bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Parapsychologist, an Anthropologist, and a Vitalist Walk into a Laboratory: Ernesto de Martino, Mircea Eliade, and a Forgotten Chapter in the Disciplinary History of Religious Studies
Authors: Geisshuesler Flavio A.
Published: May 2019

While the work of the Italian historian of religion, Ernesto de Martino (1908–1965), has frequently been compared to that of Mircea Eliade, Claude Lévi-Strauss, or Clifford Geertz, he has hardly received any attention in anglophone scholarship to date. Taking an all-but-forgotten controversy between de Martino and Eliade at a conference on parapsychology in France in 1956 as its starting point, the article fills part of this lacuna by first reconstructing the philosophical universe underlying the Italian thinker’s program of study. In the process, it introduces the reader to three Weimar scientists, who have never before been inserted within the canon of the study of religion, namely the parapsychologist Albert von Schrenck-Notzing (1862–1929), the anthropologist Leo Frobenius (1873–1938), and the biologist and philosopher Hans Driesch (1867–1941). Contextualizing these thinkers within their historical context, it becomes clear that they were part of a larger scientific crisis that affected the Western world during the first half of the twentieth century. Finally, the article uncovers surprising affinities, particularly the fact that the Romanian thinker had his very own parapsychological phase during his youth.
The Optimum Leverage Level of the Banking Sector
Authors: Dewasurendra Sagara , Judice Pedro , Zhu Qiji
Published: May 2019

Banks make profits from the difference between short-term and long-term loan interest rates. To issue loans, banks raise funds from capital markets. Since the long-term loan rate is relatively stable, but short-term interest is usually variable, there is an interest rate risk. Therefore, banks need information about the optimal leverage strategies based on the current economic situation. Recent studies on the economic crisis by many economists showed that the crisis was due to too much leveraging by “big banks”. This leveraging turns out to be close to Kelly’s optimal point. It is known that Kelly’s strategy does not address risk adequately. We used the return–drawdown ratio and inflection point of Kelly’s cumulative return curve in a finite investment horizon to derive more conservative leverage levels. Moreover, we carried out a sensitivity analysis to determine strategies during a period of interest rates increase, which is the most important and risky period to leverage. Thus, we brought theoretical results closer to practical applications. Furthermore, by using the sensitivity analysis method, banks can change the allocation sizes to loans with different maturities to mediate the risks corresponding to different monetary policy environments. This provides bank managers flexible tools in mitigating risk.
Editorial for the Special Issue “Remote Sensing in Coastal Zone Monitoring and Management—How Can Remote Sensing Challenge the Broad Spectrum of Temporal and Spatial Scales in Coastal Zone Dynamic?”
Authors: Doxaran David , Bustamante Javier , Dogliotti Ana I. , Malthus Tim J. , Senechal Nadia
Published: May 2019

Coastal zones are sensitive areas responding at various scales (events to long-term trends) where the monitoring and management of physico-chemical, biological, morphological processes, and fluxes are highly challenging [...]
Filtering Airborne LiDAR Data Through Complementary Cloth Simulation and Progressive TIN Densification Filters
Authors: Cai Shangshu , Zhang Wuming , Liang Xinlian , Wan Peng , Qi Jianbo , Yu Sisi , Yan Guangjian , Shao Jie
Published: May 2019

Separating point clouds into ground and non-ground points is a preliminary and essential step in various applications of airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data, and many filtering algorithms have been proposed to automatically filter ground points. Among them, the progressive triangulated irregular network (TIN) densification filtering (PTDF) algorithm is widely employed due to its robustness and effectiveness. However, the performance of this algorithm usually depends on the detailed initial terrain and the cautious tuning of parameters to cope with various terrains. Consequently, many approaches have been proposed to provide as much detailed initial terrain as possible. However, most of them require many user-defined parameters. Moreover, these parameters are difficult to determine for users. Recently, the cloth simulation filtering (CSF) algorithm has gradually drawn attention because its parameters are few and easy-to-set. CSF can obtain a fine initial terrain, which simultaneously provides a good foundation for parameter threshold estimation of progressive TIN densification (PTD). However, it easily causes misclassification when further refining the initial terrain. To achieve the complementary advantages of CSF and PTDF, a novel filtering algorithm that combines cloth simulation (CS) and PTD is proposed in this study. In the proposed algorithm, a high-quality initial provisional digital terrain model (DTM) is obtained by CS, and the parameter thresholds of PTD are estimated from the initial provisional DTM based on statistical analysis theory. Finally, PTD with adaptive parameter thresholds is used to refine the initial provisional DTM. These contributions of the implementation details achieve accuracy enhancement and resilience to parameter tuning. The experimental results indicate that the proposed algorithm improves performance over their direct predecessors. Furthermore, compared with the publicized improved PTDF algorithms, our algorithm is not only superior in accuracy but also practicality. The fact that the proposed algorithm is of high accuracy and easy-to-use is desirable for users.
Dimensionality Reduction of Hyperspectral Image Using Spatial-Spectral Regularized Sparse Hypergraph Embedding
Authors: Huang Hong , Chen Meili , Duan Yule
Published: May 2019

