bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Spray Application Technique on Spray Deposition and Losses in a Greenhouse Vegetable Nursery
Authors: Failla Sabina , Romano Elio
Published: August 2020

The cultivation of vegetables in greenhouses requires seedlings produced in nurseries with high levels of practice specialisation. The nurseries are dedicated to the early stages of growth, from sowing to the first leaves. There, the seeding density and the hydro-climatic conditions favour diseases. Plant protection treatments are carried out with the use of low-cost machines, whose efficiencies and safety conditions depend on the workers’ ability. The irrigation system with a mechanised horizontal spray boom could be an alternative solution to the hand-held spray gun. This research aimed to investigate the use of a horizontal boom sprayer for the distribution of pesticides in different pressure conditions and forward speeds compared with a spray gun, in relation to tomato growth stages. The tests were carried out on tomato seedlings grown in polystyrene seeding boxes and arranged on hanging benches. Deposits on the seedlings (µL cm−2) and losses in the soil (µL cm−2) were assessed by means of standard colorimetric analysis. In order to reduce the environmental pollution and increase the sustainability of the treatments, the pressure at the horizontal spray boom should be reduced and the arrangement of the outermost nozzles may also be better set on the boom.
Institutional Quality, FDI, and Productivity: A Theoretical Analysis
Authors: Jung Jaewon
Published: August 2020

While many important links between institutional quality and foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows and/or between inward FDI and economic development through productivity growth have been uncovered, the full links between emerging and advanced economies are not yet well understood. This paper develops a model of FDI with an explicit distinction between the two economies where domestic and multinational firms using different technologies compete on the final good market and highlights the institutional quality–FDI–productivity link within a unified theoretical general equilibrium framework. We show that an improvement of institutional quality in the emerging economies induces pervasive technology-upgrading effects in the advanced economies, which generates aggregate productivity gains.
Regional Green Eco-Efficiency in China: Considering Energy Saving, Pollution Treatment, and External Environmental Heterogeneity
Authors: Liu Hongwei , Yang Ronglu , Zhou Zhixiang , Huang Dacheng
Published: August 2020

The economy in China has gradually transformed from a stage of high-speed development into one of high-quality development. The current study considers the economic environment, energy saving, and pollution treatment in an integrated way to measure eco-efficiency and external environmental heterogeneity. A modified three-phase data envelopment analysis (DEA) model is constructed to measure ecological efficiency while eliminating interference from both statistical noise and the external environment. The first phase uses a two-stage production structure DEA model considering nondiscretionary input and undesirable output. The model was applied to data for the year 2015 in 30 administrative regions in China, including municipalities, provinces, and autonomous regions. The results of this study show that many factors influence these regions’ eco-efficiency in China, including the levels of economic development, technological innovation, environmental regulation, and industrial structure. Finally, implications and suggestions are given to provincial governments from the perspectives of different industries and of provincial ecological–economic development.
Reconstituting Automobility: The Influence of Non-Commercial Carsharing on the Meanings of Automobility and the Car
Authors: Nitschke Luca
Published: August 2020

Automobility has long been understood as the normal and hegemonic way of moving and even without considering a global pandemic and the imperative of social distancing, disruptive change in everyday automobility seems far away. Based on 34 interviews with members of carsharing associations and private carsharing arrangements, this article argues that non-commercial carsharing, a self-organized form of carsharing, poses a twofold challenge to the hegemonic meanings of automobility on the level of everyday practice. First, the car’s role as status symbol is fading and overridden as an object of utility that is only used when absolutely necessary and mostly for leisure purposes. Second, the car is losing its position as the realization of individual freedom and the coercive aspects of the car and automobility become strongly present amongst non-commercial carsharers. Thereby, automobility emerges as an ambivalent issue and becomes perceived as means of liberation and means of domination simultaneously. By working with and against automobility’s hegemonic meanings on the level of everyday practice, non-commercial carsharing is changing the system of automobility from within and bears the potential for substantially altering the reproduction of the system of automobility.
Assessment of SDG Indicator 11.3.1 and Urban Growth Trends of Major and Small Cities in South Africa
Authors: Mudau Naledzani , Mwaniki Dennis , Tsoeleng Lesiba , Mashalane Morwapula , Beguy Donatien , Ndugwa Robert
Published: August 2020

