bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Highly Stable and Nontoxic Lanthanum-Treated Activated Palygorskite for the Removal of Lake Water Phosphorus
Authors: Biswas Bhabananda , Naidu Ravi
Published: November 2021

Nutrient pollution of surface water, such as excess phosphate loading on lake surface water, is a significant issue that causes ecological and financial damage. Despite many technologies that can remove available phosphate, such as material-based adsorption of those available phosphate ions, the development of a material that can trap them from the surface water is worth doing, considering other aspects. These aspects are: (i) efficient adsorption by the material while it settles down to the water column, and (ii) the material itself is not toxic to the lake natural microorganism. Considering these aspects, we developed a trace lanthanum-grafted surface-modified palygorskite, a fibrous clay mineral. It adsorbed a realistic amount of phosphate from the lake water (typically 0.13–0.22 mg/L). The raw and modified palygorskite (Pal) includes unmodified Australian Pal, heated (at ~400 °C) Pal, and acid (with 3 M HCl)-treated Pal. Among them, while acid-treated Pal grafted a lower amount of La, it had a higher adsorption capacity (1.243 mg/g) and a quicker adsorption capacity in the time it took to travel to the bottom of the lake (97.6% in 2 h travel time), indicating the adsorption role of both La and clay mineral. The toxicity of these materials was recorded null, and in some period of the incubation of the lake microorganism with the material mixture, La-grafted modified clays increased microbial growth. As a total package, while a high amount of La on the already available material could adsorb a greater amount of phosphate, in this study a trace amount of La on modified clays showed adsorption effectiveness for the realistic amount of phosphate in lake water without posing added toxicity.
Comparative Study on the Power Consumption and Flow Field Characteristics of a Three-Blade Combined Agitator
Authors: Zhang Yan , Zhang Lixin , Wang Huan , Ma Xiao , Yu Siyao , Yan Yongchun , Bu Haoran
Published: November 2021

The three-blade combined agitator consists of two propulsion blades of the same type (including planar propeller blades b, δ = 36.87°) and a curved blade (θ = 30°). Using numerical simulation methods, the power characteristics, flow field distribution, turbulence characteristics and dead zone percentage of two kinds of three-blade combined agitators (TBCAs) from laminar flow to turbulent flow in a mixing vessel were studied. Moreover, the torque measurement method was used to perform experimental verification. The results show that the predicted power curve is consistent with the experimental results. The fluid velocity near the propeller blades in the TBC-B type agitator (δ = 36.87°) is significantly high, and the maximum increase of the total velocity can reach 30.3%. The fluid flow velocity near the curved blades is increased, and the radial diffusion ability of the fluid at the bottom of the stirring vessel is enhanced. When mixing low-viscosity fluids, the TBC-B type agitator can increase the fluid velocity near the paddle area, with a maximum increase of 22.1%. The vertical combination of curved blades and planar propeller blades can effectively reduce the tangential velocity and increase the axial and radial velocities. When stirring high-viscosity fluids, the speed of the TBC-B type agitator in the near paddle area and far end of the blade is higher than that of the TBC-A type agitator. Under the same conditions, the TBC-B-type agitator exhibits superior fluid discharge performance and can be used in a wider range of viscosities. When Re = 44,910, the dead zone percentage of the TBC-A type agitator is 0.0216. The percentage of dead zones produced by the TBC-B-type agitator is smaller, and the mixing effect is superior to that of the TBC-A-type agitator.
Untethered Origami Worm Robot with Diverse Multi-Leg Attachments and Responsive Motions under Magnetic Actuation
Authors: Sivaperuman Kalairaj Manivannan , Cai Catherine Jiayi , S Pavitra , Ren Hongliang
Published: November 2021

Nowadays, origami folding in combination with actuation mechanisms can offer deployable structure design, yield compliance, and have several properties of soft material. An easy complex folding pattern can yield an array of functionalities in actuated hinges or active spring elements. This paper presents various cylinder origami robot designs that can be untethered magnetically actuated. The different designs are analyzed and compared to achieve the following three types of motion: Peristaltic, rolling, and turning in different environments, namely, board, sandpaper, and sand. The proposed origami robot is able translate 53 mm in peristaltic motion within 20 s and is able to roll one complete cycle in 1 s and can turn ≈180∘ in 1.5 s. The robot also demonstrated a peristaltic locomotion at a speed of ≈2.5 mm s−1, ≈1.9 mm s−1, and ≈1.3 mm s−1 in board, sandpaper, and sand respectively; rolling motion at a speed of 1 cycle s−1, ≈0.66 cycles s−1, and ≈0.33 cycles s−1 in board, sandpaper, and sand respectively; and turning motion of ≈180∘, ≈83∘, and ≈58∘ in board, sandpaper, and sand respectively. The evaluation of the robotic motion and actuation is discussed in detail in this paper.
Bagging and Boosting Ensemble Classifiers for Classification of Multispectral, Hyperspectral and PolSAR Data: A Comparative Evaluation
Authors: Jafarzadeh Hamid , Mahdianpari Masoud , Gill Eric , Mohammadimanesh Fariba , Homayouni Saeid
Published: November 2021

