bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) Material Affected by Various Processing Parameters
Authors: Xu Tao , Shen Wei , Lin Xiaoshan , Xie Yi Min
Published: December 2020

Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) is a polymer material that has high ductility, good biocompatibility and excellent abrasion resistance. These properties open a pathway to manufacturing functional TPU parts for applications in various fields such as aerospace engineering, medical devices and sports equipment. This study aims to investigate the mechanical properties of additively manufactured TPU material affected by three different processing parameters, including build orientation, mix ratio of the new and reused powders and post-processing. A series of material tests are conducted on TPU dumb-bell specimens. It is found that the mix ratio of the new powder is the most critical factor in improving the mechanical properties of the printed TPU parts. Compared to reused powder, new powder has better particle quality and thermal properties. Besides, build orientation is also a very important factor. TPU parts printed in flat and on-edge orientations show better tensile strength and deformability than those printed in upright orientation. In addition, post-processing is found to significantly enhance the deformability of TPU parts.
Open Bioeconomy—A Bibliometric Study on the Accessibility of Articles in the Field of Bioeconomy
Authors: Duquenne Marianne , Prost Hélène , Schöpfel Joachim , Dumeignil Franck
Published: December 2020

Open access (OA) to scientific information is one of the major challenges and objectives of actual public research policy. The purpose of this paper is to assess the degree of openness of scientific articles on bioeconomy, as one of the emergent research fields at the crossroads of several disciplines and with high societal and industrial impact. Based on a Web of Science (WoS) corpus of 2489 articles published between 2015 and 2019, we calculated bibliometric indicators, explored the openness of each article and assessed the share of journals, countries and research areas of these articles. The results show a sharp increase and diversification of articles in the field of bioeconomy, with a beginning long tail distribution. 45.6% of the articles are freely available and the share of OA articles is steadily increasing, from 31% in 2015 to 52% in 2019. Gold is the most important variant of OA. Open access is low in the applied research areas of chemical, agricultural and environmental engineering but higher in the domains of energy and fuels, forestry and green and sustainable science and technology. The UK and the Netherlands have the highest rates of OA articles, followed by Spain and Germany. The funding rate of OA articles is higher than of non-OA articles. This is the first bibliometric study on open access to articles on bioeconomy. The results can be useful for the further development of OA editorial and funding criteria in the field of bioeconomy.
Knowing God in Eastern Christianity and Islamic Tradition: A Comparative Study
Authors: Kirabaev Nur , Chistyakova Olga
Published: December 2020

The currently existing type of dialogue of Western and Eastern cultures makes a philosophical exploration of Christianity and Islam compelling as they are fundamental monotheistic religions capable of ensuring the peaceful interaction of various ethnic cultures in the age of deepening secularization. The present analysis of the philosophical and epistemological teachings of the Greek Byzantine Church Fathers and the thinkers of classical Arab-Islamic culture aims at overcoming stereotypes regarding the opposition of Christianity and Islam that strongly permeate both scholarly theorizing and contemporary social discourses. The authors scrutinize the epistemological principles of the exoteric and esoteric knowledge of the Islamic Golden Age and the apophatic and cataphatic ways of attaining the knowledge of God in Early Christianity. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the concepts of personal mystical comprehension of God in Sufism (fanā’) and in Christianity (Uncreated Light).
Doctrinal and Physical Marginality in Christian Death: The Burial of Unbaptized Infants in Medieval Italy
Authors: Crow Madison , Zori Colleen , Zori Davide
Published: December 2020

The burial of unbaptized fetuses and infants, as seen through texts and archaeology, exposes friction between the institutional Church and medieval Italy’s laity. The Church’s theology of Original Sin, baptism, and salvation left the youngest children especially vulnerable to dying unbaptized and subsequently being denied a Christian burial in consecrated grounds. We here present textual and archaeological evidence from medieval Italy regarding the tensions between canon law and parental concern for the eternal salvation of their infants’ souls. We begin with an analysis of medieval texts from Italy. These reveal that, in addition to utilizing orthodox measures of appealing for divine help through the saints, laypeople of the Middle Ages turned to folk religion and midwifery practices such as “life testing” of unresponsive infants using water or other liquids. Although emergency baptism was promoted by the Church, the laity may have occasionally violated canon law by performing emergency baptism on stillborn infants. Textual documents also record medieval people struggling with where to bury their deceased infants, as per their ambiguous baptismal status within the Church community. We then present archaeological evidence from medieval sites in central and northern Italy, confirming that familial concern for the inclusion of infants in Christian cemeteries sometimes clashed with ecclesiastical burial regulations. As a result, the remains of unbaptized fetuses and infants have been discovered in consecrated ground. The textual and archaeological records of fetal and infant burial in medieval Italy serve as a material legacy of how laypeople interpreted and sometimes contravened the Church’s marginalizing theology and efforts to regulate the baptism and burial of the very young.
An Artificial Neural Network to Infer the Mediterranean 3D Chlorophyll-a and Temperature Fields from Remote Sensing Observations
Authors: Sammartino Michela , Buongiorno Nardelli Bruno , Marullo Salvatore , Santoleri Rosalia
Published: December 2020

