bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The First City Organizational LCA Case Study: Feasibility and Lessons Learned from Vienna
Authors: Cremer Alexander , Berger Markus , Müller Katrin , Finkbeiner Matthias
Published: April 2021

Cities are recognized as a major contributor to environmental pressures. Recently, organizational LCA (OLCA) has been found to align well with requirements for city-scale environmental decision support and a novel city-OLCA framework was introduced. City-OLCA combines two relevant aspects: It covers activities beyond public service provision (multi-stakeholder) and emissions beyond greenhouse gases (multi-impact). Its unique approach of acknowledging responsibility levels should help both city-managers and academia in performance tracking and to prioritize mitigation measures. The goal of this work is to test city-OLCA’s feasibility in a first case study with real city data from Vienna. The feasibility was confirmed, and results for 12 impact categories were obtained. As an example, Vienna’s global warming potential, ozone depletion potential, and marine eutrophication potential for 2016 were 14,686 kt CO2 eq., 6796 kg CFC-11 eq., and 310 t N eq., respectively. Our results indicate that current accounting practices may underestimate greenhouse gas emissions of the entire city by up to a factor of 3. This is mainly due to additional activities not covered by conventional standards (food and goods consumption). While the city itself only accounts for 25% of greenhouse gases, 75% are caused by activities beyond public service provision or beyond governmental responsibilities. Based on our results, we encourage city managers to include an organizational based LCA approach in defining reduction strategies. This will reveal environmental blind spots and avoids underestimating environmental burdens, which might lead to setting the wrong focus for mitigation.
Agroecology for Food and Water Security in Times of Climate Consciousness: A Bibliometric Analysis of Peer-Reviewed Literature Published from 1990 to 2020
Authors: Shah Tavseef Mairaj , Tasawwar Sumbal , Otterpohl Ralf
Published: April 2021

The discrepancies in our food systems have become more pronounced in the last couple of years due to natural disasters of huge magnitude and the current pandemic, that have served to make them visible to a wider range of population. As a result, a shift to agroecological food and farming systems is currently being advocated at different levels. An agroecological approach to food systems involves consideration of all their interactions with the major challenges of our time—food security, water scarcity, climate change, socioeconomic disparity. This paper presents a bibliometric study of peer reviewed literature about the role of agroecology in relation to either or all of these challenges, published between 1990 and 2020. 1990 was the year in which IPCC published its first assessment report that set into motion many framework agreements and protocols regarding climate change. In 2019 and 2020, IPBES and iPES-Food released separate reports advocating an urgent agricultural transition based on agroecological methodologies. There has been an exponential increase in the published research in this field in this time period, whereas an overwhelming majority of the publications were filed under the subject areas of agricultural and biological sciences, environmental sciences, and social sciences. In addition to the increasing acceptance of the role of agroecology to address the challenges of our times, the results of this analysis point to the cross-cutting nature of issues agroecology caters to.
Wastewater Treatment Costs: A Research Overview through Bibliometric Analysis
Authors: Gallego-Valero Leticia , Moral-Parajes Encarnación , Román-Sánchez Isabel María
Published: April 2021

Given the problem of water scarcity and the importance of this resource for the sustainability of the planet, wastewater treatment and its costs have become a key issue for proper water management. Using bibliometric analysis of publications in the Web of Science database, this study presents an overview of the research on wastewater treatment costs in the period 1950–2020. The worldwide search returned 22,788 articles for wastewater treatment costs, which compares poorly to the results for research on wastewater treatment, accounting for only 12.34% of the total output on wastewater treatment. The findings of this study reveal the leading countries in this field of research (China, USA, India, Spain and the UK), with the articles being published in a wide range of high impact journals. Similarly, there are very few results on UV and chlorination costs, despite the importance of these two treatments for wastewater disinfection and reuse. This study is aimed at researchers in this field, helping them to identify recent trends, and at the main institutions in the scientific community working on this subject.
Soft-Switching Full-Bridge Converter with Multiple-Input Sources for DC Distribution Applications
Authors: Tseng Sheng-Yu , Fan Jun-Hao
Published: April 2021

Due to the advantages of power supply systems using the DC distribution method, such as a conversion efficiency increase of about 5–10%, a cost reduction of about 15–20%, etc., AC power distribution systems will be replaced by DC power distribution systems in the future. This paper adopts different converters to generate DC distribution system: DC/DC converter with PV arrays, power factor correction with utility line and full-bridge converter with multiple input sources. With this approach, the proposed full-bridge converter with soft-switching features for generating a desired voltage level in order to transfer energy to the proposed DC distribution system. In addition, the proposed soft-switching full-bridge converter is used to generate the DC voltage and is applied to balance power between the PV arrays and the utility line. Due to soft-switching features, the proposed full-bridge converter can be operated with zero-voltage switching (ZVS) at the turn-on transition to increase conversion efficiency. Finally, a prototype of the proposed full-bridge converter under an input voltage of DC 48 V, an output voltage of 24 V, a maximum output current of 21 A and a maximum output power of 500 W was implemented to prove its feasibility. From experimental results, it can be found that its maximum conversion efficiency is 92% under 50% of full-load conditions. It was shown to be suitable for DC distribution applications.
The Influence of the Implant Macrogeometry on Insertion Torque, Removal Torque, and Periotest Implant Primary Stability: A Mechanical Simulation on High-Density Artificial Bone
Authors: Tumedei Margherita , Petrini Morena , Pietropaoli Davide , Cipollina Alessandro , La Torre Castrenze , Di Carmine Maria Stella , Piattelli Adriano , Iezzi Giovanna
Published: April 2021