In recent years, several powerful machine learning (ML) algorithms have been developed for image classification, especially those based on ensemble learning (EL). In particular, Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) and Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM) methods have attracted researchers’ attention in data science due to their superior results compared to other commonly used ML algorithms. Despite their popularity within the computer science community, they have not yet been well examined in detail in the field of Earth Observation (EO) for satellite image classification. As such, this study investigates the capability of different EL algorithms, generally known as bagging and boosting algorithms, including Adaptive Boosting (AdaBoost), Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM), XGBoost, LightGBM, and Random Forest (RF), for the classification of Remote Sensing (RS) data. In particular, different classification scenarios were designed to compare the performance of these algorithms on three different types of RS data, namely high-resolution multispectral, hyperspectral, and Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolSAR) data. Moreover, the Decision Tree (DT) single classifier, as a base classifier, is considered to evaluate the classification’s accuracy. The experimental results demonstrated that the RF and XGBoost methods for the multispectral image, the LightGBM and XGBoost methods for hyperspectral data, and the XGBoost and RF algorithms for PolSAR data produced higher classification accuracies compared to other ML techniques. This demonstrates the great capability of the XGBoost method for the classification of different types of RS data.
A New Approach to Identify On-Ground Lamp Types from Night-Time ISS Images
Authors: Rybnikova Natalia , Sánchez de Miguel Alejandro , Rybnikov Sviatoslav , Brook Anna
Published: November 2021

Artificial night-time light (NTL), emitted by various on-ground human activities, has become intensive in many regions worldwide. Its adverse effects on human and ecosystem health crucially depend on the light spectrum, making the remote discrimination between different lamp types a highly important task. However, such studies remain extremely limited, and none of them exploit freely available satellite imagery. In the present analysis, the possibility to remotely assess the relative contribution of different lamp types into outdoor lighting is tested. For this sake, we match two data sources: (i) the radiometrically calibrated RGB image provided by the ISS (coarse spectral resolution data), and (ii) a set of in situ measurements with detailed spectral signatures conducted by ourselves (fine spectral resolution data). First, we analyze the fine spectral resolution data: using spectral signatures of standard lamp types from the LICA UCM library as endmembers, we perform an unmixing analysis upon NTL in situ measurements; by this, we obtain the estimates for relative contributions of the standard lamp types in each examined in situ measurement. Afterward, we focus on the coarse spectral resolution data: by using various types of statistical models, we predict the estimated relative contributions of each lamp type via RGB characteristics of spatially corresponding pixels of the ISS image. The built models predict sufficiently well (with R2 reaching ~0.87) the contributions of two standard lamp types: high-pressure sodium (HPS) and metal-halide (MH) lamps, the most widespread lamp types in the study area (Haifa, Israel). The restored map for HPS allocation demonstrates high concordance with the network of municipal roads, while that for MH shows notable coincidence with the industrial facilities and the airport.
Tracking a Surrogate Hazardous Agent (Rhodamine Dye) in a Coastal Ocean Environment Using In Situ Measurements and Concentration Estimates Derived from Drone Images
Authors: Filippi Margaux , Hanlon Regina , Rypina Irina I. , Hodges Benjamin A. , Peacock Thomas , Schmale David G.
Published: November 2021

New tools and technology are needed to track hazardous agents such as oil and red tides in our oceans. Rhodamine dye (a surrogate hazardous agent) was released into the Atlantic ocean in August 2018, and experiments were conducted to track the movement of the dye near the water surface within three hours following the release. A DrOne Water Sampling SystEm (DOWSE), consisting of a 3D-printed sampling device tethered to a drone, was used to collect 26 water samples at different locations around the dye plume. Rhodamine concentrations were measured from the drone water samples using a fluorometer and ranged from 1 to 93 ppb. Dye images were taken during the drone-sampling of surface water containing dye and at about 10 m above the sampling point. These images were post-processed to estimate dye concentrations across the sampling domain. A comparison of calibrated heat maps showed that the altitude images yielded dye distributions that were qualitatively similar to those from images taken near the ocean surface. Moreover, the association between red ratios and dye concentrations yielded trendlines explaining up to 67% of the variation. Drones may be used to detect, track and assist in mitigating hazardous agents in the future.
GPR Image Noise Removal Using Grey Wolf Optimisation in the NSST Domain
Authors: He Xingkun , Wang Can , Zheng Rongyao , Li Xiwen
Published: November 2021