Geospatial technologies play an important role in understanding and monitoring of land cover and land use change which is critical in achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 and related goals. In this study, we assessed SDG Indicator 11.3.1, Ratio of Land Consumption Rate to Population Growth Rate (LCRPGR) and other urban growth trends of four cities in South Africa using Landsat 5 TM and SPOT 2&5 satellite images and census data collected in 1996, 2001 and 2011. The 2011 built-up areas were mapped using South Africa’s SPOT 5 Global Human Settlements Layer (GHSL) system whereas the 1996 and 2001 built-up areas were extracted from Landsat 5 and SPOT 2 satellite imagery using a kNN object-based image analysis technique that uses textural and radiometric features. We used the built-up area layer to calculate the land consumption per capita and total urban change for each city, both of which have been identified as being important explanatory indicators for the ratio of LCRPGR. The assessment shows that the two major cities, Johannesburg and Tshwane, recorded a decline in the ratio of LCRPGR between the periods 1996–2001 and 2001–2011. In contrast, the LCRPGR ratios for secondary cities, Polokwane and Rustenburg increased during the same periods. The results further show that Tshwane recorded an increase in land consumption per capita between 1996 and 2001 followed by a decrease between 2001 and 2011. Over the same time, Johannesburg experienced a gradual decrease in land consumption per capita. On the other hand, Polokwane and Rustenburg recorded a unique growth trend, in which the overall increase in LCRPGR was accompanied by a decrease in land consumption per capita. In terms of land consumption, Tshwane experienced the highest urban growth rate between 1996 and 2001, whereas Johannesburg and Polokwane experienced the highest urban growth rates between 2001 and 2011. The information derived in this study shows the significance of Indicator 11.3.1 in understanding the urbanization trends in cities of different sizes in South Africa and creates a baseline for nationwide assessment of SDG 11.3.1.
Biophilic Design for Restorative University Learning Environments: A Critical Review of Literature and Design Recommendations
Authors: Peters Terri , D'Penna Kristen
Published: August 2020

The influence of environmental design on people’s wellbeing and productivity has been well studied in some settings such as offices, hospitals, and elementary schools, but salutogenic and biophilic design in urban post-secondary educational environments remains understudied and warrants closer investigation. There are unique challenges faced by these students and implementing health promoting and restorative, environmental design strategies could improve the quality of life and learning outcomes of university students. This paper identifies pertinent themes in published multi-disciplinary literature relating to the influence of the built environment on university students: emotional stress, happiness, stimulation, cognitive function, social support, belonging, places to study, lighting, and ventilation. The results of the semi-structured literature review identifies, analyzes, and categorizes relevant studies that examine nature views, nature images, natural colors, natural materials, auditory and olfactory aspects of nature, nature images with water, indoor plants, campus landscapes, study spaces, local materials and style, daylight access, and thermal and environmental comfort. These are organized according to the biophilic patterns identified by Browning, Ryan, and Clancy. Trends and gaps in understanding the influence of biophilic design on university settings are discussed, and the paper identifies evidence-based design recommendations for incorporating biophilic design in university settings.
Impact Assessment of Additive Manufacturing on Sustainable Business Models in Industry 4.0 Context
Authors: Godina Radu , Ribeiro Inês , Matos Florinda , T. Ferreira Bruna , Carvalho Helena , Peças Paulo
Published: August 2020

Additive manufacturing has the potential to make a longstanding impact on the manufacturing world and is a core element of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Additive manufacturing signifies a new disruptive path on how we will produce parts and products. Several studies suggest this technology could foster sustainability into manufacturing systems based on its potential of optimizing material consumption, creating new shapes, customizing designs and shortening production times that, all combined, will greatly transform some of the existing business models. Although it requires reaching a certain level of design maturity to completely insert this technology in an industrial setting, additive manufacturing has the potential to favorably impact the manufacturing sector by reducing costs in production, logistics, inventories, and in the development and industrialization of a new product. The transformation of the industry and the acceleration of the adopting rate of new technologies is driving organizational strategy. Thus, through the lenses of Industry 4.0 and its technological concepts, this paper aims to contribute to the knowledge about the impacts of additive manufacturing technology on sustainable business models. This aim is accomplished through a proposed framework, as well as the models and scales that can be used to determine these impacts. The effects are assessed by taking into account the social, environmental and economic impacts of additive manufacturing on business models and for all these three dimensions a balanced scorecard structure is proposed.
Family Control, Political Connection, and Corporate Green Governance
Authors: Li Xiaolin , Li Weian , Zhang Yaowei
Published: August 2020

This paper firstly introduces green governance into the empirical research of family firms. Due to the fact that family firms have their own particularity in the principal agent and also have a strong desire to preserve social emotional wealth, this paper deeply studies the driving influence of family control on the green governance of family firms, and analyzes the moderating effect based on the political connection of executives. Taking the 2015–2017 Chinese family-listed firms that released social responsibility reports as the research sample, we find that family control contributes to the improvement of corporate green governance in family firms. However, the political connection of the actual controller weakens the effect of family control on the green governance of family firms. In addition, this research is also carried out under different situations, such as at the regional level and individual level. The research helps family firms give full play to their own advantages, guide the green governance practice of family firms, and improve the level of green governance.
Martial Arts Tourism: Meta-Analysis of Publications from 2005–2020
Authors: Pawelec Przemysław , Świder Paweł , Cynarski Wojciech J.
Published: August 2020

