bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gold Nanomaterials‐Implemented CRISPR‐Cas Systems for Biosensing
Authors: Fu Ruijie , Xianyu Yunlei
Published: February 2023

Due to their superiority in the simple design and precise targeting, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)‐Cas systems have attracted significant interest for biosensing. On the one hand, CRISPR‐Cas systems have the capacity to precisely recognize and cleave specific DNA and RNA sequences. On the other hand, CRISPR‐Cas systems such as orthologs of Cas9, Cas12, and Cas13 exhibit cis‐cleavage or trans‐cleavage activities after recognizing the target sequence. Owing to the cleavage activities, CRISPR‐Cas systems can be designed for biosensing by degrading tagged nucleic acids to produce detectable signals. To meet the requirements of point‐of‐care detection and versatile signal readouts, gold nanomaterials with excellent properties such as high extinction coefficients, easy surface functionalization, and biocompatibility are implemented in CRISPR‐Cas‐based biosensors. In combination with gold nanomaterials such as gold nanoparticles, gold nanorods, and gold nanostars, great efforts are devoted to fabricating CRISPR‐Cas‐based biosensors for the detection of diverse targets. This review focuses on the current advances in gold nanomaterials‐implemented CRISPR‐Cas‐based biosensors, particularly the working mechanism and the performance of these biosensors. CRISPR‐Cas systems, including CRISPR‐Cas9, CRISPR‐Cas12a, and CRISPR‐Cas13a are discussed and highlighted. Meanwhile, prospects and challenges are also discussed in the design of biosensing strategies based on gold nanomaterials and CRISPR‐Cas systems.
Transferring and Retaining of Different Polyaniline Nanofeatures via Electrophoretic Deposition for Enhanced Sensing Performance
Authors: Ji Zhanyou , Zhai Bingyan , Wang Nana , He Yinkun , Wang Huidi , Fei Guiqiang , Wang Caiyun , Zhang Guohong , Shao Liang
Published: February 2023

Nanofeatured polyaniline (PANI) electrodes have demonstrated impressive sensing performance due to the enhanced electrolyte diffusion and ion transport. However, the retaining of these nanostructures on substrates via electrophoretic deposition (EPD) faces an insurmountable challenge from the involved dedoping process. Here, camphorsulfonic acid is utilized with high steric effects to dope PANI (PANI‐CSA) that can be directly used EPD without involving a dedoping process. Five different nanofeatures (sea cucumber‐like, nanofiber, amorphous, nanotube, and nanorod) are synthesized, and they have been all successfully transferred onto indium tin oxide substrate in a formic acid/acetonitrile system, namely a morphology memory effect. The mechanism of retaining these nanofeatures is revealed, which is realized via the processes of dissolution of PANI‐CSA, codoping and solvation, and reassembly of basic units into the original nanofeature. The enhanced protonation level by the codoping of formic acid and solvation of acetonitrile plays the key role in retaining these nanofeatures. This method is also applicable to transfer PANI/gold nanorod composites (PANI‐CSA/AuNRs). The PANI‐CSA/AuNRs electrode as an ascorbic acid sensor has shown an excellent sensing performance with a sensitivity up to 872.7 µA mm−1 cm−2 and a detection limit of as low as 0.18 × 10−6 m.
Injectable Conductive Hydrogels with Tunable Degradability as Novel Implantable Bioelectrodes
Authors: Park Junggeon , Lee Sanghun , Lee Mingyu , Kim Hyung‐Seok , Lee Jae Young
Published: February 2023

Bioelectrodes have been developed to efficiently mediate electrical signals of biological systems as stimulators and recording devices. Recently, conductive hydrogels have garnered great attention as emerging materials for bioelectrode applications because they can permit intimate/conformal contact with living tissues and tissue‐like softness. However, administration and control over the in vivo lifetime of bioelectrodes remain challenges. Here, injectable conductive hydrogels (ICHs) with tunable degradability as implantable bioelectrodes are developed. ICHs were constructed via thiol‐ene reactions using poly(ethylene glycol)‐tetrathiol and thiol‐functionalized reduced graphene oxide with either hydrolyzable poly(ethylene glycol)‐diacrylate or stable poly(ethylene glycol)‐dimaleimide, the resultant hydrogels of which are degradable and nondegradable, respectively. The ICH electrodes had conductivities of 21–22 mS cm−1 and Young's moduli of 15–17 kPa, and showed excellent cell and tissue compatibility. The hydrolyzable conductive hydrogels disappeared 3 days after in vivo administration, while the stable conductive hydrogels maintained their shapes for up to 7 days. Our proof‐of‐concept studies reveal that electromyography signals with significantly improved sensitivity from rats could be obtained from the injected ICH electrodes compared to skin electrodes and injected nonconductive hydrogel electrodes. The ICHs, offering convenience in use, controllable degradation and excellent signal transmission, will have great potential to develop various bioelectronics devices.
High Mass‐Loading Biomass‐Based Porous Carbon Electrodes for Supercapacitors: Review and Perspectives
Authors: Yang Xiaomin , Lv Ting , Qiu Jieshan
Published: February 2023

