaction and explicit interaction, is developed by establishing behavior recognition and interaction intention understanding. An eye-movement experiment verifies the former’s accuracy is above 90% and had better recognition performance. A better feature vector group of the latter is selected to establish a model and verify its feasibility and effectiveness. Finally, the feasibility of the framework is verified through the development of an application example.
Evaluation of Cyclic Healing Potential of Bacteria-Based Self-Healing Cementitious Composites
Authors: Justo-Reinoso Ismael , Reeksting Bianca J. , Heath Andrew , Gebhard Susanne , Paine Kevin
Published: June 2022

At present, little evidence exists regarding the capability of bacteria-based self-healing (BBSH) cementitious materials to successfully re-heal previously healed cracks. This paper investigates the repeatability of the self-healing of BBSH mortars when the initially healed crack is reopened at a later age (20 months) and the potential of encapsulated bacterial spores to heal a new crack generated at 22 months after casting. The results show that BBSH cement mortar cracks that were successfully healed at an early age were not able to successfully re-heal when cracks were reformed in the same location 20 months later, even when exposed to favourable conditions (i.e., high humidity, temperature, calcium source, and nutrients) to promote their re-healing. Therefore, it is likely that not enough bacterial spores were available within the initially healed crack to successfully start a new self-healing cycle. However, when entirely new cracks were intentionally generated at a different position in 22-month-old mortars, these new cracks were able to achieve an average healing ratio and water tightness of 93.3% and 90.8%, respectively, thus demonstrating that the encapsulated bacterial spores remained viable inside the cementitious matrix. The results reported in this paper provide important insights into the appropriate design of practical self-healing concrete and, for the first time, show limitations of the ability of BBSH concrete to re-heal.
Energy Transition in Marginalized Urban Areas: The Case of Romania
Authors: Gaman Florian , Iacoboaea Cristina , Aldea Mihaela , Luca Oana , Stănescu Adrian Andrei , Boteanu Carmen Mihaela
Published: June 2022

To achieve a succesful energy transition, the collaboration of all stakeholders and policies for decarbonization at all levels are required. In this context, we aim to assess the perspective of energy transition in marginalized urban areas in Romania. The research is based on findings from a consistent analysis of 37 local development strategies in Romania in terms of energy (electricity and heating service provision). Despite the issues identified, we detected that communities across the country showed limited interest in renewable energy, which may be linked to low levels of awareness and education of residents in marginalized communities. In parallel with the analysis of the strategies, we developed Romania’s maps for renewable solar resources. Then, we developed maps of energy potential by linking the map of marginalized communities with the map of renewable energy resource potential in Romania. In addition, we used the PVGIS solar radiation tool to generate results related to median solar radiation estimates. Finally, we concluded by proposing an awareness raising and education program for the local communities on the solar energy solutions and a roadmap for potential energy projects in marginalized urban areas.
Built Environment’s Sustainability: The Design of the Gypso|TechA of the University of Perugia
Authors: Belardi Paolo , Gusella Vittorio , Liberotti Riccardo , Sorignani Camilla
Published: June 2022

A multidisciplinary approach embedded with sustainability represents a pathway to design strategies applicable in different cultural contexts. Considering the emissions attributed to building processes, the design of conservation measures is evolving to create high performance both in terms of healthiness and safety. On this, heritage buildings in earthquake-prone cities proved their vulnerability during the recent seismic events. However, the most important aspect of restoration interventions is that the design process must respect the architectural peculiarities of the building. In this regard, the contribution presents the reuse of a heritage building, currently disused, in the novel role of University of Perugia’s plaster cast gallery, in line with the aims declared by the University with the adoption of the “Action Plan for University Sustainability 2021–2023”. Such architecture is part of Palazzo Murena, University of Perugia headquarters, a former monastery designed by Luigi Vanvitelli and completed in 1762 by Carlo Murena. A historical-iconographical investigation, together with a survey, revealed the building origin: a pre-existing architecture, anciently a hospice, included by Vanvitelli in their project. The purpose was the masonries’ reinforcement conceiving, at once, a flexible space according to the adaptive architecture principle: give to buildings configurations new, whole or in part, from the original ones in response to emerging threats. An integrated project was designed to restore the building in order to realize a contemporary museum in which full-height exhibition spaces alternate with the pre-existing ones. In this way, the new Gypso|TechA showcases the academic plasters, actually without a seat matching their cultural value, and through a peculiar layout encodes the collection’s message in a site-specific cognitive process.
Generalized Nonparametric Composite Tests for High-Dimensional Data
Authors: Kong Xiaoli , Villasante-Tezanos Alejandro , Harrar Solomon W.
Published: June 2022