A feature of modern society in the era of cultural globalization is its mobility. One of the manifestations of this social mobility is people spending free time on tourist trips. Tourism, as understood as a sociocultural phenomenon, is a special manifestation of location. In addition to the motives for undertaking trips in martial arts tourism, individual destinations, specific tourism potential and the typology of participants in tourist meetings were analyzed, and individual cases were examined. The research materials were 44 articles published in scientific journals indexed in Scopus, Web of Science, and EBSCOHost databases. Publications, which appeared in the sources discussed between 2005 and mid-2020s were considered. Some periodicals were present in all three of the quoted databases, therefore specific articles were taken into account only once. This study will cover a meta-analysis of martial arts tourism in journals indexed in several major scientific databases. It is related to the phenomenon of tourism of this type, which is discussed from various scientific perspectives. As a research tool, the Atlas.ti program was used (mainly in the qualitative research or analysis of qualitative data), by means of which correlations and dominant items were sought. A comparison with other publications suggests that no similar meta-analysis has so far been performed in relation to the literature devoted to the subject of “martial arts tourism”. Particularly interesting conclusions were identified: (1) there are thematic relations between the destination country, the main destination, and the destination country; (2) martial arts are treated by researchers as both primary, and secondary threads, (3) the difference between travel destinations and types events attended by people interested in martial arts, (4) the variety of event formats plays a role in popularizing the subject of these forms of physical activity, and (5) the number of publications describing specific destinations is not particularly related to specific countries as destinations.
Experimental Investigation of the Potential of a New Fabric-Based Evaporative Cooling Pad
Authors: Velasco-Gómez Eloy , Tejero-González Ana , Jorge-Rico Javier , Rey-Martínez F. Javier
Published: August 2020

Direct evaporative coolers are energy-efficient, economic solutions to supplying cooling demand for space conditioning. Since their potential strongly depends on air hygrothermal conditions, they are traditionally used in dry and hot climates, though they can be used in many applications and climates. This work proposes a new direct evaporative cooling system with a fabric-based pad. Its design enables maximum wetted surface with minimum pressure drop. Its performance has been experimentally characterized in terms of saturation efficiency, air humidification, pressure drop, and level of particles, based on a full factorial Design of Experiments. Factors studied are air dry bulb temperature, specific humidity, and airflow. Saturation efficiencies obtained for a 25 cm pad are above the values achieved by other alternative evaporative cooling (EC) pads proposed in the literature, with lower pressure drops.
“What a Waste”—Can We Improve Sustainability of Food Animal Production Systems by Recycling Food Waste Streams into Animal Feed in an Era of Health, Climate, and Economic Crises?
Authors: Shurson Gerald C.
Published: August 2020

Food waste has been a major barrier to achieving global food security and environmental sustainability for many decades. Unfortunately, food waste has become an even bigger problem in many countries because of supply chain disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic and African Swine Fever epidemic. Although Japan and South Korea have been leaders in recycling food waste into animal feed, countries that produce much greater amounts of food waste, such as the United States and the European Union, have lagged far behind. Concerns about the risk of transmission of bacteria, prions, parasites, and viruses have been the main obstacles limiting the recycling of food waste streams containing animal-derived tissues into animal feed and have led to government regulations restricting this practice in the U.S. and EU. However, adequate thermal processing is effective for inactivating all biological agents of concern, perhaps except for prions from infected ruminant tissues. The tremendous opportunity for nitrogen and phosphorus resource recovery along with several other environmental benefits from recycling food waste streams and rendered animal by-products into animal feed have not been fully appreciated for their substantial contribution toward solving our climate crisis. It is time to revisit our global approach to improving economic and environmental sustainability by more efficiently utilizing the abundant supply of food waste and animal tissues to a greater extent in animal feed while protecting human and animal health in food animal production systems.
Quadratic Stability of Non-Linear Systems Modeled with Norm Bounded Linear Differential Inclusions
Authors: Rehman Mutti-Ur , Alzabut Jehad , Hyder Arfan
Published: August 2020

In this article we present an ordinary differential equation based technique to study the quadratic stability of non-linear dynamical systems. The non-linear dynamical systems are modeled with norm bounded linear differential inclusions. The proposed methodology reformulate non-linear differential inclusion to an equivalent non-linear system. Lyapunov function demonstrate the existence of a symmetric positive definite matrix to analyze the stability of non-linear dynamical systems. The proposed method allows us to construct a system of ordinary differential equations to localize the spectrum of perturbed system which guarantees the stability of non-linear dynamical system.
Erratum: Mohammad Shibli Kaysar and Mohammad Ibrahim Khan A Modified Median String Algorithm for Gene Regulatory Motif Classification Symmetry 2020, 12, 8
Authors: Kaysar Mohammad Shibli , Khan Mohammad Ibrahim
Published: August 2020

The authors wish to make the following corrections to their paper: [...]
Damage Assessment and Progressive Collapse Resistance of a Long-Span Prestressed Double-Layer Composite Torsional Reticulated Shell
Authors: Zhang Xiaohui , Long Haifang , Zhang Jiyang , Shen Bo , Hou Yonghui
Published: August 2020