Remote sensing data provide a huge number of sea surface observations, but cannot give direct information on deeper ocean layers, which can only be provided by sparse in situ data. The combination of measurements collected by satellite and in situ sensors represents one of the most effective strategies to improve our knowledge of the interior structure of the ocean ecosystems. In this work, we describe a Multi-Layer-Perceptron (MLP) network designed to reconstruct the 3D fields of ocean temperature and chlorophyll-a concentration, two variables of primary importance for many upper-ocean bio-physical processes. Artificial neural networks can efficiently model eventual non-linear relationships among input variables, and the choice of the predictors is thus crucial to build an accurate model. Here, concurrent temperature and chlorophyll-a in situ profiles and several different combinations of satellite-derived surface predictors are used to identify the optimal model configuration, focusing on the Mediterranean Sea. The lowest errors are obtained when taking in input surface chlorophyll-a, temperature, and altimeter-derived absolute dynamic topography and surface geostrophic velocity components. Network training and test validations give comparable results, significantly improving with respect to Mediterranean climatological data (MEDATLAS). 3D fields are then also reconstructed from full basin 2D satellite monthly climatologies (1998–2015) and resulting 3D seasonal patterns are analyzed. The method accurately infers the vertical shape of temperature and chlorophyll-a profiles and their spatial and temporal variability. It thus represents an effective tool to overcome the in-situ data sparseness and the limits of satellite observations, also potentially suitable for the initialization and validation of bio-geophysical models.
Inter-Comparison of Field- and Laboratory-Derived Surface Emissivities of Natural and Manmade Materials in Support of Land Surface Temperature (LST) Remote Sensing
Authors: Langsdale Mary F. , Dowling Thomas P. F. , Wooster Martin , Johnson James , Grosvenor Mark J. , de Jong Mark C. , Johnson William R. , Hook Simon J. , Rivera Gerardo
Published: December 2020

Correct specification of a target’s longwave infrared (LWIR) surface emissivity has been identified as one of the greatest sources of uncertainty in the remote sensing of land surface temperature (LST). Field and laboratory emissivity measurements are essential for improving and validating LST retrievals, but there are differing approaches to making such measurements and the conditions that they are made under can affect their performance. To better understand these impacts we made measurements of fourteen manmade and natural samples under different environmental conditions, both in situ and in the laboratory. We used Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometers to deliver spectral emissivities and an emissivity box to deliver broadband emissivities. Field- and laboratory-measured spectral emissivities were generally within 1–2% in the key 8–12 micron region of the LWIR atmospheric window for most samples, though greater variability was observed for vegetation and inhomogeneous samples. Differences between laboratory and field spectral measurements highlighted the importance of field methods for these samples, with the laboratory setup unable to capture sample structure or inhomogeneity. The emissivity box delivered broadband emissivities with a consistent negative bias compared to the FTIR-based approaches, with differences of up to 5%. The emissivities retrieved using the different approaches result in LST retrieval differences of between 1 and 4 °C, stressing the importance of correct emissivity specification.
Toward Non-Invasive Measurement of Atmospheric Temperature Using Vibro-Rotational Raman Spectra of Diatomic Gases
Authors: Capek Tyler , Borysow Jacek , Mazzoleni Claudio , Moraldi Massimo
Published: December 2020

We demonstrate precise determination of atmospheric temperature using vibro-rotational Raman (VRR) spectra of molecular nitrogen and oxygen in the range of 292–293 K. We used a continuous wave fiber laser operating at 10 W near 532 nm as an excitation source in conjunction with a multi-pass cell. First, we show that the approximation that nitrogen and oxygen molecules behave like rigid rotors leads to erroneous derivations of temperature values from VRR spectra. Then, we account for molecular non-rigidity and compare four different methods for the determination of air temperature. Each method requires no temperature calibration. The first method involves fitting the intensity of individual lines within the same branch to their respective transition energies. We also infer temperature by taking ratios of two isolated VRR lines; first from two lines of the same branch, and then one line from the S-branch and one from the O-branch. Finally, we take ratios of groups of lines. Comparing these methods, we found that a precision up to 0.1 K is possible. In the case of O2, a comparison between the different methods show that the inferred temperature was self-consistent to within 1 K. The temperature inferred from N2 differed by as much as 3 K depending on which VRR branch was used. Here we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each method. Our methods can be extended to the development of instrumentation capable of non-invasive monitoring of gas temperature with broad potential applications, for example, in laboratory, ground-based, or airborne remote sensing.
Integrating an Expert System, GIS, and Satellite Remote Sensing to Evaluate Land Suitability for Sustainable Tea Production in Bangladesh
Authors: Das Animesh Chandra , Noguchi Ryozo , Ahamed Tofael
Published: December 2020

