bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mitigating Autogenous Shrinkage of Alkali-Activated Slag Mortar by Using Porous Fine Aggregates as Internal Curing Agents
Authors: Shen Wenfeng , Wang Liang , Chen Peiyuan , Wang Hao , Cao Ke
Published: August 2022

Alkali-activated slag (AAS) is beneficial for resource conservation in that it consumes little primary industrial energy, and it also performs well in terms of its mechanical properties and durability. However, its higher autogenous shrinkage compared to OPC mortars is a serious issue impeding AAS-based binder development for practical applications. This study investigated the feasibility and performance of active recycled aggregates when applied as man-made internal curing agents (MAs) for AAS mortars. They were applied as aggregate replacements for sand in this study to investigate the effects on the autogenous shrinkage, internal relative humidity (IRH), compressive strength, hydration properties and pore structure of AAS mortars. Three MAs with the sizes of 0.63–1.25 mm (MA 0.63), 1.25–2.5 mm (MA 1.25) and 2.5–4.75 mm (MA 2.5) were used. The results showed that MAs have potential as internal curing agents to mitigate the autogenous shrinkage of AAS mortars. When using saturated MAs, the autogenous shrinkage of AAS mortars was reduced by 87.68%. The addition of MAs also significantly prolonged the critical time taken for the IRH to start decreasing from 100%.
Analysis of Crowded Propagation on the Metro Network
Authors: Jia Cai , Zheng Shuyan , Qian Hanqiang , Cao Bingxin , Zhang Kaiting
Published: August 2022

The crowd in a metro system can cause inconvenience and even safety problems to passengers. The study of crowded propagation in metro systems can identify where and when crowds occur, ensuring travel quality and safety. Based on this, a modified susceptible–infected-susceptible (SIS) crowded propagation model is proposed to estimate the risk probability of crowding (RPC) in the metro network. Each station’s real transport capacity is considered. Infection rate and the recovery rate are proposed considering the traffic difference between stations. Using the Beijing metro network as a case study, the spatial and temporal patterns of crowded propagation are analyzed, and the types of nodes suitable for regulation are further discussed. This proposed model can provide a reference for RPC identification and regulation and promote sustainable development of metro operations.
Encouraging China’s College Students to Achieve Sustainable Careers: Evidence from Structural Equation Modeling
Authors: Wu Jingchao , Zhao Teng
Published: August 2022

China’s college graduates are experiencing extreme employment pressure, especially under the effects brought about by COVID-19. This study examines whether career-related psychological factors jointly affect college students’ career decision-making self-efficacy (CDMSE) to achieve sustainable career development. Leveraging self-administrated survey data with 703 undergraduate students, we find that career awareness, job search self-efficacy (JSSE), and career planning ability positively relate to CDMSE. We also find that career awareness positively correlates with JSSE and career planning ability. In addition, the results support that perceived career reality positively relates to JSSE and career planning ability. However, no evidence indicates the positive relationship between perceived career reality and CDMSE. Furthermore, mediation tests confirm that JSSE and career planning ability partially mediate the relationship between career awareness and CDMSE. Practical implications, limitations, and future directions are also discussed.
Dryland Ecological Restoration Research Dynamics: A Bibliometric Analysis Based on Web of Science Data
Authors: Shi Xiaoliang , Zhang Xinyue , Lu Shuaiyu , Wang Tielong , Zhang Jiayi , Liang Yuanpeng , Deng Jifeng
Published: August 2022

Previous research on ecological restoration mainly includes three fields: water ecology, soil ecology, and atmospheric ecology, and the most abundant is in the field of soil ecology, among which the most abundant is in dryland ecological restoration. Research on dryland ecological restoration is very important in ensuring national food security, ecological security, and preventing a return to poverty. However, the previous research results do not clearly present the interconnection between the huge number of existing dryland ecological restoration studies and do not provide a three-dimensional understanding of the whole picture of dryland ecological restoration research from a broader perspective. Research on dryland ecological restoration has received wide attention from scholars at home and abroad, revealing the international research trends in the current field, which will provide a reference for the theory and practice of future dryland ecological restoration research. Using the SCI-E and SSCI databases of the “Web of Science Core Collection” as sample data sources and using CiteSpace optical measurement software, the 2254 literature in the field of international dryland ecological restoration research were systematically analyzed to track the situation and impact of research in this field by countries around the world, scientific research institutions and significant authors, and to analyze the interdisciplinary and research hotspots in this field, which is of great significance for the follow-up research of dryland ecological restoration. The research results show that: (1) The number of publications in international dryland ecological restoration has increased significantly with years and has strong development potential. (2) Journals representing the research frontier have an intense concentration with various journals. (3) The study of dryland ecological restoration belongs to a highly interdisciplinary discipline, while the two disciplines of ecology and environmental science are the pivot nodes of multidisciplinary disciplines. (4) China’s posts and total citations are among the best, but the average citation is low. (5) Dryland ecological restoration and protection is a hot research field at present, and special attention is paid to the dynamic changes and key driving factors of dryland ecological restoration and the full use of machine learning and extensive data mining to solve complex social-ecological problems. The study recommends that related disciplines must strengthen cooperation in the field of dryland ecological restoration, especially the two disciplines of ecology and environmental science, in order to promote the progress of dryland ecological restoration research theory and practice. China should continue to strengthen the investment of scientific research forces to improve the international influence of research in the field of dryland ecological restoration.
CD-TransUNet: A Hybrid Transformer Network for the Change Detection of Urban Buildings Using L-Band SAR Images
Authors: Pang Lei , Sun Jinjin , Chi Yancheng , Yang Yongwen , Zhang Fengli , Zhang Lu
Published: August 2022