Hyper-wavelet transforms, such as a non-subsampled shearlet transform (NSST), are one of the mainstream algorithms for removing random noise from ground-penetrating radar (GPR) images. Because GPR image noise is non-uniform, the use of a single fixed threshold for noisy coefficients in each sub-band of hyper-wavelet denoising algorithms is not appropriate. To overcome this problem, a novel NSST-based GPR image denoising grey wolf optimisation (GWO) algorithm is proposed. First, a time-varying threshold function based on the trend of noise changes in GPR images is proposed. Second, an edge area recognition and protection method based on the Canny algorithm is proposed. Finally, GWO is employed to select appropriate parameters for the time-varying threshold function and edge area protection method. The Natural Image Quality Evaluator is utilised as the optimisation index. The experiment results demonstrate that the proposed method provides excellent noise removal performance while protecting edge signals.
Evaluation of a Low-Moisture, Molasses-Based Block Containing Organic Sources of Trace Minerals and a Saccharomyces cerevisiae Fermentation Culture during the Feedlot Receiving Phase on Growth Performance, Efficiency of Dietary Net Energy Utilization, and Liver Trace Mineral Status in Newly Weaned Steer Calves
Authors: Hamilton Thomas G. , Rusche Warren C. , Wright Cody L. , Walker Julie A. , Smith Zachary K.
Published: November 2021

The objective of this study was to evaluate the growth performance responses and liver trace mineral status of newly weaned steer calves offered a low-moisture, molasses-based block “stress tub” containing organic sources of trace minerals and a Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation culture during the first 21-d of a 42-d feedlot receiving phase. Newly weaned, single source Charolais x Angus steer calves (n = 46; body weight [BW] = 240; SEM = 1.0 kg) were used in a 42-d randomized complete block design feedlot receiving experiment. On d -1 all steers were individually weighed in the morning for allotment purposes, and steers were then stratified by initial BW and allotted to one of ten pens (n = 4 to 5 steers per pen; 5 pens per treatment) that were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatments: 1) no cooked molasses “stress” tub (Con) or 2) ad libitum access to a cooked molasses “stress” tub (Stress Tub; Purina Animal Nutrition, St. Louis, MO, USA) for the first 21-d (Tub). Steers were allotted to their study pens within 36 h of weaning, and the “stress” tub was introduced approximately 24 h post arrival. During the initial 14-d on feed, intake was managed by feed calls to accommodate adaptation to the receiving diet. Following the adaptation period, bunks were managed using a slick bunk management approach. Tub disappearance was monitored daily. Liver biopsies (n = 2 steers/pen) were collected on d 7, 21, and 42 for the determination of Co, Cu, Mn, and Zn. From d 0 to 21 and d 0 to 42, steers from the Tub treatment consumed greater (p ≤ 0.01) amounts of Co, Cu, Mn, and Zn compared with those in the Con treatment. A treatment × day interaction for hepatic concentrations of Co (p = 0.09), Cu (p = 0.01), and Zn (p = 0.01) were noted. On d 7, steers from Tub had greater (p ≤ 0.01) hepatic Co, Cu, and Zn concentrations compared with Con. On d 21, steers from Tub had greater (p ≤ 0.01) hepatic concentrations of Co and Cu; hepatic Zn was similar between treatments (p = 0.83). On study d 42 steers from Tub had greater (p = 0.01) hepatic Cu; however, hepatic concentrations for Co or Zn did not differ (p ≥ 0.34). During the initial 21 d of the experiment, gain efficiency was enhanced (p = 0.03) by 25.0% in steers from Tub compared with Con. Cumulative ADG, DMI, dietary NE utilization and G:F did not differ (p ≥ 0.14) between treatments. It is concluded that the use of stress tubs does not influence the overall growth performance or NE value of the diet during a 42-d receiving period. Stress tub consumption increased hepatic mineral stores during the initial 21-d period and enhanced the Cu status of calves throughout the 42-d period.
Graph Coverings for Investigating Non Local Structures in Proteins, Music and Poems
Authors: Planat Michel , Aschheim Raymond , Amaral Marcelo M. , Fang Fang , Irwin Klee
Published: November 2021

We explore the structural similarities in three different languages, first in the protein language whose primary letters are the amino acids, second in the musical language whose primary letters are the notes, and third in the poetry language whose primary letters are the alphabet. For proteins, the non local (secondary) letters are the types of foldings in space (α-helices, β-sheets, etc.); for music, one is dealing with clear-cut repetition units called musical forms and for poems the structure consists of grammatical forms (names, verbs, etc.). We show in this paper that the mathematics of such secondary structures relies on finitely presented groups fp on r letters, where r counts the number of types of such secondary non local segments. The number of conjugacy classes of a given index (also the number of graph coverings over a base graph) of a group fp is found to be close to the number of conjugacy classes of the same index in the free group Fr−1 on r−1 generators. In a concrete way, we explore the group structure of a variant of the SARS-Cov-2 spike protein and the group structure of apolipoprotein-H, passing from the primary code with amino acids to the secondary structure organizing the foldings. Then, we look at the musical forms employed in the classical and contemporary periods. Finally, we investigate in much detail the group structure of a small poem in prose by Charles Baudelaire and that of the Bateau Ivre by Arthur Rimbaud.
Arginine, as a Key Indicator for Real-Time Stability Monitoring of Quality Control in the Newborn Screening Test Using Dried Blood Spot
Authors: Lee Hyun-Seung
Published: November 2021