Many graph embedding methods are developed for dimensionality reduction (DR) of hyperspectral image (HSI), which only use spectral features to reflect a point-to-point intrinsic relation and ignore complex spatial-spectral structure in HSI. A new DR method termed spatial-spectral regularized sparse hypergraph embedding (SSRHE) is proposed for the HSI classification. SSRHE explores sparse coefficients to adaptively select neighbors for constructing the dual sparse hypergraph. Based on the spatial coherence property of HSI, a local spatial neighborhood scatter is computed to preserve local structure, and a total scatter is computed to represent the global structure of HSI. Then, an optimal discriminant projection is obtained by possessing better intraclass compactness and interclass separability, which is beneficial for classification. Experiments on Indian Pines and PaviaU hyperspectral datasets illustrated that SSRHE effectively develops a better classification performance compared with the traditional spectral DR algorithms.
Design and Analysis of a True Random Number Generator Based on GSR Signals for Body Sensor Networks
Authors: Camara Carmen , Martín Honorio , Peris-Lopez Pedro , Aldalaien Muawya
Published: May 2019

Today, medical equipment or general-purpose devices such as smart-watches or smart-textiles can acquire a person’s vital signs. Regardless of the type of device and its purpose, they are all equipped with one or more sensors and often have wireless connectivity. Due to the transmission of sensitive data through the insecure radio channel and the need to ensure exclusive access to authorised entities, security mechanisms and cryptographic primitives must be incorporated onboard these devices. Random number generators are one such necessary cryptographic primitive. Motivated by this, we propose a True Random Number Generator (TRNG) that makes use of the GSR signal measured by a sensor on the body. After an exhaustive analysis of both the entropy source and the randomness of the output, we can conclude that the output generated by the proposed TRNG behaves as that produced by a random variable. Besides, and in comparison with the previous proposals, the performance offered is much higher than that of the earlier works.
Wearable Sensor-Based Human Activity Recognition via Two-Layer Diversity-Enhanced Multiclassifier Recognition Method
Authors: Tian Yiming , Wang Xitai , Chen Lingling , Liu Zuojun
Published: May 2019

Sensor-based human activity recognition can benefit a variety of applications such as health care, fitness, smart homes, rehabilitation training, and so forth. In this paper, we propose a novel two-layer diversity-enhanced multiclassifier recognition method for single wearable accelerometer-based human activity recognition, which contains data-based and classifier-based diversity enhancement. Firstly, we introduce the kernel Fisher discriminant analysis (KFDA) technique to spatially transform the training samples and enhance the discrimination between activities. In addition, bootstrap resampling is utilized to increase the diversities of the dataset for training the base classifiers in the multiclassifier system. Secondly, a combined diversity measure for selecting the base classifiers with excellent performance and large diversity is proposed to optimize the performance of the multiclassifier system. Lastly, majority voting is utilized to combine the preferred base classifiers. Experiments showed that the data-based diversity enhancement can improve the discriminance of different activity samples and promote the generation of base classifiers with different structures and performances. Compared with random selection and traditional ensemble methods, including Bagging and Adaboost, the proposed method achieved 92.3% accuracy and 90.7% recall, which demonstrates better performance in activity recognition.
A Hyperspectral Imaging Approach for Classifying Geographical Origins of Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae Using the Fusion of Spectrum-Image in VNIR and SWIR Ranges (VNIR-SWIR-FuSI)
Authors: Ru Chenlei , Li Zhenhao , Tang Renzhong
Published: May 2019

Hyperspectral data processing technique has gained increasing interests in the field of chemical and biomedical analysis. However, appropriate approaches to fusing features of hyperspectral data-cube are still lacking. In this paper, a new data fusion approach was proposed and applied to discriminate Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae (RAM) slices from different geographical origins using hyperspectral imaging. Spectral and image features were extracted from hyperspectral data in visible and near-infrared (VNIR, 435–1042 nm) and short-wave infrared (SWIR, 898–1751 nm) ranges, respectively. Effective wavelengths were extracted from pre-processed spectral data by successive projection algorithm (SPA). Meanwhile, gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) and gray-level run-length matrix (GLRLM) were employed to extract textural variables. The fusion of spectrum-image in VNIR and SWIR ranges (VNIR-SWIR-FuSI) was implemented to integrate those features on three fusion dimensions, i.e., VNIR and SWIR fusion, spectrum and image fusion, and all data fusion. Based on data fusion, partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and support vector machine (SVM) were utilized to establish calibration models. The results demonstrated that VNIR-SWIR-FuSI could achieve the best accuracies on both full bands (97.3%) and SPA bands (93.2%). In particular, VNIR-SWIR-FuSI on SPA bands achieved a classification accuracy of 93.2% with only 23 bands, which was significantly better than those based on spectra (80.9%) or images (79.7%). Thus it is more rapid and possible for industry applications. The current study demonstrated that hyperspectral imaging technique with data fusion holds the potential for rapid and nondestructive sorting of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs).
Investigating Ties between Energy Policy and Social Equity Research: A Citation Network Analysis
Authors: Chapman Andrew , Fraser Timothy , Dennis Melanie
Published: May 2019

