bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Smart Modelling of a Sustainable Biological Wastewater Treatment Technologies: A Critical Review
Authors: Altowayti Wahid Ali Hamood , Shahir Shafinaz , Eisa Taiseer Abdalla Elfadil , Nasser Maged , Babar Muhammad Imran , Alshalif Abdullah Faisal , AL-Towayti Faris Ali Hamood
Published: November 2022

One of the most essential operational difficulties that water companies face today is the capacity to manage their water treatment process daily. Companies are looking for long-term solutions to predict how their treatment methods may be enhanced as they face growing competition. Many models for biological growth rate control, such as the Monod and Contois models, have been suggested in the literature. This review further emphasized that the Contois model is the best and is more suited to predicting the performance of biological growth rate than the other applicable models with a high correlation coefficient. Furthermore, the most well-known models for optimizing and predicting the wastewater treatment process are response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural networks (ANN). Based on this review, the ANN is the best model for wastewater treatment with high accuracy in biological wastewater treatment. Furthermore, the present paper conducts a bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer to assess research performance and perform a scientific mapping of the most relevant literature in the field. A bibliometric study of the most recent publications in the SCOPUS database between 2018 and 2022 is performed to assess the top ten countries around the world in the publishing of employing these four models for wastewater treatment. Therefore, major contributors in the field include India, France, Iran, and China. Consequently, in this research, we propose a sustainable wastewater treatment model that uses the Contois model and the ANN model to save time and effort. This approach may be helpful in the design and operation of clean water treatment operations, as well as a tool for improving day-to-day performance management.
Digital Inclusive Finance and Family Wealth: Evidence from LightGBM Approach
Authors: Liu Ying , Zhao Haoran , Sun Jieguang , Tang Yahui
Published: November 2022

With the rapid development of digital technology in China, Digital Inclusive Finance, which uses digital financial services to promote financial inclusion, is developing rapidly. This paper uses the Peking University Digital Financial Inclusion index of China and China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) data to construct a predictive model using the LightGBM machine learning algorithm to study whether Digital Inclusive Finance can predict household wealth and analyze the characteristics of strong predictive ability for household wealth. They found that: (1) the introduction of the Digital Financial Inclusion index can improve the prediction performance of the household wealth model; (2) financial literacy and age characteristics are the key characteristics of household wealth accumulation; (3) the coverage and depth of Digital Inclusive Finance has a significant effect on family wealth accumulation, but the degree of digitization acts as a disincentive factor. This paper not only uses machine learning methods to do research on Digital Inclusive Finance and family wealth from a more comprehensive perspective, but also provides effective theoretical support for the key factors that enhance family wealth.
An Empirical Investigation of Personalized Recommendation and Reward Effect on Customer Behavior: A Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) Model Perspective
Authors: Jeong Jaeho , Kim Dongeon , Li Xinzhe , Li Qinglong , Choi Ilyoung , Kim Jaekyeong
Published: November 2022

With the continuous growth in the Home Meal Replacement (HMR) market, the significance of recommender systems has been raised for effectively recommending customized HMR products to each customer. The extant literature has mainly focused on enhancing the performance of recommender systems based on offline evaluations of customers’ past purchase records. However, since the existing offline evaluation methods evaluate the consistency of products on the recommendation list with ones purchased by customers from the test dataset, they are incapable of encompassing components such as serendipity and novelty that are also crucial in recommendation. Moreover, the existing offline evaluation methods cannot measure rewards such as discount coupons that may play a vital role in strengthening customers’ desire for purchase and thereby stimulating their purchase with a provision of a recommendation list. In this study, we used an SOR model to verify the effect of personalized recommendation stimulus on a customer’s response in an actual online environment. The results indicate that the customers’ response rate was higher with a provision of personalized recommendations than that of bestseller recommendations, and higher when being offered with cash discounts than earning redeemable points. Meanwhile, the response rate to the recommendation with higher volumes of rewards was not as high as expected, while the point pressure mechanism did not work either.
Benefit Linkage Effect, Organizational Structure and Collaboration Performance: An Empirical Study of the Agricultural Industrialization Consortium in Shanghai, China
Authors: Jiang Qijun , Li Chunxiao , Meng Ting
Published: November 2022

