bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Theoretical Framework for Analysing Technology Transfer Processes Using Agent-Based Modelling: A Case Study on Massive Technology Adoption (AMTEC) Program on Rice Production
Authors: Orjuela-Garzon William , Quintero Santiago , Giraldo Diana P. , Lotero Laura , Nieto-Londoño César
Published: October 2021

The technology transfer (TT) process has been studied from different approaches to improve productivity and competitiveness in agricultural chains. However, the process is not always presented successfully due to heterogeneity and inequality in the technological capacities (TC) of the agents that are part of the transfer process, in addition to the geographical context, the interaction networks and decision rules, which are key factors to understand the TT phenomenon. In this context and as a case study, the Colombian National Federation of rice growers promoted the development and adoption of technology that increased crop competitiveness and sustainability by implementing a technology transfer program known as the Massive Technology Adoption Program (AMTEC—Adopción Masiva de Tecnología) on rice. With the AMTEC program, average production costs were reduced by 26% (USD 119 per hectare), and it increased average yields by 23% (1.27 tonnes per hectare), which shows the importance of introducing technologies in productive chains in developing countries. This research provides a better understanding of the TT processes, based on the analysis of the interaction dynamics and behaviour patterns between the agents (i.e., generators, intermediaries, or users) in the TT processes. As an analysis tool, the agent-based modelling paradigm (ABM) was proposed to study the emergence at the macro-level of behaviour patterns of a system from the interactions of semi-intelligent agents at the micro-level, using experiments.
Recycling of Blast Furnace Slag and Fluorite Tailings into Diopside-Based Glass-Ceramics with Various Nucleating Agents’ Addition
Authors: Zhao Wei , Huang Xiaofeng , Yan Bingji , Hu Shaoyan , Guo Hongwei , Chen Dong
Published: October 2021

Diopside-based glass-ceramics are successfully produced by recycling blast furnace slag and fluorite tailing with the addition of supplementary elements such as TiO2, Fe2O3 and Cr2O3 as nucleation agents, using a conventional melting method. The effects of various nucleating agents on the phase components and structure of the prepared glass-ceramics were evaluated by a differential scanning calorimeter, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope–energy disperse spectrometer methods to determine the optimal dosage of nucleating agents. The results show that, in the preparation of diopside-based glass-ceramics, the suitable percentages of blast furnace and fluorite tailing are 55% and 45%, and the recommended composite nucleating agents consist of 1.5% Cr2O3, 2% TiO2 and 3% Fe2O3. Heat treatment was conducted at a nucleation temperature of 720 °C and a crystallization temperature of 920 °C, and the nucleation and crystallization durations were 1.0 h and 1.5 h, respectively. Under the abovementioned parameters, the obtained diopside-based glass-ceramics displayed a Vickers hardness of 7.12 GPa, density of 2.95 g·cm−3, water absorption of 0.02%, acid resistance of 0.23% and alkali resistance of 0.02%.
Training Conditions and Emotional Impact on Spanish Olympic Swimmers and Rowers in Social Isolation Due to COVID-19. Results of a Survey
Authors: Moscoso-Sánchez David , Alarcón-Rubio David , Trujillo-Carmona Manuel , Jaenes-Sánchez José Carlos
Published: October 2021

This article analyzes the results of a survey conducted in 2020 with Spanish Olympic swimmers and rowers, who were confined to their homes due to the epidemiological crisis. The questionnaire was administered between 23 April and 25 May. Responses to the questionnaire on emotional and adaptive reactions during the COVID-19 confinement (REACOVID-19) were received from 88 subjects, who represented 100% of the total population of Spanish Olympic swimmers and rowers. Through this questionnaire, they were asked about their living conditions, their daily training habits and their psychological, cognitive and emotional adaptation during the confinement. The results show the commitment of these athletes to their sports goals and their responsibility in respecting the confinement rules. Sixty-seven per cent of them stated that they had not left their homes for 96 days. In these extreme circumstances, the majority trained an average of 11 to 13 h a week and coped with the confinement with a positive attitude, in spite of the inconveniences of social isolation, the lack of equipment and technical support for training and the limitations of their physical space. The article analyzes which emotional and social factors influenced both their motivation and their hours of training.
Harmonizing Erosion Control and Flood Prevention with Restoration of Biodiversity through Ecological Engineering Used for Co-Benefits Nature-Based Solutions
Authors: Rey Freddy
Published: October 2021

Reconciling erosion control and flood prevention with restoration of diversity is an important challenge for our societies today. However, examples of applications remain rare because practitioners and engineers are searching for more integrated solutions for this kind of situation. New considerations should, therefore, refocus attention on developing innovative actions by raising the question of how best to accommodate the two components. Moreover, little attention has been paid to erosion processes and their control for decreasing floods, although this can largely contribute to this purpose. Merging security with ecology, turning to co-benefits nature-based solutions at the catchment scale, based on the use of local ecological engineering, especially soil and water bioengineering combined with civil engineering, can provide adapted practices for harmonizing flood prevention and erosion control with restoration of biodiversity at the water catchment scale. This kind of approach should be accompanied by proposals for coherent and adapted governance for application of co-benefits nature-based solutions at the catchment and territory scales.
Consistency of Urban Roads to Manage Emergencies: Methodology to Identify the Minimum Network with Total Connectivity at Maximum Availability
Authors: Galiano Giuseppe , Moretti Laura
Published: October 2021

