bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Can Corporate Fairness towards Public Authorities Enhance Customer Loyalty? A Multi-Sectorial Investigation in a Developing Country
Authors: Moisescu Ovidiu I. , Gică Oana A. , Müller Victor O. , Müller Camelia Ancuța
Published: December 2019

This paper investigates how customer loyalty can be enhanced by improving customers’ perceptions of corporate fairness towards public authorities, taking into account the mediating role of customer-company identification, in a multi-sectorial context, in a developing country in Central and Eastern Europe. The investigation is conducted comparatively within four main industries (telecom services, retail banking services, dairy products and personal care products) and depicts the particular impact these perceptions have on customer loyalty in each domain, with practical implications concerning corporate social responsibility (CSR) communications. A consumer survey was designed and implemented among a sample of 1464 customers from Romania. The collected data was analyzed by means of partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). We found that customers’ perception of corporate fairness towards public authorities has a significant and positive impact on customer loyalty in all investigated industries, both directly and indirectly via customer-company identification, with a higher impact for services, especially for retail banking services.
Blockchain-Enabled Trade Finance Innovation: A Potential Paradigm Shift on Using Letter of Credit
Authors: Chang Shuchih Ernest , Luo Hueimin Louis , Chen YiChian
Published: December 2019

This paper explores a potential paradigm shift in trade finance utilizing blockchain technology. Traditionally, the centralized operating model has governed trade finance and the manner in which traders handle business processes. However, such heavy reliance on centralized authorities has made for poor performance, the lack of flexibility and transparency, and vulnerability to malicious alteration. The blockchain, as a distributed ledger technology (DLT), has attracted growing attention and has the potential to disrupt legacy finance procedures such as payment by letter of credit (L/C). International trade players may benefit from the technological reengineering of financial processes through the implementation of blockchain- and smart contract-based platforms. From the conceptual perspective of a paradigm shift, this study analyzes the feasibility of blockchain innovation in trade finance through modern blockchain-based L/C initiatives. Moreover, this study also explores blockchain applications in terms of logistics tracking and how it integrates with trade finance procedures. This study contributes to the understanding of a blockchain paradigm shift with a multi-case study. The results may illuminate the potential future application of blockchain finance and provide researchers with an illustrative example of other finance-related capabilities. Studies of trade-related topics such as customs clearances, insurance, and logistics applications need to be addressed in the future to create a comprehensively trustless environment and facilitate the automation of trade.
LCA Case Study to LED Outdoor Luminaries as a Circular Economy Solution to Local Scale
Authors: Lozano-Miralles José Adolfo , Hermoso-Orzáez Manuel Jesús , Gago-Calderón Alfonso , Brito Paulo
Published: December 2019

The replacement of luminaires with discharge lamps with high luminous efficacy and long life-time LED based equipment is a reality worldwide promoted by policies that favor their gradual substitution. There is a great concern in this manufacturing industry to develop new luminaires with low environmental impact during the manufacturing and transportation processes and its end-of-life disposal (reducing greenhouse gas emissions, toxic or hazardous components, …). Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a very extended tool used to provide information on the quality and quantity of environmental impacts in the life cycle phases of any product, system, or service. This article includes all phases of the LCA analysis of a selected streetlight LED luminaire manufactured by a SME where a landfill deposit is the end-of-life scenario. In a second phase, alternatives are sought for the reuse of the most significant elements that improve its local economy. The results are classified and sorted according to the ISO 14040 standard.
Spatiotemporal Patterns and Driving Forces of Urban Expansion in Coastal Areas: A Study on Urban Agglomeration in the Pearl River Delta, China
Authors: Yan Yichen , Ju Hongrun , Zhang Shengrui , Jiang Wei
Published: December 2019

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the spatial pattern of urban expansion and the mechanism of urbanization in coastal areas have undergone significant changes. This study aims to reveal the spatiotemporal patterns of urban land expansion and analyze the dynamic driving forces of urban agglomeration in the Pearl River Delta of China from 2000 to 2015. The urban-land-expansion intensity index, expansion difference index, and fractal dimension were used to study how the urban land in this area was developed, and the geographical detector was applied to explore the relative importance, expansion intensity, and interactions of physical and socioeconomic factors. The results revealed that the urban-land-expansion intensity of the Pearl-River-Delta urban agglomerations exhibit a downward trend, while cities exhibited a trend of developing more coordinately from 2000 to 2015. Physical factors determined the direction and scale of urban development, and the urban land expansion in the Pearl-River-Delta urban agglomeration is mainly distributed in plain areas that have an elevation below 120 m and a slope less than 5°. Socioeconomic factors have a greater influence on the expansion of urban land, and their effects have changed over time. Population growth and economic development has played a significant role in the expansion of urban land before 2005. Subsequently, the factor of GDP and distance to the core cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen controlled the expansion to the greatest extent. The impacts of various factors tended to become balanced during 2010–2015. The majority of the factors enhanced each other via their interactions, and the distance to the rivers always exhibited a greater enhancement when there was interaction with other factors. The spatial and temporal analysis of the urban expansion and the mechanism of the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration could provide useful information for coastal urban planning. This study also offers new knowledge regarding the interactions between different drivers of urban land expansion.
Belt and Road Initiative (BRI): New Forms of International and Cross-Industry Collaboration for Sustainable Growth and Development
Authors: Visvizi Anna , Lytras Miltiadis D. , Jin Peiquan
Published: December 2019

