bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Financial Sector Analysis of Companies in the Energy Industry Listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange
Authors: Goldmann Katarzyna , Zawadzki Aleksander
Published: November 2022

In times of the pandemic and the beginning of the energy crisis, the financial situation of enterprises operating in the energy generation sector may be a problem. This sector includes companies that generate energy in different ways and from different sources. The aim of this study is to determine the general financial situation of enterprises in the energy sector listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The subject of the paper are the annual financial reports of these entities for the years 2015–2021. Tree hypotheses were formulated regarding various aspects of the financial situation of the entities under study. The following research methods were used in this paper: analysis of the literature on the subject and financial statements, and methods of descriptive statistics. The indicators of liquidity, profitability, debt and activity were calculated. The values of the maximum, minimum, median, upper and lower quartiles, the arithmetic mean, kurtosis and skewness were then calculated for each indicator. The increase in energy prices was influenced by the high rate of economic growth and the so-called post-epidemic inflation. This, in turn, was reflected in the performance of companies in the energy sector, resulting in increased profitability. The research carried out by the authors confirmed that the sector financial indicators of energy enterprises with a dominant share of private capital are concentrated closer to the average value than enterprises with a dominant share of the State Treasury. The financial situation of coal power engineering companies is more stable than that of renewable energy companies.
The Role of Renewable Energy Sources in Electricity Production in Poland and the Background of Energy Policy of the European Union at the Beginning of the COVID-19 Crisis
Authors: Bórawski Piotr , Bełdycka-Bórawska Aneta , Holden Lisa , Rokicki Tomasz
Published: November 2022

Electricity production in Poland is stable and ranges from 160–170 TWH a year. The share of renewable energy sources (RES) is increasing. Poland increased its share from 6.9% in 2010 to 12.7% in 2019 and 16.1% in 2020. The share of hard and brown coal decreased in Poland from 87.8% in 2010 to 73.5% in 2019. Wind energy (9.2%) and natural gas (9.2%) are the most important sources of RES in electricity production. The purpose of this research is to discover the changes in renewable energy production, and the impact on electricity production in Poland. Our research showed the extent of development of RES in Poland and other countries of the European Union. The share of renewable energy sources in electricity production increased as the effect of energy policy of the European Union. We also evaluated the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the renewable energy market and electricity production in Poland, and other countries of the European Union. Because of the shortage of data, we presented changes at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis in 2019–2020. First, we described the sustainable development and energy policy of the European Union. Then, we described and used methods, including regression analysis, as the most important method. We also found that the power capacity in Poland increased, with the increases coming from solar radiation (11,984%), wind energy (437.8%) and biomass installations (324.7%) in 2010–2020. The biggest electricity producers in the EU are France and Germany. These countries also use nuclear energy, which helps to meet the increasing demand. To check the impact of power installed from renewable energy carriers we conducted a regression analysis. This method provided a correlation between electricity production from renewable energy sources and investments in renewable energy carriers. We wanted to discover the impact of RES installations, and their impact on electricity production in Poland. The statistical analysis was based on data from 2010–2020. Our research points out that the most important factors shaping electricity production were installations using energy from solar radiation and hydropower installations.
Enhancing the Efficiency of Integrated Energy Systems by the Redistribution of Heat Based on Monitoring Data
Authors: Radchenko Andrii , Radchenko Mykola , Koshlak Hanna , Radchenko Roman , Forduy Serhiy
Published: November 2022

Integrated energy systems (IES) for combined power, heat and refrigeration supply achieved a wide application due to high flexibility in matching current loading. So as electricity is easily convertible into any other form of energy, gas engines are widely applied as driving engines characterized by high electrical and overall efficiency of about 45% and 90%, respectively. However, the highest thermal efficiency is achieved at full matching heat generated by the engine and heat transformed. This is often impossible in actual practice, especially if the heat is transformed into refrigeration by the most efficient and widespread absorption lithium-bromide chillers (ACh) and the heat not consumed by the ACh is removed from the atmosphere through an emergency radiator. The unused heat might be transformed by an ejector chiller (ECh) as the simplest and cheapest. So as the thermodynamic efficiency of any combustion engine is influenced essentially by the sucked air temperature, the excessive refrigeration produced by the ECh, is used for IES cooling to generate additional electricity and increase the electrical and overall efficiency of the engine. Such a redistribution of heat enables the enhancement of the efficiency of IES with an absorption-ejector chiller (AECh). The modified criteria for the comparative estimation of thermodynamic efficiency of innovative IESs with AEChs without overgenerated heat lost against a typical IES with an ACh and heat lost are proposed. In contrast to well-known electrical and heat efficiency, it considers the magnitude of heat loss and enables us to compare the heat efficiency of any version of transforming heat to refrigeration with an ideal basic version of IES based on a highly efficient ACh, transforming all the heat removed from the engine without heat loss. Some alternative scheme decisions for heat recovery systems have been developed based on monitoring data. They might be easily implemented into a typical IES with ACh.
Advances in Indoor Cooking Using Solar Energy with Phase Change Material Storage Systems
Authors: Balachandran Selvaraj , Swaminathan Jose
Published: November 2022