Dried blood spots (DBS) have advantages such as minimizing blood collection volume and the distress to neonate. DBS have been used for tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS)-based newborn screening tests (NST) of amino acid (AA) and acylcarnitine. The Newborn Screening Quality Assurance Program (NSQAP) have been provided quality control (QC) materials for MS/MS, as DBS cards. The NSQAP is generally provided within 14 months of the shelf life and the recommended storage condition is at −10 °C to −30 °C. Previously, several accelerated degradation studies had been performed to determine the transportation stability and short-term stability of AAs and acylcarnitines in DBS. However, the experimental condition is markedly different to the storage condition. We performed long-term monitoring for the real-time stability of seven AAs and 14 acylcarnitines from three levels of 2012 NSQAP QC materials across a time period of 788 days. Arginine suddenly yielded a catastrophic degeneration pattern, which started around D300. When comparing this with previous accelerated degradation studies, methionine, tyrosine, citrulline, and acetylcarnitine did not show a remarkable measurand drift for the real-time stability, except for arginine. Our study showed that arginine would require intensive QC monitoring in routine practice, and should be used for the assessment of the stability in long-term storage of DBS samples for biobanking.
Centralized Industrialization in the Memory of Places. Case Studies of Romanian Cities
Authors: Săgeată Radu , Mitrică Bianca , Mocanu Irena
Published: November 2021

The paper highlights the impact of excessive industrialization during the centralized economy era on urban spatial identity, as well as the disruption of this identity through political-administrative decisions, a phenomenon characteristic of the Central and Eastern European region during the era of centralized economies. The tendency to rebalance urban territorial systems is achieved through deindustrialization, together with reindustrialization and tertiarization. All these changes affect functionality, physiognomy as well as urban culture, and can be quantified through the changes in the memory of places. Urban toponyms related to industrialization are disappearing and are replaced by toponyms that illustrate the historical past of the city and, in general, its spatial identity. The paper aims to contribute to the development of research on the impact of oversized industrialization on the memory of places, in the context of the transition from industrial to service-based economies, a process that affected the states of the former Communist Bloc after 1990. Based on bibliographic sources and field research conducted between 2008 and 2020 in two cities in Romania (Bucharest, the country’s capital, and Galați, the largest river and seaport and the main centre of the steel industry in the country), we have evaluated quantitatively these changes with the help of indices resulting from the toponymic changes resulting from these processes. The study shows that the functional disturbances due to the oversized industrialization that characterized the communist period only managed to a small extent to affect the correlation between the spatial identity of the two cities and their toponymy.
Essential Patents and Knowledge Position, a Network Analysis on the Basis of Patent Citations
Authors: Jiang Jiaming , Zhang Xingyuan
Published: November 2021

Technology standards are considered important tools for increasing bargaining power and licensing revenues by combining the strategies of firms with the standard-setting organizations (SSOs) standardization processes. The essential patents declared by members of the SSOs play a critical role in such standardization processes. Some former researchers have found that, when using network analysis for measuring the knowledge positions in the “main-path” of standards-based markets, the essential patents did not match very well with the actual knowledge positions of the firms, in most cases. In this paper, we focus on the essential patents declared by the member firms in JTC1, an SSO that provides a standards development environment related to the development of the worldwide information and communication technology (ICT) standards for business and consumer applications, and that employs social network analysis techniques to investigate the knowledge positions of the patents, not only in the “main-path” discussed in the earlier literature, but also in the brokerage processes. We found that the brokerage-process approach helped us to better understand the roles of the essential patents that dominate transactions, relations, and the exchange of knowledge in the patent citation network than that of the main-path. Our findings suggest that claiming essentiality depends on the strategic behavior not only of the patents’ owners, but also of the SSOs.
From Profit to Purpose: How Electric Utility Multinationals Visualize Systemic Change and Adaptation of Organizational Ethical Culture through Scenarios for 2040
Authors: Dal Borgo Rodrigo , Sasia Pedro
Published: November 2021

This article explores how top executives from two electric utility multinationals visualize systemic change and adaptation of their ethical cultures in the future. Allaire and Firsirotu’s framework for organizational culture was incorporated with scenario planning which focused on the influence that the contextual environment exerts on building an organizational ethical culture. The study relied on a holistic and a systems thinking approach to cluster and evaluate six key themes perceived to lead to disruptions in ethical culture. Consequently arriving at the aim to conceive four possible scenarios for 2040 on the future of organizational dynamics and ethical culture in the private electric utility sector. The attributions of relevance for organizational ethical culture and the interrelationships among six key themes demonstrated the greater significance of two themes: From profit to purpose and Environment and Sustainability. As the main driving forces, these two themes guided the development of the scenarios and provided further insights into the flow of power relations, agency, and leverage points for an organizational ethical system.
Sustainability & CSR: The Relationship with Hofstede Cultural Dimensions
Authors: Tehrani Minoo , Rathgeber Andreas , Fulton Lawrence , Schmutz Bryan
Published: November 2021

