bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Life Cycle Assessment of Thermoelectric Generators (TEGs) in an Automobile Application
Authors: Kawajiri Kotaro , Kishita Yusuke , Shinohara Yoshikazu
Published: December 2021

In this paper, a possibility to reduce the environmental burdens by employing thermoelectric generators (TEGs) was analyzed with a cradle-to-grave LCA approach. An upscaling technique was newly introduced to assess the environmental impacts of TEGs over its life cycle. In addition to CO2 emissions, other environmental impacts as well as social impacts were assessed using the Life Cycle Impact Assessment Method based on Endpoint Modeling (LIME2). The analysis was conducted under two scenarios, a baseline scenario with a 7.2% conversion efficiency and a technology innovation scenario with that of 17.7% at different production scales. The results showed that while GHG emissions were positive over the life cycle under the baseline scenario, it became negative (−1.56 × 102 kg-CO2 eq/kg) under the technology innovation scenario due to GHG credits in the use phase. An increase in the conversion efficiency of the TEG and a decrease in the amount of stainless steel used in TEG construction are both necessary in order to reduce the environmental impacts associated with TEG manufacture and use. In addition, to accurately assess the benefit of TEG deployment, the lifetime driving distance needs to be analyzed together with the conversion efficiency.
Influence of the Height in a Colombian Multi-Tunnel Greenhouse on Natural Ventilation and Thermal Behavior: Modeling Approach
Authors: Villagrán Edwin , Flores-Velazquez Jorge , Akrami Mohammad , Bojacá Carlos
Published: December 2021

The dimensions of a passive greenhouse are one of the decisions made by producers or builders based on characteristics of the available land and the economic cost of building the structure per unit of covered area. In few cases, the design criteria are reviewed and the dimensions are established based on the type of crop and local climate conditions. One of the dimensions that is generally exposed to greater manipulation is the height above the gutter and the general height of the structure, since a greenhouse with a lower height has a lower economic cost. This has led some countries in the tropical region to build greenhouses that, due to their architectural characteristics, have inadequate microclimatic conditions for agricultural production. The objective of this study was to analyze the effect on air flows and thermal distribution generated by the increase of the height over gutter of a Colombian multi-tunnel greenhouse using a successfully two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. The simulated numerical results showed that increasing the height of the greenhouse allows obtaining temperature reductions from 0.1 to 11.7 °C depending on the ventilation configuration used and the external wind speed. Likewise, it was identified that the combined side and roof ventilation configuration (RS) allows obtaining higher renovation indexes (RI) in values between 144 and 449% with respect to the side ventilation (S) and roof ventilation (R) configurations. Finally, the numerical results were successfully fitted within the surface regression models responses.
Connection between Teacher Support and Student’s Achievement: Could Growth Mindset Be the Moderator?
Authors: Brandisauskiene Agne , Buksnyte-Marmiene Loreta , Cesnaviciene Jurate , Daugirdiene Ausra , Kemeryte-Ivanauskiene Egle , Nedzinskaite-Maciuniene Rasa
Published: December 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound effect on the system of education—gaps in students’ learning, their socioemotional and mental health problems and growing inequality have been recorded. These problems confront students from low socioeconomic status (SES) in particular, therefore supportive relationships with teachers are of great importance. The growth mindset, as a student’s belief that he or she can develop his or her capabilities, can help him or her cope with arising difficulties. Based on the first hypothesis, this study sought to establish whether teacher support is positively related to student’s achievement. Our second hypothesis is as follows: a student’s growth mindset moderates the positive effect of teacher support on students’ achievement; this relationship is stronger when the student’s growth mindset is higher. The research sample consisted of 163 students from municipalities of Lithuania that are regarded as socioeconomically disadvantaged. The research results show positive correlations between teacher’ support, student’s growth mindset and achievement. Additionally, the role of student’s growth mindset as a moderator between teacher support and the student’s achievement was established. Statistically significant differences between high-SES and low-SES students when comparing their growth mindsets and achievement prove that it is important to enhance confidence of low-SES students in their capabilities and the potential to develop them.
Real Estate Values and Urban Quality: A Multiple Linear Regression Model for Defining an Urban Quality Index
Authors: Carbonara Sebastiano , Faustoferri Marco , Stefano Davide
Published: December 2021