Background: The primary stability is a determinant clinical condition for the success of different dental implants macro-design in different bone density using a validated and repeatable in vitro technique employing solid rigid polyurethane blocks. Materials and Methods: Five implants 3.8 × 13 mm2 for each macro-design (i.e., IK—tapered; IC—cylindric; and IA—active blade shape) were positioned into 20- and 30- pounds per cubic foot (PCF) polyurethane blocks. Bucco-lingual (BL) and mesial-distal (MD) implant stability quotient score (ISQ) was assessed by resonance frequency analysis while, insertion/removal torques were evaluated by dynamometric ratchet. Results: IC implants shown better primary stability in terms of ISQ compared to IA and IK in lower density block (20 PCF), while IK was superior to IA in higher density (30 PCF). IC shown higher removal torque in 30-PCF compared to IA and IC. Conclusions: The study effectiveness on polyurethane artificial bone with isotropic symmetry structure showed that the implants macro-design might represent a key factor on primary stability, in particular on low-density alveolar bone. Clinicians should consider patients features and implant geometry during low-density jaws rehabilitation. Further investigations are needed to generalize these findings.
Test for Detection of Weak Graphic Passwords in Passpoint Based on the Mean Distance between Points
Authors: Herrera-Macías Joaquín Alberto , Legón-Pérez Carlos Miguel , Suárez-Plasencia Lisset , Piñeiro-Díaz Luis Ramiro , Rojas Omar , Sosa-Gómez Guillermo
Published: April 2021

This work demonstrates the ineffectiveness of the Ripley’s K function tests, the distance to the nearest neighbor, and the empty space function in the Graphical Authentication scenario with Passpoint for the detection of non-random graphical passwords. The results obtained show that none of these tests effectively detect non-random graphical passwords; the reason for their failure is attributed to the small sample of the spatial pattern in question, where only the five points of the graphical password are analyzed. Consequently, a test based on mean distances is proposed, whose experiments show that it detects with good efficiency non-random graphical passwords in Passpoint. The test was designed to be included in the Graphical Authentication systems with Passpoint to warn the user about a possibly weak password during the registration phase, and in this way, the security of the system is increased.
Intelligent Detection Method for Internal Cracks in Aircraft Landing Gear Images under Multimedia Processing
Authors: Luo Renfei , Zhang Lin
Published: April 2021

In view of the lack of image enhancement processing in the traditional methods in image preprocessing, which leads to a long detection time for internal cracks in the image and poor visual effects, an intelligent detection method for internal cracks in aircraft landing gear images under multimedia processing is proposed. A spatial index structure is established based on the multimedia database, and the aircraft landing gear images in the structure are enhanced and denoised. Image segmentation is performed according to the preprocessing results, the crack foreground and the road surface background in the image are separated, and the threshold value of each image is calculated. The threshold segmentation result is used to distinguish which pixels are the areas where the cracks may exist and which pixels belong to the image background, and the judgment result realizes crack detection. The experimental results show that the crack detection time of the proposed method is shorter, the visual effect of the detection results is better, and the average of the expert score reaches 93.6 points, which verifies the effectiveness of the proposed method from both the subjective and objective aspects.
Electrical Breakdown Spectroscopy of Nano-/Micro-Thermites
Authors: Lundgaard Stefan , Ng Soon Hock , Cahill Damien , Dahlberg Johan , Allender Jamie , Barber Michael , Stephens Joshua , Juodkazis Saulius
Published: April 2021

We describe the optical and electrical analysis of a micro-explosion of silicon and micro-thermite micro-bridges with a spectral temporal resolution within a 2 ms time range. The intensity of peaks and their mean lifetimes are calculated to identify the contributing atomic and molecular species. Singly ionised atoms and molecules were the main contributor to spectroscopic signature of emission. It is shown that micro-bridges can be used to characterise small (safe) < 10 mg amounts of energetic materials. Use of ions at low ionisation numbers of Si as well as Cu-oxides with different metal-to-oxygen ratios allows the thermal conditions for micro-explosions and a higher temperature of the discharge plasma to be engineered. Temperatures of 5000 ± 500 K (the black-body radiation fit) were achieved with simple micro-bridge junctions of 10–30 Ω resistance initiated with 100–250 V (triggered capacitor discharge). The demonstrated approach can be applied in material science research concerning ultra-fast melting, phase transitions, and detailed steps leading towards detonation (exponentially growing exothermic chemical reactions).
Contribution of Cyanotoxins to the Ecotoxicological Role of Lichens
Authors: Ivanov Dobri , Yaneva Galina , Potoroko Irina , Ivanova Diana G.
Published: April 2021