One of the key areas of the UN’s sustainable development goals is growing affordable and clean energy. Utilizing solar energy that is now accessible will significantly lessen the demand for fossil fuels. Around the world, cooking is a crucial activity for homes and uses a lot of non-renewable energy. Uncontrolled firewood usage results in deforestation, whereas using biomass-related fuels in inefficient stoves can result in smoke emanating from the kitchen and associated health issues. The benefits of solar cooking include reducing smoke-related problems and saving on fossil fuels and firewood. Applying thermal storage systems in cooking helps households have all-day cooking. This review article presents the research and development of a solar cooking system that transfers solar energy into the kitchen and integrates with the thermal energy storage system, finding the factors affecting indoor solar cooking performance. Adding portable cooking utensils helps in improved solar indoor cooking. Multiple phase change materials arranged in cascaded to store thermal energy helps in quick heat transfer rate, thus enabling better and faster cooking. A novel indoor solar cooker with an innovative arrangement of evacuated tube-based compound concentrating parabolic (CPC) collectors with a cascaded latent heat thermal energy storage system is proposed and needs to be tested under actual meteorological conditions.
TADA: A Transferable Domain-Adversarial Training for Smart Grid Intrusion Detection Based on Ensemble Divergence Metrics and Spatiotemporal Features
Authors: Liao Pengyi , Yan Jun , Sellier Jean Michel , Zhang Yongxuan
Published: November 2022

For attack detection in the smart grid, transfer learning is a promising solution to tackle data distribution divergence and maintain performance when facing system and attack variations. However, there are still two challenges when introducing transfer learning into intrusion detection: when to apply transfer learning and how to extract effective features during transfer learning. To address these two challenges, this paper proposes a transferability analysis and domain-adversarial training (TADA) framework. The framework first leverages various data distribution divergence metrics to predict the accuracy drop of a trained model and decides whether one should trigger transfer learning to retain performance. Then, a domain-adversarial training model with CNN and LSTM is developed to extract the spatiotemporal domain-invariant features to reduce distribution divergence and improve detection performance. The TADA framework is evaluated in extensive experiments where false data injection (FDI) attacks are injected at different times and locations. Experiments results show that the framework has high accuracy in accuracy drop prediction, with an RMSE lower than 1.79%. Compared to the state-of-the-art models, TADA demonstrates the highest detection accuracy, achieving an average accuracy of 95.58%. Moreover, the robustness of the framework is validated under different attack data percentages, with an average F1-score of 92.02%.
A Review of Flow and Heat Transfer Characteristics of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide under Cooling Conditions in Energy and Power Systems
Authors: Wu Dingchen , Wei Mingshan , Tian Ran , Zheng Siyu , He Jundi
Published: November 2022

Supercritical carbon dioxide (SCO2) is widely used in many fields of energy and power engineering, such as nuclear reactors, solar thermal power generation systems, and refrigeration systems. In practical applications, SCO2 undergoes a cooling process significantly when it is cooled near the pseudo–critical point. Because of the drastic variations in thermo–physical properties, the heat transfer characteristics fluctuate, affecting the heat exchange and overall cycle performance. This paper summarizes extensive experiments and numerical simulations on the cooling process of SCO2 in various application scenarios. The effects of various working conditions, such as mass flow, working pressure, pipe diameter, flow direction, and channel shapes, are reviewed. The applicability and computational results using different numerical methods under different working conditions are also summarized. Furthermore, empirical correlations obtained in experiments at different conditions are included. The present review can provide a helpful guideline for the design of effective cooling systems or condensers so that the accuracy of the design and efficiency of the system can be improved.
Real-Time Validation of a Novel IAOA Technique-Based Offset Hysteresis Band Current Controller for Grid-Tied Photovoltaic System
Authors: Mohapatra Bhabasis , Sahu Binod Kumar , Pati Swagat , Bajaj Mohit , Blazek Vojtech , Prokop Lukas , Misak Stanislav , Alharthi Mosleh
Published: November 2022

Renewable energy sources have power quality and stability issues despite having vast benefits when integrated with the utility grid. High currents and voltages are introduced during the disconnection or injection from or into the power system. Due to excessive inverter switching frequencies, distorted voltage waveforms and high distortions in the output current may be observed. Hence, advancing intelligent and robust optimization techniques along with advanced controllers is the need of the hour. Therefore, this article presents an improved arithmetic optimization algorithm and an offset hysteresis band current controller. Conventional hysteresis band current controllers (CHCCs) offer substantial advantages such as fast dynamic response, over-current, and robustness in response to impedance variations, but they suffer from variable switching frequency. The offset hysteresis band current controller utilizes the zero-crossing time of the current error for calculating the lower/upper hysteresis bands after the measurement of half of the error current period. The duty cycle and hysteresis bands are considered as design variables and are optimally designed by minimizing the current error and the switching frequency. It is observed that the proposed controller yields a minimum average switching frequency of 2.33 kHz and minimum average switching losses of 9.07 W in comparison to other suggested controllers. Results are validated using MATLAB/Simulink environment followed by real-time simulator OPAL-RT 4510.
Application of a Model Based on Rough Set Theory (RST) to Estimate the Energy Efficiency of Public Buildings
Authors: Piotrowska-Woroniak Joanna , Szul Tomasz
Published: November 2022