Natural disasters happen without warning; it is normally impossible to predict when they will occur, but it is necessary that rescue services reach the disaster site and manage the emergency. This paper proposes an innovative methodology to summarize seismic effects on road, building, and land factors in urban areas. The existing road network is modelled through the graph theory: the arcs represent the main infrastructures, while the nodes represent both the primary strategic buildings and the intersections between the main roads. Therefore, the quantitative approach takes into account the existing road network, the focal areas that play a strategic role during emergency, and their relationship with buildings and territory. The results enable the identification of the minimum urban structure (MUS) with total connectivity at maximum availability. These structures were composed of the paths that will be the priority choice for emergency vehicles after an earthquake. The proposed approach has been implemented to identify the MUS in a medium-size Italian urban center (Pomezia) in the event of a critical earthquake. The methodology is easy to apply and could represent an ideal tool in the preliminary phase of analysis of an urban road network to define new city plans through targeted territorial design, to facilitate decision makers in investment choices, to increase the road network consistency, and to implement emergency plans after natural disasters.
Labour Reconversion from the Agricultural Sector to Rural Tourism: Analysis of Rural Areas in Chile
Authors: Mancilla Claudio , Ferrada Luz María
Published: October 2021

The aim of this study is to analyse the likelihood of agricultural workers in rural areas converting to the tourism sector. Chile is used as a case study, drawing on the CASEN survey of 2017 to analyse differences between the northern, central, and southern regions of the country and construct a satellite account of tourism. A matching process was carried out within the data, and the estimation of a logit model was done to assess the probability of labour reconversion. The results indicate that an agricultural worker has a 12.8% probability of retraining. However, differences emerged when demographic characteristics were analysed; specifically, people with post-secondary education and women have a higher probability of retraining. These and other sociodemographic characteristics are important to explain potential labour reconversion towards tourism in rural areas, although differences arose between areas of the country. Therefore, homogeneous public policies that do not consider the specific characteristics of the territories within a country will be ineffective.
Belonging and Masculinities: Proposal of a Conceptual Framework to Study the Reasons behind the Gender Gap in Engineering
Authors: Vera-Gajardo Andrea
Published: October 2021

The low participation of women in STEM fields is well-known and has been well documented around the world. Closing this gap plays a central role in achieving a more equal society and thus sustainable development. The gender gap in STEM must be understood as a complex problem which can be explained through various factors (cultural, economic, and social) and therefore requires the efforts of different disciplines and actors. This article proposes that the hegemonic masculinity theory together with the concept of belonging, understood from the point of view of feminist studies and cultural studies, can contribute a necessary conceptual framework for understanding the causes behind the gender gap in engineering.
Ethics of Smart Cities: Towards Value-Sensitive Design and Co-Evolving City Life
Authors: Helbing Dirk , Fanitabasi Farzam , Giannotti Fosca , Hänggli Regula , Hausladen Carina I. , van den Hoven Jeroen , Mahajan Sachit , Pedreschi Dino , Pournaras Evangelos
Published: October 2021

The digital revolution has brought about many societal changes such as the creation of “smart cities”. The smart city concept has changed the urban ecosystem by embedding digital technologies in the city fabric to enhance the quality of life of its inhabitants. However, it has also led to some pressing issues and challenges related to data, privacy, ethics inclusion, and fairness. While the initial concept of smart cities was largely technology- and data-driven, focused on the automation of traffic, logistics and processes, this concept is currently being replaced by technology-enabled, human-centred solutions. However, this is not the end of the development, as there is now a big trend towards “design for values”. In this paper, we point out how a value-sensitive design approach could promote a more sustainable pathway of cities that better serves people and nature. Such “value-sensitive design” will have to take ethics, law and culture on board. We discuss how organising the digital world in a participatory way, as well as leveraging the concepts of self-organisation, self-regulation, and self-control, would foster synergy effects and thereby help to leverage a sustainable technological revolution on a global scale. Furthermore, a “democracy by design” approach could also promote resilience.
Resilient Built Environment: Critical Review of the Strategies Released by the Sustainability Rating Systems in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Marotta Antonio , Porras-Amores César , Rodríguez Sánchez Antonio
Published: October 2021