The change detection of urban buildings is currently a hotspot in the research area of remote sensing, which plays a vital role in urban planning, disaster assessments and surface dynamic monitoring. SAR images have unique characteristics compared with traditional optical images, mainly including abundant image information and large data volume. However, the majority of currently used SAR images for the detection of changes in buildings have the problems of missing the detection of small buildings and poor edge segmentation. Therefore, this paper proposes a new approach based on deep learning for changing building detection, which we called CD-TransUNet. It should be noted that CD-TransUNet is an end-to-end encoding–decoding hybrid Transformer model that combines the UNet and Transformer. Additionally, to enhance the precision of feature extraction and to reduce the computational complexity, the CD-TransUNet integrates coordinate attention (CA), atrous spatial pyramid pooling (ASPP) and depthwise separable convolution (DSC). In addition, by sending the differential images to the input layer, the CD-TransUNet can focus more on building changes over a large scale while ignoring the changes in other land types. At last, we verify the effectiveness of the proposed method using a pair of ALOS-2(L-band) acquisitions, and the comparative experimental results obtained from other baseline models show that the precision of the CD-TransUNet is much higher and the Kappa value can reach 0.795. Furthermore, the low missed alarms and the accurate building edge reflect that the proposed method is more appropriate for building changing detection tasks.
Needs of Sustainable Food Consumption in the Pandemic Era: First Results of Case Study
Authors: da Rocha Ramos Laiza Andriolo , Zecca Francesco , Del Regno Claudio
Published: August 2022

The current food system is directly associated with food insecurity, malnutrition, food waste, and environmental impacts. The international community has been working on sustainability, and the enhancement of sustainable food consumption is a fundamental step for identifying possible strategies to limit the negative consequences derived from the health emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic. This work aims to understand the food consumption patterns of the Sapienza University community. The methodology adopted for the research activity has been developed while taking into account the theoretical reflections and the tested methodologies acquired in relation to the subject matter. The survey was based on the acquisition of primary data obtained through the development and distribution of a questionnaire to a specific sample, the results of which have been translated into value terms in the form of indicators. The survey conducted had the purpose of carrying out a first evaluation able to provide some basic indications regarding the awareness within Sapienza of the relationship between sustainability and food. Based on the indications obtained at this stage, it is expected to give rise to additional and in-depth investigations aimed at providing a model of sustainable food consumption that can be replicated on a large scale.
The Transformative Impacts of Green Finance Governance on Construction-Related CO2 Emissions
Authors: Li Zhijuan , Wu Liang , Zhang Zemin , Chen Rui , Jiang Yinjuan , Peng Yuting , Zheng Kaixin , Jiang Wen
Published: August 2022

In the context of the commitment to peak carbon emissions by 2030, specific sectors in China should take responsibility to change their energy consumption patterns. In China and across the globe, the construction sector is a major source of carbon dioxide emissions, as well as an indicator of economic growth and structural transformation. In this study, we examine panel data for 30 provinces or regions from 2008 to 2019 to dissect which macro-factors contribute to growth in carbon emissions, and which will lead to carbon emission reductions. Derived by the entropy method, the Green Finance Index is a comprehensive environmental regulation index related to reduction in emissions in each province. It presents an N shape for construction emissions, and provinces are currently striving to cross the first inflection point, which will help to curb emissions. Judging from the combined effects of this and other structural factors, the Green Finance Index can promote the decarbonization of production by playing the role of guiding and screening capital allocation. Population expansion, income levels, and financial development initially stimulate demand for construction, but their effects eventually level off. This paper can serve as a reference for developing countries that are experiencing industrialization and urbanization processes and handling gas discharge pressure at the same time.
Agricultural Grain Markets in the COVID-19 Crisis, Insights from a GVAR Model
Authors: Gutierrez Luciano , Pierre Guillaume , Sabbagh Maria
Published: August 2022

