bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
User circularity practices: Adopting a user stewardship perspective for a circular economy
Authors: Conduit Jodie , Karpen Ingo Oswald , Willmott Taylor
Published: October 2023

Humanity is depleting the planet’s natural resources at an unsustainable rate. The pursuit of a circular economy is a strong, viable means of reversing this trend; however, it will require users to take responsibility for the proper application and protection of resources for future generations. While the daily practices of users play a significant role in enabling a circular economy, this role has largely been overlooked in current literature. Our research synthesizes knowledge from the circular economy and marketing literatures, and draws on stewardship theory to better understand the user’s role in the circular economy. Specifically, we introduce a resource stewardship framework from a user perspective. This framework specifies a set of user circularity practices to minimize the extraction of finite resources, while conserving and regenerating resources already in circulation for future use. These practices occur at various stages in the resource life cycle and include minimizing the sourcing and use of finite resources, (re)designing products and services to use less resources, and optimizing the value potential from resources through extending their life cycle and recovering resources for future use. With this framework, we redefine the role of users as resource stewards and advance the rather narrow and fragmented considerations of user contributions to the circular economy, laying the foundation for more caring and responsible users and a future research agenda.
Practical examples for the flight data compatibility check
Authors: Raab Christian
Published: October 2023

Accurate information about aircraft speed, altitude, and aerodynamic flow angles is essential for evaluating aircraft performance and handling qualities. These quantities are determined from air data measurements taken by sensors normally located near the aircraft cockpit. Since these sensors are affected by the distorted flow field around the fuselage, a correction must be applied. Before the first flight, a set of calibration parameters is usually determined from wind tunnel experiments or CFD calculations. However, the Data Compatibility Check (DCC) method allows a more accurate air data sensor calibration during the certification flight test. This method reconstructs air data quantities from inertial acceleration, angular rate measurements and the flight path. By comparing the reconstructed quantities with the measured ones, the structure and parameters of air data sensor models can be identified. In this paper, an introduction to the data compatibility check method and the setup used in a flight test for system identification is given. The DCC is applied on data gathered from a test campaign with the new DLR research aircraft Dassault Falcon 2000LX ISTAR. Use cases for the calibration of the nose boom airflow vanes and the correction of sensors during large sideslip maneuvers will be presented in this paper.
Where economic parity meets ecology: Neither biodiversity nor ecosystem integrity values relate to wealth in the context of a medium-sized Finnish city
Authors: Rautjärvi Sini , MacGregor-Fors Ian
Published: October 2023

Ecological conditions are heavily influenced by human–environment interactions, which is why understanding the relationships between people and nature is crucial. While earlier studies have indicated a pattern of positive correlations between economic wealth and biodiversity in urban areas, there are some examples that suggest that such associations are more intricate than initially presumed. In this study, we aimed to assess whether such a relation holds in Lahti, a medium-sized city in southern Finland, considering two biodiversity proxies (i.e., bird and woody plant species richness) and the Urban Ecosystem Integrity Index (UEII) of the city. Our results show no clear relationship between economic wealth (average annual income per statistical area) reported for 2019 and the two assessed biodiversity proxies and the UEII. These findings shed new light on the “luxury effect” in urban areas and reveal the nature of such relationship in highly green cities embedded in economic parity scenarios.
Genetics and Epigenetics in Obesity: What Do We Know so Far?
Authors: Keller Maria , Svensson Stina Ingrid Alice , Rohde-Zimmermann Kerstin , Kovacs Peter , Böttcher Yvonne
Published: October 2023

Purpose of Review

Enormous progress has been made in understanding the genetic architecture of obesity and the correlation of epigenetic marks with obesity and related traits. This review highlights current research and its challenges in genetics and epigenetics of obesity.

Recent Findings

Recent progress in genetics of polygenic traits, particularly represented by genome-wide association studies, led to the discovery of hundreds of genetic variants associated with obesity, which allows constructing polygenic risk scores (PGS). In addition, epigenome-wide association studies helped identifying novel targets and methylation sites being important in the pathophysiology of obesity and which are essential for the generation of methylation risk scores (MRS). Despite their great potential for predicting the individual risk for obesity, the use of PGS and MRS remains challenging.

Future research will likely discover more loci being involved in obesity, which will contribute to better understanding of the complex etiology of human obesity. The ultimate goal from a clinical perspective will be generating highly robust and accurate prediction scores allowing clinicians to predict obesity as well as individual responses to body weight loss-specific life-style interventions.
Wilderness Medical Society Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Acute Altitude Illness: 2024 Update
Authors: Luks Andrew M. , Beidleman Beth A. , Freer Luanne , Grissom Colin K. , Keyes Linda E. , McIntosh Scott E. , Rodway George W. , Schoene Robert B. , Zafren Ken , Hackett Peter H.
Published: October 2023

