bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Does Caesarean Section or Preterm Delivery Influence TGF-β2 Concentrations in Human Colostrum?
Authors: Kociszewska-Najman Bożena , Sibanda Elopy , Radomska-Leśniewska Dorota M. , Taradaj Karol , Kociołek Patrycja , Ginda Tomasz , Gruszfeld Monika , Jankowska-Steifer Ewa , Pietrzak Bronisława , Wielgoś Mirosław , Malejczyk Jacek
Published: April 2020

Human colostrum (HC) is a rich source of immune mediators that play a role in immune defences of a newly born infant. The mediators include transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) which exists in three isoforms that regulate cellular homeostasis and inflammation, can induce or suppress immune responses, limit T helper 1 cells (Th1) reactions and stimulate secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA) production. Human milk TGF-β also decreases apoptosis of intestinal cells and suppresses macrophage cytokine expression. The aim of the study was to determine the concentration of TGF-β2 in HC obtained from the mothers who delivered vaginally (VD) or by caesarean section (CS), and to compare the concentrations in HC from mothers who delivered at term (TB) or preterm (PB). In this study, 56% of preterm pregnancies were delivered via CS. The concentrations of TGF-β2 were measured in HC from 299 women who delivered in the 1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medical University of Warsaw: 192 (VD), 107 (CS), 251 (TB), and 48 (PB). The colostrum samples were collected within 5 days post-partum. TGF-β2 levels in HC were measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test with the Quantikine ELISA Kit-Human TGF-β2 (cat.no. SB250). Statistical significance between groups was calculated by the Student t-test using StatSoft Statistica 13 software. The mean TGF-β2 concentration in patients who delivered at term or preterm were comparable. The levels of TGF-β2 in HC were higher after preterm than term being 4648 vs. 3899 ng/mL (p = 0.1244). The delivery via CS was associated with higher HC concentrations of TGF-β2. The levels of TGF-β2 were significantly higher in HC after CS than VD (7429 vs. 5240 ng/mL; p = 0.0017). The data from this study suggest: caesarean section was associated with increased levels of TGF-β2 in HC. The increased levels of TGF-β2 in HC of women who delivered prematurely require further research. Early and exclusive breast-feeding by mothers after caesarean section and premature births with colostrum containing high TGF-β2 levels may prevent the negative impact of pathogens which often colonize the gastrointestinal tract and may reduce the risk of chronic diseases in this group of patients.
You Are What You Eat—The Relationship between Diet, Microbiota, and Metabolic Disorders—A Review
Authors: Moszak Małgorzata , Szulińska Monika , Bogdański Paweł
Published: April 2020

The gut microbiota (GM) is defined as the community of microorganisms (bacteria, archaea, fungi, viruses) colonizing the gastrointestinal tract. GM regulates various metabolic pathways in the host, including those involved in energy homeostasis, glucose and lipid metabolism, and bile acid metabolism. The relationship between alterations in intestinal microbiota and diseases associated with civilization is well documented. GM dysbiosis is involved in the pathogenesis of diverse diseases, such as metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and neurological disorders. Multiple factors modulate the composition of the microbiota and how it physically functions, but one of the major factors triggering GM establishment is diet. In this paper, we reviewed the current knowledge about the relationship between nutrition, gut microbiota, and host metabolic status. We described how macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, fat) and different dietary patterns (e.g., Western-style diet, vegetarian diet, Mediterranean diet) interact with the composition and activity of GM, and how gut bacterial dysbiosis has an influence on metabolic disorders, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hyperlipidemia.
An Enhanced Approach for Economic Evaluation of Long-Term Benefits of School-Based Health Promotion Programs
Authors: Ekwaru John Paul , Ohinmaa Arto , Veugelers Paul J.
Published: April 2020

Chronic diseases constitute a tremendous public health burden globally. Poor nutrition, inactive lifestyles, and obesity are established independent risk factors for chronic diseases. Public health decision-makers are in desperate need of effective and cost-effective programs that prevent chronic diseases. To date, most economic evaluations consider the effect of these programs on body weight, without considering their effects on other risk factors (nutrition and physical activity). We propose an economic evaluation approach that considers program effects on multiple risk factors rather than on a single risk factor. For demonstration, we developed an enhanced model that incorporates health promotion program effects on four risk factors (weight status, physical activity, and fruit and vegetable consumption). Relative to this enhanced model, a model that considered only the effect on weight status produced incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) estimates for quality-adjusted life years that were 1% to 43% higher, and ICER estimates for years with chronic disease prevented that were 1% to 26% higher. The corresponding estimates for return on investment were 1% to 20% lower. To avoid an underestimation of the economic benefits of chronic disease prevention programs, we recommend economic evaluations consider program effects on multiple risk factors.
Development and Validation of a Questionnaire to Measure Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in Korean Adults
Authors: Kwon Yu-Jin , Lee Hyangkyu , Yoon Yooeun , Kim Hyung Mi , Chu Sang Hui , Lee Ji-Won
Published: April 2020

