bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Use of Alkali-Activated Slag as an Environment-Friendly Agent for High-Performance Stabilized Soil
Authors: Huang Qinghua , Yang Guohui , Li Chenzhi , Guo Mingzhi , Wang Tao , Jiang Linhua
Published: July 2023

Discharged slag not only occupies a large amount of land for disposal, but also causes serious environmental pollution. The use of alkali-activated slag (AAS) instead of cement as a soil-stabilization agent is beneficial for industrial waste disposal and energy conservation, which complies with the concept of green and low-carbon sustainable development in the construction industry. In this study, the compressive strength, water permeability coefficient, chloride migration coefficient and sulfate resistance of alkali-activated slag-stabilized soil (AASS) were evaluated, and compared with those of cement-stabilized soil (CSS). The hydrated crystalline phases and microscopic pore structures were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) tests, respectively. The results indicate that, compared with CSS, AASS exhibits a higher compressive strength, lower water permeability, chloride migration coefficient and better resistance to sulfate attack, with the optimum dosage higher than 10 wt.%. The results of the MIP analysis show that the addition of AAS reduces the porosity by 6.47%. The combined use of soil and AAS proves to be a viable and sustainable method of waste utilization and carbon emission reduction in the construction industry, which provides a practical path towards carbon peaking and carbon neutrality.
Hydrogel-Forming Microneedles with Applications in Oral Diseases Management
Authors: Li Yuqing , Bi Duohang , Hu Zhekai , Yang Yanqi , Liu Yijing , Leung Wai Keung
Published: July 2023

Controlled drug delivery in the oral cavity poses challenges such as bacterial contamination, saliva dilution, and inactivation by salivary enzymes upon ingestion. Microneedles offer a location-specific, minimally invasive, and retentive approach. Hydrogel-forming microneedles (HFMs) have emerged for dental diagnostics and therapeutics. HFMs penetrate the stratum corneum, undergo swelling upon contact, secure attachment, and enable sustained transdermal or transmucosal drug delivery. Commonly employed polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyvinyl pyrrolidone are crosslinked with tartaric acid or its derivatives while incorporating therapeutic agents. Microneedle patches provide suture-free and painless drug delivery to keratinized or non-keratinized mucosa, facilitating site-specific treatment and patient compliance. This review comprehensively discusses HFMs’ applications in dentistry such as local anesthesia, oral ulcer management, periodontal treatment, etc., encompassing animal experiments, clinical trials, and their fundamental impact and limitations, for example, restricted drug carrying capacity and, until now, a low number of dental clinical trial reports. The review explores the advantages and future perspectives of HFMs for oral drug delivery.
Finite Element Analysis of Dynamic Recrystallization Model and Microstructural Evolution for GCr15 Bearing Steel Warm–Hot Deformation Process
Authors: Chen Xuewen , Sun Jiawei , Yang Yisi , Liu Bingqi , Si Yahui , Zhou Junzhuo
Published: July 2023

Warm deformation is a plastic-forming process that differs from traditional cold and hot forming techniques. At the macro level, it can effectively reduce the problem of high deformation resistance in cold deformation and improve the surface decarburization issues during the hot deformation process. Microscopically, it has significant advantages in controlling product structure, refining grain size, and enhancing product mechanical properties. The Gleeble-1500D thermal–mechanical physical simulation system was used to conduct isothermal compression tests on GCr15 bearing steel. The tests were conducted at temperatures of 600–1050 °C and strain rates of 0.01–5 s−1. Based on the experimental data, the critical strain model and dynamic recrystallization model for the warm–hot forming of GCr15 bearing steel were established in this paper. The model accuracy is evaluated using statistical indicators such as the correlation coefficient (R). The dynamic recrystallization model exhibits high predictive accuracy, as indicated by an R-value of 0.986. The established dynamic recrystallization model for GCr15 bearing steel was integrated into the Forge® 3.2 numerical simulation software through secondary program development to simulate the compression process of GCr15 warm–hot forming. The dynamic recrystallization fraction was analyzed in various deformation regions. The grain size of the severe deformation zone, small deformation zone, and difficult deformation zone was compared based on simulated compression specimens under the conditions of 1050 °C and 0.1 s−1 with the corresponding grain size obtained with measurement based on metallographic photos; the relative error between the two is 5.75%. This verifies the accuracy of the established dynamic recrystallization and critical strain models for warm–hot deformation of GCr15 bearing steel. These models provide a theoretical basis for the finite element method analysis and microstructure control of the warm–hot forming process in bearing races.
On the Safety of Implanted Breast Prostheses in Accidental Impacts
Authors: Janszen Gerardus , Arnoldi Michela , Vinci Valeriano , Klinger Marco , Landro Luca Di
Published: July 2023