The objective of this paper is to combine cross-commodity and spatial price transmission analysis to study the dynamics of the global cereal feed market during the COVID-19 pandemic. After reviewing the nascent literature on the impact of COVID-19 on agricultural markets, we discuss the different impact channels on prices. Then, we provide stylized market reactions of three relevant feed markets, wheat, barley, and maize, to a set of simulated possible future shocks on oil prices, stock-to-use ratios, and export restrictions. These three shocks are useful to assess what could be the consequences of policy responses to COVID-19 (export restrictions) or the disruptions due to the virus (stock-to-use reductions), in a context of lower oil prices. To generate these market reactions, we use a Global Vector Auto Regression (GVAR) model where each market is modelled independently, and connected through trade-based composite variables. We expand the work on the global wheat market by introducing maize and barley. The results of the empirical analysis indicate that the fall in the oil price may have contributed to the stability of the world grain market in early 2020, despite fears of supply chain disruption. We also note that export restrictions could significantly increase global prices, and that such restrictions could affect more than the targeted commodity, through significant cross-commodity price linkages.
The Frequency of Diseases within the Locomotor System Compared to Occupational Diseases of Salt Miners
Authors: Pietrzak Malwina , Domaszewska Katarzyna
Published: August 2022

The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of locomotor system diseases in salt miners compared with that of other occupational diseases. Methods: An analysis of diseases reported by salt miners working at different mining levels was carried out. All miners were asked about back pain in the past five years. The Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Scale-Polish Version (OLBPDS-PL) and Neck Disability Index-Polish questionnaire Version (NDI-PL) were used to measure the functional disability of the lumbar and cervical spine. In contrast, the severity of low back pain was assessed using a 10 mm visual analog scale (VAS). In all, 62 miners were included in the study. Results: The most common diseases of salt miners are locomotor diseases involving the lumbar spine. The study showed a significant correlation between the occurrence of pain changes in the thoracic spine and the extraction level (p < 0.05). The extraction level also correlates with the reported level of pain in the thoracic spine (p < 0.05). The incidence of diseases such as hypertension and diabetes depended mainly on the age and weight of the subjects (p < 0.05). Hearing loss depended on the age of respondents and years of work in the mine (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Due to significant problems of miners in the field of the motor system, the list of occupational diseases in Poland, specified in the Regulation of the Council of Ministers of 30 June 2009 on occupational diseases (Journal of Laws No. 105, item 869) should be extended for example, to diseases affecting the spine. As there are no articles on the health of salt miners, further research should focus on complementing this knowledge to guide interventions to reduce the risk of chronic and occupational diseases. Extensive research is needed, including ergonomic measurements, to verify our results for the Polish salt mining industry.
Literature Review and Research Prospect on the Drivers and Effects of Green Innovation
Authors: Li Meng , Tian Zengrui , Liu Qian , Lu Yuzhong
Published: August 2022

With increasing and global environmental and climate problems, green innovation has become an important means to solve the environmental crisis. With the increasing practice of green innovation in enterprises, scholars at home and abroad have discussed the drivers and effects of green innovation from different perspectives. Based on an analysis of 119 articles about the drivers and effects of green innovation in top international journals from 2006 to 2021, this paper tries to find the consistencies and contradictions of research conclusions and to explore the possible research opportunities, sorting out the main theoretical mechanisms of the existing research on the drivers and effects of green innovation, pinpointing the consistency of these theoretical perspectives in explaining the different drivers and effects of green innovation, and putting forward research prospects. The results show that the drivers of green innovation include two kinds of factors: environment and organization. The pressure of external environment and system drives enterprises to adopt green innovation practices to cater to isomorphic factors, to obtain more environmental performance, and to improve organizational legitimacy. The lack of development resources, such as knowledge and technology, within an organization drives enterprises to carry out green innovation practices and enhance organizational competitive advantage by learning and absorbing new external knowledge, new technology and other resources. In addition, resource-based view and institutional theory are two commonly used theoretical perspectives, and their theoretical logic obtains consistent support in explaining the drivers and effects of enterprise green innovation.
Knowledge about Competences Increasing Resilience to Crises in the Modern Business Sector: Results of the Polish University Project
Authors: Multan Ewa , Sobotka Bartosz
Published: August 2022

The COVID-19 global pandemic has caused an unprecedented disturbance in higher education and the business services sector. In the 2014–2020 financial perspective, the Operational Programme Knowledge Education Development has constituted a response to challenges and an instrument to execute the Europe 2020 Strategy. However, the Programme was not designed to prevent crises, and neither did it foresee the pandemic which surprised the whole world. Despite this, higher education institutions that implemented projects co-financed with the EU funds had to face the “black swan” and ensure the continuity of their activities while improving their resilience to crises. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated how important knowledge management and resilience-building skills are for students to adapt and grow stronger in the face of a crisis. Does higher education teach crisis-resistant competences? As we know from practice and literature, the knowledge gap as regards crisis-resistant competencies is enormous, and the relevant university programmes require strengthening. Therefore, we conducted a literature review about knowledge management in complex crises and conducted research to identify competences that increase resilience to crises. The aim of the article was to examine to what extent the support implemented in the Polish university project contributed to the increase in indicators (output, direct result) and to what extent the level of competences of the project participants increased, including those competences that allowed the participants to adapt to the labour market during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the needs of the study, we used the competence balance method and the measurement of a degree of ratio implementation according to the criteria applied. The results of the study proved that the ratios rose and the project contributed to increasing competences in the project’s participants, improving their crisis resilience. The conclusions of the study allowed us to make recommendations regarding the emergent knowledge strategies about the European Union’s future agenda as well as about knowledge management and university training programs for resilient skills.
Green Intentions: Field Research and Data-Driven Analysis of Customers’ Purchasing Patterns
Authors: Carpinelli Camilla , Einarsson Reynis Einar Torfi , Sigríður Islind Anna , Stefánsson Hlynur , Óskarsdóttir María
Published: August 2022