As a new type of agricultural management organization alliance, the effect of the benefit linkage generated by agricultural industrialization consortium on collaboration performance is closely related to the sustainable development of the agricultural economy. Based on survey data on consortia in Shanghai, this paper analyzes the effects of benefit linkage and uses multiple linear regression modeling to comprehensively explore the impact of benefit linkage effects on collaboration performance from both subjective and objective aspects, as well as the differences in impact on the collaboration performance of consortia with different organizational structures. The results show that the benefit linkage effect has a positive impact on collaboration performance, and there are differences in the impact of the benefit linkage effect on collaboration performance under different types of organizational structures, among which the resource allocation effect, capitalization effect and correlation effect of the benefit linkage of non-joint stock consortia have a positive impact on collaboration performance; the resource allocation effect of joint-stock consortia has no significant impact on collaboration performance, the capitalization effect on collaboration performance is significantly lower than that of non-joint stock consortia, and the correlation effect on collaboration performance is significantly higher than that of non-joint-stock consortia. Therefore, under a certain benefit linkage, according to the establishment purpose and collaboration goal, a consortium with different types of organizational structures should be established to give full play to the impact of the benefit linkage effect on collaboration performance and promote the sustainable development of agricultural industrialization.
Optimal Design of a Hybrid Off-Grid Renewable Energy System Using Techno-Economic and Sensitivity Analysis for a Rural Remote Location
Authors: Nallolla Chinna Alluraiah , Perumal Vijayapriya
Published: November 2022

Due to the lack of grid power availability in rural areas, hybrid renewable energy sources are integrated with microgrids to distribute reliable power to remote locations. This optimal hybrid system is created using a solar photovoltaic system, wind turbine, diesel generator, battery storage system, converter, electrolyzer and hydrogen tank to provide uninterrupted power and meet different load demands of different communities in Doddipalli village, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, India. Optimization and techno-economic analysis are performed to design the proposed system using HOMER Software. Various configurations are obtained from the software among which the best four combinations are considered for case studies. This research article aims to design the optimal hybrid renewable energy system, wherein the design consists of PV/BS (1476 kW-solar PV, 417 batteries, electrolyser-200 kW, hydrogen tank-20 kg and 59.6 kW-converter) by comparing the minimum net present cost (NPC: $7.01 M), levelized cost of energy (LCOE: 0.244 $/kWh), and the high renewable fraction (RF: 84.1%). In this research, the proposed system would be more economical when solar energy becomes the primary source and is integrated with the battery. This research also presents a sensitivity analysis of the off-grid HRES system with various electrical load demands, project lifetime, and derating factors.
The Effect of P2O5 Fertilizer, Zeolite, and Volcanic Soil Media from Different Altitudes on the Soil Mineral, Growth, Yield, and Asiaticoside Content of Centella asiatica L.
Authors: Riyanto Damasus , Dianawati Meksy , Sutardi  , Susanto Heru , Sasongko Nugroho Adi , Sri Ratmini Niluh Putu , Rejekiningrum Popi , Yustisia  , Susilawati Helena Lina , Hanafi Hano , Jauhari Sodiq , Anda Martin , Arianti Forita Dyah , Praptana Raden Heru , Pertiwi Miranti Dian , Martini Tri
Published: November 2022

Centella asiatica is an herbal plant with many health benefits due to the content of asiaticoside compounds. Factors affecting asiaticoside content are altitude, soil texture, and soil nutrient status. This research aimed to identify the effect of zeolite, P2O5 fertilizer, and soil media from different altitudes on C. asiatica. The research was conducted in a greenhouse from August 2017–June 2018. The experimental design was a factorial, completely randomized design with three factors and four replications. The first factor was soil media that originated from 100, 450, and 900 m above sea level (asl), the second factor was the dose of P2O5 fertilizer (0, 27, 54, and 81 kg ha−1), and the third was the dose of zeolite (0, 3, and 6 t ha−1). The results showed that applying zeolite minerals at all altitudes increased nutrient availability and soil cation exchange capacity (CEC) by up to 70%. The novelty of this study is that the soil from an altitude of 900 m asl, with a P2O5 fertilizer dose of 54 kg ha−1, has a loamy sand soil texture and produces the highest asiaticoside content (3.61%) and the largest plant dry weight (19.24 g). These results did not significantly differ from those obtained from the soil 450 m asl with a sandy loam soil texture (the most suitable soil texture for C. asiatica), that is 3.37% asiaticoside and 19.87 g plant dry weight. This study concluded that C. asiatica could develop in loamy sand soil by giving it 54 kg ha−1 P2O5 fertilizer.
Multi-Criteria Analysis of Sustainable Travel and Tourism Competitiveness in Europe and Eurasia
Authors: Ozkaya Gokhan , Demirhan Ayse
Published: November 2022

The travel and tourism industry has numerous components that contribute to the economy and create new jobs since it is a service sector that incorporates other service networks. Furthermore, it acts as a catalyst in sustaining investment attractiveness and economic indicators such as closing the current account deficit. The Travel and Tourism Competition Index utilized in this research has four dimensions and fourteen indicators. In this research, the Entropy-based VIKOR approach, which is a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making method, Spearman Correlation analysis, and K-means clustering analysis were employed to propose a methodological novelty in this field. The study analyzed the competitiveness of significant European and Eurasian nations based on key indicators. According to country evaluations, Spain, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Switzerland differ from other countries in a positive sense and with a significant difference. Eastern European and Balkan nations are often at the bottom of the table. As a consequence of this study, it is expected that the results of future studies using other methodologies or methods will be compared with this study. At the same time, it is aimed to explain the relevant indicators and their dimensions.
Evaluation and Comparison of Air Pollution Governance Performance: An Empirical Study Based on Jiangxi Province
Authors: Lv Hua , Xu Shuzhen , Liu Yujie , Luo Wenjian
Published: November 2022