The employment of breast silicone implants, both in aesthetic and reconstructive medicine, is widespread thanks to their recognized biocompatibility and durability. Some critical situations, for example, in the case of accidental impacts, may induce concerns by potential patients about their use. Dynamic tests reproducing frontal impacts at speeds up to 90 km/h, with anthropomorphic dummies carrying 330 cc prostheses and wearing safety belts, were conducted. Tests showed a significant probability of internal gel loss following implant damage at the highest speed. Moreover, considering that prostheses may remain implanted for many years, the effects of accelerated aging at 37 °C, 60 °C, 75 °C and 90 °C in physiological solution were also investigated. Tensile tests of the shell material and compressive tests of the full prosthesis showed evidence of variation in the prostheses’ mechanical characteristics after aging, which affects their stiffness, deformability and strength. These results stress the importance of medical investigations for possible damages of the implanted prostheses in the case of an accident.
ESN-Observer-Based Adaptive Stabilization Control for Delayed Nonlinear Systems with Unknown Control Gain
Authors: Lun Shuxian , Lv Zhaoyi , Lu Xiaodong , Li Ming
Published: July 2023

This paper investigates the observer-based adaptive stabilization control problem for a class of time-delay nonlinear systems with unknown control gain using an echo state network (ESN). In order to handle unknown functions, a new recurrent neural network (RNN) approximation method called ESN is utilized. It improves accuracy, reduces computing cost, and is simple to train. To address the issue of unknown control gain, the Nussbaum function is used, and the Lyapunov–Krasovskii functionals are used to address the delay term. The backstepping strategy and command filtering methodology are then used to create an adaptive stabilization controller. All of the closed-loop system’s signals are predicted to be confined by the Lyapunov stability theory. Finally, a simulation example is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the suggested control mechanism.
Comparison of Open versus Laparoscopic Approaches in Salvage Hepatectomy for Recurrent Hepatocellular Carcinoma after Radiofrequency Ablation
Authors: Park Yeshong , Cho Jai Young , Han Ho-Seong , Yoon Yoo-Seok , Lee Hae Won , Lee Boram , Kang MeeYoung , Kim Jinju
Published: July 2023

Background and Objectives: Although radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is widely used as an effective local treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), evidence on salvage hepatectomy for local recurrence after RFA is limited. This study aims to compare open and laparoscopic approaches in salvage hepatectomy for recurrent HCC after RFA. Materials and Methods: Among patients who underwent hepatectomy between January 2004 and August 2022 at a single tertiary referral center, 55 patients who underwent salvage hepatectomy for marginal recurrence after RFA were selected. An open approach was used in 23 (41.8%) patients, while 32 (58.2%) patients underwent laparoscopic surgery. Short-term and long-term outcomes were compared between the two groups. Results: Major hepatectomy was more often performed in the open group (9 [39.1%] vs. 4 [12.5%], p = 0.022). Intraoperative blood loss was also greater in the open group (450 (325–750) vs. 300 (200–600), p = 0.034). Operation time (p = 0.144) and postoperative morbidity rates (p = 0.639) were similar, and there was no postoperative mortality in either group. Postoperative hospital stay was significantly longer in the open group compared to the laparoscopy group (8 (6–11) days vs. 5 (4–7) days, p = 0.028). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year disease-free survival rates showed no difference between the two groups (44.6% vs. 62.5%, 16.5% vs. 13.5%, and 8.3% vs. 13.5%, respectively; p = 0.154). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates between the two groups were also similar (85.7% vs. 96.8%, 79.6% vs. 86.0%, and 79.6% vs. 79.4%, respectively; p = 0.480). Conclusions: Laparoscopic salvage hepatectomy shows oncologic outcomes comparable to the open approach with faster postoperative recovery rates. Considering that recurrence rates are high after RFA, the laparoscopic approach should be considered as a first-line option in selected patients.
Pectin Nanoparticle-Loaded Soft Coral Nephthea sp. Extract as In Situ Gel Enhances Chronic Wound Healing: In Vitro, In Vivo, and In Silico Studies
Authors: Hassan Nevine H. , El-Hawary Seham S. , Emam Mahmoud , Rabeh Mohamed A. , Tantawy Mohamed A. , Seif Mohamed , Abd-Elal Radwa M. A. , Bringmann Gerhard , Abdelmohsen Usama Ramadan , Selim Nabil M.
Published: July 2023