Biomass‐based porous carbon (BPC) with renewability and flexible nano/microstructure tunability has attracted increasing attention as efficient and cheap electrode materials for supercapacitors. To meet commercial needs, high mass‐loading electrodes with high areal capacitance are preferred when designing supercapacitors. The increased mass percentage of active materials can effectively improve the energy density of supercapacitors. However, as the thickness of the electrode increases, it will face the following challenges including severely blocked ion transport channels, poor charging dynamics, poor electrode structural stability, and complex preparation processes. A bridge between theoretical research and practical applications of BPC electrodes for supercapacitors needs to be established. In this review, the advances of high mass‐loading BPC electrodes for supercapacitors are summarized based on different biomass precursors. The key performance evaluation parameters of the high mass‐loading electrodes are analyzed, and the performance influencing factors are systematically discussed, including specific surface area, pore structure, electrical conductivity, and surface functional groups. Subsequently, the promising optimization strategies for high mass‐loading electrodes are summarized, including the structure regulation of electrode materials and the optimization of other supercapacitor components. Finally, the major challenges and opportunities of high mass‐loading BPC electrodes in the future are discussed and outlined.
Automatic Identification of the Multiphase Microstructures of Steels based on ASPP‐FCN
Authors: Xie Lu , Li Weigang , Fan Lixia , Zhou Mingxing
Published: February 2023

The properties of steels are often closely related to the category and distribution of their microstructures. However, the classification and quantitative analysis of multiphase steel are mostly performed manually, which is time‐consuming and laborious. Moreover, due to the variant experience of experts, the classification results of one image will be different. In this article, an automatic classification model is proposed to identify the multiphase microstructures of steels by means of semantic segmentation, which realizes the automatic statistics of the relative content of each crystalline phase. Semantic segmentation can assign each pixel in an image to one of a set of predefined categories, which can accomplish two tasks concurrently: phase identification and segmentation. We propose an improved fully convolutional network ASPP‐FCN, and carry out comparative experiments with different networks, including FCN, DeepLab v3+, Unet, Enet and PSPnet. The final pixel accuracy of ASPP‐FCN in each category is more than 95%; and the mean intersection over union is over 80%, the results demonstrate that ASPP‐FCN has better segmentation effect in the automatic recognition of the multiphase microstructures of steels.
Prediction of preterm birth by measurement of cervical length on transvaginal ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging in pregnancies complicated by twin–twin transfusion syndrome and treated with laser surgery
Authors: Fresch R. , Forde B. , Habli M. , Masters H. , Tabbah S. , McKinney D. , DeFranco E. A.
Published: February 2023

Objectives

Twin pregnancies complicated by twin–twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) are at particularly high risk of preterm birth. Cervical length (CL) measurement on transvaginal ultrasound (TVS) is a powerful predictor of preterm birth, but the predictive accuracy of CL measurement on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has not yet been established. We sought to investigate the correlation between CL measurements obtained on preoperative TVS and on MRI and to quantify their predictive accuracy for preterm birth among pregnancies complicated by TTTS that underwent selective fetoscopic laser photocoagulation (SFLP), to identify whether MRI is a useful adjunct to TVS.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study of pregnancies that were treated for TTTS with SFLP at a single center between April 2010 and June 2019 and that underwent TVS and MRI evaluation. Correlation was estimated using Pearson's coefficient, mean CL measurements were compared using the two‐tailed paired t‐test and the frequency at which a short cervix was detected by the two imaging modalities was compared using the χ‐square test. Generalized linear models were used to estimate relative risk and receiver‐operating‐characteristics (ROC)‐curve analysis was used to estimate the predictive accuracy of CL for preterm birth.

Results

Among 626 pregnancies complicated by TTTS that underwent SFLP, CL measurements were obtained on preoperative TVS in 579 cases and on preoperative MRI in 434. CL ≤ 2.5 cm was recorded in 39 (6.7%) patients on TVS and 47 (10.8%) patients on MRI (P = 0.0001). Measurements of CL made on MRI correlated well with those obtained on TVS overall (r = 0.63), but correlation was weak at the shortest CLs (r < 0.20). MRI failed to detect two (40.0%), three (18.8%), nine (32.1%) and 13 (28.9%) cases diagnosed as having a short cervix on TVS at cut‐offs of ≤ 1.5 cm, ≤ 2.0 cm, ≤ 2.5 cm and ≤ 2.8 cm, respectively. Over half of the pregnancies with a preoperative CL of ≤ 2.5 cm delivered by 28 weeks' gestation, regardless of imaging modality. CL measurement on TVS was superior to that on MRI to predict preterm birth, the latter performing poorly at all CL cut‐offs. A CL measurement of ≤ 2.0 cm on preoperative TVS had the highest predictive ability for preterm birth, with an area under the ROC curve for delivery before 32 weeks of 0.82.