Land evaluation is important for assessing environmental limitations that inhibit higher yield and productivity in tea. The aim of this research was to determine the suitable lands for sustainable tea production in the northeastern part of Bangladesh using phenological datasets from remote sensing, geospatial datasets of soil–plant biophysical properties, and expert opinions. Sentinel-2 satellite images were processed to obtain layers for land use and land cover (LULC) as well as the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) were used to generate the elevation layer. Other vector and raster layers of edaphic, climatic parameters, and vegetation indices were processed in ArcGIS 10.7.1® software. Finally, suitability classes were determined using weighted overlay of spatial analysis based on reclassified raster layers of all parameters along with the results from multicriteria analysis. The results of the study showed that only 41,460 hectares of land (3.37% of the total land) were in the highly suitable category. The proportions of moderately suitable, marginally suitable, and not suitable land categories for tea cultivation in the Sylhet Division were 9.01%, 49.87%, and 37.75%, respectively. Thirty-one tea estates were located in highly suitable areas, 79 in moderately suitable areas, 24 in marginally suitable areas, and only one in a not suitable area. Yield estimation was performed with the NDVI (R2 = 0.69, 0.66, and 0.67) and the LAI (R2 = 0.68, 0.65, and 0.63) for 2017, 2018, and 2019, respectively. This research suggests that satellite remote sensing and GIS application with the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) could be used by agricultural land use planners and land policy makers to select suitable lands for increasing tea production.
Assessment of Tomato Maturity in Different Layers by Spatially Resolved Spectroscopy
Authors: Huang Yuping , Si Wan , Chen Kunjie , Sun Ye
Published: December 2020

Tomato maturity is important to determine the fruit shelf life and eating quality. The objective of this research was to evaluate tomato maturity in different layers by using a newly developed spatially resolved spectroscopic system over the spectral region of 550–1650 nm. Thirty spatially resolved spectra were obtained for 600 tomatoes, 100 for each of the six maturity stages (i.e., green, breaker, turning, pink, light red, and red). Support vector machine discriminant analysis (SVMDA) models were first developed for each of individual spatially resolved (SR) spectra to compare the classification results of two sides. The mean spectra of two sides with the same source-detector distances were employed to determine the model performance of different layers. SR combination by averaging all the SR spectra was also subject to comparison with the classification model performance. The results showed large source-detector distances would be helpful for evaluating tomato maturity, and the mean_SR 15 obtained excellent classification results with the total classification accuracy of 98.3%. Moreover, the classification results were distinct for two sides of the probe, which demonstrated even if in the same source-detector distances, the classification results were influenced by the measurement location due to the heterogeneity for tomato. The mean of all SR spectra could only improve the classification results based on the first three mean_SR spectra, but could not obtain the accuracy as good as the following mean_SR spectra. This study demonstrated that spatially resolved spectroscopy has potential for assessing tomato maturity in different layers.
Gaelic Football Match-Play: Performance Attenuation and Timeline of Recovery
Authors: Daly Lorcan S. , Catháin Ciarán Ó , Kelly David T.
Published: December 2020

This study investigated acute changes in markers of fatigue and performance attenuation during and following a competitive senior club-level Gaelic football match. Forty-one players were tested immediately pre-match, at half-time, full-time, 24 h post-match and 48 h post-match. Creatine kinase, drop jump height and contact-time, reactive strength index, countermovement jump height and perceptual responses were assessed at the aforementioned time-points. 18 Hz global positioning system devices were used to record players in-game workload measures. Compared to pre-match, perceptual responses (−27.6%) and countermovement jump height (−3.9%) were significantly reduced at full-time (p < 0.05). Drop jump height (−8.8%), perceptual responses (−27.6%), reactive strength index (−15.6%) and countermovement jump height (−8.6%) were significantly lower 24 h post-match (p < 0.05). Pre-match creatine kinase was significantly increased (+16.2% to +159.9%) when compared to all other time-points (p < 0.05). Total distance, total accelerations, total sprints, sprint distance and average heart rate were all correlated to changes in perceptual responses (r = 0.34 to 0.56, p < 0.05). Additionally, maximum speed achieved (r = 0.34) and sprint distance (r = 0.31) were significantly related to countermovement jump changes (p < 0.05), while impacts (r = 0.36) were correlated to creatine kinase increases (p < 0.05). These results demonstrate that Gaelic football match-play elicits substantial neuromuscular, biochemical and perceptual disturbances.
Training Characteristics and Power Profile of Professional U23 Cyclists throughout a Competitive Season
Authors: Leo Peter , Spragg James , Simon Dieter , Lawley Justin S. , Mujika Iñigo
Published: December 2020