This research explores the relationship between Hofstede’s femininity cultural dimension of quality of life and the masculinity cultural dimension of drive for success manifested by materialistic wealth by investigating the market value of the publicly traded firms appearing on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSIs). The firms added to the DJSIs between the years 2010–2019 in countries with the femininity cultural dimension indicated by scores of ≤42, were selected for the first part of this study. In addition, France, with a masculinity score of 43 and Japan, with the highest masculinity score of 92, were chosen for comparison with the results from the countries with the femininity cultural dimension. The findings of this study indicate that companies in developed and emerging countries with the femininity cultural dimension show significant positive impact on their market values when added to the DJSIs. The publicly traded firms in France show a significant negative impact on their market values when added to the DJSIs. On the other hand, Japanese companies on the addition lists of DJSIs show a significant positive impact on their market values, despite Japan having the highest Hofstede masculinity score, a potential sign of cultural change in Japan.
Characterizing the Theory of Energy Transition in Luxembourg, Part Two—On Energy Enthusiasts’ Viewpoints
Authors: Arababadi Ali , Leyer Stephan , Hansen Joachim , Arababadi Reza , Pignatta Gloria
Published: November 2021

The energy transition is a certain phenomenon in the future of the world. However, exploring the existing literature suggests that public considerations have not been analyzed in Luxembourg yet. A widespread move from the conventional energy system based on fossil fuels into a new energy system with renewable energy could not occur successfully without the strong support of the public. Characterizing a theory of transition was intended to fill in the gap of knowledge of the field. To ground the built theory, it is necessary to collect as much empirical data as possible. The applied methodology to collect data was to run a survey. Public groups in a variety of job statuses were invited to take part in the survey. The employed method to analyze the data was a combination of qualitative analysis with the pragmatic theory of truth. Overall, the number of collected responses reached 96. Notably, people did not imagine the future differently. They showed a lack of optimism in the future. The findings confirm that the necessity of energy transition is fairly far from people’s considerations. It is a big concern that the authors would like to highlight.
Innovation in Coping with the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Best Practices from Five Smart Cities in Indonesia
Authors: Rachmawati Rini , Mei Estuning Tyas Wulan , Nurani Idea Wening , Ghiffari Rizki Adriadi , Rohmah Amandita Ainur , Sejati Martina Ayu
Published: November 2021

In relation to innovations which help to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, the best practices of several smart cities become an important input to organize and create strategies for future cities. This research aims to identify the responses of cities to the COVID-19 pandemic; analyze their innovation in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic; and create strategies and planning for the future of the cities. This study analyzes aspects such as the use of information and communication technology (ICT), smart city implementation, the biological disaster of the COVID-19 pandemic, the environment, and spatial plans. This research was carried out in five smart cities using a case study. The results indicated that each case had innovations for coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. They showed a uniqueness and local innovations adapted to the problems faced in the five case areas. The innovations were demonstrated by the use of ICT-based applications in several public services as part of smart city implementation. The concept of a smart city, which addresses the biological disaster of the COVID-19 pandemic through the existence of ship-based isolation centers and sociotechnical innovations, was then adapted in various cities throughout Indonesia. In terms of the smart environment concept, this is translated through technological and social innovation approaches to improve medical and domestic waste management, public service systems, and the socialization of environmental protection programs in cities during the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic is allegedly accelerating the implementation of the smart city concept in spatial planning. There is a tendency for the use of public space in the city center to shift to local-scale service centers. Additionally, other activities are increasingly occupying the digital space so that it affects the arrangement of spatial organization and increases the need for ICT infrastructure. The efficient and flexible use of applications for supporting the implementation of smart cities needs to be broadened for the public services provided by both the government and private sectors. Meanwhile, in relation to the dimensions of a smart environment, it is necessary to take into account the waste management as a result of COVID-19. The same case is the aspect of spatial planning in which it is necessary to redesign open spaces for public use. City planning in the future also needs to be capable of the smart mitigation of non-physical disasters, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Effect of Blockchain Operation Capabilities on Competitive Performance in Supply Chain Management
Authors: Li Zhi-Peng , Ceong Hyi-Thaek , Lee Sang-Joon
Published: November 2021

Owing to blockchain characteristics such as transparency, traceability, and disintermediation, blockchain technology has been widely employed in sustainable supply chain management. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the use of blockchain technology in the supply chain. Although most companies have realized the importance of blockchain technology, they often lack understanding of how to plan, measure, cultivate, and improve their own blockchain operation capabilities. Academic research has insufficiently explored the connotations and internal structure of blockchain operation capabilities and does not provide a clear understanding of how to transform blockchain operation capabilities to produce effective performance. In this context, we proposed a concept of blockchain operation capabilities for first time. We took the perspectives of the resource-based view and sociomaterialism theory, based on IT capabilities, big data analysis capabilities, and existing blockchain supply chain research, and explored the relationship between blockchain operation capabilities and competitive performance. We then constructed a hierarchical model for blockchain operation capabilities. To test our proposed research model, we used an online survey to collect data from 1206 firm managers with blockchain technology supply chain experience. The results showed that blockchain operation capabilities has a positive impact on supply chain integration and competitive performance, while supply chain integration has a strong mediating effect on the blockchain operation capabilities and competitive performance relationship. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Performance Measurement Systems for Circular Supply Chain Management: Current State of Development
Authors: Vegter Dennis , Hillegersberg Jos van , Olthaar Matthias
Published: November 2021