To provide guidance to clinicians about best practices, the Wilderness Medical Society (WMS) convened an expert panel to develop evidence-based guidelines for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of acute mountain sickness, high altitude cerebral edema, and high altitude pulmonary edema. Recommendations are graded based on the quality of supporting evidence and the balance between the benefits and risks/burdens according to criteria put forth by the American College of Chest Physicians. The guidelines also provide suggested approaches for managing each form of acute altitude illness that incorporate these recommendations as well as recommendations on how to approach high altitude travel following COVID-19 infection. This is an updated version of the original WMS Consensus Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Acute Altitude Illness published in Wilderness & Environmental Medicine in 2010 and the subsequently updated WMS Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Acute Altitude Illness published in 2014 and 2019.
On subdirect products of type FPn of limit groups over Droms RAAGs
Authors: KOCHLOUKOVA DESSISLAVA H. , LOPEZ DE GAMIZ ZEARRA JONE
Published: October 2023

We generalise some known results for limit groups over free groups and residually free groups to limit groups over Droms RAAGs and residually Droms RAAGs, respectively. We show that limit groups over Droms RAAGs are free-by-(torsion-free nilpotent). We prove that if S is a full subdirect product of type
$FP_s(\mathbb{Q})$
of limit groups over Droms RAAGs with trivial center, then the projection of S to the direct product of any s of the limit groups over Droms RAAGs has finite index. Moreover, we compute the growth of homology groups and the volume gradients for limit groups over Droms RAAGs in any dimension and for finitely presented residually Droms RAAGs of type
$FP_m$
in dimensions up to m. In particular, this gives the values of the analytic
$L^2$
-Betti numbers of these groups in the respective dimensions.
Refusing to Pay Taxes
Authors: Jolley Daniel , Paterson Jenny L. , Thomas Rebecca
Published: October 2023

Abstract: Conspiracy theorizing can motivate non-normative intentions (e.g., tax evasion and violence). However, less is known about the contributors of these conspiracy-inspired intentions or if they translate into behaviors. Two studies ( N = 1,155) found a positive correlation between loneliness and conspiracy theorizing, which in turn related to non-normative intentions. Study 3 ( n = 234) provided further evidence of these relationships through serial mediations: participants who remembered a lonely experience (vs. control) reported feeling lonelier, which was positively linked to conspiracy beliefs, and subsequently associated with non-normative intentions and a new behavioral measure (actual tax evasion). While our findings consistently link loneliness to conspiracy theorizing and non-normative actions, future research utilizing longitudinal designs would bolster confidence in our theoretical framework.
Aurora Records Reveal Shortened Solar Cycle During Maunder Minimum
Authors: Scharping Nathaniel
Published: October 2023

Fastidious night sky observations from Korean historical texts provide a novel source of evidence for an altered solar cycle during periods of low magnetic activity.
Future precipitation increase constrained by climatological pattern of cloud effect
Authors: Zhou Wenyu , Leung L. Ruby , Siler Nicholas , Lu Jian
Published: October 2023

The fractional increase in global mean precipitation ($$\triangle \bar{P}/\bar{P}$$
△

P

¯

/

P

¯

) is a first-order measure of the hydrological cycle intensification under anthropogenic warming. However, $$\triangle \bar{P}/\bar{P}$$
△

P

¯

/

P

¯

varies by a factor of more than three among model projections, hindering credible assessments of the associated climate impacts. The uncertainty in $$\triangle \bar{P}/\bar{P}$$
△

P

¯

/

P

¯

stems from uncertainty in both hydrological sensitivity (global mean precipitation increase per unit warming) and climate sensitivity (global mean temperature increase per forcing). Here, by investigating hydrological and climate sensitivities in a unified surface-energy-balance perspective, we find that both sensitivities are significantly correlated with surface shortwave cloud feedback, which is further linked to the climatological pattern of cloud shortwave effect. The observed pattern of cloud effect thus constrains both sensitivities and consequently constrains $$\triangle \bar{P}/\bar{P}$$
△

P

¯

/

P

¯

. The 5%-95% uncertainty range of $$\triangle \bar{P}/\bar{P}$$
△

P

¯

/

P

¯

from 1979-2005 to 2080-2100 under the high-emission (moderate-emission) scenario is constrained from 6.34$$\pm$$
±
3.53% (4.19$$\pm$$
±
2.28%) in the raw ensemble-model projection to 7.03$$\pm$$
±
2.59% (4.63$$\pm$$
±
1.71%). The constraint thus suggests a higher most-likely $$\triangle \bar{P}/\bar{P}$$
△

P

¯

/

P

¯

and reduces the uncertainty by ~25%, providing valuable information for impact assessments.
Expression analysis of ABCA1 in type 2 diabetic Pakistani patients with and without dyslipidemia and correlation with glycemic index and lipid profile
Authors: Zaidi Amber , Rashid Amir , Majeed Asifa , Naeem Ayesha , Akram Wajeeha , Baig Zunaira Ali
Published: October 2023

