bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Anthropogenic Emission Control and Meteorology Changes on the Inter-Annual Variations of PM2.5–AOD Relationship in China
Authors: Qi Ling , Zheng Haotian , Ding Dian , Wang Shuxiao
Published: September 2022

We identified controlling factors of the inter-annual variations of surface PM2.5–aerosol optical depth (AOD) relationship in China from 2006 to 2017 using a nested 3D chemical transport model—GEOS-Chem. We separated the contributions from anthropogenic emission control and meteorological changes by fixing meteorology at the 2009 level and fixing anthropogenic emissions at the 2006 level, respectively. Both observations and model show significant downward trends of PM2.5/AOD ratio (η, p < 0.01) in the North China Plain (NCP), the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) and the Pearl River Delta (PRD) in 2006–2017. The model suggests that the downward trends are mainly attributed to anthropogenic emission control. PM2.5 concentration reduces faster at the surface than aloft due to the closeness of surface PM2.5 to emission sources. The Pearson correlation coefficient of surface PM2.5 and AOD (rPM-AOD) shows strong inter-annual variations (±27%) but no statistically significant trends in the three regions. The inter-annual variations of rPM-AOD are mainly determined by meteorology changes. Except for the well-known effects from relative humidity, planetary boundary layer height and wind speed, we find that temperature, tropopause pressure, surface pressure and atmospheric instability are also important meteorological elements that have a strong correlation with inter-annual variations of rPM-AOD in different seasons. This study suggests that as the PM2.5–AOD relationship weakens with reduction of anthropogenic emissions, validity of future retrieval of surface PM2.5 using satellite AOD should be carefully evaluated.
Study and Prediction of Surface Deformation Characteristics of Different Vegetation Types in the Permafrost Zone of Linzhi, Tibet
Authors: Wang Xiaoci , Yu Qiang , Ma Jun , Yang Linzhe , Liu Wei , Li Jianzheng
Published: September 2022

Permafrost and alpine vegetation are widely distributed in Tibet, which is a sensitive area for global climate change. In this study, we inverted the surface deformation from 22 May 2018 to 9 October 2021 in a rectangular area within the city of Linzhi, Tibet, using the Sentinel1-A data and two time-series interferometric system aperture radar (InSAR) techniques. Then, the significant features of surface deformation were analyzed separately according to different vegetation types. Finally, multiple machine learning methods were used to predict future surface deformation, and the results were compared to obtain the model with the highest prediction accuracy. This study aims to provide a scientific reference and decision basis for global ecological security and sustainable development. The results showed that the surface deformation rate in the study area was basically between ±10 mm/a, and the cumulative surface deformation was basically between ±35 mm. The surface deformation of grassland, meadow, coniferous forest, and alpine vegetation were all significantly correlated with NDVI, and the effect of alpine vegetation, coniferous forest, and grassland on permafrost was stronger than that of the meadow. The prediction accuracy of the Holt–Winters model was higher than that of Holt′s model and the ARIMA model; it was expected that the ground surface would keep rising in the next two months, and the ground surface deformation of alpine vegetation and the coniferous forest was relatively small. The above studies indicated that the surface deformation in the Tibetan permafrost region was relatively stable under the conditions of alpine vegetation and coniferous forest. Future-related ecological construction needs to pay more attention to permafrost areas under grassland and meadow conditions, which are prone to surface deformation and affect the stability of ecosystems.
A Historical Evolutionary Perspective on China’s Open Horse Racing Problems and Choice Strategies
Authors: Li Jiaxin , López Adán Enrique López , de la Rubia Alfonso
Published: September 2022

