bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessment of the asphalt mixtures properties subjected to a flexural strength
Authors: Ruge J C , Rondon-Quintana H A , Bastidas-Martínez J G
Published: January 2022

Fatigue cracking by loading is one of the main mechanisms of damage to asphalt mixtures in service. Several studies worldwide have been conducted to try to understand the response that hot-mix asphalt undergo under this mechanism of damage. Despite the above, the fatigue phenomenon in asphalt mixtures is still not fully understood. The current research hypothesizes that the response under repeated loading of asphalt mixtures in fatigue tests can be more clearly understood through the one obtained under monotonic loading. For this reason, this study presents the results of the first phase of the research in which beams of asphalt mixtures were subjected to flexion using monotonic loads. The above, to correlate the evaluated properties with those obtained in a second phase where the response of the beams under repeated load (fatigue) will be measured. Beams made of two hot-mix asphalt mixes, two asphalt contents, and two different thicknesses were subjected to flexural strength tests. From the tests, the modulus of rupture, the maximum monotonic load that supports the beams in the failure state, the displacement in the failure state, and the relation between load and displacement were obtained. As a general conclusion of the study, it was obtained that the response experienced by the beams subjected to monotonic load has a broad correlation with the reported in the reference literature.
Numerical simulation of box culverts subjected to different physical actions and design regulations
Authors: Afanador Arias M V , Pacheco-Posada J S , Afanador García N
Published: January 2022

This research work was intended to provide a broad and suffcient solution to areas of diffcult vehicular traffic, where during the rainy season some watersheds present a non negligible water flow. The research carried out the structural design of different geometries of box culverts, to provide a solution to vehicular continuity in areas affected by water ows that interrupt pedestrian and vehicle traffic, endangering human lives. The structural designs followed the standards established by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Offcials and the Colombian bridge code. The designs were carried out using commercial software SAP2000 for analysis and design through Visual Basic programming, allowing a wide range of geometries and boundary conditions to be established. The structural designs indicated a significant difference in quantities of work in the construction of the box culverts for different geometries, indicating higher volumes of concrete for the designs made using the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Offcials code compared to Colombian bridge code. The Colombian bridge code has higher steel requirements for fills less than 3.00 m, while for greater heights the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Offcials code has the highest steel requirements.
Evaluation of the fire resistance of steel-reinforced concretefilled steel tubular columns with a circular cross-section
Authors: Rojas Suárez J P , Pabón León J A , Orjuela Abril M S
Published: January 2022

In the present investigation, an analysis of the fire resistance of the steel-reinforced concrete-filled steel tubular columns with circular cross-sections was carried out by means of numerical simulation. The development of the study was carried out by means of numerical simulation to predict the behavior of the column against fire. The results of the numerical model are validated by comparing the temperature levels obtained through experimental tests. From the results obtained, it is shown that the increase in the contact area between the steel and the concrete reduces the average temperature of the column, which implies a greater resistance to fire. The fire resistance of the columns with the steel profile designs are between 3.4 - 3.6 times higher compared to the column only made of concrete, which is an indication of the excellent performance of the steel-reinforced concrete-filled steel tubular columns with circular cross- sections columns. In general, the methodology proposed in this research allows the analysis of the thermal physical phenomena of the different columns used for the construction of buildings.
Resistance under Marshall monotonic load for asphalt concrete mixtures
Authors: Yung-Vargas Y W , Rodríguez-Lizcano A , Peña-Soto C A
Published: January 2022

The dense hot MDC-19 type asphalt mixes are considered, by the “Instituto Nacional de Vías” in Colombia, as continuous grading asphalt mixes (asphalt concrete). These constitute most of the surface course, in the structures of in-service pavements, being the object of study and research in different projects to ensure their durability. In the present investigation, unlike other investigations, the mechanical behavior under Marshall monotonic load was studied in the laboratory between MDC-19 dense type asphalt mixtures, comparing plant-produced and laboratory-produced asphalt mixtures. To carry out this process, samples of uncompacted asphalt mixtures were taken, produced in four fixed plants, with which Marshall-type briquettes were compacted. Likewise, samples of mineral aggregates and asphalt cement were obtained from the same plants, which constitute the mixtures raw material produced there. With these materials, briquettes with the same characteristics were mixed and compacted. Subsequently, the resistance under Marshall monotonic load was determined on the briquettes manufactured in plant and laboratory. The optimal asphalt cement content was compared between plant and laboratory- produced mixtures. An increase in Marshall Stability was found in the briquettes made with plant-produced mixtures, while these required a greater amount of asphalt cement for their production.
Corrosion resistance evaluation of carbon and vanadium-based sputtered coatings on steel substrates
Authors: Vera C , Sorzano R , Ardila L , Orozco G , Aperador W
Published: January 2022