The fascinating world of lichens draws the attention of the researchers because of the numerous properties of lichens used traditionally and, in modern times, as a raw material for medicines and in the perfumery industry, for food and spices, for fodder, as dyes, and for other various purposes all over the world. However, lichens being widespread symbiotic entities between fungi and photosynthetic partners may acquire toxic features due to either the fungi, algae, or cyano-procaryotes producing toxins. By this way, several common lichens acquire toxic features. In this survey, recent data about the ecology, phytogenetics, and biology of some lichens with respect to the associated toxin-producing cyanoprokaryotes in different habitats around the world are discussed. Special attention is paid to the common toxins, called microcystin and nodularin, produced mainly by the Nostoc species. The effective application of a series of modern research methods to approach the issue of lichen toxicity as contributed by the cyanophotobiont partner is emphasized.
Algal Toxic Compounds and Their Aeroterrestrial, Airborne and other Extremophilic Producers with Attention to Soil and Plant Contamination: A Review
Authors: Gӓrtner Georg , Stoyneva-Gӓrtner Maya , Uzunov Blagoy
Published: April 2021

The review summarizes the available knowledge on toxins and their producers from rather disparate algal assemblages of aeroterrestrial, airborne and other versatile extreme environments (hot springs, deserts, ice, snow, caves, etc.) and on phycotoxins as contaminants of emergent concern in soil and plants. There is a growing body of evidence that algal toxins and their producers occur in all general types of extreme habitats, and cyanobacteria/cyanoprokaryotes dominate in most of them. Altogether, 55 toxigenic algal genera (47 cyanoprokaryotes) were enlisted, and our analysis showed that besides the “standard” toxins, routinely known from different waterbodies (microcystins, nodularins, anatoxins, saxitoxins, cylindrospermopsins, BMAA, etc.), they can produce some specific toxic compounds. Whether the toxic biomolecules are related with the harsh conditions on which algae have to thrive and what is their functional role may be answered by future studies. Therefore, we outline the gaps in knowledge and provide ideas for further research, considering, from one side, the health risk from phycotoxins on the background of the global warming and eutrophication and, from the other side, the current surge of interest which phycotoxins provoke due to their potential as novel compounds in medicine, pharmacy, cosmetics, bioremediation, agriculture and all aspects of biotechnological implications in human life.
Daphnia’s Adaptive Molecular Responses to the Cyanobacterial Neurotoxin Anatoxin-α Are Maternally Transferred
Authors: Schwarzenberger Anke , Martin-Creuzburg Dominik
Published: April 2021

Cyanobacterial blooms are an omnipresent and well-known result of eutrophication and climate change in aquatic systems. Cyanobacteria produce a plethora of toxic secondary metabolites that affect humans, animals and ecosystems. Many cyanotoxins primarily affect the grazers of phytoplankton, e.g., Daphnia. The neurotoxin anatoxin-α has been reported world-wide; despite its potency, anatoxin-α and its effects on Daphnia have not been thoroughly investigated. Here, we investigated the effects of the anatoxin-α-producing Tychonema on life-history parameters and gene expression of nicotine-acetylcholine receptors (NAR), the direct targets of anatoxin-α, using several D. magna clones. We used juvenile somatic growth rates as a measure of fitness and analyzed gene expression by qPCR. Exposure to 100% Tychonema reduced the clones’ growth rates and caused an up-regulation of NAR gene expression. When 50% of the food consisted of Tychonema, none of the clones were reduced in growth and only one of them showed an increase in NAR gene expression. We demonstrate that this increased NAR gene expression can be maternally transferred and that offspring from experienced mothers show a higher growth rate when treated with 50% Tychonema compared with control offspring. However, the addition of further (anthropogenic) stressors might impair Daphnia’s adaptive responses to anatoxin-α. Especially the presence of certain pollutants (i.e., neonicotinoids), which also target NARs, might reduce Daphnia’s capability to cope with anatoxin-α.
HIV-1 Natural Antisense Transcription and Its Role in Viral Persistence
Authors: Li Rui , Sklutuis Rachel , Groebner Jennifer L. , Romerio Fabio
Published: April 2021

Natural antisense transcripts (NATs) represent a class of RNA molecules that are transcribed from the opposite strand of a protein-coding gene, and that have the ability to regulate the expression of their cognate protein-coding gene via multiple mechanisms. NATs have been described in many prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems, as well as in the viruses that infect them. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) is no exception, and produces one or more NAT from a promoter within the 3’ long terminal repeat. HIV-1 antisense transcripts have been the focus of several studies spanning over 30 years. However, a complete appreciation of the role that these transcripts play in the virus lifecycle is still lacking. In this review, we cover the current knowledge about HIV-1 NATs, discuss some of the questions that are still open and identify possible areas of future research.
Development and Clinical Evaluation of an Immunochromatography-Based Rapid Antigen Test (GenBody™ COVAG025) for COVID-19 Diagnosis
Authors: Kim Doyeong , Lee Jihoo , Bal Jyotiranjan , Seo Seul Ki , Chong Chom-Kyu , Lee Jong Ho , Park Hyun
Published: April 2021