Building on the tradition, promises, and advances brought by the historical Silk Road, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), launched by the Chinese government in 2013, has a profound impact on international business and the established forms of international collaboration. Exploiting the advantages of liberalization of trade in goods, services, capital, and public procurement, BRI will benefit the Chinese economy. At the same time, it will prompt substantial changes in the field of international business, e.g., by means of fostering business to business (B2B) and peer to peer (P2P) collaboration. It will also influence patterns of Outward Foreign Direct Investment (OFDI). Geography plays a role in BRI; geopolitics is also in the cards. Given the profound implications BRI is likely to generate in the fields of businesses, economy, society, and politics, it is imperative to frame and streamline the discussion to identify the key mechanisms and causal relationships that it induces. This is precisely what this Special Issue sought to do.
Determinants of the Adoption of Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices by Small-Scale Farming Households in King Cetshwayo District Municipality, South Africa
Authors: Abegunde Victor O. , Sibanda Melusi , Obi Ajuruchukwu
Published: December 2019

Agriculture, particularly small-scale farming, is both a contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and a victim of the effects of climate change. Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) offers a unique opportunity to adapt to the effects of climate change while at the same time mitigating GHG emissions. The low response to the adoption of CSA among small-scale farmers raises questions as to the factors influencing its adoption in the small-scale farming system. With the aid of a close-ended questionnaire, structured interviews were conducted and formed the basis on which data were generated from 327 small-scale farmers selected through random sampling. Descriptive statistics, Composite Score Index and a Generalized Ordered Logit Regression (gologit) model were employed for the analysis. The majority (56.6%) of the sampled farmers fell in the medium category of users of CSA practices, while the lowest proportion (17.7%) of the sampled farmers fell in the high category. The use of organic manure, crop rotation and crop diversification were the most popular CSA practices among the sampled farmers. Educational status, farm income, farming experience, size of farmland, contact with agricultural extension, exposure to media, agricultural production activity, membership of an agricultural association or group and the perception of the impact of climate change were found to be statistically significant and positively correlated with the level of CSA adoption. Furthermore, off-farm income and distance of farm to homestead were statistically significant but negatively correlated with the CSA level of adoption. This paper argues that climate change-related education through improved extension contact and exposure to mass media can strengthen integrated farm activities that bolster farm income. Additionally, farmer associations or groups should be given adequate attention to facilitate CSA adoption as a means to climate change mitigation and resilience.
Time Reliability of the Maritime Transportation Network for China’s Crude Oil Imports
Authors: Wang Shuang , Lu Jing , Jiang Liping
Published: December 2019

To evaluate the transportation time reliability of the maritime transportation network for China’s crude oil imports under node capacity variations resulting from extreme events, a framework incorporating bi-level programming and a Monte Carlo simulation is proposed in this paper. Under this framework, the imported crude oil volume from each source country is considered to be a decision variable, and may change in correspondence to node capacity variations. The evaluation results illustrate that when strait or canal nodes were subject to capacity variations, the network transportation time reliability was relatively low. Conversely, the transportation time reliability was relatively high when port nodes were under capacity variations. In addition, the Taiwan Strait, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Strait of Malacca were identified as vulnerable nodes according to the transportation time reliability results. These results can assist government decision-makers and tanker company strategic planners to better plan crude oil import and transportation strategies.
Analyzing the Impact of Different Transport Governance Strategies on Climate Change
Authors: Zhang Shengrun , Witlox Frank
Published: December 2019

The transport industry is one of the few sectors in which emissions continue to grow, contributing 26% to the global CO2 emissions. Transport agencies everywhere in the world are focusing on mitigation strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Policy-makers are under pressure to tackle the issue of climate change and approach sustainable transport by promoting more sustainable practices and altering behavior. This paper attempts to explore the impact of transport on climate change through the lens of governance by establishing a systematic review framework. The results showed that developing nations should be influential in managing their public transport agencies to achieve economic transformation. They require a functional, reliable, and effective transport system and these can only be derived by properly formulated and implemented policies with the aid of all relevant private, academic, and government bodies working together. This study concluded that developing nations need to manage their pricing methods, using them to facilitate transport systems that are unlikely to affect the climate. To this end, transport policy and governance need to be reviewed to take into account climate change and natural disaster concerns. Additionally, guidelines and strategies should be proposed for every actor involved, i.e., transport community, top-level leaders, and all governmental levels and private sectors.
Toward Sustainability in Rural Areas: Composting Palm Tree Residues in Rotating Bioreactors
Authors: Alkoaik Fahad , Al-Faraj Abdulelah , Al-Helal Ibrahim , Fulleros Ronnel , Ibrahim Mansour , Abdel-Ghany Ahmed M.
Published: December 2019