Steels are in constant contact with fluids that could generate corrosion regardless the application in which this steel is located. AISI-SAE 1045 like steels is widely used in different applications in engineering, even several of these parts made of this steel suffers wear processes. The synergy between corrosion and wear phenomena exacerbates the detriment of some physical properties of the material conducing it to a failure. A potential alternative to avoid this issue is to coat the material surface with an anticorrosive material, and among different techniques to produce coatings, physical vapor deposition ones are environmentally friendly, secure and with excellent properties on the final product. We report the production of coatings based on vanadium and carbon on AISI-SAE 1045 steels substrates varying some of the deposition parameters in a sputtering coatings machine. A 23-factorial design of experiments was done with power applied to the vanadium target, power applied to the carbon target and temperature as active factors with two levels each one. A relevant effect of the power applied to V target and temperature on the anticorrosive properties of the coatings was found, thus increasing these factors levels always gives higher surface roughness and higher corrosion rates, this result together provides an important insight into the values that must be considered to achieve good anticorrosive properties on the material. Overall, these results indicate that with low V target power and room temperature, and high C target power the lowest corrosion rates and roughness of the group are achieved, both results agree.
Physical implementation of optimal control over a direct current
Authors: Devia D F , Mesa F , Devia D M
Published: January 2022

In the next manuscript we will show an interesting physical application of the technique of optimal control over a direct current, more exactly on a direct current motor. For this, the mathematical support or scaffolding that allows to establish the model of the problem will be presented in the development of the document, which contains a basic structure supported in a general dynamic system (linear or non-linear) and an objective function that will depend on the system. Although in essence the optimal control problems correspond to infinite spaces, the finite-dimensional case will be analyzed initially and then made an extension to the case of a quadratic linear regulator for an interval of infinite duration. The results of the implementation of this optimal control technique on a direct current motor will be analyzed by means of Bole diagrams that will represent the frequency response of the system and a follow-up diagram of set points and rejection of disturbances.
Finite element analysis of the voltage induced by a pair of electrodes in a cell membrane
Authors: Devia D F , Mesa F , Devia D M
Published: January 2022

This document analyses the distribution of the electric potential due to two electrodes that excite a membrane. The solution obtained numerically was approximated by means of the finite element method. The qualitative analysis of the results allows to know the intensity of the electric potential along the membrane in such a way that said electrodes that excite the membrane can be strategically located for academic and clinical purposes. Additionally, in a two- dimensional domain that represents the geometry of a membrane, the finite element method was executed, which allowed the behavior of the potential to be analyzed for an electric pulse at any point in the membrane. The above was generated by two electrodes.
Mathematical model and experimental validation for the prediction of dissolved oxygen saturation in aquaculture ponds
Authors: Valdez-Prudencio K M , Arceo-Diaz S , Bricio-Barrios J A , Bricio-Barrios E E
Published: January 2022

Fluid mechanics is one of the oldest areas of physics with the greatest number of applications in everyday life. This area became more versatile when mass and energy transport equations were incorporated. Together, these equations allow describing a wide variety of case studies with great precision. Among cases available in the open literature, aquaculture is one of the most important due to the growing need for food sources for human consumption, the nutritional value of many fish varieties, the low cost of the maintenance of fish farms. Dissolved oxygen is one of the most relevant parameters ensuring water quality in fish farming. Many fish farms use permanent artificial aeration systems for maintaining the oxygen level within the recommended range used, causing an increasing energy consumption. Therefore, this work proposes an equation and validation, based on equations hydraulics and transport phenomenon, capable of determining the maximum concentration of dissolved oxygen in the body from the operating parameters of the tilapia rearing pond.
Simulations of an impulsive model for the growth of fruit trees
Authors: Duque-Marín E , Rojas-Palma A , Carrasco-Benavides M
Published: January 2022

Mediterranean agricultural systems have been severely affected because of the decrease in rainfall and more frequent and severe droughts due to the global warming phenomenon. The current and future scenario of water deficit could have a negative effect on the growth and development rates of the fruit trees, reflected in the drop of production. To help to face this problem, this work presents a mathematical simulation model of fruit growth with two-time scales: a continuous scale that governs the dynamics of fruit growth and a discrete scale representing the period of time in which the system is intervened with irrigation supply. The results obtained in the simulations allow us to describe and understand the physical phenomena involved in the growth dynamics of fruit trees. In addition, show the importance of the water resource for the growth and development of fruit trees; therefore, a scenario of water deficit would compromise the production and existence of fruit trees.
Biomechanical analysis of grip strength in upper limb rehabilitation
Authors: Hernández Vergel V K , Prada Núñez R , Hernández Suárez C A
Published: January 2022

This research is based on biomechanics as a science that involves concepts of engineering, mechanics, physic, anatomy, physiology, and many others, to study the human body with the desire to solve certain problems that may affect the performance of an individual in their work or personal level. This work is an investigative process in these areas of scientific and applied disciplines, in which the attention is focused on the hand as a valuable tool for the occupational performance of the human being, since through it is possible to touch, move, grasp, or manipulate objects. Injuries to this limb may be due to various causes, which require complex surgeries and long periods of rehabilitation to be reversed. This research highlights the importance of certain physical concepts that must be understood by the rehabilitation expert in order not to affect the surgery and thus guarantee the maximum functionality of the patient at the end of the recovery cycle.
Energy-resolved neutron imaging with glass gas electron multiplier and dynamic time-over-threshold method
Authors: Mitsuya Yuki , Shimazoe Kenji , Fujiwara Takeshi , Takahashi Hiroyuki
Published: January 2022