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, buildings have been viewed as a facilitator of disease spread, where the three main transmission routes (contact, droplets, aerosols) are more likely to happen. However, with proper policies and measures, buildings can be better prepared for re-occupancy and beyond. This study reviews the strategies developed by several Sustainability Rating Systems (SRS, namely WELL, Fitwel and LEED) to respond to any infectious disease and ensure that building occupants protect and maintain their health. The best practices, that are similar between each SRS, highlight that the overall sustainability of the spaces increases if they are resilient. Results indicate that SRS promote a weak sustainability approach since they accept that economic development can reduce natural capitals. SRS are also characterized by an aggregated level of assessment of different criteria that does not allow to map different choices. However, the decomposition of the concept of sustainability in its three bottom lines (i.e., environmental, social and economic) shows that preventive strategies are likely to be systematically adopted as the state-of-the-art. Finally, even if the latest research points out the airborne transmission as the major infection route, the SRS lack analytical measures to address issues such as social distancing.
Tax Evasion, Corporate Social Responsibility and National Governance: A Country-Level Study
Authors: Montenegro Tânia Menezes
Published: October 2021

This study uses a sample of 25 OECD countries to examine the association between CSR, national governance and tax evasion at the country level. The interaction between country-level governance and CSR relative to tax avoidance is also explored. The findings suggest that neither the ESG dimensions nor the overall CSR measure are significant determinants of tax evasion at the country level. In contrast, national governance quality is significantly and negatively related to tax evasion. Significant support is also found for the mediating effect of national governance on the association between CSR and tax evasion: in countries with weak national governance, CSR and country-level governance are substitutes; in countries with strong national governance, CSR reporting (in particular, environmental disclosures) seems to be used as a cosmetic and compensatory tool for firms to mitigate the reputational risk and public concern arising from tax evasion activities. The findings are theoretically and practically relevant as they underscore not only the importance of national governance in mitigating tax evasion but also the relevance of the mediating effect of national governance on the relationship between CSR and tax evasion. The evidence highlights the need for policymakers in countries with strong national governance to design new/strong anti-tax avoidance regulations.
Rapidex: A Novel Tool to Estimate Origin–Destination Trips Using Pervasive Traffic Data
Authors: Waller S. Travis , Chand Sai , Zlojutro Aleksa , Nair Divya , Niu Chence , Wang Jason , Zhang Xiang , Dixit Vinayak V.
Published: October 2021

A traffic assignment model is a critical tool for developing future transport systems, road policies, and evaluating future network upgrades. However, the development of the network and demand data is often highly intensive, which limits the number of cases where some form of the models are available on a global basis. These problems include licensing restrictions, bureaucracy, privacy, data availability, data quality, costs, transparency, and transferability. This paper introduces Rapidex, a novel origin–destination (OD) demand estimation and visualisation tool. Firstly, Rapidex enables the user to download and visualise road networks for any city using a capacity-based modification of OpenStreetMap. Secondly, the tool creates traffic analysis zones and centroids, as per the user-specified inputs. Next, it enables the fetching of travel time data from pervasive traffic data providers, such as TomTom and Google. With Rapidex, we tailor the genetic-algorithm (GA)-based metaheuristic approach to derive the OD demand pattern. The tool produces critical outputs such as link volumes, link travel times, OD travel times, average trip length and duration, and congestion level, which can also be used for validation. Finally, Rapidex enables the user to perform scenario evaluation, where changes to the network and/or demand data can be made and the subsequent impacts on performance metrics can be identified. In this article, we demonstrate the applicability of Rapidex on the network of Sydney, which has 15,646 directional links, 8708 nodes, and 178 zones. Further, the model was validated using the Household Travel Survey data of Sydney using the aggregated metrics and a novel project selection method. We observed that 88% of the time, the “estimated” and “observed” OD matrices identified the same project (i.e., the rapid process estimated the more intensive traditional approach in 88% of cases). This tool would help practitioners in rapid decision making for strategic long-term planning. Further, the tool would provide an opportunity for developing countries to better manage traffic congestion, as cities in these countries are prone to severe congestion and rapid urbanisation while often lacking the traditional models entirely.
A New Design Concept of an Ecological Corridor for Frogs to Improve Ecological Conservation
Authors: Chuang Tsai-Fu , Chang Yuan-Hsiou
Published: October 2021

Ecological corridors are an essential element in conserving the biodiversity and proper functioning of ecosystems. Without their connectivity, a very large number of species would not have access to all of the habitats needed for their life cycles. Although the concept of an ecological corridor has been discussed for many years, few studies on ecological corridors for frogs have been conducted. Frogs are often considered to be a keystone species. They are a good indicator of habitat health, and they are often the first to be harmed by pollution or ecosystem deterioration. However, there have been reports of frogs crossing ecological corridors and being attacked or consumed by natural enemies. It is vital to create ecological corridors for frogs that allow them to migrate quickly and safely. The purpose of this study was to propose a new ecological corridor design concept for frogs to address the limitations mentioned above. In this paper, grey system theory was employed to offer the necessary information for the frog ladder’s design. In addition, the frog’s high jump capacity and its defense mechanisms against natural enemies were used to determine the rest space and shelter.
Innovation Vouchers and the Sustainable Growth of High-Tech SMEs: Evidence from China
Authors: Tian Di , Guo Xiaohan , Wang Peng
Published: October 2021