With circular supply chain management, the need arises to measure circularity as well as economic, environmental, and social performance. This places higher demands on performance measurement systems for circular supply chain management. The current paper studies the extent to which performance measurement systems for circular supply chain management can meet these higher demands. To gain this insight, a systematic literature review is conducted. Moreover, existing definitions of circular supply chain management are reviewed and an improved definition of circular supply chain management is developed. The current paper finds, among other things, that the literature on performance measurement systems for circular supply chain management is scarce. Moreover, most of the available performance measurement systems for circular supply chain management have not been tested in practice and are therefore still in an early phase of development. Furthermore, none of the available performance measurement systems for circular supply chain management meet the requirements for effective performance measurement systems. More specifically, including interdependencies between performance measures is a requirement that none of the performance measurement systems for circular supply chain management can meet. Including interdependencies would better support the complex decision making that arises in circular supply chain management and enable one to challenge strategic assumptions about the improvement of circularity, economic, environmental, and social performance in parallel.
The Impact of Cost-of-Production Insurance on Input Expense of Fruit Growing in Ecologically Vulnerable Areas: Evidence from Shaanxi Province of China
Authors: Li Tao , Chen Lihong , Li Xiaoxu , Li Sha , Chen Haibing , Ji Hao
Published: November 2021

Planting fruit trees in ecologically vulnerable areas is an effective approach to achieving the goal of ecological protection and improving farmers’ livelihoods. However, in ecologically vulnerable areas, farmers still face agricultural production risks such as natural disasters, diseases, and pests. In order to help fruit growers avoid these risks and ensure the sustainability of their livelihoods, the Chinese government has launched cost-of-production (COP) insurance in these areas. Although previous studies have shown that the purchase of revenue- or yield-based crop insurance will change insured farmers’ input expense of chemicals in agricultural production, the existing literature lacksa discussion on how COP insurance affects the input expense of chemicals in fruit growing. Here, we address the existing research gap from both theoretical and empirical aspects by conducting surveys in 1051 households of fruit growers in the Shaanxi province of China. Theoretical deduction reveals that the COP insurance on input expenditure of chemicals can have an increasing effect. Using the 2SLS model and empirical analysis, we found that the insured fruit growers spent more on using chemical fertilizers and pesticides compared to non-insured fruit growers. These findings demonstrate that the COP insurance’s positive marginal incentive to apply more input expense of chemicals in production dominates the negative moral hazard effect.
Co-Inoculation of Bacillus spp. for Growth Promotion and Iron Fortification in Sorghum
Authors: Manasa Mansani , Ravinder Polapally , Gopalakrishnan Subramaniam , Srinivas Vadlamudi , Sayyed R. Z. , El Enshasy Hesham Ali , Yahayu Maizatulakmal , Kee Zuan Ali Tan , Kassem Hazem S. , Hameeda Bee
Published: November 2021

Seven Bacillus spp. isolated from the marine water and the rhizosphere of the medicinal plant Coscinium fenestratum were studied to produce plant growth promotion (PGP) traits invitro. Among the seven isolates, MMRH22 and RHPR20 produced copious amounts of PGP traits. Based on the 16S rRNA sequence, the two potent bacterial isolates, RHPR20 and MMRH22, were identified as Bacillus mojavensis and Bacillus cereus, respectively. A compatibility test between the isolates RHPR20 and MMRH22 revealed they are compatible and can be used as a consortium. Both isolates were evaluated for the plant growth promotion and the biofortification of sorghum under greenhouse conditions. Treatments included the application of MMRH22, RHPR20, their consortium (RHPR20 + MMRH22), and an uninoculated control. Inoculation with bacterial cultures resulted in a significant increase in the plant height; the number of leaves; the leaf area; the root, shoot, and leaf weight; and the yield of sorghum at 30 and 60 days after sowing (DAS). The scanning electron micrograph of the sorghum plant roots revealed extensive colonization in the plants treated with the bacterial cultures compared to the uninoculated control. The sorghum grains obtained after final harvest were analyzed for their nutrient content by ICP–OES. The biofortification in sorghum grains was varied and was found to enhance the iron content up to 97%. This study revealed that treatments with microbial consortia enhance plant growth, yield, and iron content, which could combat nutrient deficiencies in plants and humans.
TD-DFT Monitoring of the Absorption Spectra of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons over the Basque Country, Spain
Authors: González-Berdullas Patricia , Pinto da Silva Luís
Published: November 2021