Urban quality, real estate values and property taxation are different factors that participate in defining how a city is governed. Real estate values are largely determined by the characteristics of urban environments in which properties are located and, thus, by quality of the location. Beginning with these considerations, this paper explores the theme of urban quality through a study of property values that seeks to define all physical (and thus measurable) characteristics that participate in defining urban quality. For this purpose, a multiple linear regression model was developed for reading the residential real estate market in the city of Pescara (Italy). In addition to the intrinsic characteristics of a property (floor area, period of construction/renovation, level, building typology and presence of a garage), input also included extrinsic data represented by the Urban Quality Index. Scientific literature on this theme tells us that many independent variables influence real estate prices, although all are linked to a set of intrinsic characteristics (property-specific) and to a set of extrinsic characteristics (specific to the urban context in which the property is located) and, thus, to the quality of urban environments. The index developed was produced by the analytical and simultaneous reading of four macrosystems with the greatest impact on urban quality: environment, infrastructure, settlement and services (each with its own subsystems). The results obtained made it possible to redefine proportional ratios between various parts of the city of Pescara, based on a specific Urban Quality Index, and to recalculate market property values used to calculate taxes in an attempt to resolve the inequality that persists in this field.
The Teaching of Historical Memory as a Tool for Achieving SDG 16 and Teachers’ Views on the Exile Memorial Museum (MUME) Routes
Authors: González-Vázquez David , Feliu-Torruella Maria , Íñiguez-Gracia David
Published: December 2021

This article analyses the educational role of historical memory in Spain in the context of Education for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. The main objective is to show the utilitarian value of historical memory as an enabling element to achieve SDG 16: “Peace, justice and strong institutions”. The study analysed focuses on a very specific heritage product, the exile routes of the Exile Memorial Museum—MUME (La Jonquera, Spain), through a series of semi-open in-depth interviews with teachers who visited the routes. Their responses were cross-checked with the learning objectives for SDG 16 in its three categories: cognitive, socio-emotional and behavioural. The results of this cross-referencing show that there is a significant relationship between the teaching of heritage in places of memory and the block of socioemotional learning objectives, and more specifically with the third category, related to the display of empathy and solidarity.
Safety Disposal of Rice Straw by Biodegradation Using Streptomyces Tendae
Authors: Al-Dhabaan Fahad
Published: December 2021

Rice straw is a byproduct formed during rice cultivation. Disposal of rice straw may happen via unhygienic methods such as burning, which is happening in Malaysia and other countries. This study aims to rid rice straw via an eco-friendly biodegradation technique. Biodegradation of rice straw depended on actinobacteria, which were isolated from the cultivated soil of rice and rhizosphere areas in Tabuk region. Out of thirty actinobacterial isolates, only three isolates (S-5, S-12, S-20) biodegraded starch, cellulose, lignin and rice straw powder. The most potent actinobacterial isolate (S-5) was identified as Streptomyces tendae, which effectively biodegraded all polysaccharides of rice straw. Biodegradation of rice straw was associated with a significant reduction in C/N ratio, where the latter fell from 30.4% to 17.2% within 42 d.
Digital Training and Advanced Learning in Occupational Safety and Health Based on Modern and Affordable Technologies
Authors: Vukićević Arso M. , Mačužić Ivan , Djapan Marko , Milićević Vladimir , Shamina Luiza
Published: December 2021

Occupational safety and health (OSH) is a very important issue for both practical purposes in industry and business due to numerous reasons, so a number of software, educational and industrial solutions are available. In this paper, the cloud-based mobile application for digital training and advanced learning in the field of occupational safety was presented. The proposed framework architecture was based on a novel approach: Node.JS for the server backend and the React Native for the front-end development; while MongoDB was used for implementing the cloud data storage using sensors that are all available on the Android platform. In the development of this application, a number of options were developed (using open-source software) such as the reading of a QR code, usage of built-in sensors within android platforms, reporting, and voice messages. The developed SafeST solution is presented through a real industry example. It emphasizes two main possibilities of the solution, improving OHS reporting and significant empowerment of the students in the OHS field based on the learning-by-doing approach. In this way, the additional engagement (identification, recording and reporting of UA/UC) of OSH managers has been reduced to a minimum, taking into account requested reports from management and authorities, and the continual training of the employees and preparation of the students for future working activities. The system was tested for educational purposes with the initial idea to develop an application for smartphones which could be useful and well adopted among engineering students in the OSH field.
Blockchain-Based IoT Devices in Supply Chain Management: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Hussain Muzammil , Javed Waheed , Hakeem Owais , Yousafzai Abdullah , Younas Alisha , Awan Mazhar Javed , Nobanee Haitham , Zain Azlan Mohd
Published: December 2021

Through recent progress, the forms of modern supply chains have evolved into complex networks. The supply chain management systems face a variety of challenges. These include lack of visibility of the upstream party (Provider) to the downstream party (Client); lack of flexibility in the face of sudden variations in demand and control of operating costs; lack of reliance on safety stakeholders; ineffective management of supply chain risks. Blockchain (BC) is used in the supply chain to overcome the growing demands for items. The Internet of Things (IoT) is a profoundly encouraging innovation that can help companies observe, track, and monitor products, activities, and processes within their respective value chain networks. Research establishments and logical gatherings are ceaselessly attempting to answer IoT gadgets in supply chain management. This paper presents orderly writing on and reviewing of Blockchain-based IoT advances and their current usage. We discuss the smart devices used in this system and which device is the most appropriate in the supply chain. This paper also looks at future examination themes in blockchain-based IoT, referred to as the executive’s framework production network. The essential deliberate writing audit has been consolidated by surveying research articles circulated in highly reputable publications between 2016 and 2021. Lastly, current issues and challenges are present to provide researchers with promising future directions in IoT supply chain management systems.
Why Do UNESCO Biosphere Reserves Get Less Recognition than National Parks? A Landscape Research Perspective on Protected Area Narratives in Germany
Authors: Aschenbrand Erik , Michler Thomas
Published: December 2021