Sustainability and sustainable consumption have become key factors in the battle with global warming in general and environmental pollution in particular. To motivate consumers to make sustainable purchasing decisions, it is necessary to understand consumers’ attitudes and purchasing behavior towards green products. This study analyzed if the environmental impact of select products had measurable effects on consumers’ purchasing behavior by analyzing purchasing data from a large retail store in Iceland spanning two years. To gain insight into consumers attitude and intentions towards green products, a survey was conducted which received 166 responses, and will be used in comparison with the purchasing data analysis and testing. The main goal of this study is to analyze the gap between consumers’ intent to consumers’ actual green purchasing. The results of this study will demonstrate that there is an actual difference in this field.
SaaMES: SaaS-Based MSA/MTA Model for Real-Time Control of IoT Edge Devices in Digital Manufacturing
Authors: Do Sanghoon , Kim Woohang , Cho Huiseong , Jeong Jongpil
Published: August 2022

As a software delivery model, Software as a Service (SaaS) has attracted considerable attention from software providers and users. Most traditional companies are shifting their businesses to an SaaS model. SaaS development is a very complicated process and its success depends on architectural design and development. A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) was used at the expense of licensing fees for features not used in the On-Premise environment, although the features used vary depending on the manufacturing environment. In an SaaS environment, MES is applied with a function-specific container approach through a Microservice Architecture (MSA) to select and employ only the necessary functions. Furthermore, as the number of customers of virtualized applications increases in SaaS-based services, complexity and operating costs increase; thus, Multi-tenancy Architecture (MTA) technology, which serves all customers through a single instance of the application is crucial. Thus, in this study, we investigate the MTA approach and propose a suitable MTA for the manufacturing execution system. Real-time response is crucial to achieving a cyber-physical system of digital manufacturing in SaaS-based MES. Furthermore, SaaS-based big data analytics and decision-making cannot meet the needs of numerous applications in real-time sensitive workplaces. In this study, we propose an SaaS-based MSA/MTA model for real-time control of Internet of Things (IoT) Edge in digital manufacturing (SaaMES), an architecture of SaaS-based MES with MSA and MTA to meet vulnerable workplaces and real-time responses in Cloud environments. The analysis is used by applying the Autoencoder and Generic Adversarial Networks analysis model to IoT Edge for the connection between the Cloud environment and work site to enable real-time response and decision-making through communication using OPC-UA and small-scale analysis.
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD): An Example of Curricular Inclusion in Environmental Engineering in Colombia
Authors: Acosta-Castellanos Pedro Mauricio , Queiruga-Dios Araceli
Published: August 2022

This paper presents a case study whose central axis is the inclusion of the subject of education for sustainable development (ESD) in the undergraduate study plan of the environmental engineering degree at the Santo Tomas University, Colombia (USTA). This study is based on a diagnosis developed from a survey conducted among students from USTA and 43 professors from 13 universities that offer environmental engineering degrees throughout Colombia. The diagnosis showed some gaps in ESD knowledge and its applicability for both students and professors; in contrast, participants had a significant understanding of environmental education (EE). Therefore, a curriculum review was also carried out. Once the problem was identified, an ESD subject aligned with the purposes of sustainable development (SD) was proposed. Finally, the acceptance of the subject that ESD students had attended was evaluated compared to other students who had not participated this subject. This research seeks to provide a way to fill the knowledge gaps in environmental engineering among students. Relevant results include the identification of a gap in SD knowledge in environmental engineering professors. In addition, students were found to be more trained in EE than in SD. Nevertheless, the incorporation of ESD contributed to a better understanding of SD.
Building a Hierarchical Sustainable Consumption Behavior Model in Qualitative Information: Consumer Behavior Influences on Social Impacts and Environmental Responses
Authors: Bui Tat-Dat , Lim Ming K. , Sujanto Raditia Yudistira , Ongkowidjaja Monica , Tseng Ming-Lang
Published: August 2022

