bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pathways of Conflict: Lessons from the Cultivation of MON810 in Germany in 2005–2008 for Emerging Conflicts over New Breeding Techniques
Authors: Friedrich Beate
Published: December 2019

The paper uses qualitative interviews and document analysis to examine conflicts over plant and animal breeding techniques from the perspectives of Social and Political Ecology. It asks how past conflicts over genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can inform understandings of possible trajectories of emerging conflicts over new breeding techniques (NBTs) such as CRISPR/Cas genome editing. Case studies of conflicts in three areas where the transgenic maize MON810 was cultivated in Germany from 2005–2008 show that the escalation of conflict coincided with the first tangible presence of these already controversial organisms in the rural landscape. Location-specific interlinkages between discursive and material dimensions gave rise to different pathways of conflict in the three areas studied. These empirical results inform the analysis of emerging conflicts over NBTs in Germany and the United Kingdom. The future of NBTs in both countries is still open, and the divergence of regulatory frameworks in Europe could lead to the development of ‘NBT hotspots’ located in particular European countries, provoking an escalation of conflict in areas where commercial application takes place. The paper concludes by examining the potential for a politicization of future conflicts to encompass wider issues related to the transformation of agricultural systems towards sustainability.
Considering In-App Advertising Mode, Platform-App Channel Coordination by a Sustainable Cooperative Advertising Mechanism
Authors: Liu Haoyu , Liu Shulin
Published: December 2019

Regardless of the platform or Apps the number of users is a prerequisite for monetization. Considering in-App advertising, through the optimal control theory, this paper establishes a dynamic advertising strategy model of one platform and n Apps under the decentralized and integrated systems. For each system, the model is constrained by the states dynamics of the number of the platform’s users and App’s users. Our research has obtained some management insights and findings as follows. Firstly, Apps don’t have to worry about the negative effects of in-App advertising caused by other Apps when making advertising decisions. Interestingly, the platform will use the advertising subsidy policy to limit the delivery density of in-App advertising. Specifically, the higher the negative impact of in-App advertising caused by App i, the lower the advertising subsidies provided to App i. Additionally, when determining the advertising subsidy rate, the platform will also comprehensively consider the profitability of Apps and the costs and benefits of in-App advertising. Secondly, our proposed sustainable cooperative advertising mechanism can simultaneously coordinate the Platform-App channel and implement the optimal integrated objective. Finally, we theoretically prove that under some mild conditions, the mechanism can both improve the profits of the platform and n Apps.
Recoverability Analysis of Critical Materials from Electric Vehicle Lithium-Ion Batteries through a Dynamic Fleet-Based Approach for Japan
Authors: Sato Fernando Enzo Kenta , Nakata Toshihiko
Published: December 2019

This study aims to propose a model to forecast the volume of critical materials that can be recovered from lithium-ion batteries (LiB) through the recycling of end of life electric vehicles (EV). To achieve an environmentally sustainable society, the wide-scale adoption of EV seems to be necessary. Here, the dependency of the vehicle on its batteries has an essential role. The efficient recycling of LiB to minimize its raw material supply risk but also the economic impact of its production process is going to be essential. Initially, this study forecasted the vehicle fleet, sales, and end of life vehicles based on system dynamics modeling considering data of scrapping rates of vehicles by year of life. Then, the volumes of the critical materials supplied for LiB production and recovered from recycling were identified, considering variations in the size/type of batteries. Finally, current limitations to achieve closed-loop production in Japan were identified. The results indicate that the amount of scrapped electric vehicle batteries (EVB) will increase by 55 times from 2018 to 2050, and that 34% of lithium (Li), 50% of cobalt (Co), 28% of nickel (Ni), and 52% of manganese (Mn) required for the production of new LiB could be supplied by recovered EVB in 2035.
Between the Social and Economic Dimensions of Sustainability in Rural Areas—In Search of Farmers’ Quality of Life
Authors: Wojewódzka-Wiewiórska Agnieszka , Kłoczko-Gajewska Anna , Sulewski Piotr
Published: December 2019

Life quality is an important indicator of sustainable development. Farmers’ quality of life strongly affects the farm’s viability. The main goal of this study was to identify the relationships between three main components of farmers’ quality of life: economic situation, living conditions, and mental comfort. In the first phase of the study, the theoretical model representing potential relationships between quality of life components was constructed, and in the second phase the relationships were verified with the use of the structural equation modelling method. The sample consisted of 600 farmers participating in the Polish Farm Accountancy Data Framework (FADN). In the analyses, data from the FADN database and data obtained during supplementary interviews with farmers were used. The analyses revealed that living conditions are significantly and positively correlated with the economic situation and mental comfort, while mental comfort turned out to be negatively correlated with the economic situation. It was concluded that future agricultural and rural development policies should be more focused on the social dimension of sustainable development than before, particularly considering the fact that a farmer’s higher engagement in the improvement of their family’s economic condition might result in lowering their mental comfort due to the stress and work overload.
A Study of Local Climate Zones in Abu Dhabi with Urban Weather Stations and Numerical Simulations
Authors: Manandhar Prajowal , Bande Lindita , Tsoupos Alexandros , Marpu Prashanth Reddy , Armstrong Peter
Published: December 2019