The Mediterranean diet (MD) has beneficial effects on cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and mortality. Although various attempts have been made for estimating adherence to the MD using diet quality indices, few studies involving validated questionnaires for estimating adherence have been performed in Asian populations. We aimed to develop and validate the Korean version of the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (K-MEDAS) by including 211 participants that visited health check-up centers and 116 participants with overweight or hypercholesterolemia that visited obesity clinic. The participants completed both the K-MEDAS and a 106-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). We translated 13 questions and developed 1 question. Considering the agreement between the K-MEDAS and FFQ, nine of the 14 questions showed moderate or high kappa values (≥0.4). The total MD scores measured by the K-MEDAS and FFQ showed substantial concordance (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.678, 95% confidence interval: 0.520, 0.785). Multiple linear regression analyses revealed significant inverse associations between MD score and the levels of serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, after adjusting for confounding variables. We found that K-MEDAS is valid tool for assessing adherence to the MD in the Korean population.
Normal-Weight Obesity Is Associated with Increased Cardiometabolic Risk in Young Adults
Authors: Correa-Rodríguez María , González-Ruíz Katherine , Rincón-Pabón David , Izquierdo Mikel , García-Hermoso Antonio , Agostinis-Sobrinho Cesar , Sánchez-Capacho Nohora , Roa-Cubaque Marcela América , Ramírez-Vélez Robinson
Published: April 2020

Normal-weight obesity (NWO) has been shown to be associated with cardiometabolic dysfunction. However, little is known regarding this potential relationship in early adulthood. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between NWO and cardiometabolic risk factors in a large population of Colombian young adults. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1354 subjects (61% women), aged from 18 to 30. Anthropometric data, including body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC), were estimated, and the percentage of fat mass was measured through bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Muscular fitness was determined by using a handgrip strength test and normalized grip strength (NGS = handgrip (kg)/body mass (kg)). A cardiometabolic risk Z-score was derived by assessing WC, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) cholesterol, fasting glucose, and systolic blood pressure. NWO was defined by the combination of excess %BF (over 25.5% for men and 38.9% for women) and a BMI < 25 kg/m2. The overall prevalence of NWO was 29.1%. Subjects with NWO have an increased risk of cardiometabolic risk compared to the normal-weight lean group (OR = 3.10). Moreover, NWO was associated with an increased risk of presenting low HDL-C (OR = 2.34), high abdominal obesity (OR = 7.27), and low NGS (OR = 3.30), p < 0.001. There is a high prevalence of NWO in American Latin young adults and this condition is associated with an increased cardiovascular risk, high blood pressure, low HDL-C, high abdominal obesity, and low muscular strength early in life. Screening for adiposity in subjects with a normal BMI could help to identify young adults at a high risk of cardiometabolic abnormalities.
Embracing the Evolution of Pharmacy Practice by Empowering Pharmacy Technicians
Authors: Burke Ryan
Published: April 2020

While pharmacy technician roles in some practice settings are expanding beyond the traditional dispensing activities to include advanced or specialized tasks such as immunization administration, medication history collection, and final product verification, these practices are not yet widespread. There are apparent barriers to expanding the role of pharmacy technicians, including inconsistency in the education, training, and certification requirements across the United States, and regulations that have not kept pace with the evolving role of pharmacy technicians. Every corner of the profession has an opportunity, and responsibility, to elevate pharmacy technicians in an effort to advance safety and better serve patients. Regulators can expand the responsibilities that may be delegated to technicians, professional organizations can bring pharmacy technicians into the fold, employers can build career ladders to allow for advancement, and individual pharmacists and pharmacy technicians can advocate and engage.
Ionic Liquid-Based Electrolytes for Energy Storage Devices: A Brief Review on Their Limits and Applications
Authors: Karuppasamy K , Theerthagiri Jayaraman , Vikraman Dhanasekaran , Yim Chang-Joo , Hussain Sajjad , Sharma Ramakant , Maiyalagan Thandavaryan , Qin Jiaqian , Kim Hyun-Seok
Published: April 2020

Since the ability of ionic liquid (IL) was demonstrated to act as a solvent or an electrolyte, IL-based electrolytes have been widely used as a potential candidate for renewable energy storage devices, like lithium ion batteries (LIBs) and supercapacitors (SCs). In this review, we aimed to present the state-of-the-art of IL-based electrolytes electrochemical, cycling, and physicochemical properties, which are crucial for LIBs and SCs. ILs can also be regarded as designer solvents to replace the more flammable organic carbonates and improve the green credentials and performance of energy storage devices, especially LIBs and SCs. This review affords an outline of the progress of ILs in energy-related applications and provides essential ideas on the emerging challenges and openings that may motivate the scientific communities to move towards IL-based energy devices. Finally, the challenges in design of the new type of ILs structures for energy and environmental applications are also highlighted.
Recent Advances in Bioplastics: Application and Biodegradation
Authors: Narancic Tanja , Cerrone Federico , Beagan Niall , O’Connor Kevin E.
Published: April 2020

