bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interface Characterization of Consolidated PPGF Tapes on PPGF Mat Material
Authors: Kapshammer Andreas , Miron Matei Constantin , Dangl Lukas , Major Zoltan
Published: February 2023

Laminated composites with thermoset matrices are already well established in major engineering fields like automotive and aviation. The primary drawbacks of such thermoset-based composites are the high cycle times required during manufacturing and their limited potential for recycling. Providing an alternative to thermoset-based composites, thermoplastic matrix materials gained more and more momentum by addressing these previously mentioned drawbacks. The preferred manufacturing technique for these materials employs fiber-reinforced thermoplastic tapes consolidated and formed together with a compatible substrate. The most critical aspect for all these applications is the stress or load transfer between the thermoplastic tapes and the substrate. If the interface is too weak and fails prior to the substrate or tape, a high amount of theoretical mechanical performance is lost. The presented research investigates the influence of variations in manufacturing parameters, within the industrially relevant process window, on the interface strength of the final composite. The investigated composite material consists of PPGF UD tapes consolidated on a PPGF mat substrate. In particular, the influence of the consolidation parameters of pressure, temperature, and time are of special interest. The results of this work reveal a 400% increase in the measured mean strain energy release rate upon increasing the consolidation time from 60 s to 120 s at a consolidation temperature of 230 °C and a pressure of one bar. In contrast to this, an increase in the consolidation pressure, at constant temperature and time, leads to a minor improvement in the GC value of 20%. For testing and characterizing the corresponding interface properties, a mandrel peel testing setup was employed.
A Robust Process to Produce Lignocellulosic Nanofibers from Corn Stover, Reed Canary Grass, and Industrial Hemp
Authors: Pascoli Danielle Uchimura , Dichiara Anthony , Gustafson Rick , Bura Renata
Published: February 2023

The use of agricultural waste biomass for nanocellulose production has gained interest due to its environmental and economic benefits compared to conventional bleached pulp feedstock. However, there is still a need to establish robust process technologies that can accommodate the variability of waste feedstocks and to understand the effects of feedstock characteristics on the final nanofiber properties. Here, lignocellulosic nanofibers with unique properties are produced from various waste biomass based on a simple and low-cost process using mild operating conditions. The process robustness is demonstrated by diversifying the feedstock, ranging from food crop waste (corn stover) to invasive grass species (reed canary grass) and industrial lignocellulosic residues (industrial hemp). This comprehensive study provides a thorough examination of the influence of the feedstocks’ physico-chemical characteristics on the conversion treatment, including process yield, degree of delignification, effectiveness of nanofibrillation, fiber morphology, surface charge, and density. Results show that nanofibers have been successfully produced from all feedstocks, with minor to no adjustments to process conditions. This work provides a framework for future studies to engineer nanocellulose with specific properties by taking advantage of biomass feedstocks’ intrinsic characteristics to enable versatile applications.
Correction: Gorrasi et al. Fabrication and Characterization of Electrospun Membranes Based on “Poly(ε-caprolactone)”, “Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)” and Their Blend for Tunable Drug Delivery of Curcumin. Polymers 2020, 12, 2239
Authors: Gorrasi Giuliana , Longo Raffaele , Viscusi Gianluca
Published: February 2023

In the original publication [...]
Politics and Religion in Montenegro—From “Theocracy” to a Civic State
Authors: Vuković-Ćalasan Danijela , Đoković Rajka
Published: February 2023

The relationship between religion(s) and politics, i.e., religious communities and political authorities, in Montenegro has varied and taken different forms throughout the country’s history. Available research, mostly historical in nature, is predominantly factual and does not provide a clear picture of the nature and forms of this relationship in Montenegro’s history. Through an analysis of legal–historical sources and relevant literature, this paper aims to indicate the complexity of the relationship between politics and religion through the identification and analysis of the different forms of the aforementioned relationship. The fact that Montenegro had pronounced features of a theocracy at the beginning of the creation of the state makes this context specific not only to the Balkan region, but also beyond. The concept of state religion and the period dominated by features of Caesaropapism was replaced by a period of modernisation of the state that gave rise to a separation of political and religious elements. The period of authoritarian socialism, in turn, led to the ideological suppression of religion. The early phases of democratisation in the last decade of the 20th century induced further change in the nature of the relationship between political authorities and religious communities, which continued in the new context of civic and multicultural Montenegro.
Quantification of Gridded Precipitation Products for the Streamflow Simulation on the Mekong River Basin Using Rainfall Assessment Framework: A Case Study for the Srepok River Subbasin, Central Highland Vietnam
Authors: Tran Thanh-Nhan-Duc , Nguyen Binh Quang , Zhang Runze , Aryal Aashutosh , Grodzka-Łukaszewska Maria , Sinicyn Grzegorz , Lakshmi Venkataraman
Published: February 2023