Energy-resolved neutron imaging with pulsed neutron source provides quantitative neutron imaging techniques such as Bragg-edge imaging, resonance absorption imaging, and polarized neutron imaging. Micro-pattern gaseous detectors (MPGDs) such as gas electron multipliers (GEMs) are widely used in neutron detection. In this research, we will report on the first demonstration of energy-resolved neutron imaging with a glass gas electron multiplier (G-GEM) and the dynamic time-over-threshold (dToT) signal processing method. We successfully performed energy-resolved neutron imaging at J-PARC MLF by measuring incident position and the Time-of-Flight (TOF) of each neutron simultaneously.
The impact of inverted density gradients on density profiles measured by reflectometry: an experimental and numerical investigation at ASDEX Upgrade
Authors: Hachmeister D. , Silva C. , Santos J. , Conway G.D. , Gil L. , Silva A. , Stroth U. , Vicente J. , Wolfrum E.
Published: January 2022

The high-field side high-density (HFSHD) region at ASDEX Upgrade (AUG) is a well-documented phenomenon leading to a dense plasma in the inner divertor region that expands upwards to the midplane, resulting in poloidally asymmetric scrape-off layer density profiles. This work investigates, via simulation and experiment, whether the HFSHD at the midplane leads to hollow density profiles at the high-field side. Using the frequency-modulated continuous-wave O-mode reflectometer at AUG, experimental evidence has been found of reflection patterns compatible with a hollow density profile that are reproduced by 1D full-wave simulations. Furthermore, this work assesses the uncertainties in the density profile reconstruction as a consequence of the inverted gradient, showing that the presence of an HFSHD may lead to an overestimation of the density in the confined region.
Different radiographic imaging modalities with a proton computed tomography demonstrator
Authors: Kaser S. , Bergauer T. , Burker A. , Frötscher I. , Hirtl A. , Irmler C. , Pitters F. , Ulrich-Pur F.
Published: January 2022

Proton computed tomography aims at improving proton-beam therapy, which is an established method to treat deep-seated tumours in cancer therapy. In treatment planning, the stopping power (SP) within a patient, describing the energy loss of a proton in a tissue, has to be known with high accuracy. However, conventional computed tomography (CT) returns Hounsfield units (HU), which have to be converted to SP values to perform the required treatment planning, thus introducing range uncertainties in the calculated dose distribution. Using protons not only for therapy but also for the preceding planning CT enables the direct measurement of the SP. Hence, this imaging modality eliminates the need for further conversion and therefore offers the possibility to improve treatment planning in proton therapy. In order to examine the principles of such a proton CT (pCT) setup, a demonstrator system, consisting of four double-sided silicon strip detectors and a range telescope, was built. The performance of the pCT demonstrator was tested with measurements at the MedAustron facility in Wiener Neustadt, Austria. In this paper, 2D imaging modalities going beyond the idea of a standard proton radiography, will be discussed. Namely, fluence loss imaging and scattering radiography results obtained with the demonstrator will be shown. The advantage of these modalities is that they do not rely on an additional energy measurement and can therefore be conducted only with the tracker of the demonstrator.
Upgrade of the CMS resistive plate chambers for the high luminosity LHC
Authors: Samalan A. , Tytgat M. , Alves G.A. , Marujo F. , Torres Da Silva De Araujo F. , Da Costa E.M. , De Jesus Damiao D. , Nogima H. , Santoro A. , Fonseca De Souza S. , Aleksandrov A. , Hadjiiska R. , Iaydjiev P. , Rodozov M. , Shopova M. , Soultanov G. , Bonchev M. , Dimitrov A. , Litov L. , Pavlov B. , Petkov P. , Petrov A. , Qian S.J. , Bernal C. , Cabrera A. , Fraga J. , Sarkar A. , Elsayed S. , Assran Y. , El Sawy M. , Mahmoud M.A. , Mohammed Y. , Combaret C. , Gouzevitch M. , Grenier G. , Laktineh I. , Mirabito L. , Shchablo K. , Bagaturia I. , Lomidze D. , Lomidze I. , Bhatnagar V. , Gupta R. , Kumari P. , Singh J. , Amoozegar V. , Boghrati B. , Ebraimi M. , Ghasemi R. , Mohammadi Najafabadi M. , Zareian E. , Abbrescia M. , Aly R. , Elmetenawee W. , De Filippis N. , Gelmi A. , Iaselli G. , Leszki S. , Loddo F. , Margjeka I. , Pugliese G. , Ramos D. , Caponero M. , Benussi L. , Bianco S. , Colafranceschi S. , Russo A. , Passamonti L. , Piccolo D. , Pierluigi D. , Saviano G. , Buontempo S. , Di Crescenzo A. , Fienga F. , De Lellis G. , Lista L. , Meola S. , Paolucci P. , Braghieri A. , Salvini P. , Montagna P. , Riccardi C. , Vitulo P. , Francois B. , Kim T.J. , Park J. , Choi S.Y. , Hong B. , Lee K.S. , Goh J. , Lee H. , Eysermans J. , Uribe Estrada C. , Pedraza I. , Castilla-Valdez H. , Sanchez-Hernandez A. , Mondragon Herrera C.A. , Perez Navarro D.A. , Ayala Sanchez G.A. , Carrillo S. , Vazquez E. , Zaganidis N. , Radi A. , Ahmad A. , Asghar I. , Hoorani H. , Muhammad S. , Shah M.A. , Mandelli B. , Guida R. , Crotty I.
Published: January 2022