This study shed light for the first time on the in vivo diabetic wound healing potential activity of natural marine soft coral polymeric nanoparticle in situ gel using an excision wound model. A Nephthea sp. methanol–methylene chloride extract loaded with pectin nanoparticles (LPNs) was created. For the preparation of in situ gel, ion-gelation techniques, the entrapment efficiency, the particle size, the polydispersity index, the zeta potential, the in-vitro drug release, and a transmission electron microscope were used and the best formula was selected. Using (UPLC-Q/TOF-MS), 27 secondary metabolites responsible for extract biological activity were identified. Isolation and identification of arachidic acid, oleic acid, nervonic acid, and bis-(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate (DEHP) of Nephthea sp. was firstly reported here using NMR and mass spectral analyses. Moreover, LPN in situ gel has the best effects on regulating the proinflammatory cytokines (NF-κB, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β) that were detected on days 7 and 15. The results were confirmed with an in vitro enzymatic inhibitory effect of the extract against glycogen synthase kinase (GSK-3) and matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), with IC50 values of 0.178 ± 0.009 and 0.258 ± 0.011 µg/mL, respectively. The molecular docking study showed a free binding energy of −9.6 kcal/mol for chabrolosteroid E, with the highest binding affinity for the enzyme (GSK-3), while isogosterone B had −7.8 kcal/mol for the enzyme (MMP-1). A pharmacokinetics study for chabrolohydroxybenzoquinone F and isogosterone B was performed, and it predicted the mode of action of wound healing activity.
Phenotyping Diabetes Mellitus on Aggregated Electronic Health Records from Disparate Health Systems
Authors: Tan Hui , Lim Rachel , Ang Pei , Foo Belinda , Koon Yen , Neo Jing , Ng Amelia , Tan Siew , Teo Desmond , Tham Mun , Yap Aaron , Ng Nicholas , Loke Celine , Peck Li , Huang Huilin , Dorajoo Sreemanee
Published: July 2023

Background: Identifying patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) is often performed in epidemiological studies using electronic health records (EHR), but currently available algorithms have features that limit their generalizability. Methods: We developed a rule-based algorithm to determine DM status using the nationally aggregated EHR database. The algorithm was validated on two chart-reviewed samples (n = 2813) of (a) patients with atrial fibrillation (AF, n = 1194) and (b) randomly sampled hospitalized patients (n = 1619). Results: DM diagnosis codes alone resulted in a sensitivity of 77.0% and 83.4% in the AF and random hospitalized samples, respectively. The proposed algorithm combines blood glucose values and DM medication usage with diagnostic codes and exhibits sensitivities between 96.9% and 98.0%, while positive predictive values (PPV) ranged between 61.1% and 75.6%. Performances were comparable across sexes, but a lower specificity was observed in younger patients (below 65 versus 65 and above) in both validation samples (75.8% vs. 90.8% and 60.6% vs. 88.8%). The algorithm was robust for missing laboratory data but not for missing medication data. Conclusions: In this nationwide EHR database analysis, an algorithm for identifying patients with DM has been developed and validated. The algorithm supports quantitative bias analyses in future studies involving EHR-based DM studies.
Practical Application of 3D Printing for Pharmaceuticals in Hospitals and Pharmacies
Authors: Huanbutta Kampanart , Burapapadh Kanokporn , Sriamornsak Pornsak , Sangnim Tanikan
Published: July 2023

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is an unrivaled technique that uses computer-aided design and programming to create 3D products by stacking materials on a substrate. Today, 3D printing technology is used in the whole drug development process, from preclinical research to clinical trials to frontline medical treatment. From 2009 to 2020, the number of research articles on 3D printing in healthcare applications surged from around 10 to 2000. Three-dimensional printing technology has been applied to several kinds of drug delivery systems, such as oral controlled release systems, micropills, microchips, implants, microneedles, rapid dissolving tablets, and multiphase release dosage forms. Compared with conventional manufacturing methods of pharmaceutical products, 3D printing has many advantages, including high production rates due to the flexible operating systems and high drug loading with the desired precision and accuracy for potent drugs administered in small doses. The cost of production via 3D printing can be decreased by reducing material wastage, and the process can be adapted to multiple classes of pharmaceutically active ingredients, including those with poor solubility. Although several studies have addressed the benefits of 3D printing technology, hospitals and pharmacies have only implemented this process for a small number of practical applications. This article discusses recent 3D printing applications in hospitals and pharmacies for medicinal preparation. The article also covers the potential future applications of 3D printing in pharmaceuticals.
Starch Modification with Molecular Transformation, Physicochemical Characteristics, and Industrial Usability: A State-of-the-Art Review
Authors: He Ruidi , Li Songnan , Zhao Gongqi , Zhai Ligong , Qin Peng , Yang Liping
Published: July 2023