This paper takes the air pollution governance performance as the research object, establishes the evaluation index system of air pollution governance performance using the pressure-state-response (PSR) model, and uses the data of 11 prefecture-level cities in Jiangxi Province from 2014–2017 to carry out empirical tests. The results show that, in terms of indicator weights, the state and pressure categories have higher weights than the response category, further highlighting the importance of reducing pollution emissions rather than post-pollution treatment. Regarding regional comparisons, only a few regions show a good balance between “stress-state-response”, while most regions show a “loss of balance”. In terms of annual changes, the performance of most regions in several categories rose and showed a wave-like upward trend, reflecting the intermittent improvement characteristics of air pollution governance performance in most regions of Jiangxi. Finally, combined with the evaluation results, this paper proposes policy suggestions, such as improving the performance evaluation index system of air pollution governance, promoting the comprehensive governance of air pollution, focusing on regions with weaker air pollution governance, and strengthening the regional collaborative governance of air pollution.
A Comprehensive Review on the Sustainable Treatment of Textile Wastewater: Zero Liquid Discharge and Resource Recovery Perspectives
Authors: Jahan Nusrat , Tahmid Mohammed , Shoronika Afrina Zaman , Fariha Athkia , Roy Hridoy , Pervez Md. Nahid , Cai Yingjie , Naddeo Vincenzo , Islam Md. Shahinoor
Published: November 2022

Clothing, one of the basic needs, demands the growth of textile industries worldwide, resulting in higher consumption and pollution of water. Consequently, it requires extensive treatment of textile effluent for environmental protection as well as reuse purposes. Primary treatment, secondary treatment, and tertiary treatment are the three major phases of textile wastewater treatment. Secondary treatment under aerobic and anaerobic circumstances is carried out to decrease BOD, COD, phenol, residual oil, and color, whereas primary treatment is utilized to remove suspended particles, oil, grease, and gritty materials. However, biological treatment is not fully capable of treating water according to discharge/reuse standards. Hence, tertiary treatment is used to remove final contaminants from the wastewater. Adsorption is regarded as one of the most feasible processes for dye and metal removal in consideration of cost and variation in the adsorbent. Though membrane filtration is an efficient process, the cost of operation limits its application. It’s unfortunate that there isn’t a universally applicable treatment solution for textile effluents. Therefore, the only flexible strategy is to combine several therapy modalities. Treatment of complicated, high-strength textile wastewater depending on pollutant load will be more successful if physical, chemical, and biological approaches are used in tandem. Enforcement of stringent environmental regulation policies, increasing costs and demand for freshwater, and the rising costs and difficulties associated with wastewater disposal are accelerating efforts toward achieving ZLD. Additionally, research into methods for extracting useful materials from wastewater has blossomed in recent years. As such, the purpose of this analysis is to give a holistic overview of textile wastewater treatment systems, with a focus on zero liquid discharge (ZLD) and efficient resource recovery, both of which may hasten the transition to more sustainable water management.
SDG Final Decade of Action: Resilient Pathways to Build Back Better from High-Impact Low-Probability (HILP) Events
Authors: Donkor Felix Kwabena , Mitoulis Stergios-Aristoteles , Argyroudis Sotirios , Aboelkhair Hassan , Canovas Juan Antonio Ballesteros , Bashir Ahmad , Cuaton Ginbert Permejo , Diatta Samo , Habibi Maral , Hölbling Daniel , Manuel Lance , Pregnolato Maria , Ribeiro Rodrigo Rudge Ramos , Sfetsos Athanasios , Shahzad Naeem , Werner Christiane
Published: November 2022