In this paper, composite high-dimensional nonparametric tests for two samples are proposed, by using component-wise Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney-type statistics. No distributional assumption, moment condition, or parametric model is required for the development of the tests and the theoretical results. Two approaches are employed, for estimating the asymptotic variance of the composite statistic, leading to two tests. In both cases, banding of the covariance matrix to estimate variance of the test statistic is involved. An adaptive algorithm, for selecting the banding window width, is proposed. Numerical studies are provided, to show the favorable performance of the new tests in finite samples and under varying degrees of dependence.
Aeroelastic Topology Optimization of Wing Structure Based on Moving Boundary Meshfree Method
Authors: Wang Xiaozhe , Zhang Shanshan , Wan Zhiqiang , Wang Zhi
Published: June 2022

The increasing structural flexibility of large aircraft leads to significant aeroelastic effects. More efficient topology optimization techniques are required for the design to further take advantage of aeroelasticity and obtain lightweight structures. This paper proposes a moving boundary meshfree topology optimization that combines the Galerkin method of weighted residuals and non-uniform rational B-splines (NURBS). The solution domain is described by the control points of NURBS and its property is calculated adaptively with an integration subtraction technique. The minimal compliance is searched for using the globally convergent method of moving asymptotes (GCMMA) by designing the locations of control points as subject to volume and flux constraints. The method is first applied to a typical two-dimensional design example with symmetric boundary conditions. The results show that the shape constraints can be conveniently applied, and smoother boundaries are obtained with fewer parameters. Then, a three-dimensional wing structure with asymmetric boundary conditions is optimized. A three-dimensional flight load that combines the high-order-panel and meshfree methods is employed to calculate the elastic loads and update asymmetric external loads during the optimization process. The designed wing satisfies engineering requirements and the presented method can solve the practical topology optimization problems of three-dimensional structures.
DY-RetinaNet Based Identification of Common Species at Beehive Nest Gates
Authors: Hu Xianming , Liu Chao , Lin Shouying
Published: June 2022

Target detection at the hive gate of a beehive can be used to effectively monitor invasive beehive species. However, in the natural environment, there is often a multi-target and multi-scale problem at the hive gate, making it difficult for beekeepers to accurately detect the internal state of the hive. (1) To solve the above problems, this paper proposes an improved RetinaNet target detection network, DY-RetinaNet, for the identification of common species at the hive doors of beehives in natural environments, i.e., Chinese bees, wasps, and cockroaches. (2) First, to solve the multi-target multi-scale problem presented in this paper, we propose replacing the FPN layer in the initial model RetinaNet with a symmetric structure BiFPN layer consisting of a feature pyramid, which allows the model to better balance the feature information of different scales. Then, for the loss function, using CIOU loss instead of smooth L1 loss makes the network more accurate for small target localization at multiple scales. Finally, the dynamic head framework is added after the model backbone network, due to the benefits of its multi-attention mechanism, which makes the model more concerned with multi-scale recognition in a multi-target scenario. (3) The experimental results of the homemade dataset show that DY-RetinaNet has the best network performance, compared to the initial model RetinaNet, when the backbone network is ResNet-101-BiFPN, and the mAP value of DY-RetinaNet is 97.38%. Compared with the initial model, the accuracy is improved by 6.77%. The experimental results from the public dataset MSCOCO 2017 show that DY-RetinaNet is better than the existing commonly used target-detection algorithms, such as SSD, YOLOV3, Faster R-CNN, Mask R-CNN, FCOS, and ExtremeNet. These results verify that the model has strong recognition accuracy and generalization ability for multi-target multi-scale detection.
Emetic Response to T-2 Toxin Correspond to Secretion of Glucagon-like Peptide-17–36 Amide and Glucose-Dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide
Authors: Zhang Jie , Li Tushuai , Wu Qinghua , Qin Zihui , Wei Ben , Wu Ran , Guo Xinyi , Xiao Huiping , Wu Wenda
Published: June 2022