Just over twenty years ago, the Kyoto Protocol brought nations together to address the emergent issue of climate change. To support the development of energy policy, a number of academic fields were strengthened, particularly surrounding sustainable development and the economic, environmental, and social aspects of sustainability. This research focuses on the social aspects of energy policy, beginning with climate justice, through to the emergence of energy justice and the notion of a just transition. Through a bibliometric analysis of 5529 academic studies incorporating energy policy and social equity across relevant academic fields, strong ties among five distinct schools of thought were identified. Interestingly, energy transitions scholarship appears distinct from most social equity and energy justice related scholarship. There is a need to better integrate disparate schools of thought in order to achieve a just transitions framework able to address inequities in energy policy outcomes in the Paris Agreement era and beyond.
A Social-Ecological System Framework for Marine Aquaculture Research
Authors: Johnson Teresa , Beard Kate , Brady Damian , Byron Carrie , Cleaver Caitlin , Duffy Kevin , Keeney Nicholas , Kimble Melissa , Miller Molly , Moeykens Shane , Teisl Mario , van Walsum G. , Yuan Jing
Published: May 2019

Aquaculture has been responsible for an impressive growth in the global supply of seafood. As of 2016, more than half of all global seafood production comes from aquaculture. To meet future global seafood demands, there is need and opportunity to expand marine aquaculture production in ways that are both socially and ecologically sustainable. This requires integrating biophysical, social, and engineering sciences. Such interdisciplinary research is difficult due to the complexity and multi-scale aspects of marine aquaculture and inherent challenges researchers face working across disciplines. To this end, we developed a framework based on Elinor Ostrom’s social–ecological system framework (SESF) to guide interdisciplinary research on marine aquaculture. We first present the framework and the social–ecological system variables relevant to research on marine aquaculture and then illustrate one application of this framework to interdisciplinary research underway in Maine, the largest producer of marine aquaculture products in the United States. We use the framework to compare oyster aquaculture in two study regions, with a focus on factors influencing the social and biophysical carrying capacity. We conclude that the flexibility provided by the SESF is well suited to inform interdisciplinary research on marine aquaculture, especially comparative, cross-case analysis.
A Bibliometric and Visualization Analysis of Socially Responsible Funds
Authors: Fabregat-Aibar Laura , Barberà-Mariné M. Glòria , Terceño Antonio , Pié Laia
Published: May 2019

The aims of this paper are (i) to identify which documents are the most influential when analyzing socially responsible funds, and (ii) to identify the conceptual structure of the field of research through co-word analysis. To achieve the proposed objectives, the VOS Viewer and two databases, Web of Science (WOS) and Scopus, were used for the period 1988–2018, and a total of 209 research papers were analyzed. This analysis provides an insight into the nature and trends of research on socially responsible investment (SRI) funds.
Life Cycle Assessment of a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) Electric Vehicle Battery in Second Life Application Scenarios
Authors: Ioakimidis Christos , Murillo-Marrodán Alberto , Bagheri Ali , Thomas Dimitrios , Genikomsakis Konstantinos
Published: May 2019

This paper presents a life cycle assessment (LCA) study that examines a number of scenarios that complement the primary use phase of electric vehicle (EV) batteries with a secondary application in smart buildings in Spain, as a means of extending their useful life under less demanding conditions, when they no longer meet the requirements for automotive purposes. Specifically, it considers a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery to analyze four second life application scenarios by combining the following cases: (i) either reuse of the EV battery or manufacturing of a new battery as energy storage unit in the building; and (ii) either use of the Spanish electricity mix or energy supply by solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. Based on the Eco-indicator 99 and IPCC 2007 GWP 20a methods, the evaluation of the scenario results shows that there is significant environmental benefit from reusing the existing EV battery in the secondary application instead of manufacturing a new battery to be used for the same purpose and time frame. Moreover, the findings of this work exemplify the dependence of the results on the energy source in the smart building application, and thus highlight the importance of PVs on the reduction of the environmental impact.
Designing Optimum Water-Saving Policy in China Using Quantity and Price Control Mechanisms
Authors: Boudmyxay Khampheng , Zhong Shuai , Shen Lei
Published: May 2019

In an attempt to alleviate water scarcity, the government of China has introduced a water plan for the year 2030. Based on a dynamic computable general equilibrium model, this paper investigates how conservation of irrigation water, grain production, and the welfare of rural households will be affected by planned reductions to the irrigation water subsidy between 2018 and 2030. Four policy instruments, namely quantitative control (QC), quantitative control with a subsidy reduction (QC-SR), price control (PC), and price control with a subsidy reduction (PC-SR) are employed in the model. Most existing research has found that reducing the irrigation subsidy will lead to significant negative impacts to the agricultural economy, and especially to rural households. These predicted negative impacts are a barrier to agricultural water policy pricing reform. However, the results of this research show that a provincial subsidy reduction to 1% between 2018 and 2030 will have an insignificant impact on agricultural production as well as rural household incomes and welfare, despite the subsidy rate currently accounting for more than 90% of the total irrigation value at the macro level in most provinces. Furthermore, PC will create a demand for irrigation water, which is predicted to rise to more than five times the agricultural water planning level currently set for 2030, and PC-SR will not achieve the agricultural water planning goal.
Fast Pyrolysis of Poultry Litter in a Bubbling Fluidised Bed Reactor: Energy and Nutrient Recovery
Authors: Pandey Daya Shankar , Katsaros Giannis , Lindfors Christian , Leahy James J. , Tassou Savvas A.
Published: May 2019