Many fields have identified an increasing need to use global satellite precipitation products for hydrological applications, especially in ungauged basins. In this study, we conduct a comprehensive evaluation of three Satellite-based Precipitation Products (SPPs): Integrated Multi–satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) Final run V6, Soil Moisture to Rain (SM2RAIN)-Advanced SCATterometer (ASCAT) V1.5, and Multi-Source Weighted-Ensemble Precipitation (MSWEP) V2.2 for a subbasin of the Mekong River Basin (MRB). The study area of the Srepok River basin (SRB) represents the Central Highland sub-climatic zone in Vietnam under the impacts of newly built reservoirs during 2001–2018. In this study, our evaluation was performed using the Rainfall Assessment Framework (RAF) with two separated parts: (1) an intercomparison of rainfall characteristics between rain gauges and SPPs; and (2) a hydrological comparison of simulated streamflow driven by SPPs and rain gauges. Several key findings are: (1) IMERGF-V6 shows the highest performance compared to other SPP products, followed by SM2RAIN-ASCAT V1.5 and MSWEP V2.2 over assessments in the RAF framework; (2) MSWEP V2.2 shows discrepancies during the dry and wet seasons, exhibiting very low correlation compared to rain gauges when the precipitation intensity is greater than 15 mm/day; (3) SM2RAIN–ASCAT V1.5 is ranked as the second best SPP, after IMERGF-V6, and shows good streamflow simulation, but overestimates the wet seasonal rainfall and underestimates the dry seasonal rainfall, especially when the precipitation intensity is greater than 20 mm/day, suggesting the need for a recalibration and validation of its algorithm; (4) SM2RAIN-ASCAT had the lowest bias score during the dry season, indicating the product’s usefulness for trend analysis and drought detection; and (5) RAF shows good performance to evaluate the performance of SPPs under the impacts of reservoirs, indicating a good framework for use in other similar studies. The results of this study are the first to reveal the performance of MSWEP V2.2 and SM2RAIN-ASCAT V1.5. Additionally, this study proposes a new rainfall assessment framework for a Vietnam basin which could support future studies when selecting suitable products for input into hydrological model simulations in similar regions.
Gram-GAN: Image Super-Resolution Based on Gram Matrix and Discriminator Perceptual Loss
Authors: Song Jie , Yi Huawei , Xu Wenqian , Li Bo , Li Xiaohui
Published: February 2023

The solution of a high-resolution (HR) image corresponding to a low-resolution (LR) image is not unique in most cases. However, single-LR–single-HR supervision is widely adopted in single-image super-resolution (SISR) tasks, which leads to inflexible inference logic of the model and poor generalization ability. To improve the flexibility of model inference, we constructed a novel form of supervision, except for the ground truth (GT). Specifically, considering the structural properties of natural images, we propose using extra supervision to focus on the textural similarity of the images. As textural similarity does not account for the position information of images, a Gram matrix was constructed to break the limitations of spatial position and focus on the textural information. Besides the use of traditional perceptual loss, we propose a discriminator perceptual loss based on the two-network architecture of generative adversarial networks (GAN). The difference between the discriminator features used in this loss and the traditional visual geometry group (VGG) features is that the discriminator features can describe the relevant information from the perspective of super-resolution. Quantitative and qualitative experiments were performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Improved Cattle Disease Diagnosis Based on Fuzzy Logic Algorithms
Authors: Turimov Mustapoevich Dilmurod , Muhamediyeva Tulkunovna Dilnoz , Safarova Ulmasovna Lola , Primova Holida , Kim Wooseong
Published: February 2023

The health and productivity of animals, as well as farmers’ financial well-being, can be significantly impacted by cattle illnesses. Accurate and timely diagnosis is therefore essential for effective disease management and control. In this study, we consider the development of models and algorithms for diagnosing diseases in cattle based on Sugeno’s fuzzy inference. To achieve this goal, an analytical review of mathematical methods for diagnosing animal diseases and soft computing methods for solving classification problems was performed. Based on the clinical signs of diseases, an algorithm was proposed to build a knowledge base to diagnose diseases in cattle. This algorithm serves to increase the reliability of informative features. Based on the proposed algorithm, a program for diagnosing diseases in cattle was developed. Afterward, a computational experiment was performed. The results of the computational experiment are additional tools for decision-making on the diagnosis of a disease in cattle. Using the developed program, a Sugeno fuzzy logic model was built for diagnosing diseases in cattle. The analysis of the adequacy of the results obtained from the Sugeno fuzzy logic model was performed. The processes of solving several existing (model) classification and evaluation problems and comparing the results with several existing algorithms are considered. The results obtained enable it to be possible to promptly diagnose and perform certain therapeutic measures as well as reduce the time of data analysis and increase the efficiency of diagnosing cattle. The scientific novelty of this study is the creation of an algorithm for building a knowledge base and improving the algorithm for constructing the Sugeno fuzzy logic model for diagnosing diseases in cattle. The findings of this study can be widely used in veterinary medicine in solving the problems of diagnosing diseases in cattle and substantiating decision-making in intelligent systems.
Control and Optimisation of Power Grids Using Smart Meter Data: A Review
Authors: Chen Zhiyi , Amani Ali Moradi , Yu Xinghuo , Jalili Mahdi
Published: February 2023