The 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offer a blueprint for global peace and prosperity, while conserving natural ecosystems and resources for the planet. However, factors such as climate-induced weather extremes and other High-Impact Low-Probability (HILP) events on their own can devastate lives and livelihoods. When a pandemic affects us, as COVID-19 has, any concurrent hazards interacting with it highlight additional challenges to disaster and emergency management worldwide. Such amplified effects contribute to greater societal and environmental risks, with cross-cutting impacts and exposing inequities. Hence, understanding how a pandemic affects the management of concurrent hazards and HILP is vital in disaster risk reduction practice. This study reviews the contemporary literature and utilizes data from the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) to unpack how multiple extreme events have interacted with the coronavirus pandemic and affected the progress in achieving the SDGs. This study is especially urgent, given the multidimensional societal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic amidst climate change. Results indicate that mainstreaming risk management into development planning can mitigate the adverse effects of disasters. Successes in addressing compound risks have helped us understand the value of new technologies, such as the use of drones and robots to limit human exposure. Enhancing data collection efforts to enable inclusive sentinel systems can improve surveillance and effective response to future risk challenges. Stay-at-home policies put in place during the pandemic for virus containment have highlighted the need to holistically consider the built environment and socio-economic exigencies when addressing the pandemic’s physical and mental health impacts, and could also aid in the context of increasing climate-induced extreme events. As we have seen, such policies, services, and technologies, along with good nutrition, can significantly help safeguard health and well-being in pandemic times, especially when simultaneously faced with ubiquitous climate-induced extreme events. In the final decade of SDG actions, these measures may help in efforts to “Leave No One Behind”, enhance human–environment relations, and propel society to embrace sustainable policies and lifestyles that facilitate building back better in a post-pandemic world. Concerted actions that directly target the compounding effects of different interacting hazards should be a critical priority of the Sendai Framework by 2030.
Alternative Low-Cost Treatment for Real Acid Mine Drainage: Performance, Bioaccumulation, Translocation, Economic, Post-Harvest, and Bibliometric Analyses
Authors: Wibowo Yudha Gusti , Safitri Hana , Malik Ida Bagus Ilham , Sudibyo  , Priyanto Sugeng
Published: November 2022

Environmental pollution due to industrial activities has been reported since 1760, dating back to the first industrial revolution. One industrial activity that has led to major environmental degradation is coal mining, which can pollute surface and underground water due to acid mine drainage (AMD). Phytoremediation is low-cost, applicable, environmental, and does not generate other waste materials. In this research, we analyze the utilization of Eichhornia crassipes and Pistia stratiotes for AMD treatment. The results indicated that the AMD initially contained Fe, Mn, Al, Ca, and Mg. E. crassipes successfully reduced these contents by up to 69%, while P. stratiotes removed up to 62%. A cost analysis for phytoremediation of AMD is designed in terms of two schemes, with 4298 USD for the first scheme and no cost in the second scheme. The post-harvest potential, future research directions, and bibliometric analysis are also discussed. Overall, the results of this study indicate that P. stratiotes and E. crassipes are plants with great potential for AMD phytoremediation.
Assuring Energy Reporting Integrity: Government Policy’s Past, Present, and Future Roles
Authors: Al-Madani Mohammed Hammam Mohammed , Fernando Yudi , Tseng Ming-Lang
Published: November 2022

This study investigates government policy influence on energy reporting integrity in the past, present, and future. The study attempts to identify the dominating key themes in energy reporting and explore the function of government incentives and policies in influencing the integrity of energy consumption reports. A thorough literature review screening and theme identification were conducted through a systematic review. The data used in this study are mainly derived from English-language journals acquired from reputable academic databases such as Web of Science and Scopus. Social network analysis was used to examine the data retrieved with the VOSviewer software. The findings demonstrate that the key themes of government policy, energy reporting, energy management, and integrity are strongly focused in studies on energy policy, climate change, energy efficiency, renewable energy, life cycle assessment, carbon emissions, and sustainability. These topics included energy management, renewable energy, energy efficiency, emissions reporting, and energy transitions. The results suggest that there is little empirical support for how government policy promotes and validates the accuracy and integrity of energy reporting. The findings offer potential strategies for removing energy policy development, implementation, and reporting barriers. This study found that transparent disclosure of a company’s energy consumption attracts new investment. The integrity and transparency of the energy report attest to a firm’s commitment to working toward sustainable development goals. The study recommends that the government should align energy policies with clear guidelines about transparent energy disclosure and reform the existing sanctions and incentives to enforce the law.
A Study of the Impact of Social Responsibility Cues on the Long-Term Effectiveness of Gamification Strategies: Insights from the Adverse Effects of Game Strategies
Authors: Chen Jiaxing , Bao Yuze , Zhang Guangling , Huang Xiaoqi
Published: November 2022

Mobile applications can integrate games or gamification elements to build a game metaverse, thus increasing use duration. Research on game metaverses is relatively scarce, mainly focusing on the positive effects of game elements. Few studies have considered the push-away power of game or gamification elements. In this paper, we explore the role of pro-environmental cues in mitigating the push-away power of game or gamification elements from the perspective of the adverse effects of game elements. A total of 250 participants were recruited to engage in two two-factor between-subject studies. Study 1 demonstrated that pro-environmental cues increased self-consciousness during the game and mitigated adverse outcomes after the game. The results of Study 2 further supported the findings of Study 1. The results showed that the perception of pleasure during the game reduced the effects of pro-environmental cues. The pro-environmental cues mitigated adverse outcomes after the game experience when perceiving lower or moderate enjoyment. In comparison, the effects of pro-environmental cues on mitigating negative consequences after the game experience were insignificant when experiencing higher enjoyment.
Study on the Spatial-Temporal Characteristics and Divergence of Rural Human Settlement Quality of Mountainous Counties in Zhejiang, China
Authors: Xu Fan , Zheng Guoquan , Zhuang Qianda
Published: November 2022