The study was carried out on a group of 85 public buildings, which differed in type of use, construction technology and heating systems. From the collected data, a set of qualitative and quantitative variables characterizing them in terms of heat demand was extracted. In this paper, the authors undertook to test the suitability of a model based on rough set theory (RST), which allows the analysis of imprecise, general and uncertain data. To obtain input data for the RST model in quantitative form, the authors used an alternative approach, which is a method based on the thermal properties of buildings. The quality of the predictive model was evaluated based on the following indicators, such as the coefficient of determination (R2), the mean bias error (MBE), the coefficient of variance of the root mean square error (CV RMSE) and the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), which are accepted as statistical calibration standards by ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers). A quality-acceptable predictive model must meet the calibration conditions: MBE ±5%, CV RMSE < 15% and R2 > 0.75. For the analyzed RST model, the following values of evaluation indicators were obtained: MBE = −1.1%, CV RMSE = 11.8% and R2 = 0.91. The evaluation results obtained gave rise to the conclusion that the method used, which is based on a limited amount of data describing buildings, gives good results in estimating the unit rate of energy demand for heating.
X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) Scanning Is a Non-Destructive and Modern Technique to Identify and Assess the Characteristics of Armillaria solidipes Pathogen Infections in Poplar Roots
Authors: Zhang Ping , Kong Mingru , Xie Guangqiang , van der Lee Theo , Wang Lihai , Xing Yanqiu
Published: November 2022

(1) Objective: The opacity of soils complicates studies of root infection. An example of this is the infection of Armillaria solidipes on poplar (Populus davidiana × Populus alba var. pyramidalis Louche) roots systems, which risks damaging trees. (2) Methods: Only one of the four tested substrates for tree species was shown to be suitable to perform X-ray computed tomography (CT). Three-dimensional (3D) imaging was used to reconstruct the root system of poplar seedlings and the changes caused by the infection. (3) Results: We developed a protocol to efficiently grow poplar on a synthetic matrix, vermiculite, that allows for monitoring the root system by X-ray CT. Poplar 3D reconstruction of the root system was automated using the software Win-RHIZO, and various infection parameters were identified. (4) Conclusions: Our procedure allows for monitoring the infection of root systems and provides new opportunities to characterize the complex Armillaria solidipes poplar interaction using X-ray CT.
Calibration of Thermal Dissipation Probes for Xylem Sap Flow in the Wood of a Diffuse-Porous and a Conifer Species under Cyclic Heating
Authors: Hu Meijun , Ma Changming , Zhang Jinsong , Ma Yujie , Li Chunyou , Xiong Wei
Published: November 2022

The most popular sap flow measurement technique uses thermal dissipation probes. Differences in wood characteristics and the natural temperature gradient between probes have affected the accuracy and applicability of the sap flow equation. In addition, the continued heat of the probe can also cause thermal damage to tree tissue. The objectives of this study were to use cyclic heating and calibrate the probes with two species: Pinus bungeana Zucc. And Salix matsudana Koidz., two typical diffuse-porous species. This experiment evaluated a thermal dissipation probe in three heating modes: continuous heating, 10 min heating and 50 min cooling (10/50), and 30 min heating and 30 min cooling (30/30). The heating modes were evaluated on two species. Temperature differences between the heating needle and the control needle under different heating modes and transpiration water consumption (whole-tree weighing method) were observed simultaneously. The sap flow estimation equation under cyclic heating mode was established by analyzing the relationship between the sap flow rate and the values obtained from whole-tree weighing. The results showed that the original equation underestimated sap flow rate of P. bungeana and S. matsudana by 67% and 60%. Under the cyclic heating modes, the modified equations were different from the original equation, and their accuracy was improved. After verification, the corrected equations [Fd = 0.0264K0.738 (P. bungeana, 30/30, R2 = 0.67), Fd = 0.0722K1.113(S. matsudana, 30/30, R2 = 0.60), Fd is the sap flow density, K is temperature coefficient] reduced the influence of the natural temperature gradient on the estimation of sap flow rate, thereby significantly improving the accuracy of sap flow rate estimation. The resulting equation may be more suitable for actual field observations of sap flow in the two tested species. The cyclic heating mode has the potential to measure plant transpiration for extended periods in the field.
Mapping Homogeneous Response Areas for Forest Fuel Management Using Geospatial Data, K-Means, and Random Forest Classification
Authors: Chávez-Durán Álvaro Agustín , Olvera-Vargas Miguel , Figueroa-Rangel Blanca , García Mariano , Aguado Inmaculada , Ruiz-Corral José Ariel
Published: November 2022