Conclusions

Although measurement of CL on MRI correlates well with that on TVS overall, it performs poorly at accurately detecting a short cervix. TVS outperforms MRI in evaluation of the cervix and remains the optimal modality for CL measurement in pregnancies at high risk for preterm birth, such as those undergoing SFLP for TTTS. © 2023 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Emerging nanoparticle designs against bacterial infections
Authors: Zhou Zhidong , Kai Mingxuan , Wang Shuyan , Wang Dan , Peng Yifei , Yu Yiyan , Gao Weiwei , Zhang Liangfang
Published: February 2023

The rise of antibiotic resistance has caused the prevention and treatment of bacterial infections to be less effective. Therefore, researchers turn to nanomedicine for novel and effective antibacterial therapeutics. The effort resulted in the first‐generation antibacterial nanoparticles featuring the ability to improve drug tolerability, circulation half‐life, and efficacy. Toward developing the next‐generation antibacterial nanoparticles, researchers have integrated design elements that emphasize physical, broad‐spectrum, biomimetic, and antivirulence mechanisms. This review highlights four emerging antibacterial nanoparticle designs: inorganic antibacterial nanoparticles, responsive antibacterial nanocarriers, virulence nanoscavengers, and antivirulence nanovaccines. Examples in each design category are selected and reviewed, and their structure–function relationships are discussed. These emerging designs open the door to nontraditional antibacterial nanomedicines that rely on mechano‐bactericidal, function‐driven, nature‐inspired, or virulence‐targeting mechanisms to overcome antibiotic resistance for more effective antibacterial therapy.

This article is categorized under:

Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Infectious Disease
Fundamental Concepts in Measurement
Authors: Mari Luca , Wilson Mark , Maul Andrew
Published: February 2023

This chapter aims to present the general context of a measurement system and basic concepts of measurement and related terms. The presentation develops according to a step-by-step, top-down strategy, which progressively characterizes measurement as (i) an empirical process, (ii) designed on purpose, (iii) whose input is a property of an object, and (iv) that produces information in the form of values of that property. These are proposed as necessary but not sufficient conditions for a process to be identified as a measurement: as such the contents of this chapter should be uncontroversial to be read and accepted by most, if not all, researchers and practitioners.
Technical and Cultural Contexts for Measurement Systems
Authors: Mari Luca , Wilson Mark , Maul Andrew
Published: February 2023

This chapter aims to outline the technical and cultural contexts in which measurement systems, as presented in the previous chapter, are designed, set up, and operated. It first introduces the basic proposal that a measurement should produce as result not only one or more values of the property under consideration but also some information on the quality of those values and discusses the consequences in terms of measurement uncertainty. This proposal is then embedded in the broader context of metrological systems, which help justify the societal significance of measurement results via their traceability to conventionally defined measurement units, so that measurement results can be interpreted in the same way by different persons in different places and times. Finally, we consider the issue of what is measured, i.e., the property of a given object, or measurand, which must be somehow defined and identified. On this basis, the chapters that follow develop and bring further specificity to our analysis and proposals. As with the previous chapter, we believe that the contents of this chapter should be sufficiently uncontroversial to be read and accepted by most, if not all, researchers and practitioners.
Philosophical Perspectives on Measurement
Authors: Mari Luca , Wilson Mark , Maul Andrew
Published: February 2023

This chapter aims to present a brief conceptual history of philosophical thinking about measurement, concentrating in particular on the issues of objectivity and subjectivity, realism and nonrealism, and the role of models in measurement, as well as a discussion of how these philosophical issues have shaped thinking and discourse about measurement in both the human and physical sciences. First, three perspectives on measurement and its epistemic status are discussed, grouped as (a) naive realism, (b) operationalism, and (c) representationalism. Following this, we discuss how these perspectives have informed thinking about the concept of validity in the human sciences, and how they have influenced the way in which measurement is characterized in different contexts as being dependent on empirical and/or mathematical constraints. We then attempt to synthesize these perspectives and propose a version ofmodel-dependent realismwhich maintains some of the elements of each of these perspectives and at the same time rejects their most radical aspects, by acknowledging the fundamental role of models in measurement but also emphasizing that models are always modelsofsomething: the empirical components of measurement are designed and operated to guarantee that, via such models, measurement results convey information on the intended property. The analysis also provides a simple explanation of two of the most critical stereotypes that still affect measurement science: the hypotheses that (1) measurement is quantification, which hides the relevance of the empirical component of the process, and that (2) measurement is only a process of transmission and presentation of preexisting information, usually intended as the “true value” of the measurand, which instead neglects the role of models in the process.
What is Measured?
Authors: Mari Luca , Wilson Mark , Maul Andrew
Published: February 2023