Innovation has become an essential source of sustainable growth for most firms, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Governments around the world widely implement innovation vouchers to promote innovation in SMEs. This study empirically explores the effects of innovation vouchers in stimulating patentable innovation and ultimately enhancing firms’ financial performance. Using a panel of 1274 listed SMEs from the Small and Medium Enterprise Board (SMEB) and the Growth Enterprise Board (GEB), we find that innovation vouchers lead firms to utilize knowledge-intensive services and significantly increase their financial performance. We further document that patentable innovations mediate the relationship between innovation vouchers and firms’ financial performance. We report that the effects of innovation vouchers on financial performance are more prominent for SMEs with limited external informational resources. We believe that our study yields novel evidence and sheds further light on the important policy implications of innovation vouchers to facilitate the sustainable growth of SMEs.
Fish Exports and the Growth of the Agricultural Sector: The Case of South and Southeast Asian Countries
Authors: Emam Md Ali , Leibrecht Markus , Chen Tinggui
Published: October 2021

The per-capita demand of fish and fish products, and paired to it, their production and trade, have substantially increased during the last few decades. For many developing countries these developments open a channel for sustainable economic progress. Against this background, this article investigates whether fish exports Granger-cause long-run economic growth of the agricultural sector (“fish export-led growth”) in a panel of eight South and Southeast Asian countries. A dynamic panel autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model is estimated based on data for the years 2000 to 2018. The results indicate that fish exports have a significant positive impact on the growth of the agricultural sector in the long run. These findings apply to both the lower- and the upper-middle-income countries included in the analysis. Long-run Granger causality tests within a panel vector error correction model indicate that agricultural value added per worker reacts to deviations from the long-run equilibrium, whereas fish exports per worker are weakly exogenous. Thus, the paper finds supporting evidence for fish export-led growth. The paper concludes with some thoughts about how this finding can help policymakers in their attempt to induce sustainable agricultural development to eradicate poverty and to enhance living standards.
A Sustainable Irrigation System for Small Landholdings of Rainfed Punjab, Pakistan
Authors: Aziz Marjan , Rizvi Sultan Ahmad , Iqbal Muhammad Azhar , Syed Sairah , Ashraf Muhammad , Anwer Saira , Usman Muhammad , Tahir Nazia , Khan Azra , Asghar Sana , Akhtar Jamil
Published: October 2021

Drip irrigation has long been proven beneficial for fruit and vegetable crops in Pakistan, but the only barrier in its adoption is the high cost of installation for small landholders, which is due to overdesigning of the system. In the present study, the cost of a conventional drip irrigation system was reduced by redesigning and eliminating the heavy filtration system (i.e., hydrocyclon, sand media, disc filters (groundwater source), pressure gauges, water meters, and double laterals).Purchasing the drip system from local vendors also reduced the cost. Field trials were conducted during 2015 and 2016 to observe the productive and economic effects of low-cost drip irrigation on vegetables (potato, onion, and chilies) and fruits (olive, peach, and citrus). The low-cost drip irrigation system saved 50% cost of irrigation and increased 27–54% net revenue in comparison with the furrow irrigation system. Further, water use efficiency (WUE) was found from 3.91–13.30 kg/m3 and 1.28–4.89 kg/m3 for drip irrigation and furrow irrigation systems, respectively. The physical and chemical attributes of vegetables and fruits were also improved to a reasonably good extent. The present study concluded that low-cost drip irrigation increased the yield by more than 20%, as compared with traditional furrow irrigation, and thus, it is beneficial for the small landholders (i.e., less than 2 hectares).
Fuzzy Mixed Variational-like and Integral Inequalities for Strongly Preinvex Fuzzy Mappings
Authors: Khan Muhammad Bilal , Srivastava Hari Mohan , Mohammed Pshtiwan Othman , Guirao Juan L. G.
Published: October 2021

It is a familiar fact that convex and non-convex fuzzy mappings play a critical role in the study of fuzzy optimization. Due to the behavior of its definition, the idea of convexity plays a significant role in the subject of inequalities. The concepts of convexity and symmetry have a tight connection. We may use whatever we learn from one to the other, thanks to the significant correlation that has developed between both in recent years. Our aim is to consider a new class of fuzzy mappings (FMs) known as strongly preinvex fuzzy mappings (strongly preinvex-FMs) on the invex set. These FMs are more general than convex fuzzy mappings (convex-FMs) and preinvex fuzzy mappings (preinvex-FMs), and when generalized differentiable (briefly, G-differentiable), strongly preinvex-FMs are strongly invex fuzzy mappings (strongly invex-FMs). Some new relationships among various concepts of strongly preinvex-FMs are established and verified with the support of some useful examples. We have also shown that optimality conditions of G-differentiable strongly preinvex-FMs and the fuzzy functional, which is the sum of G-differentiable preinvex-FMs and non G-differentiable strongly preinvex-FMs, can be distinguished by strongly fuzzy variational-like inequalities and strongly fuzzy mixed variational-like inequalities, respectively. In the end, we have established and verified a strong relationship between the Hermite–Hadamard inequality and strongly preinvex-FM. Several exceptional cases are also discussed. These inequalities are a very interesting outcome of our main results and appear to be new ones. The results in this research can be seen as refinements and improvements to previously published findings.
Investigating Human Torso Asymmetries: An Observational Longitudinal Study of Fluctuating and Directional Asymmetry in the Scoliotic Torso
Authors: González-Ruiz José María , Pérez-Núñez María Isabel , García-Alfaro María Dolores , Bastir Markus
Published: October 2021