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in the power profile derived from training and racing, the training characteristics across a competitive season and the relationships between training and power profile in U23 professional cyclists. Methods: Thirty male U23 professional cyclists (age, 20.0 ± 1.0 years; weight, 68.9 ± 6.9 kg; V˙O2max, 73.7 ± 2.5 mL·kg−1·min−1) participated in this study. The cycling season was split into pre-, early-, mid- and late-season periods. Power data 2, 5, 12 min mean maximum power (MMP), critical power (CP) and training characteristics (Hours, Total Work, eTRIMP, Work·h−1, eTRIMP·h−1, TimeVT2) were recorded for each period. Power profiles derived exclusively from either training or racing data and training characteristics were compared between periods. The relationships between the changes in training characteristics and changes in the power profile were also investigated. Results: The absolute and relative power profiles were higher during racing than training at all periods (p ≤ 0.001–0.020). Training characteristics were significantly different between periods, with the lowest values in pre-season followed by late-season (p ≤ 0.001–0.040). Changes in the power profile between early- and mid-season significantly correlated with the changes in training characteristics (p < 0.05, r = −0.59 to 0.45). Conclusion: These findings reveal that a higher power profile was recorded during racing than training. In addition, training characteristics were lowest in pre-season followed by late-season. Changes in training characteristics correlated with changes in the power profile in early- and mid-season, but not in late-season. Practitioners should consider the influence of racing on the derived power profile and adequately balance training programs throughout a competitive season.
Electric Vehicle Routing Problem with Battery Swapping Considering Energy Consumption and Carbon Emissions
Authors: Li Jin , Wang Feng , He Yu
Published: December 2020

In this paper, we study an electric vehicle routing problem while considering the constraints on battery life and battery swapping stations. We first introduce a comprehensive model consisting of speed, load and distance to measure the energy consumption and carbon emissions of electric vehicles. Second, we propose a mixed integer programming model to minimize the total costs related to electric vehicle energy consumption and travel time. To solve this model efficiently, we develop an adaptive genetic algorithm based on hill climbing optimization and neighborhood search. The crossover and mutation probabilities are designed to adaptively adjust with the change of population fitness. The hill climbing search is used to enhance the local search ability of the algorithm. In order to satisfy the constraints of battery life and battery swapping stations, the neighborhood search strategy is applied to obtain the final optimal feasible solution. Finally, we conduct numerical experiments to test the performance of the algorithm. Computational results illustrate that a routing arrangement that accounts for power consumption and travel time can reduce carbon emissions and total logistics delivery costs. Moreover, we demonstrate the effect of adaptive crossover and mutation probabilities on the optimal solution.
Sustainable Intervention for Health Promotion and Postural Control Improvement: Effects of Home-Based Oculomotor Training
Authors: Bonavolontà Valerio , Cataldi Stefania , Coluccia Adalisa , Giunto Antonio , Fischetti Francesco
Published: December 2020

Currently, it is crucial to propose daily sustainable interventions that elicit healthy lifestyles and the promotion of favorable health outcomes beyond the usual medical prescriptions. Home confinement and pandemic limitations reduced physical activity and augmented sedentary behaviors that potentially also reflect on posture. Health-related quality of life includes an effective postural control which is affected by visual performance. Therefore, the aim of the study was to analyze the effects of a single session of eye exercises and also of a home-based oculomotor training on postural control. Thirty active adults (mean age: 42.9 ± 14.4 years) were randomly assigned to three experimental conditions: subjects were evaluated on a stabilometric platform before (T0) and immediately after (T1) a training session consisting in clockwise ocular movements (C1), counterclockwise (C2) and mixed condition (C3). All subjects repeated, at home, the same ocular training and were re-evaluated after 5 weeks (T2). All measured variables tended to improve after 5-week home training, but significative differences were found, especially in acute measurement. C1 and C2 conditions showed better results than C3. Thus, a specific oculomotor training, a cost free and self-administered training, can represent a practical tool to improve postural control and health-related quality of life in active adults.
Game for Complete Care: A Means of Connecting ‘User-Centered Design’ with Sustainability
Authors: Jiang Ying , Jachna Timothy Joseph , Dong Hua
Published: December 2020

This paper addresses sustainability and gaming from an interior design education perspective, emphasizing the importance of understanding the meaning of ‘complete care’ and raising the awareness of care among design students. The four-step inquiry was adopted as a methodological framework. The theoretical model of ‘complete care’ was proposed and the interactive game ‘Ideal Home’ was developed to raise the awareness of care in design. The game imitated a conversation activity between the interior designer and the client at the early stage of the design process and assisted ‘designers’ to ask meaningful questions from ‘clients’ so as to develop a better understanding of their care needs. Six postgraduate students with interior design backgrounds played the game, and they were observed and interviewed. The results suggested that the participants’ understanding of care improved after they played the game and they were able to identify more issues and detailed needs through the conversations. The significance of the research is that it proposes a theoretical framework to explain the meaning of ‘complete care’ in the design process, and also develops a practical tool (i.e., the game) to educate designers about care.
PV Waste Thermal Treatment According to the Circular Economy Concept
Authors: Bogacka Magdalena , Potempa Martyna , Milewicz Bartłomiej , Lewandowski Dariusz , Pikoń Krzysztof , Klejnowska Katarzyna , Sobik Piotr , Misztal Edyta
Published: December 2020