This chapter aims to explore some key components of an ontology and an epistemology of properties. What is evaluated, and more specifically, measured, are properties of objects, such as lengths of rigid bodies and reading comprehension abilities of individuals, and the results of evaluations, and thus of measurements, are values of properties. Hence, a study of the nature of properties and of our ways of securing knowledge of them is a pivotal component of measurement science. We start from the hypothesis that properties of objects are associated with modes of empirical interaction of the objects with their environment. Consistently with the model-dependent realism introduced in Chap. 4, the Basic Evaluation Equation$${\text{property}}\,{\text{of}}\,{\text{a}}\,{\text{given}}\,{\text{object}} = {\text{value}}\,{\text{of}}\,{\text{a}}\,{\text{property}}$$of which the relation$${\text{measurand}} = {\text{measured}}\,{\text{value}}\,{\text{of}}\,{\text{a}}\,{\text{property}}$$is a specific case, is interpreted as a claim of an actual referential equality, which conveys information on the measurand because the measurand and the measured value remain conceptually distinct entities.
Values, Scales, and the Existence of Properties
Authors: Mari Luca , Wilson Mark , Maul Andrew
Published: February 2023

This chapter aims to expand on the ontological and epistemological analysis of properties introduced in the previous chapter, with a discussion of three fundamental issues for measurement science. Restarting from the distinction between general and individual properties, the first is about the nature ofvaluesof quantities and more generally of properties, thus allowing us to further discuss the epistemic role of Basic Evaluation Equations. The second issue relates to the classification of properties, or of property evaluations, in terms ofscale types, and thus particularly to the characterization of quantities as specific kinds of properties, thus leading to the question whether, and under what conditions, non-quantitative properties can be measured. On this basis, the third problem is explored: theconditions of existence of general propertiesand the role of measurement in the definition of general properties.
Conclusion
Authors: Mari Luca , Wilson Mark , Maul Andrew
Published: February 2023

This chapter aims to conclude the book by providing a high-level interpretation of measurement and its characterizing features. We first develop a semiotic perspective on the information gained via measurement, specifically, how, in any measurement process, syntactic information (i.e., data, in the form of indication values) grounds semantic information (in the form of measurement results), which in turn grounds pragmatic information (in the form of measurement results together with the contextual information that enables decision making). We then briefly retread the path followed in this book, describing how we began with a minimal set of necessary conditions for measurement and then progressively explored issues critical to the development of complementary sufficient conditions, related in particular to the ontology and epistemology of measured properties, the nature of scales, measurability, and measured values, and the roles of empirical and informational processes in measurement. This culminates in a general model of a measurement process that emphasizes the importance of evaluating the quality of the information produced by measurement in terms of object-relatedness (“objectivity”) and subject-independence (“intersubjectivity”). We conclude with an argument that, despite differences in subject matter and application, any measurement process can be characterized as an empirical and informational process that is designed on purpose, whose input is an empirical property of an object, and that produces explicitly justifiable information in the form of values of that property.
Morphological Evolution and Driving Factors of Tidal Flats in the Yangtze Estuary (China) During 1998–2019
Authors: Cheng Haifeng , Xin Pei , Liu Jie , Gu Fengfeng , Shen Qi , Han Lu
Published: February 2023

This paper studies the morphological evolution and driving factors of the tidal flats in the Yangtze Estuary (YE), based on the bathymetric data over the last 20 years (1998–2019) and a three-dimensional numerical model (SWEM3D). The results show that: In the past two decades, the combined action of fluvial sediment decline and estuarine engineering has changed the morphological evolution trend of tidal flats in the YE. The fluvial sediment decline caused the decrease of suspended sediment concentration successively from the inner estuary to the mouth bar area (the outer estuary), which led to the erosion and steepening of the tidal flats in the YE, and the erosion of tidal flats in the inner estuary was earlier and more obvious than that in the mouth bar area. The estuarine engineering is the main controlling factor of the distribution and trend change of erosion-deposition in the adjacent tidal flat. The waterway regulation projects promoted the deposition of tidal flats within its sheltered area, while the reclamation and reservoir projects intensified the erosion of the lower tidal flats nearby. As for the remaining non-human-intervention tidal flats, those adjacent to the mainstream of ebb current in the inner estuary were significantly eroded, while those on the north side of the channel were slowly deposited due to the weaker hydrodynamics. In the future, the fluvial sediment supply may keep decreasing and maintain a lower level under the continued influence of anthropogenic activities in the Yangtze River basin, the unprotected tidal flats in the YE will face a risk of further erosion. It is necessary to take appropriate protection measures to improve the ecological service function of the tidal flats in the YE.
Numerical Simulation of the Composite Bank Stability Process of the Songhua River
Authors: Yang Jun , Jia Dongdong , Wu Lei , Hao Youzhi , Cang Zhuoying
Published: February 2023