There have been horse races for many centuries. Horse racing is closely related to horse betting, which is illegal in China, and strictly speaking, horse betting is regarded as gambling. If horse racing opens up in China, “horse betting”, legally, will likely be included as a part of the process. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, China has banned horse racing at the beginning of its development. After China’s reforms and opening up, it was tacitly approved and then refused until now. Several provinces in China have made pioneering contributions in this area since the 1990s. Nevertheless, the Chinese authorities are cautious about such plans for various reasons. Until now, the central government has not liberalized the scheme except for a few local trials of speed horse racing, which do not have the property of “betting on the horse”. This paper explores its problems in terms of both historical evolution and realistic development. Then, it proposes practical options for horse racing development based on summarizing the expansion of existing policies to promote horse racing. These options are in response to the lack of development models not mentioned in the guidelines.
Research on the Relationship between Agricultural Carbon Emission Intensity, Agricultural Economic Development and Agricultural Trade in China
Authors: Zang Dungang , Hu Zhijia , Yang Yunqi , He Siyu
Published: September 2022

Under the interactive background of more emphasis on low-carbon and environmentally friendly agricultural production modes and the coordinated development of agricultural foreign trade, China is paying more and more attention to the coordination between agricultural trade, economic development and ecological agriculture development. This paper selects the relevant data of China from 2002 to 2020 as the research object. Taking the agricultural carbon emission intensity as an indicator of environmental pollution, measuring it and then constructing a time series model for analysis, the research finds that, in the long run, the increase in agricultural carbon emission intensity in China will reduce the level of agricultural trade by 2%, which will also lead to a decline in the overall development level of the agricultural economy by 2 to 4 percent. At the same time, this paper also finds that the current situation of China’s agricultural trade reduces the development of China’s agriculture by 1%, which will also lead to an increase in agricultural carbon emission intensity by about 0.5%. Finally, this paper finds that the development of the agricultural economy makes the overall increase in agricultural trade 2%, and with the development of the agricultural economy, the agricultural carbon emission intensity decreases by 0.1%, but the impact is small. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the construction of a leadership mechanism, implement the development strategy of low-carbon agriculture and provide corresponding financial security and other policy suggestions to promote the coordinated development of China’s agricultural trade and low-carbon agricultural production environment.
Three-Pillar Sustainability and Brand Image: A Qualitative Investigation in Thailand’s Household Durables Industry
Authors: Chavalittumrong Preechaya , Speece Mark
Published: September 2022

Many companies nowadays implement sustainable practices internally, and build brand images that communicate sustainability. However, there are different degrees of ‘sustainability’. This study examines the extent to which full three-pillar sustainability (environmental, social, economic) translates into a sustainable brand image among consumers in Thailand. Nine major companies producing household durables were scored based on their website information, using the Dow Jones Sustainability Index to identify those having high-, mid-, and low-level sustainability implementation. In-depth interviews were conducted with three managers in one company at each level, and three consumers who mainly buy household durables from each company were also interviewed. Manager interviews confirmed that the level of sustainability implementation evident on the website is fairly accurate. Consumers roughly translate this into brand image reflecting the degree of the company’s sustainability, but the mapping is not exact. Stronger communications about the company’s sustainability seem able to improve consumer perceptions somewhat. Consumers are quite aware of three-pillar sustainability, but often do not explicitly consider all three pillars in their product decisions. However, the long-term trend seems to be toward merging the separate market segments into a comprehensive, three-pillar sustainability-oriented segment.
Satoumi Systems Promoting Integrated Coastal Resources Management: An Empirical Review
Authors: Kakuma Shinichiro
Published: September 2022

Coastal areas, eco-systems, biodiversity, and fisheries resources have been devastated worldwide because of diverse reasons. In Japan, to tackle these problems, various activities have been practiced, which deeply involve local people in Satoumi. The Satoumi activities are now spreading throughout the world. These Satoumi are extremely diverse, and it is difficult to capture them with a single definition or perspective. Because social–ecological systems in Satoumi areas are extremely complicated and highly uncertain, Satoumi co-creation requires transdisciplinary approaches in which diverse stakeholders including local residents, bilateral knowledge translators, and residential and visiting scientists play important roles. This paper reviews the various types of Satoumi in Japan and around the world, and Satoumi co-creation activities through the transdisciplinary approaches from multiple perspectives. The Satoumi co-creation includes not only the traditional single approach of resource management but also approaches to enhance the resources by direct human intervention, to conserve ecosystems that support the resources, and to survey and monitor the resources by fishers. This paper also reviews the synergy and integration of fisheries and other resource management, such as tourism-related activities in marine protected areas in Satoumi.
Green Marketing Approaches and Their Impact on Green Purchase Intentions: Mediating Role of Green Brand Image and Consumer Beliefs towards the Environment
Authors: Majeed Muhammad Ussama , Aslam Sumaira , Murtaza Shah Ali , Attila Szakács , Molnár Edina
Published: September 2022