Accurate description of forest fuels is necessary for developing appropriate fire management strategies aimed at reducing fire risk. Although field surveys provide accurate measurements of forest fuel load estimations, they are time consuming, expensive, and may fail to capture the inherent spatial heterogeneity of forest fuels. Previous efforts were carried out to solve this issue by estimating homogeneous response areas (HRAs), representing a promising alternative. However, previous methods suffer from a high degree of subjectivity and are difficult to validate. This paper presents a method, which allows eliminating subjectivity in estimating HRAs spatial distribution, using artificial intelligence machine learning techniques. The proposed method was developed in the natural protected area of “Sierra de Quila,” Jalisco, and was replicated in “Sierra de Álvarez,” San Luis Potosí and “Selva El Ocote,” Chiapas, Mexico, to prove its robustness. Input data encompassed a set of environmental variables including altitude, average annual precipitation, enhanced vegetation index, and forest canopy height. Four, three, and five HRAs with overall accuracy of 97.78%, 98.06%, and 98.92% were identified at “Sierra de Quila,” “Sierra de Álvarez,” and “Selva El Ocote,” respectively. Altitude and average annual precipitation were identified as the most explanatory variables in all locations, achieving a mean decrease in impurity values greater than 52.51% for altitude and up to 36.02% for average annual precipitation. HRAs showed statistically significant differences in all study sites according to the Kruskal–Wallis test (p-value < 0.05). Differences among groups were also significant based on the Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney (p-value < 0.05) for all variables but EVI in “Selva El Ocote.” These results show the potential of our approach to objectively identify distinct homogeneous areas in terms of their fuel properties. This allows the adequate management of fire and forest fuels in decision-making processes.
Assessing Latency of Packet Delivery in the 5G 3GPP Integrated Access and Backhaul Architecture with Half-Duplex Constraints
Authors: Polyakov Nikita , Platonova Anna
Published: November 2022

Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) is an enabling technology for efficient 5G millimeter wave (mmWave) New Radio (NR) deployment. The key feature of IAB is multi-hop wireless backhauling, allowing utilizing relaying IAB-nodes to provide cost-efficient access network densification and alleviate the problem of blockages. One of the critical performance measures in such systems is the latency of packet delivery over the multi-hop paths. The paper aims at assessing the impact of multi-hop transmission on the end-to-end delay in an IAB radio access network, taking into account the half-duplex constraint. We build a detailed queuing theory model for latency assessment in time-division-multiplexing (TDM)-based IAB deployments and evaluate the delay due to queuing in the network nodes for several cell topologies and under different time allocation strategies between access and backhaul. The paper considers a practical Manhattan-style urban deployment, which is characteristically impaired by the blockage of buildings. The numerical results show that balancing the access and backhaul micro phases is crucial for reducing the end-to-end packet delay, at least in the uplink, while increasing the number of network hops yields a linear increase in the total packet delay for both the uplink and downlink. The numerical results were obtained via simulation using the open-source software OMNeT++.
Kinetic Hydrate Inhibition of Natural Gels in Complex Sediment Environments
Authors: Wang Jianlong , Sun Jinsheng , Bian Hang , Wang Qibing , Feng Zhenbo , Lu Cheng , Ren Han , Cheng Rongchao , Wang Jintang , Wang Ren
Published: November 2022

Natural gels are emerging as a hotspot of global research for their greenness, environmental-friendliness, and good hydrate inhibition performance. However, previous studies mostly performed experiments for simple pure water systems and the inhibition mechanism in the sediment environment remains unclear. Given this, the inhibition performance of xanthan gum and pectin on hydrate nucleation and growth in sediment environments was evaluated via hydrate formation inhibition tests, and the inhibition internal mechanisms were revealed via a comprehensive analysis integrating various methods. Furthermore, the influences of natural gels on sediment dispersion stability and low-temperature fluid rheology were investigated. Research showed that the sediments of gas hydrate reservoirs in the South China Sea are mainly composed of micro-nano quartz and clay minerals. Xanthan gum and pectin can effectively inhibit the hydrate formation via the joint effects of the binding, disturbing, and interlayer mass transfer suppression processes. Sediments promote hydrate nucleation and yet inhibit hydrate growth. The interaction of sediments with active groups of natural gels weakens the abilities of gels to inhibit hydrate nucleation and reduce hydrate formation. Nonetheless, sediments help gels to slow down hydrate formation. Our comprehensive analysis pointed out that pectin with a concentration of 0.5 wt% can effectively inhibit the hydrate nucleation and growth while improving the dispersion stability and low-temperature rheology of sediment-containing fluids.
Clinical Characteristics and In Silico Analysis of Cystinuria Caused by a Novel SLC3A1 Mutation
Authors: Liu Lexin , Xu Zihao , Guan Yuelin , Zhang Ying , Li Xue , Ren Yunqing , Hu Lidan , Yan Xiang
Published: November 2022