Livestock production is among the most rapidly growing sectors of the agricultural economy driven primarily by growing demand for animal protein, but also posing significant waste disposal issues and environmental impacts. Moreover, opportunities exist for utilising animal waste at the farm level for heat and power generation (thermal conversion) which can contribute to economic sustainability and also provide a bio-fertiliser for soil amendment. The present study is focused on energy and nutrient recovery from poultry litter using a thermochemical conversion technology (fast pyrolysis). The formation of products (gases, biochar and bio-oil) during the fast pyrolysis of poultry litter was experimentally investigated in a laboratory-scale bubbling fluidised bed reactor. Pyrolytic gases accounted for 15–22 wt.% of the product. The carbon content in biochar increased from 47 to 48.5 wt.% with an increase in the pyrolysis temperature. Phosphorous and potassium recovery in the biochar were over 75%, suggesting that it could be used as an organic soil amendment. The high ash content in poultry litter (14.3 wt.%) resulted in low bio-oil and high biochar yield. The bio-oil yield was over 27 wt.% with a higher heating value of 32.17 MJ/kg (dry basis). The total acid number of the bio-oil decreased from 46.30 to 38.50 with an increase in temperature. The nitrogen content in the bio-oil produced from the poultry litter (>7 wt.%) was significantly higher compared to bio-oil produced from the wood (0.1 wt.%).
Assessment on Island Ecological Vulnerability to Urbanization: A Tale of Chongming Island, China
Authors: Sun Baiqing , Ma Xin , de Jong Martin , Bao Xin
Published: May 2019

The twenty first century has witnessed an emerging research interest in island urbanization, which will set further pressure on island ecological vulnerability (IEV), especially in those islands with a fixed link to the mainland. In this contribution, the IEV of eighteen towns and townships in Chongming Island is assessed based on an “exposure (E)-sensitivity (S)-adaptive capacity (A)” framework and by means of the entropy weight method for determination of the weight of fifteen indicators. The assessment results show that: (1) An index system consisting of 1 objective, 3 sub-objectives, 8 elements, and 15 indicators can be established and tested to reflect the IEV to island urbanization; (2) The overall ecological vulnerability of Chongming Island to urbanization is at a rather low level, with only three out of eighteen towns and townships at a moderate high and high IEV level, while the spatial distribution of IEV surrounds Chengqiao, the seat of the district government, and radiates in a fan-shaped manner; (3) Chengqiao inevitably leads among the towns and townships in its IEV value, and its westward urbanization has adversely affected the IEV of adjacent towns Xinhe and Jianshe. (4) Chenjia’s moderate low level of IEV comes as a surprise to the authors, due largely to its proximity to Shanghai. Our proposed E-S-A framework and assessment model could be rationally applied to similar islands with fixed links to the mainland nationally and internationally, which is the major contribution of our study.
Edge-Urbanization: Land Policy, Development Zones, and Urban Expansion in Tianjin
Authors: Liu Zhigao , Zhang Jiayi , Golubchikov Oleg
Published: May 2019

Fast-paced urban growth in China has produced a specific, transient form of urban periphery, which continuously shifts outwards as the city expands. Seeing this process as a distinctive type of (sub)urbanization, this paper encapsulates it under the notion of edge-urbanization. The paper argues that edge-urbanization in China is fueled by deliberate government policies, which seek to mobilize peripheral land for high-growth strategies. The relationships between urban expansions and spatial economic policy are analyzed more closely in the case of Tianjin. Geospatial analysis derived from satellite imagery for the period of 1980–2015 reveals the morphological and temporal dynamics of urban growth in the post-reform era. Built-up land in Tianjin has expanded 1.8 times during this period, with the dominant growth type being edge-expansion. This character of urban expansion is shown to be closely associated with government’s “project fever”—setting up development zones and new economic activity on city edge. The results demonstrate a decisive role of the state in shaping (edge) urbanization in China’s major cities.
How to Allocate the Allowance for the Aviation Industry in China’s Emissions Trading System
Authors: Tang Bao-Jun , Hu Yu-Jie
Published: May 2019

In order to combat climate change and control emissions in the aviation industry, it is necessary to research the aviation industry’s potential application of China’s Emissions Trading System (ETS), especially the carbon allowance allocation (CAA). On the basis of historical and benchmarking CAA schemes, considering the responsibility, capacity, and potential of firms, this study proposes the indicators CAA (ICAA) scheme. Moreover, considering firms’ costs, this study also proposes a multi-objective CAA (MCAA) scheme. Finally, the most effective scheme is reported. Results show that under ICAA and MCAA, caps are lower and basically consistent with the emissions reduction target of the “13th Five-Year Plan Work Program for Controlling GHG Emissions of Civil Aviation in China” and international goals. Different types of airlines gain different quotas according to their income and the number and age of their aircraft. The cost of reducing emissions in each scheme is less than 0.35% of their total costs. Under the ICAA-S, ICAA-P, and MCAA schemes, airlines can achieve a reduction in emissions of 19.7%, 20.9%, and 19.6%, respectively. Moreover, under MCAA, the difference in quotas between airlines is smaller. Therefore, of the schemes evaluated, MCAA is the most effective.
Assessing Minimum Wage Policy Implications upon Income Inequalities. The Case of Romania
Authors: Militaru Eva , Popescu Madalina Ecaterina , Cristescu Amalia , Vasilescu Maria Denisa
Published: May 2019