Starch is a readily available and abundant source of biological raw materials and is widely used in the food, medical, and textile industries. However, native starch with insufficient functionality limits its utilization in the above applications; therefore, it is modified through various physical, chemical, enzymatic, genetic and multiple modifications. This review summarized the relationship between structural changes and functional properties of starch subjected to different modified methods, including hydrothermal treatment, microwave, pre-gelatinization, ball milling, ultrasonication, radiation, high hydrostatic pressure, supercritical CO2, oxidation, etherification, esterification, acid hydrolysis, enzymatic modification, genetic modification, and their combined modifications. A better understanding of these features has the potential to lead to starch-based products with targeted structures and optimized properties for specific applications.
Pilot-Scale Melt Electrospinning of Polybutylene Succinate Fiber Mats for a Biobased and Biodegradable Face Mask
Authors: Ostheller Maike-Elisa , Balakrishnan Naveen Kumar , Beukenberg Konrad , Groten Robert , Seide Gunnar
Published: July 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a huge demand for disposable facemasks. Billions were manufactured from nonbiodegradable petroleum-derived polymers, and many were discarded in the environment where they contributed to plastic pollution. There is an urgent need for biobased and biodegradable facemasks to avoid environmental harm during future disease outbreaks. Melt electrospinning is a promising alternative technique for the manufacturing of filter layers using sub-microfibers prepared from biobased raw materials such as polybutylene succinate (PBS). However, it is not yet possible to produce sub-micrometer PBS fibers or uniform nonwoven-like samples at the pilot scale, which hinders their investigation as filter layers. Further optimization of pilot-scale PBS melt electrospinning is therefore required. Here, we tested the effect of different parameters such as electric field strength, nozzle-to-collector distance and throughput on the final fiber diameter and sample uniformity during PBS melt electrospinning on a pilot-scale device. We also studied the effect of a climate chamber and an additional infrared heater on the solidification of PBS fibers and their final diameter and uniformity. In addition, a post-processing step, including a hot air stream of 90 °C for 30 s has been studied and successfully lead to a nonwoven-like structure including filaments that weld together without changing their structure. The finest fibers (1.7 µm in diameter) were produced at an applied electric field strength of −40 kV, a nozzle-to-collector distance of 5.5 cm, and a spin pump speed of 2 rpm. Three uniform nonwoven-like samples were tested as filter layers in a medical face mask by measuring their ability to prevent the transfer of bacteria, but the pore size was too large for effective retention. Our results provide insight into the process parameters influencing the suitability of melt-electrospun nonwoven-like samples as biobased and biodegradable filter materials and offer guidance for further process optimization.
The Changes of Chinese Oroqen Shaman Culture in the Context of Social Transformation
Authors: Ni Zhuo , Guo Yue
Published: July 2023

With the settlement under the mountains, the Chinese Oroqen has started comprehensive interaction with other ethnic groups, and gradually adapted to the wider society. During this process, the shaman culture, which has accompanied the Oroqen’s daily life and social development for a long time, has changed accordingly. Through looking at the changes of shaman culture, the self-adjustment process of Oroqen people in the transition from traditional to modern society can be better understood. It is also an important entry point to understand the social and cultural transformation and community consciousness of Oroqen people, which helps to understand their cultural self-confidence and identity consciousness. Grounded in ethnographic observations, especially “the last shaman” Guan Kouni’s life story, this paper traces the shaman culture and its social significance in the traditional society for Oroqen people. With the help of the research paradigm of “embedding–disembedding–re-embedding”, the article compares the reshaping of the identity of Oroqen shamans under the combined effect of various socio-historical events since the settlement, smoothing out the changing process in the Oroqen shaman culture, and discussing the transformation of the social function of Oroqen shaman. This article offers a more comprehensive picture of the cultural changes of Oroqen shaman since the settlement under the mountains, in order to clarify the role and functions played by Oroqen shamans at contemporary society and provide a reference case for understanding the significant transformation of the original functions and status of the traditional elites of ethnic minorities in the theoretical sense. The study explores motivations for the deepening of cultural consciousness among ethnic groups in the context of modernity.
Crop Type Mapping Based on Polarization Information of Time Series Sentinel-1 Images Using Patch-Based Neural Network
Authors: Liu Yuying , Pu Xuecong , Shen Zhangquan
Published: July 2023

Large-scale crop mapping is of fundamental importance to tackle food security problems. SAR remote sensing has lately received great attention for crop type mapping due to its stability in the revisit cycle and is not hindered by cloud cover. However, most SAR image-classification studies focused on the application of backscattering characteristics with machine learning models, while few investigated the potential of the polarization decomposition and deep-learning models. This study investigated whether the radar polarization information mined by polarization decomposition, the patch strategy and the approaches for combining recurrent and convolutional neural networks (Conv2d + LSTM and ConvLSTM2d) could effectively improve the accuracy of crop type mapping. Sentinel-1 SLC and GRD products in 2020 were collected as data sources to extract VH, VV, VH/VV, VV + VH, Entropy, Anisotropy, and Alpha 7-dimensional features for classification. The results showed that the three-dimensional Convolutional Neural Network (Conv3d) was the best classifier with an accuracy and kappa up to 88.9% and 0.875, respectively, and the ConvLSTM2d and Conv2d + LSTM achieved the second and third position. Compared to backscatter coefficients, the polarization decomposition features could provide additional phase information for classification in the time dimension. The optimal patch size was 17, and the patch-based Conv3d outperformed the pixel-based Conv1d by 11.3% in accuracy and 0.128 in kappa. This study demonstrated the value of applying polarization decomposition features to deep-learning models and provided a strong technical support to efficient large-scale crop mapping.
DC Microgrids: A Propitious Smart Grid Paradigm for Smart Cities
Authors: Rangarajan Shriram S. , Raman Rahul , Singh Amritpal , Shiva Chandan Kumar , Kumar Ritesh , Sadhu Pradip Kumar , Collins E. Randolph , Senjyu Tomonobu
Published: July 2023

