bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Policies for Reducing Car Traffic and Their Problematisation. Lessons from the Mobility Strategies of British, Dutch, German and Swedish Cities
Authors: Rye Tom , Hrelja Robert
Published: October 2020

The objective of the paper is to explore whether particular problematisations of cars and car use lead to sets of solutions that may not deal with all problems associated with car use, and whether this leads to any internal conflicts within the chosen policies. The paper is based on a review of local transport policy documents from 13 cities in four countries using the lens of policy problematisation as an analytical framework. Some critiques of policy problematisation are discussed in the paper but it is nonetheless shown to be helpful for this analysis. The paper finds that the problems most typically highlighted in the strategies reviewed are poor accessibility (as a “bad” in itself, but also because it is seen to compromise economic growth); the negative impacts of traffic on liveability of the central part of the city and therefore its ability to attract inhabitants, especially those needed to support a knowledge economy; local air and noise pollution; and road safety. The resulting visions are for urban areas less dominated by private cars, with more green and public space, in order to maximise accessibility and liveability to attract economic development; and most cities also seek to reduce car travel as a proportion of trips. However, in many cities this vision covers mainly the central city, with car use set to remain dominant in outer cities and for regional trips. In almost all cities, only one measure, parking management, is proposed as a means of cutting car use. The differing sets of measures envisaged for outer areas of cities threatens to undermine those envisaged for more central cities.
Thermal Analysis and Experimental Validation of Environmental Condition Inside Greenhouse in Tropical Wet and Dry Climate
Authors: Gadhesaria Gauravkumar , Desai Chinmay , Bhatt Ravi , Salah Bashir
Published: October 2020

A facility for controlled environment agriculture from an energy consumption point of view was investigated at the C. G. Bhakta Institute of Biotechnology, Uka Tarsadia University (21.1667° N, 72.8333° E), Bardoli, Surat, Gujarat, India. It is a tropical wet and dry region of the state of Gujarat. The study was carried out for an even span type 2.45 m × 3.65 m greenhouse with an elevation of 34 m above the sea level under the environmental conditions. A thermal model is proposed to identify the suitable climate condition for the cultivation of different varieties of Banana (Musa) and Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum). Banana and Sugarcanes are the main crops in the Surat district, wherein around 12,400 hector and 94,500 hector cultivation are done, respectively. The experimental study was carried out during the period of December 2017 (winter) to February 2018 (winter and summer). The proposed thermal model is helpful to indicate the hourly energy balance and average temperature distribution inside the greenhouse. The greenhouse was studied for east–west orientation. The steady state analysis was utilized to find extra thermal energy other than solar radiation needed to keep the plant temperature desirable. Experimental validation of the model was carried out in even span greenhouse. At last, some important conclusions are drawn and suggestions made for further studies based on the main characteristics and results of the study. A higher air change rate seems desirable to bring down the temperature further. It was observed that the extra heating is required during the period of December to February, whereas from March onwards a storage unit is required to absorb the energy available and utilize it whenever necessary in the given climatic condition and crop.
Will Ending the One-Child Policy and Raising the Retirement Age Enhance the Sustainability of China’s Basic Pension System?
Authors: Liao Pu , Su Hui , Pamučar Dragan
Published: October 2020

The sustainability of China’s Basic Pension System (CBPS) has been challenged by the ageing of the population and the decline in economic growth. This article establishes a Markov model for CBPS to examine whether the reforms, including ending the one-child policy and raising retirement the age, will shrink the negative income–expenditure gap. We find that the negative income–expenditure gap will destroy CBPS in the future in the absence of fiscal transfer or reform. Ending the one-child policy will increase the number of contributors and then reduce the gap in the short term but will worsen the gap in the long term. Raising the retirement age will have several positive effects overall while increasing expenditures in certain periods. The contributions of this article are describing CBPS in detail and establishing a precise model to analyze the effectiveness of reforms.
“We’re Made Criminals Just to Eat off the Land”: Colonial Wildlife Management and Repercussions on Inuit Well-Being
Authors: Snook Jamie , Cunsolo Ashlee , Borish David , Furgal Chris , Ford James D. , Shiwak Inez , Flowers Charlie T. R. , Harper Sherilee L.
Published: October 2020