In many cities that have experienced rapid growth like Abu Dhabi, urban microclimate scenarios evolve rapidly as well and it is important to study the urban thermal dynamics continuously. The Local Climate Zone (LCZ) classification considers factors related to the physical properties like surface cover and surface structure of the city which allow to analyze urban heat flows. Abu Dhabi city is rapidly expanding and is characterized by highly heterogeneous types of built forms that comprise mainly of old mid-rise and modern high-rise buildings with varied degrees of vegetation cover in different parts of the city. The fact that it is a coastal city in a desert environment makes it quite unique. This paper presents an approach of studying urban heat flows in such heterogeneous setup. First, the city is classified into local climate zones using images acquired by Landsat Satellite. Numerical simulations are performed in the designated LCZs using a computational fluid dynamics software, Envi-met. The results of Envi-met are calibrated and validated using in-situ measurements across all four seasons. The calibrated models are then applied to study entire Abu Dhabi island across different seasons. The results indicate a clear presence of urban heat island (UHI) effect when averaged over the full day which is varying in different zones. The zones with high vegetation do not show large average UHI effect whereas the effect is significant in densely built zones. The study also validates previous observations on the inversion of UHI effect during the day and in terms of diurnal response.
Towards a Sustainable Model of Innovative Work Behaviors’ Enhancement: The Mediating Role of Employability
Authors: Stoffers Jol , van der Heijden Beatrice , Schrijver Ilse
Published: December 2019

In this mixed methods study, a moderated mediation model predicting effects of leader-member exchange (LMX) and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB) on innovative work behaviors, with employability as a mediator, has been tested. Multi-source data from 487 pairs of employees and supervisors working in 151 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) supported our hypothesized model. The results of structural equation modelling provide support for our model. In particular, the benefits of close relationships and high-quality exchanges between employee and supervisor (LMX), and fostering individual development as a result of employees’ OCB have an indirect effect on innovative work behaviors through positive effects on workers’ employability. Innovative work behaviors depend on employees’ knowledge, skills, and expertise. In other words, enhancing workers’ employability nurtures innovative work behaviors. In addition, we found a moderation effect of organizational politics on the relationship between employability and innovative work behaviors. Secondly, qualitative methods focusing on experiences of the antecedents and outcomes of employability were used to complement our quantitative results. All in all, this study has important consequences for managerial strategies and practices in SMEs and call for an awareness of the dysfunctional effect of perceived organizational politics.
Is Sustainable Watershed Management Feasible under Climate Change? An Economic Appraisal of the Nile River
Authors: Lee Yoon , Yoon Taeyeon , Hong Yongsuk
Published: December 2019

Historically, the Nile, a well-known transboundary river, has been a major contributor to Egyptian economic growth in many ways but has suffered from sediment accumulation. Since anthropocentric activities on the Nile delta heavily rely on nutrient-rich sediment from the Ethiopian highland, sediment control schemes in the Aswan High Dam not only prolong the life of the dam but also increase the economic value of the watershed. The purpose of our study is to use an economic optimization approach to evaluate the feasibility of sustainable management of the Nile concerning climate change. The model considers significant anthropocentric effects on the reservoir as well as the impacts of climate change on the entire watershed. Moreover, the social planner’s model is developed to unravel somewhat numerous externalities. The results indicate that among the various technically feasible sediment removal schemes, the hydro-suction sediment removal system (HSRS) is the only desirable solution under severe climate change. In order to control the negative externalities in the watershed, the in-stream flow control should be applied. By implementing appropriate management schemes simultaneously, the life of the AHD can be extended, and the total economic benefits of the entire watershed can be maximized to approximately $272 billion USD.
Impacts of the Increasingly Strict Sulfur Limit on Compliance Option Choices: The Case Study of Chinese SECA
Authors: Fan Lixian , Gu Bingmei
Published: December 2019

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has proposed several environmental regulations on controlling SOx and NOx emissions from ships in coastal areas. Under the framework of IMO, some areas have established strict emission control areas (ECAs) to reduce emissions, which mainly contain Europe and North America. To further strengthen the control and supervision over air pollutants from shipping activities, the Sulfur cap regulation of 0.5% by mass will come into effect on 1 January, 2020 globally, when all the sailing vessels on the high sea should use fuels with sulfur content less than 0.5%. This limit is stricter for the global recognized sulfur emission control areas (SECAs), where it was 0.1% since 1 January 2015. However, Chinese local SECA lags behind the globally recognized SECAs, where the 0.5% Sulfur cap was implemented from 2016 and it has to be strengthened along with the global sulfur cap 2020. These increasingly stringent emission regulations have huge effects on shipping operators. The current study discusses the potential impacts of the stricter sulfur cap on operators’ compliance option choices, where fuel-switching and scrubber system are analyzed under different sulfur limits. Meanwhile, the slow steaming practice is incorporated into the fuel-switching option by considering speed differentiation in different sulfur limit areas. This study develops a cost-minimizing model using NPV (net present value) method. It analyzes the optimal option within vessels’ lifespan considering the tradeoff between the initial investment and future operational cost for newbuilding vessels based on a case study. In addition, emissions of CO2 and SOx are compared under different compliance options in different sulfur cap scenarios. Our results find that the scrubber system is a suitable option to comply with the 0.5% global sulfur limit, and a higher efficiency of sulfur abatement can be attained by the scrubber system option. However, it emits more carbon emissions due to higher energy consumption used by the scrubber system. In addition, the effects of additional vessels deployed in the cycle on the compliance choices are also demonstrated in the analysis.
Pre-Service Teacher Preparedness for Fostering Education for Sustainable Development: An Empirical Analysis of Central Dimensions of Teaching Readiness
Authors: Manasia Loredana , Ianos Maria Gratiela , Chicioreanu Teodora Daniela
Published: December 2019