Brown carbon is a type of carbonaceous aerosol with strong light absorption in the ultraviolet and visible wavelengths that leads to radiative forcing. However, it is difficult to correlate the chemical composition of brown carbon with its atmospheric light absorption properties, which translates into significant uncertainty. Thus, a time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) approach was used to model the real-world absorption properties of 14 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) over three regions of the Basque Country (Spain): Bilbao, Urretxu, and Azpeitia. The data were corrected for atmospheric concentration. The results show that the absorption spectra over each region are qualitatively identical, with the absorption intensities being significantly higher over Bilbao than over Azpeitia and Urretxu. Furthermore, it was found that the light absorption by PAHs should be more relevant for radiative forcing when it occurs at UVA and (sub)visible wavelengths. Finally, among the 14 studied PAHs, benzo[b]fluoranthene, pyrene, fluoranthene, benzo[a]pyrene, and benzo[k]fluoranthene and benzoperylene were identified as the molecules with larger contributions to radiative forcing.
Special Issue on Advances in Chiral Quark Models
Authors: Segovia Jorge
Published: November 2021

QCD is the strong interaction part of the Standard Model of Particle Physics, and solving it presents a fundamental problem that is unique in the history of science [...]
Control Problem Related to 2D Stokes Equations with Variable Density and Viscosity
Authors: Baranovskii Evgenii S. , Lenes Eber , Mallea-Zepeda Exequiel , Rodríguez Jonnathan , Vásquez Lautaro
Published: November 2021

We study an optimal control problem for the stationary Stokes equations with variable density and viscosity in a 2D bounded domain under mixed boundary conditions. On in-flow and out-flow parts of the boundary, nonhomogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions are used, while on the solid walls of the flow domain, the impermeability condition and the Navier slip condition are provided. We control the system by the external forces (distributed control) as well as the velocity boundary control acting on a fixed part of the boundary. We prove the existence of weak solutions of the state equations, by firstly expressing the fluid density in terms of the stream function (Frolov formulation). Then, we analyze the control problem and prove the existence of global optimal solutions. Using a Lagrange multipliers theorem in Banach spaces, we derive an optimality system. We also establish a second-order sufficient optimality condition and show that the marginal function of this control system is lower semi-continuous.
Dynamic Response Analysis of a Multiple Square Loops-String Dome under Seismic Excitation
Authors: Lin Zhenwei , Zhang Chao , Dong Jucan , Ou Jianliang , Yu Li
Published: November 2021

The interaction between multiple loops and string cables complicates the dynamic response of triple square loops-string dome structures under seismic excitation. The internal connection between the multiple square loops-string cables and the grid beams was studies to provide a favorable reference for an anti-seismic structure. With a finite element model of the Fuzhou Strait Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium, established by SAP2000 software, the structural dynamic characteristic parameters were obtained first, and then this study adopted a time-history analysis method to study the internal force response of the cables and the roof grid beams of the multiple square loops-string dome (MSLSD) under three types of seismic array excitation. The influence of two factors, namely the seismic pulse and the near and far seismic fields, on the dynamic response of this structure was analyzed by three groups of different types of seismic excitation (PNF, NNF, PFF). As shown from the results, the first three-order vibration modes were torsional deformations caused by cables, the last five were mainly the overall roof plane vibration and antisymmetric vibration. Under the excitation of the three seismic arrays, the internal force responses of stay cables, square cables in the outer ring and the string cables were largest, while the maximum internal force response of the struts changed with the direction of seismic excitation. The largest internal force response of the roof grid beams occurred in local components such as BX3, BX7 and BY7, and the largest deformation of the beam nodes occurred in JX7, JX12 and JY4. In general, the seismic pulse and the near seismic field weakened the internal force response of the struts and cables but increased the internal force response and deformation of the dome beams, while the near and far seismic fields outweighed the seismic pulse. All the above provides an important reference for structural monitoring and seismic resistance.
A Generalized Two-Dimensional Index to Measure the Degree of Deviation from Double Symmetry in Square Contingency Tables
Authors: Ando Shuji , Hoshi Hikaru , Ishii Aki , Tomizawa Sadao
Published: November 2021

The double symmetry model satisfies both the symmetry and point symmetry models simultaneously. To measure the degree of deviation from the double symmetry model, a two-dimensional index that can concurrently measure the degree of deviation from symmetry and point symmetry is considered. This two-dimensional index is constructed by combining two existing indexes. Although the existing indexes are constructed using power divergence, the existing two-dimensional index that can concurrently measure both symmetries is constructed using only Kullback-Leibler information, which is a special case of power divergence. Previous studies note the importance of using several indexes of divergence to compare the degrees of deviation from a model for several square contingency tables. This study, therefore, proposes a two-dimensional index based on power divergence in order to measure deviation from double symmetry for square contingency tables. Numerical examples show the utility of the proposed two-dimensional index using two datasets.
Another Antimagic Conjecture
Authors: Simanjuntak Rinovia , Nadeak Tamaro , Yasin Fuad , Wijaya Kristiana , Hinding Nurdin , Sugeng Kiki Ariyanti
Published: November 2021