Across Inuit Nunangat, Inuit rely on wildlife for food security, cultural continuity, intergenerational learning, and livelihoods. Caribou has been an essential species for Inuit for millennia, providing food, clothing, significant cultural practices, and knowledge-sharing. Current declines in many caribou populations—often coupled with hunting moratoriums—have significant impacts on Inuit food, culture, livelihoods, and well-being. Following an Inuit-led approach, this study characterized Inuit-caribou relationships; explored Inuit perspectives on how caribou have been managed; and identified opportunities for sustaining the Mealy Mountain Caribou. Qualitative data were collected in Rigolet, Nunatsiavut, Labrador, Canada through 21 in-depth interviews and two community open houses. Data were analyzed using constant comparative methods and thematic analysis. Rigolet Inuit described: how conservation management decisions had disrupted important connections among caribou and Inuit, particularly related to food, culture, and well-being; the socio-cultural and emotional impacts of the criminalization of an important cultural practice, as well as perceived inequities in wildlife conservation enforcement; and the frustration, anger, and hurt with not being heard or included in caribou management decisions. These results provide insights into experiences of historic and ongoing colonial wildlife management decisions, and highlight future directions for management initiatives for the health and well-being of Inuit and caribou.
A User-Oriented Ethnographic Approach to Energy Renovation Projects in Multiapartment Buildings
Authors: Prati Davide , Spiazzi Stefania , Cerinšek Gregor , Ferrante Annarita
Published: October 2020

The paper presents the activities related to ethnographic research in the Italian demo-case adapted to the needs of the TripleA-reno EU project (Affordable, Attractive, Accessible deep renovation). The overall study methodology is focused on the four phases of the People-centered development strategy, which focuses on the core idea that “knowing people” should become an integral part of energy renovation development processes as a means of achieving new categories of products, services, or business strategies. Ethnography is a typical methodology of anthropology. It is based primarily on the end-users observation, during which the researcher is directly involved in the daily activities, interactions, and events of a group of people. Involvement is intended as a means to learn the explicit and hidden aspects of an end-user’s daily life. The primary objective is to understand interactions between building occupants and the building itself, as well as their relationships and roles within the renovation processes. Implementing this research in the Italian case study has made it possible to form a knowledge base on the opinions of the subjects involved at the national level. The application of simplified ethnography methods combined with an appropriately studied questionnaire, conveyed through a web form, allowed for gathering useful information. The quantitative questionnaire data collected were then compared with the open-ended interviews collected from the residents of the Italian demo case building that was undergoing a forthcoming renovation. By confronting European, national, and demo case levels, it was possible to verify how the resident attitudes change concerning the energy renovation processes once directly involved. The aim was to understand which most stimulating factors have to be considered in order to make the end-user onboarding and renovation project experience more affordable, attractive, and accessible.
Does Integrated Reporting Enhance the Value Relevance of Information? Evidence from Sri Lanka
Authors: Cooray Thilini , Senaratne Samanthi , Gunarathne A. D. Nuwan , Herath Roshan , Samudrage Dileepa
Published: October 2020

This paper examines the relationship between the level of integrated reporting (IR) based on the extent of adoption of the International Integrated Reporting Framework (IIRF) and the firm value (a proxy for value relevance of IR) in Sri Lanka, where the adoption of IR is a voluntary exercise. Using a comprehensive disclosure checklist, 117 integrated reports were content-analyzed, and then two regression models assessed the value relevance of IR disclosure. The study notes an increasing trend toward the adoption of IIRF in the preparation of integrated reports overall, as well as of each content element of IIRF. However, this rising trend has not significantly impacted the firm value by itself. Hence, this study’s findings do not support the enlightened stakeholder’s view on the subject of IR in Sri Lanka. Instead, it shows a significant positive relationship with the firm value when combined with the information on earnings (earnings per share), indicating that IIRF-compliant IR improves the value relevance of accounting information. This study offers insights for policymakers, professional accounting bodies, and practitioners on how investors make use of the information disclosed in integrated reports in their decision-making.
The “Green on Green” Conflict in Wind Energy Development: A Case Study of Environmentally Conscious Individuals in Oklahoma, USA
Authors: Burch Claire , Loraamm Rebecca , Gliedt Travis
Published: October 2020

Development in wind energy technology and deployment of infrastructure reduces reliance on fossil fuels and can further energy security goals. Wind energy, however, can conflict with other green interests. The goal of this research was to examine the perceptions of environmentally conscious individuals at the intersection of wind energy development and biodiversity conservation interests. A majority of respondents identified that they cared very much about both renewable energy development as well as biodiversity conservation. We found that while participants were aware of the shifting causes of mortality of bird populations, they were less aware of the implications of wind energy on bat populations. In addition, attitudes towards biodiversity conservation as well as wind energy development were statistically significant when looking at the identification of some impacts. Most participants were willing to support wind energy development considering trade-offs related to factors such as visual impacts or economic benefits if it had no impacts on biodiversity conservation. Our research shows that environmentally conscious individuals are well-informed on only some impacts of wind energy development. Results also suggest that biodiversity conservation impacts are prioritized by environmentally conscious individuals when gauging support for wind energy development. As sustainable development continues, it is important to consider this green on green conflict, as renewable energy development is not only confronted by general issues of public opposition, but also specific environmental complaints.
An Assessment of Environmental Impacts on the Ecosystem Services: Study on the Bagmati Basin of Nepal
Authors: Bastola Shiksha , Lee Sanghyup , Shin Yongchul , Jung Younghun
Published: October 2020