Diabetes Mellitus type II, earlier considered as an endocrinological disorder is now more regarded as an inflammatory disorder along with lipid aberrations. It demands for regular monitoring, healthy dietary habits and lifestyle modification. This study was focused on gene expression of ATP binding cassette protein 1 (ABCA1) in diabetic dyslipidemia patients in comparison with control groups of only diabetics and healthy individuals. Blood samples and data were collected from recruited 390 patients who were further divided into three groups (130 each). Glycemic index and lipid profile was assessed. Delta Delta Ct method was used that revealed downregulation of the studied gene more in diabetic dyslipidemia patients as compared to only diabetics and healthy controls. The Ct values of ABCA1 were associated with glycemic index and lipid profile using Pearson’s correlation. A negative correlation with fasting blood sugar and a positive correlation with HbA1cwas observed in only diabetics group. While in diabetic dyslipidemia and normal healthy controls, a negative correlation was found with both. As far as the lipid profile is concerned a positive correlation was observed among only diabetics with whole lipid profile. In diabetics with dyslipidemia, a negative correlation with all parameters except the TAGs was observed. A positive correlation with all except HDL was observed in healthy controls. The Ct values and fold change were compared among diseased and healthy individuals by applying independent t test. The cycle threshold in only diabetics was p = 0.000018 and in diabetic dyslipdemia individuals was p = 0.00251 while fold change in only diabetics (p = 0.000230) and in diabetics with dyslipidemia (p = 0.001137) was observed to be as statistically significant.
Patient reported symptoms and disabilities before and after neuroma surgery: a register-based study
Authors: Dahlin Emma , Zimmerman Malin , Nyman Erika
Published: October 2023

Residual problems may occur from neuroma despite surgery. In a 12-month follow-up study using national register data, symptoms, and disabilities related to surgical methods and sex were evaluated in patients surgically treated for a neuroma. Among 196 identified patients (55% men; lower age; preoperative response rate 20%), neurolysis for nerve tethering/scar formation was the most used surgical method (41%; more frequent in women) irrespective of affected nerve. Similar preoperative symptoms were seen in patients, where different surgical methods were performed. Pain on load was the dominating symptom preoperatively. Women scored higher preoperatively at pain on motion without load, weakness and QuickDASH. Pain on load and numbness/tingling in fingers transiently improved. The ability to perform daily activities was better after nerve repair/reconstruction/transposition than after neurolysis. Regression analysis, adjusted for age, sex, and affected nerve, showed no association between surgical method and pain on load, tingling/numbness in fingers, or ability to perform daily activities. Neuroma, despite surgery, causes residual problems, affecting daily life. Choice of surgical method is not strongly related to pre- or postoperative symptoms. Neurolysis has similar outcome as other surgical methods. Women have more preoperative symptoms and disabilities than men. Future research would benefit from a neuroma-specific ICD-code, leading to a more precise identification of patients.
Imidazolium-based ionic liquids as dispersants to improve the stability of asphaltene in Egyptian heavy crude oil
Authors: Ghanem Alaa , Nessim Maher I. , Khalil N. A. , El-Nagar Raghda A.
Published: October 2023

Deposition of asphaltene aggregates can easily depress the oil production, because it may clog the wellbores, annulus, pipelines, and surface facilities. Moreover, asphaltene molecules have a negative effect on the catalytic reactions in the refinery process. Therefore, in this work, three different ionic liquids (IL-H, IL-CH3, and IL-NO2) were synthesized, and characterized using FT-IR and NMR spectroscopy to evaluate their efficiency as asphaltene dispersants. The thermal gravimetric analysis of the prepared ILs showed that IL-H, IL-NO2, and IL-CH3 were thermally stable up to 280 °C. The ILs showed good dispersion activity of the petroleum asphaltenes, where the asphaltene onset precipitation (AOP) was changed from 7.5 to 10.5, 11, and 13.5 ml added n-heptane after the use of IL-H, IL-NO2, and IL-CH3, respectively. Moreover, the colloidal instability index of crude oil was changed from 0.92 (unstable asphaltene) to 0.69 (stable asphaltene). It is noted during the experiments that the presence of an alkyl chain attached to the ionic liquid moiety increases the efficiency of the dispersant. This may be owing to the formation of π–π* with asphaltene molecules due to the presence of electron donating group. Quantum chemical parameters were calculated for the prepared ILs, and the theoretical data confirmed the experimental results.
Expression of viral CD45 ligand E3/49K on porcine cells reduces human anti-pig immune responses
Authors: Pokoyski Claudia , Baars Wiebke , Windheim Mark , Reubold Thomas F. , Zischke Jasmin , Brinkmann Antje , Kay-Fedorov Penelope C. , Schwinzer Reinhard
Published: October 2023