This paper explores how landscape research can contribute to our understanding of why integrated protected area concepts like biosphere reserves get less recognition than national parks. In this regard, we analysed policy documents and online communication of biosphere reserves and national parks, conducted qualitative interviews with conservation professionals and volunteers as well as participant observation in order to identify and compare narratives that guide the communication and perception of both protected area categories. The results show how national parks offer a clear interpretation of space by building on landscape stereotypes and creating landscape legibility and experience-ability through touristification. National Parks also experience conflicts about proper management and combine a variety of goals, often including regional development. Nevertheless, their narrative is unambiguous and powerful. Biosphere reserves, on the other hand, have an image problem that is essentially due to the difficulty of communicating their objectives. They confront the difficult task of creating a vision that combines development and conservation while integrating contrarious landscape stereotypes. We argue for a fundamental engagement with protected area narratives, as this improves understanding of protected areas’ transformative potential.
Exploring the Effect of Family Life and Neighbourhood on the Willingness of Household Waste Sorting
Authors: Zhao Liyuan , Chen Hongsheng
Published: December 2021

For developing countries, garbage classification has become an important measure to handle the environmental pollution crisis. This empirical study examined urban and rural families’ willingness to sort and deposit garbage at fixed recycling points. We found that urban residents demonstrated a significantly higher willingness to sort and deposit garbage at designated points compared to rural residents. The average number of family meals per month, average monthly household food expenditure, household cleanliness, and household crowding (spaciousness) are significantly related to a family’s willingness to sort garbage. In terms of neighbourhood factors, families living in neighbourhoods with property management are more likely to have a higher willingness to sort garbage. The degree of air pollution in the neighbourhood also has an impact on the family’s willingness to sort garbage. This study proposes that neighbourhood factors have a non-negligible influence on a household’s willingness to sort and put garbage in designated locations. Especially in urban neighbourhoods, the willingness of residents living in commodity housing neighbourhoods to sort and place garbage at designated locations is significantly higher than that of residents living in other neighbourhoods. To improve the implementation effect of the waste sorting policy, we suggest that the configuration of neighbourhood garbage recycling services and facilities should be improved so that people can sort garbage more conveniently.
Investigating the Impacts of the Political System Components in Iran on the Existing Water Bankruptcy
Authors: Ketabchy Mehdi
Published: December 2021

Iran is suffering from a state of water bankruptcy. Several factors have contributed to the current water resources bankruptcy, ranging from anthropogenic impacts, such as an inefficient agricultural sector and aggressive withdrawal of groundwater, to climatological impacts. This paper suggests that water resources mismanagement in Iran should be evaluated beyond the policy-makers decisions, as it recognizes that the bankruptcy has been intensified due to the structural and institutional form of the political system in Iran. This study discusses the roots of the water bankruptcy and identifies four major shortcomings caused by the political system: (1) the absence of public engagement due to the lack of a democratic and decentralized structure; (2) adopting ideological policies in domestic and foreign affairs; (3) conflicts of interest and the multiplicity of governmental policy-makers and sectors; and (4) a state-controlled, resource-dependent economy. Through the development of a generic causal model, this study recommends a systematic transition towards a democratic, decentralized, non-ideological, and economically diverse political governance as the necessary–but not necessarily sufficient–adaptive and sustainable solution for mitigating the impacts of water resources bankruptcy in Iran. The insights highlighted in this paper could be employed to inform water resources decision-makers and political actors in other non-democratic and ideological political structures struggling with a water resources crisis or bankruptcy.
Residential Vulnerability of Barcelona: Methodology Integrating Multi-Criteria Evaluation Systems and Geographic Information Systems
Authors: Garcia-Almirall Pilar , Cornadó Còssima , Vima-Grau Sara
Published: December 2021