The phenomenon of bank erosion and collapse is widely distributed in major rivers all over the world, and it is a kind of natural disaster with greater hazards. Bank erosion in seasonally frozen rivers (SFR) is subject to the coupling effects between hydrodynamic forces and freeze-thaw, and the mechanism is complex. Understanding of bank erosion mechanisms is of great significance for river bank protection and comprehensive river management. Taking the downstream near dam section of the Dadingzishan Navigation and Hydropower Project in the mainstream of the Songhua River as an example, the BSTEM model was used to analyze the degrees of riverbank stability in different periods considering the freeze-thaw effect. The results indicated that the degrees of riverbank stability are high during the periods of low water level and water-level rising before the flood season, and the slope toe scour is the main factor; and they are low during the periods of high water level and water-level recession with the continuous bank collapse occurring; The freezing and thawing effect has an important effect on the stability of river banks in the seasonal frozen region. so as to provide a certain reference for the study on the bank collapse of the river in seasonal freezing region and its simulation for the study of riverbank erosion in seasonally frozen rivers.
Research on Water Scour Conditions of Wanjiazhai Reservoir, China
Authors: Hong Kunhui , Zhang Shouyuan , Zhang Wei , Wu Teng
Published: February 2023

Flood control, power generation and agricultural irrigation are the primary functions of reservoirs. The main reason for the serious deposition in the Yellow River reservoir is the high concentration of sediment in the water flow. Due to the establishment of the Yellow River cascade reservoir and the joint scheduling among reservoirs, the flow rate of the downstream reservoir decreases in flood season, which reduces the hydrodynamic flushing efficiency in the reservoir area. Wanjiazhai Reservoir is selected as the research sample in the present study, which is a first-level cascade reservoir in the connecting area of the upper and middle reaches of the Yellow River. In this study, a numerical model was built to analyze factors that influenced the operation and flushing of the upstream reservoir. And a formula was recommended to apply to the Wanjiazhai Reservoir on the basis of the sediment deposition pattern discrimination formula. Besides, various flushing methods and methods reducing the sediment deposition were carried out and analyzed. Results indicated that when the inflow rate increased, the maximum particle diameter of the incipient sediment was larger. When the inflow rate reached 1200 m3/s, the diameter of the initial the incipient sediment varied from 0.015 mm to 0.094 mm. And the diameter range of the initial the incipient sediment was 0.014 mm–0.094 mm, when the inflow rate was 1800 m3/s. When the inflow rate reached 2500 m3/s, the diameter of the initial the incipient sediment varied from 0.010 mm to 0.094 mm. Notably, all sediment were discharged from the reservoir. Moreover, the sediment of the reservoir was flushed at a flow rate of 1200 m3/s–1800 m3/s under the premise of meeting the upstream water storage.
Research Progress on Fish Barrier Measures
Authors: Chen Kaixiao , Guo Xiuyun , Wang Xiaogang , Li Yun , Zhu Long
Published: February 2023

Fishway is an artificial flume for fish migration through sluice gates or dams, which is widely used worldwide as an effective means to restore ecological connectivity of rivers. However, since the inlet of fishway is quite narrow compared to the width of the river, it is difficult for fish to find the inlet of fishway, and fish are easily attracted by the relatively high speed of water flow generated by turbines and cross the dam from turbines, resulting in a large number of fish casualties, so fish barrier measures play an important role in preventing fish from entering turbines, intakes and guiding fish into fishway inlets. This paper collects the main representative types of physical barrier and behavioral barrier, summarizes their advantages, disadvantages and application conditions, and analyzes their applications. It is found that most of the existing fish barrier measures are applicable to the downstream passage, while the upstream passage mainly attracts fish by setting up water auxiliary water systems at the inlet, and a few electric fence and acoustic system are also applied at present; in the near future, the hybrid fish barrier measures with physical barriers as the main body and behavioral barriers as the auxiliary will be the mainstream because of the more stable performance of physical barriers; behavioral barrier have the advantages of saving space, not affected by debris in water, and not causing head loss, but they are still in the experimental stage due to the unstable effect of fish interception, easy to be affected by water body or other external conditions, and high technical requirements. The efficient and stable behavioral barriers have certain research prospects.
River Regime Evolution of the South Channel in the Changjiang River Estuary, China, During Past 50 Years
Authors: Huang Huiming , Huang Xiantao , Zhu Yuliang , Li Siqi
Published: February 2023