Starting from the consideration that excessive income inequalities could hamper sustainable growth, our paper aims to evaluate the impact of the minimum wage policy upon wage and income distributions. Using the European Union Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) database with national representative sample of households, an income distribution analysis was conducted for the case of Romania based on two microsimulation approaches. The first one assumed building a counterfactual income distribution under the hypothesis of no change in minimum wage, while the second one implied a decomposition of the Gini coefficient of income inequalities based on main income determinants, including the minimum wage level and the share of minimum wage earners in the total number of employees. Both approaches pointed to similar findings, indicating a positive effect of the minimum wage on wage inequalities reduction for both genders, although higher for women, as they are more present among lower paid employees. The minimum wage policy can reshape the wage distribution, by enlarging the share of minimum income earners and narrowing the middle. Moreover, the household disposable income becomes less unequal when minimum wage increases, meaning that the income gain spreads over the entire household as most minimum wage earners come from poor households with numerous children.
Assessment of Investment Attractiveness of Projects on the Basis of Environmental Factors
Authors: Ziyadin Sayabek , Streltsova Elena , Borodin Alex , Kiseleva Nataliya , Yakovenko Irina , Baimukhanbetova Elmira
Published: May 2019

This article is devoted to the creation of intelligent modelling tools for decision support in the evaluation of intellectual projects submitted for financing, as based on qualitatively defined characteristics. The economic and mathematical models that form the basis of the toolkit are constructed using the mathematical apparatus of fuzzy logic, which allows for the description of poorly structured knowledge of specialists, as well as their application in solving questions about the extent of the impact of the proposed projects on the environment. The authors classify investment projects according to the degree of impact on the environment, the environmental criteria required by the investor for the evaluation of investment projects, and the formal formulation of the problem of evaluation of investment projects when taking into account the environmental factor. The toolkit was created based on the concept of intellectualization, where economic and mathematical models for the evaluation of investment projects are programmatically implemented via the tools and functions available in the MATLAB package.
From Environmental Reporting to Environmental Performance
Authors: Bednárová Michaela , Klimko Roman , Rievajová Eva
Published: May 2019

This paper identifies factors influencing environmental disclosure and environmental performance of the top 100 Fortune Global companies. The analysis identifies whether they follow the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards to gain and maintain legitimacy with relevant stakeholders. Other factors such as sector and region are taken into account, with empirical testing of a model for the relationship between the extent of environmental disclosure (measured by the developed index based on GRI indicators), sector membership, region, and actual environmental performance. Evidence exists that the main factors related to actual environmental performance were the region and level of environmental disclosure.
Origins, Importance and Genetic Stability of the Prototype Strains Gilliam, Karp and Kato of Orientia tsutsugamushi
Authors: Kelly Daryl J. , Fuerst Paul A. , Richards Allen L.
Published: May 2019

Scrub typhus, a chigger-borne febrile illness, occurs primarily in countries of the Asia-Pacific rim and islands of the Western Pacific. The etiologic agent is the obligate intracellular rickettsial bacterium Orientia tsutsugamushi. Research on O. tsutsugamushi has relied on the availability of several prototype strains, which were isolated from human cases of scrub typhus in the 1940s and 1950s. We review the history of the three original, and most important, prototype strains, Gilliam, Karp and Kato, including information on their isolation, their culture history, their clinical characteristics, their importance within the research literature on scrub typhus, and recent advances in elucidating their molecular genomics. The importance of these strains to the research and development of clinical tools related to scrub typhus is also considered. Finally, we examine whether the strains have been genetically stable since their isolation, and whether prototype strains maintained in separate laboratories are identical, based on pairwise comparisons of several sequences from four genes. By using genetic information archived in international DNA databases, we show that the prototype strains used by different laboratories are essentially identical, and that the strains have retained their genetic integrity at least since the 1950s. The three original prototype strains should remain a standard by which new diagnostic procedures are measured. Given their fundamental position in any comparative studies, they are likely to endure as a critical part of present and future research on scrub typhus and Orientia.
Targeting Hemagglutinin: Approaches for Broad Protection against the Influenza A Virus
Authors: Zhang Yun , Xu Cong , Zhang Hao , Liu George Dacai , Xue Chunyi , Cao Yongchang
Published: May 2019