The upsurges in population, internal migration, and various development works have caused significant land use and land cover (LULC) changes in the Bagmati Basin of Nepal. The effects of climate change such as increased precipitation and temperature are affecting the provision of ecosystem services (ES). In this regard, this study particularly treated water yield (WY), soil loss, nitrogen export, and carbon fluctuation in the basin. Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) tools were used to carry out a comparative analysis of ES based on LULC data for 2000 and 2010 and corresponding climate data. To analyze the future period (2010–2099), we have used climate data from the multi-model ensemble (MME) of statistically downscaled and bias-corrected 12 best global climate models (GCMs). A raw GCM analysis (based on historical observational data) from 29 GCMs was done first. The results shows with a subsequent degradation of ES providers like forests and an increment in agricultural and urban areas, ES are on a verge of degradation. Furthermore, a projection of future climate patterns depicts increased precipitation and temperature. Thus, urgent measures are required for the sustainable provision of ES. Outcomes of the study are expected to help in the incorporation of ES in development policies promoting low-impact development along with maintaining ecological and economic goals. The study closes by presenting a recommendation for model application and future study needs.
The Mediating Role of Person-Job Fit between Person-Organisation Fit and Intention to Leave the Job: Empirical Evidence from Pakistan
Authors: Saufi Roselina Ahmad , Mansor Nur Naha Abu , Kakar Abdul Samad , Singh Harcharanjit
Published: October 2020

The turnover of faculty members is a pressing problem that has adversely affected the performance and productivity of higher education institutions. The purpose of this study is to examine the direct effect of person-organisation fit (POF) and person-job fit (PJF) on faculty members’ turnover intentions. Furthermore, the study explores the mediating role of PJF between POF and turnover intention. Data collected from faculty members of public sector colleges (n = 250) were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling. The results, contrary to our expectations, revealed that POF is not a significant predictor of faculty turnover intention. However, the results provided support for the negative relationship between PJF and turnover intention. Additionally, as predicted, the results confirmed that PJF mediates the relationship between POF and turnover intention. The findings also revealed that the reliability and validity of the adopted/adapted scales change in the context of different countries and organisational settings. The theoretical and practical implications, research limitations and directions for future research are provided.
Outcomes of Establishing an Urgent Care Centre in the Same Location as an Emergency Department
Authors: Raidla Annelie , Darro Katrin , Carlson Tobias , Khorram-Manesh Amir , Berlin Johan , Carlström Eric
Published: October 2020

The emergency department (ED) is one of the busiest facilities in a hospital, and it is frequently described as a bottleneck that limits space and structures, jeopardising surge capacity during Major Incidents and Disasters (MIDs) and pandemics such as the COVID 19 outbreak. One remedy to facilitate surge capacity is to establish an Urgent Care Centre (UCC), i.e., a secondary ED, co-located and in close collaboration with an ED. This study investigates the outcome of treatment in an ED versus a UCC in terms of length of stay (LOS), time to physician (TTP) and use of medical services. If it was possible to make these parameters equal to or even less than the ED, UCCs could be used as supplementary units to the ED, improving sustainability. The results show reduced waiting times at the UCC, both in terms of TTP and LOS. In conclusion, creating a primary care-like facility in close proximity to the hospitals may not only relieve overcrowding of the hospital’s ED in peacetime, but it may also provide an opportunity for use during MIDs and pandemics to facilitate the victims of the incident and society as a whole.
Perspectives on the Capabilities for the Selection of Strategic Projects
Authors: Al-Sobai Khalifa Mohammed , Pokharel Shaligram , Abdella Galal M.
Published: October 2020

Strategic projects are large scale, complex, and require significant investments and resources. These projects aim at gaining long-term social and economic benefits. Therefore, organizations focusing on strategic projects should use a consistent approach that suits their strategy, capability, and long-term expectations. Based on the four research questions and content analysis of the literature, generic processes used for the strategic project selection in tandem with the managerial capabilities are identified in this paper. The generic processes and managerial capabilities are used to develop a generic framework for strategic project selection. The framework is used for literature analysis in the paper. The review shows that both qualitative and quantitative methods are used for strategic project selection. Some possible research directions have also been proposed at the end of the review. The paper provides value to both researchers and practitioners in terms of tools available and a guidance on project selection through a structured process framework.
Addressing the Sustainability Paradox: The Analysis of “Good Food” in Everyday Life
Authors: Exner Andreas , Strüver Anke
Published: October 2020