The T-2 toxin, a major secondary metabolite of Fusarium Gramineae, is considered a great risk to humans and animals due to its toxicity, such as inducing emesis. The mechanism of emesis is a complex signal involving an imbalance of hormones and neurotransmitters, as well as activity of visceral afferent neurons. The T-2 toxin has been proven to induce emesis and possess the capacity to elevate expressions of intestinal hormones glucagon-like peptide-17–36 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), both of which are important emetic factors. In addition, the activation of calcium-sensitive receptor (CaSR) and transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are engaged in intestinal hormone release. However, it is unknown whether hormones GLP-1 and GIP mediate T-2 toxin-induced emetic response through activating CaSR and TRP channels. To further assess the mechanism of T-2 toxin-induced emesis, we studied the hypothesis that T-2 toxin-caused emetic response and intestinal hormones GLP-1 and GIP released in mink are associated with activating calcium transduction. Following oral gavage and intraperitoneal injection T-2 toxin, emetic responses were observed in a dose-dependent manner, which notably corresponded to the secretion of GLP-1 and GIP, and were suppressed by pretreatment with respective antagonist Exending9–39 and Pro3GIP. Additional research found that NPS-2143 (NPS) and ruthenium red (RR), respective antagonists of CaSR and TRP channels, dramatically inhibited both T-2 toxin-induced emesis response and the expression of plasma GLP-1 and GIP. According to these data, we observed that T-2 toxin-induced emetic response corresponds to secretion of GLP-1 and GIP via calcium transduction.
Comparison of Endemic and Epidemic Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Lineages in Culicoides sonorensis Midges
Authors: Rozo-Lopez Paula , Pauszek Steven J. , Velazquez-Salinas Lauro , Rodriguez Luis L. , Park Yoonseong , Drolet Barbara S.
Published: June 2022

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) primarily infects livestock and is transmitted by direct contact and vectored by Culicoides midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). Endemic to Central and South America, specific VSV lineages spread northward out of endemic regions of Mexico and into the U.S. sporadically every five to ten years. In 2012, a monophyletic epidemic lineage 1.1 successfully spread northward into the U.S. In contrast, the closest endemic ancestor, lineage 1.2, remained circulating exclusively in endemic regions in Mexico. It is not clear what roles virus-animal interactions and/or virus-vector interactions play in the ability of specific viral lineages to escape endemic regions in Mexico and successfully cause outbreaks in the U.S., nor the genetic basis for such incursions. Whole-genome sequencing of epidemic VSV 1.1 and endemic VSV 1.2 revealed significant differences in just seven amino acids. Previous studies in swine showed that VSV 1.1 was more virulent than VSV 1.2. Here, we compared the efficiency of these two viral lineages to infect the vector Culicoides sonorensis (Wirth and Jones) and disseminate to salivary glands for subsequent transmission. Our results showed that midges orally infected with the epidemic VSV 1.1 lineage had significantly higher infection dissemination rates compared to those infected with the endemic VSV 1.2 lineage. Thus, in addition to affecting virus-animal interactions, as seen with higher virulence in pigs, small genetic changes may also affect virus-vector interactions, contributing to the ability of specific viral lineages to escape endemic regions via vector-borne transmission.
Chimeric Antigen by the Fusion of SARS-CoV-2 Receptor Binding Domain with the Extracellular Domain of Human CD154: A Promising Improved Vaccine Candidate
Authors: Ávalos Ileanet , Lao Thailin , Rodríguez Elsa María , Zamora Yasser , Rodríguez Alianet , Ramón Ailyn , Lemos Gilda , Cabrales Ania , Bequet-Romero Monica , Casillas Dionne , Andújar Ivan , Espinosa Luis Ariel , González Luis Javier , Alvarez Yanitza , Carpio Yamila , Estrada Mario Pablo
Published: June 2022