The success of oil-based plastics and the continued growth of production and utilisation can be attributed to their cost, durability, strength to weight ratio, and eight contributions to the ease of everyday life. However, their mainly single use, durability and recalcitrant nature have led to a substantial increase of plastics as a fraction of municipal solid waste. The need to substitute single use products that are not easy to collect has inspired a lot of research towards finding sustainable replacements for oil-based plastics. In addition, specific physicochemical, biological, and degradation properties of biodegradable polymers have made them attractive materials for biomedical applications. This review summarises the advances in drug delivery systems, specifically design of nanoparticles based on the biodegradable polymers. We also discuss the research performed in the area of biophotonics and challenges and opportunities brought by the design and application of biodegradable polymers in tissue engineering. We then discuss state-of-the-art research in the design and application of biodegradable polymers in packaging and emphasise the advances in smart packaging development. Finally, we provide an overview of the biodegradation of these polymers and composites in managed and unmanaged environments.
Modeling of Vanished Historic Mining Landscape Features as a Part of Digital Cultural Heritage and Possibilities of Its Use in Mining Tourism (Case Study: Gelnica Town, Slovakia)
Authors: Hronček Pavel , Gregorová Bohuslava , Tometzová Dana , Molokáč Mário , Hvizdák Ladislav
Published: April 2020

The study provides a methodology for 3D model processing of historic mining landscape, and its features as mining digital cultural heritage with the possibility of using new visualization means in mining tourism. Historic mining landscapes around the towns of Gelnica (eastern Slovakia) had been chosen for the case study. The underground mining spaces around Gelnica, which are currently inaccessible to clients of mining tourism, were processed using 3D modeling. Historically, correctly processed 3D models of mining spaces enable customers of mining tourism to virtually travel not only in space, but what is most important, in time as well. The up-to-date computer-generated virtual mining heritage in the form of 3D models can be viewed via the Internet from different perspectives and angles. The models created this way are currently the latest trend in developing mining tourism.
Evaluation of Elastic Properties and Conductivity of Chitosan Acetate Films in Ammonia and Water Vapors Using Acoustic Resonators
Authors: Zaitsev Boris D. , Teplykh Andrey A. , Fedorov Fedor S. , Grebenko Artem K. , Nasibulin Albert G. , Semyonov Alexander P. , Borodina Irina A.
Published: April 2020

Novel bio-materials, like chitosan and its derivatives, appeal to finding a new niche in room temperature gas sensors, demonstrating not only a chemoresistive response, but also changes in mechanical impedance due to vapor adsorption. We determined the coefficients of elasticity and viscosity of chitosan acetate films in air, ammonia, and water vapors by acoustic spectroscopy. The measurements were carried out while using a resonator with a longitudinal electric field at the different concentrations of ammonia (100–1600 ppm) and air humidity (20–60%). It was established that, in the presence of ammonia, the longitudinal and shear elastic modules significantly decreased, whereas, in water vapor, they changed slightly. At that, the viscosity of the films increased greatly upon exposure to both vapors. We found that the film’s conductivity increased by two and one orders of magnitude, respectively, in ammonia and water vapors. The effect of analyzed vapors on the resonance properties of a piezoelectric resonator with a lateral electric field that was loaded by a chitosan film on its free side was also experimentally studied. In these vapors, the parallel resonance frequency and maximum value of the real part of the electrical impedance decreased, especially in ammonia. The results of a theoretical analysis of the resonance properties of such a sensor in the presence of vapors turned out to be in a good agreement with the experimental data. It has been also found that with a growth in the concentration of the studied vapors, a decrease in the elastic constants, and an increase in the viscosity factor and conductivity lead to reducing the parallel resonance frequency and the maximum value of the real part of the electric impedance of the piezoelectric resonator with a lateral electric field that was loaded with a chitosan film. This leads to an increase in the sensitivity of such a sensor during exposure to these gas vapors.
Distributed Key Management to Secure IoT Wireless Sensor Networks in Smart-Agro
Authors: Mawlood Hussein Safwan , López Ramos Juan Antonio , Álvarez Bermejo José Antonio
Published: April 2020