Long-span prestressed double-layer composite torsional reticulated shells have beautiful shapes, which make them a solution widely applied in public buildings requiring long-span structures, such as airports and stadiums. However, once the progressive collapse occurs, this will cause serious issues. There are few studies on the damage assessment of long-span spatial structures under accidental loads. This paper proposes a new dynamic damage evaluation index that takes into account the displacement and the cumulative plastic energy dissipation to evaluate the damage of the long-span prestressed double-layer composite torsional reticulated shell. Sleeve structures were applied to the long-span space structures to study their control effect on structural damage. The equivalent load transient unloading method was used to analyze the dynamic time history of the structure. Results show that the structure suffered severe damage and progressive collapse failure after removing four nodes at different positions near the supports. In the position where the plastic hinges first appear and the position with the maximum displacement, the sleeve structures have a poor damage control effect on the structure. Arranging the two sleeve structures in the position of maximum stress, the damage of the structure can be controlled, thus reducing the severe damage and progressive collapse failure to basic intact damage.
A Functional ClpXP Protease is Required for Induction of the Accessory Toxin Genes, tst, sed, and sec
Authors: Schelin Jenny , Cohn Marianne Thorup , Frisk Barbro , Frees Dorte
Published: August 2020

Staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome is a potentially lethal illness attributed to superantigens produced by Staphylococcus aureus, in particular toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1), but staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) are also implicated. The genes encoding these important toxins are carried on mobile genetic elements, and the regulatory networks controlling expression of these toxins remain relatively unexplored. We show here that the highly conserved ClpXP protease stimulates transcription of tst (TSST-1), sec (SEC), and sed (SED) genes in the prototypical strains, SA564 and RN4282. In the wild-type cells, the post-exponential upregulation of toxin gene transcription was proposed to occur via RNAIII-mediated downregulation of the Rot repressor. Contradictive to this model, we showed that the post-exponential induction of tst, sed, and sec transcription did not occur in cells devoid of ClpXP activity, despite the Rot level being diminished. To identify transcriptional regulators with a changed expression in cells devoid of ClpXP activity, RNA sequencing was performed. The RNAseq analysis revealed a number of global virulence regulators that might act downstream of ClpXP, to control expression of tst and other virulence genes. Collectively, the results extend our understanding of the complex transcriptional regulation of the tst, sed, and sec genes.
Bleeding Disorders in Bothrops atrox Envenomations in the Brazilian Amazon: Participation of Hemostatic Factors and the Impact of Tissue Factor
Authors: S. Oliveira Sâmella , C. Alves Eliane , S. Santos Alessandra , F. Nascimento Elizandra , T. Pereira João Pedro , M. Silva Iran , A. G. Sachett Jacqueline , S. Sarraff Lybia Kássia , Freitas-de-Sousa Luciana Aparecida , Colombini Mônica , O. Marques Hedylamar , V. G. Lacerda Marcus , Sartim Marco Aurélio , Moura-da-Silva Ana Maria , L. Ferreira Luiz Carlos , S. Sano-Martins Ida , M. Monteiro Wuelton
Published: August 2020

Bleeding is a common hemostatic disorder that occurs in Bothrops envenomations. We evaluated the changes in coagulation, fibrinolysis components, and platelets in Bothrops atrox envenomations with bleeding. This is an observational study with B. atrox snakebite patients (n = 100) treated in Manaus, Brazilian Amazon. Bleeding was recorded on admission and during hospitalization. We found that the platelet count in our patients presented a weak correlation to tissue factor, factor II, and plasminogen. Tissue factor presented weak correlation to factor V, II, D-dimer, plasminogen, alpha 2-antiplasmin, and moderate correlation to fibrinogen and fibrin/fibrinogen degradation product (FDP). Patients with systemic bleeding (n = 20) presented low levels of factor V, II, fibrinogen, plasminogen, and alpha 2-antiplasmin, and high levels of tissue factor and FDP compared to those without bleeding. Patients with only local bleeding (n = 41) and without bleeding showed similar levels of hemostatic factors. Thrombocytopenia was observed mainly in patients with systemic bleeding and increased levels of serum venom. No association was found between venom levels and systemic bleeding, or between venom levels and clinical severity of envenomation. This is the first report that shows the participation of the extrinsic coagulation pathway in the consumption coagulopathy of B. atrox envenomations with systemic bleeding due to tissue factor release.
Determination of Fungi and Multi-Class Mycotoxins in Camelia sinensis and Herbal Teas and Dietary Exposure Assessment
Authors: Reinholds Ingars , Bogdanova Estefanija , Pugajeva Iveta , Alksne Laura , Stalberga Darta , Valcina Olga , Bartkevics Vadims
Published: August 2020

In this paper, a study of fungal and multi-mycotoxin contamination in 140 Camellia sinensis and 26 herbal teas marketed in Latvia is discussed. The analysis was performed using two-dimensional liquid chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (2D-LC-TOF-MS) and MALDI-TOF-MS. In total, 87% of the tea samples tested positive for 32 fungal species belonging to 17 genera, with the total enumeration of moulds ranging between 1.00 × 101 and 9.00 × 104 CFU g−1. Moreover, 42% of the teas (n = 70) were contaminated by 1 to 16 mycotoxins, and 37% of these samples were positive for aflatoxins at concentrations ranging between 0.22 and 41.7 µg kg−1. Deoxynivalenol (DON) and its derivatives co-occurred in 63% of the tea samples, with their summary concentrations reaching 81.1 to 17,360 µg kg−1. Ochratoxin A (OTA), enniatins, and two Alternaria toxins were found in 10–37% of the teas at low concentrations. The dietary exposure assessment based on the assumption of a probable full transfer of determined mycotoxins into infusions indicated that the analysed teas are safe for consumers: the probable maximum daily exposure levels to OTA and the combined DON mycotoxins were only 0.88 to 2.05% and 2.50 to 78.9% of the tolerable daily intake levels.
Whole Genome Sequencing Reveals Virulence Potentials of Helicobacter pylori Strain KE21 Isolated from a Kenyan Patient with Gastric Signet Ring Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Mwangi Catherine , Njoroge Stephen , Tshibangu-Kabamba Evariste , Moloo Zahir , Rajula Allan , Devani Smita , Matsumoto Takashi , Nyerere Kimang’a , Kariuki Samuel , Revathi Gunturu , Yamaoka Yoshio
Published: August 2020

Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) infection is etiologically associated with severe diseases including gastric cancer; but its pathogenicity is deeply shaped by the exceptional genomic diversification and geographic variation of the species. The clinical relevance of strains colonizing Africa is still debated. This study aimed to explore genomic features and virulence potentials of H. pylori KE21, a typical African strain isolated from a native Kenyan patient diagnosed with a gastric cancer. A high-quality circular genome assembly of 1,648,327 bp (1590 genes) obtained as a hybrid of Illumina Miseq short reads and Oxford Nanopore MinION long reads, clustered within hpAfrica1 population. This genome revealed a virulome and a mobilome encoding more than hundred features potentiating a successful colonization, persistent infection, and enhanced disease pathogenesis. Furthermore, through an experimental infection of gastric epithelial cell lines, strain KE21 showed the ability to promote interleukin-8 production and to induce cellular alterations resulting from the injection of a functional CagA oncogene protein into the cells. This study shows that strain KE21 is potentially virulent and can trigger oncogenic pathways in gastric epithelial cells. Expended genomic and clinical explorations are required to evaluate the epidemiological importance of H. pylori infection and its putative complications in the study population.
Determination of Cytisine and N-Methylcytisine from Selected Plant Extracts by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography and Comparison of Their Cytotoxic Activity
Authors: Petruczynik Anna , Wróblewski Karol , Misiurek Justyna , Plech Tomasz , Szalast Karolina , Wojtanowski Krzysztof , Mroczek Tomasz , Szymczak Grażyna , Waksmundzka-Hajnos Monika , Tutka Piotr
Published: August 2020

Quinolizidine alkaloids exhibit various forms of biological activity. A lot of them were found in the Leguminosae family, including Laburnum and Genista. The aim of the study was the optimization of a chromatographic system for the analysis of cytisine and N-methylcytisine in various plant extracts as well as an investigation of the cytotoxic activities of selected alkaloids and plant extracts obtained from Laburnum anagyroides, Laburnum anagyroides L. quercifolium, Laburnum alpinum, Laburnum watereri, Genista germanica, and Genista tinctoria against various cancer cell lines. The determination of investigated compounds was performed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography with Diode Array Detection (HPLC-DAD), while High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with Quadrupole Time-of-Flight–Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-QTOF-MS) was applied for the qualitative analysis of plant extracts. The retention, separation selectivity, peaks shape, and systems efficiency obtained for cytisine and N-methylcytisine in different chromatographic systems were compared. The application of columns with alkylbonded and phenyl stationary phases led to a very weak retention of cytisine and N-methylcytisine, even when the mobile phases containing only 5% of organic modifiers were used. The strongest retention was observed when hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) or especially when ion exchange chromatography (IEC) were applied. The most optimal system in terms of alkaloid retention, peak shape, and system efficiency containing an strong cation exchange (SCX) stationary phase and a mobile phase consisted of 25% acetonitrile and formic buffer at pH 4.0 was applied for investigating alkaloids analysis in plant extracts. Cytotoxic properties of the investigated plant extracts as well as cytisine and N-methylcytisine were examined using human tongue squamous carcinoma cells (SCC-25), human pharyngeal squamous carcinoma cells (FaDu), human triple-negative breast adenocarcinoma cell line (MDA-MB-231), and human breast adenocarcinoma cell line (MCF-7). The highest cytotoxic activity against FaDu, MCF-7, and MDA-MB cancer cell lines was observed after applying the Genista germanica leaves extract. In contrast, the highest cytotoxic activity against SCC-25 cell line was obtained after treating with the seed extract of Laburnum watereri. The investigated plant extracts exhibit significant cytotoxicity against the tested human cancer cell lines and seem to be promising for further research on its anticancer activity.
Dark Gravitational Field on Riemannian and Sasaki Spacetime
Authors: Stavrinos Panayiotis , Savvopoulos Christos
Published: August 2020