Photovoltaic panels (PV) are one of the most popular technological solutions used to produce green renewable energy. They are known as green technology, but by analyzing a life cycle of a common panel, we can find out that production of these panels is strictly associated with generation of a large waste stream. PV modules are constantly modified and, therefore, it is required to consider the impact of the applied materials on the environment during the whole lifecycle of the product. The most important aspect of the assessment of a life cycle of a photovoltaic module in the phase of decommissioning is material recycling. The process of material recycling is very difficult, due to the lamination used in the currently exploited technology. This paper presents the results of pyrolysis for a sample of a silicon module. The results of the presented research show a weight loss of 48.16 in case of the tested samples. This paper presents the outcome of a quantitative analysis of the content of polycyclic aromatic for liquid and concentrations of Br, Cl and F for a gaseous fraction of pyrolysis products. The goal of the research presented in the paper was to find the optimal parameters for thermal separation, as well as the influence of the energy consumption and materials separation efficiency on the final thermal efficiency of the process.
The Efforts towards and Challenges of Greece’s Post-Lignite Era: The Case of Megalopolis
Authors: Marinakis Vangelis , Flamos Alexandros , Stamtsis Giorgos , Georgizas Ioannis , Maniatis Yannis , Doukas Haris
Published: December 2020

Greece has historically been one of the most lignite-dependent countries in Europe, due to the abundant coal resources in the region of Western Macedonia and the municipality of Megalopolis, Arcadia (region of Peloponnese). However, a key part of the National Energy and Climate Plan is to gradually phase out the use of lignite, which includes the decommissioning of all existing lignite units by 2023, except the Ptolemaida V unit, which will be closed by 2028. This plan makes Greece a frontrunner among countries who intensively use lignite in energy production. In this context, this paper investigates the environmental, economic, and social state of Megalopolis and the related perspectives with regard to the energy transition, through the elaboration of a SWOT analysis, highlighting the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the municipality of Megalopolis and the regional unit of Arcadia. The analysis is based on four main pillars, namely “clean energy”, “smart agricultural production”, “sustainable tourism”, and “other (e.g., industry, technology, and education)”. The integration of the “Energy Efficiency First” principle, the mitigation of household energy poverty (especially in a region with district heating installations), and collectively driven energy actions for engaging and empowering younger generations (e.g., in the form of next-generation energy communities) are among the solutions that are expected to have a significant contribution towards Megalopolis’ just energy transition.
Numerical Study on Indoor Environmental Quality in a Room Equipped with a Combined HRV and Radiator System
Authors: Jahanbin Aminhossein , Semprini Giovanni
Published: December 2020

Heat recovery ventilation (HRV) systems can be integrated with an additional air heater in buildings with low energy demand in order to cover space heating demand. The employment of coupled HRV-heater systems is, therefore, gaining increasing interest for the improvement of the indoor environmental quality (IEQ), as well as the reduction of ventilation energy loss. The present paper analyses the efficacy of a HRV system, coupled with a low-temperature radiator, in satisfying the IEQ indices inside a retrofitted dormitory room. A computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model based on the finite volume method is established to investigate IEQ characteristics including indoor air quality and thermal comfort condition. The presented CFD code provides a practical tool for a comprehensive investigation of the IEQ indices in spaces employing a coupled HVAC system. In an analysis of indoor air quality, parameters such as age of the air, air change efficiency, and ventilation efficiency in removal of gaseous contaminants, namely VOCs and CO2, are evaluated. The results obtained by the numerical model allow addressing the interaction between HRV and radiator systems and its effects on airflow field. The results show the decrease of the indoor operative temperature with increment of the supply air flow rate, which is mainly due to the decreased thermal efficiency of the HRV system. The obtained results indicate that, while higher ventilation rates can significantly decrease the age of the air and gaseous contaminants level, at the same time, it would cause a local discomfort in some parts of the room.
Analysis of Incentives to Eco-Driving for Car Rental Companies’ Customers
Authors: Adamczak Michał , Toboła Adrianna , Fijałkowska Jadwiga , Cyplik Piotr , Tórz Maciej
Published: December 2020

The problem of road traffic is one of the key challenges that cities will have to deal with in the future. It is also a problem directly related to the concept of sustainable development. Reducing the negative impact of road traffic in future cities can be achieved through cooperation in the following areas: social—shaping customer behavior and habits, economic—changing attitudes towards owning a car, and environmental—aimed at reducing the vehicle’s impact on the natural environment. A literature review was used to identify the research gap concerning the impact of the incentive system on increasing the environmental performance of drivers under short-term rental. Referring to the research gap, the main goal of the article is to identify the attractiveness of eco-driving incentives for drivers under short-term rental. The study used the survey method. The study was based on 323 completed questionnaires (female—122 and male—201). The following methods were also used in the analysis of the results: Anderson–Darling, Mood’s Median test and Kruskal Wallis multiple pairwise comparisons. The evaluation of the attractiveness of the incentive to eco-driving depends on the characteristic of the client who rents the car. Thus, it is possible to shape incentive systems for car rental customers that can shape their positive behavior on the road. Among the most attractive incentives for eco-driving in a rented car are: the possibility of upgrading a car in the next rental, discount for future rental and free car-wash.
Evaluating the Eco-Efficiency of Wastewater Treatment Plants: Comparison of Optimistic and Pessimistic Approaches
Authors: Mocholi-Arce Manuel , Gómez Trinidad , Molinos-Senante Maria , Sala-Garrido Ramon , Caballero Rafael
Published: December 2020