This paper provides a comprehensive review of the applications of smart meters in the control and optimisation of power grids to support a smooth energy transition towards the renewable energy future. The smart grids become more complicated due to the presence of small-scale low inertia generators and the implementation of electric vehicles (EVs), which are mainly based on intermittent and variable renewable energy resources. Optimal and reliable operation of this environment using conventional model-based approaches is very difficult. Advancements in measurement and communication technologies have brought the opportunity of collecting temporal or real-time data from prosumers through Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). Smart metering brings the potential of applying data-driven algorithms for different power system operations and planning services, such as infrastructure sizing and upgrade and generation forecasting. It can also be used for demand-side management, especially in the presence of new technologies such as EVs, 5G/6G networks and cloud computing. These algorithms face privacy-preserving and cybersecurity challenges that need to be well addressed. This article surveys the state-of-the-art of each of these topics, reviewing applications, challenges and opportunities of using smart meters to address them. It also stipulates the challenges that smart grids present to smart meters and the benefits that smart meters can bring to smart grids. Furthermore, the paper is concluded with some expected future directions and potential research questions for smart meters, smart grids and their interplay.
Tectonic Implication of the 2022 MS 6.9 Earthquake in Menyuan, Qinghai, China: Analysis of Precise Earthquake Locations and InSAR
Authors: Yin Xinxin , Zhai Hongyu , Cai Run , Qiu Jiangtao , Zou Xiaobo
Published: February 2023

Precise earthquake locations and InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) deformation observation are the major methods to understand the earthquake occurrence and disaster-causing process. This paper proposes a processing framework for analyzing strong earthquake mechanisms from one-dimensional velocity inversion to precise earthquake locations combined with InSAR deformation observation, and discusses earthquake-generating fault and dynamic mechanisms of tectonic deformation. We analyzed the Menyuan Ms 6.9 earthquake in 2022 and discuss the historical seismic activities and corresponding stress adjustment processes in the research region. To analyze and study the seismogenic structure and mechanism of the earthquake, we investigated the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of the Menyuan earthquake sequence and analyzed the InSAR coseismic deformation field. We obtained the precise locations of the main shock and aftershocks and the coseismic InSAR deformation field of the main shock. It was confirmed that the Ms 6.9 earthquake was a shallow sinistral strike-slip earthquake, which led to the sequential activation of the Tuolaishan and Lenglongling faults. The main seismogenic fault of the mainshock was the northwestern end of the Lenglongling fault, and the earthquake rupture was segmented. It can be inferred that the earthquake was a stress-adjusted event triggered in the Qilian-Haiyuan tectonic belt caused by the northeasterly push of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The risk of moderate to high earthquakes in the region remains high in the future, requiring enhanced seismic observations.
Unsupervised Hyperspectral Band Selection via Multimodal Evolutionary Algorithm and Subspace Decomposition
Authors: Wei Yunpeng , Hu Huiqiang , Xu Huaxing , Mao Xiaobo
Published: February 2023

Unsupervised band selection is an essential task to search for representative bands in hyperspectral dimension reduction. Most of existing studies utilize the inherent attribute of hyperspectral image (HSI) and acquire single optimal band subset while ignoring the diversity of subsets. Moreover, the ordered property in HSI is expected to be focused in order to avoid choosing redundant bands. In this paper, we proposed an unsupervised band selection method based on the multimodal evolutionary algorithm and subspace decomposition to alleviate the problems. To explore the diversity of band subsets, the multimodal evolutionary algorithm is first employed in spectral subspace decomposition to seek out multiple global or local solutions. Meanwhile, in view of ordered property, we concentrate more on increasing the difference between neighbor band subspaces. Furthermore, to utilize the obtained multiple diverse band subsets, an integrated utilization strategy is adopted to improve the predicted performance. Experimental results on three popular hyperspectral remote sensing datasets and one collected composition prediction dataset show the effectiveness of the proposed method, and the superiority over state-of-the-art methods on predicted accuracy.
LGAD-Based Silicon Sensors for 4D Detectors
Authors: Giacomini Gabriele
Published: February 2023