With the deepening of the research and development in the field of embedded devices, the paradigm of the Internet of things (IoT) is gaining momentum. Its technology’s widespread applications increasing the number of connected devices constantly. IoT is built on sensor networks, which are enabling a new variety of solutions for applications in several fields (health, industry, defense, agrifood and agro sectors, etc.). Wireless communications are indispensable for taking full advantage of sensor networks but implies new requirements in the security and privacy of communications. Security in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is a major challenge for extending IoT applications, in particular those related to the smart-agro. Moreover, limitations on processing capabilities of sensor nodes, and power consumption have made the encryption techniques devised for conventional networks not feasible. In such scenario, symmetric-key ciphers are preferred for key management in WSN; key distribution is therefore an issue. In this work, we provide a concrete implementation of a novel scalable group distributed key management method and a protocol for securing communications in IoT systems used in the smart agro sector, based on elliptic curve cryptography, to ensure that information exchange between layers of the IoT framework is not affected by sensor faults or intentional attacks. In this sense, each sensor node executes an initial key agreement, which is done through every member’s public information in just two rounds and uses some authenticating information that avoids external intrusions. Further rekeying operations require just a single message and provide backward and forward security.
A Radio Environment Maps Estimation Algorithm based on the Pixel Regression Framework for Underlay Cognitive Radio Networks Using Incomplete Training Data
Authors: Han Xu , Xue Lei , Xu Ying , Liu Zunyang
Published: April 2020

In the underlay cognitive radio networks, the radio environment maps (REMs) estimation is the main challenge in sensing the idle wireless spectrum resources. Traditional deep learning-based algorithms estimate the REMs on the basis of the high-quality, large-scale complete training images. However, collecting the complete radio environment images is time-consuming and requires a numerous number of power spectrum sensing nodes. For this reason, we propose a generative adversarial networks-based pixel regression framework (PRF) for underlay cognitive radio networks. The PRF algorithm relaxes the requirement of the complete training images, and estimates the radio environment maps only on the basis of the incomplete REMs images, which are easier to be collected. First, we transform the radio environment maps estimation task into a pixel regression task through the color mapping progress. Then, to extract helpful information from the incomplete training data, we design a feature enhancing module for the PRF algorithm, which intelligently learns and emphasizes the important features from the training images. Finally, we use the trained pixel regression framework to reconstruct the radio environment maps in the target area. The proposed algorithm learns accurate radio environment characteristics from the incomplete training data rather than making direct biased or imprecise radio propagation assumptions as in the traditional methods. Thus, the PRF algorithm has a better REMs reconstruction performance than the traditional methods, as verified by simulations.
Low-Cost Sensors for Urban Noise Monitoring Networks—A Literature Review
Authors: Picaut Judicaël , Can Arnaud , Fortin Nicolas , Ardouin Jeremy , Lagrange Mathieu
Published: April 2020

Noise pollution reduction in the environment is a major challenge from a societal and health point of view. To implement strategies to improve sound environments, experts need information on existing noise. The first source of information is based on the elaboration of noise maps using software, but with limitations on the realism of the maps obtained, due to numerous calculation assumptions. The second is based on the use of measured data, in particular through professional measurement observatories, but in limited numbers for practical and financial reasons. More recently, numerous technical developments, such as the miniaturization of electronic components, the accessibility of low-cost computing processors and the improved performance of electric batteries, have opened up new prospects for the deployment of low-cost sensor networks for the assessment of sound environments. Over the past fifteen years, the literature has presented numerous experiments in this field, ranging from proof of concept to operational implementation. The purpose of this article is firstly to review the literature, and secondly, to identify the expected technical characteristics of the sensors to address the problem of noise pollution assessment. Lastly, the article will also put forward the challenges that are needed to respond to a massive deployment of low-cost noise sensors.
Design and Implementation of the MIMO–COOK Scheme Using an Image Sensor for Long-Range Communication
Authors: Nguyen Van Hoa , Thieu Minh Duc , Nguyen Huy , Jang Yeong Min
Published: April 2020

Radio-frequency technologies are widely applied in many fields such as mobile systems, healthcare systems, television and radio broadcasting, and satellite communications. However, one major problem in wireless communication based on radio frequencies is its impact on human health. High frequencies adversely impact human health more than low frequencies if the signal power transgresses the permissible threshold. Therefore, researchers are investigating the use of visible light waves (instead of the radio-frequency band) for data transmission in three major areas: visible light communication, light fidelity, and optical camera communication. In this paper, we propose a scheme that upgrades the camera on–off keying (COOK) scheme by using it with the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) scheme; COOK has been recommended by the IEEE 802.15.7-2018 standard. By applying technologies, such as matched filter, region of interest, and MIMO, our proposed scheme promises to improve the performance of the conventional scheme by improving the data rate, communication distance, and bit error rate. By controlling the exposure time, the focal length in a single camera and using channel coding, our proposed scheme can achieve the communication distance of up to 20 m, with a low error rate.
Foveation Pipeline for 360° Video-Based Telemedicine
Authors: Syawaludin Muhammad Firdaus , Lee Myungho , Hwang Jae-In
Published: April 2020

Pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) and omnidirectional cameras serve as a video-mediated communication interface for telemedicine. Most cases use either PTZ or omnidirectional cameras exclusively; even when used together, images from the two are shown separately on 2D displays. Conventional foveated imaging techniques may offer a solution for exploiting the benefits of both cameras, i.e., the high resolution of the PTZ camera and the wide field-of-view of the omnidirectional camera, but displaying the unified image on a 2D display would reduce the benefit of “omni-” directionality. In this paper, we introduce a foveated imaging pipeline designed to support virtual reality head-mounted displays (HMDs). The pipeline consists of two parallel processes: one for estimating parameters for the integration of the two images and another for rendering images in real time. A control mechanism for placing the foveal region (i.e., high-resolution area) in the scene and zooming is also proposed. Our evaluations showed that the proposed pipeline achieved, on average, 17 frames per second when rendering the foveated view on an HMD, and showed angular resolution improvement on the foveal region compared with the omnidirectional camera view. However, the improvement was less significant when the zoom level was 8× and more. We discuss possible improvement points and future research directions.
Free-Standing Complementary Asymmetric Metasurface for Terahertz Sensing Applications
Authors: Taleb Fatima , Al-Naib Ibraheem , Koch Martin
Published: April 2020

We designed and tested a highly sensitive metasurface device based on free-standing complementary asymmetric split-ring resonators at terahertz frequencies. It is utilized for sensing a galactose film. We characterized the device using the induced red shift of a Fano resonance observed in the THz transmission. The sensor has a high sensitivity of 91.7 GHz/RIU due to a significant interaction between the galactose overlayer and the metasurface.
An All-Solid-State Nitrate Ion-Selective Electrode with Nanohybrids Composite Films for In-Situ Soil Nutrient Monitoring
Authors: Chen Ming , Zhang Miao , Wang Xuming , Yang Qingliang , Wang Maohua , Liu Gang , Yao Lan
Published: April 2020

In this paper, an all-solid-state nitrate doped polypyrrole (PPy(NO3−) ion-selective electrode (ISE) was prepared with a nanohybrid composite film of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (ERGO). Preliminary tests on the ISE based in-situ soil nitrate–nitrogen (NO3−-N) monitoring was conducted in a laboratory 3-stage column. Comparisons were made between the NO3−-N content of in-situ soil percolate solution and laboratory-prepared extract solution. Possible influential factors of sample depth, NO3−-N content, soil texture, and moisture were varied. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) characterized morphology and content information of the composite film of ERGO/AuNPs. Due to the performance excellence for conductivity, stability, and hydrophobicity, the ISE with ERGO/AuNPs illustrates an acceptable detection range from 10−1 to 10−5 M. The response time was determined to be about 10 s. The lifetime was 65 days, which revealed great potential for the implementation of the ERGO/AuNPs mediated ISE for in-situ NO3−-N monitoring. In-situ NO3−-N testing results conducted by the all-solid-state ISE followed a similar trend with the standard UV-VIS method.
Key Aspects of Leisure Experiences in Protected Wilderness Areas: Notions of Nature, Senses of Place and Perceived Benefits
Authors: Ried Andrés , Monteagudo María Jesús , Benavides Pelayo , Le Bon Anne , Carmody Stephanie , Santos Rodrigo
Published: April 2020

The main objective of this research was to contribute to the understanding of leisure experiences in protected wilderness areas. This was pursued through the interpretation and analysis of three variables; the personal notion of “Nature”, perception of benefits, and senses of place put forward by resident and non-resident visitors to three protected wilderness areas in southern Chile. Through a post hoc qualitative, in-depth interview with 36 subjects, connections between the aforementioned variables were established. Among the results, the strength with which the romantic notion of Nature appears linked with leisure experiences was highlighted. With the latter, leisure experiences in protected wilderness areas were identified as the generators of “benefits” and “sense of place”. Finally, four key dimensions of leisure experiences in protected wilderness areas emerged: transcendence, perception of well-being, connection and environmental awareness.
Estimating the Impact of Decoupled Payments on Farm Production in Northern Ireland: An Instrumental Variable Fixed Effect Approach
Authors: Olagunju Kehinde Oluseyi , Patton Myles , Feng Siyi
Published: April 2020

The production stimulating impact of agricultural subsidies has been a well-debated topic in agricultural policy analysis for some decades. In light of the EU reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in year 2005 in which agricultural subsidies were decoupled from current production decisions and the modification to this payment in 2015, this study investigates the impact of decoupled payments under these two reforms on livestock production in Northern Ireland. The study uses a farm-level panel dataset covering 2008–2016 period and employs an instrumental variable fixed effect model to control for relevant sources of endogeneity bias. According to the empirical results, the production impacts of decoupled payments were positive and significant but with differential impacts across livestock production sectors, suggesting that decoupled payments still maintain a significant effect on agricultural production and provide an indication of the supply response to changes in decoupled payments.
Cycling for a Sustainable Future. Stimulating Children to Cycle to School via a Synergetic Combination of Informational and Behavioral Interventions
Authors: Van de Sompel Dieneke , Hudders Liselot , Vandenberghe Lore
Published: April 2020