The assessment of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) performance has gained the interest of water utilities and water regulators. Eco-efficiency has been identified as a powerful indicator, as it integrates economic and environmental variables into a single index. Most previous studies have employed traditional data envelopment analysis (DEA) for the evaluation of WWTP eco-efficiency. However, DEA allows the selection of input and output weights for individual WWTPs for the calculation of eco-efficiency scores. To overcome this limitation, we employed the double-frontier and common set of weights methods to evaluate the eco-efficiency of a sample of 30 WWTPs in Spain. The WWTPs were ranked based on eco-efficiency scores derived under several scenarios including best- and worst-case scenarios; this approach to performance assessment is reliable and robust. Twenty-six of the 30 WWTPs were not classified as eco-efficient, even under the most favorable scenario, indicating that these facilities have substantial room for the reduction of costs and greenhouse gas emissions. The ranking of WWTPs varied according to the scenario used for evaluation, which has notable consequences when eco-efficiency scores are used for regulatory purposes. The findings of this study are relevant for water regulators and water utilities, as they demonstrate the importance of weight allocation for eco-efficiency score estimation.
The Influence of Symmetrical Boundary Conditions on the Structural Behaviour of Sandwich Panels Subjected to Torsion
Authors: Pozorski Zbigniew , Wojciechowski Szymon
Published: December 2020

The paper discusses the influence of load and support conditions on the behaviour of sandwich panels subjected to torsion. 3-D numerical models are presented, in which various boundary conditions have been defined. The case of the load causing the concentrated torque in the span is analyzed, and the load definition affects the structural response. The numerical results were compared with the results obtained for the analytical beam model, which included both free torsion and secondary warping torsion. The conditions under which the models achieve a high agreement between the results were determined, but the significant sensitivity of the solution was also indicated. In each case of the considered load and boundary conditions, the structural response shows appropriate symmetry.
Lifelong Machine Learning for Regional-Based Image Classification in Open Datasets
Authors: Alyami Hashem , Alharbi Abdullah , Uddin Irfan
Published: December 2020

Deep Learning algorithms are becoming common in solving different supervised and unsupervised learning problems. Different deep learning algorithms were developed in last decade to solve different learning problems in different domains such as computer vision, speech recognition, machine translation, etc. In the research field of computer vision, it is observed that deep learning has become overwhelmingly popular. In solving computer vision related problems, we first take a CNN (Convolutional Neural Network) which is trained from scratch or some times a pre-trained model is taken and further fine-tuned based on the dataset that is available. The problem of training the model from scratch on new datasets suffers from catastrophic forgetting. Which means that when a new dataset is used to train the model, it forgets the knowledge it has obtained from an existing dataset. In other words different datasets does not help the model to increase its knowledge. The problem with the pre-trained models is that mostly CNN models are trained on open datasets, where the data set contains instances from specific regions. This results into predicting disturbing labels when the same model is used for instances of datasets collected in a different region. Therefore, there is a need to find a solution on how to reduce the gap of Geo-diversity in different computer vision problems in developing world. In this paper, we explore the problems of models that were trained from scratch along with models which are pre-trained on a large dataset, using a dataset specifically developed to understand the geo-diversity issues in open datasets. The dataset contains images of different wedding scenarios in South Asian countries. We developed a Lifelong CNN that can incrementally increase knowledge i.e., the CNN learns labels from the new dataset but includes the existing knowledge of open data sets. The proposed model demonstrates highest accuracy compared to models trained from scratch or pre-trained model.
Interaction of a Low-Power Laser Radiation with Nanoparticles Formed over the Copper Melt in Rarefied Argon Atmosphere
Authors: Dombrovsky Leonid A. , Mendeleyev Vladimir Ya.
Published: December 2020

Two effects have been recently observed by the authors for the copper sample melted in a rarefied argon atmosphere. The first of these effects is a strong decrease in the normal reflectance of a copper sample with time just after the beginning of melting. A partially regular crystal structure was also formed on the surface of the solid sample after the experiment. Both effects were explained by generation of a cloud of levitating nanoparticles. Additional experiments reported in the present paper show that the rate of decrease in reflectance increases with pressure of argon atmosphere and the surface pattern on the solid sample after the experiment depends on the probe laser radiation. It is theoretically shown for the first time that the dependent scattering effects in the cloud of copper nanoparticles are responsible for the abnormal decrease in normal reflectance and also for the observed significant role of light pressure in deposition of nanoparticles on the sample surface. The predicted minimum of normal reflectance is in good agreement with the experimental value.
Evaluation of the Skin Sensitization Potential of Carbon Nanotubes Using Alternative In Vitro and In Vivo Assays
Authors: Kim Sung-Hyun , Lee Dong Han , Lee Jin Hee , Yang Jun-Young , Shin Hyo-Sook , Lee JeongPyo , Jung Kikyung , Jeong Jayoung , Oh Jae-Ho , Lee Jong Kwon
Published: December 2020