While it is generally agreed that teachers can shape student learning outcomes, there remains considerable debate on how national policies and training programmes can best support teacher education to address sustainable development challenges. This study aimed to develop a teaching readiness model with a focus on education for sustainable development. Therefore, the research investigated pre-service teachers’ readiness for fostering education for sustainable development by applying its principles to teaching and learning activities. Pre-service teachers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics responded to a survey regarding their perception of the readiness for designing, conducting, assessing, and engaging in teaching and learning experiences underpinning sustainable development. The results suggest professional knowledge and practice, professional engagement, and self-management could be considered central dimensions of teachers’ job readiness, each of them encompassing a set of components or vectors. Moreover, professional knowledge has a strong and positive influence on teaching practice and professional engagement. In regard to professional knowledge, the ability to conduct didactic transposition is the most influential component. The most significant vectors of the professional practice dimension were found to be the ability to design effective evaluation tools and interpret learning outcomes. The research also revealed weak areas of teacher training: the ability to manage students’ disruptive behaviors, to customize learning and to self-regulate teaching emotions.
How a Strategic Scoping Canvas Can Facilitate Collaboration between Partners in Sustainability Transitions
Authors: Wigboldus Seerp , Brouwers Jan , Snel Herman
Published: December 2019

The loosely applied concepts of transformations and transitions often result in unarticulated different visions and expectations among stakeholders regarding the orientation and ambition of a particular initiative related to system transitions/transformations. In this paper, a strategic scoping canvas and an associated facilitation process are presented as a way of enhancing shared understanding among stakeholders. Illustrations are provided of initial application in three cases related to food system transitions in Peru, Ethiopia, and Bangladesh, exploring the connectivity with approaches commonly used in the context of system transformations, including the Multi-Level Perspective on sustainability transitions, the Leverage Points approach, Capability Approach, and the theory of Large System Change. We conclude that the canvas and associated facilitation approach has proved useful in different contexts, offering opportunities for complementing existing methodologies, and potentially enhancing their efficacy in facilitated multi-stakeholder processes.
Opinions on Sustainability of Smart Cities in the Context of Energy Challenges Posed by Cryptocurrency Mining
Authors: Fadeyi Oluwaseun , Krejcar Ondrej , Maresova Petra , Kuca Kamil , Brida Peter , Selamat Ali
Published: December 2019

Next to climate change on the list of challenges faced by humankind in today’s technological age is energy management. While “smart” ideas continue to gather momentum as some of the ways earmarked to combat the menace of a changing climate, coupled with efficient management of energy, research and development in the blockchain is not retracting, recently giving rise to digital currencies capable of fueling massive energy consumption via mining of “crypto-coins”. Given that sustainability is a crucial goal in the design of smart cities nowadays, there are currently no assurances of sustainable cities where cryptocurrency mining is at full scale. Nevertheless, alternative energy sources may come to the rescue in no distant time. In this paper, we contextualize energy-use in smart cities through mining of virtual currencies, in order to predict whether or not smart cities can truly be sustainable if crypto-mining is sustained. An attempt is also made to emphasize the possible ways of reducing energy use and all activities involving digital currencies by seeking to replace “Proof of Work” (PoW) with improved alternatives.
Identification of Industrial Land Parcels and Its Implications for Environmental Risk Management in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Urban Agglomeration
Authors: Wang Zishu , Zhao Jie , Lin Sijie , Liu Yi
Published: December 2019

Due to rapid, sprawling urban and industrial development, urbanization in China has led to serious environmental pollution with subsequent risks to human well-being. Landscapes comprised of intermingled residential and industrial areas are common across China, which is a large challenge for effective urban planning and environmental protection. Being able to identify industrial land across the urban landscape is critical for understanding patterns of urban design and subsequent consequences for the environment. Here, we describe a method to quickly identify industrial parcels using points of interest (POIs) and large-scale spatial data. We used the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration as a case study and identified 8325 square kilometers of industrial land, accounting for 30.7% of the total built land. Based on ground-truth randomly-sampled sites, the accuracy, precision, and recall of identified industrial areas were 87.1%, 66.4%, and 68.1%, respectively. Furthermore, we found that over 350 km2 of the industrial parcels were high human settlement risks and mainly were distributed in Tianjin and Tangshan city. Over 28.8% of the identified industrial land parcels might be at the risk of potential soil contamination. The results can be helpful in future urban planning and for identifying urban areas that are targets for implementing environmental risk management and remediation.
The Influence of Multi-Dimensional Cognition on the Formation of the Sense of Place in an Urban Riverfront Space
Authors: Zhang Ling-Qing , Deng Wei , Yan Jing , Tang Xiao-Hong
Published: December 2019