This study contributes to an understanding of valid sustainable consumption behavior attributes in Indonesia, due to the current unsustainability of product usage and environmental damage. Increasing consumption requires an understanding and exploration of important aspects of the consumption process and consumers’ behaviour. Sustainable consumption fulfils human needs, increases quality of life, reduces environmental damage and minimizes the risk to human health. A set of qualitative aspects and criteria is selected, validated by experts, using the Delphi method. Qualitative information is translated into comparable scales by applying fuzzy set theory. The interrelationships among the attributes are then identified by using a decision-making trial evaluation in the laboratory. Choquet integral is used to eliminate problems of expert subjectivity and this interactivity method, thus, provides higher insight into effectively addressing uncertainties. The results show that social impact and consumer behavior have a significant role in driving sustainable consumption behavior, representing an individual’s motivation in planning or decision making when performing a specific sustainable behavior. Sustainable consumption behavior is motivated by perceived consumer effectiveness, trust from consumers, environmental knowledge, environmental responsibility, behavioral intention, emotion, and motivation regarding social consumption mot. Theoretical and managerial implications are also provided.
Impact of High-Speed Rail on the Development Efficiency of Low-Carbon Tourism: A Case Study of an Agglomeration in China
Authors: Li Mingwei , Shao Bingxue , Shi Xiasheng
Published: August 2022

As an important indicator for measuring the development level of low-carbon tourism, reducing the carbon emissions of tourism transportation has become an essential strategic goal and task for the sustainable development of tourism. Among many tourism vehicles, high-speed rails have a significant role in reducing the carbon emissions of tourism transportation. To clarify the impact of high-speed rails on the development efficiency of low-carbon tourism, using the relevant data of Zhengzhou urban agglomeration from 2010 to 2020, the DEA-BCC model and the Malmquist index method were used to measure these data. The results show the following: (1) the average comprehensive development efficiency of the Zhengzhou metropolitan high-speed rail for low-carbon tourism is low, and the comprehensive development efficiency of each city varies greatly; (2) the impact of high-speed rails on the development efficiency of low-carbon tourism in some underdeveloped areas is increasing. The impact on the development efficiency of low-carbon tourism in more developed areas is declining; (3) affected by COVID-19, tourism carbon emissions have shown a downward trend, reflecting the importance of low-carbon travel to low-carbon tourism to a certain extent. The research results not only verify the existing research conclusions but also verify the role of high-speed rails in the development of low-carbon tourism, and have practical value with respect to targeted guidance for the development of low-carbon tourism.
The Civil City Framework for the Implementation of Nature-Based Smart Innovations: Right to a Healthy City Perspective
Authors: Domaradzka Anna , Biesaga Mikołaj , Domaradzka Ewa , Kołodziejczyk Magdalena
Published: August 2022

This paper aims to expand the current debate concerning the implementation of health-related innovations by employing the rights-based approach. Specifically, we address the challenges related to the implementation of technological and Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) from the right to the city perspective. As a result, we present a comprehensive Civil City Framework that involves the synergic use of ICT tools and participation models to mobilize grassroots potential for building healthier cities, while ensuring equity and respect for diverse needs. We explain the participatory and technological aspects of implementing and monitoring innovative NBS, involving data gathering through environmental sensors, personal wristbands, and smartphone apps. Finally, we highlight opportunities and challenges stemming from the use of health- and environment-monitoring technologies. To build such a vision one needs to reconceive the city as commons, enabling collective action of city residents and cooperation between different local stakeholders. This can be achieved by embedding a pentahelix approach of multi-governance in urban planning, based on a close interaction between five key stakeholders, including public authorities, industry and business sector, academia, civil society organizations, and individual citizens.
Comparison of Pyrene Biodegradation Using Two Types of Marine Bacterial Isolates
Authors: Marzuki Ismail , Nisaa Khairun , Asaf Ruzkiah , Athirah Admi , Paena Mudian , Susianingsih Endang , Nurhidayah Nurhidayah , Kadriah Ince Ayu Khairana , Kamaruddin Kamaruddin , Sahabuddin Sahabuddin , Nurbaya Nurbaya , Septiningsih Early , Herlinah Herlinah , Hendrajat Erfan Andi , Suwardi Suwardi , Ramlan Andi
Published: August 2022

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contaminants have toxic, carcinogenic, and mutagenic properties. Screening bacteria from different sources capable of carrying out the biodegradation of (PAHs) is essential for mapping and mobilization purposes and applying them to polluted hydrocarbon environments. The study aims to compare the capacity of PAH biodegradation by two types of bacteria isolated from different sources. The method applied is the interaction between bacterial suspension and pyrene-contaminated waste for 30 days. Biodegradation products in organic compounds were analyzed using gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The analysis results found several indications of the performance of bacterial biodegradation: The capacity of pyrene degradation by Bacillus licheniformis strain ATCC 9789 (Bl) bacteria against pyrene was relatively more dominant than Sphingobacterium sp. strain 21 (Sb) bacteria. The percentage of total bacterial biodegradation for product type Sb was (39.00%), and that of the product of bacterial degradation type Bl (38.29%). The biodegradation products of the test bacteria (Bl and Sb) were relatively similar to pyrene in the form of alcohol and carboxylic acid organic compounds. There was no significant difference in the pyrene biodegradation between Bl and Sb bacteria.
Impact on Education and Ecological Footprint as a Consequence of SARS-CoV-2 in the Perception of the Quality of Teaching Engineering Students in the Brazilian Amazon
Authors: Maués Luiz Maurício Furtado , Moreira Felipe de Sá , Cordeiro Luciana de Nazaré Pinheiro , Saraiva Raísse Layane de Paula , Santos Junior Paulo Cerqueira dos , Pinheiro Olga Maria Pinheiro
Published: August 2022