This paper investigates food consumption in terms of socio-spatial practices as complex patterns of meanings, competencies and materialities that shape daily life. The praxeological approach that we advise might improve food sustainability policies by tackling the current sustainability paradox: persisting unsustainable food consumption despite significant media coverage of food sustainability issues and considerable political attention to this matter. Acknowledging the importance of both individual action and collective conditions in shaping food routines, we argue that the sustainability paradox might be overcome through integrating the analysis of social structures and individual behavior, and consequently addressing the determinants of sustainability in daily life. To this end, we analyze narrative interviews on “good food” regarding cultural meanings, individual competencies, and diverse materialities that govern food consumption, identify common themes and discuss their relevance for food policy. We show that food is part of complex orderings of socio-spatial practices, including embodied knowledge, patterns of commensality and constraints of orchestrating daily life, which cannot be addressed appropriately by targeting individual consumption behavior only.
Success Factors of Startups in the EU—A Comparative Study
Authors: Skawińska Eulalia , Zalewski Romuald I.
Published: October 2020

The paper focuses on key success factors of startups in the European Union. Startup companies have a massive potential to boost the level of innovation and competitiveness of national economies. They are also uniquely equipped to provide extremely effective and flexible ways of meeting both existing and emerging market needs. However, the development of these microventures differs from country to country. Hence, we put forth a hypothesis that strategic success factors in the development of startups vary in highly developed and catching-up countries. Our main goal was to determine the key success factors of startups in the EU, and to classify the gap between developed and lagging Member States. For this purpose, we applied the method of component analysis on startup data available for selected the EU states. We managed to isolate 5 components explaining 72% of data variability, all of which can be linked to human capital as well as to formal and informal economic institutions. The results confirmed the validity of our hypothesis. We established that more developed countries offer an institutional competitive advantage to startups, while the gap in success factors between highly developed and catching-up countries can be attributed to human capital and to institutions. Based on our findings, we offer suggestions how to reduce this gap by improving formal and informal institutions via innovative public policy and by supporting education.
Cash-Flow Schedules Optimization within Life Cycle Costing (LCC)
Authors: Rosłon Jerzy , Książek-Nowak Mariola , Nowak Paweł , Zawistowski Jacek
Published: October 2020

Investment and construction plans, architectural and construction decisions, and spatial and technology-related decisions made at the early stages of a project have a significant impact on meeting the investment goals and customer expectations. Decision making is a very time-consuming and complicated process (due to the complexity of construction processes). The whole difficulty comes to specifying the appropriate criteria for assessing the given activities, providing answers to the questions of the decision-making bodies. A set of appropriate criteria and mathematical tools (such as computer algorithms with multi-criteria analysis) can significantly improve and accelerate the decision-making process. This article combines ESORD (an IT tool that allows you to compare different types of solutions based on mathematical calculations) with the Monte Carlo method. The developed approach can help the investor to optimize their cash-flow schedule. The original method enables the client to select a construction project variant characterized by the best economical and sustainable parameters, while taking into account customers’ demands.
Dynamic Optimization Model for Estimating In-Situ Production Quantity of PC Members to Minimize Environmental Loads
Authors: Lim Jeeyoung , Kim Joseph J.
Published: October 2020

CO2 emissions account for 80% of greenhouse gases, which lead to the largest contributions to climate change. As the problem of CO2 emission becomes more and more prominent, research on sustainable technologies to reduce CO2 emission among environmental loads is continuously being conducted. In-situ production of precast concrete members has advantages over in-plant production in reducing costs, securing equal or enhanced quality under equal conditions, and reducing CO2 emission. When applying in-situ production to real projects, it is vital to calculate the optimal quantity. This paper presents a dynamic optimization model for estimating in-situ production quantity of precast concrete members subjected to environmental loads. After defining various factors and deriving the objective function, an optimization model is developed using system dynamics. As a result of optimizing the quantity by applying it to the case project, it was confirmed that the optimal case can save 7557 t-CO2 in CO2 emissions and 6,966,000 USD in cost, which resulted in 14.58% and 10.53% for environmental loads and cost, respectively. The model developed here can be used to calculate the quantity of in-situ production quickly and easily in consideration of dynamically changing field conditions.
Measuring Child Poverty and Its Uncertainty: A Case Study of 33 European Countries
Authors: Benedetti Ilaria , Betti Gianni , Crescenzi Federico
Published: October 2020