Transgenic expression of protective molecules in porcine cells and tissues is a promising approach to prevent xenograft rejection. Viruses have developed various strategies to escape the host’s immune system. We generated porcine B cells (B cell line L23) expressing the human adenovirus protein E3/49K or the human cytomegalovirus protein pUL11 and investigated how human T, NK and B cell responses are affected by the expression of the viral proteins. Binding studies revealed that E3/49K and pUL11 interact with CD45 on human but not porcine peripheral blood mononuclear cells. T cell proliferation in response to L23-E3/49K cells was significantly reduced and accompanied by development of an anti-inflammatory cytokine milieu (low: TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, IL-6; high: IL-4, IL-10). Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells which had been primed for four weeks by L23-E3/49K cells included an extended population of regulatory T cells. Cytotoxicity of effector T and natural killer cells against L23 cells was significantly reduced (40 to 50%) by E3/49K expression. B cell activation and antibody production to E3/49K expressing cells was also diminished. Surprisingly, pUL11 expression showed no effects. Reduction of human anti-pig immune responses by transgenic expression of selected viral genes may be a novel approach for protection of porcine xenografts.
Artificial neural network identification of exercise expiratory flow-limitation in adults
Authors: Haverkamp Hans Christian , Luu Peter , DeCato Thomas W. , Petrics Gregory
Published: October 2023

Identification of ventilatory constraint is a key objective of clinical exercise testing. Expiratory flow-limitation (EFL) is a well-known type of ventilatory constraint. However, EFL is difficult to measure, and commercial metabolic carts do not readily identify or quantify EFL. Deep machine learning might provide a new approach for identifying EFL. The objective of this study was to determine if a convolutional neural network (CNN) could accurately identify EFL during exercise in adults in whom baseline airway function varied from normal to mildly obstructed. 2931 spontaneous exercise flow-volume loops (eFVL) were placed within the baseline maximal expiratory flow-volume curves (MEFV) from 22 adults (15 M, 7 F; age, 32 yrs) in whom lung function varied from normal to mildly obstructed. Each eFVL was coded as EFL or non-EFL, where EFL was defined by eFVLs with expired airflow meeting or exceeding the MEFV curve. A CNN with seven hidden layers and a 2-neuron softmax output layer was used to analyze the eFVLs. Three separate analyses were conducted: (1) all subjects (n = 2931 eFVLs, [GRALL]), (2) subjects with normal spirometry (n = 1921 eFVLs [GRNORM]), (3) subjects with mild airway obstruction (n = 1010 eFVLs, [GRLOW]). The final output of the CNN was the probability of EFL or non-EFL in each eFVL, which is considered EFL if the probability exceeds 0.5 or 50%. Baseline forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity was 0.77 (94% predicted) in GRALL, 0.83 (100% predicted) in GRNORM, and 0.69 (83% predicted) in GRLOW. CNN model accuracy was 90.6, 90.5, and 88.0% in GRALL, GRNORM and GRLOW, respectively. Negative predictive value (NPV) was higher than positive predictive value (PPV) in GRNORM (93.5 vs. 78.2% for NPV vs. PPV). In GRLOW, PPV was slightly higher than NPV (89.5 vs. 84.5% for PPV vs. NPV). A CNN performed very well at identifying eFVLs with EFL during exercise. These findings suggest that deep machine learning could become a viable tool for identifying ventilatory constraint during clinical exercise testing.
Word frequency and reading demands modulate brain activation in the inferior frontal gyrus
Authors: Sánchez Abraham , Carreiras Manuel , Paz-Alonso Pedro M.
Published: October 2023

Processing efficiency differs between high- and low-frequency words, with less frequent words resulting in longer response latencies in several linguistic behavioral tasks. Nevertheless, studies using functional MRI to investigate the word frequency effect have employed diverse methodologies and produced heterogeneous results. In this study, we examine the effect of word frequency through complementary analytical approaches and functional connectivity analyses. Furthermore, we examine whether reading demands, which have been shown to influence reading-related activation, modulate the effects of word frequency. We conducted MRI scanning on 54 healthy participants who performed two versions of a single-word reading task involving high- and low-frequency words: a low-level perceptual reading task and a high-level semantic reading task. The results indicate that word frequency influenced the activation of the pars orbitalis and pars triangularis of the inferior frontal gyrus, but only in the semantic reading task. Additionally, the ventral occipitotemporal cortex exhibited stronger regional activation during the semantic reading task compared to the perceptual reading task, with no effects of word frequency. Functional connectivity analyses demonstrated significant coupling among regions within both the dorsal and ventral reading networks, without any observable effects of word frequency or task. These findings were consistent across group- and individual-level analytical approaches. Overall, our results provide further support for the involvement of the inferior frontal gyrus in semantic processing during reading, as indicated by the effect of word frequency and the influence of reading demands, highlighting the role of the ventral reading network. These findings are discussed in line with their implications for lexical and pre-lexical reading processing.
The role of intrathecal free light chains kappa for the detection of autoimmune encephalitis in subacute onset neuropsychiatric syndromes
Authors: Bertram Dominic , Tsaktanis Thanos , Berthele Achim , Korn Thomas
Published: October 2023