The presence of directional and fluctuating asymmetry in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis has not been deeply studied. We aimed to test the presence of both in a scoliosis group and a control group. 24 patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and 24 control subjects were subjected to geometric morphometrics analyses to address our main hypotheses and to make qualitative visualizations of the 3D shape changes in patients with scoliosis. Our results support the hypothesis that both asymmetric traits are present in the scoliosis and control groups, but to a greater degree in patients. A qualitative visualization tool that allows us to measure the impact that directional and fluctuating asymmetry have on the 3D shape of our patients has been developed. Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is the result of developmental instabilities during growth and the visualization of the 3D shape changes in response to both asymmetric variables has shown different morphological behaviors. Measuring these variables is important, as they can prevent the localization and deformation that is expected to occur during the course of scoliosis in every individual patient and therefore acts as a key clinical finding that may be used in the prognosis of the condition.
Solvability Conditions and General Solution of a System of Matrix Equations Involving η-Skew-Hermitian Quaternion Matrices
Authors: Rehman Abdur , Khan Israr Ali , Anjum Rukhshanda , Hussain Iftikhar
Published: October 2021

In this article, we study the solvability conditions and the general solution of a system of matrix equations involving η-skew-Hermitian quaternion matrices. Several special cases of this system are discussed, and we recover some well-known results in the literature. An algorithm and a numerical example for the validation of our main result are also provided.
ReLie: A Reduce Program for Lie Group Analysis of Differential Equations
Authors: Oliveri Francesco
Published: October 2021

Lie symmetry analysis provides a general theoretical framework for investigating ordinary and partial differential equations. The theory is completely algorithmic even if it usually involves lengthy computations. For this reason, along the years many computer algebra packages have been developed to automate the computation. In this paper, we describe the program ReLie, written in the Computer Algebra System Reduce, since 2008 an open source program for all platforms. ReLie is able to perform almost automatically the needed computations for Lie symmetry analysis of differential equations. Its source code is freely available too. The use of the program is illustrated by means of some examples; nevertheless, it is to be underlined that it proves effective also for more complex computations where one has to deal with very large expressions.
A Note on a Fourier Sine Transform
Authors: Reynolds Robert , Stauffer Allan
Published: October 2021

This is a compilation of definite integrals of the product of the hyperbolic cosecant function and polynomial raised to a general power. In this work, we used our contour integral method to derive a Fourier sine transform in terms of the Lerch function. Almost all Lerch functions have an asymmetrical zero-distribution. A summary table of the results are produced for easy reading. A vast majority of the results are new.
An Inexact Optimal Hybrid Conjugate Gradient Method for Solving Symmetric Nonlinear Equations
Authors: Sabi’u Jamilu , Muangchoo Kanikar , Shah Abdullah , Abubakar Auwal Bala , Aremu Kazeem Olalekan
Published: October 2021

This article presents an inexact optimal hybrid conjugate gradient (CG) method for solving symmetric nonlinear systems. The method is a convex combination of the optimal Dai–Liao (DL) and the extended three-term Polak–Ribiére–Polyak (PRP) CG methods. However, two different formulas for selecting the convex parameter are derived by using the conjugacy condition and also by combining the proposed direction with the default Newton direction. The proposed method is again derivative-free, therefore the Jacobian information is not required throughout the iteration process. Furthermore, the global convergence of the proposed method is shown using some appropriate assumptions. Finally, the numerical performance of the method is demonstrated by solving some examples of symmetric nonlinear problems and comparing them with some existing symmetric nonlinear equations CG solvers.
Polar Alkoxy Group and Pyridyl Effects on the Mesomorphic Behavior of New Non-Symmetrical Schiff Base Liquid Crystals
Authors: Mohammady Sayed , Aldhayan Daifallah , Alshammri Mohammed , Alshammari Ayoub , Alazmi Mohammed , Katariya Kanubhai , Jaremko Mariusz , Hagar Mohamed
Published: October 2021