Antigen tests for SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis are simpler and faster than their molecular counterparts. Clinical validation of such tests is a prerequisite before their field applications. We developed and clinically evaluated an immunochromatographic immunoassay, GenBody™ COVAG025, for the rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (NP) antigen in two different clinical studies. Retrospectively, 130 residual nasopharyngeal swabs transferred in viral transport medium (VTM), pre-examined for COVID-19 through emergency use authorization (EUA)-approved real-time RT-PCR assay and tested with GenBody™ COVAG025, revealed a sensitivity and specificity of 90.00% (27/30; 95% CI: 73.47% to 97.89%) and 98.00% (98/100; 95% CI: 92.96% to 99.76%), respectively, fulfilling WHO guidelines. Subsequently, the prospective examination of 200 symptomatic and asymptomatic nasopharyngeal swabs, collected on site and tested with GenBody™ COVAG025 and EUA-approved real-time RT-PCR assay simultaneously, revealed a significantly higher sensitivity and specificity of 94.00% (94/100; 95% CI: 87.40% to 97.77%) and 100.00% (100/100; 95% CI: 96.38% to 100.00%), respectively. Clinical sensitivity and specificity were significantly high for samples with Ct values ≤ 30 as well as within 3 days of symptom onset, justifying its dependency on the viral load. Thus, it is assumed this can help with the accurate diagnosis and timely isolation and treatment of patients with COVID-19, contributing to better control of the global pandemic.
Fast Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA Directly from Respiratory Samples Using a Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) Test
Authors: Anastasiou Olympia E. , Holtkamp Caroline , Schäfer Miriam , Schön Frieda , Eis-Hübinger Anna Maria , Krumbholz Andi
Published: April 2021

The availability of simple SARS-CoV-2 detection methods is crucial to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined whether a commercial LAMP assay can reliably detect SARS-CoV-2 genomes directly in respiratory samples without having to extract nucleic acids (NA) beforehand. Nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS, n = 220) were tested by real-time reverse transcription (RT)-PCR and with the LAMP assay. For RT-PCR, NA were investigated. For LAMP, NA from 26 NPS in viral transport medium (VTM) were tested. The other 194 NPS were analyzed directly without prior NA extraction (140 samples in VTM; 54 dry swab samples stirred in phosphate buffered saline). Ten NPS were tested directly by LAMP using a sous-vide cooking unit. The isothermal assay demonstrated excellent specificity (100%) but moderate sensitivity (68.8%), with a positive predictive value of 1 and a negative predictive value of 0.65 for direct testing of NPS in VTM. The use of dry swabs, even without NA extraction, improved the analytical sensitivity; up to 6% of samples showed signs of inhibition. LAMP could be performed successfully with a sous-vide cooking unit. This technique is very fast, requires little laboratory resources, and can replace rapid antigen tests or verify reactive rapid tests on-site.
Pitfall of Universal Pre-Admission Screening for SARS-CoV-2 in a Low Prevalence Country
Authors: Jung Jiwon , Kim Jinyeong , Lim Joon Seo , Kim Eun Ok , Kim Mi-Na , Kim Sung-Han
Published: April 2021

It is unclear whether universal PCR screening for SARS-CoV-2 in asymptomatic individuals prior to admission is useful. From April to December 2020, the positive rate of universal pre-admission screening was 0.005% (4/76,521) in a tertiary care hospital in Korea. The positive rates were not different between the periods (period 1 (daily new patients of <1 per million inhabitants) vs. period 2 (1–8.3 per million inhabitants) vs. period 3 (10.3 to 20 per million inhabitants); P = 0.45). Universal pre-admission screening for SARS-CoV-2 had a lower positive rate than that of symptom-based screening (0.005% vs. 0.049% (53/109,257), p < 0.001). In addition, seven patients with negative pre-admission test results had subsequent positive PCR during hospitalization, and four patients had secondary transmission. Universal pre-admission PCR screening may not be practical in settings of low prevalence of COVID-19, and negative PCR results at admission should not serve as a basis for underestimating the risk of nosocomial spread from asymptomatic patients.
Immunoglobulin Response and Prognostic Factors in Repeated SARS-CoV-2 Positive Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Dembrovszky Fanni , Váncsa Szilárd , Farkas Nelli , Erőss Bálint , Szakó Lajos , Teutsch Brigitta , Bunduc Stefania , Nagy Rita , Dohos Dóra , Kiss Szabolcs , Párniczky Andrea , Vinkó Zsófia , Péterfi Zoltán , Hegyi Péter
Published: April 2021

With repeated positivity being an undiscovered and major concern, we aimed to evaluate which prognostic factors may impact repeated SARS-CoV-2 positivity (RSP) and their association with immunoglobulin detectability among recovered patients. A systematic literature search was performed on 5 April 2021. Cohort studies with risk factors for repeated RSP or information about the immunoglobulin response (immunoglobulin M (IgM) and/or immunoglobulin G (IgG)) were included in this analysis. The main examined risk factors were severity of the initial infection, body mass index (BMI), length of hospitalization (LOH), age, and gender, for which we pooled mean differences and odds ratios (ORs). Thirty-four cohort studies (N = 9269) were included in our analysis. We found that increased RSP rate might be associated with IgG positivity; IgG presence was higher in RSP patients (OR: 1.72, CI: 0.87–3.41, p = 0.117). Among the examined risk factors, only mild initial disease course showed a significant association with RSP (OR: 0.3, CI: 0.14–0.67, p = 0.003). Age, male gender, BMI, LOH, and severity of the first episode do not seem to be linked with repeated positivity. However, further prospective follow-up studies focusing on this topic are required.
Identification of the Begomoviruses Squash Leaf Curl Virus and Watermelon Chlorotic Stunt Virus in Various Plant Samples in North America
Authors: Fontenele Rafaela S. , Bhaskara Amulya , Cobb Ilaria N. , Majure Lucas C. , Salywon Andrew M. , Avalos-Calleros Jesús A. , Argüello-Astorga Gerardo R. , Schmidlin Kara , Roumagnac Philippe , Ribeiro Simone G. , Kraberger Simona , Martin Darren P. , Lefeuvre Pierre , Varsani Arvind
Published: April 2021