The world experienced several economic, social and environmental transformations during the COVID-19 pandemic, and today, society assesses all these changes in the different stages of the pandemic process. In this sense, this research aimed to evaluate the educational and environmental impacts on the academic community of the largest educational institution in the Brazilian Amazon. The perception of the quality of teaching of undergraduate and graduate engineering students during remote teaching was assessed by means of an exploratory research work carried out at the Federal University of Pará (Brazil). Ecological and carbon footprint indicators were also measured through the Global Footprint Network®. In social terms, students pointed to a reduction in the quality of teaching. Despite the incentives through institutional initiatives for both students and professors, the community was not prepared to fully migrate to the virtual world, and that made the teaching–learning process difficult. In environmental terms, the reduction in the ecological footprint that was observed could have reached values higher than those that were found, to the order of 2.33%, with the mobility sector achieving the greatest reduction.
Analysis of Land Surface Temperature Dynamics in Islamabad by Using MODIS Remote Sensing Data
Authors: Wasif Ali Noor ul Ain Binte , Amir Sarah , Iqbal Kanwar Muhammad Javed , Shah Ashfaq Ahmad , Saqib Zafeer , Akhtar Nadia , Ullah Wahid , Tariq Muhammad Atiq Ur Rehman
Published: August 2022

The rapid pace of unattended urbanization has caused the urban heat island phenomenon, due to which the United Nations SDGs agenda 2030 calls for immediate actions for “sustainable cities and communities”. In this context, the case of the emerging metropolitan city Islamabad has been studied based on its developmental discourse vis-à-vis associated environmental problems. A time-series trend for the land surface temperature was generated by investigating the change in minimum and maximum variability against a dataset of 1960–2012 which was obtained from the Pakistan Meteorological Department, along with MODIS LST images from January 2000 to December 2015. The statistical comparison of an eight-day composite of the maximum (Tmax) and minimum (Tmin) temperature reveals an increasing trend with R2 values of 0.2507 (Tmin) and 0.1868 (Tmax). The box plots for both the Tmin and Tmax depict changes in seasonal patterns for Islamabad, with summers becoming longer and winters becoming harsher. Moreover, the application of the Mann–Kendall test affirmed the slope of the R2 linear trend map and showed the temperature regression in the Margalla Hills National Park and in such urban zones which had an expanded vegetative cover. These findings will act as a guide for urban planners and future researchers to maintain a standardized urban heat island and promote the concept of sustainable cities in the future course of action.
Symmetry in Chaotic Systems and Circuits
Authors: Volos Christos
Published: August 2022

Chaos theory is currently one of the most fascinating fields in modern science, revolutionizing our understanding of organization and patterns in nature [...]
Special Issue on Astronomy and Symmetry
Authors: Frey Sándor
Published: August 2022

Astronomy is undoubtedly one of the oldest branches of natural sciences [...]
Analysis of Solutions to a Free Boundary Problem with a Nonlinear Gradient Absorption
Authors: Lu Haihua , Xie Shu , Chen Yujuan
Published: August 2022

In this paper, we investigate the blow-up rate and global existence of solutions to a parabolic system with absorption and the free boundary. By using the comparison principle and super-sub solution method, we obtain some sufficient conditions on the global existence, blow-up in finite time of solutions, and blow-up sets when blow-up phenomenon occurs. Furthermore, the global solution is bounded and uniformly tends to zero, and it is either a global fast solution or a global slow solution. Finally, we obtain a trichotomy conclusion by considering the size of parameter σ.
Symmetry in Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Materials
Authors: Akitsu Takashiro
Published: August 2022

The term “organic/inorganic hybrid materials” here refers to a metal complex consisting of an inorganic metal ion and an organic ligand, a metalloprotein, or a composite functional material in which an inorganic compound and an organic material are combined (Figure 1) [...]
Dynamical Symmetry Breaking of Infinite-Dimensional Stochastic System
Authors: Hu Weipeng , Liu Tao , Han Zhengqi
Published: August 2022