Recent years have seen a surge in interest in DC microgrids as DC loads and DC sources like solar photovoltaic systems, fuel cells, batteries, and other options have become more mainstream. As more distributed energy resources (DERs) are integrated into an existing smart grid, DC networks have come to the forefront of the industry. DC systems completely sidestep the need for synchronization, reactive power control, and frequency control. DC systems are more dependable and productive than ever before because AC systems are prone to all of these issues. There is a lot of unrealized potential in DC power, but it also faces some significant challenges. Protecting a DC system is difficult because there is no discrete location of where the current disappears. DC microgrid stability that is dependent on inertia must also be considered during the planning stage. The problems that DC microgrids have include insufficient power quality and poor communication. The power quality, inertia, communication, and economic operations of these value streams, as well as their underlying architectures and protection schemes, are all extensively discussed in this paper. This review paper examines the pros and cons of both grid-connected and isolated DC microgrids. In addition, the paper compares the different kinds of microgrids in terms of power distribution and energy management agency, such as the prerequisites for a DC microgrid’s planning, operation, and control that must be met before state-of-the-art systems can be implemented.
Study on the Spatial and Temporal Evolution Characteristics and Driving Factors of the “Production–Living–Ecological Space” in Changfeng County
Authors: Hong Tao , Liang Ningli , Li Haomeng
Published: July 2023

The rapid development of industrialization and urbanization aggravates the tension of human–land relationships, leading to increasingly prominent contradictions and a serious imbalance in the relationship among production–living–ecological space (PLES). The study of county PLES is important for guiding the spatial development and layout optimization of national land as well as promoting the integrated development of urban and rural areas. This can be made more accurate, comprehensive, and visualized by using a land transfer matrix, a land use dynamic attitude, and a barycenter migration model. Research results have shown that the spatial type of Changfeng County was dominated by production space and living space from 2000 to 2020. The production space area decreased the most, to 16.3044 km2, and the ecological space area increased by 50.175 km2, within which the single dynamic attitude was first positive and then negative, with more drastic spatial changes and the fastest expansion rate. The transfer relationship was mainly based on the transfer of production space out and ecological space in; the longest distance and most obvious change was in the center of gravity of ecological space in the first 10 years of the study period, showing a trend toward the southeastern town of Xiatang. In addition, population, the increase in the proportion of tertiary industry structures, and policy regulation are the dominant factors in changes in the PLES in the county. This study provides a basis and support for the rational use of land resources and the balanced and coordinated development of people and land in Changfeng County, which is currently implementing unbalanced development.
Intellectual Property Pledge Financing and Enterprise Innovation: Based on the Perspective of Signal Incentive
Authors: Li Weixiu , Li Bo
Published: July 2023

As a driving force behind urban sustainable development, enterprise innovation has become an increasingly important issue in the digital economy. In this context, a financing model called intellectual property pledge financing (IPPF) has been widely implemented, potentially promoting innovation output in developed countries. However, for countries with relatively low levels of intellectual property (IP) protection, the impact of IPPF on enterprise innovation is divergent, as it may lead to patent signal failure. China’s implementation of IPPF since 2008 provides an ideal quasi-natural experiment for researching IPPF in such countries. Using panel data of China’s listed companies from 2007 to 2017, we employ the staggered Difference-in-Differences (DID) method to examine the impact of IPPF on enterprise innovation. The results demonstrate a significantly positive impact overall, with a more pronounced effect in urban areas characterized by high intellectual property protection and digitalization. Various robust tests, including event study, Bacon decomposition, and propensity score matching (PSM), were conducted. Additionally, our findings suggest that IPPF facilitates enterprise innovation by expanding external credit resources and optimizing internal management from the perspective of open innovation (OI). It signals banks and investors to provide favorable credit support externally, helps alleviate managerial myopia, and increases manager risk preference internally. These results offer empirical evidence and suggestions for promoting IPPF as a means to stimulate enterprise innovation and achieve urban economic sustainable development.
The Impact of Ethical Leadership on Financial Performance: The Mediating Role of Environmentally Proactive Strategy and the Moderating Role of Institutional Pressure
Authors: Huang Chien-Hsiang , Ting Chih-Wen , Chang Tai-Wei , Lee Yue-Shi , Yen Show-Jane
Published: July 2023