A series of non-symmetrical Schiff base liquid crystals were prepared and investigated. Schiff bases of p-alkyloxy aniline derivatives and 4-phenyl pyridine-4′-carbaldehyde were synthesized. The terminal alkoxy groups substituting aniline are of varied chain length, namely C6, C8, and C16. The structures of the compounds were confirmed via 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectroscopy. Different mesophases of the samples were thermally and optically characterized by differential thermal analysis (DSC) and polarized optical microscopy (POM). All samples revealed enantiotropic smectic B (SmB) and smectic A (SmA) mesophases. The results obtained were further correlated with the density functional theory (DFT) theoretical calculations. The results are compared to a series of compounds bearing biphenyl moiety in their mesogens. The thermal stabilities of the different mesophase reduced upon the increment of the alkoxy chain length. The temperature ranges of both the smectic mesophases of new compounds bearing the 4-phenyl pyridine moiety are generally expanded higher than the other series. In addition, the total mesophase range is greater in the new compounds when compared to their biphenyl analogues. The DFT results were investigated in terms of the molecular geometries and the frontier molecular orbitals as well as the charge distribution mapping to show and illustrate the difference in the mesomorphic properties.
Gliding Down the QCD Transition Line, from Nf = 2 till the Onset of Conformality
Authors: Kotov Andrey Yu , Lombardo Maria Paola , Trunin Anton
Published: October 2021

We review the hot QCD transition with varying number of flavours, from two till the onset of the conformal window. We discuss the universality class for Nf=2, along the critical line for two massless light flavours, and a third flavour whose mass serves as an interpolator between Nf=2 and Nf=3. We identify a possible scaling window for the 3D O(4) universality class transition, and its crossover to a mean field behaviour. We follow the transition from Nf=3 to larger Nf, when it remains of first order, with an increasing coupling strength; we summarise its known properties, including possible cosmological applications as a model for a strong electroweak transition. The first order transition, and its accompanying second order endpoint, finally morphs into the essential singularity at the onset of the conformal window, following the singular behaviour predicted by the functional renormalisation group.
On the Durrmeyer-Type Variant and Generalizations of Lototsky–Bernstein Operators
Authors: Abel Ulrich , Agratini Octavian
Published: October 2021

The starting points of the paper are the classic Lototsky–Bernstein operators. We present an integral Durrmeyer-type extension and investigate some approximation properties of this new class. The evaluation of the convergence speed is performed both with moduli of smoothness and with K-functionals of the Peetre-type. In a distinct section we indicate a generalization of these operators that is useful in approximating vector functions with real values defined on the hypercube [0,1]q, q>1. The study involves achieving a parallelism between different classes of linear and positive operators, which will highlight a symmetry between these approximation processes.
Biomechanical Evaluation on the Bilateral Asymmetry of Complete Humeral Diaphysis in Chinese Archaeological Populations
Authors: Zhao Yuhao , Zhou Mi , Li Haijun , He Jianing , Wei Pianpian , Xing Song
Published: October 2021

Diaphyseal cross-sectional geometry (CSG) is an effective indicator of humeral bilateral asymmetry. However, previous studies primarily focused on CSG properties from limited locations to represent the overall bilateral biomechanical performance of humeral diaphysis. In this study, the complete humeral diaphyses of 40 pairs of humeri from three Chinese archaeological populations were scanned using high-resolution micro-CT, and their biomechanical asymmetries were quantified by morphometric mapping. Patterns of humeral asymmetry were compared between sub-groups defined by sex and population, and the representativeness of torsional rigidity asymmetry at the 35% and 50% cross-sections (J35 and J50 asymmetry) was testified. Inter-group differences were observed on the mean morphometric maps, but were not statistically significant. Analogous distribution patterns of highly asymmetrical regions, which correspond to major muscle attachments, were observed across nearly all the sexes and populations. The diaphyseal regions with high variability of bilateral asymmetry tended to present a low asymmetrical level. The J35 and J50 asymmetry were related to the overall humeral asymmetry, but the correlation was moderate and they could not reflect localized asymmetrical features across the diaphysis. This study suggests that the overall asymmetry pattern of humeral diaphysis is more complicated than previously revealed by individual sections.
Numerical Study of Local Scour around a Submarine Pipeline with a Spoiler Using a Symmetry Boundary Condition
Authors: Zhou Chuan , Li Jianhua , Wang Jun , Tang Guoqiang
Published: October 2021

A two-dimensional numerical model for solving the Navier–Stokes equations was developed to investigate the local scour around a submarine pipeline with a spoiler. Both the suspended load and the bed load were considered in the present numerical model. The focus of the present study is to investigate the effects of the spoiler length on the hydrodynamic forces on the pipeline and the spoiler as well as the local scour around the submarine pipeline. The corresponding numerical results show that the mean drag coefficients of the pipeline and the spoiler increase with the increase of the spoiler length. As for the mean lift coefficient, a general decreasing trend with the increasing spoiler length is observed for the pipeline. However, the mean lift coefficient of the spoiler first increases and then decreases with the increasing spoiler length. In addition, it is found that a larger spoiler length leads to a deeper scour depth, and an empirical equation was proposed for predicting the non-dimensional scour depth of submarine pipelines with non-dimensional spoiler length based on the numerical results.
Symmetry, Combinatorics, Artificial Intelligence, Music and Spectroscopy
Authors: Balasubramanian Krishnan
Published: October 2021

