ahmedabdelwahed/Medical_papers_title_and_abstract_NLP_dataset huggingface dataset:
Automatic detection of building typology using deep learning methods on street level images

An exposure model is a key component for assessing potential human and economic losses from natural disasters. An exposure model consists of a spatially disaggregated description of the infrastructure and population of a region under study. Depending on the size of the settlement area, developing such models can be a costly and time-consuming task. In this paper we use a manually annotated dataset consisting of approximately 10,000 photos acquired at street level in the urban area of Medellin to explore the potential for using a convolutional neural network (CNN) to automatically detect building materials and types of lateral-load resisting systems, which are attributes that define a building's structural typology (which is a key issue in exposure models for seismic risk assessment). The results of the developed model achieved a precision of 93% and a recall of 95% when identifying nonductile buildings, which are the buildings most likely to be damaged in an earthquake. Identifying fine-grained material typology is more difficult, because many visual clues are physically hidden, but our model matches expert level performances, achieving a recall of 85% and accuracy scores ranging from 60% to 82% on the three most common building typologies, which account for 91% of the total building population in Medellin. Overall, this study shows that a CNN can make a substantial contribution to developing cost-effective exposure models.
Color-Switchable Subwavelength Organic Light-Emitting Antennas

Future photonic devices require efficient, multifunctional, electrically driven light sources with directional emission properties and subwavelength dimensions. Electrically driven plasmonic nanoantennas have been demonstrated as enabling technology. Here, we present the concept of a nanoscale organic light-emitting antenna (OLEA) as a color- and directionality-switchable point source. The device consists of laterally arranged electrically contacted gold nanoantennas with their gap filled by the organic semiconductor zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc). Since ZnPc shows preferred hole conduction in combination with gold, the recombination zone relocates depending on the polarity of the applied voltage and couples selectively to either of the two antennas. Thereby, the emission characteristics of the device also depend on polarity. Contrary to large-area OLEDs where recombination at metal contacts significantly contributes to losses, our ultracompact OLEA structures facilitate efficient radiation into the far-field rendering transparent electrodes obsolete. We envision OLEA structures to serve as wavelength-scale pixels with tunable color and directionality for advanced display applications.
PCA-DEA-tobit regression assessment with carbon emission constraints of China's logistics industry

China's logistics industry has developed rapidly recently, but it also faces problems such as high costs, low efficiency and excessive carbon emissions, which has caused a heavy burden on the environment. However, there are few studies on the consideration of carbon emission factors in logistics performance evaluation. To this end, this study developed a comprehensive evaluation index system to assess the performance of China's logistics. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied to reduce the indicator dimensions and then a Slacks-Based Measure-Data Envelopment Analysis (SBM-DEA) was employed to measure and evaluate the logistics performance with and without carbon emissions constraints of 30 provinces/municipalities in China and analyze the overall level and spatial characteristics of China's logistics industry efficiency. Regression analyses using the Tobit model were then conducted to identify the driving factors. The results show that: (1) There are large regional differences in China's logistics efficiency, showing a gradual decline from east to west regions; (2) Low scale efficiency is an important factor restricting the logistics development; (3) In terms of influencing factors, regional economic and logistics development are positively related to the logistics efficiency, and energy structure and government influence are negatively related to the logistics efficiency. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The dynamic association between healthcare spending, CO2 emissions, and human development index in OECD countries: evidence from panel VAR model

The present research aims to inspect the bidirectional association among healthcare expenditures, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and human development index (HDI). For this purpose, we employ a balanced panel data set of 33 OECD countries for the period 2006-2016. A newly developed econometric approach known as panel vector autoregression based on the generalized method of moments estimations is employed to test this relationship. The key empirical findings reveal that (1) all of the three main variables namely healthcare expenditures, CO2 emissions, and HDI exhibit a causal relationship, (2) there exists bidirectional causality between healthcare expenditures and CO2 emissions which suggests that CO2 emissions significantly escalate the healthcare expenditures in OECD countries. Likewise, healthcare investments also increase emissions due to higher use of energy, (3) positive bidirectional causation between healthcare expenditures and HDI entails that investments in health infrastructure lead to improvement in the overall quality of living in these countries. Moreover, a higher HDI reinforces the governments to increase their healthcare spending, and (4) there is a unidirectional negative causality between CO2 emissions and HDI which implies that carbon emissions significantly deteriorate human health and wellness in these countries. Based on these empirical outcomes, the policy prescriptions are discussed for the relevant authorities to curtail emission and enhance the quality of living of the masses.
The impact of population urbanization lag on eco-efficiency: A panel quantile approach