Over the last few years, there has been increased interest in compiling poverty indicators for children, as well as in providing uncertainty measures that are associated with point estimates. In this paper, we provide point, variance, and interval confidence estimates of the at-risk-of-poverty rate indicator for 33 European countries. Using the 2018 EU-SILC survey, we analysed the spatial distribution of poverty by providing graphical representations at the national level. Our results reveal rates of child poverty that are higher than in the national estimates for most of the countries. By considering the computation of standard errors, we used the bootstrap method thanks to its convenient properties. It is worth noting that, for some countries, such as Finland, Belgium, and Ireland, the confidence intervals do not overlap. These results suggest differences among countries not only in terms of child poverty, but also in terms of social protection and the welfare state.
Shifting to Shared Wheels: Factors Affecting Dockless Bike-Sharing Choice for Short and Long Trips
Authors: Politis Ioannis , Fyrogenis Ioannis , Papadopoulos Efthymis , Nikolaidou Anastasia , Verani Eleni
Published: October 2020

In this paper, we explore users’ intentions to use bike-sharing systems (BSS) compared to traditional competitive transport modes—private car, bus and walking. Fueled by the increasingly rampant growth of shared economy and Information and Communication Technology (ICT), shared mobility is gaining increasing traction. The numbers of shared mobility schemes are rapidly growing worldwide and are accompanied by changes in the traditional vehicle ownership model. In order to pinpoint the factors that strongly affect the willingness to use BSS, a stated preference survey among car and bus users as well as pedestrians was designed and conducted. Binary logit models of the choice between the currently preferred transportation modes and BSSs were developed, for short and long-duration trips, respectively. The results highlight a distinctive set of factors and patterns affecting the willingness to adopt bike-sharing: choice is most sensitive to travel time and cost of the competitive travel options. In general, users are more willing to make the switch to a BSS, especially for short trip durations, when their typical mode of transport becomes more expensive. Bike-sharing also seems to be a more attractive option for certain user socio-demographic groups per mode and trip duration (age, education level, employment status, household income). Trip characteristics such as trip purpose and frequency were also found to affect the willingness to choose BSS. In general, BSS seem to mainly attract bus users and pedestrians, while car users may use BSS more sparingly, mainly for commuting purposes.
Machine Learning in Predictive Maintenance towards Sustainable Smart Manufacturing in Industry 4.0
Authors: Çınar Zeki Murat , Abdussalam Nuhu Abubakar , Zeeshan Qasim , Korhan Orhan , Asmael Mohammed , Safaei Babak
Published: October 2020

Recently, with the emergence of Industry 4.0 (I4.0), smart systems, machine learning (ML) within artificial intelligence (AI), predictive maintenance (PdM) approaches have been extensively applied in industries for handling the health status of industrial equipment. Due to digital transformation towards I4.0, information techniques, computerized control, and communication networks, it is possible to collect massive amounts of operational and processes conditions data generated form several pieces of equipment and harvest data for making an automated fault detection and diagnosis with the aim to minimize downtime and increase utilization rate of the components and increase their remaining useful lives. PdM is inevitable for sustainable smart manufacturing in I4.0. Machine learning (ML) techniques have emerged as a promising tool in PdM applications for smart manufacturing in I4.0, thus it has increased attraction of authors during recent years. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the recent advancements of ML techniques widely applied to PdM for smart manufacturing in I4.0 by classifying the research according to the ML algorithms, ML category, machinery, and equipment used, device used in data acquisition, classification of data, size and type, and highlight the key contributions of the researchers, and thus offers guidelines and foundation for further research.
Eccentricity-Induced Seismic Behavior of Curved Bridges Based on Controllability
Authors: Wang Yumei
Published: October 2020

The difficulty in curved bridge design lies in the eccentricity. Eccentricities break the regularity and make it difficult to resist horizontal loads. However, relatively stable and robust performance can still be achieved through properly aligned eccentricity. This paper used the controllability-related concepts, the controllability Grammians and Hankel singular values (HSVs), to study the impact of eccentricities on the seismic performance of curved bridges. An analytical model was expressed by second order differential equations with rigid deck assumption. Six eccentricity cases: three different radii (resulting in different center of mass (CM)), three different bearing arrangements (resulting in different center of stiffness (CS)), and variable earthquake directions (resulting in different moment arms) were strategized for research. Analyses showed that effects of eccentricities (offsets of CS from CM) can be extensively interpreted by controllability indices. Proper eccentricity may “reach” and thus “control” the responses better and decrease the coupling effects, counteract the unfavorable excitation effects, and make the bridge less sensitive to excitation changes. In this sense, regularity or stability could be somewhat re-established through design. Time history analyses confirmed the results.
New Online Streaming Feature Selection Based on Neighborhood Rough Set for Medical Data
Authors: Lei Dingfei , Liang Pei , Hu Junhua , Yuan Yuan
Published: October 2020