Cystinuria is a genetically inherited disorder of renal and intestinal transport, featured as a high concentration of cystine in the urine. Cumulative cystine in urine would cause the formation of kidney stones, which further leads to renal colic and dysfunction. Gene screens have found that mutations in SLC3A1 or SLC7A9 gene are responsible for most cases of cystinuria, for encoding defective cystine transporters. Here, we presented the genotypic and phenotypic characteristics of one unique case of a three-generation Chinese family. The proband developed severe urolithiasis combined with renal damage. The radiography and computed tomography (CT) scan showed calculus in the left pelvic kidney. Postoperative stone analysis revealed that the stones were mainly composed of cystine. Therefore, to explore its pathogenesis, next-generation Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) and Sanger sequencing identify the proband mutated gene of the proband’s family. In this article, we reported novel compound heterozygous mutations (c.818G>A and c.1011G>A) of the SLC3A1 gene in a 5-year-old child suffering from a cystine stone from a three-generation family. Bioinformatic analysis was used to predict the pathogenicity and conservation of the target mutation. Conservative sequence and evolutionary conservation analysis indicated that cystine273 and proline337 were highly conserved among species, and both mutations listed here (Cys273Tyr and Pro337Pro) were pathogenic. To conclude, our study expands the phenotypic and genotypic spectrum of SLC3A1 and indicates that genetic screening should be considered in the clinic to provide more effective and precise treatment for cystinuria.
Association of HOXC8 Genetic Polymorphisms with Multi-Vertebral Number and Carcass Weight in Dezhou Donkey
Authors: Shi Xiaoyuan , Li Yan , Wang Tianqi , Ren Wei , Huang Bingjian , Wang Xinrui , Liu Ziwen , Liang Huili , Kou Xiyan , Chen Yinghui , Wang Yonghui , Akhtar Faheem , Wang Changfa
Published: November 2022

An increase in the number of vertebrae can significantly affect the meat production performance of livestock, thus increasing carcass weight, which is of great importance for livestock production. The homeobox gene C8 (HOXC8) has been identified as an essential candidate gene for regulating vertebral development. However, it has not been researched on the Dezhou donkey. This study aimed to verify the Dezhou donkey HOXC8 gene’s polymorphisms and assess their effects on multiple vertebral numbers and carcass weight. In this study, the entire HOXC8 gene of the Dezhou donkey was sequenced, SNPs at the whole gene level were identified, and typing was accomplished utilizing a targeted sequencing genotype detection technique (GBTS). Then, a general linear model was used to perform an association study of HOXC8 gene polymorphism loci, multiple vertebral numbers, and carcass weight for screening candidate markers that can be used for molecular breeding of Dezhou donkeys. These findings revealed that HOXC8 included 12 SNPs, all unique mutant loci. The HOXC8 g.15179224C>T was significantly negatively associated with carcass weight (CW) and lumbar vertebrae length (LL) (p < 0.05). The g.15179674G>A locus was shown to be significantly positively associated with the number of lumbar vertebrae (LN) (p < 0.05). The phylogenetic tree constructed for the Dezhou donkey HOXC8 gene and seven other species revealed that the HOXC8 gene was highly conserved during animal evolution but differed markedly among distantly related animals. The results suggest that HOXC8 is a vital gene affecting multiple vertebral numbers and carcass weight in Dezhou donkeys, and the two loci g.15179224C>T and g.15179674G>A may be potential genetic markers for screening and breeding of new strains of high-quality and high-yielding Dezhou donkeys.
Genomic Analysis of Gastrointestinal Parasite Resistance in Akkaraman Sheep
Authors: Arzik Yunus , Kizilaslan Mehmet , White Stephen N. , Piel Lindsay M. W. , Çınar Mehmet Ulaş
Published: November 2022

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been used as an effective tool to understand the genetics of complex traits such as gastrointestinal parasite (GIP) resistance. The aim of this study was to understand the genetics of gastrointestinal parasite (nematodes, Moniezia spp., Eimeria spp.) resistance in Akkaraman sheep by performing genomic heritability estimations and conducting GWAS to uncover responsible genomic regions. This is one of the first studies to examine the genetic resistance of Akkaraman sheep to the tapeworm parasite. The samples from 475 animals were genotyped using the Axiom 50K Ovine Genotyping Array. Genomic heritability estimates ranged from 0.00 to 0.34 for parasite resistance traits. This indicates that measured phenotypes have low to moderate heritability estimates. A total of two genome-wide significant SNP associated with TNEM3 and ATRNL1 genes and 10 chromosome-wide significant SNPs related with 10 genes namely NELL1, ST6GALNAC3, HIPK1, SYT1, ALK, ZNF596, TMCO5A, PTH2R, LARGE1, and SCG2 were suggested as candidates for parasite resistance traits. The majority of these candidate genes were involved in several basic biological processes that are essential and important for immune system functions and cellular growth; specifically, inflammatory responses, cellular transport, cell apoptosis, cell differentiation, histone de-acetylation, and endocytosis. These results have implications for animal breeding program studies due to the effect that the genetic background has on parasite resistance, which underlies many productive, health, and wellness-related traits.
Analysis of Structure Variations and Expression Characteristics of DMP8 and DMP9 Genes in Brassicaceae
Authors: Zhang Tingting , Liang Jianli , Cai Xu , Zhang Lei , Wu Jian , Wang Xiaowu
Published: November 2022