COVID-19 is a respiratory viral disease caused by a new coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. This disease has spread rapidly worldwide with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. The receptor-binding domain (RBD) of protein spike (S) mediates the attachment of the virus to the host’s cellular receptor. The RBD domain constitutes a very attractive target for subunit vaccine development due to its ability to induce a neutralizing antibody response against the virus. With the aim of boosting the immunogenicity of RBD, it was fused to the extracellular domain of CD154, an immune system modulator molecule. To obtain the chimeric protein, stable transduction of HEK-293 was carried out with recombinant lentivirus and polyclonal populations and cell clones were obtained. RBD-CD was purified from culture supernatant and further characterized by several techniques. RBD-CD immunogenicity evaluated in mice and non-human primates (NHP) indicated that recombinant protein was able to induce a specific and high IgG response after two doses. NHP sera also neutralize SARS-CoV-2 infection of Vero E6 cells. RBD-CD could improve the current vaccines against COVID-19, based in the enhancement of the host humoral and cellular response. Further experiments are necessary to confirm the utility of RBD-CD as a prophylactic vaccine and/or booster purpose.
Downscaling Microwave Soil Moisture Products with SM-RDNet for Semiarid Mining Areas
Authors: Sang Xiao , Li Jun , Zhang Chengye , Xing Jianghe , Liu Xinhua , Wang Hongpeng , Zhang Caiyue
Published: June 2022

Surface soil moisture (SM), as a crucial ecological element, is significant to monitor in semiarid mining areas characterized by aridity and little rainfall. The passive microwave remote sensing, which is not affected by weather, provides more accurate SM information, but the resolution is too coarse for mining areas. The existing downscaling method is usually pointed to natural scenarios like agricultural fields rather than mining areas with high-intensity mining. In this paper, combined with geoinformation related to SM, we designed a convolutional neural network (SM-Residual Dense Net, SM-RDNet) to downscale SMAP/Sentinel-1 Level-2 radiometer/radar soil moisture data (SPL2SMAP_S SM) into 10 m spatial resolution. Based on the in-site measured data, the root mean square error (RMSE) was utilized to verify the downscaling accuracy of SM-RDNet. In addition, we analyzed its performance for different data combinations, vegetation cover types and the advantages compared with random forest (RF). Experimental results show that: (1) The downscaling from the 3 km product with the combination of auxiliary data NDVI + DEM + slope performs best (RMSE 0.0366 m3/m3); (2) Effective data combinations can improve the downscaling accuracy at the range of 0.0477–0.1176 m3/m3 (RMSE); (3) The SM-RDNet shows better spatial completeness, details and accuracy than RF (RMSE improved by 0.0905 m3/m3). The proposed SM-RDNet can effectively obtain the fine-grained SM in semiarid mining areas. Our method bridges the gap between coarse-resolution microwave SM products and ecological applications of small-scale mining areas, and provides data and technical support for future research to explore how the mining effect SM in semiarid mining areas.
GIS-AHP Ensembles for Multi-Actor Multi-Criteria Site Selection Processes: Application to Groundwater Management under Climate Change
Authors: Scheihing Konstantin , Kübeck Christine , Sütering Uwe
Published: June 2022

A possible adaptation pathway for water suppliers in Germany who face a climatically driven increase in water stress is the development of aquifers which are not used at their full potential. However, identifying suitable sites for aquifer development can go along with severe conflict potential due to the great variety of stakeholders who are involved in the decision-making process. We approach this multi-actor and multi-criteria decision-making problem by developing a geoinformation system-based analytic hierarchy process ensemble (GIS-AHP ensemble). As opposed to the classic GIS-AHP method that yields ratings of site suitability based on a single expert evaluation, the here proposed new GIS-AHP ensemble method respects multiple expert evaluations and allows for quantifying the robustness of yielded site ratings in multi-actor contexts, which helps to mitigate conflict potential. The respectively derived GIS-AHP ensemble site ratings for northwest Germany are successfully checked for plausibility in the framework of the study by using long-established groundwater abstraction areas as indicators for good site conditions. The GIS-AHP ensemble site ratings are further tested regarding their usability for long-term water supply planning by integrating a groundwater recharge scenario under climate change for the period 2020 to 2050. The proposed GIS-AHP ensemble methodology proves useful in the given case study for fostering integrated environmental decision-making and exhibits a high transferability to other, thematically differing site selection problems.
Coffee Husk and Lignin Revalorization: Modification with Ag Nanoparticles for Heavy Metals Removal and Antifungal Assays
Authors: Guevara-Bernal Daniel Fernando , Cáceres Ortíz Marlon Yesid Cáceres , Gutiérrez Cifuentes Jorge Andrés , Bastos-Arrieta Julio , Palet Cristina , Candela Angélica María
Published: June 2022