Urban riverfront spaces and associated riverine landscapes play important roles in promoting human-river interactions and shaping the regional characteristics of a city. This paper explored the urban riverfront space from the material level of the riverine landscape to a multi-dimensional cognitive level and constructed a theoretical exploration model of the influence of three cognitive dimensions (sensual cognition, intellectual cognition, and rational cognition) on the ‘sense of place’ (SOP) in urban riverfronts. In addition, the measurement scales for different cognitive dimensions were explored and designed. The structural equation model (SEM) was used to analyse 329 valid survey questionnaires in June 2019 in Dujiangyan Yihu Park, China. The analysis of the case study results showed that the overall theoretical model had a good model fit. The sensual cognition, intellectual cognition, and rational cognition all had a significant influence on the SOP in the riverfront park, of which the intellectual cognition had the most significant influence. Strengthening the creation of a riverine landscape for intellectual cognition is expected to enhance the SOP in riverfront spaces more effectively and achieve more enriched interactions between people and rivers.
Global Asymptotic Stability and Nonlinear Analysis of the Model of the Square Immunopixels Array Based on Delay Lattice Differential Equations
Authors: Martsenyuk Vasyl , Karpinski Mikołaj , Rajba Stanislaw , Nikodem Joanna , Warwas Kornel , Wieclaw Lukasz , Gancarczyk Tomasz
Published: December 2019

Biosensors and immunosensors show an increasing attractiveness when developing current cheap and fast monitoring and detecting devices. In this work, a model of immunosensor in a class of delayed lattice differential equations is offered and studied. The spatial operator describes symmetric diffusion processes of antigenes between pixels. The main results are devoted to the qualitative research of the model. The conditions of global asymptotic stability, which are constructed with the help of Lyapunov functionals, determine a lower estimate of the time of immune response. Nonlinear analysis of the model is performed with help of a series of numerical characteristics including autocorrelation function, mutual information, embedding, and correlation dimensions, sample entropy, the largest Lyapunov exponents. We consider the influence of both symmetric and unsymmetric diffusion of antigens between pixels on the qualitative behavior of the system. The outcomes are verified with the help of numerical simulation in cases of 4 × 4 - and 16 × 16 - arrays of immunopixels.
Dark Matter as a Result of Field Oscillations in the Modified Theory of Induced Gravity
Authors: Zaripov Farkhat
Published: December 2019

The paper studies the modified theory of induced gravity (MTIG). The solutions of the MTIG equations contain two branches (stages): Einstein (ES) and “restructuring” (RS). Previously, solutions were found that the values of such parameters as the “Hubble parameter”, gravitational and cosmological “constants” at the RS stage, fluctuate near monotonously developing mean values. This article gives MTIG equations with arbitrary potential. Solutions of the equations of geodesic curves are investigated for the case of centrally symmetric space and quadratic potential at the RS stage. The oscillatory nature of the solutions leads to the appearance of a gravitational potential containing a spectrum of minima, as well as to antigravity, which is expressed by acceleration directed from the center. Such solutions lead to the distribution of the potential of the gravitational field creating an additional mass effect at large distances and are well suited for modeling the effect of dark matter in galaxies. The solutions of the equation of geodesic lines are obtained and analyzed. We found that the transition from flat asymptotics to oscillatory asymptotics at large distances from the center with a combination of the presence of antigravity zones leads to a rich variety of shapes and dynamics of geodesic curves and to the formation of complex structures.
On Extendability of the Principle of Equivalent Utility
Authors: Chudziak Małgorzata , Żołdak Marek
Published: December 2019

An insurance premium principle is a way of assigning to every risk a real number, interpreted as a premium for insuring risk. There are several methods of defining the principle. In this paper, we deal with the principle of equivalent utility under the rank-dependent utility model. The principle, generated by utility function and probability distortion function, is based on the assumption of the symmetry between the decisions of accepting and rejecting risk. It is known that the principle of equivalent utility can be uniquely extended from the family of ternary risks. However, the extension from the family of binary risks need not be unique. Therefore, the following problem arises: characterizing those principles that coincide on the family of all binary risks. We reduce the problem thus to the multiplicative Pexider functional equation on a region. Applying the form of continuous solutions of the equation, we solve the problem completely.
Parallel Tseng’s Extragradient Methods for Solving Systems of Variational Inequalities on Hadamard Manifolds
Authors: Ceng Lu-Chuan , Shehu Yekini , Wang Yuanheng
Published: December 2019

The aim of this article is to study two efficient parallel algorithms for obtaining a solution to a system of monotone variational inequalities (SVI) on Hadamard manifolds. The parallel algorithms are inspired by Tseng’s extragradient techniques with new step sizes, which are established without the knowledge of the Lipschitz constants of the operators and line-search. Under the monotonicity assumptions regarding the underlying vector fields, one proves that the sequences generated by the methods converge to a solution of the monotone SVI whenever it exists.
Virus-like Particle-Based L2 Vaccines against HPVs: Where Are We Today?
Authors: Yadav Rashi , Zhai Lukai , Tumban Ebenezer
Published: December 2019