Doubled haploid (DH) technology based on in vivo haploid induction (HI), which is used to obtain true-breeding lines within a single generation, is a technique that significantly increases modern crop-breeding efficiency. Recently, dicot Arabidopsis thaliana lines containing mutations in DMP8/9 were used as haploid inducer lines, but the use of this new HI mechanism is limited in Brassicaceae species, which include many important vegetable, oil, and fodder crops. Here, we investigated the phylogenetic distribution of the DMP8 and DMP9 homologous genes from 26 sequenced Brassicaceae species. We found that DMP8 only exists in the tribe Arabideae, while multiple copies of the DMP9 gene are presenting in all the investigated Brassicaceae species. The syntenic DMP9 genes were divided into two groups derived from the S genomic block and R genomic block, respectively. We further investigated the duplication, structure variations, and expression of the DMP9 genes in Brassica species that had undergone an extra whole-genome triplication. Our results revealed that DMP9 was lost in the most fractionated (MF2) subgenome, and the retained DMP9s in the least fractionated (LF) subgenome and medium fractionated (MF1) subgenome showed diversified expression patterns, indicating their functional diversification. Our results will be useful for obtaining the target DMP genes for the establishing of HI lines in Brassicaceae crops.
Family Caregivers’ Experiences of Preventing Harm to Older People during Hospitalization: A Phenomenographic Study
Authors: Han Chin-Yen , Lin Chun-Chih , Chen Li-Chin , Liu Shou-Hsuan , Goopy Suzanne , Chang Wen
Published: November 2022

Hospital admission is associated with a high risk of harm, particularly for older people, and family members play a critical role in providing care. The aim of this study was to explore family caregivers’ experiences in preventing harm to older people during hospitalization. The phenomenographic approach was applied. Thirty family caregivers were asked to describe their experiences of preventing harm to older people. Semi-structured interviews were audiotaped and transcribed. Participants described preventing harm as “essential care”, “an important step toward recovery”, “a load off the mind”, “outcomes of collaboration among caregivers and health professionals”, and “improvement in the quality of life after discharge”. The core theme was to achieve the goal of integrated care for older people. The results can help improve caregiving processes and prevent harm to older people during hospitalizations. They can assist in developing strategies for the delivery of safe care for older people.
Safety Performance Assessment of Construction Sites under the Influence of Psychological Factors: An Analysis Based on the Extension Cloud Model
Authors: Peng Junlong , Zhang Qi
Published: November 2022

Psychological hazards within organizational structures of construction sites are difficult to detect and can have significant negative impacts on safety performances when such hazards erupt. At present, most safety performance assessment models for construction sites ignore psychological factors. Therefore, in order to reveal psychological hazards within construction site organizations and to avoid damage caused by psychological hazards to safety performances, this paper evaluates the safety performances of construction sites by focusing on leader–member exchange ambivalence as the main trigger point. The evaluation system and evaluation criteria are established through three aspects: building scale, emotional orientation, and stability factors. The hierarchical analysis method, game theory, and extension cloud model are combined to make evaluation results more objective and credible. Moreover, a construction project with high technical requirements, high investment, and complex construction conditions (defined as a complex project) and an ordinary construction project with low technical difficulty and simple construction conditions (defined as a general project) were selected for analysis. The evaluation results indicate that both complex projects and general projects have safety hazards regarding psychological orientations. Finally, this paper makes some suggestions from three aspects: management system and corporate culture, building site intelligence, and social opinion to improve the safety performances of construction sites. The evaluation results are the same as actual operation results, which verify that models proposed in this paper can be used for safety performance evaluations of actual construction projects and provide help for managers to grasp overall safety levels.
Lipid Biomarker Investigation of the Delivery and Preservation of Autochthonous Organic Carbon in the Pearl River and Its Contribution to the Carbon Sink: Evidence from the Water and Surface Sediment
Authors: Yang Mingxing , Liu Zaihua , Sun Hailong , Zhao Min , He Haibo
Published: November 2022