This study presents the use of the modified coffee husk and coffee lignin as sorbents in the heavy metal ions sorption of Pb(II), Cd(II), Cr(III), and Cu(II) in an aqueous solution. The modification of sorbents was carried out by the impregnation method, using silver nitrate (AgNO3) and sodium borohydride (NaBH4) as a nanoparticles’ (NPs) precursor, and reducing agent, respectively. The obtained nanocomposite material was morphologically characterized by electron microscopy. In addition, an evaluation of metal ions’ sorption, pseudo-first-order, and pseudo-second-order kinetics modeling was performed. Finally, antifungal activity was evaluated on different Candida species. Coffee and lignin modified with AgNPs increased the extraction capacity with the highest sorption for Pb ions with 2.56 mg/g and 1.44 mg/g, respectively.
Trend Detection in Annual Streamflow Extremes in Brazil
Authors: Souza Saulo A. de , Reis, Jr. Dirceu S.
Published: June 2022

Changes in streamflow extremes can affect the economy and are likely to impact the most vulnerable in society. Estimating these changes is crucial to develop rational adaptation strategies and to protect society. Streamflow data from 1106 gauges were used to provide a comprehensive analysis of change in eight different extreme indices. The modified trend-free prewhitening and the false discovery rate were used to account for serial correlation and multiplicity in regional analysis, issues shown here to distort the results if not properly addressed. The estimated proportion of gauges with significant trends in low and high flows was about 23% and 15%, respectively. Half of these significant gauges had more than 60 years of data and were associated with changes greater than 5% per decade. A clear spatial pattern was identified, where most increasing trends in both low and high flows were observed in Southern Brazil, and decreasing trends in the remaining regions, except for the Amazon, where a pattern is not clear, and the proportion of significant gauges is low. Results based only on gauges unaffected by reservoirs suggest that reservoirs alone do not explain the increasing trends of low flows in the southern regions nor the decreasing trends in high flows in the remaining hydrographic regions.
Critical Approach to Neo-salafism in the Context of Jihādī Salafism
Authors: TAŞDELEN Mehmet
Published: June 2022

Salafism has been evaluated at various stages in the historical process. The view that the Salafī approach includes Muslims, especially the first three generations, is generally accepted. Here Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Ḥanbal (died 241/855), the muḥaddiths, in which he was included, lead. Salafism, on the other hand, is a method of thought that systematized with Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728/1328) and Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (d. 751/1350), who said that they followed this first Salafī generation. Later, in the 18th century, Muḥammad b. ʿAbd al-Wahhāb (d. 1202/1792) Salafism came to the fore again. Since the 19th century, the efforts made for Islam and Muslims to return to their essence, stand up and progress, have been named as Neo-salafism. One of those who positioned itself in Salafism is Jihādī Salafism, which consists of many groups among itself. Jihādī Salafism has been criticized in terms of accepting violence as a method, especially attributing Muslims to takfīr and shirk and to impose their own truth on others and has led to the questioning of the nature of Salafism's lines. With these attitudes, they have come to a situation that will damage both the general belief structure of Muslims and the tolerance, well-being, notification and invitation method of Islam.
Social Stratification According to the Qurʾān
Authors: BARMAN Ramazan
Published: June 2022