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are the most common sexually transmitted infections worldwide. Ninety percent of infected individuals clear the infection within two years; however, in the remaining 10% of infected individuals, the infection(s) persists and ultimately leads to cancers (anogenital cancers and head and neck cancers) and genital warts. Fortunately, three prophylactic vaccines have been approved to protect against HPV infections. The most recent HPV vaccine, Gardasil-9 (a nonavalent vaccine), protects against seven HPV types associated with ~90% of cervical cancer and against two HPV types associated with ~90% genital warts with little cross-protection against non-vaccine HPV types. The current vaccines are based on virus-like particles (VLPs) derived from the major capsid protein, L1. The L1 protein is not conserved among HPV types. The minor capsid protein, L2, on the other hand, is highly conserved among HPV types and has been an alternative target antigen, for over two decades, to develop a broadly protective HPV vaccine. The L2 protein, unlike the L1, cannot form VLPs and as such, it is less immunogenic. This review summarizes current studies aimed at developing HPV L2 vaccines by multivalently displaying L2 peptides on VLPs derived from bacteriophages and eukaryotic viruses. Recent data show that a monovalent HPV L1 VLP as well as bivalent MS2 VLPs displaying HPV L2 peptides (representing amino acids 17–36 and/or consensus amino acids 69–86) elicit robust broadly protective antibodies against diverse HPV types (6/11/16/18/26/31/33/34/35/39/43/44/45/51/52/53/56/58/59/66/68/73) associated with cancers and genital warts. Thus, VLP-based L2 vaccines look promising and may be favorable, in the near future, over current L1-based HPV vaccines and should be explored further.
Viral Equine Encephalitis, a Growing Threat to the Horse Population in Europe?
Authors: Lecollinet Sylvie , Pronost Stéphane , Coulpier Muriel , Beck Cécile , Gonzalez Gaelle , Leblond Agnès , Tritz Pierre
Published: December 2019

Neurological disorders represent an important sanitary and economic threat for the equine industry worldwide. Among nervous diseases, viral encephalitis is of growing concern, due to the emergence of arboviruses and to the high contagiosity of herpesvirus-infected horses. The nature, severity and duration of the clinical signs could be different depending on the etiological agent and its virulence. However, definite diagnosis generally requires the implementation of combinations of direct and/or indirect screening assays in specialized laboratories. The equine practitioner, involved in a mission of prevention and surveillance, plays an important role in the clinical diagnosis of viral encephalitis. The general management of the horse is essentially supportive, focused on controlling pain and inflammation within the central nervous system, preventing injuries and providing supportive care. Despite its high medical relevance and economic impact in the equine industry, vaccines are not always available and there is no specific antiviral therapy. In this review, the major virological, clinical and epidemiological features of the main neuropathogenic viruses inducing encephalitis in equids in Europe, including rabies virus (Rhabdoviridae), Equid herpesviruses (Herpesviridae), Borna disease virus (Bornaviridae) and West Nile virus (Flaviviridae), as well as exotic viruses, will be presented.
A Soluble Version of Nipah Virus Glycoprotein G Delivered by Vaccinia Virus MVA Activates Specific CD8 and CD4 T Cells in Mice
Authors: Kalodimou Georgia , Veit Svenja , Jany Sylvia , Kalinke Ulrich , Broder Christopher C. , Sutter Gerd , Volz Asisa
Published: December 2019

Nipah virus (NiV) is an emerging zoonotic virus that is transmitted by bats to humans and to pigs, causing severe respiratory disease and often fatal encephalitis. Antibodies directed against the NiV-glycoprotein (G) protein are known to play a major role in clearing NiV infection and in providing vaccine-induced protective immunity. More recently, T cells have been also shown to be involved in recovery from NiV infection. So far, relatively little is known about the role of T cell responses and the antigenic targets of NiV-G that are recognized by CD8 T cells. In this study, NiV-G protein served as the target immunogen to activate NiV-specific cellular immune responses. Modified Vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA), a safety-tested strain of vaccinia virus for preclinical and clinical vaccine research, was used for the generation of MVA–NiV-G candidate vaccines expressing different versions of recombinant NiV-G. Overlapping peptides covering the entire NiV-G protein were used to identify major histocompatibility complex class I/II-restricted T cell responses in type I interferon receptor-deficient (IFNAR−/−) mice after vaccination with the MVA–NiV-G candidate vaccines. We have identified an H2-b-restricted nonamer peptide epitope with CD8 T cell antigenicity and a H2-b 15mer with CD4 T cell antigenicity in the NiV-G protein. The identification of this epitope and the availability of the MVA–NiV-G candidate vaccines will help to evaluate NiV-G-specific immune responses and the potential immune correlates of vaccine-mediated protection in the appropriate murine models of NiV-G infection. Of note, a soluble version of NiV-G was advantageous in activating NiV-G-specific cellular immune responses using these peptides.
Systems Vaccinology for a Live Attenuated Tularemia Vaccine Reveals Unique Transcriptional Signatures That Predict Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses
Authors: Natrajan Muktha S. , Rouphael Nadine , Lai Lilin , Kazmin Dmitri , Jensen Travis L. , Weiss David S. , Ibegbu Chris , Sztein Marcelo B. , Hooper William F. , Hill Heather , Anderson Evan J. , Johnson Robert , Sanz Patrick , Pulendran Bali , Goll Johannes B. , Mulligan Mark J.
Published: December 2019