Influenza A viruses are dynamically epidemic and genetically diverse. Due to the antigenic drift and shift of the virus, seasonal vaccines are required to be reformulated annually to match with current circulating strains. However, the mismatch between vaccinal strains and circulating strains occurs frequently, resulting in the low efficacy of seasonal vaccines. Therefore, several “universal” vaccine candidates based on the structure and function of the hemagglutinin (HA) protein have been developed to meet the requirement of a broad protection against homo-/heterosubtypic challenges. Here, we review recent novel constructs and discuss several important findings regarding the broad protective efficacy of HA-based universal vaccines.
Avirulins, a Novel Class of HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors Effective in the Female Reproductive Tract Mucosa
Authors: Cherne Michelle D. , Hall Jesse , Kellner Alisha , Chong Christine F. , Cole Amy L. , Cole Alexander M.
Published: May 2019

While extensive research efforts have decreased human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmissions and mortalities, new challenges have arisen in the fight to eradicate HIV. Drug resistance to antiretroviral therapy threatens infected individuals, while the prevalence of heterosexual transmission creates an urgent need for therapies effective in the female reproductive tract (FRT) mucosa. We screened a library of 2095 small molecule compounds comprising a unique chemical space, purchased from Asinex Corporation, for antiviral activity against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) strain BaL and identified several molecular representatives of a unique class of HIV-1 inhibitors, which we termed “Avirulins.” We determined that Avirulins were active against clinical isolates of HIV-1 from genetically variant subtypes, several of which have reduced sensitivity to other antivirals. Avirulins displayed specific dose-dependent inhibition of the HIV-1 drug target, reverse transcriptase (RT). Avirulins were effective against several nucleoside RT-inhibitor resistant strains of HIV-1, as well as one nonnucleoside RT-inhibitor resistant strain containing a 106A mutation, suggesting a noncompetitive mechanism of action. Drugs, which are damaging to the FRT, can increase the risk of HIV-1 transmission. We therefore explored the cytotoxicity of Avirulins against epithelial cells derived from the FRT and found no significant toxicity, even at the highest concentrations tested. Importantly, Avirulin antiviral activity was not diminished in human cervico–vaginal fluid, suggesting retained potency in the milieu of the FRT. Based on these promising results, Avirulins should be valuable chemical scaffolds for development into next-generation treatments and preventatives that target HIV-1.
Extracellular Vesicles and Ebola Virus: A New Mechanism of Immune Evasion
Authors: Pleet Michelle L. , DeMarino Catherine , Stonier Spencer W. , Dye John M. , Jacobson Steven , Aman M. Javad , Kashanchi Fatah
Published: May 2019

Ebola virus (EBOV) disease can result in a range of symptoms anywhere from virtually asymptomatic to severe hemorrhagic fever during acute infection. Additionally, spans of asymptomatic persistence in recovering survivors is possible, during which transmission of the virus may occur. In acute infection, substantial cytokine storm and bystander lymphocyte apoptosis take place, resulting in uncontrolled, systemic inflammation in affected individuals. Recently, studies have demonstrated the presence of EBOV proteins VP40, glycoprotein (GP), and nucleoprotein (NP) packaged into extracellular vesicles (EVs) during infection. EVs containing EBOV proteins have been shown to induce apoptosis in recipient immune cells, as well as contain pro-inflammatory cytokines. In this manuscript, we review the current field of knowledge on EBOV EVs including the mechanisms of their biogenesis, their cargo and their effects in recipient cells. Furthermore, we discuss some of the effects that may be induced by EBOV EVs that have not yet been characterized and highlight the remaining questions and future directions.
Simulated Runoff and Sediment Yield Responses to Land-Use Change Using the SWAT Model in Northeast China
Authors: Zhang Limin , Meng Xianyong , Wang Hao , Yang Mingxiang
Published: May 2019

Land-use change is one key factor influencing the hydrological process. In this study, the Hun River Basin (HRB) (7919 km2), a typical alpine region with only four gauge meteorological stations, was selected as the study area. The China Meteorological Assimilation Driving Datasets for the SWAT model (CMADS), widely adopted in East Asia, was used with the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model to simulate runoff and sediment yield responses to land-use change and to examine the accuracy of CMADS in the HRB. The criteria values for daily/monthly runoff and monthly sediment yield simulations were satisfactory; however, the validation of daily sediment yield was poor. Forestland decreased sediment yield throughout the year, increased water percolation, and reduced runoff during the wet season, while it decreased water percolation and increased runoff during the dry season. The responses of grassland and forestland to runoff and sediment yield were similar, but the former was weaker than the latter in terms of soil and water conservation. Cropland (urban land) generally increased (increased) runoff and increased (decreased) sediment yield; however, a higher sediment yield could occur in urban land than that in cropland when precipitation was light.
Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) Assay Method for Anaerobic Digestion Research
Authors: Filer Jameson , Ding Huihuang H. , Chang Sheng
Published: May 2019

Biochemical methane potential (BMP) tests are widely used for characterizing a substrate’s influence on the anaerobic digestion process. As of 2018, there continues to be a lack of standardization of units and techniques, which impacts the comparability and validity of BMP results. However, BMP methods continue to evolve, and key aspects are studied to further eliminate systematic errors. This paper aims to update these key aspects with the latest research progress both to introduce the importance of each variable to those new to BMP measurements and to show the complexity required to design an accurate BMP test.
Influence of Environmental and Anthropogenic Factors on Microbial Ecology and Sanitary Threat in the Final Stretch of the Brda River
Authors: Kubera Łukasz , Małecka-Adamowicz Marta , Jankowiak Emilia , Dembowska Ewa , Perliński Piotr , Hejze Karolina
Published: May 2019