As the middle reach of the Changjiang River Estuary, China, the South Channel’s evolution would directly affected upper and lower reaches. However in recent decades, fluvial water and sediment loads have appeared notable changes, consequently, the latest evolution of the South Channel would adjust either. Hence, topography data of the South Channel in different historical period during past 50 years were adopted, then geomorphology evolution were analyzed in detail. The result showed that river regime of the South Channel had undergone three stages. In the first stage among 1973~1981, it deposited 1.0~9.7 m in central shoal and eroded −1.0~−13.6 m in two side deep channels. In the second stage during 1981~1994, the erosion and sedimentation region turned around, wherein the central shoal eroded −1.0~−9.8 m and two side channels deposited 1.0~10.6 m. In the third stage during 1994~2016, the central shoal partially deposited 1.0~8.1 m and partially eroded −1~−6.1 m, and both side channels eroded −1~−13.2 m. Meanwhile, in the inlet cross section during 1973~2016, location of main channel moved 275 m southward with average elevation changing −1.1 m and the central shoal eroded about −4.6 m. In the middle and outlet cross sections, their central shoal eroded −1.3~−5.8 m and main channel respectively swung 450 m northward with elevation decreasing 0.4 m and 1775 m northward with elevation deepening 6.1 m. Moreover, average elevation of thalwegs changed from −14.0 m to −15.9 m during 1973~2016. Furthermore, evolution characteristics of geomorphology and fluvial water and sediment load in past 50 years showed that there might be close relationship between them.
Study on Wind Waves Similarity and Wind Waves Spectrum Characteristics in Limited Waters
Authors: Gao Ang , Wu Xiufeng , Wu Shiqiang , Li Hongpeng , Dai Jiangyu , Wang Fangfang
Published: February 2023

Wind waves is an important factor affecting navigation safety and water environment in limited waters such as lakes and bays. Wind wave spectrum represents the frequency domain features of wind waves and has always been the focus of research. Based on the field observation and flume experimental method, the system analysis of similarity of two kinds of situations, discussed nonlinear response of the relationship of the spectral shape parameter of balance field α, β and wind waves basic frequency between factors like wind speed, wind blowing fetch and water depth. By means of wind tunnel flume and prototype observation data of nonlinear regression analysis, The relation formulas of wind wave frequency prediction considering the comprehensive influence of wind speed, wind blowing fetch and water depth is established. Relevant research is of great significance for revealing the evolution characteristics of wind waves in limited waters and guiding navigation safety and water environment management.
Presenting the Work of PIANC TG234 “Infrastructure for the Decarbonisation of IWT”
Authors: Van Koningsveld Mark , Pauli Gernot
Published: February 2023

PIANC provides guidance and technical advice for sustainable waterborne transport infrastructure. To address the challenge of making inland navigation infrastructure sustainable, a Task Group “Infrastructure for the decarbonisation of Inland Water Transport” (TG234) was set up in January 2021. The objective of the TG was to identify knowledge gaps and major challenges that need to be urgently addressed and advise PIANC on further actions, such as setting up a working group. A report was to be delivered in early 2022. The TG involved a range of international experts who met every three months on-line. They jointly participated in the following activities: sharing experiences in their area of expertise; gathering, organising, and discussing literature; discussing the perspective to be taken while reporting; contributing an overview of the developments either in their country or organisations and of course in the various discussions. A final report was produced that took the perspective of the waterway manager, highlighting a number of key questions that need to be answered in the transition to reduced/zero emissions. With the state-of-art knowledge gathered by the group, it became possible to identify the existing knowledge gaps and the major challenges that need to be addressed. The report can guide PIANC in evaluating the best way forward to address the decarbonisation of IWT infrastructure.
Study on Planning and Design of Ecological Pastoral Cultural Landscape Belt of Luliang River System in Yunnan Province, China
Authors: Xu Hongzhuang , Wu Dean , Tang Shaofu , Huang Yuhong , Qu Weiyi
Published: February 2023

Luliang County of Yunnan Province has identified tourism as one of the four pillar industries, and established the new concept of large tourism, large resources, large market and large development, so as to make tourism a new growth point of Luliang County’s national economy and the leader of the tertiary industry. Luliang will be integrated into a scenic spot with water as the core, integrating pastoral scenery with cultural landscape, combining modernity with tradition, beautiful and comfortable tourism environment, complete facilities and reasonable planning. Taking the opportunity of the national implementation of the river head system, Rural Revitalization and rural complex construction, taking the Xinpanjiang River, the Laopanjiang River and Yanfang River as the framework and aiming at “smooth river, clear water, green bank and beautiful scenery”, the project fully excavates and makes use of Luliang’s historical and cultural connotation and resources through flood control and drainage, sewage collection and treatment along the river, ecological green corridor, the waterfront landscape improvement and other measures shall be taken to comprehensively manage the three rivers, so as to create the waterfront landscape pattern of one heart and three belts of the wetland ecological tourism service core of the Xinpanjiang River and the Laopanjiang River Basin, the fast green tourism channel of the Xinpanjiang River, the ecological and cultural landscape belt of the Laopanjiang River and the ecological pastoral landscape belt of the Yanfang River, so as to improve the urban taste and the people’s sense of obtaining a beautiful ecological environment. The project falls within the poverty-stricken area of fish. Rice and water township on the plateau, and its functional orientation is mainly ecological agricultural sightseeing, experience and poverty-stricken vacation. Therefore, the construction of waterfront landscape belt, park node construction and greening promotion along the Xinpanjiang River, the Laopanjiang River and the Yanfang River have beautified the environment of the dam area, created space for tourists and citizens to visit, visit and relax, and laid a solid foundation for the development of tourism in Luliang County.
Study on the Design of Ecological Green Corridor Project for Comprehensive River Treatment in Luliang County, Yunnan Province
Authors: Yi Shaolin , Sun Shaogan , Huang Guofang , Wu Dean , Qu Weiyi
Published: February 2023