This article presents the methodology and results of a pioneering investigation in the determination and mapping of socio-residential vulnerability in the city of Barcelona according to a multi-criteria synthetic analysis. The methodology followed is based on a system of indicators elaborated from the exploitation of habitual statistical Open Data complemented with specific unprecedented data elaborated and supplied by the Barcelona City Council. The analysis is based on secondary data and it is structured in georeferenced axes, components, and indicators, which allow determination of the sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and urban and residential space characteristics at neighborhood, population census unit, and urban block level. The objective of the research was to detect, determine, and establish a measure of differentiation relative to the degree of residential vulnerability of some neighborhoods with respect to others, in order to seek prioritization measures for action in the most vulnerable areas. The results of the research provide a series of maps that allow us to define the areas where the highest levels of vulnerability indicators coincide according to a synthetic multi-criteria analysis.
Definitions Matter: Dynamic Policy Framing of the Arts in Boston’s Sustainable Cultural Development
Authors: Li Xuefei , Wyszomirski Margaret , Zhu Biyun
Published: December 2021

Cultural sustainability has become a fourth pillar in sustainable development studies. Different from the research approach to embedding culture into conventional sustainable discourse, this article argues that the sustainability and resilience issues within the arts and cultural sector should be paid more attention to. Putting the arts and cultural sector in urban settings, sustainable cultural development entails dynamic policy framing and changing policy justifications in response to an evolving socioeconomic and political environment. Taking the policy framing of the arts as an analytical lens, this paper aims to investigate this dynamic change and key driving factors through an in-depth case study of Boston’s urban cultural development. This article finds that different definitions of the arts are associated with different arts-based urban development strategies across four stages of cultural development in Boston spanning a period of over 75 years. The working definition moved from art to the arts, then to the creative arts industry, and eventually to cultural assets and creative capital. The policy framing of the arts keeps evolving and layering in pursuit of more legitimacy and resources regarding groups of stakeholders, field industry components, types of industrial structure, and multiple policy goals. This dynamic policy framing has been driven by arts advocacy groups, policy learning process, urban leadership change, and cultural institutional change, allowing Boston to draw on a growing and diversifying set of cultural resources in pursuit of sustainable cultural development.
Simulation and Optimization of Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Food Waste with Palm Oil Mill Effluent for Biogas Production
Authors: Tiong Jasmine Sie Ming , Chan Yi Jing , Lim Jun Wei , Mohamad Mardawani , Ho Chii-Dong , Rahmah Anisa Ur , Kiatkittipong Worapon , Sriseubsai Wipoo , Kumakiri Izumi
Published: December 2021

Food waste (FW) utilized as substrate for anaerobic digestion (AD) to produce biogas is promising. Simultaneously, waste is handled and value-added products such as biogas and fertilizer are produced. Palm oil mill effluent (POME) is used as the co-substrate. This study aims to simulate the complete process flow of anaerobic co-digestion (AcoD), consisting of pre-treatment of feedstock, biogas upgrading, wastewater treatment and sludge dying using SuperPro Designer. Parameters, namely hydraulic retention time (HRT), recycle ratio of sludge, water to FW ratio (kg/kg) and co-substrate to FW ratio (kg/kg), would affect the performance of digester. The optimization of these parameters is performed using Design-Expert software, involving response surface methodology (RSM). The effects on responses such as methane flow, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and volatile solid (VS) removal efficiencies are analyzed. In treating 25,000 kg/h of feed, the optimized values for HRT, recycle ratio, water to feedstock ratio, POME to FW ratio are 37.2 days, 0.381, 0.027 and 0.004, respectively. The methane yield is 0.30 L CH4/g of COD removed, with COD and VS removal efficiencies of 81.5% and 68.9%, respectively. The project is profitable, with a payback period of 6.14 years and net present value (NPV) of $5,680,000. A comprehensive understanding of AD matures it for commercialization purposes.
Preliminary Research about Producers’ Perceptions of Relationship Quality with Retailers in the Supply Chain of Organic Food Products in Croatia
Authors: Gajdić Dušanka , Mesić Željka , Petljak Kristina
Published: December 2021

Due to insufficient research on the relationships in the supply chain (SC) of agri-food products, and especially organic food products, the main goal of this study was to examine the perceptions of organic food producers about the importance of collaboration and trust to their performance in the organic food SC. An analysis of previous research has concluded that the important categories of relationship quality (RQ) are the following: appropriate inter-organisational collaboration, effective communication, mutual exchange of information, resource sharing (physical, financial, human, and organisational), willingness to share risks, transparency between partners, relationship quality and commitment, and the presence of trust between partners in the SC. An empirical study based on in-depth interviews was conducted on a sample of six organic food producers in Croatia. The results indicated that the producers’ perceptions of the impact of collaboration and trust on overall performance differs depending on the length of the collaboration with retailers, the types of products, and the percentage of overall sales they sell through retailers. The results of this research can serve as an information base for all stakeholders in the SCs of organic products by encouraging them to participate in activities that will strengthen trust and collaboration as a prerequisite for increasing SC organic food performance.
A Note on the Summation of the Incomplete Gamma Function
Authors: Reynolds Robert , Stauffer Allan
Published: December 2021