Symmetry forms the foundation of combinatorial theories and algorithms of enumeration such as Möbius inversion, Euler totient functions, and the celebrated Pólya’s theory of enumeration under the symmetric group action. As machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques play increasingly important roles in the machine perception of music to image processing that are central to many disciplines, combinatorics, graph theory, and symmetry act as powerful bridges to the developments of algorithms for such varied applications. In this review, we bring together the confluence of music theory and spectroscopy as two primary disciplines to outline several interconnections of combinatorial and symmetry techniques in the development of algorithms for machine generation of musical patterns of the east and west and a variety of spectroscopic signatures of molecules. Combinatorial techniques in conjunction with group theory can be harnessed to generate the musical scales, intensity patterns in ESR spectra, multiple quantum NMR spectra, nuclear spin statistics of both fermions and bosons, colorings of hyperplanes of hypercubes, enumeration of chiral isomers, and vibrational modes of complex systems including supergiant fullerenes, as exemplified by our work on the golden fullerene C150,000. Combinatorial techniques are shown to yield algorithms for the enumeration and construction of musical chords and scales called ragas in music theory, as we exemplify by the machine construction of ragas and machine perception of musical patterns. We also outline the applications of Hadamard matrices and magic squares in the development of algorithms for the generation of balanced-pitch chords. Machine perception of musical, spectroscopic, and symmetry patterns are considered.
On the Time Distribution of Supernova Antineutrino Flux
Authors: Vissani Francesco , Gallo Rosso Andrea
Published: October 2021

Neutrino leptonic flavor symmetry violation is the only evidence for physics beyond the standard model. Much of what we have learned on these particles is derived from the study of their natural sources, such as the Sun or core-collapse supernovae. Neutrino emission from supernovae is particularly interesting and leptonic flavor transformations in supernova neutrinos have attracted a lot of theoretical attention. Unfortunately, the emission of core-collapse supernovae is not fully understood: thus, an inescapable preliminary step to progress is to improve on that, and future neutrino observations can help. One pressing and answerable question concerns the time distribution of the supernova anti-neutrino events. We propose a class of models of the time distribution that describe emission curves similar to those theoretically expected and consistent with available observations from the data of supernova SN1987A. They have the advantages of being motivated on physical bases and easy to interpret; they are flexible and adaptable to the results of the observations from a future galactic supernova. Important general characteristics of these models are the presence of an initial ramp and that a significant portion of the signal is in the first second of the emission.
Metric-Affine Myrzakulov Gravity Theories
Authors: Myrzakulov Nurgissa , Myrzakulov Ratbay , Ravera Lucrezia
Published: October 2021

In this paper, we review the so-called Myrzakulov Gravity models (MG-N, with N = I, II, …, VIII) and derive their respective metric-affine generalizations (MAMG-N), discussing also their particular sub-cases. The field equations of the theories are obtained by regarding the metric tensor and the general affine connection as independent variables. We then focus on the case in which the function characterizing the aforementioned metric-affine models is linear and consider a Friedmann-Lemaître–Robertson–Walker background to study cosmological aspects and applications. Historical motivation for this research is thoroughly reviewed and specific physical motivations are provided for the aforementioned family of alternative theories of gravity.
Total Effective Vascular Compliance of a Global Mathematical Model for the Cardiovascular System
Authors: Celant Morena , Toro Eleuterio F. , Müller Lucas O.
Published: October 2021

In this work, we determined the total effective vascular compliance of a global closed-loop model for the cardiovascular system by performing an infusion test of 500 mL of blood in four minutes. Our mathematical model includes a network of arteries and veins where blood flow is described by means of a one-dimensional nonlinear hyperbolic PDE system and zero-dimensional models for other cardiovascular compartments. Some mathematical modifications were introduced to better capture the physiology of the infusion test: (1) a physiological distribution of vascular compliance and total blood volume was implemented, (2) a nonlinear representation of venous resistances and compliances was introduced, and (3) main regulatory mechanisms triggered by the infusion test where incorporated into the model. By means of presented in silico experiment, we show that effective total vascular compliance is the result of the interaction between the assigned constant physical vascular compliance and the capacity of the cardiovascular system to adapt to new situations via regulatory mechanisms.
The Significance of Chimpanzee Occipital Asymmetry to Hominin Evolution
Authors: Hurst Shawn , Holloway Ralph , Pearson Alannah , Bocko Grace
Published: October 2021