Luliang County is located in the east of Yunnan Province, knew as the “Pearl of eastern Yunnan”. It is located in the upper reaches of the Nanpan River and is under the jurisdiction of Qujing City. In the modern era, higher requirements are made for the development of Luliang County. In order to improve the river flood control system, control the domestic pollution along the river, repair the damaged water ecosystem, create a waterfront landscape belt, and create basic conditions for the construction of “the most beautiful dam area”, Luliang water authority has given priority to the comprehensive river regulation project of Luliang County, Qujing City, according to the principle of first trial and highlighting key points. According to the current conditions of the Laopanjiang River and the Yanfang River, based on the principles of safety, integrity, ecology, protection, context and hydrophilicity, taking the construction of “Luliang water town and the most beautiful dam area” as the overall concept, the rich water network is used to connect the five prominent natural resources of “mountain, water, forest, field and village”, highlighting the local folk culture, water conservancy development history Cuan culture has three cultural characteristics. Coordinate the development of surrounding land, and activate the popularity of the site, promote local economic development, create a land of fish and rice with common prosperity of people and water, and reproduce the brilliance of “East Yunnan pearl, plateau granary” through reasonable functional layout and facility layout of river center, beach, Boulder, ecological wooden pile, aquatic plants and aquatic animals.
Study on the Technical and Policy Pathway for Low-Carbon Development of the Water Transportation in Sichuan Province
Authors: Zhang Yonglin , Zheng Chaohui , Li Yue , Zhang Liguo , Cheng Jinxiang , Li Mingjun
Published: February 2023

Transport, one of the key sectors for the implementation of China’s carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals, boasts a water transportation crucial to China’s integrated transport infrastructure, which will face a rising demand with the continuous optimization of the transport system. Located upstream of the golden waterway of the Yangtze River, Sichuan province is one of the key regions for inland waterway transportation. In the context of the ‘dual carbon’ goals, the study proposes a conceptual framework for the low-carbon development pathway of water transport by analyzing the technical roadmap and policy recommendations for the Sichuan Province, which found that Sichuan can rely upon energy efficiency and energy substitution on the technical front, while upon the synergy of “government guidance + enterprise responsibility + market support + partnership”. While focusing on slowing the growth of CO2 emissions and improving energy efficiency with LNG as the main transition fuel in the near term, Sichuan should curb the total emissions and strategize around carbon-free solutions including electricity and hydrogen.
Sedimentary Process in Navigation Channel in an Estuarine Port, - A Case Study from the Port of Niigata, Japan
Authors: Nakagawa Yasuyuki , Kosako Taichi , Hayashi Hiroyuki , Watanabe Tomohiro
Published: February 2023

The present study focused on the siltation process at the navigation channel in the Port of Niigata, Japan. A part of the port is located at the mouth of the Shinano River, which is the longest one in the country. Due to the discharged sediments through the river and their deposition in the port area, frequent dredging works are required for the safety navigations in the waterway and turning basins. The purpose of the present study is to get a better understanding of the specific features of the sedimentary process in the target area for the consideration of any appropriate countermeasures for the optimization of the dredging works. In the present study, we especially focus on the sedimentation processes around the dredged navigation channel, which need frequent dredging to keep the planned depth from −5.5 to −12 m, under the complicated estuarine hydraulic conditions and several field measurements have been carried out, including current measurements, bathymetric surveys by acoustic soundings with a narrow multibeam sonar system.
The Application of Beidou High-Precision Positioning Technology in the Deformation Monitoring of Ship Locks
Authors: Huang Haizun , Qin Shihua , Wang Chihua , Fang Weixun , Wang Yulong , Gong Hao , Ning Dongjie , Shi Jian
Published: February 2023

Accompanying the construction of inland navigation projects is the generation of high slopes, whose stability has always been an important safety issue of great concern during the process. The safety incidents involving high slope instability often cause huge economic losses and even casualties. Therefore, it is of particular importance to monitor high slopes, to identify safety hazards and to predict the occurrence of safety accidents in advance through the tendency of changing. Once the project is completed, effective monitoring is also essential during the operation of the locks in order to avoid safety accidents such as the collapse of ship locks and other main structures.

Based on the BeiDou high-precision positioning technology, this paper investigates the application of the automated displacement monitoring system in the construction and operation of navigation projects. The system mainly consists of sensor subsystem, data transmission subsystem, data processing and control subsystem as well as other auxiliary support subsystems. The system collects static satellite data from fiducial points and monitoring points, carries out baseline vector solution to realize millimeter-level displacement monitoring, and effectively monitors high slope displacement during construction according to the storage, management, query, statistics and analysis of the monitoring data, as well as timely detects abnormal situations about the displacement. When there is slope instability, early warning will be issued by grading so that measures could be implemented in advance to avoid safety accidents. When applied during the operation of ship locks, it can monitor the displacement of the lock chamber’s main work persistently to ensure its normal operation.