For the sustainable development of agriculture, few investigations have explored how to achieve the sustainable development of agritech companies through management mechanisms. Therefore, this study proposes a novel model that describes the impact of the ethical leadership of the chief executive officer on financial performance through environmentally proactive strategy adoption, which is moderated by institutional pressures to deal with the problem of the literature gap. In fact, past research on financial performance has nearly always examined profitability or earnings per share, but few studies have explored the relationship between organizational leadership and environmentally proactive strategy adoption to improve firm performance. To fill this research gap mentioned above, this study employs the methodology of structural equation modeling to analyze the theoretical model. Empirical data were collected by 75 chief executive officers and their upper management teams in the agritech firms, and the analysis result confirmed all hypotheses. That said, the impact of the ethical leadership of the chief executive officer significantly influences the financial performance through the environmentally proactive strategy adoption, which is significantly moderated by institutional pressures Therefore, this study can provide a new milestone in the sustainable agricultural literature and provides agritech firms with specific recommendations for performance improvements to achieve sustainability.
Moving from Linear to Circular Economy in Saudi Arabia: Life-Cycle Assessment on Plastic Waste Management
Authors: Almadhi Abdulmajeed , Abdelhadi Abdelhakim , Alyamani Rakan
Published: July 2023

The discovery of plastic caused a true transformation in human lives and it is used in many essential applications. Despite its significance, humanity struggles to control plastic waste and stop its infiltration into the natural environment. This study aims to review the existing waste management system in Saudi Arabia and evaluate environmental impacts of different plastic waste management scenarios by conducting a life-cycle assessment (LCA). This study covered five scenarios: landfill, incineration with energy recovery, mechanical recycling with incineration of residuals, pyrolysis with incineration of residuals, and combined mechanical recycling and pyrolysis with incineration of residuals. For all scenarios in this study, the CML-IA Baseline method was used, utilizing OpenLCA software. Sources of data for this study were obtained from the Ecoinvent 3.9.1 database and from published peer-reviewed reports. The LCA study revealed that the combined mechanical recycling and pyrolysis with incineration of residuals scenario has the lowest environmental impact. Additionally, the combined scenario can accept a broader range of plastic waste, which improves the overall waste management system towards shifting to circular economy. Therefore, to meet the various recycling requirements, it is recommended to establish a portfolio of plastic waste management techniques in Saudi Arabia to produce high-quality recycled products. It is also recommended to utilize renewable energy for electricity generation in Saudi Arabia, since it was shown in this study that it has a significant positive environmental impact across all impact categories.
Research on Green Consumption Based on Visual Evaluation Method—Evidence from Stone Flooring Industry
Authors: Li Hanzhe , Chen Hui
Published: July 2023

Blind consumption discovered in the real application of flooring does not produce the visually anticipated impression, leading to additional time costs and stone flooring waste. Consumers cannot clearly articulate their visual imaging needs when purchasing stone flooring. Due to consumers’ lack of understanding of the visual imagery style of decorative stone flooring, manufacturers are unable to produce more visual styles of stone flooring in response to consumer demand, which leads to an unorganized production process and the wasting of stone resources. Additionally, manufacturers are unable to receive feedback on market demand, which makes communication links between sales teams difficult. A total of 40 adjectives were considered the most appropriate in a pool of 110 adjectives for the visual imagery evaluation of stone after ten interior design professionals with experience in decorative stone applications had narrowed the selection. Following this, a general consumer semantic difference method questionnaire survey and questionnaire data factor analysis statistics were used to create 10 sets of visual imagery adjectives for marble flooring, which were then divided into 10 different types of marble flooring. Following the computer simulation drawing with the 10 groups of visual imagery adjectives design questionnaire, the consumers completed the visual imagery evaluation questionnaire survey. They received a 304-question valid questionnaire, and using the triangular fuzzy number operation in fuzzy theory, they arrived at 10 marble floors in the visual imagery evaluation score. In order to clarify the current consumer demand for stone floor imagery, the high sales volume of stone flooring on the market for visual style division, which can guide consumers according to their visual needs for an efficient choice, can enhance the efficiency of communication between consumers and sellers. It can also help enterprises clarify the market consumer demand for orderly production to achieve the purpose of green consumption and to ensure the sustainable development of the decorative stone flooring market.
The Impact of Group Control on the Effectiveness of Enterprise Innovation: An Empirical Study
Authors: Zeng Bo , Zhang Weimin , Ma Defang , Zhang Chenyang , Liu Xiao
Published: July 2023