During the upcoming High Luminosity phase of the Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC), the integrated luminosity of the accelerator will increase to 3000 fb−1. The expected experimental conditions in that period in terms of background rates, event pileup, and the probable aging of the current detectors present a challenge for all the existing experiments at the LHC, including the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment. To ensure a highly performing muon system for this period, several upgrades of the Resistive Plate Chamber (RPC) system of the CMS are currently being implemented. These include the replacement of the readout system for the present system, and the installation of two new RPC stations with improved chamber and front-end electronics designs. The current overall status of this CMS RPC upgrade project is presented.
Electron detection with CdTe and GaAs sensors using the charge integrating hybrid pixel detector JUNGFRAU
Authors: Fröjdh E. , Abrahams J.P. , Andrä M. , Barten R. , Bergamaschi A. , Brückner M. , Chiriotti S. , Dinapoli R. , Greiffenberg D. , Hinger V. , Lovacik L. , King T. , Kozlowski P. , Lopez-Cuenca C. , Jürgen M. , Mezza D. , Mozzanica A. , Ruder C. , Schmitt B. , Hasanaj S. , Thattil D. , van Genderen E. , Vetter S. , Zhang J.
Published: January 2022

Speed, dynamic range, and radiation hardness make hybrid pixel detectors suitable image detectors for diffraction experiments. At synchrotrons and X-ray free electron lasers they are ubiquitous. However, for electron microscopy their spatial resolution is limited by multiple scattering in the sensor layer. In this paper we examine the use of two high Z sensor materials: CdTe and GaAs, as a way to mitigate this problem. The sensors were bonded to a JUNGFRAU readout chip which is a charge integrating hybrid pixel detector developed for use at X-ray free electron lasers. Using in-pixel gain switching, it can detect single particles down to 2 keV while maintaining a dynamic range of 120 MeV/pixel/frame. The characteristics of JUNGFRAU, besides being a capable detector, make it a good tool for sensor characterization since we can measure dark current and energy deposition per pixel. The high Z material shows better spatial resolution than silicon at 200 and 300 keV, however, their practical use with integrating detectors is still limited by material defects.
Doppler backscattering systems on the Globus-M2 tokamak
Authors: Yashin A.Y. , Bulanin V.V. , Gusev V.K. , Minaev V.B. , Petrov A.V. , Petrov Y.V. , Ponomarenko A.M. , Varfolomeev V.I.
Published: January 2022

Doppler backscattering (DBS) was successfully previously used on the Globus-M tokamak. The diagnostic was utilised in the form of either a single-frequency or a four-frequency dual homodyne system. It was used primarily for the study of zonal flows, filaments and Alfvén eigenmodes. These phenomena are worth being studied both on the periphery and in the core region of the plasma in a tokamak. For this specific reason two multifrequency DBS systems were installed on the upgraded Globus-M2 tokamak. The first four-frequency system with dual homodyne detection had already been used on the Globus-M tokamak and has lower probing frequencies which provide measurements from the periphery plasma. The second and new six-frequency DBS system was installed with a non-linear transmission line that was adapted to generate probing signals at frequencies 50, 55, 60, 65, 70 and 75 GHz. In general, the range of probing frequencies corresponds to the region of critical plasma densities from 5 × 1018 to 7 × 1019 m−3 at normal incidence. The pyramidal horn antennas are located inside the vacuum vessel with a special cardan-like rotator outside the camera so as to tilt antennas in the toroidal and poloidal directions. A previously developed code was applied to simulate 3D raytracing for all frequency channels. Calculations were carried out for different angles of incidence and for different electron density distributions in order to investigate the possibilities of the implementation of radial and poloidal correlation Doppler reflectometry. Examples of the DBS system application for study of plasma properties in the Globus-M2 tokamak are presented.
Light yield and field dependence measurement in PandaX-II dual-phase xenon detector
Authors: Huang Z. , Abdukerim A. , Bo Z. , Chen W. , Chen X. , Chen Y. , Cheng C. , Cheng Y. , Cui X. , Fan Y. , Fang D. , Fu C. , Fu M. , Geng L. , Giboni K. , Gu L. , Guo X. , Han K. , He C. , He J. , Huang D. , Huang Y. , Hou R. , Ji X. , Ju Y. , Li C. , Li M. , Li S. , Li S. , Lin Q. , Liu J. , Lu X. , Luo L. , Ma W. , Ma Y. , Mao Y. , Meng Y. , Shaheed N. , Ning X. , Qi N. , Qian Z. , Ren X. , Shang C. , Shen G. , Si L. , Sun W. , Tan A. , Tao Y. , Wang A. , Wang M. , Wang Q. , Wang S. , Wang S. , Wang W. , Wang X. , Wang Z. , Wu M. , Wu W. , Xia J. , Xiao M. , Xiao X. , Xie P. , Yan B. , Yan X. , Yang J. , Yang Y. , Yu C. , Yuan J. , Yuan Y. , Zhang D. , Zhang M. , Zhang P. , Zhang T. , Zhao L. , Zheng Q. , Zhou J. , Zhou N. , Zhou X. , Zhou Y.
Published: January 2022