Not all features in many real-world applications, such as medical diagnosis and fraud detection, are available from the start. They are formed and individually flow over time. Online streaming feature selection (OSFS) has recently attracted much attention due to its ability to select the best feature subset with growing features. Rough set theory is widely used as an effective tool for feature selection, specifically the neighborhood rough set. However, the two main neighborhood relations, namely k-neighborhood and neighborhood, cannot efficiently deal with the uneven distribution of data. The traditional method of dependency calculation does not take into account the structure of neighborhood covering. In this study, a novel neighborhood relation combined with k-neighborhood and neighborhood relations is initially defined. Then, we propose a weighted dependency degree computation method considering the structure of the neighborhood relation. In addition, we propose a new OSFS approach named OSFS-KW considering the challenge of learning class imbalanced data. OSFS-KW has no adjustable parameters and pretraining requirements. The experimental results on 19 datasets demonstrate that OSFS-KW not only outperforms traditional methods but, also, exceeds the state-of-the-art OSFS approaches.
Rotating 3D Flow of Hybrid Nanofluid on Exponentially Shrinking Sheet: Symmetrical Solution and Duality
Authors: Lund Liaquat Ali , Omar Zurni , Dero Sumera , Baleanu Dumitru , Khan Ilyas
Published: October 2020

This article aims to study numerically the rotating, steady, and three-dimensional (3D) flow of a hybrid nanofluid over an exponentially shrinking sheet with the suction effect. We considered water as base fluid and alumina (Al2O3), and copper (Cu) as solid nanoparticles. The system of governing partial differential equations (PDEs) was transformed by an exponential similarity variable into the equivalent system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs). By applying a three-stage Labatto III-A method that is available in bvp4c solver in the Matlab software, the resultant system of ODEs was solved numerically. In the case of the hybrid nanofluid, the heat transfer rate improves relative to the viscous fluid and regular nanofluid. Two branches were obtained in certain ranges of the involved parameters. The results of the stability analysis revealed that the upper branch is stable. Moreover, the results also indicated that the equations of the hybrid nanofluid have a symmetrical solution for different values of the rotation parameter (Ω).
A Mini-Review on Detection Methods of Microcystins
Authors: Massey Isaac Yaw , Wu Pian , Wei Jia , Luo Jiayou , Ding Ping , Wei Haiyan , Yang Fei
Published: October 2020

Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs) produce microcystins (MCs) which are associated with animal and human hepatotoxicity. Over 270 variants of MC exist. MCs have been continually studied due of their toxic consequences. Monitoring water quality to assess the presence of MCs is of utmost importance although it is often difficult because CyanoHABs may generate multiple MC variants, and their low concentration in water. To effectively manage and control these toxins and prevent their health risks, sensitive, fast, and reliable methods capable of detecting MCs are required. This paper aims to review the three main analytical methods used to detect MCs ranging from biological (mouse bioassay), biochemical (protein phosphatase inhibition assay and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay), and chemical (high performance liquid chromatography, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, high performance capillary electrophoresis, and gas chromatography), as well as the newly emerging biosensor methods. In addition, the current state of these methods regarding their novel development and usage, as well as merits and limitations are presented. Finally, this paper also provides recommendations and future research directions towards method application and improvement.
Built Environment Evaluation in Virtual Reality Environments—A Cognitive Neuroscience Approach
Authors: Hu Ming , Roberts Jennifer
Published: October 2020

To date, the predominant tools for the evaluation of built environment quality and impact have been surveys, scorecards, or verbal comments—approaches that rely upon user-reported responses. The goal of this research project is to develop, test, and validate a data-driven approach for built environment quality evaluation/validation based upon measurement of real-time emotional responses to simulated environments. This paper presents an experiment that was conducted by combining an immersive virtual environment (virtual reality) and electroencephalogram (EEG) as a tool to evaluate Pre and Post Purple Line development. More precisely, the objective was to (a) develop a data-driven approach for built environment quality evaluation and (b) understand the correlation between the built environment characters and emotional state. The preliminary validation of the proposed evaluation method identified discrepancies between traditional evaluation results and emotion response indications through EEG signals. The validation and findings have laid a foundation for further investigation of relations between people’s general cognitive and emotional responses in evaluating built environment quality and characters.
Perspectives on Viral RNA Genomes and the RNA Folding Problem
Authors: Schroeder Susan J.
Published: October 2020