Intrathecal synthesis of free light chains kappa (FLCK) is increasingly recognized as a marker of inflammatory CNS pathologies. Here, we tested the performance of FLCK in differentiating autoimmune encephalitis (AIE) from non-inflammatory etiologies in subacute onset neuropsychiatric syndromes. Patients undergoing diagnostic work-up for suspected autoimmune encephalitis at our department between 2015 and 2020 were retrospectively assessed for definitive diagnosis, available CSF and blood samples, as well as complete clinical records. Intrathecal FLCK was measured along with established CSF markers of CNS inflammation. The study cohort consisted of 19 patients with antibody-mediated AIE (AIE+), 18 patients with suspected AIE but without detectable autoantibodies (AIE–), 10 patients with infectious (viral) encephalitis (INE), and 15 patients with degenerative encephalopathies (DGE). 25 age- and sex-matched patients with non-inflammatory neurological diseases (NIND) were used as a control group. All AIE+ patients exhibited intrathecal synthesis of FLCK compared to only 39% of AIE– patients and 81% of patients in the INE group. No intrathecal synthesis of FLCK was found in DGE and NIND patients. While intrathecal FLCK was equally specific for an inflammatory etiology as oligoclonal bands (OCB) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the sensitivity of intrathecal FLCK for any inflammatory intrathecal process was higher than that of OCB (83% vs. 38%). Intrathecal FLCK synthesis was found to discriminate AIE+ from non-inflammatory encephalopathies and AIE– when the CSF cell count was normal [receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis area under the curve (AUC): 0.867, p = 0.002], while it failed to differentiate between AIE+ and INE in the presence of CSF pleocytosis (AUC: 0.561, p = 0.607). In conclusion, in the absence of CSF pleocytosis, intrathecal FLCK discriminated AIE+ from competing diagnoses in our cohort of subacute onset neuropsychiatric syndromes. In addition to established markers of CSF inflammation, intrathecal FLCK might support clinical decision-making and contribute to selecting patients for (repeated) antibody testing.
Establish a machine learning based model for optimal casting conditions management of small and medium sized die casting manufacturers
Authors: Park Sangwoo , Youm Sekyoung
Published: October 2023

Die casting is a suitable process for producing complex and high precision parts, but it faces challenges in terms of quality degradation due to inevitable defects. The casting parameters play a significant role in quality, and in many cases, producers rely on their experience to manage these parameters. In order to address this, domestic small and medium sized die casting companies have established smart factories (MES) and collected data. This study aims to utilize this data to construct a machine learning based optimal casting parameter model to enhance quality. During the model development process, distinct important features were identified for each company. This indicates the necessity of deriving tailored models for each site, aligning with the make to order (MTO) environment, rather than a generalized model.
Enhancing the activity of a supported rhenium catalyst for cross-metathesis of ethene and 2-butene via promotion of boron
Authors: Yang Yibo , Qin Gaolei , Yin Anping , Cai Yuhang , Zhou Ziyu , Gong Nengfeng , Zhang Xiangjie , Yan Tao , Song Gengzhe , Sun Xiaodong , Wan Hongliu , Yang Yong , Li Yongwang , Cao Zhi
Published: October 2023

The intrinsic activity of the Re-catalyzed cross-metathesis of ethene and 2-butene was highly boosted by the promotion of boron.
Design, manufacturing, and testing of phase-induced amplitude apodization and phase-shifting optics for segmented telescopes
Authors: Martinez P. , Beaulieu M. , Gouvret C. , Spang A. , Marcotto A. , Guyon O. , Tisserand S. , Sauget V. , Gautier S. , Le Duigou J. M.
Published: October 2023

Context. The phase-induced amplitude apodization complex mask coronagraph (PIAACMC) is a coronagraph architecture for the direct detection of extrasolar planets. The PIAACMC can achieve close to the theoretical performance limit at small angular sepa-rations. The concept is a high-performance PIAA-based coronagraph that is sufficiently versatile to be designed for next-generation segmented and obscured telescope apertures.

Aims. We present key elements of the design and manufacture of a PIAACMC for the segmented pupil experiment for exoplanet detection (SPEED) testbed. The primary components of a PIAACMC system are the PIAA optics and the complex phase-shifting focal plane mask (FPM). The most challenging part of the system to model is the error on the manufacturing of the two PIAA mirrors.

Methods. In this paper, we describe the design and manufacturing of the FPM and moderate-sag PIAA optics using photolithography and etching. We present the design and fabrication of the PIAACMC, along with metrology, and an initial assessment of the PIAACMC optics efficiency.

Results. Errors in the fabricated component profiles degrade the overall performance. We show that the depth errors involved are of a few tens of nanometers and a few hundred nanometers for the FPM and PIAA optics, respectively. The metrological and individual per¬formance analysis of the FPM and PIAA optics provides us with an in-depth understanding of these optical quality of the components, manufacturing error propagation, and the effects of these on performance. Because the deformable mirror (DM) location is critical in a PIAA system, we show that despite the pupil remapping effect of the PIAA optics, a dual-DM wavefront control and shaping system architecture optimized for short angular separations is operating adequately to compensate for manufacturing errors and for the dark zone generated in the focal plane.