Geminiviruses are a group of plant-infecting viruses with single-stranded DNA genomes. Within this family, viruses in the genus Begomovirus are known to have a worldwide distribution causing a range of severe diseases in a multitude of dicotyledonous plant species. Begomoviruses are transmitted by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci, and their ssDNA genomes can be either monopartite or bipartite. As part of a viral survey, various plants including those in the families Alliaceae, Amaranthaceae, Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, Cactaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Lamiaceae, Lauraceae, Malvaceae, Oleaceae and Solanaceae were sampled and screened for begomoviruses using both a high-throughput sequencing and a begomovirus-specific primer pair approach. Based on the sequences derived using these approaches, the full-length genome of various begomoviruses were amplified from plants using abutting primers. Squash leaf curl virus (SLCV) and watermelon chlorotic stunt virus (WCSV) were identified in Cactaceae (n = 25), Solanaceae (n = 7), Cucurbitaceae (n = 2) and Lamiaceae (n = 1) samples. WCSV is an Old World bipartite begomovirus that has only recently been discovered infecting watermelons in the Americas. Our discovery of WCSV in the USA is the first indication that it has reached this country and indicates that this virus might be widespread throughout North America. Phylogenetic analysis suggests WCSV was introduced to the New World twice. The detection of begomoviruses in cactus plants suggests possible spillover events from agricultural areas into native vegetation. Since WCSV and SLCV have previously been found in mixed infections, pseudo-recombination infection experiments were conducted. We demonstrate that WCSV DNA-B is successfully trans-replicated by SLCV DNA-A despite very low degree of similarity between the replication-associated iterative sequences present in their common region, an essential feature for binding of the replication associated protein. This study highlights the importance of viral surveys for the detection of spillover events into native vegetation, but also suggests the need for more surveillance of WCSV in the USA, as this virus is a serious threat to watermelon cultivation in the Middle East.
HIV-1 Tat Protein Promotes Neuroendocrine Dysfunction Concurrent with the Potentiation of Oxycodone’s Psychomotor Effects in Female Mice
Authors: Salahuddin Mohammed F. , Mahdi Fakhri , Sulochana Suresh P. , Paris Jason J.
Published: April 2021

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is associated with neuroendocrine dysfunction which may contribute to co-morbid stress-sensitive disorders. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) or -gonadal (HPG) axes are perturbed in up to 50% of HIV patients. The mechanisms are not known, but we have found the HIV-1 trans-activator of transcription (Tat) protein to recapitulate the clinical phenotype in male mice. We hypothesized that HPA and/or HPG dysregulation contributes to Tat-mediated interactions with oxycodone, an opioid often prescribed to HIV patients, in females. Female mice that conditionally-expressed the Tat1–86 protein [Tat(+) mice] or their counterparts that did not [Tat(−) control mice] were exposed to forced swim stress (or not) and behaviorally-assessed for motor and anxiety-like behavior. Some mice had glucocorticoid receptors (GR) or corticotropin-releasing factor receptors (CRF-R) pharmacologically inhibited. Some mice were ovariectomized (OVX). As seen previously in males, Tat elevated basal corticosterone levels and potentiated oxycodone’s psychomotor activity in females. Unlike males, females did not demonstrate adrenal insufficiency and oxycodone potentiation was not regulated by GRs or CRF-Rs. Rather OVX attenuated Tat/oxycodone interactions. Either Tat or oxycodone increased anxiety-like behavior and their combination increased hypothalamic allopregnanolone. OVX increased basal hypothalamic allopregnanolone and obviated Tat or oxycodone-mediated fluctuations. Together, these data provide further evidence for Tat-mediated dysregulation of the HPA axis and reveal the importance of HPG axis regulation in females. HPA/HPG disruption may contribute vulnerability to affective and substance use disorders.
Assessment of the Future Impact of Climate Change on the Hydrology of the Mangoky River, Madagascar Using ANN and SWAT
Authors: Rabezanahary Tanteliniaina Mirindra Finaritra , Rahaman Md. Hasibur , Zhai Jun
Published: April 2021