Background: Tularemia is a potential biological weapon due to its high infectivity and ease of dissemination. This study aimed to characterize the innate and adaptive responses induced by two different lots of a live attenuated tularemia vaccine and compare them to other well-characterized viral vaccine immune responses. Methods: Microarray analyses were performed on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to determine changes in transcriptional activity that correlated with changes detected by cellular phenotyping, cytokine signaling, and serological assays. Transcriptional profiles after tularemia vaccination were compared with yellow fever [YF-17D], inactivated [TIV], and live attenuated [LAIV] influenza. Results: Tularemia vaccine lots produced strong innate immune responses by Day 2 after vaccination, with an increase in monocytes, NK cells, and cytokine signaling. T cell responses peaked at Day 14. Changes in gene expression, including upregulation of STAT1, GBP1, and IFIT2, predicted tularemia-specific antibody responses. Changes in CCL20 expression positively correlated with peak CD8+ T cell responses, but negatively correlated with peak CD4+ T cell activation. Tularemia vaccines elicited gene expression signatures similar to other replicating vaccines, inducing early upregulation of interferon-inducible genes. Conclusions: A systems vaccinology approach identified that tularemia vaccines induce a strong innate immune response early after vaccination, similar to the response seen after well-studied viral vaccines, and produce unique transcriptional signatures that are strongly correlated to the induction of T cell and antibody responses.
Occurrence of Free Amino Acids in the Source Waters of Zhejiang Province, China, and Their Removal and Transformation in Drinking Water Systems
Authors: Yang Yulong , Yu Qi , Zhou Ruonan , Feng Jiao , Zhang Kejia , Li Xueyan , Ma Xiaoyan , Dietrich Andrea M.
Published: December 2019

Free amino acids (FAAs) are key components of the global nitrogen cycle and important disinfection byproduct (DBP) precursors. The knowledge gap of FAA occurrence in source and engineered water is discussed in this paper. Solid phase extraction and post column derivatization was combined with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry to simultaneously detect μg/L concentrations of FAAs. This method efficiently detects alanine (Ala), threonine (Thr), serine (Ser), valine (Val), leucine (Leu), isoleucine (Ile), proline (Pro), aspartic (Asp), phenylalanine (Phe), and glutamic acid (Glu) with good linearity, accuracy, and precision. An investigation of FAAs in surface waters in Zhejiang Province found concentrations of 1.48–14.73 μg/L Ala, 0.20–2.39 μg/L Thr, 0.41–7.84 μg/L Val, 0.21–6.86 μg/L Ser, 0.11–4.16 μg/L Leu, 0.57–1.54 μg/L Ile, 0.24–8.06 μg/L Pro, 0.42–4.73 μg/L Asp, 0.30–3.01 μg/L Phe, and 0.12–3.83 μg/L Glu. Phe and tyrosine (Tyr) exhibited higher trichloromethane (TCM) formation (1029–1148 μg/mmolAA) than dichloroacetonitrile (DCAN) formation (333–347 μg/mmolAA). Asp and Glu demonstrated the opposite trend: higher DCAN (570–1106 μg/mmolAA) formation than TCM (137–506 μg/mmolAA).
Historical Trends in Air Temperature, Precipitation, and Runoff of a Plateau Inland River Watershed in North China
Authors: Zhang Along , Gao Ruizhong , Wang Xixi , Liu Tingxi , Fang Lijing
Published: December 2019

Understanding historical trends in temperature, precipitation, and runoff is important but incomplete for developing adaptive measures to climate change to sustain fragile ecosystems in cold and arid regions, including the Balagaer River watershed on the Mongolian Plateau of northeast China. The objective of this study was to detect such trends in this watershed from 1959 to 2017. The detection was accomplished using a Mann-Kendall sudden change approach at annual and seasonal time scales. The results indicated that the abrupt changes in temperature preceded that in either runoff or precipitation; these abrupt changes occurred between 1970 and 2004. Significant (α = 0.05) warming trends were found at the minimum temperatures in spring (0.041 °C a−1), summer (0.037 °C a−1), fall (0.027 °C a−1), and winter (0.031 °C a−1). In contrast, significant decreasing trends were found in the precipitation (−1.27 mm a−1) and runoff (−0.069 mm a−1) in the summer. Marginally increasing trends were found in the precipitation in spring (0.18 mm a−1) and fall (0.032 mm a−1), whereas an insignificant decreasing trend was found in the runoffs in these two seasons. Both precipitation and runoff in the wet season exhibited a significant decreasing trend, whereas in the dry season, they exhibited a marginally increasing trend. Sudden changes in spring runoff and sudden rises in temperature are the main causes of sudden changes in basin rainfall.
Mechanism of Riparian Vegetation Growth and Sediment Transport Interaction in Floodplain: A Dynamic Riparian Vegetation Model (DRIPVEM) Approach
Authors: Baniya Mahendra B. , Asaeda Takashi , Fujino Takeshi , Jayasanka Senavirathna M. D. H. , Muhetaer Guligena , Li Jinghao
Published: December 2019