Ecology of aquatic microorganisms depends on a number of environmental parameters. The additional influence of anthropogenic factors is connected with sanitary risk, particularly in urban areas. The study was aimed at assessing the impact of physicochemical and biological parameters on the abundance and activity of bacterioplankton under different spatio-temporal conditions in the urbanized section of the Brda River. The evaluation of sanitary pollution of water was accompanied by the assessment of antibiotic resistance of isolated faecal strains determined using the disk diffusion method. The results indicate that the location of sampling sites significantly affected by the distribution of faecal Escherichia coli and enterococci in the studied part of the river. On the other hand, there were no significant seasonal changes in respiratory activity or abundance of planktonic bacteria. In addition, the abundance of bacterioplankton was not correlated with all measured physico-chemical parameters, though it was correlated with the organic carbon oxidation rate. Depending on the sampling site, bacterial cells with damaged membranes constituted between 8% and 20% of the population. Antibiograms showed the absence of multi-drug resistant strains. Enterococci exhibited the highest resistance to imipenem (45%), while Escherichia coli, to cefoxitin (31%).
Growth and Nutrient Removal Efficiency of Sweet Wormwood (Artemisia annua) in a Recirculating Aquaculture System for Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)
Authors: Gichana Zipporah , Meulenbroek Paul , Ogello Erick , Drexler Silke , Zollitsch Werner , Liti David , Akoll Peter , Waidbacher Herwig
Published: May 2019

The maintenance of optimal water quality for fish production is one of the major challenges in aquaculture. Aquaponic systems can improve the quality of water for fish by removing the undesirable wastes and in turn produce a second marketable crop. However, there is no information on the growth and nutrient removal capability of Artemisia annua in aquaponic systems. This study evaluated the effect of plant density on water quality, the growth of A. annua and Oreochromis niloticus in a small scale aquaponic system in Kenya. The aquaponic system consisted of three treatments representing different plant densities (D1: 48 plants/m2, D2: 24 plants/m2 and D3:0 plants/m2). The high plant density system contributed significantly (p < 0.05) to the removal of all nutrients. The removal efficiency of ammonia was significantly higher in D1 (64.1 ± 14.7%) than in D2 (44.5 ± 6.8%) and D3 (38.0 ± 12.1%). Nitrates and nitrites were inconsistent, whereas phosphorus increased gradually in all treatments. The productivity of plants was higher in D1 than D2. Fish growth rates were significantly higher in D1 (0.35 ± 0.03 g/d) and D2 (0.32 ± 0.02 g/d) than in D3 (0.22 ± 0.04 g/d). The results show that A. annua can be cultivated in aquaponic systems due to its nitrogen removal capabilities.
Production of Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM) in Laboratory Cultures of Arctic Sea Ice Algae
Authors: Li Guiju , Xie Huixiang , Song Guisheng , Gosselin Michel
Published: May 2019

Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) is highly enriched in bottom sea ice in the Arctic during ice algal blooms, giving rise to multifaceted ecological implications in both the sea ice and the underlying seawater. We conducted laboratory culture incubations to assess the potential role of ice algae in the accumulation of CDOM in Arctic sea ice. Non-axenic monocultures of Attheya septentrionalis and Nitzschia frigida and a natural ice algal assemblage (NIAA) were grown at 4 °C in an f/2 medium under cool white fluorescent light. Culture samples were collected several days apart throughout the exponential, stationary, and senescent phases, and analyzed for CDOM absorbance, chlorophyll a, and bacterial cell abundance. The cultures displayed apparent specific growth rates of algal and bacterial cells comparable to those in the field. Accumulations of CDOM were observed in all cultures during the time-course incubations, with the senescent phase showing the largest accumulations and the highest production rates. The senescent-phase production rate for NIAA was ~40% higher than that for A. septentrionalis. The chlorophyll a-normalized CDOM production rates in the cultures are comparable to those reported for Arctic first-year sea ice. The absorption spectra of CDOM in the cultures exhibited characteristic short-ultraviolet shoulders similar to those previously identified in sea ice. This study demonstrates that ice algal-derived CDOM can account for the springtime accumulation of CDOM in Arctic sea ice.
Second Cheese Whey Treatment Using Zeolite under Continuous Flow Mode and Its Application on Wheat Growth
Authors: Kotoulas Aggelos , Agathou Dimitra , Triantaphyllidou Irene E. , Tatoulis Triantafyllos I. , Akratos Christos S. , Tekerlekopoulou Athanasia G. , Vayenas Dimitrios V.
Published: May 2019

The efficiency of natural zeolite to treat second cheese whey (SCW) and remove ammonium from artificial wastewater (AWW) was examined. Since zeolite has been reported to improve nitrogen availability in soils, its effect on wheat plant growth was also examined. Continuing a previous study using batch reactors, results are presented concerning experiments in fixed-bed columns under continuous operation. Results from the continuous flow column experiments using AWW and zeolite (2.0–2.8 mm) indicated that low flow rates (4 mL/min and 8 mL/min) did not significantly affect zeolite adsorption ability, while maximum zeolite adsorption capacity reached 15.30 mg NH4+-N/g. Finally, the effect of zeolite saturated with NH4+-N on plant growth was examined. The application of saturated zeolite affected significantly wheat plant growth and resulted in faster growth and higher biomass production.
Multiple chronic system diseases and periodontal pathology
Authors: Tsepov L. M. , Nikolaev A. I. , Nesterova M. M. , Tsepova E. L. , Tsepov A. L.
Published: May 2019

Relevance: the prevalence and severity of chronic inﬂammatory periodontal diseases in multiple somatic diseases were assessed taking into account the gender and age of patients.