Low-Gain Avalanche Diodes (LGAD) are a class of silicon sensors developed for the fast detection of Minimum Ionizing Particles (MIPs). The development was motivated by the need of resolving piled-up tracks of charged particles emerging from several vertexes originating from the same bunch-crossing in High-Energy Physics (HEP) collider experiments, which, however, are separated not only in space but also in time by a few tens of picoseconds. Built on thin silicon substrates and featuring an internal moderate gain, they provide fast signals for excellent timing performance, which are therefore useful to distinguish the different tracks. Unfortunately, this comes at the price of poor spatial resolution. To overcome this limitation, other families of LGAD-based silicon sensors which can deliver in the same substrate both excellent timing and spatial information are under development. Such devices are, to name a few, capacitively coupled LGADs (AC-LGAD), deep-junction LGADs (DJ-LGAD) and trench-isolated LGADs (TI-LGADs). These devices can be fabricated by even small-scale research-focused clean rooms for faster development within the scientific community. However, to scale up production, efforts towards integrating these sensor concepts in CMOS substrates, with the obvious advantage of the possibility of integrating part of the read-out electronics in the same substrate, have begun.
Organic Soils: Formation, Classification and Environmental Changes Records in the Highlands of Southeastern Brazil
Authors: Silva Neto Eduardo Carvalho , Coelho-Junior Marcondes Geraldo , Horák-Terra Ingrid , Gonçalves Thamyres Sabrina , Anjos Lúcia Helena Cunha , Pereira Marcos Gervasio
Published: February 2023

Soils constitute the largest terrestrial carbon (C) pool, representing more than the sum of carbon contained in the atmosphere and vegetation. In this context, organic soils stand out, storing 21% of the global soil organic C stock in only 3% of the Earth’s land surface. Moreover, these soils are a key component in our climate system, biodiversity, water cycle and records of environmental changes. Organic soils require specific attention as they provide a large variety of ecosystem services, but also because of their vulnerability to climate change. In this paper, we present a review of terms and concepts related to organic soils, their formation, pedoenvironments, and taxonomic classification. We also present a synthesis of studies in the highlands of southeastern Brazil using these soils as records of environmental change.
Geographies of Frontline Workers: Gender, Race, and Commuting in New York City
Authors: McLafferty Sara , Preston Valerie
Published: February 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic amplified social, economic, and environmental inequalities in American cities, including inequities in commuting and access to employment. Frontline workers—those who had to work on site during the pandemic—experienced these inequalities in every aspect of their daily lives. We examine the labor force characteristics and commuting of frontline workers in New York City with a focus on gender and race/ethnic disparities in wages and commuting modes and times. Using Census PUMS microdata for a sample of New York City residents in the 2015–2019 period, we identify frontline workers from detailed industry and occupation codes and compare characteristics of frontline workers with those of essential workers who could work remotely. The data highlight wide disparities between frontline and remote workers. Minority men and women are concentrated in the frontline workforce. The residential geographies of frontline and remote workers differ greatly, with the former concentrated in low- and moderate- income areas distant from work sites and with long commute times. Compared to men, women frontline workers rely heavily on public transit to commute and transit dependence is highest among Black and Latina women. Low-wage employment, long commute times, and transit dependence intersected to increase minority women’s economic and social vulnerability during the pandemic.
Operational Concept of an Innovative Management Framework for Choosing the Optimal Packaging System for Supply Chains
Authors: Matyi Henriett , Tamás Péter
Published: February 2023

In relation to the logistics processes created and operated by companies, the choice of the optimal packaging system is a rightful social and industrial expectation. Choosing the right packaging system can reduce the environmental impact and make logistics processes more efficient. These aspects are key factors for the competitiveness of companies. It can be concluded that in practice, the selection of a right packaging system in a company is mostly based on experience. In the literature, the choice of such a system is based on the analysis of the processes of a single company, i.e., no method has been developed to integrate the processes of several companies to optimize the choice of a packaging system. Consequently, several losses can occur, both at the system boundaries and within the company processes, for example, losses from unnecessary material handling, operations, product damage, etc. The aim of this paper is to present the concept of an innovative packaging management framework that can be used to select the optimal unit load handling equipment based on the company’s needs defined by simulation-based optimization. The application of the concept is also presented through a case study. It is demonstrated that the application of the developed concept can be a significant step towards the realization of sustainable supply chains through more efficient process design.
Responses of Vegetation, Soil, and Microbes and Carbon and Nitrogen Pools to Semiarid Grassland Land-Use Patterns in Duolun, Inner Mongolia, China
Authors: Gao Xiuli , Lv Shihai , Diao Zhaoyan , Wang Dewang , Li Daikui , Zheng Zhirong
Published: February 2023