The mapping relationship between the symmetry and the conserved quantity inspired researchers to seek the conserved quantity from the viewpoint of the symmetry for the dynamic systems. However, the symmetry breaking in the dynamic systems is more common than the symmetry in the engineering. Thus, as the supplement of our previous work on the symmetry breaking of infinite-dimensional deterministic dynamic systems, the dynamical symmetry breaking of infinite-dimensional stochastic systems is discussed in this paper. Following a brief review of the stochastic (multi-)symplectic for the dynamic system excited by stochastic white noise, two types of stochastic symmetry breaking factors, including the general stochastic excitation and the general stochastic parameters of the infinite-dimensional dynamic systems, are investigated in detail. We find that both the general stochastic excitation and the general stochastic parameters will not break the local multi-symplectic structure of the dynamic systems. However, the local energy conservation law will be broken by the general stochastic excitation, as well as by the stochastic parameters, which are given by the local energy dissipation in this paper. To illustrate the validity of the analytical results, the stochastic vibration of a clamped single-walled carbon nanotube is investigated and the critical condition of the appearance of chaos is obtained. The theoretical results obtained can be used to guide us to construct the structure-preserving method for the stochastic dynamic systems.
The Fractional Tikhonov Regularization Method to Identify the Initial Value of the Nonhomogeneous Time-Fractional Diffusion Equation on a Columnar Symmetrical Domain
Authors: Chen Yong-Gang , Yang Fan , Li Xiao-Xiao , Li Dun-Gang
Published: August 2022

In this paper, the inverse problem for identifying the initial value of a time fractional nonhomogeneous diffusion equation in a columnar symmetric region is studied. This is an ill-posed problem, i.e., the solution does not depend continuously on the data. The fractional Tikhonov regularization method is applied to solve this problem and obtain the regularization solution. The error estimations between the regularization solution and the exact solution are also obtained under the priori and the posteriori regularization parameter choice rules, respectively. Some examples are given to show this method’s effectiveness.
Optimization Strategy of Regular NoC Mapping Using Genetic-Based Hyper-Heuristic Algorithm
Authors: Xu Changqing , Ning Jiahao , Liu Yi , Luo Mintao , Chen Dongdong , Lin Xiaoling , Yang Yintang
Published: August 2022

Mapping optimization of network-on-chips (NoCs) for specific applications has become one of the most important keys of the SoC top-level design. However, the topology of NoC applied is usually regular topology, such as mesh, torus, etc., which may generate a large number of isomorphic solutions during the process of NoC mapping, which may reduce the convergence speed of mapping algorithms. In this paper, we proposed a generic-based hyper-heuristic algorithm named IRC-GHH for NoC mapping. To reduce the influence of isomorphic solutions, we analyzed the symmetry of NoC topology and proposed crossover operators based on the isomorphic solution to optimize the algorithm. We studied the situation of invalid crossovers and eliminated invalid iterations by adopting an isomorphic replacement crossover (IRC) strategy. To prevent the algorithm from falling into evolutionary stagnation in the late iteration, we introduce an adaptive mechanism to increase the usage frequency of the IRC operator automatically. Compared with GHH without IRC, the GHH with IRC can achieve, on average 15.25% communication energy reduction and 7.84% communication delay reduction.
Law of Large Numbers, Central Limit Theorem, and Law of the Iterated Logarithm for Bernoulli Uncertain Sequence
Authors: Qu Ziyi , Zong Zhaojun , Hu Feng
Published: August 2022

In order to describe human uncertainty more precisely, Baoding Liu established uncertainty theory. Thus far, uncertainty theory has been successfully applied to uncertain finance, uncertain programming, uncertain control, etc. It is well known that the limit theorems represented by law of large numbers (LLN), central limit theorem (CLT), and law of the iterated logarithm (LIL) play a critical role in probability theory. For uncertain variables, basic and important research is also to obtain the relevant limit theorems. However, up to now, there has been no research on these limit theorems for uncertain variables. The main results to emerge from this paper are a strong law of large numbers (SLLN), a weak law of large numbers (WLLN), a CLT, and an LIL for Bernoulli uncertain sequence. For studying these theorems, we first propose an assumption, which can be regarded as a generalization of the duality axiom for uncertain measure in the case that the uncertainty space can be finitely partitioned. Additionally, several new notions such as weakly dependent, Bernoulli uncertain sequence, and continuity from below or continuity from above of uncertain measure are introduced. As far as we know, this is the first study of the LLN, the CLT, and the LIL for uncertain variables. All the theorems proved in this paper can be applied to uncertain variables with symmetric or asymmetric distributions. In particular, the limit of uncertain variables is symmetric in (c) of the third theorem, and the asymptotic distribution of uncertain variables in the fifth theorem is symmetrical.
Extremal Structure on Revised Edge-Szeged Index with Respect to Tricyclic Graphs
Authors: Qu Tongkun , Ji Shengjin
Published: August 2022

For a given graph G, Sze*(G)=∑e=uv∈E(G)mu(e)+m0(e)2mv(e)+m0(e)2 is the revised edge-Szeged index of G, where mu(e) and mv(e) are the number of edges of G lying closer to vertex u than to vertex v and the number of edges of G lying closer to vertex v than to vertex u, respectively, and m0(e) is the number of edges equidistant to u and v. In this paper, we identify the lower bound of the revised edge-Szeged index among all tricyclic graphs and also characterize the extremal structure of graphs that attain the bound.
Suitability of the Single Transferable Vote as a Replacement for Largest Remainder Proportional Representation
Authors: Patašius Martynas
Published: August 2022