Toplum, Kur’ân’ın temel konuları arasındadır. Toplumsal tabakalaşma, sosyal bir yapılanma olup tarihte yer almış tüm toplumlarda mevcuttur. Her toplum, tabakalaşma sebebiyle bünyesinde görünür ve görünmez eşitsizlikleri barındırmaktadır. Toplumdaki ekonomik ve sosyal eşitsizlikler tabakalaşmaya sebep olmaktadır. Tabakalaşma bireysel ve toplumsal eşitsizliklerin sonucudur. Tabakalaşma olgusu olumsuz sosyal ve ekonomik etkileri sebebiyle Kur’ân’da eleştirilmiştir. Peygamberlerlerin sınıfsız ve adil toplum inşâ etmek için gönderildikleri beşerî toplumlarda, üst tabakayı oluşturan mele, mütref ve müstekbir sınıfları, ilahi mesajlara karşı koymak ve peygamberleri engellemek için sistematik çabalar göstermişlerdir. Peygamberlerden sonra ise ehl-i kitap toplumsal yapı içinde dinin müntesiplerinden oluşan, erbâb ruhbân ve ahbâr sınıfı, dünyevî menfaatleri için nübüvvet misyonunu bozmak ve vahyi tahrif etmek için gayret sarf etmiştir. Toplumsal yapıda üst tabakada yer alan mele ve mütref tipolojisi ile ehl-i kitap dindar toplumsal yapı içerisinde üst tabaka oluşturan ahbâr erbâb ve ruhbân sınıfları arasında benzerlikler bulunmaktadır. Birisi, peygamberler hayatta iken peygamberlerin misyonuna karşı çıkarken diğeri de peygamberler vefât ettikten sonra nübüvvetin misyonunu bozmaya çalışmıştır. Alt tabakada ise tarih boyunca mustaz’aflar, erâzîl, süfehâ, köleler, fakir ve miskînler sınıfı var olmuştur. Kur’ân’nın eleştirdiği mele, mütref, müstekbir ile ahbâr ruhbân ve erbâb sınıfları, desteklediği müstaz’af sınıfları, toplumsal tabakalaşmayı ifade etmektedir. Kur’ân’da mele, mütref ve müstekbir sınıfı, helak ile birlikte zikredilmiş, ahbâr, ruhbân ve erbâb sınıfı da şiddetle kınanmıştır. Bu sebeple Kur’ân, önceki vahyin müntesiplerine olduğu gibi Müslümanlar için de bir eleştiri kitabıdır. Bu çalışmada Kur’ân’da toplumsal tabakalaşma olgusu, betimsel analiz çerçevesinde sosyal sınıf ya da zümre ifade eden kavramlar bağlamında incelenmiştir.
Jarīr b. ʿAbdallāh al-Bajalī: His Tribe and Relationship with the Prophet, and Role in Apostasy Cases
Authors: BARLAK Yasemin
Published: June 2022

Mekke’nin fethinin ardından farklı bölgelerden Hz. Peygamber’e bağlılık bildirmek için Medine’ye gelen Arap kabileleri içerisinde Yemenli kabilelerden biri olan Becîle kabilesi ve lideri Cerîr b. Abdullah el-Becelî de bulunuyordu. Hz. Peygamber, Cerîr’i Medine’deki Müslümanlara tanıttı, insanların onu benimsemelerini ve ona saygı duymalarını sağladı. Onu diğer kabile liderlerine örnek olarak gösterdi ve yanında tuttu. Cerîr, Hz. Peygamber’den aldığı talimatla Yemenlilerin en meşhur putlarından biri olan Zülhalesa’yı imha etti. İslam’a girip Hz. Peygamber’in devletine tabi olduktan sonra dinine ve devletine sıkı sıkıya bağlandı. Kısa bir süre içinde Hz. Peygamber’e yakınlıkta en az Ensar ve Muhacir kadar ön plana çıktı. Hz. Peygamber Yemen tarafında ortaya çıkan irtidâd hareketlerinden rahatsızdı. Bölgenin Müslümanların kontrolünden çıkmaması için Yemenli liderlerin desteğine ihtiyaç duyuyordu. Cerîr bu konuda Hz. Peygamber’in isteklerini yerine getirdiği gibi Hz. Ebubekir’in halifeliği döneminde de çeşitli görevler alarak çalışmalarına devam etti. Mürtedlere karşı savaştı. Cerîr b. Abdullah güzelliği ile dikkat çeken, İslamî hassasiyeti yüksek bir sahabî idi. O uzlaştırıcı tavrının yanında Hz. Peygamber’e biat sırasında söz verdiği şekilde dinin gereklerini insanlara daima hatırlatan tutumu ile hafızalarda yer etti. Bu makalede Cerîr b. Abdullah tanıtılarak kabilesi, yaşadığı coğrafyanın dinî-siyasi konumu, Hz. Peygamber ile ilişkileri ve Hz. Ebubekir dönemindeki faaliyetleri incelenmiştir.
Message Oriented Commentary Approach Regarding Ambiguities/al-Mubhamāt in al-Māturīdī's Taʾwīlāt al-Qurʾān
Authors: ÇALIŞKAN Necmettin
Published: June 2022