The molecular composition of the lipid biomarkers in the surface water, water column, and surface sediments collected along the Pearl River was investigated to identify the mechanisms of the delivery and preservation of autochthonous organic carbon (AOC) and to estimate its contribution to the carbon sink. The spatial distribution of these lipid biomarkers showed that samples collected at high-DIC-concentration sites (DIC: dissolved inorganic carbon) had prominent aquatic autochthonous signatures, while samples collected at low-DIC-concentration sites showed greater terrestrial contributions, which were described as the DIC fertilization effects. In the summer, typically, intense precipitation and flood erosion diluted the biogeochemical composition and carried terrestrial plant detritus. Therefore, the percentage of AOC (auto%) was higher in the winter than in the summer. According to the calculation of the lipid biomarkers, the values of the auto% were 65% (winter) and 54% (summer) in the surface water, 55.9% (winter) and 44.6% (summer) in the below-surface water, and 52.1% (winter) and 43.9% (summer) in the surface sediment, which demonstrated that AOC accounted for a major portion of the TOC. Vertical variability was mainly present in sites with intense flood erosion, which resulted in the mixing and deposition of resuspended sediments. There was a positive correlation of the clay content with the auto% value and the biogeochemical composition, showing that clay adsorbed the organic carbon in the water, vertically deposited it into the sediment, and was the dominant mechanism of the vertical delivery of organic carbon (OC). According to the new karst carbon sink model, based on coupled carbonate weathering and aquatic photosynthesis, the karst carbon sink flux (CSF) in the Pearl River was 2.69 × 106 t/a which was 1.7 times the original estimation (1.58 × 106 t/a), and this did not consider the formation of AOC. This indicated that previously, the contribution of the riverine system to the global karst carbon sink may have been highly underestimated.
Immobilization of Magnetic Nanoparticles on Cellulosic Wooden Sawdust for Competitive Nudrin Elimination from Environmental Waters as a Green Strategy: Box–Behnken Design Optimization
Authors: Nour Manasik M. , Tony Maha A. , Nabwey Hossam A.
Published: November 2022

The role of engineering in our society is not to just to continue creating chemicals, but sharing the responsibility for environmentally sound appropriate design of substances for a circular economy. Concerning this contemporary strategy, waste wooden sawdust (WSD) as a biobased by-product is augmented with magnetite (Mag) nanoparticles to meet the concept of cyclic application of resources in environmentally relevant photocatalytic reactions. The physical properties of the prepared WSD:Mag material were characterized to emphasis their structure and morphology by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), then the prepared catalyst was applied in augmentation with hydrogen peroxide as a type of photocatalyst in the form of Fenton’s reaction system to oxidize Nudrin pesticide in queues media. Twinned WSD:Mag has been verified to exhibit higher performance than pristine single-phase catalysts. System parameters, i.e., pH, hydrogen peroxide, catalyst dozing, and temperature, were studied to check their effect on the reaction activity. In the present study, further promotion of photocatalytic activity of twinned WSD:Mag was obtained by optimizing the process parameters at the optimal reaction time of 30 min. The optimal results investigated via Box–Behnken design regression model based on response surface mythology (RSM) showed that the photocatalytic activity of the twinned catalyst could reach 94% at pH 2.5 and 386 and 38 m/L of H2O2 and WSD:Mag, respectively. The regression coefficient and probability obtained from analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to check the adequacy of the applied model, and were 92% and 0.02, respectively. Additional confirmatory tests were carried out under optimum conditions for verification and agreed with the predicted values. Experimental data analysis revealed that the reaction is well fitted with the second-order reaction model. Thermodynamic parameters highlighted the oxidation reaction is non-spontaneous at high temperature and exothermic in nature and proceeds at a low activation energy barrier (31.46 kJ/mol). Catalyst recyclability was also checked, which confirmed catalyst sustainability and high removal rates (78%) after six cycles of use. This work introduces a new concept to design a promising environmentally benign photocatalyst with high potential for applicability to environmental remediation of agricultural effluents with a view to a circular economy.
Low Resilience Was a Risk Factor of Mental Health Problems during the COVID-19 Pandemic but Not in Individuals Exposed to COVID-19: A Cohort Study in Spanish Adult General Population
Authors: Llistosella Maria , Castellvi Pere , Miranda-Mendizabal Andrea , Recoder Silvia , Calbo Ester , Casajuana-Closas Marc , Leiva David , Manolov Rumen , Matilla-Santander Nuria , Forero Carlos G.
Published: November 2022

Background: The aim is to analyze whether people with low resilience are at higher risk of mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spanish adults. Methods: a longitudinal cohort study was carried out. Resilience was measured with the CD-RISC. Mental health problems that were assessed included: Major Depressive Episode (MDE), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors (STB), and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Results: we found statistically significant differences between groups and resilience scores in MDE [F (3; 48.40) = 19.55], GAD [F (3; 19.63) = 6.45] and STB [F (3; 111.74) = 31.94]. Multivariable analyses showed individuals with very low resilience were at a 5-fold risk of Incidence of MDE and a 4-fold risk of STB. Persistent group presented a 21-fold risk of MDE and 54-fold risk of STB. No evidence of higher risk was found for GAD. Individuals with low resilience and exposed to COVID-19 were not at higher risk. Individuals with low resilience were at higher risk of PTSD in general population [β(95% CI) = −3.25 (−3.969 to −2.54)], but not for individuals with COVID-19. Conclusions: in the general population, having low or very low resilience increases the risk of suffering MDE, STB, and PTSD, but not GAD during the COVID-19 pandemic, and not in the population with COVID-19.
Sensitivity of a Dynamic Model of Air Traffic Emissions to Technological and Environmental Factors
Authors: Buendia-Hernandez Francisco A. , Ortiz Bevia Maria J. , Alvarez-Garcia Francisco J. , Ruizde Elvira Antonio
Published: November 2022