The aim of this paper is to provide the geometrical structure of a gravitational field that includes the addition of dark matter in the framework of a Riemannian and a Riemann–Sasaki spacetime. By means of the classical Riemannian geometric methods we arrive at modified geodesic equations, tidal forces, and Einstein and Raychaudhuri equations to account for extra dark gravity. We further examine an application of this approach in cosmology. Moreover, a possible extension of this model on the tangent bundle is studied in order to examine the behavior of dark matter in a unified geometric model of gravity with more degrees of freedom. Particular emphasis shall be laid on the problem of the geodesic motion under the influence of dark matter.
Fatal Outcome of Ilheus Virus in the Cerebrospinal Fluid of a Patient Diagnosed with Encephalitis
Authors: Milhim Bruno H. G. A. , Estofolete Cássia F. , Rocha Leonardo C. da , Liso Elisabete , Brienze Vânia M. S. , Vasilakis Nikos , Terzian Ana C. B. , Nogueira Maurício L.
Published: August 2020

Ilheus virus is an arbovirus with the potential for central nervous system involvement. Accurate diagnosis is a challenge due to similar clinical symptoms and serologic cross-reactivity with other flaviviruses. Here, we describe the first documented case of a fatal outcome following the identification of Ilheus virus in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of a patient with cerebral encephalitis in Brazil.
A Model for the Production of Regulatory Grade Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Exposure Stocks: From Field Surveillance to Advanced Characterization of SFTSV
Authors: Perez-Sautu Unai , Gu Se Hun , Caviness Katie , Song Dong Hyun , Kim Yu-Jin , Paola Nicholas Di , Lee Daesang , Klein Terry A. , Chitty Joseph A. , Nagle Elyse , Kim Heung-Chul , Chong Sung-Tae , Beitzel Brett , Reyes Daniel S. , Finch Courtney , Byrum Russ , Cooper Kurt , Liang Janie , Kuhn Jens H. , Zeng Xiankun , Kuehl Kathleen A. , Coffin Kayla M. , Liu Jun , Oh Hong Sang , Seog Woong , Choi Byung-Sub , Sanchez-Lockhart Mariano , Palacios Gustavo , Jeong Seong Tae
Published: August 2020

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) is an emerging human pathogen, endemic in areas of China, Japan, and the Korea (KOR). It is primarily transmitted through infected ticks and can cause a severe hemorrhagic fever disease with case fatality rates as high as 30%. Despite its high virulence and increasing prevalence, molecular and functional studies in situ are scarce due to the limited availability of high-titer SFTSV exposure stocks. During the course of field virologic surveillance in 2017, we detected SFTSV in ticks and in a symptomatic soldier in a KOR Army training area. SFTSV was isolated from the ticks producing a high-titer viral exposure stock. Through the use of advanced genomic tools, we present here a complete, in-depth characterization of this viral stock, including a comparison with both the virus in its arthropod source and in the human case, and an in vivo study of its pathogenicity. Thanks to this detailed characterization, this SFTSV viral exposure stock constitutes a quality biological tool for the study of this viral agent and for the development of medical countermeasures, fulfilling the requirements of the main regulatory agencies.
The Monoclonal Antibody Recognized the Open Reading Frame Protein in Porcine Circovirus Type 2-Infected Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells
Authors: Hung Ling-Chu
Published: August 2020

The purpose of this study in the context of the open reading frame 3 (ORF3) protein of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) was especially its location and its relation to the capsid protein and the apoptosis protein in PCV2-infected porcine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). To detect the ORF3 protein, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were generated in this study. The mAb 7D3 binds to the ORF3 peptide (residues 35–66) and the native ORF3 protein in PCV2-infected PBMCs, as shown by immunofluorescence assay (IFA). The data show that 3–5% of PBMCs were positive for ORF3 protein or p53 protein. Further, 78–82% of PBMCs were positive for the capsid. This study confirmed the ORF3 protein not only colocalized with the capsid protein but also colocalized with the p53 protein in PBMCs. Immunoassays were conducted in this study to detect the capsid protein, the ORF3 protein, anti-capsid IgG, and anti-ORF3 IgG. The data show the correlation (r = 0.758) of the ORF3 protein and the capsid protein in the blood samples from the PCV2-infected herd. However, each anti-viral protein IgG had a different curve of the profile in the same herd after vaccination. Overall, this study provides a blueprint to explore the ORF3 protein in PCV2-infected PBMCs.
Predictive Value of Veterinary Student Application Data for Class Rank at End of Year 1
Authors: Holladay Steven D. , Gogal Robert M. , Moore Parkerson C. , Tuckfield R. Cary , Burgess Brandy A. , Brown Scott A.
Published: August 2020

Student applications for admission to the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine include the following information: undergraduate grade point average (GPA), GPA in science courses (GPAScience), GPA for the last 45 credit hours (GPALast45hrs), results for the Graduate Record Examination Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning Measures (GRE-QV), results for the GRE Analytical Writing Measure (GRE-AW), and grades received for 10 required prerequisite courses. In addition, three faculty members independently review and score subjective information in applicants’ files (FileScore). The admissions committee determines a composite Admission Score (AdmScore), which is based on GPA, GPAScience, GPALast45hrs, GRE-QV, GRE-AW, and the FileScore. The AdmScore is generally perceived to be a good predictor of class rank at the end of year 1 (CREY1). However, this has not been verified, nor has it been determined which components of the AdmScore have the strongest correlation with CREY1. The present study therefore compared each component of the AdmScore for correlation with CREY1, for the three classes admitted in 2015, 2016 and 2017 (Class15, Class16, Class17). Results suggest that only a few components of the application file are needed to make strong predictive statements about the academic success of veterinary students during the first year of the curriculum.
Effects of Lactobacillus Fermentum Supplementation on Body Weight and Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine Expression in Campylobacter Jejuni-Challenged Chickens
Authors: Šefcová Miroslava , Larrea-Álvarez Marco , Larrea-Álvarez César , Revajová Viera , Karaffová Viera , Koščová Jana , Nemcová Radomíra , Ortega-Paredes David , Vinueza-Burgos Christian , Levkut Mikuláš , Herich Róbert
Published: August 2020