Innovation has been elevated beyond the traditional forces of production, by the emergence of a new wave of industrial upgrading and the technological revolution, to become a significant force in the advancement of human society. Can an enterprise group, a significant type of industrial organization, improve the effectiveness of enterprise innovation? Here, a quantitative analysis approach was used to systematically analyze the impact of group control on enterprise innovation effectiveness and its transmission path based on the logical framework of the “policy environment-influence effect-influence path”. The study found that group control significantly improves the effectiveness of enterprise innovation compared to independently listed enterprises. The impact path showed that group control can reduce financing constraints through internal capital markets. It increases the investment in innovation and thus enhances the effectiveness of enterprise innovation. Meanwhile, internal information exchange is accelerated through the internal knowledge market, improving enterprise innovation’s effectiveness. The results of this study were still valid after robustness tests, such as propensity score matching and accounting for lag effects. According to the paper’s findings, to enhance financial support for innovation, financial market reform should be intensified. The growth of manufacturing enterprise groups should also be encouraged. Additionally, the ability of businesses to innovate while improving the internal benefits of enterprise groups and their innovation paths should be strengthened.
An Integrated Approach to Green Mines Based on Hesitant Fuzzy TOPSIS: Green Degree Analysis and Policy Implications
Authors: Luo Dejiang , He Su , Wu Hao , Cheng Long , Li Junbo
Published: July 2023

China proposes to construct green mines as one of the significant means to elevate the green degree of mining industry and protect the mining environment. This paper constructs six evaluation indicators, namely mine environment, Resource development mode, Comprehensive utilization of resources, Energy conservation and emission reduction, Technological innovation and digital mining, Enterprise management and corporate image, to reflect green degree of mining firms. An improved multiattribute evaluation method (MAEM) is proposed based on hesitant fuzzy TOPSIS and kernel method. A case study of green mining firms in Panxi, southwestern China is provided to demonstrate the application of the proposed model. According to the research in this paper, it is more appropriate to expand the data in accordance with the optimistic criteria. The results also show that the improved hesitant fuzzy TOPSIS is a better method in the evaluation of green degree. Through the results of this paper, a reasonable and scientific method is introduced for the evaluation of the green degree of mining firms, and it can be promoted to the evaluation of the mineral resource development efficiency.
Allocation of the Carbon Emission Abatement Target in Low Carbon Supply Chain Considering Power Structure
Authors: Huang Fang , Hu Honghua , Song Han , Li Haiyan , Zhang Shasha , Zhai Jia
Published: July 2023

The proposal of China’s dual carbon strategy is not only a kind of pressure but also an opportunity for enterprises. Both upstream and downstream enterprises in the supply chain pay more attention to carbon emission reduction, and consumers are gradually turning to a low-carbon preference. How carbon reduction targets are allocated among supply chain members with different technical efficiency and market opportunities will directly affect supply chain performance and social welfare. Power structure is an important factor that dominates the decision-making of the supply chain, so we establish the low-carbon supply chain model under three different power structures: manufacturer-led, retailer-led, and power pairs between two parties. We study the government distribution decisions of carbon emissions reduction targets under different supply chain power structures and discuss the influence of supply chain power structures on carbon emissions reduction distribution decisions and social welfare. The study found that if the carbon emissions reduction target increases, the government will adjust the allocation strategy to increase the proportion of enterprises whose emissions cuts have less impact on market demand. The study also found that the government will allocate more emissions reduction to enterprises with higher emissions reduction efficiency, and enterprises whose emissions reductions have a greater impact on market demand. When supply chain enterprises have equal power, the supply chain will have greater social welfare and market demand, but not necessarily greater supply chain profits.
Research on an Improved Rule-Based Energy Management Strategy Enlightened by the DP Optimization Results
Authors: Shi Dapai , Guo Junjie , Liu Kangjie , Cai Qingling , Wang Zhenghong , Qu Xudong
Published: July 2023

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) have gradually become an important member of new energy vehicles because of the advantages of both electric and hybrid electric vehicles. A fast and effective energy management strategy can significantly improve the fuel-saving performance of vehicles. By observing the dynamic programming (DP) simulation results, it was found that the vehicle is in the charge-depleting mode, the state of charge (SOC) drops to the minimum at the end of the journey, and the SOC decreases linearly with the mileage. As such, this study proposed an improved rule-based (IRB) strategy enlightened by the DP strategy, which is different from previous rule-based (RB) strategies. Introducing the reference SOC curve and SOC adaptive adjustment, the IRB strategy ensures that the SOC decreases linearly with the driving distance, and the SOC drops to the minimum at the end of the journal, similar to the result of the DP strategy. The fuel economy of PHEV in the RB and DP energy management strategies can be considered as their worst-case and best-case scenarios, respectively. The simulation results show that the fuel consumption of the IRB strategy under the China Light-duty Vehicle Test Cycle is 3.16 L/100 km, which is 7.87% less than that of the RB strategy (3.43 L/100 km), and has reached 44.41% of the fuel-saving effect of the DP strategy (2.84 L/100 km).
Spatial Distribution and Future Projections of Thermal Comfort Conditions during the Hot Period of the Year in Diyarbakır City, Southeastern Turkey
Authors: Çağlak Savaş , Türkeş Murat
Published: July 2023