We examine the improved infinite sum of the incomplete gamma function for large values of the parameters involved. We also evaluate the infinite sum and equivalent Hurwitz-Lerch zeta function at special values and produce a table of results for easy reading. Almost all Hurwitz-Lerch zeta functions have an asymmetrical zero distribution.
Application of Vieta–Lucas Series to Solve a Class of Multi-Pantograph Delay Differential Equations with Singularity
Authors: Izadi Mohammad , Yüzbaşı Şuayip , Ansari Khursheed J.
Published: December 2021

The main focus of this paper was to find the approximate solution of a class of second-order multi-pantograph delay differential equations with singularity. We used the shifted version of Vieta–Lucas polynomials with some symmetries as the main base to develop a collocation approach for solving the aforementioned differential equations. Moreover, an error bound of the present approach by using the maximum norm was computed and an error estimation technique based on the residual function is presented. Finally, the validity and applicability of the presented collocation scheme are shown via four numerical test examples.
Compensatory Ground Reaction Forces during Scoliotic Gait in Subjects with and without Right Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis
Authors: Sung Paul , Park Moon
Published: December 2021

Although the asymmetries of scoliotic gait in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) groups have been extensively studied, recent studies indicated conflicting results regarding the ground reaction forces (GRFs) during gait in subjects with spinal deformity. The asymmetry during the stance phase might be clarified with three-dimensional (3D) compensations of GRFs between similar characteristics of subjects with and without AIS. The purpose of this study was to compare the normalized 3D GRF differences during the stance phase of gait while considering age, BMI, and Cobb angle between subjects with and without right AIS. There were 23 subjects with right convexity of thoracic idiopathic scoliosis and 22 age- and gender-matched control subjects. All subjects were right upper/lower limb dominant, and the outcome measures included the Cobb angles, normalized GRF, and KAI. The mediolateral (M/L) third peak force on the dominant limb decreased in the AIS group (t = 2.58, p = 0.01). Both groups demonstrated a significant interaction with the 3D indices (F = 5.41, p = 0.02). The post-hoc analysis identified that the M/L plane of asymmetry was significantly different between groups. The Cobb angles were negatively correlated with the vertical asymmetry index (r = −0.45, p = 0.03); however, there was no significant correlation with age (r = −0.10, p = 0.65) or body mass index (r = −0.28, p = 0.20). The AIS group demonstrated decreased GRF in the dominant limb M/L plane of the terminal stance phase. This compensatory motion was confirmed by a significant group difference on the M/L plane of the KAI. This KAI of vertical asymmetry correlated negatively with the Cobb angle. The asymmetric load transmission with compensatory vertical reactions was evident due to abnormal loading in the stance phase. These kinetic compensatory patterns need to be considered with asymmetry on the dominant limb when developing rehabilitation strategies for patients with AIS.
GomJau-Hogg’s Notation for Automatic Generation of k-Uniform Tessellations with ANTWERP v3.0
Authors: Gomez-Jauregui Valentin , Hogg Harrison , Manchado Cristina , Otero Cesar
Published: December 2021

Euclidean tilings are constantly applied to many fields of engineering (mechanical, civil, chemical, etc.). These tessellations are usually named after Cundy & Rollett’s notation. However, this notation has two main problems related to ambiguous conformation and uniqueness. This communication explains the GomJau-Hogg’s notation for generating all the regular, semi-regular (uniform) and demi-regular (k-uniform, up to at least k = 3) in a consistent, unique and unequivocal manner. Moreover, it presents Antwerp v3.0, a free online application, which is publicly shared to prove that all the basic tilings can be obtained directly from the GomJau-Hogg’s notation.
Optimal Placement of Distributed Photovoltaic Systems and Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Using Metaheuristic Optimization Techniques
Authors: Yenchamchalit Kulsomsup , Kongjeen Yuttana , Prabpal Prakasit , Bhumkittipich Krischonme
Published: December 2021

In this study, the concept of symmetry is introduced by finding the optimal state of a power system. An electric vehicle type load is present, where the supply stores’ electrical energy causes an imbalance in the system. The optimal conditions are related by adjusting the voltage of the bus location. The key variables are the load voltage deviation (LVD), the variation of the load and the power, and the sizing of the distributed photovoltaic (DPV), which are added to the system for power stability. Here, a method to optimize the fast-charging stations (FCSs) and DPV is presented using an optimization technique comparison. The system tests the distribution line according to the bus grouping in the IEEE 33 bus system. This research presents a hypothesis to solve the problem of the voltage level in the system using metaheuristic algorithms: the cuckoo search algorithm (CSA), genetic algorithm (GA), and simulated annealing algorithm (SAA) are used to determine the optimal position for DPV deployment in the grid with the FCSs. The LVD, computation time, and total power loss for each iteration are compared. The voltage dependence power flow is applied using the backward/forward sweep method (BFS). The LVD is applied to define the objective function of the optimization techniques. The simulation results show that the SAA showed the lowest mean computation time, followed by the GA and the CSA. A possible location of the DPV is bus no. 6 for FCSs with high penetration levels, and the best FCS locations can be found with the GA, with the best percentage of best hit counter on buses no. 2, 3, 13, 14, 28, 15, and 27. Therefore, FCSs can be managed and handled in optimal conditions, and this work supports future FCS expansion.
Advances in the Development of Trifluoromethoxylation Reagents
Authors: Wang Qian , Zhang Xin , Sorochinsky Alexander E. , Butler Greg , Han Jianlin , Soloshonok Vadim A.
Published: December 2021