China's urban built-up areas have developed fast, along with land urbanization growing rapidly. However, the population of urban agglomeration has not increased simultaneously, and urbanization speed of population is much smaller compared to land expansion. This study exploits super slack-based measure to evaluate eco-efficiency for 47 cities in the Bohai Rim from year 2005-2015. A population urbanization lag index is synthesized and the ordinary least squares and generalized methods of moments estimation approaches are adopted to explore the relationship between eco-efficiency and urbanization with special concentration on the population urbanization lag. Furthermore, a panel quantile approach is conducted to interpret the impact of urbanization and population urbanization lag on eco-efficiency in different quantiles. This study shows that per capita GDP and foreign direct investment have positive effects on eco-efficiency while industry structure, urbanization, and population urbanization lag have negative influences on eco-efficiency. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
China's policies of building green retrofit: A state-of-the-art overview

Green retrofit in existing buildings is of great significance in achieving a sustainable environment. Various policies have been introduced around the world to promote building green retrofit, whereas the uptake is rare for policy ineffectiveness. To improve policy effectiveness, it has been emphasized that a systematic review of existing retrofit policies has a key priority. In this study, a comprehensive review on retrofit policies in China was conducted because there are great application potential for green retrofit in China's existing buildings. This study examined the state-of-the-art development of retrofit policies during 1996-2019 and explored policy characteristics based on content analysis. The ambitious retrofit objectives and multiple retrofit instruments were identified. The relevant policy instruments can be grouped into six categories, including command and control, economic incentives, technology, information, certification, organization & professional. The most cited policy was the command and control instrument, followed by the certification-based instrument. Moreover, policy instruments related to economic incentives, technology and information were also valued by the China government, while the government attempted to reduce the adoption of economic incentives and technology measures since 2010. In addition, organization & professional instruments are largely ignored in China. In the light of these findings, a roadmap was proposed to enhance the effectiveness of building retrofit policies. This study sheds lights on the effectiveness of China's building policies to accelerate the popularity of green retrofit, and provides valuable references for other countries and regions to shape their own policy pathways towards the large-scale promotion of building green retrofit.
Optimal design and techno-economic analysis of a solar-wind-biomass off-grid hybrid power system for remote rural electrification: A case study of west China

Demand for electricity is a key bottleneck for the development of remote areas. Grid extension to remote areas has previously been constrained due to difficult terrain for construction and vast investment. Fast development of decentralized renewable energy production technologies provides opportunity for tackling the challenges. The study aims to demonstrate the techno-economic feasibility of off-grid hybrid renewable energy system for remote rural electrification, via a case study of a village in West China by performing simulation, optimization and sensitivity analysis. Daily and seasonal characteristics of energy supply as well as demand sizes and patterns of remote rural areas are considered. Different combinations of PV panels, wind turbine and biogas generator are modeled and optimized in Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER). The most cost competitive configuration is determined whilst ensuring a reliable power supply featuring residential, community, commercial and agricultural demand of the village. Comparison of the off-grid hybrid power system and grid extension has been carried out. Results show that a hybrid power system comprising solar, wind and biomass is a reliable and cost-effective option for sustainable remote rural electrification whilst achieving environmental benefits. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Biomass energy production and its impacts on the ecological footprint: An investigation of the G7 countries

In recent years, the impacts of biomass energy consumption on the environment have attracted the attention of policymakers and scholars. Although empirical studies have been conducted on this topic, the relationship between biomass energy production and the ecological footprint has been overlooked in the literature. This study seeks to fill this gap by investigating the effects of biomass energy production on the ecological footprint of the G7 countries for the period 1980-2016. For this purpose, we use a set of methods, that help overcome the problem of cross-sectional dependence in panel data analysis. The findings from dynamic seemingly unrelated regression (DSUR) estimation show that biomass energy production increases the ecological footprint of the G7 countries. Meanwhile, a Dumitrescu-Hurlin causality test provides evidence that unidirectional causality runs from biomass energy production to the ecological footprint. Based on these empirical results, several policy recommendations are proposed for the G7 countries. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Kinetics of atrial and brain natriuretic peptides during hemodialysis are regulated in association with different cardiac functional changes