There are two main approaches to achieving proportional representation in elections: the single transferable vote and methods based on party lists. This paper discusses ways to use the single transferable vote while using some of the main features used with the largest remainder method, such as the electoral threshold. The investigation has shown that the Weighted Inclusive Gregory method is a suitable replacement for the largest remainder method when it is desirable to avoid wasted votes and to handle independent candidates in a straightforward way, but it is also desirable to keep the results as close to the ones achieved under the largest remainder method as possible. The investigation also led to the development of an algorithm for using the single transferable vote when preference lists are based on party lists, exploiting commonalities and symmetries between the patterns of preferences given in the votes. It has been shown that such an algorithm makes the calculations faster than the use of ordinary implementations of the single transferable vote when the numbers of seats and candidates are high, as commonly happens when methods based on party lists are used.
Symmetry in Chaotic Systems and Circuits II
Authors: Volos Christos
Published: August 2022

Today, one of the most studied phenomena of nonlinear dynamical systems is Chaos [...]
New Efficient Computations with Symmetrical and Dynamic Analysis for Solving Higher-Order Fractional Partial Differential Equations
Authors: Sultana Mariam , Arshad Uroosa , Ali Ali Hasan , Bazighifan Omar , Al-Moneef Areej A. , Nonlaopon Kamsing
Published: August 2022

Due to the rapid development of theoretical and computational techniques in the recent years, the role of nonlinearity in dynamical systems has attracted increasing interest and has been intensely investigated. A study of nonlinear waves in shallow water is presented in this paper. The classic form of the Korteweg–de Vries (KdV) equation is based on oceanography theory, shallow water waves in the sea, and internal ion-acoustic waves in plasma. A shallow fluid assumption is shown in the framework by a sequence of nonlinear fractional partial differential equations. Indeed, the primary purpose of this study is to use a semi-analytical technique based on Fractional Taylor Series to achieve numerical results for nonlinear fifth-order KdV models of non-integer order. Caputo is the operator used for dealing with fractional derivatives. The generated solutions of nonlinear fifth-order KdV models of non-integer order for modeling turbulence processes in the field of ocean engineering are compared analytically and numerically, to demonstrate the behaviors of several parameters of the current model. We verified the method’s convergence analysis and provided an error estimate by showing 2D and 3D graphs to further confirm its efficacy.
Evolutionary Game Analysis between Local Government and Enterprises on Bridge Employment from the Perspective of Dynamic Incentive and Punishment
Authors: Dong Junjie , Yan Shumin , Yang Xiaowei
Published: August 2022

The popularization of bridge employment is conducive to the realization of active aging, which requires not only the subjective initiative of retirees but also the active cooperation of local governments and relevant enterprises. This study combined evolutionary game theory with system dynamics to model and simulate the behavior of local government and enterprises on bridge employment, aiming to highlight the importance of government behavior and enterprise actions in the process of active aging and to analyze the effectiveness of different incentive and punishment mechanisms in promoting bridge employment. Results show that the system with dynamic incentive and punishment is easier to keep stable than the system with static incentive and punishment; specifically, the dynamic mechanism with low incentive intensity and high punishment intensity is better than other mechanisms. Finally, this study emphasized the importance of government policy to bridge employment and put forward relevant management implications.
Diversity of Phospholipases A2 from Bothrops atrox Snake Venom: Adaptive Advantages for Snakes Compromising Treatments for Snakebite Patients
Authors: Sousa Leijiane F. , Freitas Amanda P. , Cardoso Bruna L. , Del-Rei Tiago H. M. , Mendes Vanessa A. , Oréfice Daniele P. , Rocha Marisa M. T. , Prezoto Benedito C. , Moura-da-Silva Ana M.
Published: August 2022

The evolution of snake venoms resulted in multigene toxin families that code for structurally similar isoforms eventually harboring distinct functions. PLA2s are dominant toxins in viper venoms, and little is known about the impact of their diversity on human envenomings and neutralization by antivenoms. Here, we show the isolation of three distinct PLA2s from B. atrox venom. FA1 is a Lys-49 homologue, and FA3 and FA4 are catalytic Asp-49 PLA2s. FA1 and FA3 are basic myotoxic proteins, while FA4 is an acid non-myotoxic PLA2. FA3 was the most potent toxin, inducing higher levels of edema, inflammatory nociception, indirect hemolysis, and anticoagulant activity on human, rat, and chicken plasmas. FA4 presented lower anticoagulant activity, and FA1 had only a slight effect on human and rat plasmas. PLA2s presented differential reactivities with antivenoms, with an emphasis on FA3, which was not recognized or neutralized by the antivenoms used in this study. Our findings reveal the functional and antigenic diversity among PLA2s from B. atrox venom, highlighting the importance of assessing venom variability for understanding human envenomations and treatment with antivenoms, particularly evident here as the antivenom fails to recognize FA3, the most active multifunctional toxin described.