This review provides a short summary of the traditional methods for synthesis of CF3-O-containing compounds, followed by a critical overview of known trifluoromethoxylating reagents, focusing on their preparation, synthetic generality and limitations.
Fundamental Gravity and Gravitational Waves
Authors: Sturani Riccardo
Published: December 2021

While being as old as general relativity itself, the gravitational two-body problem has never been under so intense investigation as it is today, spurred by both phenomenological and theoretical motivations. The observations of gravitational waves emitted by compact binary coalescences bear the imprint of the source dynamics, and as the sensitivity of detectors improve over years, more accurate modeling is being required. The analytic modeling of classical gravitational dynamics has been enriched in this century by powerful methods borrowed from field theory. Despite being originally developed in the context of fundamental particle quantum scatterings, their applications to classical, bound system problems have shown that many features usually associated with quantum field theory, such as, e.g., divergences and counterterms, renormalization group, loop expansion, and Feynman diagrams, have only to do with field theory, be it quantum or classical. The aim of this work is to present an overview of this approach, which models massive astrophysical objects as nonrelativistic particles and their gravitational interactions via classical field theory, being well aware that while the introductory material in the present article is meant to represent a solid background for newcomers in the field, the results reviewed here will soon become obsolete, as this field is undergoing rapid development.
The Design and Implementation of an Improved Lightweight BLASTP on CUDA GPU
Authors: Sun Xue , Wu Chao-Chin , Liu Yan-Fang
Published: December 2021

In the field of computational biology, sequence alignment is a very important methodology. BLAST is a very common tool for performing sequence alignment in bioinformatics provided by National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) in the USA. The BLAST server receives tens of thousands of queries every day on average. Among the procedures of BLAST, the hit detection process whose core architecture is a lookup table is the most time-consuming. In the latest work, a lightweight BLASTP on CUDA GPU with a hybrid query-index table was proposed for servicing the sequence query length shorter than 512, which effectively improved the query efficiency. According to the reported protein sequence length distribution, about 90% of sequences are equal to or smaller than 1024. In this paper, we propose an improved lightweight BLASTP to speed up the hit detection time for longer query sequences. The largest sequence is enlarged from 512 to 1024. As a result, one more bit is required to encode each sequence position. To meet the requirement, an extended hybrid query-index table (EHQIT) is proposed to accommodate three sequence positions in a four-byte table entry, making only one memory access sufficient to retrieve all the position information as long as the number of hits is equal to or smaller than three. Moreover, if there are more than three hits for a possible word, all the position information will be stored in contiguous table entries, which eliminates branch divergence and reduces memory space for pointers to overflow buffer. A square symmetric scoring matrix, Blosum62, is used to determine the relative score made by matching two characters in a sequence alignment. The experimental results show that for queries shorter than 512 our improved lightweight BLASTP outperforms the original lightweight BLASTP with speedups of 1.2 on average. When the number of hit overflows increases, the speedup can be as high as two. For queries shorter than 1024, our improved lightweight BLASTP can provide speedups ranging from 1.56 to 3.08 over the CUDA-BLAST. In short, the improved lightweight BLASTP can replace the original one because it can support a longer query sequence and provide better performance.
Compound Fault Diagnosis of Rolling Bearing Based on ACMD, Gini Index Fusion and AO-LSTM
Authors: Ma Jie , Wang Xinyu
Published: December 2021

Due to the symmetry of the rolling bearing structure and the rotating operation mode, it will cause the coupling modulation phenomenon when it is damaged in multiple places at the same time, which makes it difficult to accurately identify all kinds of faults. For such problems, a compound fault diagnosis method based on adaptive chirp mode decomposition (ACMD), Gini index fusion and long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network optimized by Aquila Optimizer (AO) is proposed. Firstly, a series of IMF components are obtained by decomposing the vibration signal by means of ACMD, and the required components are selected by using the correlation coefficient method. Then, the Gini index of the square envelope (GISE) and the Gini index of the square envelope spectrum (GISES) of each component are calculated, respectively, and they are fused to construct a highly dimensional feature matrix. Then, with the aim of solving the problem of difficult selection of LSTM hyperparameters, the AO-LSTM model is constructed. Finally, the feature matrix is divided into a training set and a test set. The training set is input into the model for training, and then the training network is used to predict the test set, and outputs diagnostic results. The simulation and experimental results show that the proposed method can achieve higher accuracy and stronger robustness, compared with the existing intelligent diagnosis methods for bearing compound faults.
Carbonyl Composition and Electrophilicity in Vaping Emissions of Flavored and Unflavored E-Liquids
Authors: Chen Jin Y. , Canchola Alexa , Lin Ying-Hsuan
Published: December 2021