An antimagic labeling of a graph G is a bijection f:E(G)→{1,…,|E(G)|} such that the weights w(x)=∑y∼xf(y) distinguish all vertices. A well-known conjecture of Hartsfield and Ringel (1990) is that every connected graph other than K2 admits an antimagic labeling. For a set of distances D, a D-antimagic labeling of a graph G is a bijection f:V(G)→{1,…,|V(G)|} such that the weightω(x)=∑y∈ND(x)f(y) is distinct for each vertex x, where ND(x)={y∈V(G)|d(x,y)∈D} is the D-neigbourhood set of a vertex x. If ND(x)=r, for every vertex x in G, a graph G is said to be (D,r)-regular. In this paper, we conjecture that a graph admits a D-antimagic labeling if and only if it does not contain two vertices having the same D-neighborhood set. We also provide evidence that the conjecture is true. We present computational results that, for D={1}, all graphs of order up to 8 concur with the conjecture. We prove that the set of (D,r)-regular D-antimagic graphs is closed under union. We provide examples of disjoint union of symmetric (D,r)-regular that are D-antimagic and examples of disjoint union of non-symmetric non-(D,r)-regular graphs that are D-antimagic. Furthermore, lastly, we show that it is possible to obtain a D-antimagic graph from a previously known distance antimagic graph.
Wideband Mixed Signal Separation Based on Photonic Signal Processing
Authors: Qi Yang , Shi Taichu , Wu Ben
Published: November 2021

The growing needs for high-speed and secure communications create an increasing challenge to the contemporary framework of signal processing. The coexistence of multiple high-speed wireless communication systems generates wideband interference. To protect the security and especially the privacy of users’ communications requires stealth communication that hides and recovers private information against eavesdropping attacks. The major problem in interference management and stealth information recovery is to separate the signal of interest from wideband interference/noise. However, the increasing signal bandwidth presents a real challenge to existing capabilities in separating the mixed signal and results in unacceptable latency. The photonic circuit processes a signal in an analog way with a unanimous frequency response over GHz bandwidth. The digital processor measures the statistical patterns of the signals with sampling rate orders of magnitude smaller than the Nyquist frequency. Under-sampling the signals significantly reduces the workload of the digital processor while providing accurate control of the photonic circuit to perform the real-time signal separations. The wideband mixed signal separation, based on photonic signal processing is scalable to multiple stages with the performance of each stage accrued.
Relationship between Urine Creatinine and Urine Osmolality in Spot Samples among Men and Women in the Danish Diet Cancer and Health Cohort
Authors: Ozdemir Selinay , Sears Clara , Harrington James , Poulsen Aslak , Buckley Jessie , Howe Chanelle , James Katherine , Tjonneland Anne , Wellenius Gregory , Raaschou-Nielsen Ole , Meliker Jaymie
Published: November 2021

Assays of urine biomarkers often use urine creatinine to account for urinary dilution, even though creatinine levels are influenced by underlying physiology and muscle catabolism. Urine osmolality—a measure of dissolved particles including ions, glucose, and urea—is thought to provide a more robust marker of urinary dilution but is seldom measured. The relationship between urine osmolality and creatinine is not well understood. We calculated correlation coefficients between urine creatinine and osmolality among 1375 members of a subcohort of the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health Cohort, and within different subgroups. We used linear regression to relate creatinine with osmolality, and a lasso selection procedure to identify other variables that explain remaining variability in osmolality. Spearman correlation between urine creatinine and osmolality was strong overall (ρ = 0.90; 95% CI: 0.89–0.91) and in most subgroups. Linear regression showed that urine creatinine explained 60% of the variability in urine osmolality, with another 9% explained by urine thallium (Tl), cesium (Cs), and strontium (Sr). Urinary creatinine and osmolality are strongly correlated, although urine Tl, Cs, and Sr might help supplement urine creatinine for purposes of urine dilution adjustment when osmolality is not available.
In Vitro Fish Models for the Analysis of Ecotoxins and Temperature Increase in the Context of Global Warming
Authors: Grunow Bianka , Franz George Philipp , Tönißen Katrin
Published: November 2021

Rising temperatures can affect fish survival, especially from shallower waters, as temperatures increase faster and more intensively in these areas; thus, species-specific temperature tolerance can be exceeded. Additionally, the amounts of anthropogenic pollutants are higher in coastal waters. Although increasing metabolic activity at higher temperatures could lead to stronger effects of toxins, there are hardly any studies on this topic. Subsequently, the aim was to investigate the response of fish cells upon exposure to industrial solvents (ethanol, isopropanol, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)) in relation to a temperature increase (20 °C and 25 °C). Concerning the 3Rs (the replacement, reduction and refinement of animal experiments), in vitro tests were used for two threatened, vulnerable fish species: maraena whitefish (Coregonus maraena) and Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus). Both cell lines exhibited higher proliferation at 25 °C. However, ecotoxicological results indicated significant differences regarding the cell line, toxin, temperature and exposure time. The evolutionarily older fish lineage, Atlantic sturgeon, demonstrated lower mortality rates in the presence of isopropanol and recovered better during long-term ethanol exposure than the maraena whitefish. Atlantic sturgeon cells have higher adaptation potential for these alcohols. In summary, fish species respond very specifically to toxins and changes in temperature, and new ecotoxicological questions arise with increasing water temperatures.