The dual-phase xenon time projection chamber (TPC) is one of
the most sensitive detector technology for dark matter direct
search, where the energy deposition of incoming particle can be
converted into photons and electrons through xenon excitation and
ionization. The detector response to signal energy deposition
varies significantly with the electric field in liquid xenon. We
study the detector's light yield and its dependence on the electric
field in the PandaX-II dual-phase detector containing 580 kg liquid
xenon in the sensitive volume. From our measurements, the light
yield at electric fields from 0 V/cm to 317 V/cm is obtained for
energy depositions up to 236 keV.
Production and validation of scintillating structural components from low-background Poly(ethylene naphthalate)
Authors: Efremenko Y. , Febbraro M. , Fischer F. , Guitart Corominas M. , Gusev K. , Hackett B. , Hayward C. , Hodák R. , Krause P. , Majorovits B. , Manzanillas L. , Muenstermann D. , Pohl M. , Rouhana R. , Radford D. , Rukhadze E. , Rumyantseva N. , Schilling I. , Schoenert S. , Schulz O. , Schwarz M. , Štekl I. , Stommel M. , Weingarten J.
Published: January 2022

Poly Ethylene Naphthalate (PEN) is an industrial polymer
plastic which is investigated as a low background, transparent,
scintillating and wavelength shifting structural material. PEN
scintillates in the blue region and has excellent mechanical
properties both at room and cryogenic temperatures. Thus, it is an
ideal candidate for active structural components in experiments for
the search of rare events like neutrinoless double-beta decay or
dark matter recoils. Such optically active structures improve the
identification and rejection efficiency of backgrounds events, like
this improving the sensitivity of experiments. This paper reports
on the production of radiopure and transparent PEN plates

These structures can be used to mount germanium detectors operating
in cryogenic liquids (LAr, LN). Thus, as first application PEN
holders will be used to mount the Ge detectors in the
Legend-200 experiment. The whole process from cleaning the
raw material to testing the PEN active components under final
operational conditions is reported.
Effect of passage number of genetically modified TGF-β3 expressing primary chondrocytes on the chondrogenesis of ATDC5 cells in a 3D coculture system
Authors: Chen Ke , Chen Hanzheng , Gao Hui , Zhou Wei , Zheng Shicong , Chen Yi , Zhang Shujiang , Yao Yongchang
Published: January 2022

Due to the lack of blood vessels, nerves and lymphatics, articular cartilage is difficult to repair once damaged. Tissue engineering is considered to be a potential strategy for cartilage regeneration. Successful tissue engineering strategies depend on the effective combination of biomaterials, seed cells and biological factors. In our previous study, a genetically modified coculture system with chondrocytes and ATDC5 cells in an alginate hydrogel has exhibited a superior ability to enhance chondrogenesis. In this study, we further evaluated the influence of chondrocytes at various passages on chondrogenesis in the coculture system. The results demonstrated that transfection efficiency was hardly influenced by the passage number of chondrocytes. The coculture system with passage 5 (P5) chondrocytes had a better effect on chondrogenesis of ATDC5 cells, while chondrocytes in this coculture system presented higher levels of dedifferentiation than other groups with P1 or P3 chondrocytes. Therefore, P5 chondrocytes were shown to be more suitable for the coculture system, as they accumulated in sufficient cell numbers with more passages and had a higher level of dedifferentiation, which was prone to form a favorable niche for chondrogenesis of ATDC5 cells. This study may provide fresh insights for future cartilage tissue engineering strategies with a combination of a coculture system and advanced biomaterials.
Policies to combat nitrogen pollution in South Asia: gaps and opportunities
Authors: Yang Anastasia L , Raghuram Nandula , Adhya Tapan Kumar , Porter Stephen D , Panda Ananta Narayan , Kaushik Himadri , Jayaweera Anuradha , Nissanka Sarath Premalal , Anik Asif Reza , Shifa Sharmin , Sharna Shaima Chowdhury , Joshi Rajendra , Arif Watto Muhammad , Pokharel Anju , Shazly Aminath , Hassan Rifaath , Bansal Sangeeta , Kanter David , Das Smriti , Jeffery Roger
Published: January 2022