It has been demonstrated that propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerin (VG), and flavoring chemicals can thermally degrade to form carbonyls during vaping, but less is known about carbonyl emissions produced by transformation of flavoring chemicals and the interactive effects among e-liquid constituents. This study characterized carbonyl composition and levels in vaping emissions of PG-VG (e-liquid base solvents) and four e-liquid formulations flavored with trans-2-hexenol, benzyl alcohol, l-(-)-menthol, or linalool. Utilizing gas chromatography (GC)- and liquid chromatography (LC)-mass spectrometry (MS) methods, 14 carbonyls were identified and quantified. PG-VG emitted highest levels of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acrolein. However, flavored e-liquids contributed to the production of a wider variety of carbonyls, with some carbonyls directly corresponding to the oxidation of alcohol moieties in flavoring compounds (e.g., trans-2-hexenol and benzyl alcohol transformed into trans-2-hexenal and benzaldehyde, respectively). Detections of formaldehyde-GSH and trans-2-hexenal-GSH adducts signify interactions of carbonyls with biological nucleophiles. The global reactivity descriptors (I, A, μ, η, and ω) and condensed Fukui parameters (fk0, fk−, fk+, and dual-descriptor) were computed to elucidate site reactivities of selected simple and α,β-unsaturated carbonyls found in vaping emissions. Overall, this study highlights carbonyl emissions and reactivities and their potential health risk effects associated with vaping.
Protracted Impairment of Maternal Metabolic Health in Mouse Dams Following Pregnancy Exposure to a Mixture of Low Dose Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals, a Pilot Study
Authors: Merrill Alyssa K. , Anderson Timothy , Conrad Katherine , Marvin Elena , James-Todd Tamarra , Cory-Slechta Deborah A. , Sobolewski Marissa
Published: December 2021

Pregnancy, a period of increased metabolic demands coordinated by fluctuating steroid hormones, is an understudied critical window of disease susceptibility for later-life maternal metabolic health. Epidemiological studies have identified associations between exposures to various endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) with an increased risk for metabolic syndrome, obesity, and diabetes. Whether such adverse outcomes would be heightened by concurrent exposures to multiple EDCs during pregnancy, consistent with the reality that human exposures are to EDC mixtures, was examined in the current pilot study. Mouse dams were orally exposed to relatively low doses of four EDCs: (atrazine (10 mg/kg), bisphenol-A (50 µg/kg), perfluorooctanoic acid (0.1 mg/kg), 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (0.036 µg/kg)), or the combination (MIX), from gestational day 7 until birth or for an equivalent 12 days in non-pregnant females. Glucose intolerance, serum lipids, weight, and visceral adiposity were assessed six months later. MIX-exposed dams exhibited hyperglycemia with a persistent elevation in blood glucose two hours after glucose administration in a glucose tolerance test, whereas no such effects were observed in MIX-exposed non-pregnant females. Correspondingly, MIX dams showed elevated serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL). There were no statistically significant differences in weight or visceral adipose; MIX dams showed an average visceral adipose volume to body volume ratio of 0.09, while the vehicle dams had an average ratio of 0.07. Collectively, these findings provide biological plausibility for the epidemiological associations observed between EDC exposures during pregnancy and subsequent maternal metabolic dyshomeostasis, and proof of concept data that highlight the importance of considering complex EDC mixtures based of off common health outcomes, e.g., for increased risk for later-life maternal metabolic effects following pregnancy.
Ecological Effects of Benzyl Chloride on Different Korean Aquatic Indigenous Species Using an Artificial Stream Mesocosm Simulating a Chemical Spill
Authors: Kim Soo-Yeon , Park Seong-Hwan , Kim Dae-Wook , Noh Won , Lee Sang-Jun , Jeong Hee-Jin , Park Jong-Bin , Gwak Yeong-Ji , Park Jin-Woo , Yeom Dong-Hyuk
Published: December 2021