Conclusions. Because the errors involved are comparable to the wavefront error on the optics, wavefront control can compensate for them. Our measurements provide reliable models that, when used in simulations, allow us to refine component specification given the manufacturing errors at the raw coronagraphic performance level as well as after wavefront control and shaping.
Ekaterinburg city development in the experience economy context
Authors: Oshkordina Alla , Goncharova Nadezhda , Makarova Elena
Published: October 2023

The article discusses the socio-economic aspects of the development of the city of Ekaterinburg from the standpoint of the cultural and entertainment potential of its development. The authors examined the dynamics of the development of the quest industry in the Russian Federation within the framework of the experience economy. The main development trends in the field of entertainment are identified. Collected, analyzed and systematized statistical and economic indicators characterizing the current state of the entertainment industry in the post-pandemic period of economic development of the country and the city of Ekaterinburg. The most competitive areas of the entertainment industry have been identified. Based on consumer preferences, the authors formulated conclusions about the further growth of the market share of quest services in the total volume of entertainment services in the city of Ekaterinburg.
Classifications of “second-tier” cities in the context of creative reindustrialisation
Authors: Turgel Irina , Baskakova Irina , Derbeneva Valentina
Published: October 2023

The formation of a creative economy in Russia, which is becoming a trigger for the economic transformation of “second-tier cities” into integrated creative spaces, requires revision of the existing theoretical and methodological approaches to the classification of creative cities. The purpose of the research is to analyze the existing typologies for creative cities in terms of the appropriateness of their use for the formation of a classification of second-tier cities engaged in reindustrialisation. The content analysis of foreign and national scholarly literature on creative cities enabled the authors, first, to systematise the existing typologies for creative cities, and second, to propose an original classification in accordance with the criterion of a possible implementation of the selected pool in the typology of Russian second-tier cities. The authors set the directions for further research towards the formation of a classification of second-tier cities based on the concepts of a creative city, creative cluster, and secondtier cities involved in the process of creative reindustrialisation aimed at subsequent practical application.
Factors affecting the quality of human capital in industrial cities of Russia
Authors: Shakirova Klara , Barybina Anna
Published: October 2023

The study tests the hypothesis that in order to develop industrial enterprises in the modern realities of the BANI-world (brittle, anxious, nonlinear, incomprehensible: fragile, disturbing, nonlinear, incomprehensible) it is of high importance to understand the influence of the social context and assess it in the correct manner. To reach new heights of development, not only direct investments in people’s education are needed, but also indirect ones, i.e., in creating favourable living conditions. The purpose of this work is to identify the factors that are the target of indirect investments affecting the quality of human capital in industrial cities of Russia.
Current approaches to studying the level of pedestrian comfort in urban development
Authors: Meshkova Victoria , Dekterev Alexander , Litvintsev Kirill , Filimonov Sergei A.
Published: October 2023

The paper presents the results of a numerical forecast of the pedestrian comfort level in the territory of urban development. The research uses the microscale numerical model of the atmosphere in the urban environment, into which the equations of temperature and seasonal indices are integrated. These equations are used to simulate and analyse pedestrian comfort conditions. The paper presents the results of the proposed model approbation in the real environment of the residential neighbourhoods of Krasnoyarsk city. External conditions, typical for summer and winter seasons, were simulated. The results produced are presented as distribution fields of the considered indices. During the analysis, comfortable/discomfort areas for humans staying in the environment of studied urban development were revealed.
The potential impacts of using bio-based building materials on human health and wellbeing
Authors: Zerari Salima , Franchino Rossella , Pisacane Nicola
Published: October 2023

When selecting building materials, health and wellbeing are aspects that are frequently neglected. It has been discovered that traditional materials are a source of hazardous emissions that have a negative impact on the health of individuals. On the other hand, Bio-based Building materials are increasingly being used instead of conventional materials as the construction sector aims to be more sustainable. However, these materials’ potential impacts on human health and wellbeing are also a source of worry. As a result, the purpose of this study is to present a comprehensive review of pertinent scientific research, with a focus on comparative studies that shed light on the effects of using bio-based building materials. Considering both positive and negative health effects, with a focus on indoor environment quality, indoor contaminants, and psychological health and well-being. The results highlight the need for more study and provide insightful information about how using bio-based building materials affects individuals’ health and well-being.
The energy efficiency diagnosis of residential buildings in Algeria
Authors: Benmicia Nawal
Published: October 2023