Assessing and managing nitrogen sustainably is imperative for achieving the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targeted for 2030. South Asian countries, aware of the environmental and health impacts of nitrogen pollution, regionally as well as globally, piloted the 2019 UN resolution on sustainable nitrogen management, calling for urgent policy action. This paper assists South Asia policy development by providing new insights into nitrogen-related policies in the region; it makes a step-change advance on an existing global analysis and database. We built on available methods to better identify, classify and analyse 966 nitrogen-related policies for the region. We compared the global and regional nitrogen policy landscapes to explain the benefits of a deeper policy assessment. The policies we classified as having ‘higher’ relevance—those with direct reference to nitrogen and/or its potential impacts—represent the current nitrogen policy landscape for South Asia. We show that a small proportion of policies (9%) consider multiple pollution sources, sectors, nitrogen threats and impacts, with integrative policy instruments. A 5% of policies also consider both non-point and point sources of pollution, representing standout policies. More such policies with an integrated approach are vital in addressing the complexities of nitrogen pollution. Adapting existing and drafting new policies are both required to deal with other current and emerging nitrogen issues. Our analysis provides evidence for a roadmap for sustainable nitrogen policy in South Asia and beyond and supports efforts to reduce the threats posed by nitrogen pollution to achieve the SDGs.
KrigR—a tool for downloading and statistically downscaling climate reanalysis data
Authors: Kusch Erik , Davy Richard
Published: January 2022

Advances in climate science have rendered obsolete the gridded observation data widely used in downstream applications. Novel climate reanalysis products outperform legacy data products in accuracy, temporal resolution, and provision of uncertainty metrics. Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop a workflow through which to integrate these improved data into biological analyses. The ERA5 product family (ERA5 and ERA5-Land) are the latest and most advanced global reanalysis products created by the European Center for Medium-range Weather Forecasting. These data products offer up to 83 essential climate variables at hourly intervals for the time-period of 1981 to today with preliminary back-extensions being available for 1950–1981. Spatial resolutions range from 30 × 30 km (ERA5) to 11 × 11 km (ERA5-Land) and can be statistically downscaled to study-requirements at finer spatial resolutions. Kriging is one such method to interpolate data to finer resolutions and has the advantages that one can leverage additional covariate information and obtain the uncertainty associated with the downscaling. The KrigR R-package enables users to (a) download ERA5(-Land) climate reanalysis data for a user-specified region, and time-period, (b) aggregate these climate products to desired temporal resolutions and metrics, (c) acquire topographical co-variates, and (d) statistically downscale spatial data to a user-specified resolution using co-variate data via kriging. KrigR can execute all these tasks in a single function call, thus enabling the user to obtain any of 83 (ERA5)/50 (ERA5-Land) climate variables at high spatial and temporal resolution with a single R-command. Additionally, KrigR contains functionality for computation of bioclimatic variables and aggregate metrics from the variables offered by ERA5(-Land). This R-package provides an easy-to-implement workflow for implementation of state-of-the-art climate data while avoiding issues of storage limitations at high temporal and spatial resolutions by providing data according to user-needs rather than in global data sets. Consequently, KrigR provides a toolbox to obtain a wide range of tailored climate data at unprecedented combinations of high temporal and spatial resolutions thus enabling the use of world-leading climate data through the R-interface and beyond.
An improved understanding of NOx emissions in South Asian megacities using TROPOMI NO2 retrievals
Authors: de Foy Benjamin , Schauer James J
Published: January 2022

Identifying air pollutant emissions has played a key role in improving air quality and hence the health of billions of people around the world. Central to this effort are the development of emission inventories and the mapping of air pollution using satellite remote sensing. The TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) has been providing high resolution vertical column densities of nitrogen dioxide since late October 2018. Using the flux divergence method and a Gaussian Mixture Model, we identify peak emission hotspots over four cities in South Asia: Dhaka, Kolkata, Delhi and Lahore. We analyze data from November 2018 to March 2021 and focus on the three dry seasons (November to March) for which retrievals are available. The retrievals are shown to have sufficient spatial resolution to identify individual point and area sources. We further analyze the length scale and eccentricities of the hotspots to better characterize the emission sources. The TROPOMI emission estimates are compared with the EDGAR global emission inventory and the REAS regional inventory. This reveals areas of agreement but also significant discrepancies that should enable improvements and refinements of the inventories in the future. For example, urban emissions are underestimated while power generation emissions are overestimated. Some areas of light manufacturing cause significant signatures in TROPOMI retrievals but are mostly missing from the inventories. The spatial resolution of the TROPOMI instrument is now sufficient to provide detailed feedback to developers of emission inventories as well as to inform policy decisions at the urban to regional scale.
A striking growth of CO2 emissions from the global cement industry driven by new facilities in emerging countries
Authors: Chen Cuihong , Xu Ruochong , Tong Dan , Qin Xinying , Cheng Jing , Liu Jun , Zheng Bo , Yan Liu , Zhang Qiang
Published: January 2022