Huge quantities of palm tree residues are available annually in Saudi Arabia; they are often disposed of by burning, leading to large environmental pollution and health problems. Enclosed composting may be a successful method for utilizing these residues. Effective composting in a rotary bioreactor depends on the composting materials and the frequencies of the rotation–aeration process. Here, we attempted to determine the optimal method for composting these residues in a bioreactor. Four identical pilot-scale bioreactors (D1–D4) were used. The respective aeration–rotation frequencies were continuous (D1), and 20 min per 1 h (D2), 2 h (D3), and 3 h (D4); the rotation speed of the bioreactors was 3 rpm. Three periods were analyzed; their names and their respective lengths for D1, D2, D3, and D4 were as follows: the lag period was 10 h for each, the mesophilic periods were 13, 14, 89, and 231 h, and the thermophilic periods were 0, 55, 71, and 17 h. The peak compost temperatures (Tc, max) for D1, D2, and D3 were 65.2, 57.2, and 46.9 °C, and were achieved at 36, 71, and 108 h of operation, respectively. In D1, Tc quickly declined after reaching Tc, max due to limited microbial activity at Tc > 60 °C. In D2, a Tc of 50–57.2 °C was maintained for 61 h, and the highest organic matter degradation (OMD) of 0.30 was achieved. During the composting period, the carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio and moisture contents (MC) remained in the optimal ranges for microorganisms and did not affect the composting process. The results indicated that combined aeration–rotation for 20 min every hour (D2) gave the best results for composting palm tree residues, it ensured the hygiene safety of the end product, and it also consumed less power for aeration and rotation than D1.
Big Data Analytics in Government: Improving Decision Making for R&D Investment in Korean SMEs
Authors: Kim Eun Sun , Choi Yunjeong , Byun Jeongeun
Published: December 2019

To expand the field of governmental applications of Big Data analytics, this study presents a case of data-driven decision-making using information on research and development (R&D) projects in Korea. The Korean government has continuously expanded the proportion of its R&D investment in small and medium-size enterprises to improve the commercialization performance of national R&D projects. However, the government has struggled with the so-called “Korea R&D Paradox”, which refers to how performance has lagged despite the high level of investment in R&D. Using data from 48,309 national R&D projects carried out by enterprises from 2013 to 2017, we perform a cluster analysis and decision tree analysis to derive the determinants of their commercialization performance. This study provides government entities with insights into how they might adjust their approach to Big Data analytics to improve the efficiency of R&D investment in small- and medium-sized enterprises.
Effect of Urbanization on Vegetation in Riparian Area: Plant Communities in Artificial and Semi-Natural Habitats
Authors: Cao Yang , Natuhara Yosihiro
Published: December 2019

Riparian areas are local hot spots of biodiversity that are vulnerable and easily degraded. Comparing plant communities in habitats with different degrees of urbanization may provide valuable information for the management and restoration of these vulnerable habitats. In this study, we explored the impact of urbanization on vegetation communities between artificial and semi-natural habitats within two rivers with different levels of development. We compared species richness, types of vegetation, and composition patterns of the plants in our study. In artificial habitats, the sites with relatively high levels of urbanization had the highest species richness, while in semi-natural habitats, the highest species richness was recorded in the less urbanized sites. Furthermore, every component of urbanization that contributed to the variation of species richness was examined in the current study. In artificial habitats, the proportion of impervious surface was the strongest predictor of the variation in species richness and was associated with the richness of alien, native, and riparian species. In semi-natural habitats, most of the richness of alien and native species were associated with the distance to the city center, and the number of riparian and ruderal species was significantly related to the proportion of impervious surface. Moreover, we found that a high level of urbanization was always associated with a large abundance of alien and ruderal species in both artificial and in semi-natural habitats. We recommend the methods of pair comparison of multiple rivers to analyze the impact of urbanization on plant species in riparian areas and have suggested various management actions for maintaining biodiversity and sustainability in riparian ecosystems.
Bibliometric Review of the Knowledge Base on Healthcare Management for Sustainability, 1994–2018
Authors: Punnakitikashem Prattana , Hallinger Philip
Published: December 2019