Due to the interest in using probiotic bacteria in poultry production, this research was focused on evaluating the effects of Lactobacillus fermentum Biocenol CCM 7514 administration on body weight gain and cytokine gene expression in chickens challenged with Campylobacter jejuni. One-hundred and eight 1-day old COBB 500 broiler chickens were equally assigned to four experimental groups at random. In the control group (C) chicks were left untreated, whereas in groups LB and LBCj a suspension of L. fermentum was administered. A suspension of C. jejuni was subsequently applied to groups Cj and LBCj. Body weight was registered, and the individuals were later slaughtered; cecum samples were collected at 12, 36 and 48 h post-infection (hpi). The entire experiment lasted seven days. Reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to determine expression levels of IL-1β, IL-15, IL-17, and IL-18 at each time point. Pathogen-infected individuals were observed to weigh significantly less than those fed with the probiotic. Significant differences were also found in transcript abundance; expression of IL-15 was downregulated by the probiotic and upregulated by C. jejuni. The effects of bacterial treatments were time-dependent, as the expression profiles differed at later stages. The present outcomes demonstrate that L. fermentum both reduces the impact of C. jejuni infection on chicken body weight and regulates positively pro-inflammatory cytokine expression, which ultimately increase bird well-being and improves production.
Biodiversity and Habitat Assessment of Coastal Benthic Communities in a Sub-Arctic Industrial Harbor Area
Authors: Dreujou Elliot , McKindsey Christopher , Grant Cindy , Tréau de Coeli Lisa , St-Louis Richard , Archambault Philippe
Published: August 2020

Coastal ecosystems face increasing anthropogenic pressures worldwide and their management requires a solid assessment and understanding of the cumulative impacts from human activities. This study evaluates the spatial variation of benthic macrofaunal communities, sediments, and heavy metals in the sub-Arctic coastal ecosystems around Sept-Îles (Québec, Canada)—a major port area in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Physical sediment properties varied in the studied area, with a general sandy-silty profile except for specific locations in Baie des Sept Îles where higher organic matter and heavy metal concentrations were detected. Macrofaunal assemblages were evaluated for two taxa size classes (organisms > 0.5 mm and > 1 mm) and linked to habitat parameters using regression models. Communities of smaller organisms showed signs of perturbation for one assemblage close to industrial activities at Baie des Sept Îles, with an increased number of tolerant and opportunistic species, contrasting to neighboring regions whose compositions were similar to other ecosystems in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. This study enhances the understanding of sub-Arctic benthic communities and will contribute to monitoring programs for industrial harbor ecosystems.
Evaluation of the Hydraulic Performance of a Rear-Parapet Vertical Breakwater under Regular Waves through Hydraulic Experiments
Authors: Lee Byeong Wook , Park Woo-Sun
Published: August 2020

Climate change has resulted in increased intensity and frequency of typhoons and storm surges. Accordingly, attention has been paid to securing the breakwater’s stability to protect the safety of the port. Herein, hydraulic model experiments were conducted to evaluate the hydraulic performance of a vertical breakwater having a rear parapet. For comparison, cases in which the parapet was placed on the seaside, the harborside, and at the center of the breakwater were considered. Regular waves were used for convenient performance analysis. Five wave gauges and nine pressure transducers were installed to secure physical data for hydraulic performance evaluation. Results showed that a rear parapet can reduce the maximum wave force acting on the breakwater. Even though impulsive pressure was generated, it did not affect the stability of the breakwater owing to the phase difference between the maximum wave pressures acting on the caisson and parapet. By decreasing the maximum wave force, the required self-weight that satisfies the safety factor of 1.2 was reduced by up to 82.7%; the maximum bearing pressure was reduced by up to 47.6% compared with that of the parapet located on the seaside. Thus, the rear parapet was found to be more suitable for actual applications.
The Ecological Importance of Amphipod–Parasite Associations for Aquatic Ecosystems
Authors: Giari Luisa , Fano Elisa Anna , Castaldelli Giuseppe , Grabner Daniel , Sures Bernd
Published: August 2020