Global industrialization and urbanization processes enabled a diverse cement production boom over the past three decades, as cement is the most important building construction material. Consequently, the cement industry is the second-largest industrial CO2 emitter (∼25% of global industrial CO2 emissions) globally. In this study, the Global Cement Emission Database, which encompasses anthropogenic CO2 emissions of individual production units worldwide for 1990–2019, was developed. A recently developed unit-level China Cement Emission Database was then applied to override China’s data and the combination of two databases is used to reveal the unit characteristics of CO2 emissions and ages for global cement plants, assess large disparities in national and regional CO2 emissions, growth rates and developmental stages from 1990–2019, and identify key emerging countries of carbon emissions and commitment. This study finds that globally, CO2 emissions from the cement industry have increased from 0.86 Gt in 1990 to 2.46 Gt in 2019 (increasing by 186%). More importantly, the large CO2 emissions and the striking growth rates from those emerging countries, including most of the developing countries in the Asia region and the Middle East and Africa region, are clearly identified. For example, the Middle East and Africa, including mostly developing or underdeveloped countries, only represented 0.07 Gt CO2 in 1990 (8.4% of the total), in contrast to 0.26 Gt (10.4% of the total) CO2 in 2019, which is a 4.5% average growth rate during 1990–2019. Further, the intensive expansion of large and new facilities since 2005 in Asia and the Middle East and Africa has resulted in heavy commitment (90.1% of global commitment in 2019), and mitigation threats in the future considering their increasing emissions (the national annual growth rate can be up to >80%) and growing infrastructure construction (∼50% of clinker capacity operating ⩽10 years). Our results highlight the cement industry’s development and young infrastructure in emerging economies; thus, future increasing cement demand and corresponding carbon commitment would pose great challenges to future decarbonization and climate change mitigation.
Will population exposure to heat extremes intensify over Southeast Asia in a warmer world?
Authors: Sun Xuerong , Ge Fei , Fan Yi , Zhu Shoupeng , Chen Quanliang
Published: January 2022

Temperature extremes have increased during the past several decades and are expected to intensify under current rapid global warming over Southeast Asia (SEA). Exposure to rising temperatures in highly vulnerable regions affects populations, ecosystems, and other elements that may suffer potential losses. Here, we evaluate changes in temperature extremes and future population exposure over SEA at global warming levels (GWLs) of 2.0 °C and 3.0 °C using outputs from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6. Results indicate that temperature extreme indices are projected to increase over SEA at both GWLs, with more significant magnitudes at 3.0 °C. However, daily temperature ranges show a decrease. The substantial increase in total SEA population exposure to heat extremes from 730 million person–days at 2.0 °C GWL to 1200 million person–days at 3.0 °C GWL is mostly contributed by the climate change component, accounting for 48%. In addition, if global warming is restricted well below 2.0 °C, the avoided impacts in population exposure are prominent for most regions over SEA with the largest mitigation in the Philippines. Aggregate population exposure to impacts is decreased by approximately 39% at 2.0 °C GWL, while the interaction component effect, which is associated with increased population and climate change, would decrease by 53%. This indicates serious consequences for growing populations concurrent with global warming impacts if the current fossil-fueled development pathway is adhered to. The present study estimates the risks of increased temperature extremes and population exposure in a warmer future, and further emphasizes the necessity and urgency of implementing climate adaptation and mitigation strategies in SEA.
Four-dimensional Chern–Simons theory and integrable field theories
Authors: Lacroix Sylvain
Published: January 2022

These lecture notes concern the semi-holomorphic 4D Chern–Simons theory and its applications to classical integrable field theories in 2D and in particular integrable sigma-models. After introducing the main properties of the Chern–Simons theory in 3D, we will define its 4D analogue and explain how it is naturally related to the Lax formalism of integrable 2D theories. Moreover, we will explain how varying the boundary conditions imposed on this 4D theory allows to recover various occurences of integrable sigma-models through this construction, in particular illustrating this on two simple examples: the principal Chiral model and its Yang–Baxter deformation. These notes were written for the lectures delivered at the school ‘integrability, dualities and deformations’, that ran from 23 to 27 August 2021 in Santiago de Compostela and virtually.
Casimir free energy for massive fermions: a comparative study of various approaches
Authors: Sasanpour Mehrdokht , Ajilyan Chonoor , Gousheh Siamak S
Published: January 2022

We compute the Casimir thermodynamic quantities for a massive fermion field between two parallel plates with the MIT boundary conditions, using three different general approaches and present explicit solutions for each. The Casimir thermodynamic quantities include the Casimir Helmholtz free energy, pressure, energy and entropy. The three general approaches that we use are based on the fundamental definition of Casimir thermodynamic quantities, the analytic continuation method represented by the zeta function method, and the zero temperature subtraction method. We include the renormalized versions of the latter two approaches as well, whereas the first approach does not require one. Within each general approach, we obtain the same results in a few different ways to ascertain the selected cancellations of infinities have been done correctly. We then do a comparative study of the three different general approaches and their results, and show that they are in principle not equivalent to each other and they yield, in general, different results. In particular, we show that the Casimir thermodynamic quantities calculated only by the first approach have all three properties of going to zero as the temperature, the mass of the field, or the distance between the plates increases.
Comparison among variation models of the hydraulic conductivity with the effective porosity in confined aquifer
Authors: Brunetti G F A , Lauria A , Fallico C
Published: January 2022