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are one of the major types of nanomaterials that have various industrial and biomedical applications. However, there is a risk of accidental exposure to CNTs in individuals involved in their large-scale production and in individuals who use products containing CNTs. This study aimed to evaluate the skin sensitization induced by CNTs using two alternative tests. We selected single-wall carbon nanotubes and multi-walled carbon nanotubes for this study. First, the physiochemical properties of the CNTs were measured, including the morphology, size, and zeta potential, under various conditions. Thereafter, we assessed the sensitization potential of the CNTs using the ARE-Nrf2 Luciferase KeratinoSens™ assay, an in vitro alternative test method. In addition, the CNTs were evaluated for their skin sensitization potential using the LLNA: BrdU-FCM in vivo alternative test method. In this study, we report for the first time the sensitization results of CNTs using the KeratinoSens™ and LLNA: BrdU-FCM test methods in this study. This study found that both CNTs do not induce skin sensitization. These results suggest that the KeratinoSens™ and LLNA: BrdU-FCM assay may be useful as alternative assays for evaluating the potential of some nanomaterials that can induce skin sensitization.
Resveratrol, Rapamycin and Metformin as Modulators of Antiviral Pathways
Authors: Benedetti Francesca , Sorrenti Vincenzo , Buriani Alessandro , Fortinguerra Stefano , Scapagnini Giovanni , Zella Davide
Published: December 2020

Balanced nutrition and appropriate dietary interventions are fundamental in the prevention and management of viral infections. Additionally, accurate modulation of the inflammatory response is necessary to achieve an adequate antiviral immune response. Many studies, both in vitro with mammalian cells and in vivo with small animal models, have highlighted the antiviral properties of resveratrol, rapamycin and metformin. The current review outlines the mechanisms of action of these three important compounds on the cellular pathways involved with viral replication and the mechanisms of virus-related diseases, as well as the current status of their clinical use.
Significantly Improved Recovery of Recombinant Sonchus Yellow Net Rhabdovirus by Expressing the Negative-Strand Genomic RNA
Authors: Ma Xiaonan , Li Zhenghe
Published: December 2020

Generation of recombinant negative-stranded RNA viruses (NSVs) from plasmids involves in vivo reconstitution of biologically active nucleocapsids and faces a unique antisense problem where the negative-sense viral genomic RNAs can hybridize to viral messenger RNAs. To overcome this problem, a positive-sense RNA approach has been devised through expression of viral antigenomic (ag)RNA and core proteins for assembly of antigenomic nucleocapsids. Although this detour strategy works for many NSVs, the process is still inefficient. Using Sonchus yellow net rhabdovirus (SYNV) as a model; here, we develop a negative-sense genomic RNA-based approach that increased rescue efficiency by two orders of magnitude compared to the conventional agRNA approach. The system relied on suppression of double-stranded RNA induced antiviral responses by co-expression of plant viruses-encoded RNA silencing suppressors or animal viruses-encoded double-stranded RNA antagonists. With the improved approach, we were able to recover a highly attenuated SYNV mutant with a deletion in the matrix protein gene which otherwise could not be rescued via the agRNA approach. Reverse genetics analyses of the generated mutant virus provided insights into SYNV virion assembly and morphogenesis. This approach may potentially be applicable to other NSVs of plants or animals.
Influenza A H1 and H3 Transmembrane Domains Interact Differently with Each Other and with Surrounding Membrane Lipids
Authors: Kubiszewski-Jakubiak Szymon , Worch Remigiusz
Published: December 2020

Hemagglutinin (HA) is a class I viral membrane fusion protein, which is the most abundant transmembrane protein on the surface of influenza A virus (IAV) particles. HA plays a crucial role in the recognition of the host cell, fusion of the viral envelope and the host cell membrane, and is the major antigen in the immune response during the infection. Mature HA organizes in homotrimers consisting of a sequentially highly variable globular head and a relatively conserved stalk region. Every HA monomer comprises a hydrophilic ectodomain, a pre-transmembrane domain (pre-TMD), a hydrophobic transmembrane domain (TMD), and a cytoplasmic tail (CT). In recent years the effect of the pre-TMD and TMD on the structure and function of HA has drawn some attention. Using bioinformatic tools we analyzed all available full-length amino acid sequences of HA from 16 subtypes across various host species. We calculated several physico-chemical parameters of HA pre-TMDs and TMDs including accessible surface area (ASA), average hydrophobicity (Hav), and the hydrophobic moment (µH). Our data suggests that distinct differences in these parameters between the two major phylogenetic groups, represented by H1 and H3 subtypes, could have profound effects on protein–lipid interactions, trimer formation, and the overall HA ectodomain orientation and antigen exposure.
A Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) Expressing a Membrane-Anchored Spike as a Cost-Effective Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine
Authors: Sun Weina , McCroskery Stephen , Liu Wen-Chun , Leist Sarah R. , Liu Yonghong , Albrecht Randy A. , Slamanig Stefan , Oliva Justine , Amanat Fatima , Schäfer Alexandra , Dinnon Kenneth H. , Innis Bruce L. , García-Sastre Adolfo , Krammer Florian , Baric Ralph S. , Palese Peter
Published: December 2020