This paper explores how communication interventions can be designed to motivate children to choose more sustainable commuting options (cycling) to go to school. One-hundred and eighty-six children (between 8 and 11 years old) from Flanders, Belgium, participated in an intervention study testing the effectiveness of using informative versus behavioral interventions and the moderating role of motivational messages. The study employed a between-subjects research design with 3 types of interventions (informational versus behavioral versus a combination of informational and behavioral interventions) and 2 types of motivation (autonomous versus controlled motivation). Findings revealed that the average change in the number of times the child indicated to commute by cycling was biggest after being exposed to a combination of informational and behavioral interventions. The type of motivation (autonomous versus controlled) did not have an impact on the average change in the number of times the child indicated to commute by cycling, nor moderated these effects. Additionally, including age and gender as covariates in the model did not alter the results. The study’s findings provide more insights in how sustainable commuting can be promoted among children. It shows the benefits of combining informational and behavioral interventions in public awareness programs (such as in schools).
The Roles of The Physical Environment, Social Servicescape, Co-Created Value, and Customer Satisfaction in Determining Tourists’ Citizenship Behavior: Malaysian Cultural and Creative Industries
Authors: Al Halbusi Hussam , Jimenez Estevez Pedro , Eleen Tan , Ramayah T. , Hossain Uzir Md Uzir
Published: April 2020

Organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) research has been extended in the literature to the customer domain by examining the role of customer behavior in the service sectors. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effect of the physical environment and social servicescape on the co-creation value, and the impact of the co-creation value on customer satisfaction, which, in turn, influences the customer’s citizenship behavior. A field study was conducted in Malaysian cultural and creative industries settings and a total of 254 participants were approached. Structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was used to test the hypothesized relationships among variables. The proposed research model was largely focused on the four perceived values (i.e., physical servicescape, social servicescape, co-creation value, and customer satisfaction) that significantly influence tourists’ citizenship behavior. This study sheds new light on the notable roles of physical servicescape, social servicescape, co-creation value, and customer satisfaction on enhancing tourists’ citizenship behavior. The theoretical implications and practical implications are discussed.
A Global Assessment of Sustainable Development Based on Modification of the Human Development Index via the Entropy Method
Authors: Jin Hui , Qian Xinyi , Chin Tachia , Zhang Hejie
Published: April 2020

In response to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, this paper proposes a new National Sustainable Development Index (NSDI), based on the modification of the Human Development Index (HDI). The purpose of our research was to improve the widely adopted HDI index by incorporating more comprehensive sustainability perspectives, so as to help policy makers to better analyze the sustainability-related issues facing their countries. After clarifying the concept of sustainable development, our research suggests that this term represents a coordination and configuration of economic, social, and environmental aspects of development, with its major focuses on balancing intra-generational welfare and maximizing the total welfare across generations. We then put forward a novel NSDI framework including 12 indicators from dimensions of economy, resource environment, and society, and calculated the weights of 12 indicators using the entropy method. To further validate our proposed index, this paper also measured the NSDIs of 163 countries in the world, and compared this index with the HDI and other well-known modification indices of HDI. The results showed that the NSDI is a reliable and relative complete index for sustainable development assessment, which makes up for the shortcomings of existing indices.
Designing Assistive Devices for Sacred Palanquin Carriers: A Glocalization Community Design
Authors: Ho Ming-Chyuan , Chen Ying-Hsun
Published: April 2020

New knowledge and technology brought about by globalization can be applied to revitalize local cultures in innovative ways. It can start with glocalization community design to sustain unique traditional events so as to energize the community. The paper proposes a study on designing assistive devices for exclusive palanquin carriers for a local religious event. Field investigation, questionnaire survey, and in-depth interviews were adopted to design appropriate assistive devices for palanquin carriers. This design used shoulder protectors to reduce the pain of the palanquin carriers. It is recommended that the palanquin carriers wear a shoulder protective vest with a protector applied to each shoulder to share the weight of the palanquin to maintain a good physical condition so as to facilitate the completion of the event. The task is to develop a protective vest that the palanquin carriers love to wear and will become the focus of attention in the detouring. The designed protective vest could attract more young people to participate in the event, that is how the aging problem could be solved. It is the first but important step to resolve the aging crisis of the event.
Using the Least Squares Support Vector Regression to Forecast Movie Sales with Data from Twitter and Movie Databases
Authors: Huang Yi-Ting , Pai Ping-Feng
Published: April 2020