In response to the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), health care organizations throughout the world have adopted management initiatives designed to increase their sustainability. This review of research used bibliometric methods to analyze a dataset comprised of 477 documents extracted from the Scopus database. The review sought to document research on sustainable healthcare management (SHM) that has accumulated over the past 25 years. Results indicated that the intellectual structure of this body of knowledge is comprised of three schools of thought: (1) sustainable change in health care services, (2) innovations in managing health care operations, and (3) prioritizing and allocating resources for sustainability. The review also highlighted the recent topical focus of research in this literature. Key topics were linked to organization and management of health care services, quality of patient care, and sustainability of health care delivery.
Life Cycle Cost, Energy and Carbon Assessments of Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway
Authors: Kaewunruen Sakdirat , Sresakoolchai Jessada , Peng Junying
Published: December 2019

The Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway (HSR) is one of the most important railways in China, but it also has impacts on the economy and the environment while creating social benefits. This paper uses a life cycle assessment (LCA) method and a life cycle cost (LCC) analysis method to summarize the energy consumption, carbon emissions and costs of the Beijing-Shanghai HSR from the perspective of life cycle, and proposes some corresponding suggestions based on the results. The research objective of this paper is to analyse the carbon emissions, energy consumption, and costs of the rail system which includes the structure of the track and earthwork of the Beijing-Shanghai HSR during four stages: conception stage, construction stage, operation and maintenance stage, and disposal stage. It is concluded that the majority of the carbon emissions and energy consumption of the entire rail system are from the construction stage, accounting for 64.86% and 54.31% respectively. It is followed by the operation and maintenance stage with 31.60% and 35.32% respectively. In contrast, the amount of carbon emissions and energy consumption from the conception stage is too small to be considered. Furthermore, cement is the major contributor to the carbon emissions and energy consumption during the construction stage. As for the cost, the construction stage spends the largest amount of money (US$4614.00 million), followed by the operation and maintenance stage (US$910.61 million). Improving production technologies and choosing construction machinery are proposed to reduce the cost and protect the environment.
Effectiveness of a School-Based Outdoor Education Curriculum and Online Learning Environment among Prospective Teachers
Authors: Tekakpınar Erhun , Tezer Murat
Published: December 2019

The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of a curriculum developed for prospective physical education teachers to learn an outdoor sports course, using both the school-based outdoor education approach and online learning. The research design involved a mixed method that used both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Since qualitative data were collected in order to support quantitative data, the researchers applied a sequential–descriptive pattern of mixed methods. As a result of the research, the achievement of the outdoor sports lesson and the ability of doing outdoor sports were improved among prospective teachers using both the school-based outdoor education and online learning physical education approaches. The prospective teachers stated that they learned the subjects better by doing, and that they were more motivated to improve their subsequent performance after watching the recorded activities and performances on the learning management system. The prospective teachers generally expressed the positive opinion that the course was helpful for passing the final exam or other evaluations, and that the teaching activities were motivational.
Distribution Kinetics of Rare Earth Elements in Copper Smelting
Authors: Klemettinen Lassi , Aromaa Riina , Dańczak Anna , O’Brien Hugh , Taskinen Pekka , Jokilaakso Ari
Published: December 2019

The use of rare earth elements (REEs) is increasing, mainly due to the growing demand for electric vehicles and new applications in green technology. This results in annual growth of the in-use REE stocks and the amount of End-of-Life (EoL) products containing REEs. REEs are considered critical elements by the EU, mainly because the rest of the world is dependent on China’s supply. Recycling of REEs can help alleviate the criticality of REEs, however, no REEs are currently functionally recycled. In this study, the time-dependent behavior of REEs in copper matte-slag system in primary copper smelting conditions was investigated experimentally at a laboratory scale. Lanthanum and neodymium were chosen to represent all REEs, as they are generally found in the highest concentrations in EoL products, and because REEs all have similar chemical behavior. The experiments were conducted as a function of time in air and argon atmospheres. SEM-EDS, EPMA and LA-ICP-MS methods were used for sample characterization. The results of this work indicate that the REEs strongly favor the slag and the deportment to the slag begins almost instantly when the system reaches high temperatures. With increasing contact times, the REEs distribute even more strongly into the slag phase, where they may be recovered and recycled, if their concentrations are sufficiently high and a suitable hydrometallurgical process can be found.
A New Motivation for Sustainable Trade Between Countries with Different Regulatory Qualities
Authors: Yan Wenshou , Yang Xi
Published: December 2019

In the context of rising anti-globalization sentiments, countries tend to trade with superior government institutions for a longer period and with a higher volume of exports. This phenomenon hinders sustainable trade between countries with different regulatory qualities, resulting in negative effects for developing countries that have poor institutional quality. Using a large panel dataset covering 192 countries during the period 1996–2017, this paper investigates the effect of relatively better government quality on exports. This quality is measured by said government’s regulatory quality relative to its trade partner. The empirical results indicate that a country with relatively better institutional quality receives at least 4% higher exports (dubbed as a premium gain), keeping other factors constant. The empirical result remains the same when solving the endogeneity issue and when applying alternative estimation methods. This paper thus proposes a new channel for sustainable trade for countries characterized by different institutional qualities.
Urban Expansion and Growth Boundaries in an Oasis City in an Arid Region: A Case Study of Jiayuguan City, China
Authors: Ren Jun , Zhou Wei , Liu Xuelu , Zhou Liang , Guo Jing , Wang Yonghao , Guan Yanjun , Mao Jingtian , Huang Yuhan , Ma Rongrong
Published: December 2019