Cities are highly vulnerable areas affected by climate change. For sustainable urbanization, it is of great importance to determine the thermal conditions in cities and to make predictions for the future. Therefore, in this study, the spatial distribution of the thermal comfort conditions in the city of Diyarbakır, located in the southeastern Turkey, during the hot period of the year is explained and predictions for the future are made. In the study, measurement data from meteorological stations and the data of the SSP-2 and SSP-5 scenarios were used. Thermal comfort conditions were determined according to the PET (physiological equivalent temperature) index using RayMan software. The ArcGIS 10.5 program was used for defining the spatial distribution of thermal comfort conditions. As a result of the study, it is seen that the areas with dense construction and a low amount of green area in the old urbanized area, which is the central business district (CBD), have uncomfortable conditions. It is predicted that uncomfortable areas will increase in the near and distant future and threaten human health. For climate-resilient, healthy, and comfortable cities that can adapt to adverse effects of climate change, urban design and planning should be carried out with a holistic perspective.
Assessing the Performance of Highway Safety Manual (HSM) Predictive Models for Brazilian Multilane Highways
Authors: Mendes Olga Beatriz Barbosa , Larocca Ana Paula Camargo , Rodrigues Silva Karla , Pirdavani Ali
Published: July 2023

This paper assesses the performance of Highway Safety Manual (HSM) predictive models when applied to Brazilian highways. The study evaluates five rural multilane highways and calculates calibration factors (Cx) of 2.62 for all types of crashes and 2.35 for Fatal or Injury (FI) crashes. The Goodness of Fit measures show that models for all types of crashes perform better than FI crashes. Additionally, the paper assesses the application of the calibrated prediction model to the atypical year of 2020, in which the COVID-19 pandemic altered traffic patterns worldwide. The HSM method was applied to 2020 using the Cx obtained from the four previous years. Results show that for 2020, the observed counts were about 10% lower than the calibrated predictive model estimate of crash frequency for all types of crashes, while the calibrated prediction of FI crashes was very close to the observed counts. The findings of this study demonstrate the usefulness of HSM predictive models in identifying high-risk areas or situations and improving road safety, contributing to making investment decisions in infrastructure and road safety more sustainable.
Environmental Decentralization, Resource Endowment and Urban Industrial Transformation and Upgrading: A Comparison of Resource-Based and Non-Resource-Based Cities in China
Authors: Zheng Feihong , Niu Yue
Published: July 2023

Based on panel data of resource-based and non-resource-based cities in China from 2011 to 2021, we empirically investigate the effects of environmental decentralization and resource endowment on urban industrial transformation and upgrading using a fixed-effects model and a threshold model. It is found that environmental decentralization promotes industrial transformation and upgrading in both types of city in China. However, the combined effect of resource endowment and environmental decentralization inhibits industrial transformation and upgrading in resource-based cities, while promoting it in non-resource-based cities. In addition, the influence of environmental decentralization and resource endowment on industrial transformation and upgrading varies depends on the degree of implementation. Therefore, it is imperative to continuously improve the environmental decentralization management system, scientifically utilize resource endowment and promote industrial transformation and upgrading based on the unique characteristics of resource-based and non-resource-based cities. Lastly, we should focus on the transformation and upgrading of traditional resource-based industries and strengthening the green innovation of new industries, aiming to achieve a win–win situation for ecological environmental protection and economic development.
Distributed Dynamic Pricing Strategy Based on Deep Reinforcement Learning Approach in a Presale Mechanism
Authors: Liang Yilin , Hu Yuping , Luo Dongjun , Zhu Qi , Chen Qingxuan , Wang Chunmei
Published: July 2023

Despite the emergence of a presale mechanism that reduces manufacturing and ordering risks for retailers, optimizing the real-time pricing strategy in this mechanism and unknown demand environment remains an unsolved issue. Consequently, we propose an automatic real-time pricing system for e-retailers under the inventory backlog impact in the presale mode, using deep reinforcement learning technology based on the Dueling DQN algorithm. This system models the multicycle pricing problem with a finite sales horizon as a Markov decision process (MDP) to cope with the uncertain environment. We train and evaluate the proposed environment and agent in a simulation environment and compare it with two tabular reinforcement learning algorithms (Q-learning and SARSA). The computational results demonstrate that our proposed real-time pricing learning framework for joint inventory impact can effectively maximize retailers’ profits and has universal applicability to a wide range of presale models. Furthermore, according to a series of experiments, we find that retailers should not neglect the impact of the presale or previous prices on consumers’ purchase behavior. If consumers pay more attention to past prices, the retailer must decrease the current price. When the cost of inventory backlog increases, they need to offer deeper discounts in the early selling period. Additionally, introducing blockchain technology can improve the transparency of commodity traceability information, thus increasing consumer demand for purchase.