Due to the rapid prominence and popularity of social media, social broadcasting networks with voluntary information sharing have become one of the most powerful ways to spread word-of-mouth opinions, and thus, have influence on consumers’ preferences toward products. Therefore, sentiment analysis data from social media have become more important in forecasting product sales. For the movie industry, the opinions expressed on social media have increasing impacts on movie sales. In addition, some databases, such as the Box Office Mojo and Internet Movie Database (IMDb), contain structured data for predicting movie sales. Thus, three categories of data—data of movie databases, data of tweets, and hybrid data including movies databases and tweets—are employed symmetrically in this study. The aim of this study is to employ the least squares support vector regression (LSSVR) to forecast movie sales worldwide according to these three forms of data. In addition, three other forecasting techniques—namely, the back propagation neural network (BPNN), the generalized regression neural network (GRNN), and the multivariate linear regression (MLR) model—were used to forecast movie sales with the three types of data. The empirical results show that the LSSVR model with hybrid data can obtain more accurate results than the other forecasting models with all data types. Thus, forecasting movie sales using the LSSSVR model with data containing movie databases and tweets is a feasible and prospective method to forecast movie sales.
Loxoscelism: Advances and Challenges in the Design of Antibody Fragments with Therapeutic Potential
Authors: Karim-Silva Sabrina , Becker-Finco Alessandra , Jiacomini Isabella Gizzi , Boursin Fanny , Leroy Arnaud , Noiray Magali , de Moura Juliana , Aubrey Nicolas , Billiald Philippe , Alvarenga Larissa M.
Published: April 2020

Envenoming due to Loxosceles spider bites still remains a neglected disease of particular medical concern in the Americas. To date, there is no consensus for the treatment of envenomed patients, yet horse polyclonal antivenoms are usually infused to patients with identified severe medical conditions. It is widely known that venom proteins in the 30–35 kDa range with sphingomyelinase D (SMasesD) activity, reproduce most of the toxic effects observed in loxoscelism. Hence, we believe that monoclonal antibody fragments targeting such toxins might pose an alternative safe and effective treatment. In the present study, starting from the monoclonal antibody LimAb7, previously shown to target SMasesD from the venom of L. intermedia and neutralize its dermonecrotic activity, we designed humanized antibody V-domains, then produced and purified as recombinant single-chain antibody fragments (scFvs). These molecules were characterized in terms of humanness, structural stability, antigen-binding activity, and venom-neutralizing potential. Throughout this process, we identified some blocking points that can impact the Abs antigen-binding activity and neutralizing capacity. In silico analysis of the antigen/antibody amino acid interactions also contributed to a better understanding of the antibody’s neutralization mechanism and led to reformatting the humanized antibody fragment which, ultimately, recovered the functional characteristics for efficient in vitro venom neutralization.
Blooms of Toxic Cyanobacterium Nodularia spumigena in Norwegian Fjords During Holocene Warm Periods
Authors: Konkel Robert , Toruńska-Sitarz Anna , Cegłowska Marta , Ežerinskis Žilvinas , Šapolaitė Justina , Mažeika Jonas , Mazur-Marzec Hanna
Published: April 2020

In paleoecological studies, molecular markers are being used increasingly often to reconstruct community structures, environmental conditions and ecosystem changes. In this work, nodularin, anabaenopeptins and selected DNA sequences were applied as Nodularia spumigena markers to reconstruct the history of the cyanobacterium in the Norwegian fjords. For the purpose of this study, three sediment cores collected in Oslofjorden, Trondheimsfjorden and Balsfjorden were analyzed. The lack of nodularin in most recent sediments is consistent with the fact that only one report on the sporadic occurrence and low amounts of the cyanobacterium in Norwegian Fjords in 1976 has been published. However, analyses of species-specific chemical markers in deep sediments showed that thousands of years ago, N. spumigena constituted an important component of the phytoplankton community. The content of the markers in the cores indicated that the biomass of the cyanobacterium increased during the warmer Holocene periods. The analyses of genetic markers were less conclusive; they showed the occurrence of microcystin/nodularin producing cyanobacteria of Nostocales order, but they did not allow for the identification of the organisms at a species level.
The Importance of Allelopathic Picocyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. on the Abundance, Biomass Formation, and Structure of Phytoplankton Assemblages in Three Freshwater Lakes
Authors: Bubak Iwona , Śliwińska-Wilczewska Sylwia , Głowacka Paulina , Szczerba Agnieszka , Możdżeń Katarzyna
Published: April 2020

The contribution of picocyanobacteria to summer phytoplankton blooms, accompanied by an ecological crisis, is a new phenomenon in Europe. This issue requires careful investigation. We studied allelopathic activity of freshwater picocyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. on phytoplankton assemblages from three freshwater lakes. In this study, the allelopathic activity of the Synechococcus sp. on the total abundance, biomass, as well as structure of the phytoplankton assemblages were investigated. Our results indicated that addition of exudates obtained from Synechococcus sp. affected the number of cells and biomass of the phytoplankton communities; the degree of inhibition or stimulation was different for each species, causing a change in the phytoplankton abundance and dominance during the experiment. We observed that some group of organisms (especially cyanobacteria from the genus Aphanothece, Limnothrix, Microcystis, and Synechococcus) showed tolerance for allelopathic compounds produced and released by Synechococcus sp. It is also worth noting that in some samples, Bacillariophyceae (e.g., Amphora pediculus, Navicula pygmaea, and Nitzschia paleacea) were completely eliminated in the experimental treatments, while present in the controls. This work demonstrated that the allelopathic activity exhibited by the Synechococcus sp. is probably one of the major competitive strategies affecting some of the coexisting phytoplankton species in freshwater ecosystems. To our best knowledge this is the first report of the allelopathic activity of Synechococcus sp. in the freshwater reservoirs, and one of the few published works showing allelopathic properties of freshwater picocyanobacteria on coexisting phytoplankton species.
Experimental and Numerical Analysis of a Dam-Break Flow through Different Contraction Geometries of the Channel
Authors: Kocaman Selahattin , Güzel Hasan , Evangelista Stefania , Ozmen-Cagatay Hatice , Viccione Giacomo
Published: April 2020