Previous studies have observed that increased precipitation positively affects primary production in semiarid grasslands in Inner Mongolia, while soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) strongly influence how ecosystems respond to precipitation as well as anthropogenic disturbances under different management strategies. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the storage of organic C and N in four grassland sites with similar flora and landforms but with different grazing intensities to characterize how the storage and concentrations of C and N respond to relief from grazing pressure and precipitation. The concentrations of soil organic carbon (SOC), soil total nitrogen (STN), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), as well as the contents of soil bacteria and fungi in the 0–50 cm soil layers, were measured. The results showed that SOC, STN, MBC, and MBN storage varied greatly among the four grassland sites (p < 0.05), with all decreasing significantly with grassland degradation and increasing greatly with the exclusion of grazing, i.e., the establishment of natural grassland (NG). More than 90% of C and 95% of N stored in the soil were lost due to heavy grazing, but the losses were smaller in other nutrient pools (including the aboveground biomass, litter, and roots). Interestingly, the proportion of the particle size fractions (clay, silt, and sand) had a stronger effect on limiting the soil and microbial nutrient pools compared to precipitation. The limited range of C and N storage found in these grassland soils indicated that enclosed fencing was a valuable management tool with a high potential to sequester C in the top meter of the soil, showing a stronger effect than precipitation. This study provides a theoretical basis for improving grassland recovery in semiarid areas that have been heavily grazed.
Linking Instructional Leadership and School Support to Teacher Expertise: The Mediating Effect of Teachers’ Professional Development Agency
Authors: Li Yanli , Cai Yonghong , Tang Runjia
Published: February 2023

The focus on developing teacher expertise makes teaching and learning more sustainable, as it is a way of working to create improvement in education. The objective of this study was to explore the direct or indirect impacts of principal instructional leadership and school support on teacher expertise and explore the mediating effect of teachers’ professional development agency. A survey of 1123 teachers was conducted at 21 primary schools and 20 secondary schools in Hebei and Shanxi provinces of northern China. Structural equation modeling and bootstrapping were performed to test the relationships between variables. Results showed that teachers’ professional development agency mediated the effects of principal instructional leadership and school support on teacher expertise. School support was a better predictor of teacher expertise than principal instructional leadership. Providing instructional conditions and leadership support were non-significantly related to teacher expertise. Colleague support and student support were the better predictors of teacher expertise than providing instructional guidance and monitoring. The findings indicate that the growth of teacher expertise depends on building their professional development agency. Teachers will have a strong sense of agency to sustain the teaching profession when principals establish a supportive school climate that emphasizes teaching and learning in their leadership practice and enables teachers to build positive relationships with colleagues and students. The study confirms the supportive factors that impact teacher expertise and provides useful implications for the daily practice of teachers, principals, and administrators.
Metal Cation and Surfactant-Assisted Flocculation for Enhanced Dewatering of Anaerobically Digested Sludge
Authors: Shinde Sanjay , Yeneneh Anteneh Mesfin , Jafary Tahereh , Al Balushi Khadija , Hong Eugene , Sen Tushar Kanti , Rupani Parveen Fatemeh
Published: February 2023

Flocculation and dewatering of anaerobically digested sludge is known to be a major cost factor in the economy of wastewater treatment plants. Hence, several endeavors have been underway in search of affordable and effective alternatives. This study focuses on the effects of different metal cations, including FeCl3, CaCl2 and MgSO4, on the dewaterability of digested sludge. The effects of these metal flocculants were also investigated in the presence of co-polymers and surfactants, which can be considered the novelty of this study. The polymers and surfactants investigated in this study were emulsion polymer, CTAB and SDS. Sampling and characterization of digested sludge was conducted, and total solid (TS), volatile solid (VS), dewaterability in capillary suction time (CST), total dissolved solids (TDS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), pH and conductivity of the unconditioned digested sludge samples were determined. The dewaterability of FeCl3, CaCl2 and MgSO4 conditioned digested sludge samples were compared, and MgSO4 conditioned digested sludge showed better dewaterability compared to the other two metal conditioning agents at a pH of 6.8. The dewaterability was further improved by the addition of emulsion polymer (EMA 8854), cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Fe Cl3 was found to perform better under an acidic pH of around 3. The dual conditioning using polymer and CTAB resulted in better dewaterability, with CaCl2 as metal conditioning agent. Moreover, the effects of pH, metal dose and polymer dose on the dewaterability of digested sludge were also investigated. The effects of metal and polymer conditioning on the particle size of the sludge flocs was also investigated. Optimum dewatering performance was achieved for metal doses of 0.16 v/v, 0.075 v/v and 0.16 v/v for FeCl3, CaCl2 and MgSO4, respectively, and a corresponding CTAB dose of 0.1 v/v and EMA dose of 15 kg/TDS were found to be the optimum. SDS as a polymer conditioning agent resulted in the deterioration of dewatering performance.
How Ethical Leadership Cultivates Innovative Work Behaviors in Employees? Psychological Safety, Work Engagement and Openness to Experience
Authors: Liu Xin , Huang Yan , Kim Jaehyoung , Na Sanggyun
Published: February 2023