Viral RNA genomes change shape as virus particles disassemble, form replication complexes, attach to ribosomes for translation, evade host defense mechanisms, and assemble new virus particles. These structurally dynamic RNA shapeshifters present a challenging RNA folding problem, because the RNA sequence adopts multiple structures and may sometimes contain regions of partial disorder. Recent advances in high resolution asymmetric cryoelectron microscopy and chemical probing provide new ways to probe the degree of structure and disorder, and have identified more than one conformation in dynamic equilibrium in viral RNA. Chemical probing and the Detection of RNA Folding Ensembles using Expectation Maximization (DREEM) algorithm has been applied to studies of the dynamic equilibrium conformations in HIV RNA in vitro, in virio, and in vivo. This new type of data provides insight into important questions about virus assembly mechanisms and the fundamental physical forces driving virus particle assembly.
Detection of Recombinant Hare Myxoma Virus in Wild Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus algirus)
Authors: Abade dos Santos Fábio A. , Carvalho Carina L. , Pinto Andreia , Rai Ranjit , Monteiro Madalena , Carvalho Paulo , Mendonça Paula , Peleteiro Maria C. , Parra Francisco , Duarte Margarida D.
Published: October 2020

In late 2018, an epidemic myxomatosis outbreak emerged on the Iberian Peninsula leading to high mortality in Iberian hare populations. A recombinant Myxoma virus (strains MYXV-Tol and ha-MYXV) was rapidly identified, harbouring a 2.8 kbp insertion containing evolved duplicates of M060L, M061L, M064L, and M065L genes from myxoma virus (MYXV) or other Poxviruses. Since 2017, 1616 rabbits and 125 hares were tested by a qPCR directed to M000.5L/R gene, conserved in MYXV and MYXV-Tol/ha-MYXV strains. A subset of the positive samples (20%) from both species was tested for the insert with MYXV being detected in rabbits and the recombinant MYXV in hares. Recently, three wild rabbits were found dead South of mainland Portugal, showing skin oedema and pulmonary lesions that tested positive for the 2.8 kbp insert. Sequencing analysis showed 100% similarity with the insert sequences described in Iberian hares from Spain. Viral particles were observed in the lungs and eyelids of rabbits by electron microscopy, and isolation in RK13 cells attested virus infectivity. Despite that the analysis of complete genomes may predict the recombinant MYXV strains’ ability to infect rabbit, routine analyses showed species segregation for the circulation of MYXV and recombinant MYXV in wild rabbit and in Iberian hares, respectively. This study demonstrates, however, that recombinant MYXV can effectively infect and cause myxomatosis in wild rabbits and domestic rabbits, raising serious concerns for the future of the Iberian wild leporids while emphasises the need for the continuous monitoring of MYXV and recombinant MYXV in both species.
SV40 Polyomavirus Activates the Ras-MAPK Signaling Pathway for Vacuolization, Cell Death, and Virus Release
Authors: Motamedi Nasim , Sewald Xaver , Luo Yong , Mothes Walther , DiMaio Daniel
Published: October 2020

Polyomaviruses are a family of small, non-enveloped DNA viruses that can cause severe disease in immunosuppressed individuals. Studies with SV40, a well-studied model polyomavirus, have revealed the role of host proteins in polyomavirus entry and trafficking to the nucleus, in viral transcription and DNA replication, and in cell transformation. In contrast, little is known about host factors or cellular signaling pathways involved in the late steps of productive infection leading to release of progeny polyomaviruses. We previously showed that cytoplasmic vacuolization, a characteristic late cytopathic effect of SV40 infection, depends on the specific interaction between the major viral capsid protein VP1 and its cell surface ganglioside receptor GM1. Here, we show that, late during infection, SV40 activates a signaling cascade in permissive monkey CV-1 cells involving Ras, Rac1, MKK4, and JNK to stimulate SV40-specific cytoplasmic vacuolization and subsequent cell lysis and virus release. Inhibition of individual components of this signaling pathway inhibits vacuolization, lysis, and virus release, even though high-level intracellular virus replication occurs. Identification of this pathway for SV40-induced vacuolization and virus release provides new insights into the late steps of non-enveloped virus infection.
Role of the DNA-Binding Protein pA104R in ASFV Genome Packaging and as a Novel Target for Vaccine and Drug Development
Authors: Urbano Ana Catarina , Ferreira Fernando
Published: October 2020