The ecological dynamics of riparian areas interact with sediment transport in river systems, which plays an active role in riparian vegetation growth in the floodplain. The fluvial dynamics, hydraulics, hydro-meteorological and geomorphological characteristics of rivers are associated with sediment transport in river systems and around the riparian area. The flood disturbance, sediment with nutrients and seeds transported by river, sediment deposition, and erosion phenomena in the floodplain change the bare land area to vegetation area and vice versa. The difference in riparian vegetation area in the river floodplain is dependent on the sediment grain size distribution which is deposited in the river floodplain. Mathematical models describing vegetation growth in a short period exist in literature, but long-term modelling and validations are still lacking. In order to cover long-term vegetation growth modelling, a Dynamic Riparian Vegetation Model (DRIPVEM) was proposed. This paper highlights the existing modelling technique of DRIPVEM coupled with a Dynamic Herbaceous Model used to establish the interactive relationship of sediment grain sizes and riparian vegetation in the floodplain.
Double Tensor-Decomposition for SCADA Data Completion in Water Networks
Authors: Marti-Puig Pere , Martí-Sarri Arnau , Serra-Serra Moisès
Published: December 2019

Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems currently monitor and collect a huge among of data from all kind of processes. Ideally, they must run without interruption, but in practice, some data may be lost due to a sensor failure or a communication breakdown. When it happens, given the nature of these failures, information is lost in bursts, that is, sets of consecutive samples. When this occurs, it is necessary to fill out the gaps of the historical data with a reliable data completion method. This paper presents an ad hoc method to complete the data lost by a SCADA system in case of long bursts. The data correspond to levels of drinking water tanks of a Water Network company which present fluctuation patterns on a daily and a weekly scale. In this work, a new tensorization process and a novel completion algorithm mainly based on two tensor decompositions are presented. Statistical tests are realised, which consist of applying the data reconstruction algorithms, by deliberately removing bursts of data in verified historical databases, to be able to evaluate the real effectiveness of the tested methods. For this application, the presented approach outperforms the other techniques found in the literature.
State of the Art of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) Ecosystems and Architectures—An Overview of, and a Definition, Ecosystem and System Architecture for Electric Mobility as a Service (eMaaS)
Authors: Reyes García José Roberto , Lenz Gadi , Haveman Steven P. , Bonnema Gerrit Maarten
Published: December 2019

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is a concept that aligns with both current and future mobility demands of users, namely intermodal, personalized, on-demand and seamless. Although the number of shared mobility, electric mobility and multimodal passenger transport users is rapidly growing, until now, the list of MaaS and electric Mobility as Service (eMaaS) providers is quite short. This could partly be explained by the lack of a common architecture that facilitates the complex integration of all actors involved in the (e)MaaS ecosystem. The goal of this publication is to give an overview of the state of the art regarding (e)MaaS’ ecosystems and architectures. Moreover, it aims to support the further development of eMaaS by proposing a definition and a novel system architecture for eMaaS. Firstly, the state of the art of the MaaS ecosystem is reviewed. Secondly, the eMaaS ecosystem that builds upon our definition of eMaaS is described and the MaaS system- and technical- architectures found in literature are reviewed. Finally, an eMaaS architecture that focuses on the integration of MaaS and electric mobility systems is presented. With the definition, ecosystem and system architecture presented in this work, the aim is to support the further development of the eMaaS concept.
Genç Tüketicilerin Piliç Eti Tüketiminde Etkili Faktörlerin Tespiti Üzerine Bir Araştırma
Authors: TUYGUN TOKLU Arzu
Published: December 2019

Piliç eti bir protein kaynağı olmasının yanında
vücuda vitamin ve mineral desteği de sunan buna rağmen düşük doymuş yağ ve
kolesterol oranına sahip önemli bir besindir. Kırmızı et gibi diğer protein
kaynaklarının fiyatlarının çok yükselmiş olması tüketiciyi önemli bir
alternatif ürün olan piliç etine yönlendirdiği görülmektedir. Türkiye piliç
üretiminde, tüketiminde ve ihracatında Dünya’da önemli bir konuma sahiptir.
Rekabetin yoğun olarak hissedildiği bu sektörde tüketici tercihleri tedarik
zincirinin geliştirilmesinde ve rekabet stratejilerinin belirlenmesinde yol
gösterici olabilir. Bu çalışmanın amacı tüketicilerin piliç tüketimindeki
tercihlerinde etkili olan niteliklerin öncelik sıralarını belirlemektir.
Araştırmanın nitelikleri ve düzeyleri yapılan literatür araştırması ve
perakendecilerle yapılan derinlemesine mülakat tekniği ile elde edilmiştir. Bu
amaçla yapılan araştırma için altı temel nitelik ve bunlara ait çeşitli düzey
tanımlanmıştır. Nitelikler ve bu niteliklere ait düzeyler Markalama (Markalı
ürün, Markasız ürün), Üretim Yöntemi (Organik, Klasik), Ürün İşleme Yöntemi
(Katkı maddesi / koruyucu madde yok, tümü doğal malzemeler), Lezzet, Tat (Çeşni
gibi ilave edilmiş lezzet var, İlave edilmiş lezzet yok), Sertifika (ISO 9001 /
TSE Belgesi, Herhangi bir belge yok), Satış Fiyatı (Yüksek, Düşük) şeklinde
belirlenmiştir. Veriler kolayda örnekleme yöntemi kullanılarak seçilen 188
üniversite öğrencisiyle yapılan anketlerle elde edilmiştir. Araştırmanın
tasarımında ve verilerin analizinde Konjoint yaklaşımı kullanılmış ve
hesaplamalar için SPSS v23 istatistik programı tercih edilmiştir. Elde edilen
sonuçlara göre piliç eti tercihinde düşük fiyat algısının ötesinde kalite
sertifikası sahipliğinin en öncelikli nitelik olduğu bulunmuştur.
Body Conformation, Morphometry Indices and Inheritance Pattern of Indigenous Dwarf Chickens of Bangladesh
Authors: BHUİYAN Mohammad , FERDAUS Abu Jofar , BHUİYAN A. K. F. H. , HASSİN Begum , ALİ Md.
Published: December 2019