In this study, we introduce a sensitivity analysis of modelled CO2 aviation emissions to changes in the model parameters, which is intended as a contribution to the understanding of the atmospheric composition stabilization issue. The two variable dynamic model incorporates the effects of the technological innovations on the emissions rate, the environmental feedback, and a non-linear control term on the passengers rate. The model parameters, estimated from different air traffic sources, are subject to considerable uncertainty. The stability analysis of Monte Carlo simulations revealed that, for certain values of the non-linear term parameter and depending on the type of flight, the passengers number at some equilibrium points exceeded its initial value, while the emissions level was below the initial corresponding one. The results of two global sensitivity analyses indicated that the influence of the non-linear term prevailed on the passengers number rate, followed distantly by the environmental feedback. For the emissions rate, the non-linear term contribution dominated, with the technological term influence placing second.
Do Smart Cities Represent the Key to Urban Resilience? Rethinking Urban Resilience
Authors: Apostu Simona Andreea , Vasile Valentina , Vasile Razvan , Rosak-Szyrocka Joanna
Published: November 2022

The pandemic disrupted all activities, so it became necessary to understand, but also rethink, the complexity of economic resilience to better deal with future shocks. A component that can signal the resilience potential of a socio-economic system is smart city response, using technology to make services more efficient. This paper aims to analyze the relationship between smart cities and urban resilience to determine whether urban resilience is significantly influenced by urban smartness. Given the EU SDGs Strategy and the Implementation of RRF Programs, we have also identified the main driving forces that can amplify the impact of smart city development policies on local resilience. The results highlighted that at the European level, smart cities are significantly correlated with urban resilience; urban resilience is explained by the variation in urban smartness; resilience is correlated with all smart city dimensions, highly in (post-)pandemic, redefining a “new normal” in resilience approaches for smart cities. We also stressed the emerging, more complex content of the economic resilience concept and the new structural approach of smart cities resilience for the post-COVID-19 period.
Proposal for an Integrative Cognitive-Emotional Conception of ADHD
Authors: Lavigne-Cerván Rocío , Sánchez-Muñoz de León Marta , Juárez-Ruiz de Mier Rocío , Romero-González Marta , Gamboa-Ternero Sara , Rodríguez-Infante Gemma , Romero-Pérez Juan F.
Published: November 2022

Although numerous efforts have been made to deepen our understanding of the etiology of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), no explanation of its origins, nor of its consequences, has yet found a consensus within the scientific community. This study performs a theoretical review of various research studies and provides a reflection on the role of emotions in the origin of the disorder, at the neuroanatomical and functional level. To this end, theoretical models (single and multiple origin) and applied studies are reviewed in order to broaden the perspective on the relevance of the executive system in ADHD; it is suggested that this construct is not only composed and activated by cognitive processes and functions, but also includes elements of an emotional and motivational nature. Consequently, it is shown that ADHD is involved in social development and in a person’s ability to adapt to the environment.
Booster or Killer? Research on Undertaking Transferred Industries and Residents’ Well-Being Improvements
Authors: Ding Xuhui , Chen Yong , Li Min , Liu Narisu
Published: November 2022

Inter-regional industrial transfers would change the economic, societal, and ecological environment of the undertaking area profoundly. Some experts have recognized the ecological and environmental problems caused by industrial transfers. However, there are few studies on whether undertaking an industrial transfer will ultimately improve the well-being of residents. There is a strong application value for exploring this issue under the domestic cycle in China. This paper uses the shift-share analysis method to measure China’s inter-provincial industrial transfer from 2004 to 2019. According to the subjective and objective indicators, the article measures the level of residents’ well-being. A spatial econometric model is used to empirically test the impact of undertaking transferred industries on residents’ well-being and its mechanism. The results show that: 1. There is a significant spatial positive correlation between the well-being of residents at the national level. The empirical results also indicated significant spatial correlations at the level of the three major economic belts in the east, central, west, and northeast; 2. From the perspective of China as a whole, the inter-regional industrial transfer improved the well-being of the residents significantly, but the indirect negative effect reduced the total effect; 3. From the regional perspective, undertaking a transferred industry could significantly improve the well-being of residents in the central and eastern regions. However, in the northeast and western regions, it showed a serious negative effect. We should enhance the orderly transfer of industries deeply, considering the ecological and environmental capacities of the undertaking area fully and strictly limiting the inter-regional transfer of polluting industries. Only in this way could the government improve the well-being of residents in the industrial transfer-out areas and undertake areas effectively.
Correction: Stafseth et al. Symptoms of Anxiety, Depression, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Health Care Personnel in Norwegian ICUs during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic, a Prospective, Observational Cross-Sectional Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 7010
Authors: Stafseth Siv Karlsson , Skogstad Laila , Ræder Johan , Hovland Ingvild Strand , Hovde Haakon , Ekeberg Øivind , Lie Irene
Published: November 2022

In the original publication [...]