The nature and content of some words in the Qurʾānic narratives are clear, while some of them are closed. The efforts to explain and interpret the vague words called ambiguities/Mubhamāt al- Qurʾān started from the period of the Companions. One of the tafsīr that touches on the subject of mubhamāt is Ebū Manṣūr al-Mātürīdī’s (d. 333/944) Taʾvīlāt al-Qur’ān, which is accepted as one of the first examples of dirāyah tafsīr. In the research, it has been determined that Māturīdī first mentioned the controversial narrations on the subject of mubhamāt, and then made comments by drawing attention to the messages that are intended to be conveyed in the verses with an expression such as “We do not need to know this.” It has been found that Māturīdī interpreted the Qur’ān with a message-oriented approach by displaying such an approach in more than 75 places on 10 different subjects in Taʾvīlāt al-Qur’ān. Māturīdī’s understanding of message-oriented interpretation has been analyzed; with the presentation of 21 sample verses under the headings of; person and name, invisible being, place, time, measure, quantity and number, event and story, purpose, reason and wisdom, what happened, which of the two possibilities, knowledge of the essence and attribute.
Der primäre Immundefekt – Ein praktischer Leitfaden für den Kinderarzt
Authors: Arlabosse Tiphaine , Theodoropoulou Katerina , Candotti Fabio
Published: June 2022

Es ist nicht einfach, im Verlaufe des ersten Lebensjahres, normale Infektionen von ungewöhnlichen zu unterscheiden. Das Immunsystem befindet sich in voller Entwicklung und Kinder sind einer grossen Anzahl Keime ausgesetzt, insbesondere bei kollektiver Betreuung. Ziel dieses Artikels ist es, die Elemente herauszuarbeiten, die an einen primären Immundefekt denken lassen, entsprechende Laborabklärungen vorzuschlagen und zu begründen, sowie einige Punkte hinsichtlich der Betreuung von Patienten mit einem Immundefekt darzulegen, da der Kinderarzt in der Erstversorgung eine zentrale Rolle einnimmt. Auf sekundäre Immundefekte, medikamentösen oder infektiösen Ursprungs, wird hier nicht eingegangen.
Impact of Techno Overload on Students’ Performance in Technology-Enhanced Learning: The Mitigating Role of Peer Support and ICT Personnel Support
Authors: Hameed Imran , Khan Abdul Karim , Quratulain Samina , Munawar Nayla , Muhammad Khalid
Published: June 2022

Drawing on conservation of resource theory, this study proposes the relationship between university students' perceived techno-overload, burnout, and academic performance, while also hypothesizing the mitigating influence of peer support and ICT personnel support on the aforementioned relationships. Through multiple moderated regression analyses and conditional process analysis, our hypotheses were tested on a sample of 261 university students. Results indicate that techno-overload has a positive effect on students’ burnout which negatively affects their academic performance. Based on three-way moderated mediation analysis, the direct effect of techno-overload on burnout and indirect effect on academic performance are strongest in low peer and ICT personnel support conditions while the negative effect of techno-overload on students’ academic performance is weakened in the presence of high support (both peer and ICT personnel). This study highlights the importance of multiple sources of support for students’ academic performance considering the unavoidable nature of techno-overload that the majority of students are facing with the advent of the COVID pandemic.