Little is known about how occipital lobe asymmetry, width, and height interact to contribute to the operculation of the posterior parietal lobe, despite the utility of knowing this for understanding the relative reduction in the size of the occipital lobe and the increase in the size of the posterior parietal lobe during human brain evolution. Here, we use linear measurements taken on 3D virtual brain surfaces obtained from 83 chimpanzees to study these traits as they apply to operculation of the posterior occipital parietal arcus or bridging gyrus. Asymmetry in this bridging gyrus visibility provides a unique opportunity to study both the human ancestral and human equivalently normal condition in the same individual. Our results show that all three traits (occipital lobe asymmetry, width, and height) are related to this operculation and bridging gyrus visibility but width and not height is the best predictor, against expectations, suggesting that relative reduction of the occipital lobe and exposure of the posterior parietal is a complex phenomenon.
Bidirectional Symmetry Network with Dual-Field Cyclic Attention for Multi-Temporal Aerial Remote Sensing Image Registration
Authors: Chen Ying , Zhang Qi , Zhang Wencheng , Chen Lei
Published: October 2021

Multi-temporal remote sensing image registration is a geometric symmetry process that involves matching a source image with a target image. To improve the accuracy and enhance the robustness of the algorithm, this study proposes an end-to-end registration network—a bidirectional symmetry network based on dual-field cyclic attention for multi-temporal remote sensing image registration, which mainly improves feature extraction and feature matching. (1) We propose a feature extraction framework combining an attention module and a pre-training model, which can accurately locate important areas in images and quickly extract features. Not only is the dual receptive field module designed to enhance attention in the spatial region, a loop structure is also used to improve the network model and improve overall accuracy. (2) Matching has not only directivity but also symmetry. We design a symmetric network of two-way matching to reduce the registration deviation caused by one-way matching and use a Pearson correlation method to improve the cross-correlation matching and enhance the robustness of the matching relation. In contrast with two traditional methods and three deep learning-based algorithms, the proposed approach works well under five indicators in three public multi-temporal datasets. Notably, in the case of the Aerial Image Dataset, the accuracy of the proposed method is improved by 39.8% compared with the Two-stream Ensemble method under a PCK (Percentage of Correct Keypoints) index of 0.05. When the PCK index is 0.03, accuracy increases by 46.8%, and increases by 18.7% under a PCK index of 0.01. Additionally, when adding the innovation points in feature extraction into the basic network CNNGeo (Convolutional Neural Network Architecture for Geometric Matching), accuracy is increased by 36.7% under 0.05 PCK, 18.2% under 0.03 PCK, and 8.4% under 0.01 PCK. Meanwhile, by adding the innovation points in feature matching into CNNGeo, accuracy is improved by 16.4% under 0.05 PCK, 9.1% under 0.03 PCK, and 5.2% under 0.01 PCK. In most cases, this paper reports high registration accuracy and efficiency for multi-temporal remote sensing image registration.
A Generalized Strain Energy-Based Homogenization Method for 2-D and 3-D Cellular Materials with and without Periodicity Constraints
Authors: Gad Ahmad I. , Gao Xin-Lin
Published: October 2021

A generalized strain energy-based homogenization method for 2-D and 3-D cellular materials with and without periodicity constraints is proposed using Hill’s Lemma and the matrix method for spatial frames. In this new approach, the equilibrium equations are enforced at all boundary and interior nodes and each interior node is allowed to translate and rotate freely, which differ from existing methods where the equilibrium conditions are imposed only at the boundary nodes. The newly formulated homogenization method can be applied to cellular materials with or without symmetry. To illustrate the new method, four examples are studied: two for a 2-D cellular material and two for a 3-D pentamode metamaterial, with and without periodic constraints in each group. For the 2-D cellular material, an asymmetric microstructure with or without periodicity constraints is analyzed, and closed-form expressions of the effective stiffness components are obtained in both cases. For the 3-D pentamode metamaterial, a primitive diamond-shaped unit cell with or without periodicity constraints is considered. In each of these 3-D cases, two different representative cells in two orientations are examined. The homogenization analysis reveals that the pentamode metamaterial exhibits the cubic symmetry based on one representative cell, with the effective Poisson’s ratio v¯ being nearly 0.5. Moreover, it is revealed that the pentamode metamaterial with the cubic symmetry can be tailored to be a rubber-like material (with v¯ ≅0.5) or an auxetic material (with v¯ < 0).
Disconnection between Rat’s Left and Right Hemisphere Impairs Short-Term Memory but Not Long-Term Memory
Authors: Sakaguchi Yukitoshi , Sakurai Yoshio
Published: October 2021

Split-brain experiments, which have been actively conducted since the twentieth century, have provided a great deal of insight into functional asymmetry and inter-hemispheric interactions. However, how communication between the left and right hemispheres directly contributes to memory formation is still poorly understood. To address this issue, we cut the rat commissural fibers prior to performing behavioral tests, which consisted of two short-term and two long-term memory tasks. The result showed that cutting the commissural fibers impairs short-term memory but not long-term memory. This suggests that the left-right hemispheric interaction through the commissural fibers contributes to the appropriate formation of short-term memory, but not that of long-term memory. Our findings would help to elucidate dynamic memory formation between the two hemispheres and contribute to the development of therapeutics for some neurological diseases which cause a reduction in the inter-hemispheric interaction.