In this study, an artificial stream mesocosm consisting of a head tank, faster-flowing riffle section, gravel section, pool section, lower-run section, and tail tank was installed to simulate a chemical spill in a river. The responses of freshwater periphyton algae, crustacea (Moina macrocopa), freshwater worm (Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri), benthic midge (Glyptotendipes tokunagai), and fish (Zacco platypus and Aphyocypris chinensis) were observed after exposure to benzyl chloride (classified as an accident preparedness substance, APS) at concentrations of 1, 2, and 4 µL/L for 22.5 h. Higher concentrations increased the inhibition (photosynthetic efficiency decrease) of periphyton algae and the mortality of M. macrocopa, whereas the reproduction of the female cladoceran decreased in the 4 µL/L treatment. Mortality of fish did not occur or was lower (≤20%) at all concentrations; however, toxic symptoms were observed for some time after chemical exposure termination and later, symptoms receded. G. tokunagai mortality increased at all concentrations except the control after seven days, and no significant toxic effects were observed in L. hoffmeisteri. The hazardous concentration of benzyl chloride was calculated as 94 µg/L. This study showed the different sensitivities of each species to benzyl chloride. The findings can assist in environmental risk assessment of APSs after chemical spills to protect Korean aquatic species.
Antagonistic Effects of Enrofloxacin on Carbendazim-Induced Developmental Toxicity in Zebrafish Embryos
Authors: Fan Ruiqi , Zhang Wanjun , Jia Li , Luo Sunlin , Liu Ying , Jin Yongpeng , Li Yongchen , Yuan Xiaoyan , Chen Yiqiang
Published: December 2021

Carbendazim (CAR) and enrofloxacin (ENF) are frequently detected in fruits and meat products, respectively. Since most people consume fruits, vegetables, and meat products, combined exposure is possible, necessitating further evaluation of toxic interactions. In this study, the developmental toxicity of separate and combined exposure was examined in zebrafish embryos. Carbendazim exposure at 0.79 mg/L and above significantly affected developmental parameters, while enrofloxacin alone had no substantial effects on these developmental parameters within the selected concentration range (0.10–0.40 mg/L). Surprisingly, ENF antagonized the CAR-evoked reduction in the 48 hpf (hours post-fertilization) hatching rate and the increases in the 96 hpf malformation and lethality rates. The results revealed that the antagonism might be associated with reciprocal effects of these compounds on metabolism-related genes, such as cyp7a1 and apoa1a. These results reveal a complex interaction between ENF and CAR on metabolic regulation during development and highlight the importance of combined assessment for agents with the potential for simultaneous exposure.
Charged Particle Motions near Non-Schwarzschild Black Holes with External Magnetic Fields in Modified Theories of Gravity
Authors: Zhang Hongxing , Zhou Naying , Liu Wenfang , Wu Xin
Published: December 2021

A small deformation to the Schwarzschild metric controlled by four free parameters could be referred to as a nonspinning black hole solution in alternative theories of gravity. Since such a non-Schwarzschild metric can be changed into a Kerr-like black hole metric via a complex coordinate transformation, the recently proposed time-transformed, explicit symplectic integrators for the Kerr-type spacetimes are suitable for a Hamiltonian system describing the motion of charged particles around the non-Schwarzschild black hole surrounded with an external magnetic field. The obtained explicit symplectic methods are based on a time-transformed Hamiltonian split into seven parts, whose analytical solutions are explicit functions of new coordinate time. Numerical tests show that such explicit symplectic integrators for intermediate time steps perform well long-term when stabilizing Hamiltonian errors, regardless of regular or chaotic orbits. One of the explicit symplectic integrators with the techniques of Poincaré sections and fast Lyapunov indicators is applied to investigate the effects of the parameters, including the four free deformation parameters, on the orbital dynamical behavior. From the global phase-space structure, chaotic properties are typically strengthened under some circumstances, as the magnitude of the magnetic parameter or any one of the negative deformation parameters increases. However, they are weakened when the angular momentum or any one of the positive deformation parameters increases.
Bacteriophage-Resistant Salmonella rissen: An In Vitro Mitigated Inflammatory Response
Authors: Capparelli Rosanna , Cuomo Paola , Papaianni Marina , Pagano Cristina , Montone Angela Michela Immacolata , Ricciardelli Annarita , Iannelli Domenico
Published: December 2021

Non-typhoid Salmonella (NTS) represents one of the major causes of foodborne diseases, which are made worse by the increasing emergence of antibiotic resistance. Thus, NTS are a significant and common public health concern. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether selection for phage-resistance alters bacterial phenotype, making this approach suitable for candidate vaccine preparation. We therefore compared two strains of Salmonella enterica serovar Rissen: RR (the phage-resistant strain) and RW (the phage-sensitive strain) in order to investigate a potential cost associated with the bacterium virulence. We tested the ability of both RR and RW to infect phagocytic and non-phagocytic cell lines, the activity of virulence factors associated with the main Type-3 secretory system (T3SS), as well as the canonic inflammatory mediators. The mutant RR strain—compared to the wildtype RW strain—induced in the host a weaker innate immune response. We suggest that the mitigated inflammatory response very likely is due to structural modifications of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Our results indicate that phage-resistance might be exploited as a means for the development of LPS-based antibacterial vaccines.