Currently, the building sector is considered as one of the most affected by the new measures to improve energy efficiency. As it is clear, worldwide buildings are the largest consumer of the final energy consumption. In Algeria, it has been reported that 33% of the overall energy consumption was attributed to buildings. This stems from the design and construction methods of residential buildings, which do not take into account the region’s specific climatic conditions. Many thermal regulations have appeared, and are regularly updated, researches and new techniques are focusing on improving the thermal comfort of buildings while optimizing energy consumption. The study is focused on analyzing the existing residential buildings in Algeria (Mila), in terms of energy efficiency.
Evaluations of energy upgrading interventions in social housing neighbourhoods in Greece: An approach that takes into account residents’ views
Authors: Kipourou Antonia , Giannarou Sofia , Zervas Efthimios
Published: October 2023

The European Union (EU) has committed to actions aimed at the energy efficiency of buildings, with a focus on the domestic sector. Most residential buildings in Greece are classified in the lowest energy categories, while the government attempts to upgrade them energy wise, through state subsidy programs. This study aims to evaluate the energy upgrading interventions in social housing areas, built in the capital of Greece, Athens. For this purpose, energy audits are performed in social housing in three different neighborhoods, in order to find the current building stock and later suggest energy upgrading solutions. The study is followed by a questionnaire survey to citizens of the neighborhoods under study. The majority of respondents consider significantly beneficial the energy-saving upgrade programs that the Greek Government has run in recent years, as they demand to be easier for everyone to participate. At the same time, respondents seem to be positive for future energy upgrade interventions, such as external insulation, frame replacement and implementation of renewable energy systems. Through the implementation of energy upgrade scenarios in the official national software for energy audits (TEE KENAK), results show that dwellings can upgrade up to 7 energy categories, with short payback time, reducing CO2 and primary energy emissions.
Thermal performance of different masonry wall composition. Case study: Polis University, Tirana, Albania
Authors: Xhexhi Klodjan , Aliaj Besnik
Published: October 2023

Albania is part of the emerging economies of the Western Balkan region. Polis University is one of the pioneering institutions in the field of architecture, built environment, and city sciences that represents innovative methodologies and concepts for educational and scientific purposes. Nowadays, many constructions in Albania involve a wide range of different materials. The building envelope is one of the main elements that provide protection from the outside environment but also the required thermal comfort for the inhabitants. The necessary balance must be archived between energy efficiency and the durability of buildings. This paper will focus on the thermal performance and materials composition of two different types of masonry walls, a constituent part of Polis University’s main building. The study will be based on an experiment using specific instruments to diagnose these typologies of wall composition. The results are further analyzed and compared. Specific instruments such as the thermal camera (Testo 882), U-value (Testo 435-2), and “Silverline Digital Moisture Meter” (from POLIS Energy lab) are engaged. The collected data are further interpreted through graphs, tables, and diagrams for both cases. It is observed that ventilated facades perform much better than standard facades, therefore their usage is strongly recommended.
Crafting Circularity. A European Education Project Exploring Sustainable Construction Practices with Future Architects
Authors: Vrontissi Maria , Rinke Mario , Vandyck Frederik
Published: October 2023

Situated within the broader scope of the ERASMUS+ research project Crafting Circularity: Rethinking Sustainable Design and Construction in Architecture Education, the present paper is an early contribution on project-based learning-through-making methodologies and their implementation in architectural curricula. The construction industry exploits vast quantities of raw materials, produces more than a third of global waste, and causes a large portion of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. However, while new models tackling resource scarcity emerge in practice and an array of R-strategies is discussed within the research community, education is yet to adjust, architectural education in particular. If architects are a decisive agent of change, this needs to be distinctly reflected in the reorientation of teaching. This project discusses strategies for translating current research findings on circular construction practices into architectural education. The various components of the project are presented, along with first outcomes and transferable insights.
Surrogate Modeling Strategy for Urban Building Energy Simulation in Early-Stage Urban Design: A Case Study of Energy-Efficient Neighborhood Design in Seoul
Authors: Lee Doyun , Quan Steven Jige
Published: October 2023

This study focuses on developing an efficient surrogate modelling strategy for early-stage urban design, aiding in energy-efficient residential neighborhood design in Seoul. The methodology involves devising a design schema with important design parameters, generating 1,000 random designs via Latin Hypercube Sampling, and simulating each design’s energy use considering microclimate and shadow effects. Polynomial regression is used to develop surrogate models based on those energy simulation results, which is further validated with energy use measurements of real neighborhoods in Seoul. The developed surrogate model can provide quick evaluation of energy use with a moderate level of accuracy for early-stage energy efficient neighborhood design.
Energy Hub Optimization on Residential Building Case
Authors: Kilis Vasileios , Paschalidis Nikolaos , Ploskas Nikolaos , Panaras Giorgos
Published: October 2023