Materials and methods: a retrospective analysis of 841 "medical records of dental patients" of adult patients of both sexes aged 31 to 83 years who applied to dental clinics in Smolensk was carried out. Documented data on periodontal pathology and internal organs and systems diseases in patients were taken into account.

Results: it was established that the degree of severity of chronic inﬂammatory generalized periodontal disease in persons with somatic pathology is associated with the age of the patient, the duration and severity of the course of somatic diseases.

Conclusions: the result of the negative impact of somatic pathology on the periodontal condition is a violation of metabolic processes and tissue protection factors of the periodontal complex, which predisposes to the development of its lesion or accelerates the implementation of the existing periodontal factors.
Herpesvirus infection as one of the causes of anemia
Authors: Uspenskaya О. A. , Spiridonova S. A.
Published: May 2019

Relevance. One of the causes of chronic disease is herpetic infection, lifelong persistence in the human body and activates the macrophage protection system, which leads to disruption of iron utilization by the cells of the hematopoietic system and the development of anemia of chronic disease. To prove the inﬂuence of herpesvirus infection on the occurrence of anemia of chronic disease.

Materials and methods. The study involved 75 people suﬀering from herpes-viral infection. 3 groups were allocated: the frst group (25 people) received acyclovir 1 tablet (200 mg) 5 times a day, 5 days; The 2-nd group (25 people) used famvir for 1 tablet (250 mg) 2 times a day, 5 days; The third group (25 people) – famvir 1 tablet (250 mg) 2 times a day, 5 days and kagocel 2 tablets (12 mg) 3 times a day, 5 days.

Result. All subjects examined at the time of treatment showed an increase in the content of IL 1β mRNK and TNF-α and a decrease in mRNK of IL 8 and IL 10; on day 14 of the study, a decrease in IL 1β mRNK and TNF-α mRNK and an increase in IL 10 mRNK. In the study of erythrocyte indices – the average volume of erythrocytes and the average hemoglobin content in erythrocyte and the parameters of iron-serum iron metabolism and the total iron binding capacity of the serum, slight deviations from the norm were obtained.

Conclusions. Thus, we concluded that the cause of anemia, in addition to the lack of iron, can be chronic herpesvirus infection, and thus timely treatment of a viral infection excludes the use of ferrotherapy.
The Security System of the United Nations (A Theoretical Approach)
Authors: Chajkowska Katarzyna
Published: May 2019

In contemporary world, influenced by globalization, security is one of the most discussed issues. It is almost commonly accepted that security should be regulated within some kind of international system. What should be agreed on are the nature of subjects within the system, the kind of resources, ways to control it and finally, how to achieve an agreement within the system’s framework. Thus the objective of this article is to show the axiological premises that underlie normative regulations on the above issues. Significant diversion in this sphere is observed within the Organization of United Nations. The following article analyses the UN documents, with a particular emphasis on the Millennium documents, determining the long-term perspective of actions. The article shall also try to define the issues not covered in the UN regulations and determine what dilemmas UN unsuccessfully tries to tackle.
Variational Iteration Method for Analytical Solution of the Lane-Emden Type Equation with Singular Initial and Boundary Conditions
Authors: Nadeem Muhammad , Ahmad Hijaz
Published: May 2019

In this paper, a well-known equation used in astrophysics and mathematical physics called the Lane-Emden equation is to be solved by a variational iteration method. The main purpose of this approach is to solve the singular initial value problems and also boundary value problem of Lane-Emden type equations. This technique overcomes its singularity at origin rapidly. It gives the approximate and exact solution with easily computable terms. The approach is illustrated with some examples to show its reliability and compactness.
Lactococcus lactis: LAB model organism for bacteria-mediated therapeutic strategies
Authors: Faudzi Hanis , Faroque Habibah , Chia Suet-Lin , Abdul Rahim Raha , Othman Sarah
Published: May 2019

Lactococcus lactis is a well-characterized, food-grade lactic acid bacterium (LAB) with generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status. Better understanding of this bacterium at a molecular level has led to the development of unprecedented genetic tools that enable the expression of heterologous proteins. Subsequently, the ability of L. lactis to express and deliver these proteins to eukaryotic hosts presents a promising approach to achieve potent treatments for various diseases. Here, we have reviewed the characteristics of L. lactis and the expression systems established for this LAB model organism. We also described the experimental applications of L. lactis in disease therapy, especially its role as a vector in vaccination strategies.