The assessment of the impacts of climate change on hydrology is important for better water resources management. However, few studies have been conducted in semi-arid Africa, even less in Madagascar. Here we report, climate-induced future hydrological prediction in Mangoky river, Madagascar using an artificial neural network (ANN) and the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT). The current study downscaled two global climate models on the mid-term, noted the 2040s (2041–2050) and long-term, noted 2090s (2091–2099) under two shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP) scenarios, SSP 3–7.0 and SSP 5–8.5. Statistical indices of both ANN and SWAT showed good performance (R2 > 0.65) of the models. Our results revealed a rise in maximum temperature (4.26–4.69 °C) and minimum temperature (2.74–3.01 °C) in the 2040s and 2090s. Under SSP 3–7.0 and SSP 5–8.5, a decline in the annual precipitation is projected in the 2040s and increased the 2090s. This study found that future precipitation and temperature could significantly decrease annual runoff by 60.59% and 73.77% in the 2040s; and 25.18% and 23.45% in the 2090s under SSP 3–7.0 and SSP 5–8.5, respectively. Our findings could be useful for the adaptation to climate change, managing water resources, and water engineering.
Soil Water Movement of Mining Waste Rock and the Effect on Plant Growth in Arid, Cold Regions of Xinjiang, China
Authors: Zhang Zizhao , Lv Qianli , Guo Zezhou , Huang Xuebang , Hao Ruihua
Published: April 2021

Understanding the water movement in reconstructed soil and its efficacy on local vegetation is critical for the ecological reclamation of mine lands. This study employed field experiments and a numerical model to investigate the water movement in reconstructed soil and evaluate the effects of mining waste rock on plant growth in an arid and cold region of Xinjiang. Water contents and matrix potentials were monitored over 1-year period. A numerical model was established based on the observed data to calculate soil water balance and irrigation demand. The results show that the soil water content at a shallow depth could be more vulnerable to the climate variability in uncompacted and compacted soil. The water content at the depth of 50 cm with 30 cm-thick covering soil was the lowest; meanwhile, the barrels with 50 cm- and 70 cm-thick covering soil without compaction had the highest water content. Moreover, the water content of the uncompacted soil could be lower than that of the counterpart attributed to the variation in soil porosity. To maintain the water content as an optimized value to grow a certain plant species in the long run, irrigation could be implemented according to the water balance over time in mine lands.
Precipitation Modeling for Extreme Weather Based on Sparse Hybrid Machine Learning and Markov Chain Random Field in a Multi-Scale Subspace
Authors: Lee Ming-Hsi , Chen Yenming J.
Published: April 2021

This paper proposes to apply a Markov chain random field conditioning method with a hybrid machine learning method to provide long-range precipitation predictions under increasingly extreme weather conditions. Existing precipitation models are limited in time-span, and long-range simulations cannot predict rainfall distribution for a specific year. This paper proposes a hybrid (ensemble) learning method to perform forecasting on a multi-scaled, conditioned functional time series over a sparse l1 space. Therefore, on the basis of this method, a long-range prediction algorithm is developed for applications, such as agriculture or construction works. Our findings show that the conditioning method and multi-scale decomposition in the parse space l1 are proved useful in resisting statistical variation due to increasingly extreme weather conditions. Because the predictions are year-specific, we verify our prediction accuracy for the year we are interested in, but not for other years.
Investigation of the Factors Affecting the Treatment Performance of a Stormwater Horizontal Subsurface Flow Constructed Wetland Treating Road and Parking Lot Runoff
Authors: Choi Hyeseon , Geronimo Franz Kevin F. , Jeon Minsu , Kim Lee-Hyung
Published: April 2021

This study assessed the factors affecting the growth and survival of microorganisms in a small horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (HSSF CW) treating stormwater runoff from highly impervious road and parking lot through long-term monitoring from 2010 until present. The HSSF CW facility consisted of sedimentation or pre-treatment zone, vegetation zone, and effluent zone, and employed filter media including bio-ceramics, sand, gravel, and wood chips. Results showed that flow reduction in the wetland through filtration and sedimentation played an important part in the overall performance of the HSSF CW. In addition, vegetation growth was found to be affected by pollutant and stormwater inflow in the HSSF CW. Vegetation near the outflow port exhibited greater growth rates by about 6.5% to 64.2% compared to the vegetation near the inflow port due to the less stormwater pollutant concentrations via filtration mechanism in the plant or media zone of the HSSF CW. The pollutant inflow from road and parking lot played an important role in providing good environment for microbial growth especially for the dominant microbial phyla including Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Acidobacteria in the HSSF CW. The findings of this research are useful in understanding treatment mechanisms and identifying appropriate design considerations for HSSF CW.
Analysis of the Water Quality of the Ishim River within the Akmola Region (Kazakhstan) Using Hydrochemical Indicators
Authors: Salikova Natalya S. , Rodrigo-Ilarri Javier , Alimova Kulyash K. , Rodrigo-Clavero María-Elena
Published: April 2021

For the first time in scientific literature, this work addresses the current situation of the Ishim River water quality in the Akmola Region (Northern Kazakhstan). This work uses environmental monitoring techniques to analyze the current state of surface waters in the river. The content of main ions, biogenic and inorganic ions, heavy metals, organic impurities in seasonal and annual dynamics have been studied. Results show that, despite the tightening of requirements for wastewater discharge into the Ishim River basin, a number of water quality indicators did not fulfill the regulatory requirements for surface water bodies during 2013–2019. It has been identified that the greatest pollution in the Ishim River is brought by enterprises of the Karaganda-Temirtau technogenic region, located in the upper reaches of the river. Future water quality monitoring is needed and should include increasing the number of sampling locations and the sampling frequency in order to characterize the spatial and temporal variability of hydrochemical parameters and allow a comprehensive monitoring of legally fixed water quality parameters/indicators.
Water Footprint, Blue Water Scarcity, and Economic Water Productivity of Irrigated Crops in Peshawar Basin, Pakistan
Authors: Khan Tariq , Nouri Hamideh , Booij Martijn , Hoekstra Arjen , Khan Hizbullah , Ullah Ihsan
Published: April 2021