The rural human settlement is an important carrier for rural residents’ production and living life, and its quality level is an important basis for judging the current living conditions of rural residents. This study aims to explore the spatial-temporal characteristics of the rural human settlement in mountainous counties of Zhejiang Province, as well the influencing factors, based on a constructed evaluation index system for a quality improvement in these areas. This study takes the rural human settlement of the mountainous counties in Zhejiang Province as the research object, constructs an evaluation index system of rural human settlement quality of these counties based on the current situation and development policies of Zhejiang Province, and evaluates the rural human settlement quality from 2016 to 2020. Further, spatial autocorrelation analysis, trend surface analysis, and other analysis methods are used to evaluate the results. The evaluation results were analyzed using spatial autocorrelation analysis and trend surface analysis, and the performance of each influencing factor and interaction force was detected using geographic probes. The study found that: (1) Overall, the quality of the rural human settlement in the mountainous counties of Zhejiang Province has been steadily improving over the past five years, and there is no obvious spatial correlation among counties, though the spatial development characteristics and development trend of the north is better than the south, and the east is better than the central areas. (2) Each subsystem also shows a steady increase and presents different spatial distribution characteristics. (3) The quality of the rural human settlement is significantly associated with policy orientation, the level of economic development, and landscape development characteristics. (4) The factors that currently have the greatest effect on the 26 counties include the level of agricultural modernization and economic development level, among which five groups of factors have an interactive effect. In sum, this study judged the development trend of rural human settlement quality and the main influencing factors in the mountainous counties of Zhejiang Province this year and provides a scientific basis for their improvement. It also provides research ideas for the evaluation and optimization of rural habitat quality in other mountainous counties in China.
Supply Chain Emission Reduction Decisions, Considering Overconfidence under Conditions of Carbon Trading Price Volatility
Authors: Yu Jinhan , Sun Licheng
Published: November 2022

To investigate the effects of carbon trading pricing and overconfidence on supply chain emission reduction decisions, this paper establishes a supply chain model consisting of a manufacturer and a retailer and applies the Stackelberg game model. The objective is to explore the effects of carbon trading pricing and overconfidence on supply chain members’ decisions and profits. The study shows that carbon trading prices can be a good guide for low-cost manufacturers to reduce emissions when manufacturers are rational under carbon trading policies. However, the ability of carbon trading prices to act as a guide starts to fail as the cost of emission reduction increases. When manufacturers are overconfident, this causes manufacturers to increase the emission reduction rate of their products under carbon trading policies. In addition, this effect increases in line with increases in carbon trading prices. When manufacturers face different emission reduction costs, higher carbon trading prices do not necessarily always generate benefits for rational manufacturers. For overconfident manufacturers, however, overconfidence is always detrimental, especially when the price of carbon trading increases. Retailers tend to choose to work with manufacturers who are less overconfident, when the higher price of carbon trading results in higher gains for the retailer.
Relief Policy and the Sustainability of COVID-19 Pandemic: Empirical Evidence from the Italian Manufacturing Industry
Authors: Falavigna Greta , Ippoliti Roberto
Published: November 2022

This work investigates the impact of COVID-19 on the Italian manufacturing industry, testing whether the recovery measures introduced by the government were effective in alleviating the economic consequences of the virus in 2020. In particular, this work aims to address the impact of COVID-19 on the Italian manufacturing industry, and evaluation of the adopted recovery measures. Considering the current situation, with the war in Ukraine and the related gas crisis across the European Union, such investigation on policy relief is even more relevant, contributing to the current debate. Adopting RE models, and considering the latest economic and financial information available, we analyzed active private limited firms in the Italian manufacturing industry between 2019 and 2020, investigating the impact of layoff on their productivity (i.e., Total Factor Productivity) and profitability (i.e., Return On Assets), as well as their expected probability of default. According to the results of these regression models, and assuming 8 weeks of layoff, we observed an increase in productivity (between 1.20% and 1.59%), a decrease in profitability (1.47%) and an increase in bankruptcy risk (2.27%). Hence, the relief policy was not able to alleviate the economic consequences of COVID-19 for these firms, even though the layoffs were able to support their productivity. Practical implications concern the necessary improvements for the above relief policy, i.e., interventions to support the demand of manufactured products, interventions to support the digitalization of services, interventions to support the remote working, and interventions to support the introduction of innovative products on the market.
Intuitionistic Fuzzy Stability of an Euler–Lagrange Symmetry Additive Functional Equation via Direct and Fixed Point Technique (FPT)
Authors: Agilan P. , Julietraja K. , Mlaiki Nabil , Mukheimer Aiman
Published: November 2022