This paper presents the experimental investigation results from the modalities of variation of the hydraulic conductivity scaling law for a confined aquifer, varying the porous medium that constitutes it. In four subsequent stages, different confined aquifers were built up, each with a different typological configuration of a porous medium. For each of the aquifers considered, various hydraulic conductivity (K) measurements were performed by slug tests. The effective porosity (ne
) was set as a scale parameter, therefore the scaling laws K = K(ne), already determined and reported in previous studies, were taken into consideration for each of the four artificial aquifers considered. The same variation law of K vs ne
was also determined by means of some of the well-known empirical and semi-empirical relationships. The latter are based on the particle size distribution and are suitable for application to the porous media considered here, which can be classified as coarse sand. The comparison between the different scaling laws mentioned above allowed us to discuss, through graphical analysis, the reliability of the models considered here. This will facilitate researchers and practitioners working in the field, in the methodological choice of the most appropriate model that should be used for this type of porous media.
A new GA-IDW approach for interpolating the precipitation
Authors: Șerban C , Bărbulescu A , Dumitriu C Ș
Published: January 2022

This article presents a new algorithm for detecting the Inverse Distance Weighting Algorithm parameter (IDW) using an evolutionary technique. The algorithm was applied to interpolate 51 series of maximum annual precipitation series. Comparisons of its results with those of IDW and the optimized OIDW (a version of IDW optimized with PSO) are provided. The best performances are those of the actual approach.
Analysis of the daily consumption of potable water in the urban area of the Ambato city in the Province of Tungurahua-Ecuador
Authors: Mayacela M , Moya D , Morales F , Maldonado L
Published: January 2022

The consumption of drinking water has increased over the years worldwide, therefore, the analysis of daily consumption in a certain sector is important, to know the existing demand of the population of the sector under analysis. The study of water consumption not only allows the knowledge of the amount of water consumed in a population, it also enables future projects for the design and redesign of potable water distribution networks. The main methodology for this analysis was the daily record for a period of 60 days, in each of the sectors corresponding to the urban area of Ambato city; this methodology allowed the analysis of the typical week of the sector and therefore the amount of water consumed per day in the urban sector,it was concluded that the San Francisco parish presents the highest demand for water consumption per capita with a requirement of 256.48 L/inhab/day, the predominant type of residence in the urban area of the city of Ambato is type B, which is characterized by having a typical structural system in which reinforced concrete predominates.
Water retention measures in the urban landscape and their impact on microclimate change
Authors: Pokrývková J , Pagáč J , Hanzlík R , Mokrá A P
Published: January 2022

Water management in cities and villages is fraught with difficulties. Infrastructure systems that have been in use for a long time are deteriorating. In an urbanised landscape, appropriate rainwater management or blue green infrastructure (RWM or BGI) is the solution. The quality of water management is influenced significantly by urbanization. The higher the influence on the area’s hydrological cycle as an urbanised landscape develops without proper RWM, the greater the impact on the area’s hydrological cycle. The hydrology of the site reflects the changing environment of the area, as trees, meadows, and agricultural land, which captured and absorbed precipitation and created depressions in the area that temporarily held water, are being replaced by urbanised areas on a uniform slope with impermeable areas. Because the goal until recently was to drain rainwater from the urbanised area as rapidly as possible, the altered sites present the prospect of rapid conversion of rainwater into surface runoff of rainwater. The capabilities of currently utilised technical solutions in metropolitan areas, as well as the possibilities of their application, are discussed in this article. The paper focuses on the available literature on rainwater management by Slovak and foreign authors to get insight into the execution of measures in urban settings. The article’s major purpose is to provide appropriate rainwater management measures in the urbanised landscape based on characteristics deriving from the conditions in the study area and current understanding about rainwater management options.
Hydrogeological functions of obskoye and baksinskoye swamps in the southeast of West Siberian Plain
Authors: Yang H , Savichev O G
Published: January 2022

Based on hydrological data from 1966 to 2019, quantitative estimates of the water balance of the Baksinskoye and Obskoye fens. The decrease in surface evaporation of the swamp and the increase in water runoff occurred in the main distribution of the swamp. This will exacerbate the degree of swamping in the area. The impact of marsh water on groundwater is most likely to occur during the dry season in summer and autumn. During this period: 1) possible overflow of bog waters into underground horizons in areas of 800–900 m; 2) increased permeability. When the water mass is discharged from the fens plain into the river, the impact of the fens water reaches its maximum during the subside of the flood.
The impact of taxation policies on the research and development of alternative fuel vehicle companies -- A case study of NIO Inc.
Authors: Ma J , Mayburov I
Published: January 2022

In the context of industrial transformation and green development, the strategic position of the alternative fuel vehicle industry has been continuously improved, and it has become a long-term key support object for China’s industrial policy. With the acceleration of the industrial development process, the market competition has intensified, and the phenomenon of insufficient enterprise research and development has gradually become serious. This paper uses the literature analysis method, the method of combining theory and practice, and the case analysis method. Take the alternative fuel vehicle emerging company NIO Inc. as a case to analyze the role of taxation policies in research and development (R&D) input and output, identify existing problems and make suggestions for improvement. This study can promote the development of China’s alternative fuel vehicle industry, adjust the relevant upstream and downstream industrial chains and the business structure of industry enterprises, and build an environmentally friendly society as soon as possible. It also has theoretical guiding significance for the overall construction and adjustment of China’s fiscal and taxation policies.