The study was conducted to investigate the body dimension, morphometric features and inheritance pattern of indigenous dwarf chicken (IDC) of Bangladesh under intensive management condition. The experiment was conducted at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) poultry farm for a period of 28 months from March 2013 to June 2015 including a total of 979 birds. Body weight, shank length and circumference, chest girth, length of trunk, wing, keel and body, and body conformation indices were recorded at 8, 24 and 52 weeks of age. The average shank length, shank circumference and live weight at 24th week in adult dwarf males and females were 7.38 and 4.37 cm, 6.20 and 3.63 cm, and 1650 and 1067 g, respectively. The reduction of live weight for dwarf male and female chickens relative to their normal shank counterpart (NSC) at same age was 14.06 and 16.05%, respectively. Length of body, trunk, wing, shank and keel of IDC were also significantly shorter than NSC at all ages. The indices of shape, massiveness and long leggedness of NSC were significantly greater than IDC almost all ages. Shank lengths of day old chicks were measured within 1.4-1.6 cm. The ratio of non-dwarf and dwarf in indigenous chicken populations was found 9:7 for 1st generation where significant deviation observed in subsequent generations.  Among the dwarf progeny, the male and female ratio was close to 1:1. Current hypothesis is in favor of autosomal dwarfism control by at least 2 pairs of genes where duplicate recessive gene interaction also known as complementary gene effect has probably been exerted between two pairs of genes. In conclusion, the present estimates give some insight information on morphometry and body conformational aspects between normal shanked and dwarf chickens which relate with lowered motoric activity, reduced metabolic rate and their body surface-mass makes the dwarf birds suitable for hot-humid climate like Bangladesh.
Determination of the Some Quality Criteria and Shelf Life of Different Cooking Methods Aplied Anchovies (Engrulis encrasicolus) Stored at Refrigerated (+4±1 °C) Conditions
Authors: ÇAĞLAK Emre , KARSLI Bariş , RAKICI Seyhan
Published: December 2019

In this study, different cooking methods (frying with oil, frying without oil, and barbecue) were tried on anchovies (Engraulisencrasicolus), they were stored in the fridge at (+4±1 °C); and then their biochemical, physical, chemical, microbiological, and sensory changes were investigated.At the end of the storage period, the ratios of dry matter, crude ash, crude protein, and crude fat were measured as 49,32%, 3,06%, 32,85%, 13,33% in the friedanchovies with oil the fried, 58,02%, 2,14%, 33,55%, 23,06% in fried anchovies without oil and 57,14%, 2,78%, 36,30%, 17,53% in cooked anchovies on thebarbecue, respectively. In addition, the ratios of total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), Thiobarbituric acid (TBA), and Trimethylamine (TMA) are 28,70 mg/100g,6,34 mg MA/kg, 0,68 mg/100g in the fried anchovies without oil, 32,30 mg/100g, 6,64 mg MA/kg, 1,04 mg/100g in the fried anchovies with oil, and 33,60 mg/100g,5,01 mg MA/kg, 0,89 mg/100g in the anchovies cooked on the barbecue, respectively. According to the sensory evaluations, the fried anchovies without oil werefavored more than the other two groups, and also were found in the limit values during the storage. However, the values of the fried anchovies with oil and theanchovies that were cooked on the barbecue decreased below the limits. The samples remained within the quality limit values microbiologically during the storageperiod. According to these results, it was determined that the healthiest cooking method was frying without oil which remains within the consumable limit values for18 days, has longer durability than other groups.
Genetic Analysis of Annular Sea Bream (Diplodus annularis Linnaeus, 1758) Populations Based on mtDNA Cyt b Gene in Turkey
Authors: BEKTAŞ YUSUF , AKSU İSMAİL , KALAYCI GÖKHAN
Published: December 2019

Considering itsimportance and lack of information on its genetic structure, in this study, population genetic structure and genetic diversity of the annular seabream Diplodusannularis (L.) in the Turkish Seas was determined using the partial sequence of mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b gene (997 bp). Localities where annularseabream samples collected were as follows: the eastern Mediterranean Sea (Adana), the western Mediterranean Sea (Antalya), the Aegean Sea (İzmir), theMarmara Sea (Canakkale and İstanbul), Mid-Black Sea (Sinop) and the Eastern Black Sea (Rize). The population genetic structure was estimated throughpairwise FST, analysis of molecular variance and phylogenetic analyses (NJ, MP, ML and BI). As a result the genetic variability was low among the populationbased on haplotype and nucleotide diversities of cytochrome b gene. However, phylogenetic analyses of the cyt b haplotypes showed up there are two possiblegenetic groups (the Aegean-Mediterranean and Marmara-Black Sea) suggesting that the presence of restricted migration at the Straits of Dardanelles, separatingthe Aegean and Marmara Seas.