Dam-break wave propagation usually occurs over irregular topography, due for example to natural contraction-expansion of the river bed and to the presence of natural or artificial obstacles. Due to limited available dam-break real-case data, laboratory and numerical modeling studies are significant for understanding this type of complex flow problems. To contribute to the related field, a dam-break flow over a channel with a contracting reach was investigated experimentally and numerically. Laboratory tests were carried out in a smooth rectangular channel with a horizontal dry bed for three different lateral contraction geometries. A non-intrusive digital imaging technique was utilized to analyze the dam-break wave propagation. Free surface profiles and time variation of water levels in selected sections were obtained directly from three synchronized CCD video camera records through a virtual wave probe. The experimental results were compared against the numerical solution of VOF (Volume of Fluid)-based Shallow Water Equations (SWEs) and Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations with the k-ε turbulence model. Good agreements were obtained between computed and measured results. However, the RANS solution shows a better correspondence with the experimental results compared with the SWEs one. The presented new experimental data can be used to validate numerical models for the simulation of dam-break flows over irregular topography.
Mutations religieuses : le cas des séraphins / Religious Mutations : the Case of the Seraphim
Authors: Anthonioz Stéphanie
Published: April 2020

Les sources du Levant au 1er millénaire av. n. è., particulièrement bibliques, révèlent un certain nombre de « mutations » religieuses parmi lesquelles la prolifération des anges. Les séraphins constituent ainsi un premier objet d'étude. Le but de cette contribution est d'exposer les sources iconographiques et textuelles qui permettent de renseigner sur ces créatures hybrides et de saisir leur « invention » par les scribes de Jérusalem, dans le cadre de traditions et d'influences multiples, puis leur « mutation » angélique dans le cadre des sources pseudépigraphiques et des apocryphes chrétiens.
Comment classer et compter des dieux innombrables? / How to Classify and Count Countless Gods ?
Authors: Macé François
Published: April 2020

Même si l'on se restreint aux dieux proclamés indigènes de l'Antiquité, sans tenir compte des apports du bouddhisme et du taoïsme, le personnel divin japonais est pensé comme innombrable. Cette idée est rendue le plus souvent par l'expression yahoyorozu, « huit cents myriades » qui n'est pas un nombre mais l'expression d'une multitude incalculable. Toutefois, pas plus au Japon qu'ailleurs, les dieux ne forment en permanence une masse indistincte. Ils sont d'abord répartis en dieux célestes et dieux terrestres. Cependant dans les faits, cette première distinction est relativement peu marquée, étant entendu que les dieux célestes sont supérieurs. Les deux catégories semblent avoir été plus pensées comme complémentaires que comme opposées. Les dieux sont sexués. On se trouve en présence de nombreux couples au nom presque identique à commencer par le premier lzanaki-lzanami qui donnent l'impression d'une seule entité présentée sous deux aspects le masculin, hiko, et le féminin, hime. Les dieux apparaissent enfin en groupe. Le huit étant le regroupement le plus fréquent. On peut supposer qu'à chaque fois, c'est une sorte de totalité minimale qui est évoquée, un écho à petite échelle aux huit cents myriades de dieux. Les dieux ne sont donc pas seulement multiples, ils ne peuvent exister, agir qu'avec d'autres dieux. Leur existence individuelle est souvent mal assurée. Disons qu'ils sont d'une nature doublement et même triplement plurielle.
D'Aššur à Nabû: construire et déconstruire les « grands dieux» sous les Sargonides (722-612 av. n. è.) / From Aššur to Nabû : Constructing and Deconstructing the « Great Gods » under the Sargonids (722-612 BCE)
Authors: Rendu Loisel Anne-Caroline
Published: April 2020

Les civilisations du Proche-Orient ancien ont vu leurs paysages divins être modifiés au gré des aventures humaines et des événements politiques. Certains dieux ont été hissés au sommet du panthéon, comme Assur et Nabû. Ces modifications théologiques ont alimenté les réflexions des savants et lettrés à la cour des rois d'Assyrie. À travers les mythes, les hymnes et les rituels mis par écrit à l'époque néo-assyrienne, de nouvelles configurations se manifestent dans la sphère divine : filiation, naissance mais aussi assimilation justifient la prééminence d'un dieu sur les autres. Le présent article propose une introduction générale à la fabrique de grandes divinités dans les discours des savants assyriens.