In this article, a new class of real-valued Euler–Lagrange symmetry additive functional equations is introduced. The solution of the equation is provided, assuming the unknown function to be continuous and without any regularity conditions. The objective of this research is to derive the Hyers–Ulam–Rassias stability (HURS) in intuitionistic fuzzy normed spaces (IFNS) by applying the classical direct method and fixed point techniques (FPT). Furthermore, it is proven that the Euler–Lagrange symmetry additive functional equation and the control function, which is the IFNS of the sums and products of powers of norms, is stable. In addition, a few examples where the solution of this equation can be applied in Fourier series and Fourier transforms are demonstrated.
A Novel Software Trustworthiness Evaluation Strategy via Relationships between Criteria
Authors: Tao Hongwei , Cao Qiaoling , Chen Haoran , Xian Yang , Shang Songtao , Niu Xiaoxu
Published: November 2022

Software trustworthiness evaluation is regarded as a multi-criteria decision-making problem. However, most current software trustworthiness evaluation methods do not consider the relationships between criteria. In this paper, we present a software trustworthiness evaluation strategy via the relationships between criteria. Because the trustworthy attribute degree is evaluated by a criterion, a trustworthy attribute measurement method based on fuzzy theory is first proposed, and the relationships between criteria are described by cooperative and conflicting degrees between criteria. Then, a measure formula for the symmetric substitutivity between criteria is proposed, and the cooperative degree between criteria is taken as the approximation of the symmetric substitutivity between criteria. With the help of the symmetric substitutivity between criteria, the software trustworthiness measurement model obtained by axiomatic approaches is applied to aggregate the degree to which each optional software product meets each objective. Finally, the candidate software products are sorted according to the trustworthiness aggregation results, and the optimal product is obtained from the alternative software products on the basis of the sorting results. The theoretical rationality of the measurement model is validated by proving that it satisfies the desirable properties of software trustworthiness measures, and its effectiveness is demonstrated through a case study.
Prenatal Exposure to Ambient PM2.5 and Early Childhood Growth Impairment Risk in East Africa
Authors: Clarke Kayan , Rivas Adriana C. , Milletich Salvatore , Sabo-Attwood Tara , Coker Eric S.
Published: November 2022

Height for age is an important and widely used population-level indicator of children’s health. Morbidity trends show that stunting in young children is a significant public health concern. Recent studies point to environmental factors as an understudied area of child growth failure in Africa. Data on child measurements of height-for-age and confounders were obtained from fifteen waves of the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) for six countries in East Africa. Monthly ambient PM2.5 concentration data was retrieved from the Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group (ACAG) global surface PM2.5 estimates and spatially integrated with DHS data. Generalized additive models with linear and logistic regression were used to estimate the exposure-response relationship between prenatal PM2.5 and height-for-age and stunting among children under five in East Africa (EA). Fully adjusted models showed that for each 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 concentration there is a 0.069 (CI: 0.097, 0.041) standard deviation decrease in height-for-age and 9% higher odds of being stunted. Our study identified ambient PM2.5 as an environmental risk factor for lower height-for-age among young children in EA. This underscores the need to address emissions of harmful air pollutants in EA as adverse health effects are attributable to ambient PM2.5 air pollution.
Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Snakebite Envenomation: A Brief Descriptive Review and Clinical Implications
Authors: Resiere Dabor , Mehdaoui Hossein , Neviere Remi
Published: November 2022

Snakebite envenoming is a pathological condition which may occur in response to the injection of venom. Snake venoms contain a complex mixture of biologically active molecules which are responsible for a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations, ranging from local tissue injuries to fatal complications. Snake venom administration commonly provokes local tissue injury often associated with systemic effects, including neurotoxic and cardiotoxic manifestations, bleeding, acute kidney injury, and rhabdomyolysis. An important spectrum of pathogenesis of snake envenomation is the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can directly provoke tissue damage and also potentiate the deleterious consequences of inflammation at the bite site. Snake venom components known to induce oxidative stress include phospholipases A2, metalloproteinases, three-finger toxins, and L-amino acid oxidase. Clear evidence is mounting suggesting that inflammation and oxidative stress participate in the destructive effects of envenoming, including acute renal failure, tissue necrosis, and unusual susceptibility to bleed (hemorrhage), mostly due to hypocoagulability, neuro/cardio toxicity, and myonecrosis. Impaired regulation of oxidative stress may also set the stage for secondary/long-term complications of snakebite envenomation such as musculoskeletal disabilities. Some aspects of natural antioxidant therapeutic options are discussed in this review.
Confirmation Using Triple Quadrupole and High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry of a Fatal Canine Neurotoxicosis following Exposure to Anatoxins at an Inland Reservoir
Authors: Turner Andrew D. , Turner Florence R. I. , White Martha , Hartnell David , Crompton Claire G. , Bates Nicola , Egginton Jan , Branscombe Liz , Lewis Adam M. , Maskrey Benjamin H.
Published: November 2022