In this study, social exchange theory and social learning theory are integrated to explain how and when ethical leaders promote innovative work behaviors among employees. Specifically, this research developed a moderated mediation model to examine the mediating effect of psychological safety and work engagement and the moderating effect of openness to experience. The survey data were collected from 397 full-time employees of various service industry companies operating in China in two stages with a two-week gap. SPSS and AMOS were used to assess the study hypotheses. First, SPSS 22.0 was used to test the reliability of variables and conduct descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analysis, and AMOS 22.0 was used to conduct confirmatory factor analysis. Second, Version 22 of SPSS and the PROCESS macro were used to analyze mediation, moderation, and conditional process effects. The results indicated that ethical leadership was positively related to employees’ innovative work behavior. Ethical leadership significantly positively affects employees’ innovative work behaviors by mediating psychological safety and work engagement. Moreover, the results showed that openness to experience plays a moderating effect in the positive relationship between work engagement and employees’ innovative work behavior. Finally, openness to experience moderates the indirect relationship (via work engagement) between ethical leadership and employees’ innovative work behavior. This research contributes to the existing literature on ethical leadership and provides a reference for companies to stimulate employees’ innovative work behavior.
The Impact of Removing Coal from Poland’s Energy Mix on Selected Aspects of the Country’s Energy Security
Authors: Rybak Aurelia , Rybak Aleksandra , Joostberens Jarosław
Published: February 2023

The article presents the results of research on the impact of the transformation of Poland’s energy mix on the country’s energy security. Since energy security is a very complex problem, the impact of the transformation has been verified in three aspects, i.e., greenhouse gas emissions; energy availability in terms of its quantity, sufficient to meet the needs of citizens; and energy prices. The MANOVA model was used in the research. The model allowed us to examine the relationship between the share of coal in the energy mix and the above-mentioned factors. The MANOVA model allowed us to determine the influence of one explanatory variable on several response variables. The results obtained enabled the verification of the adequacy of the changes that have been made in the energy mix over the last 10 years. As is shown, the factor that is related to changes in the share of coal in the energy mix is the energy surplus, while a relationship between both prices and emission levels and the changes in the share of coal in the energy mix has not been established. Furthermore, a simulation was carried out, which showed that the correlation between price, emissions, and the share in the mix was obtained only by reducing 2017–2020 emissions by an average of 6% and prices by 17%.
Remote Sensing Studies Applied to the Use of Satellite Images in Global Scale
Authors: Silva Luis F. O. , Oliveira Marcos L. S.
Published: February 2023

The present editorial intended to introduce and complement the special issue entitled remote sensing studies applied to the use of satellite images in global scale [...]
The Importance of Digitalization for the Sustainability of the Food Supply Chain
Authors: Zorić Nebojša , Marić Radenko , Đurković-Marić Tijana , Vukmirović Goran
Published: February 2023

This paper aims to define the negative impact of various indicators on the sustainability and functioning of the traditional food supply chain (FSC) in the segment of wholesale and retail activities and to propose a set of measures and incentives for the digitalization of its business processes. After a systematic review of the literature, the most common indicators significant for the functioning of the FSC were defined, primarily in the segment of wholesale and retail activities. Empirical research examined the influence of given indicators on the FSC. The obtained results showed that indicators such as poor coordination and transfer of information among FSC participants, food loss, economic performance, transaction costs, external elements, chemical and microbial contamination, and control of raw material, food, and waste flows significantly complicate the sustainability and functioning of the FSC. Based on the obtained results, a set of measures and incentives is proposed that the management of the supply chain should undertake to digitalize business processes, primarily in the segment of wholesale and retail activities. This paper also lists shortcomings of the research and gives guidelines for future research.
Numerical Study on the Influence of Block Physical Characteristics on Landslide Migration Using Three-Dimensional Discontinuous Deformation Analysis
Authors: Wu Zhen , Zhang Huiwen
Published: February 2023

The physical characteristics of blocks have an important impact on the migration and deposition in landslides, so the damage of landslides to the surrounding environment often has great uncertainty. To explore how the physical properties of blocks affect the landslide movement, we used Compaq Visual Fortran software with a DDA program to simulate the movement of a block landslide in our study. The velocity and location changes of two types of blocks (triangular and square blocks) were simulated by comparison. The contents of the simulation included the following points: (1) the influence of block density and weight on migration, (2) the influence of the elastic-slip characteristics and spring penalty coefficient on velocity, and (3) interaction between block vertices and the sliding surface. The results showed how the shape and physical properties of the blocks affect the migration of those blocks. Although the triangular blocks appeared to be more stable than the square blocks, they only exhibited greater stability on the gentle slope. The weight and elastic modulus of the blocks could improve the velocity and destructive force, whereas the spring penalty coefficient between the blocks and the contact surface had an obscure effect on the velocity. However, the changes of the above three parameters all led to non-linear changes of velocity. The simulation results indicated that the blocks with different numbers of edges and surfaces had complex trajectories because of contact frequency and mobility. The results show that the physical properties of the blocks could be one of the factors that could ultimately change the displacement of landslides.
Advances in Agroindustrial Waste as a Substrate for Obtaining Eco-Friendly Microbial Products
Authors: Astudillo Álvaro , Rubilar Olga , Briceño Gabriela , Diez María Cristina , Schalchli Heidi
Published: February 2023