China is undergoing rapid urbanization, which has caused undesirable urban sprawl and ecological deterioration. Urban growth boundaries (UGBs) are an effective measure to restrict the irrational urban sprawl and protect the green space. However, the delimiting method and control measures of the UGBs is at the exploratory stage in China. In this paper, a cellular automata model based on multi-criteria evaluation (MCE-CA) was proposed to delimit the UGBs. The MCE-CA model considers influencing factors related to urban growth and generates UGBs based on spatiotemporally dynamic simulations. The MCE-CA model was applied to generate the UGBs of Jiayuguan City in 2020 and 2030, the results show that the simulation accuracy is higher than 0.8 and the compactness increases to 0.23, which demonstrates that the MCE-CA model is an effective model for delimiting UGBs. Moreover, the MCE-CA model can corporate the contradiction between environmental protection and urban development, promoting urban smart growth and sustainable development. UGBs is an effective tool for China to realize ecological civilization construction and improve the spatial governance ability, and the MCE-CA model can be used to assist planners in delimiting future UGBs, this study provides a methodological reference for future research of UGBs in Chinese cities.
Urban Total Factor Productivity: Does Urban Spatial Structure Matter in China?
Authors: Yu Haidong , Liu Yong , Zhao Juanjuan , Li Gen
Published: December 2019

With the rapid development of urbanization in China, urban spatial form has increasingly gained research attention. In this study, the DEA (data envelopment analysis)-Malmquist index model and a panel data model are used to examine the relationship between the urban spatial form and total factor productivity (TFP) of 30 provincial cities in China. Our method of measuring urban spatial form is different from the current entropy method, but we use remote sensing GIS (Geographic Information System) technology to measure the relevant data on urban compactness and urban elongation. The average values of urban compactness and urban elongation first rise, then fall, and then rise again, and there are alternate situations of urban compact development and urban sprawl and expansion. Furthermore, there is a significant positive correlation between urban compactness and TFP. Therefore, cities with high urban compactness can promote TFP. In addition, there is a significant negative correlation between urban extension rate and TFP, indicating that an increase in urban elongation has a restraining effect on TFP. Finally, the average TFP of each city shows a fluctuating trend of rising first and then declining, which is determined mainly by technological change and efficiency change. These results are expected to provide a scientific basis for the development of urban agglomerations in China.
A Water Supply Pipeline Risk Analysis Methodology Based on DIY and Hierarchical Fuzzy Inference
Authors: Fayaz Muhammad , Pham Quoc Bao , Linh Nguyen Thi Thuy , Nhi Pham Thi Thao , Khoi Dao Nguyen , Qureshi Muhammad Shuaib , Shah Abdul Salam , Khalid Shah
Published: December 2019

The standard manufacturing organizations follow certain rules. The highest ubiquitous organizing principles in infrastructure design are modular idea and symmetry, both of which are of the utmost importance. Symmetry is a substantial principle in the manufacturing industry. Symmetrical procedures act as the structural apparatus for manufacturing design. The rapid growth of population needs outstrip infrastructure such as roads, bridges, railway lines, commercial, residential buildings, etc. Numerous underground facilities are also installed to fulfill different requirements of the people. In these facilities one of the most important facility is water supply pipelines. Therefore, it is essential to regularly analyze the water supply pipelines’ risk index in order to escape from economic and human losses. In this paper, we proposed a simplified hierarchical fuzzy logic (SHFL) model to reduce the set of rules. To this end, we have considered four essential factors of water supply pipelines as input to the proposed SHFL model that are: leakage, depth, length and age. Different numbers of membership functions are defined for each factor according to its distribution. The proposed SHFL model takes only 95 rules as compared to the traditional mamdani fuzzy logic method that requires 1225 rules. It is very hard and time consuming for experts to design 1225 rules accurately and precisely. Further, we proposed a Do-it-Yourself (DIY) system for the proposed SHFL method. The purpose of the DIY system is that one can design the FIS model according to his or her need.
New Types of Permuting n-Derivations with Their Applications on Associative Rings
Authors: Atteya Mehsin Jabel
Published: December 2019