Cyanobacterial blooms are often associated with the presence of harmful natural compounds which can cause adverse health effects in both humans and animals. One family of these compounds, known as anatoxins, have been linked to the rapid deaths of cattle and dogs through neurotoxicological action. Here, we report the findings resulting from the death of a dog at a freshwater reservoir in SW England. Poisoning was rapid following exposure to material at the side of the lake. Clinical signs included neurological distress, diaphragmatic paralysis and asphyxia prior to death after 45 min of exposure. Analysis by HILIC-MS/MS of urine and stomach content samples from the dog revealed the detection of anatoxin-a and dihydroanatoxin-a in both samples with higher concentrations of the latter quantified in both matrices. Detection and quantitative accuracy was further confirmed with use of accurate mass LC-HRMS. Additional anatoxin analogues were also detected by LC-HRMS, including 4-keto anatoxin-a, 4-keto-homo anatoxin-a, expoxy anatoxin-a and epoxy homo anatoxin-a. The conclusion of neurotoxicosis was confirmed with the use of two independent analytical methods showing positive detection and significantly high quantified concentrations of these neurotoxins in clinical samples. Together with the clinical signs observed, we have confirmed that anatoxins were responsible for the rapid death of the dog in this case.
Bilateral Simultaneous Optic Neuritis Following Envenomations by Indian Cobra and Common Krait
Authors: Senthilkumaran Subramanian , Miller Stephen , Williams Harry , Thirumalaikolundusubramanian Ponniah , Patel Ketan , Vaiyapuri Sakthivel
Published: November 2022

In India, most snakebite envenomation (SBE) incidents are caused by the “Big Four” snakes which include Russell’s viper, common krait, Indian cobra, and saw-scaled viper. Their common envenomation effects include neurotoxicity, myotoxicity, and coagulopathy. However, they also induce rare complications such as priapism, pseudoaneurysm, and sialolithiasis. Ocular manifestations such as optic neuritis develop rarely following envenomations by non-spitting snakes and they may cause temporary vision changes and blindness if untreated. While optic neuritis following Indian cobra envenomation has been reported previously, this was not encountered in victims of common kraits. Hence, for the first time, we report optic neuritis developed in a victim following envenomation by a common krait and compare its clinical features and diagnostic and therapeutic methods used with another case of optic neuritis in a victim of an Indian cobra bite. Both patients received antivenom treatment and made an initial recovery; however, optic neuritis developed several days later. The condition was diagnosed using ophthalmic examination together with computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging methods. Due to very similar clinical features, both patients received intravenous corticosteroids which restored their vision and successfully treated optic neuritis. This case report suggests that the optic neuritis developed in a common krait envenomation is comparable to the one developed following a cobra bite, and therefore, the same diagnostic and therapeutic approaches can be used. This study also raises awareness of this rare complication and provides guidance for the diagnosis and treatment of SBE-induced optic neuritis.
Lactic Acid Bacteria as Potential Agents for Biocontrol of Aflatoxigenic and Ochratoxigenic Fungi
Authors: Mateo Eva María , Tarazona Andrea , Jiménez Misericordia , Mateo Fernando
Published: November 2022

Aflatoxins (AF) and ochratoxin A (OTA) are fungal metabolites that have carcinogenic, teratogenic, embryotoxic, genotoxic, neurotoxic, and immunosuppressive effects in humans and animals. The increased consumption of plant-based foods and environmental conditions associated with climate change have intensified the risk of mycotoxin intoxication. This study aimed to investigate the abilities of eleven selected LAB strains to reduce/inhibit the growth of Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus parasiticus, Aspergillus carbonarius, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus welwitschiae, Aspergillus steynii, Aspergillus westerdijkiae, and Penicillium verrucosum and AF and OTA production under different temperature regiments. Data were treated by ANOVA, and machine learning (ML) models able to predict the growth inhibition percentage were built, and their performance was compared. All factors LAB strain, fungal species, and temperature significantly affected fungal growth and mycotoxin production. The fungal growth inhibition range was 0–100%. Overall, the most sensitive fungi to LAB treatments were P. verrucosum and A. steynii, while the least sensitive were A. niger and A. welwitschiae. The LAB strains with the highest antifungal activity were Pediococcus pentosaceus (strains S11sMM and M9MM5b). The reduction range for AF was 19.0% (aflatoxin B1)-60.8% (aflatoxin B2) and for OTA, 7.3–100%, depending on the bacterial and fungal strains and temperatures. The LAB strains with the highest anti-AF activity were the three strains of P. pentosaceus and Leuconostoc mesenteroides ssp. dextranicum (T2MM3), and those with the highest anti-OTA activity were Leuconostoc paracasei ssp. paracasei (3T3R1) and L. mesenteroides ssp. dextranicum (T2MM3). The best ML methods in predicting fungal growth inhibition were multilayer perceptron neural networks, followed by random forest. Due to anti-fungal and anti-mycotoxin capacity, the LABs strains used in this study could be good candidates as biocontrol agents against aflatoxigenic and ochratoxigenic fungi and AFL and OTA accumulation.
Integrated Transcriptome Analysis Reveals mRNA–miRNA Pathway Crosstalk in Roman Laying Hens’ Immune Organs Induced by AFB1
Authors: Xu Zhongxian , Liu Qian , Liu Xueqin , Yang Maosen , Su Yuan , Wang Tao , Li Diyan , Li Feng
Published: November 2022