Recycled agroindustrial waste has been of great interest during the last decade as a low-cost and sustainable substrate for fermentation processes. The types of products, yields, and potential applications depend mainly on the waste composition, which varies in terms of proteins, carbohydrates, and/or polyphenolic compounds. The most commonly reported microbial products are enzymes, pigments, biosurfactants, antibiotics, and phenolic compounds for different industrial applications. Advances in research on novel wastes as nutrient sources and the optimization of fermentation processes can help these materials transition from laboratory applications to an industrial level. This review explores reports published in the last five years (2017–2022) on different types of agroindustrial waste and their utilization in the production of useful microbial products. The present scenario and future scope of agroindustrial waste as substrates for submerged and solid-state fermentation processes are also discussed. The information was analyzed considering two main topics: (i) agroindustrial waste as substrates for fermentation processes and (ii) high-added value products obtained by microbial conversion. This review contributes to future research endeavors to discover the key factors that will allow us to reach the market with sustainable microbial products.
Transformation of the RESPO Decision Support System to Higher Education for Monitoring Sustainability-Related Competencies
Authors: Abina Andreja , Cestnik Bojan , Kovačič Lukman Rebeka , Zavernik Sara , Ogrinc Matevž , Zidanšek Aleksander
Published: February 2023

A result-oriented engagement system for performance optimisation (RESPO) has been developed to systematically monitor and improve the competencies of individuals in business, lifelong learning and secondary schools. The RESPO expert system was transferred for use in higher education institutions (HEIs) based on successful practical application trials. The architecture and functionality of the original RESPO expert system have been transformed into a new format that will collect information on the required competencies and the available educational programmes to help students effectively develop competencies through formal and non-formal education. First, the initial version of the RESPO system and its functionality were tested on a selected group of students and higher education staff to validate and improve its effectiveness for the needs of HEIs. This paper summarises the key findings and recommendations of the validators for transforming the RESPO application into an application for HEIs. In addition, the selection of competencies in the RESPO application database has been adapted to align with selected study programmes and the need to develop sustainability-related competencies. These findings can support professionals working in higher education institutions in developing students’ future competencies and fostering the targeted use of learning analytics tools.
Theory of Projectors and Its Application to Molecular Symmetry
Authors: Crogman Horace T.
Published: February 2023

Projector theory can serve as a powerful tool to perform the symmetric computation of molecular systems. The work of William Harter has long demonstrated the effectiveness of this theory in molecular spectroscopy; however, it seems its usefulness has not been realized by many in the field. We have described this methodology and have considered the D3 symmetry system and the tetrahedral symmetry of methane molecules as concrete examples where the computed rotation tensors and vibrational wavefunction were derived for some symmetry states.
An Intuitionistic Fuzzy Version of Hellinger Distance Measure and Its Application to Decision-Making Process
Authors: Li Xiang , Liu Zhe , Han Xue , Liu Nan , Yuan Weihua
Published: February 2023

Intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IFSs), as a representative variant of fuzzy sets, has substantial advantages in managing and modeling uncertain information, so it has been widely studied and applied. Nevertheless, how to perfectly measure the similarities or differences between IFSs is still an open question. The distance metric offers an elegant and desirable solution to such a question. Hence, in this paper, we propose a new distance measure, named DIFS, inspired by the Hellinger distance in probability distribution space. First, we provide the formal definition of the new distance measure of IFSs, and analyze the outstanding properties and axioms satisfied by DIFS, which means it can measure the difference between IFSs well. Besides, on the basis of DIFS, we further present a normalized distance measure of IFSs, denoted DIFS˜. Moreover, numerical examples verify that DIFS˜ can obtain more reasonable and superior results. Finally, we further develop a new decision-making method on top of DIFS˜ and evaluate its performance in two applications.
New Exact Solutions Describing Quantum Asymmetric Top
Authors: Breev Alexander , Gitman Dmitry
Published: February 2023

In this work, using the noncommutative integration method of linear differential equations, we obtain a complete set of solutions to the Schrodinger equation for a quantum asymmetric top in Euler angles. It is shown that the noncommutative reduction of the Schrodinger equation leads to the Lame equation. The resulting set of solutions is determined by the Lame polynomials in a complex parameter, which is related to the geometry of the orbits of the coadjoint representation of the rotation group. The spectrum of an asymmetric top is obtained from the condition that the solutions are invariant with respect to a special irreducible λ-representation of the rotation group.
Improved Production of Recombinant Carboxylesterase FumDM by Co-Expressing Molecular Chaperones in Pichia pastoris
Authors: Jiang Lixiang , Guan Xiao , Liu Hujun , Chang Xiaojiao , Sun Jing , Sun Changpo , Zhao Chengcheng
Published: February 2023