Amphipods are a key component of aquatic ecosystems due to their distribution, abundance and ecological role. They also serve as hosts for many micro- and macro-parasites. The importance of parasites and the necessity to include them in ecological studies has been increasingly recognized in the last two decades by ecologists and conservation biologists. Parasites are able to alter survival, growth, feeding, mobility, mating, fecundity and stressors’ response of their amphipod hosts. In addition to their modulating effects on host population size and dynamics, parasites affect community structure and food webs in different ways: by increasing the susceptibility of amphipods to predation, by quantitatively and qualitatively changing the host diet, and by modifying competitive interactions. Human-induced stressors such as climate change, pollution and species introduction that affect host–parasite equilibrium, may enhance or reduce the infection effects on hosts and ecosystems. The present review illustrates the importance of parasites for ecosystem processes using examples from aquatic environments and amphipods as a host group. As seen from the literature, amphipod–parasite systems are likely a key component of ecological processes, but more quantitative data from natural populations and field evidence are necessary to support the results obtained by experimental research.
Removal of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in a Heterogeneous Fenton Like Oxidation System Using Nanoscale Zero-Valent Iron as a Catalyst
Authors: Haneef Tahir , Ul Mustafa Muhammad Raza , Rasool Kashif , Ho Yeek Chia , Mohamed Kutty Shamsul Rahman
Published: August 2020

Oil and gas effluents contains highly toxic and harmful organic pollutants. Therefore, it is necessary to eliminate and/or reduced the concertation of organic pollutants to a technologically acceptable levels before their discharge into water streams. This study investigates the application of nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for removal of organic pollutants from real oily produced water. Batch studies were performed and effect of different operating parameters, including concentration of nZVI and H2O2, pH and reaction time were studied. Moreover, optimization of independent variables was performed using central composite design (CCD) in response surface methodology (RSM). The experimental set up provided maximum removal efficiencies of 89.5% and 75.3% for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and chemical oxygen demand (COD), respectively. The optimum values of independent variables such as concentrations of nZVI, and H2O2, contact time and pH were obtained as 4.35 g/L, 1.60 g/L, 199.9 min and 2.9, respectively. Predicted PAHs and COD removal efficiencies at the optimum values of independent variables were found as 89.3% and 75.7%, respectively which are in line with the experimental values. The study indicates that application of heterogeneous Fenton like oxidation system using nZVI as a catalyst is an efficient treatment method for removal of organic pollutants from real produced water.
Improved Cyanobacteria Removal from Harmful Algae Blooms by Two-Cycle, Low-Frequency, Low-Density, and Short-Duration Ultrasonic Radiation
Authors: Huang Haocai , Wu Gang , Sheng Chaowu , Wu Jiannan , Li Danhua , Wang Hangzhou
Published: August 2020

Harmful algae blooms (HAB) in eutrophic lakes and rivers have become serious water quality problems that are difficult to eliminate using common methods. Previous research has demonstrated that powerful ultrasound can somewhat control cyanobacteria in HABs; however, effective and energy-efficient settings for ultrasonic parameters have not yet been rigorously determined. The results of this study showed that the effect of cyanobacteria removal was enhanced with ultrasonic frequencies, densities, and radiation durations of 20–90 kHz, 0.0005–0.1 W/mL and 0.5–10 min, respectively. Our analyses further demonstrated that the effective distance of ultrasound decreased with increasing frequency, and that damaged algae cells were able to repair themselves at low ultrasonic densities. To address the high energy consumption and small effective distance of conventional ultrasonic radiation treatments, we proposed a new cyanobacteria removal method based on two applications of low-frequency, low-density and short-duration ultrasonic radiation. We defined the energy effectiveness factors of ultrasonic radiation for algae removal as the algae removal rate divided by ultrasonic dosage. This method yielded an 87.6% cyanobacteria removal and the highest energy effectiveness factor, suggesting that two cycles of treatment provide a low-energy method for enhancing existing algae-removing technologies used in large bodies of water.
Is Clustering Time-Series Water Depth Useful? An Exploratory Study for Flooding Detection in Urban Drainage Systems
Authors: Li Jiada , Hassan Daniyal , Brewer Simon , Sitzenfrei Robert
Published: August 2020

As sensor measurements emerge in urban water systems, data-driven unsupervised machine learning algorithms have drawn tremendous interest in event detection and hydraulic water level and flow prediction recently. However, most of them are applied in water distribution systems and few studies consider using unsupervised cluster analysis to group the time-series hydraulic-hydrologic data in stormwater urban drainage systems. To improve the understanding of how cluster analysis contributes to flooding location detection, this study compared the performance of K-means clustering, agglomerative clustering, and spectral clustering in uncovering time-series water depth dissimilarity. In this work, the water depth datasets are simulated by an urban drainage model and then formatted for a clustering problem. Three standard performance evaluation metrics, namely the silhouette coefficient index, Calinski–Harabasz index, and Davies–Bouldin index are employed to assess the clustering performance in flooding detection under various storms. The results show that silhouette coefficient index and Davies–Bouldin index are more suitable for assessing the performance of K-means and agglomerative clustering, while the Calinski–Harabasz index only works for spectral clustering, indicating these clustering algorithms are metric-dependent flooding indicators. The results also reveal that the agglomerative clustering performs better in detecting short-duration events while K-means and spectral clustering behave better in detecting long-duration floods. The findings of these investigations can be employed in urban stormwater flood detection at the specific junction-level sites by using the occurrence of anomalous changes in water level of correlated clusters as flood early warning for the local neighborhoods.