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a widely distributed contaminant in moldy corn, rice, soybean, and oil crops. Many studies have revealed its adverse effects, such as carcinogenicity, immunotoxicity, and hepatotoxicity, on the health of humans and animals. To investigate the immunotoxic effects on chicken immune organs induced by AFB1, we integrated RNA and small-RNA sequencing data of the spleen and the bursa of Fabricius to elucidate the response of the differentially expressed transcriptional profiles and related pathways. AFB1 consumption negatively influenced egg quality, but no obvious organ damage was observed compared to that of the control group. We identified 3918 upregulated and 2415 downregulated genes in the spleen and 231 upregulated and 65 downregulated genes in the bursa of Fabricius. We confirmed that several core genes related to immune and metabolic pathways were activated by AFB1. Furthermore, 42 and 19 differentially expressed miRNAs were found in the spleen and the bursa of Fabricius, respectively. Differentially expressed genes and target genes of differentially expressed miRNAs were mainly associated with cancer progression and immune response. The predicted mRNA–miRNA pathway network illustrated the potential regulatory mechanisms. The present study identified the transcriptional profiles and revealed potential mRNA–miRNA pathway crosstalk. This genetic regulatory network will facilitate the understanding of the immunotoxicity mechanisms of chicken immune organs induced by high concentrations of AFB1.
Post Hoc Subgroup Analysis of the BCause Study Assessing the Effect of AbobotulinumtoxinA on Post-Stroke Shoulder Pain in Adults
Authors: Riberto Marcelo , Frances João Amaury , Chueire Regina , Amorim Ana Cristina Ferreira Garcia , Xerez Denise , Chung Tae Mo , Mercuri Lucia Helena Costa , Lianza Sérgio , Rocha Eduardo Carvalho de Melo , Maisonobe Pascal , Cuperman-Pohl Thais , Khan Patricia
Published: November 2022

Botulinum toxin type A is approved for the focal treatment of spasticity; however, the effectiveness of abobotulinumtoxinA (aboBoNT-A) in patients with shoulder pain who have set reduced pain as a treatment goal is understudied. In addition, some patients encounter delays in accessing treatment programs; therefore, the suitability of aboBoNT-A for pain reduction in this population requires investigation. These factors were assessed in aboBoNT-A-naive Brazilian patients in a post hoc analysis of data from BCause, an observational, multicenter, prospective study (NCT02390206). Patients (N = 49, n = 25 female; mean (standard deviation) age of 60.3 (9.1) years; median (range) time since onset of spasticity of 16.1 (0–193) months) received aboBoNT-A injections to shoulder muscles in one or two treatment cycles (n = 47). Using goal attainment scaling (GAS), most patients achieved their goal of shoulder pain reduction after one treatment cycle (72.1%; 95% confidence interval: 57.2–83.4%). Improvements in GAS T-score from baseline, clinically meaningful reductions in pain score at movement, and clinically meaningful increases in passive shoulder abduction angle further improved with repeated treatment more than 4 months later, despite treatment starting at a median of 16.1 months after the onset of spasticity. These findings support the further investigation of aboBoNT-A injections in chronic post-stroke shoulder pain.
Identification of Three Viruses Infecting Mulberry Varieties
Authors: Chen Lei , Xu Zi-Long , Liu Pei-Gang , Zhu Yan , Lin Tian-Bao , Li Tian-Yan , Lv Zhi-Qiang , Wei Jia
Published: November 2022

Viruses-mediated genome editing in plants is a powerful strategy to develop plant cultivars with important and novel agricultural traits. Mulberry alba is an important economic tree species that has been cultivated in China for more than 5000 years. So far, only a few viruses have been identified from mulberry trees, and their application potential is largely unknown. Therefore, mining more virus resources from the mulberry tree can pave the way for the establishment of useful engineering tools. In this study, eight old mulberry plants were gathered in seven geographic areas for virome analysis. Based on transcriptome analysis, we discovered three viruses associated with mulberries: Citrus leaf blotch virus isolate mulberry alba 2 (CLBV-ML2), Mulberry-associated virga-like virus (MaVLV), and Mulberry-associated narna-like virus (MaNLV). The genome of CLBV-ML2 was completely sequenced and exhibited high homology with Citriviruses, considered to be members of the genus Citrivirus, while the genomes of MaVLV and MaNLV were nearly completed lacking the 5′ and 3′ termini sequences. We tentatively consider MaVLV to be members of the family Virgaviridae and MaNLV to be members of the genus Narnavirus based on the results of phylogenetic trees. The infection experiments showed that CLBV-ML2 could be detected in the inoculated seedlings of both N. benthamiana and Morus alba, while MaVLV could only be detected in N. benthamiana. All of the infected seedlings did not show obvious symptoms.