This paper takes the construction site of certain ship lock project as the object and sets up 1 fiducial point and 10 monitoring points. The real-time displacement monitoring of the site’s high slopes throughout the construction period is carried out, the main functions of the monitoring system are tested and the monitoring data and results are briefly analyzed. After the completion of the project, the monitoring system is applied during the operation of the ship lock and the deformation of the lock chamber is constantly monitored and analyzed.
Examining the Logistics Performance of a Decentralized Waterborne Container Transportation Service in the West German Canal Network with the Help of Discrete-Event Simulation
Authors: Alias Cyril , Felde Jonas Zum , Severin Sven
Published: February 2023

In order to alleviate road traffic congestion, a logistics concept based on small inland vessels in the West German canal network has been developed for the distribution of containers. The service concept rests on multiple transshipment points throughout the considered geographic area as potential origins and destinations of transport legs. After safeguarding the technical feasibility, the resulting service concept needs to be examined in order to assess its economic viability. Only with promising outcomes resulting from this assessment can potential operators be convinced to transfer the concept into reality, set up the decentralized waterborne container transportation service, and deploy actual inland vessels to be operated in the German waterways. Discrete-event simulation has established itself as an important analysis method in logistics and is suitable for the examination of logistics systems at an operational and tactical level. In the present setting, various scenarios have been selected as the most promising ones and simulated with appropriate models. Eventually, DES will help to determine the routes to be operated, the ports and transshipment points to be included in the respective routes, the vessels to be used, including their type and number, the manning regulation of the inland vessels to be selected, and the transshipment concept to be pursued. Ultimately, the logistics simulation reveals which scenarios turn out to be the most and least promising ones and allows overall statements on the expectable profitability of the service. Furthermore, it helps to identify utilization peaks of the examined inland vessels and transshipment points.
Handling of Inland Vessels in Seaports – Necessary Actions and Additional Options to Support Container Transport on Inland Waterways
Authors: Roux Laure , Krämer Iven , Konings Rob
Published: February 2023

Deep sea container transport is despite the existence of various crisis situations a worldwide steady growing business and as a result seaports need to handle ever growing container volumes. Transporting these containers with as little as possible emissions, efficiently and in a reliable manner from the seaport into the hinterland has strategic importance for the attractiveness and hence the competitiveness and growth potential of a container seaport. For ports having access to the hinterland by inland waterways, inland shipping is a mode to contribute to hinterland accessibility and to provide a more environmental- friendly and safer solutions for hinterland transport compared to truck transport, which is still very dominant.

The physical as well as the informational interfaces between the seaport and the hinterland modalities (truck, train and inland vessel) appear to have significant importance for the overall cost and quality performance of the hinterland transport chain, in particular on relatively short transport distance. Several container seaports world-wide have a well-developed hinterland transport system for container barges, but are facing inefficient handling processes of inland vessels in the seaport which cause tempered growth of container inland shipping.

This paper discusses different causes for inefficient handling of container inland vessels in seaports and evaluates initiatives, proposals and necessary actions for improvement. These matters are discussed in the context of the major Northwest-European container seaports. Solutions can be found both in organisational, information-based and technical improvements. These improvements are jointly needed to realise the growth ambitions for container inland shipping.
Analysis of Water Level Fluctuations in Bifurcating Approach Channels Under the Flow Regulation of Reservoirs
Authors: Wan Zhiyong , Li Yun , An Jianfeng , Wang Xiaogang , Yan Xiujun
Published: February 2023

An approach channel is a restricted channel connecting the lock head with the upstream and downstream navigation waterway, characterized by a narrow navigation channel with a closed-end, small coefficient of cross-section, and low speed for vessel navigating. Due to the uncertain impact of the waves induced by the flow regulation of reservoirs on water-level fluctuations in bifurcating approach channels, the river reach between the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) and the Gezhouba Dam (GZD) is selected as the study area and the variations of water-level fluctuating amplitude in the approach channel located on the left bank downstream of the TGD are revealed under the joint regulation of the Three Gorges and Gezhouba reservoirs based on numerical simulations. Furthermore, the relationship between water level variation at the lower lock head of the ship lift and the flow regulation of reservoirs is investigated in detail. Results indicated that water level variation of the ship lift approach channel exhibits an amplifying effect and the lower lock head of the ship lift is a key concern for navigable flow conditions. In addition, the flow variation rate should be controlled within the range of 2,000 m3/15 min in the context of joint regulation of two reservoirs, which enables the safe docking of vessels at the lower lock head of the ship lift. The findings in this study may contribute to the designing and planning of the newly-planned Three Gorges ship lock approach.