A successful severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine must not only be safe and protective, but must also meet the demand on a global scale at a low cost. Using the current influenza virus vaccine production capacity to manufacture an egg-based inactivated Newcastle disease virus (NDV)/SARS-CoV-2 vaccine would meet that challenge. Here, we report pre-clinical evaluations of an inactivated NDV chimera stably expressing the membrane-anchored form of the spike (NDV-S) as a potent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine in mice and hamsters. The inactivated NDV-S vaccine was immunogenic, inducing strong binding and/or neutralizing antibodies in both animal models. More importantly, the inactivated NDV-S vaccine protected animals from SARS-CoV-2 infections. In the presence of an adjuvant, antigen-sparing could be achieved, which would further reduce the cost while maintaining the protective efficacy of the vaccine.
Infectious Bronchitis Virus in Egypt: Genetic Diversity and Vaccination Strategies
Authors: Abozeid Hassanein H. , Naguib Mahmoud M.
Published: December 2020

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is a highly evolving avian pathogen that has increasingly imposed a negative impact on poultry industry worldwide. In the last 20 years, IBV has been continuously circulating among chicken flocks in Egypt causing huge economic losses to poultry production. Multiple IBV genotypes, namely, GI-1, GI-13, GI-16, and GI-23 have been reported in Egypt possessing different genetic and pathogenic features. Different vaccine programs are being used to control the spread of the disease in Egypt. However, the virus continues to spread and evolve where multiple IBV variants and several recombination evidence have been described. In this review, we highlight the current knowledge concerning IBV circulation, genesis, and vaccination strategies in Egypt. In addition, we analyze representative Egyptian IBV strains from an evolutionary perspective based on available data of their S1 gene. We also provide insight into the importance of surveillance programs and share our perspectives for better control of IBV circulating in Egypt.
Comparisons of Two Types of Particle Tracking Models Including the Effects of Vertical Velocity Shear
Authors: Park Inhwan , Shin Jaehyun , Seong Hoje , Rhee Dong Sop
Published: December 2020

In this study, two types of particle tracking models were presented to investigate the applicability in the two-dimensional solute mixing simulations. The conventional particle tracking model, denoted as PTM, was developed based on Fick’s law, which adopted the dispersion coefficient to calculate the random displacements. The other model is the particle dispersion model (PDM), which computes the shear dispersion process by dividing into two computation procedures as the shear translation and the vertical mixing. The PTM and the PDM included the effects of vertical profiles of velocity in the computation of dispersion coefficients and the shear translation step, respectively. The main difference between the two models is whether the shear dispersion process is reproduced using Fick’s law or the direct computation method. These differences were clearly revealed by comparing with the analytic solution of the advection-dispersion equation. The concentration curve resulting from the PTM shows the Gaussian curves, which were well-fitted with the analytic solution in both initial and Taylor periods. Meanwhile, the PDM presented skewed curves in the initial period and gradually turned to the symmetric shape in the Taylor period. The inherent differences of the two particle tracking models were scrutinized against the two-dimensional tracer test results, which show the non-Fickian mixing properties. The comparisons of concentration–time curves reveal that the PDM reproduced a more accurate shape of the curves than the results by the PTM by demonstrating skewed concentration curves.
Effect of Clay Colloid Particles on Formaldehyde Transport in Unsaturated Porous Media
Authors: Fountouli Theodosia V. , Chrysikopoulos Constantinos V.
Published: December 2020

This study examines the effects of two representative colloid-sized clay particles (kaolinite, KGa-1b and montmorillonite, STx-1b) on the transport of formaldehyde (FA) in unsaturated porous media. The transport of FA was examined with and without the presence of clay particles under various flow rates and various levels of saturation in columns packed with quartz sand, under unsaturated conditions. The experimental results clearly suggested that the presence of clay particles retarded by up to ~23% the transport of FA in unsaturated packed columns. Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek (DLVO) interaction energy calculations demonstrated that permanent retention of clay colloids at air-water interfaces (AWI) and solid-water interfaces (SWI) was negligible, except for the pair (STx-1b)–SWI. The experimental results of this study showed that significant clay colloid retention occurred in the unsaturated column, especially at low flow rates. This deviation from DLVO predictions may be explained by the existence of additional non-DLVO forces (hydrophobic and capillary forces) that could be much stronger than van der Waals and double layer forces. The present study shows the important role of colloids, which may act as carriers of contaminants.