Fumonisins (FBs) are mycotoxins that threaten public health and food safety worldwide. Enzymatic degradation of Fumonisin B1 (FB1) through decarboxylation has attracted much attention, whereas application of FB1 carboxylesterase in detoxification requires more effective expression of the recombinant carboxylesterase. In this study, the carboxylesterase FumDM from Sphingopyxis sp. ASAG22 was codon-optimized and co-expressed with five different molecular chaperones (PDI, CPR5, ERO1, HAC1, and Bip) in order to improve the expression level of FumDM in Pichia pastoris (also known as Komagataella phaffii) GS115. The co-expression of different chaperones caused varying degrees of improvement in FumDM activity for FB1. The enzyme activities of recombinant strains over-expressing PDI and CPR5 reached the highest levels of 259.47 U/mL and 161.34 U/mL, 635% and 357% higher than the original enzyme activity, respectively. Transcriptomic analysis of the two recombinant strains in comparison with the control strain showed that the correct folding of proteins assisted by molecular chaperones played a key role in the improvement of FumDM expression and its enzyme activity. This study demonstrated that co-expression of carboxylesterase FumDM and folding chaperones was an efficient strategy and therefore might inspire new perspectives on the improvement of carboxylesterase for detoxification of FB1.
Oncolytic Avian Reovirus σA-Modulated Upregulation of the HIF-1α/C-myc/glut1 Pathway to Produce More Energy in Different Cancer Cell Lines Benefiting Virus Replication
Authors: Hsu Chao-Yu , Huang Jing-Wen , Huang Wei-Ru , Chen I-Chun , Chen Ming-Shan , Liao Tsai-Ling , Chang Yu-Kang , Munir Muhammad , Liu Hung-Jen
Published: February 2023

Our previous reports proved that the structural protein σA of avian reovirus (ARV) is an energy activator which can regulate cellular metabolism that is essential for virus replication. This study has further demonstrated that the ARV protein σA is able to upregulate the HIF-1α/myc/glut1 pathway in three cancer cell lines (A549, B16-F10, and HeLa) to alter the metabolic pathway of host cells. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR and Western blotting results have revealed that σA protein could enhance both mRNA and the protein levels of HIF-1α, c-myc, and glut1 in these cancer cell lines. In this work, ATeam immunofluorescence staining was used to reveal that knockdown of HIF-1α, c-myc, and glut1 by shRNAs decreased cellular ATP levels. Our data reveal that the ARV σA protein can downregulate lactate fermentation and upregulate glutaminolysis. The σA protein upregulates glutaminase, which converts glutamate into the TCA cycle intermediate α-ketoglutarate, activating the TCA cycle. In the lactate fermentation pathway, ARV σA protein suppresses lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), implying the Warburg effect does not occur in these cancer cell lines. This study provides a novel finding revealing that ARV σA protein upregulates glycolysis and glutaminolysis to produce energy using the HIF-1α/c-myc/glut1 pathway to benefit virus replication in these cancer cell lines.
A Review of HYDRUS 2D/3D Applications for Simulations of Water Dynamics, Root Uptake and Solute Transport in Tree Crops under Drip Irrigation
Authors: Morianou Giasemi , Kourgialas Nektarios N. , Karatzas George P.
Published: February 2023

Orchards with tree crops are of critical importance to the global economy and to the environment due to their ability to be productive for many years without the need for replanting. They are also better adapted to extreme climatic conditions compared to other crops. However, new challenges are emerging as climate change threatens both tree production and water supply. Drip irrigation (surface and subsurface) is an irrigation method that has the potential to save water and nutrients by placing water directly into the root zone and minimizing evaporation. Many irrigation designs and strategies have been tested to best perform drip irrigation for any given soil, crop and/or climate conditions. The researchers’ need to find the optimal combination of irrigation management and design in the most economical and effortless way led to the use of comprehensive numerical models such as HYDRUS 2D/3D. HYDRUS 2D/3D is a widely used mathematical model for studying vadose zone flow and transport processes. A review of HYDRUS 2D/3D applications for simulations of water dynamics, root uptake and solute transport under drip irrigation in the four most common categories of tree crops (citrus, olive, avocado and deciduous fruit/nuts) is presented in this study. The review promotes a better understanding of the effect of different drip irrigation designs and treatments, as well as the reliability provided by HYDRUS 2D/3D in the evaluation of the above. This manuscript also indicates gaps and future challenges regarding the use of the model in simulations of drip irrigation in tree crops.