In this article, we introduce new generators of a permuting n-derivations to improve and increase the action of usual derivation. We produce a permuting n-generalized semiderivation, a permuting n-semigeneralized semiderivation, a permuting n-antisemigeneralized semiderivation and a permuting skew n-antisemigeneralized semiderivation of non-empty rings with their applications. Actually, we study the behaviour of those types and present their results of semiprime ring R. Examples of various results have also been included. That is, many of the branches of science such as business, engineering and quantum physics, which used a derivation, have the opportunity to invest them in solving their problems.
Dereplication of Natural Products with Antimicrobial and Anticancer Activity from Brazilian Cyanobacteria
Authors: Shishido Tania Keiko , Popin Rafael Vicentini , Jokela Jouni , Wahlsten Matti , Fiore Marli Fatima , Fewer David P. , Herfindal Lars , Sivonen Kaarina
Published: December 2019

Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic organisms that produce a large diversity of natural products with interesting bioactivities for biotechnological and pharmaceutical applications. Cyanobacterial extracts exhibit toxicity towards other microorganisms and cancer cells and, therefore, represent a source of potentially novel natural products for drug discovery. We tested 62 cyanobacterial strains isolated from various Brazilian biomes for antileukemic and antimicrobial activities. Extracts from 39 strains induced selective apoptosis in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cancer cell lines. Five of these extracts also exhibited antifungal and antibacterial activities. Chemical and dereplication analyses revealed the production of nine known natural products. Natural products possibly responsible for the observed bioactivities and five unknown, chemically related chlorinated compounds present only in Brazilian cyanobacteria were illustrated in a molecular network. Our results provide new information on the vast biosynthetic potential of cyanobacteria isolated from Brazilian environments.
Outcomes of Community-Based Systematic Screening of Household Contacts of Patients with Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Myanmar
Authors: Kyaw Nang Thu Thu , Sithu Aung , Satyanarayana Srinath , Kumar Ajay M. V. , Thein Saw , Thi Aye Myat , Wai Pyae Phyo , Lin Yan Naing , Kyaw Khine Wut Yee , Tun Moe Myint Theingi , Oo Myo Minn , Aung Si Thu , Harries Anthony D.
Published: December 2019

Screening of household contacts of patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a crucial active TB case-finding intervention. Before 2016, this intervention had not been implemented in Myanmar, a country with a high MDR-TB burden. In 2016, a community-based screening of household contacts of MDR-TB patients using a systematic TB-screening algorithm (symptom screening and chest radiography followed by sputum smear microscopy and Xpert-MTB/RIF assays) was implemented in 33 townships in Myanmar. We assessed the implementation of this intervention, how well the screening algorithm was followed, and the yield of active TB. Data collected between April 2016 and March 2017 were analyzed using logistic and log-binomial regression. Of 620 household contacts of 210 MDR-TB patients enrolled for screening, 620 (100%) underwent TB symptom screening and 505 (81%) underwent chest radiography. Of 240 (39%) symptomatic household contacts, 71 (30%) were not further screened according to the algorithm. Children aged <15 years were less likely to follow the algorithm. Twenty-four contacts were diagnosed with active TB, including two rifampicin- resistant cases (yield of active TB = 3.9%, 95% CI: 2.3%–6.5%). The highest yield was found among children aged <5 years (10.0%, 95% CI: 3.6%–24.7%). Household contact screening should be strengthened, continued, and scaled up for all MDR-TB patients in Myanmar.
Decline of the Current Quadrupole Moment during the Merger Phase of Binary Black Hole Coalescence
Authors: Zhang Fan
Published: December 2019

Utilizing the tools of tendex and vortex, we study the highly dynamic plunge and merger phases of several π -symmetric binary black hole coalescences. In particular, we observe a decline of the strength of the current quadrupole moment compared to that of the mass quadrupole moment during the merger phase, contrary to a naive estimate according to the dependence of these moments on the separation between the black holes. We further show that this decline of the current quadrupole moment is achieved through the remnants of the two individual spins becoming nearly aligned or anti-aligned with the total angular momentum. We also speculate on the ability to achieve a consistency between the electric and magnetic parity quasinormal modes.
DENV2 Pseudoviral Particles with Unprocessed Capsid Protein Are Assembled and Infectious
Authors: Rana Jyoti , Burrone Oscar R.
Published: December 2019

Proteolytic processing of flavivirus polyprotein is a uniquely controlled process. To date, the sequential cleavage of the capsid anchor sequence at the junction of C-PrM has been considered essential for the production of flaviviruses. In this study, we used two experimental approaches to show the effect of unprocessed capsid on the production and infectivity of dengue virus 2 (DENV2) pseudoviral particles. The results showed that (1) both mature and unprocessed capsids of DENV2 were equally efficient in the viral RNA packaging and also in the assembly of infective particles; (2) DENV2 variants, in which the viral and host mediated cleavage of Ca peptide were independent, produced significantly higher levels of infective particles. Overall, this study demonstrated that unlike other flaviviruses, DENV2 capsid does not require a cleavable Ca sequence, and the sequential cleavage is not an obligatory requirement for the morphogenesis of infective pseudoviral particles.
Discussion on the Characteristics of Seismic Signals Due to Riverbank Landslides from Laboratory Tests
Authors: Feng Zheng-Yi , Hsu Chia-Ming , Chen Shi-Hao
Published: December 2019