Pakistan possesses the fourth largest irrigation network in the world, serving 20.2 million hectares of cultivated land. With an increasing irrigated area, Pakistan is short of freshwater resources and faces severe water scarcity and food security challenges. This is the first comprehensive study on the water footprint (WF) of crop production in Peshawar Basin. WF is defined as the volume of freshwater required to produce goods and services. In this study, we assessed the blue and green water footprints (WFs) and annual blue and green water consumption of major crops (maize, rice, tobacco, wheat, barley, sugarcane, and sugar beet) in Peshawar Basin, Pakistan. The Global Water Footprint Assessment Standard (GWFAS) and AquaCrop model were used to model the daily WF of each crop from 1986 to 2015. In addition, the blue water scarcity, in the context of available surface water, and economic water productivity (EWP) of these crops were assessed. The 30 year average blue and green WFs of major crops revealed that maize had the highest blue and green WFs (7077 and 2744 m3/ton, respectively) and sugarcane had the lowest blue and green WFs (174 and 45 m3/ton, respectively). The average annual consumption of blue water by major crops in the basin was 1.9 billion m3, where 67% was used for sugarcane and maize, covering 48% of the cropland. The average annual consumption of green water was 1.0 billion m3, where 68% was used for wheat and sugarcane, covering 67% of the cropland. The WFs of all crops exceeded the global average. The results showed that annually the basin is supplied with 30 billion m3 of freshwater. Annually, 3 billion m3 of freshwater leaves the basin unutilized. The average annual blue water consumption by major crops is 31% of the total available surface water (6 billion m3) in the basin. Tobacco and sugar beet had the highest blue and green EWP while wheat and maize had the lowest. The findings of this study can help the water management authorities in formulating a comprehensive policy for efficient utilization of available water resources in Peshawar Basin.
Role of Models in the Decision-Making Process in Integrated Urban Water Management: A Review
Authors: Mosleh Leila , Negahban-Azar Masoud
Published: April 2021

Managing urban water systems in which stormwater, wastewater, and drinking water sectors affect each other is a difficult task that requires the right modeling tools for decision making. Integrated urban water management models (IUWMs) are tools that allow decision makers to demonstrate the effectiveness of various management, operational and design strategies. Although models are useful tools, the wide range of available models with many different capabilities make it challenging for the users to select an appropriate model for their specific objectives. In this review we investigated the capabilities of popular models in IUWM. We developed a comprehensive list of indicators to compare the capabilities of the models. We also analyzed the application of these models in a comparative way and evaluated their input requirements. Finally, we provided a procedure to select the appropriate model in the management environment based on the user’s needs. In summary, the results show that most of the models’ applications are focused on supply and demand, wastewater management, and stormwater management. Very few models consider social factors and policy aspects in IUWM. While each model has its own advantages, we found some of them, such as MIKE Urban, Hydro Planner, and Aqua Cycle, to be more comprehensive. Nevertheless, there are still gaps in the models in areas such as water-energy nexus, evaluating ecosystem services, including socioeconomic factors and sustainability analysis.
Integrating a GIS-Based Multi-Influence Factors Model with Hydro-Geophysical Exploration for Groundwater Potential and Hydrogeological Assessment: A Case Study in the Karak Watershed, Northern Pakistan
Authors: Khan Umair , Faheem Haris , Jiang Zhengwen , Wajid Muhammad , Younas Muhammad , Zhang Baoyi
Published: April 2021

The optimization of groundwater conditioning factors (GCFs), the evaluation of groundwater potential (GWpot), the hydrogeological characterization of aquifer geoelectrical properties and borehole lithological information are of great significance in the complex decision-making processes of groundwater resource management (GRM). In this study, the regional GWpot of the Karak watershed in Northern Pakistan was first evaluated by means of the multi-influence factors (MIFs) model of optimized GCFs through geoprocessing tools in geographical information system (GIS). The distribution of petrophysical properties indicated by the measured resistivity fluctuations was then generated to locally verify the GWpot, and to analyze the hydrogeological and geoelectrical characteristics of aquifers. According to the weighted overlay analysis of MIFs, GWpot map was zoned into low, medium, high and very high areas, covering 9.7% (72.3 km2), 52.4% (1307.7 km2), 31.3% (913.4 km2), and 6.6% (44.8 km2) of the study area. The GWpot accuracy sequentially depends on the classification criteria, the mean rating score, and the weights assigned to GCFs. The most influential factors are geology, lineament density, and land use/land cover followed by drainage density, slope, soil type, rainfall, elevation, and groundwater level fluctuations. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the confusion matrix, and Kappa (K) analysis show satisfactory and consistent results and expected performances (the area under the curve value 68%, confusion matrix 68%, Kappa (K) analysis 65%). The electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and vertical electrical sounding (VES) data interpretations reveals five regional hydrological layers (i.e., coarse gravel and sand, silty sand mixed lithology, clayey sand/fine sand, fine sand/gravel, and clayey basement). The preliminary interpretation of ERT results highlights the complexity of the hydrogeological strata and reveals that GWpot is structurally and proximately constrained in the clayey sand and silicate aquifers (sandstone), which is of significance for the determination of drilling sites, expansion of drinking water supply and irrigation in the future. Moreover, quantifying the spatial distribution of aquifer hydrogeological characteristics (such as reflection coefficient, isopach, and resistivity mapping) based on Olayinka’s basic standards, indirectly and locally verify the performance of the MIF model and ultimately determine new locations for groundwater exploitation. The combined methods of regional GWpot mapping and hydrogeological characterization, through the geospatial MIFs model and aquifer geoelectrical interpretation, respectively, facilitate decision-makers for sustainable GRM not only in the Karak watershed but also in other similar areas worldwide.
Optimization and Degradation Studies on Hexahydro-1,3,5-Trinitro-1,3,5-Triazine (RDX) with Selected Indigenous Microbes under Aerobic Conditions
Authors: Meda Arjun , Sangwan Pritam , Bala Kiran
Published: April 2021

Hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) a nitramine explosive, which has contaminated various military sites during its use, storage and manufacturing worldwide. As RDX is a recalcitrant, less soluble and toxic to human beings and other organisms, it is essential to remediate the contaminated sites. In the current investigation, authors have explored the potential of two indigenous microbes i.e., Bacillus toyonensis (isolate No. WS4-TSB-3, MTCC No. 12857) and Paenibacillus dendritiformis (isolate No. S10-TSA-3, MTCC No. 12859) isolated from an explosive manufacturing facility in north India, for the degradation of RDX in aqueous medium. Furthermore, RDX degradation has been optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) in a 15 days experiment at concentration of 20, 40, and 60 mg/L. It was found that various factors such as initial concentration of RDX, inoculum volume (2, 4 and 6%) and time (5, 10 and 15 days) had impact on transformation and degradation of contaminant. Samples were analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and intermediate products were identified using LC-MS/MS. Maximum RDX removal of 81.6 ± 1.3 and 84.7 ± 0.9% for Bacillus toyonensis (isolate No. WS4-TSB-3) and Paenibacillus dendritiformis (isolate No. S10-TSA-3), respectively, was observed on 15th day at 40 mg/L initial concentration. During the degradation Hexahydro-1-nitroso-3,5-dinitro-1,3,5-triazine (MNX), Hexahydro-1,3-dinitroso-5-nitro-1,3,5-triazine (DNX), 4-Nitro-2,4-diazabutanal, Bis(hydroxymethyl)nitramine and nitrite were identified as intermediate products. The findings of the investigation suggest that both the microbes have the potential to degrade RDX in the aqueous medium and can be used for up-scaling the degradation of RDX on explosive contaminated sites.
The Organisational Structure of an Agent-Based Model for the Management of Wastewater Systems
Authors: Oliva-Felipe Luis , Verdaguer Marta , Poch Manel , Vázquez-Salceda Javier , Cortés Ulises
Published: April 2021

Water managers have to deal with complex problems due to the intertwined characteristics of processes, in particular those that occur in wastewater systems. Existing modelling approaches are usually centred in the physical, chemical and biological aspects of the individual processes, excluding the social and organisational context that will generate the global behaviour. These also include the responsibilities and decision making of different actors in the system. This paper proposes an agent-based model with the novelty to integrate the social and organisational structure of the wastewater system from which emerges the global behaviour of the system. The modelling process allows considering the legal regulations and the technical limits that would drive the decision making. The instantiation of the model, implementing a small system, evidenced the usefulness of this approach to manage the complexity of wastewater systems and its possible contribution to prevent environmental problems.
An Attempt to Utilize a Regional Dew Formation Model in Kenya
Authors: Atashi Nahid , Tuure Juuso , Alakukku Laura , Rahimi Dariush , Pellikka Petri , Zaidan Martha A. , Vuollekoski Henri , Räsänen Matti , Kulmala Markku , Vesala Timo , Hussein Tareq
Published: April 2021

Model evaluation against experimental data is an important step towards accurate model predictions and simulations. Here, we evaluated an energy-balance model to predict dew formation occurrence and estimate its amount for East-African arid-climate conditions against 13 months of experimental dew harvesting data in Maktau, Kenya. The model was capable of predicting the dew formation occurrence effectively. However, it overestimated the harvestable dew amount by about a ratio of 1.7. As such, a factor of 0.6 was applied for a long-term period (1979–2018) to investigate the spatial and temporal variation of the dew formation in Kenya. The annual average of dew occurrence in Kenya was ~130 days with dew yield > 0.1 L/m2/day. The dew formation showed a seasonal cycle with the maximum yield in winter and minimum in summer. Three major dew formation zones were identified after cluster analysis: arid and semi-arid regions; mountain regions; and coastal regions. The average daily and yearly maximum dew yield were 0.05 and 18; 0.9 and 25; and 0.15 and 40 L/m2/day; respectively. A precise prediction of dew occurrence and dew yield is very challenging due to inherent limitations in numerical models and meteorological input parameters.