The recent incursions of African swine fever (ASF), a severe, highly contagious, transboundary viral disease that affects members of the Suidae family, in Europe and China have had a catastrophic impact on trade and pig production, with serious implications for global food security. Despite efforts made over past decades, there is no vaccine or treatment available for preventing and controlling the ASF virus (ASFV) infection, and there is an urgent need to develop novel strategies. Genome condensation and packaging are essential processes in the life cycle of viruses. The involvement of viral DNA-binding proteins in the regulation of virulence genes, transcription, DNA replication, and repair make them significant targets. pA104R is a highly conserved HU/IHF-like DNA-packaging protein identified in the ASFV nucleoid that appears to be profoundly involved in the spatial organization and packaging of the ASFV genome. Here, we briefly review the components of the ASFV packaging machinery, the structure, function, and phylogeny of pA104R, and its potential as a target for vaccine and drug development.
Valve Location Method for Evaluating Drain Efficiency in Water Transmission Pipelines
Authors: Shin Byoung-Ho , Choi Doo Yong , Jung Kwansue , Geem Zong Woo
Published: October 2020

Water transmission pipelines, which transport bulk water into storage facilities, usually have a tree-type configuration with large dimensions; thus, the breakage of a pipeline may cause a catastrophic service interruption to customers. Although drain efficiency is closely related to the number of washout and control valves and their locations, there is no useful guideline. This paper proposes a valve locating method by introducing numerical analyses to enumerate drainage time and zone. A time integration method, combined with the Newton–Raphson algorithm, is suggested to resolve drainage time, while considering the friction loss in gravitational flow. A drain direction matrix, which shows drain direction and coverage, is derived using a network searching algorithm. Furthermore, a feasible practical approach is presented by introducing a critical horizontal slope, a major washout valve, drainage indices, and control valve embedment. The developed method is first applied to simple pipes to validate the drainage time module. Subsequently, the model is expanded to the CY transmission line, which is one of the BR water supply systems in South Korea currently in operation. The results reveal that three drain valve locations have been neglected, and the addition of control valves guarantees consistent drain time below the operational criteria.
Improving Hydrologic Simulations of a Small Watershed through Soil Data Integration
Authors: Bayabil Haimanote K. , Dile Yihun T.
Published: October 2020

The effects of soil data sources on the performance of hydrologic model simulations remain poorly understood compared to the effects of other data inputs. This paper investigated the effects of different soil datasets in simulating streamflow and sediment yield using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). Furthermore, potential improvements in watershed simulations were evaluated by integrating field measured soil parameters (user soil) with global soil datasets. Five soil datasets, namely user soil, AfSIS (Africa Soil Information Service), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and two integrated soils (User-AfSIS and User-FAO) produced by assimilating the user soil with the latter two, were evaluated. The benefits of the user soil in improving streamflow simulations to better replicate observed flow were greater at daily time steps than monthly. Compared to the individual AfSIS and FAO soils, their integration with the user soil improved the daily Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) by 0.19 and 0.17 during model calibration, respectively. Overall, all soils performed relatively similar with monthly sediment yield simulations, which were improved when it was integrated with the user soil. Based on selected rainfall events, the watershed response time was less than 1 h, which suggests that the watershed has a quick runoff response time. This paper showed that streamflow and sediment yield simulation performances of freely available global soil datasets can be improved through integration with locally measured soil information. This study demonstrated that the availability of local soil information is critical for daily hydrologic model simulations, which is critical for planning effective soil and water management practices at plot and field scales.
Spatiotemporal Analysis of Water Quality Using Multivariate Statistical Techniques and the Water Quality Identification Index for the Qinhuai River Basin, East China
Authors: Ma Xiaoxue , Wang Lachun , Yang Hong , Li Na , Gong Chang
Published: October 2020

Monitoring water quality is indispensable for the identification of threats to water environment and later management of water resources. Accurate monitoring and assessment of water quality have been long-term challenges. In this study, multivariate statistical techniques (MST) and water quality identification index (WQII) were applied to analyze spatiotemporal variation in water quality and determine the major pollution sources in the Qinhuai River, East China. A rotated principal component analysis (PCA) identified three potential pollution sources during the wet season (mixed pollution, physicochemical, and nonpoint sources of nutrients) and the dry season (nutrient, primary environmental, and organic sources) and they explained 81.14% of the total variances in the wet season and 78.42% of total variances in the dry season. The result of redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that population density, urbanization, and wastewater discharge are the main sources of organic pollution, while agricultural fertilizer consumption and industrial wastewater discharge are the main sources of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. The water quality of the Qinhuai River basin was determined to be mainly Class III (slightly polluted) and Class IV (moderately polluted) based on WQII. Temporally, the change trend of WQII showed that water quality gradually deteriorated between 1990 and 2005, improved between 2006 and 2010, and then deteriorated again. Spatially, the WQII distribution map showed that areas with more developed urbanization were relatively more polluted. Our results show that MST and WQII are useful tools to help the public and decision makers to evaluate the water quality of aquatic environment.