The blood levels of atrial and brain natriuretic peptides (ANP and BNP) are both increased markedly in hemodialysis patients, but the kinetics of the two are not always parallel. The present study investigated the association of changes in ANP and BNP levels before and after dialysis with changes in cardiac function in hemodialysis patients. A total of 57 patients (mean age 64 years, 47 males and 10 females) on maintenance hemodialysis with sinus rhythm were enrolled. Blood samples were taken at the beginning and end of dialysis, and plasma levels of ANP and BNP were measured. Changes in cardiac function during dialysis were examined by echocardiography performed just before and after dialysis. Both plasma ANP and BNP concentrations decreased significantly after hemodialysis, but the rate of decrease in BNP [mean ± SD, 555 ± 503 to 519 ± 477 pg/mL (- 6.4%), P = 0.011] was much smaller than that in ANP [233 ± 123 to 132 ± 83 pg/mL (- 43.4%), P < 0.001]. As for the relation to the changes in echocardiographic parameters before and after dialysis, the decrease in inferior vena cava diameter had a close correlation with the decrease in ANP (r = 0.528, P < 0.001), but not BNP. In contrast, the decrease in left ventricular end-diastolic volume index was correlated only with the decrease in BNP (r = 0.297, P = 0.035). The peak velocity ratio of early diastolic to atrial filling decreased with preload reduction by dialysis, and its decrease was more strongly correlated with the decrease in BNP (r = 0.407, P = 0.002) than that in ANP (r = 0.273, P = 0.040). These results demonstrated that in hemodialysis patients, the decrease in plasma ANP by a single dialysis was essentially caused by blood volume reduction, while BNP decrease was mainly induced by the reduction of left ventricular overload. Our findings indicate that the kinetics of both peptides during dialysis are regulated by different cardiac and hemodynamic factors.
Progress of the applications of bio-oil

Bio-oil is considered a renewable feedstock for the production of energy, fuels, chemicals and carbon materials. These specifically include the direct combustion of bio-oil as a boiler fuel, the production of biofuel from bio-oil via hydrotreatment, or the production of value-added chemicals via separation and acid-catalysis/hydrogenation or the conversion of bio-oil to carbon materials via polymerisation/cracking. So far, considerable efforts have been made to develop feasible method for utilizing bio-oil. However, it remains a challenge to find a suitable outlet for the commercial application of bio-oil. The conversion of bio-oil into the useful products has been the focus of numerous studies. Therefore, the review of the progress of this area is of importance for providing the necessary information for assessing the feasibility of the varied process for the application of bio-oil in a comparative manner. This work reviewed the progress of bio-oil as the feedstock for the use as boiler, heavy-duty engine fuel, or the use as the feedstock for the production biofuel, hydrogen, chemicals, carbonaceous materials, binder for electrode and asphalt, pesticide and fertilizer, polyurethane foam and plastics. In addition, the major issues associated with the application of bio-oil as well as the techno-economic aspects of each application were analysed as well. Suggestions were given for the future developments in each application. The analysis indicated that majority of these technologies are mainly in the initial stages of developments. Either cost or the technical issues are the major barrier for the commercial application of bio-oil in large scale.
Social ascent changes cognition, behaviour and physiology in a highly social cichlid fish

When an individual ascends in dominance status within their social community, they often undergo a suite of behavioural, physiological and neuromolecular changes. While these changes have been extensively characterized across a number of species, we know much less about the degree to which these changes in turn influence cognitive processes like associative learning, memory and spatial navigation. Here, we assessed male Astatotilapia burtoni, an African cichlid fish known for its dynamic social dominance hierarchies, in a set of cognitive tasks both before and after a community perturbation in which some individuals ascended in dominance status. We assayed steroid hormone (cortisol, testosterone) levels before and after the community experienced a social perturbation. We found that ascending males changed their physiology and novel object recognition preference during the perturbation, and they subsequently differed in social competence from non-ascenders. Additionally, using a principal component analysis we were able to identify specific cognitive and physiological attributes that appear to predispose certain individuals to ascend in social status once a perturbation occurs. These previously undiscovered relationships between social ascent and cognition further emphasize the broad influence of social dominance on animal decision-making. This article is part of the theme issue 'The centennial of the pecking order: current state and future prospects for the study of dominance hierarchies'.
Vegetable wastes as a bio-additive for low-salt preservation of raw goat skin: An attempt to reduce salinity in leather manufacture

Preservation or curing of hides/skins is performed as the primary step of leather processing to conserve them from putrefaction. Normally preservation is carried out using common salt (NaCl), which is discharged in the soak liquor contributing to ~ 70%, of total dissolved solids (TDS) load of entire leather manufacturing. In an attempt to reduce the TDS and chlorides, phyto-based preservation using garlic peel (Allium sativum) and white onion peel (Allium cepa) was carried out. Different concentrations of salt in combination with garlic peel and white onion peel were applied on freshly flayed goat skins based on its green weight and compared to control (40% salt). Sensory evaluation of the preserved skin was done by assessing different parameters like hair slip, putrefaction and odour. Estimation of hydroxyproline (HP) release, moisture content and microbial load were carried out at regular intervals. Skins that remained in good condition for 14 days were further processed into leather and properties were examined which were found comparable to the conventionally cured skins. Hence, this cleaner curing technique helps in reducing the TDS and chlorides in the effluent, thus controlling the pollution caused by tanneries through sustainable leather processing.
A rare case of superior vena cava syndrome in a patient on VV-ECMO

Superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome is caused by either extrinsic compression of SVC or intrinsic lesions within SVC leading to obstruction of SVC and consequently swelling of the face, neck, and upper extremeities. Iatrogenic incidence is on the rise due to the use of long-term indwelling catheters. SVC syndrome in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been defined in neonatal and paediatric ECMO cases. Only one case of SVC syndrome in adult has been defined while using a double-lumen ECMO cannula. Our case describes a case of SVC syndrome in a case on veno-venous ECMO (VV-ECMO) with an internal jugular vein (IJV) return cannula which is unheard of. A high index of suspicion is required to diagnose SVC syndrome.
Neighborhoods, Schools, and Adolescent Violence: Ecological Relative Deprivation, Disadvantage Saturation, or Cumulative Disadvantage?

Neighborhood and school socioeconomic "disadvantage" are consequential for youth violence perpetration. This study considers alternative ecological cumulative disadvantage, disadvantage saturation, and relative deprivation hypotheses regarding how the association between neighborhood disadvantage and violence varies by levels of socioeconomic disadvantage in schools. These hypotheses are tested with data from Wave I of Add Health (n = 15,581; 51% Female; Age mean = 15.67, SD = 1.74). Cross-classified multilevel Rasch models are used to estimate the interaction between neighborhood and school disadvantage in predicting adolescent violence. Consistent with the ecological relative deprivation hypothesis, results indicate that the association between neighborhood disadvantage and violence is most pronounced among youth attending low-disadvantage schools. Further, youth exposed to high-disadvantage neighborhoods and low-disadvantage schools tend to be at the greatest risk of perpetrating violence. These patterns are evident among both males and females, and particularly among older youth and those from low-parent education families. This study motivates future investigations considering how adolescents' experiences beyond the neighborhood shape how they engage with and experience the effects of their neighborhoods.
Techno-economic comparison of green ammonia production processes

To reduce the fossil-fuel consumption and the impacts of conventional ammonia production on climate change, green ammonia production processes using green hydrogen need to be investigated. For commercial production scale, potential alternatives can be based on biomass gasification and water electrolysis via renewable energy, namely biomass- and power-to-ammonia. The former generally uses entrained flow gasifier due to low CO2 and almost no tar, and air separation units are shared by the gasifier and ammonia synthesis. The latter may use solid-oxide electrolyzer due to high electrical efficiency and the possibility of heat integration with the ammonia synthesis process. In this paper, techno-economic feasibility of these two green ammonia production processes are investigated and compared with the state-of-the-art methane-to-ammonia process, considering system-level heat integration and optimal placement of steam cycles for heat recovery. With a reference ammonia production of 50 kton/year, the results show that there are trade-offs between the overall energy efficiency (LHV) and ammonia production cost for all three cases. The biomass-to-ammonia is the most exothermic but is largely limited by the large heat requirement of acid gas removal. The steam cycles with three pressure levels are able to maximize the heat utilization at the system level. The power-to-ammonia achieves the highest system efficiency of over 74%, much higher than that of biomass-to-ammonia (44%) and methane-to-ammonia (61%). The biomass-to-ammonia reaches above 450 $/ton ammonia production cost with a payback time of over 6 years, higher than those of methane-to-ammonia (400 $/ton, 5 years). The power-to-ammonia is currently not economically feasible due to high stack costs and electricity prices; however, it can be competitive with a payback time of below 5 years with mass production of solid-oxide industry and increased renewable power penetration.
Development level and the impact of technological factor on renewable energy production

This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the drivers of renewable energy production by employing variables of technological factors, economic factors, and environmental factors for two panels of developed and developing countries. Using GLS (Generalized Least Square) panel data estimation method, this paper finds that the determinants towards renewable sources vary in accordance with the level of income. The results reveal that renewable energy production is significantly determined by high technology export in developed countries, while high technology export is not statistically significant in explaining the use of RE sources in developing countries. Oil price has the smallest impact on renewable energy production in both groups. Although GDP per capita yields a positive impact on renewable energy production per capita in both groups, per capita CO2 emission shows considerably different impacts in developed and developing countries. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.