Floods and erosion often cause landslides of riverbanks and induce problems such as river blockage, shift of river center, or flooding from rising riverbeds. Instrumentation and monitoring are often used to explore landslide and erosion behavior of riverbanks. Therefore, this study identified landslide types and characteristics of their seismic signals due to toe erosion of riverbanks through riverbank models with various instrumentation sensors in a laboratory flume. To induce landslides in the riverbank model, a test was set up for water to flow through the toe of the riverbank model. Seismic signals of each landslide event were measured during the tests with accelerometers. Nonpolarized electrodes were installed for observing the self-potential changes during the test. Water content and pore water pressure gauges were installed in the riverbank model. In addition, water levels were recorded. The Hilbert–Huang transform method was used to analyze the characteristics of seismic signals caused by water flow and riverbank landslides. Time points, landslide frequency distributions, and the characteristics of several landslide events in the riverbank models were estimated using the seismic signals. This study identified three types of landslides: single, intermittent, and successive. Moreover, changes in self-potential signals, pore water pressure, and water content during the tests were examined and were found to correspond to the landslide process of the riverbank model.
Near-Wake Flow Structure of a Suspended Cylindrical Canopy Patch
Authors: Yüksel Ozan Ayşe , Yılmazer Didem
Published: December 2019

Urban stormwater is an important environmental problem, especially for metropolitans worldwide. The most important issue behind this problem is the need to find green infrastructure solutions, which provide water treatment and retention. Floating treatment wetlands, which are porous patches that continue down from the free-surface with a gap between the patch and bed, are innovative instruments for nutrient management in lakes, ponds, and slow-flowing waters. Suspended cylindrical vegetation patches in open channels affect the flow dramatically, which causes a deviation from the logarithmic law. This study considered the velocity measurements along the flow depth, at the axis of the patch, and at the near-wake region of the canopy, for different submerged ratios with different patch porosities. The results of this experimental study provide a comprehensive picture of the effects of different submergence ratios and different porosities on the flow field at the near-wake region of the suspended vegetation patch. The flow field was described with velocity and turbulence distributions along the axis of the patch, both upstream and downstream of the vegetation patch. Mainly, it was found that suspended porous canopy patches with a certain range of densities (SVF20 and SVF36 corresponded to a high density of patches in this study) have considerable impacts on the flow structure, and to a lesser extent, individual patch elements also have a crucial role.
The GEOframe-NewAge Modelling System Applied in a Data Scarce Environment
Authors: Bancheri Marialaura , Rigon Riccardo , Manfreda Salvatore
Published: December 2019

In this work, the semi-distributed hydrological modeling system GEOframe-NewAge was integrated with a web-based decision support system implemented for the Civil Protection Agency of the Basilicata region, Italy. The aim of this research was to forecast in near real-time the most important hydrological variables at 160 control points distributed over the entire region. The major challenge was to make the system operational in a data-scarce region characterized by a high hydraulic complexity, with several dams and infrastructures. In fact, only six streamflow gauges were available for the calibration of the model parameters. Reliable parameter sets were obtained by simulating the hydrological budget and then calibrating the rainfall-runoff parameters. After the extraction of the flow-rating curves, six sets of parameters were obtained considering the different streamflow components (i.e., the baseflow and surface runoff) and using a multi-site calibration approach. The results show a good agreement between the measured and modeled discharges, with a better agreement in the sections located upstream of the dams. Moreover, the results were validated using the inflows measured at the most important dams (Pertusillo, San Giuliano and Monte Cotugno). For rivers without monitoring points, parameters were assigned using a principle of hydrological similarity in terms of their geology, lithology, and climate.
An Assessment of Self-Purification in Streams
Authors: Šaulys Valentinas , Survilė Oksana , Stankevičienė Rasa
Published: December 2019

The territory of Lithuania is characterized by a prevailing moisture excess, therefore in order to timely remove excess water from arable lands, the drainage systems have long been installed. In order to drain excess water people used to dig trenches, to regulate (deepen or straighten) natural streams. The length of regulated streams has reached 46,000 km and they are deteriorated ecosystems. Investigations showed that the self-purification of streams from nitrates and phosphates is more effective in natural stretches than in stretches regulated for drainage purposes. Decrease in the average concentration of nitrates in natural and regulated stretches are 8.8 ± 5.0 and 3.0 ± 2.9 mg NO 3 − L−1, respectively. The average coefficient of nitrate self-purification, at a confidence level of 95% in natural stream stretches is 0.50 ± 0.22, and in regulated is −0.15 ± 0.21 km−1, and this difference is essential. The change in the average concentration of phosphates in natural and regulated stretches is almost the same, 0.2 ± 0.1 and 0.2 ± 0.2 mg PO 4 3 − L−1, respectively. The average coefficient of phosphate self-purification, at a confidence level of 95%, in natural stream stretches is 0.28 ± 0.12, in regulated −0.14 ± 0.12 km−1, and this difference is not essential. In terms of the need for the renovation of drainage systems it is suggested that soft naturalization measures are first applied in the streams of Western (Samogitian) Highlands, Coastal Lowlands, and South-Eastern Highlands to improve their self-purification processes.
The role of eco-volunteering in sustainable development of the region on the example of the Murmansk region
Authors: Makarova E.A. , Vorotnikov A.M.
Published: December 2019