The growth of the energy consumed, have led to the need of upgrading and restructuring the operation of existing energy systems in the building sector. In context, goals of reducing the primary energy consumption based on fossil fuels and the limitation of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to the atmosphere, were set, in order to enhance the provision of affordable and generally clean energy for the citizens. In addition, the European Union (EU) promotes the utilization of energy systems based on Renewable Energy Sources (RES). Αll above highlight the importance of the decision-making process during the design phase of a building. For these reasons, this paper deals with the optimization of multi energy systems, introducing the concept of the Energy Hub, in order to cover the thermal demands of a residential building located in Thessaloniki (Greece). The proposed methodology includes the calculation of the building energy demands on a monthly basis via the simulation program FineGREEN19. Afterwards, a Mathematical Programming model was constructed, in order to provide the optimization scheme of multi energy systems, considering different criteria. The criteria include the minimization of economic, energy and environmental aspects, considering the concept of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS) was used to model the optimization problem. The results of Single Criteria Optimization problem figure out the contradictory between the criteria, showing that the use of the optimization models can improve and facilitate the building design.
Assessment of Run-Up Height and Arrival Time of 365 AD Tsunami at Lampedusa Island, Italy
Authors: Laksono FX Anjar Tri , Mishra Manoranjan , János Kovács
Published: October 2023

The eastern Mediterranean Sea is a subduction zone between the African plate and the Eurasian plate that has high seismicity. The tsunami of July 21, 365 AD was one of the most severe in the region, and its impact was estimated to have extended to the islands around the Aegean Sea, Cyprus, southern Calabria, Sicily, Malta, and Lampedusa. However, an analysis of tsunami waves reaching Lampedusa Island has not been conducted. Therefore, this study will present the run-up height and arrival time of tsunami waves near the Lampedusa coast. The methods applied are linear and non-linear shallow water equations by inputting the rupture parameters of the 365 AD earthquake. We used Delft Dashboard and Delft3D software to simulate tsunami wave propagation offshore. The simulation results indicate that an earthquake with a magnitude of approximately Mw 8.5 triggered tsunami waves with a maximum run-up height of 2.02 m in nearshore Lampedusa. The travel time for the maximum run-up height was 3.5 hours after the generation of the first tsunami wave in the western Hellenic Arc, Greece. We infer that seawater most likely inundated the coast of Lampedusa during the tsunami earthquake in 365 AD.
Mediating climate change rhetoric to increase lexical knowledge of students at university level
Authors: Dervishaj Adriana , Abdihoxha Xhiljola
Published: October 2023

Global observed and anticipated climatic changes nowadays, as well as global warming, are remarkable global changes that have occurred over the last years. Climate change (CC) is a worldwide inter-governmental complex problem with implications for many ecological, environmental, socio-political, and socioeconomic disciplines. The globe is currently confronting a variety of natural disasters as a result of climate change.This paper aims to focus on a different perspective of climate change, which is the one related to education, observed from a linguistics point of view. Climate change has evolved from a primarily physical phenomenon to one that is also social, political, ethical, cultural, and communicative. This paper also contributes to an improved understanding of the mediation of climate change discourse and of the role of language in this issue, related to the Albanian context. It employs an evidence-based and problem-solving method of research, composed of a series of workshops with students conducted during English classes. The conclusions of this paper revealed that the series of workshops conducted, served as a great way to enrich students’ vocabulary and prepare them for new challenges related to natural disasters
Manmade Disasters on our Home Planet: On a Potential Relationship between Climate Change and Seismic Activity of Earth
Authors: Nutu Catalin Silviu
Published: October 2023

The scope of this paper is to investigate a potential relationship between the melting of icecap caused by the global warming and the seismic activity of Earth. The first step is the analysis of seismic activity data of the last decades, in order to establish if there is an ascending trend in the frequency or magnitude of the earthquakes, or to see whether this data exhibits certain features which could indicate a certain change in the pattern of the seismic activity of Earth. If there is an ascending trend in the seismic activity, the correlation with the amount of the melted icecap (expressed in both: square kilometers and tons) is to be further analyzed. If however, there is no such ascending trend but still, the data shows certain changes in its pattern, these changes will be analyzed and explained using the model proposed and presented in this paper. This general basic model describes and explains how reduction of pressure exerted by the melted icecap leads to a redistribution of gravity pressing forces on the earth’s crust and releases additional movement forces of the tectonic plates, thus causing an increased seismic activity.
Use of TEVY index to measure the temperature variability within a year in different climatic zones of Nepal
Authors: Ojha Bibhuti , Khanal Ramesh , Kalyvas Theodore , Rapsomanikis Nikolaos , Gizani Nectaria , Zervas Efthimios
Published: October 2023

TEVY index has been proposed and used to evaluate the temperature variability in 4 stations in Greece. In order to establish the index, more study is necessary; so, this work is aimed to apply TEVY index across 9 stations in Nepal. Daily mean temperature is calculated for each station from the historical data of up to 44 years. Fourier Harmonic analysis is carried out to estimate the daily temperature. Then TEVY index is calculated as the squared of the difference between observed temperature and Fourier series estimated temperature. Correlation analysis carried out to check the level of fit between observed and estimated temperature values. The TEVY index shows the higher variability of temperature in hot climatic zone followed by mild climatic zone and cool climatic zone. Monthly TEVY value shows the higher variation in temperature, that coincides with the precipitation cycle of Nepal, but this statement requires more study to check its validity.