Today, environmental problems are an urgent topic all over the world and of course in Russia. And to solve these problems in all countries eco-volunteers are involved. Environmental volunteering is an important area of volunteer activity. On the example of the Murmansk region it is shown how eco-volunteers of ANO «Clean Arctic» are actively involved in solving many environmental problems of the region, such as reforming the system of solid municipal waste management, maintaining the cleanliness of specially protected natural areas, environmental education of the population, promotion of ecological lifestyle, еtc.. The activities of eco-volunteers contribute to the successful implementation of the national project «Ecology» in the Murmansk region. This will make it possible to change the situation with the reform of the management system in a positive way, which will undoubtedly affect the sustainability of the territory of the Murmansk region.
Approach to determining the main levers to achieve the company's ambitious goals
Authors: Kolobov A.V.
Published: December 2019

An important stage in the formation of the financial strategy for the growth of the company's efficiency is the identification of key indicators and levers of product value at different stages of its creation. Identifying detailed value levers helps ensure that the company's resources are properly allocated to achieve ambitious financial goals over the long term.

The article describes the approach to determine the main levers aimed at achieving the ambitious goal of the company, the consistent implementation of which allows to identify the main directions for focusing the company's resources in the current constraints (time, financial, intellectual, etc.). This approach identifies a set of key drivers and their impact on the achievement of an ambitious goal. The assessment is based on the best performance achieved in the past, the maximum theoretical potential of the current way of working and comparison with best practices and competitors.
Silk way as an element of strategic partnership: risks and development of transport and logistics infrastructure
Authors: Zemlyakov D.N. , Kapustina N.V. , Kakhrimanova D.G.
Published: December 2019

Lately, trade relations between Russia and China have been gaining ever-larger rates of development. The strategic development of these relations contributes to economic growth and the strengthening of the national economies of both states. This cooperation may lead to structural changes in economic and trade relations. Despite the many positive aspects of the partnership under consideration, there are also risks of implementing the planned projects.
Clustering as mechanism of innovative development: main factors of successes and failures (experience of Switzerland, France and Russia)
Authors: Сhernoutsan E.M. , Trofimova O.E.
Published: December 2019

Today clustered network structures in many industrial countries become one of the most important mechanisms of organization of the innovation space. The article offers the a comparative analysis of the main specifics of the clustering process: dirigiste and neoliberal. Exploring the experience of Switzerland and France the authors made an attempt to reveal the main features of successes and failures faced by these countries while choosing different models of clustering. The article examines opportunities and risks of the countries with different economic and political systems (centralized and decentralized). The authors analyze contradictive effect of dirigiste regulative model of innovative sphere. Foreign practice may be very useful for Russia where the cluster orientation becomes a key tool of innovative development of some regions in particular Kaluga region. Using the example of Kaluga region the authors tried to show that major clustering success factor is taking into account of national and local features.
Development of financial technologies as a driver of changes in the requirements for staffing the financial market
Authors: Lukasevich I.Ya. , Dreving S.R.
Published: December 2019

In this study, the problems of training for the financial market in the conditions of rapidly developing digital technologies are considered. Based on the analysis of trends in the implementation of digitalization processes in various sectors of the financial market, the conclusion is made about the need for the formation of current and future specialists of relevant competencies and skills. It is shown that in order to solve the problem of effective training and retraining of personnel for the financial market, professional and educational standards should be supplemented with digital and general professional competencies (soft skills). Practical recommendations on amendments and additions to professional and educational standards are offered.
Monetary policy formation under the conditions of «smoothing» of the short-term Phillips curve
Authors: Tskhovrebov M.P.
Published: December 2019

The Phillips curve is an important component of the theory and practice of monetary policy, aimed at providing important conditions for economic development and improving the welfare of the population. Since 1958, when the English economist W. Phillips first described (17) the relationship between inflation and the level of economic activity, the concept of the Phillips curve has undergone significant changes. Data from developed countries since the 1990s, especially after the 2008 crisis, indicate a weakening of this dependence. The «smoothing» of the Phillips curve became the basis for allegations of the completion of this story. However, before abandoning this theory, one should understand the reasons for the changes that will be crucial for the choice of future monetary policy.