Today, customers see businesses as more than just profit seekers, they see them as organizations that are concerned about the well-being of their societies. Therefore, businesses have made sustainability a primary focus by implementing green marketing tactics to encourage consumers to buy green goods. The intention to buy green products was examined in relation to factors such as eco-labelling, green packaging and branding, and green products, premium, and pricing. This study analyses a model that incorporates green marketing techniques based on the responses of 450 people to a survey. In addition, the paper investigates the moderating effect of green brand image and customer views on the environment on the link between green marketing and green purchase intentions. This study’s framework is confirmed by using structural equation modelling (SEM). The findings of this study show that green marketing methods significantly and positively affect customers’ intentions to make environmentally friendly purchases. When looking at the path coefficient between green marketing techniques and green purchase intents, we discovered that green brand image and customer environmental attitudes considerably moderated this relationship. This study provides regional and international enterprises and governments with information on how to enhance consumers’ intentions to make green purchases. Significant findings from this study support favourable social behaviour toward green marketing. Towards the examination of the consumers’ green purchasing intents, this research underlined the importance and function of green brand image and customer attitudes regarding the environment. The packing of the items should be eco-friendly and prevent excessive paper and plastic packaging. Companies should leverage the environmental features of their products for branding purposes.
Artificial Ecosystem-Based Optimization with an Improved Deep Learning Model for IoT-Assisted Sustainable Waste Management
Authors: Al Duhayyim Mesfer , Mohamed Heba G. , Aljebreen Mohammed , Nour Mohamed K. , Mohamed Abdullah , Abdelmageed Amgad Atta , Yaseen Ishfaq , Mohammed Gouse Pasha
Published: September 2022

Increasing waste generation has become a key challenge around the world due to the dramatic expansion in industrialization and urbanization. This study focuses on providing effective solutions for real-time monitoring garbage collection systems via the Internet of things (IoT). It is limited to controlling the bad odor of blowout gases and the spreading of overspills by using an IoT-based solution. The inadequate and poor dumping of waste produces radiation and toxic gases in the environment, creating an adversarial effect on global warming, human health, and the greenhouse system. The IoT and deep learning (DL) confer active solutions for real-time data monitoring and classification, correspondingly. Therefore, this paper presents an artificial ecosystem-based optimization with an improved deep learning model for IoT-assisted sustainable waste management, called the AEOIDL-SWM technique. The presented AEOIDL-SWM technique exploits IoT-based camera sensors for collecting information and a microcontroller for processing the data. For waste classification, the presented AEOIDL-SWM technique applies an improved residual network (ResNet) model-based feature extractor with an AEO-based hyperparameter optimizer. Finally, the sparse autoencoder (SAE) algorithm is exploited for waste classification. To depict the enhancements of the AEOIDL-SWM system, a widespread simulation investigation is performed. The comparative analysis shows the enhanced outcomes of the AEOIDL-SWM technique over other DL models.
Ecological Footprint and Its Determinants in MENA Countries: A Spatial Econometric Approach
Authors: Ramezani Mohammadreza , Abolhassani Leili , Shahnoushi Foroushani Naser , Burgess Diane , Aminizadeh Milad
Published: September 2022

Countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have been facing serious environmental issues due to over-exploitation of natural resources. This paper analyzes the ecological footprint as a proxy of environmental degradation and determines its influencing factors in 18 MENA countries during 2000–2016. Despite the many studies on the relationship between the ecological footprint and its determinants in the region, the current study use spatial econometric models to take into account spatial dependence in the ecological footprint as well as its determinants. Using a spatial Durbin model, we revealed that neighbors’ behavior can significantly affect a country’s ecological footprint. Factors such as GDP per capita, trade openness, and financial development were found to increase environmental degradation, while the renewable energy consumption, urbanization, and quality of democracy effectively reduce the ecological footprint. These factors not only affect the ecological footprint in the host country, but also affect it in the adjacent countries in different ways. Due to the interdependence of the countries, we recommend development of a regional vision of the bio-economy such that the scope of the analysis goes beyond the country level to account for territorial effects. Furthermore, considering the great potential for renewable energy consumption in the region, we recommend MENA countries to develop use of renewable energy sources in order to reduce environmental degradation in the region.
Population Decline through Tourism Gentrification Caused by Accommodation in Kyoto City
Authors: Kato Haruka , Takizawa Atsushi
Published: September 2022

Tourism gentrification has become a social issue in tourist cities worldwide. This paper’s research question is as follows: has tourism gentrification caused a population decline in tourist cities? This study aims to clarify the statistical relationship between the population decline and the location of accommodation on the neighborhood association scale. It analyzes Kyoto City, which is one of the most famous tourist cities worldwide. The statistical relationship between two types of accommodation—hotels and simple accommodation—is analyzed, using geographic natural experiments. The study concludes that the neighborhood association with simple accommodation decreased the population more significantly than that without simple accommodation in the historical center of Kyoto City. This result indicates that the tourism gentrification had caused a population decline in the historical center of Kyoto City. Moreover, it was found that tourism gentrification has affected the outside center of Kyoto City. The population decline might be due to simple accommodation being converted from houses due to tourism gentrification. This study’s results suggest the need for urban policy to regulate zoning for the locations of simple accommodation.
Effect of Single Bevel Groove Geometry on the Impact Strength of Dissimilar Welded Joint of P22 and P91 Steel
Authors: Kumar Sanjeev , Sirohi Sachin , Pandey Shailesh M. , Bhatt Dhowmya , Pandey Chandan
Published: September 2022

The dissimilar combination of 2.25Cr-1Mo (P22) and modified 9Cr-1Mo (P91) obtained using Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) process employing the Ni-based superalloy filler ERNiCr-3 (IN82) and ERNiCrMo-3 (IN625) have been investigated for microstructure evolution and mechanical properties. The butt weld joint was produced using single bevel groove geometry. The structural integrity of the welded joint was measured in respect of tensile strength, impact toughness and hardness. The alloying elements’ segregation at the inter-dendritic areas of the weld metal was witnessed while using the IN82 and IN625 filler. The impact test trials showed the mixed mode of fracture with an impact toughness of 82 ± 6 J and 70 ± 5 J for IN82 and IN625 filler, respectively, ensuring that the welded joint was safe for the end boiler application. The tensile test coupons were fractured from the P22 base metal in all the trials and for both the fillers which confirmed the negligible effect of the filler composition on the tensile properties. The hardness plots showed the inhomogeneity in hardness value, which was also supported by the microstructure evolution along the weldments. The average hardness of the IN82 filler was measured lower than the IN625 filler.
Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of Alkali-Activated Soda Residue-Blast Furnace Slag Composite Binder
Authors: Zhang Zhaoyun , Xie Chuang , Sang Zhaohu , Li Dejun
Published: September 2022

This study prepared an alkali-activated soda residue (SR)-blast furnace slag (BFS) composite binder by adding a large amount of SR to the alkali-activated material system. Considering many factors, such as the Na2O content, ratio of SR to BFS and the water-binder ratio, the variation patterns in the new binder’s mechanical properties and its micro-evolution mechanisms were assessed. The results show that the compressive strength first grew and then dropped with the Na2O content, with an optimal level at 3.0%. At this level, the strength values of the 3d and 28d samples were 10.5 and 27.8 MPa, respectively, exceeding those in the control group without Na2O by 337.5 and 69.5%, respectively. As the Na2O admixture increased from 0 to 3%, the fluidity of the mortar decreased from 156 mm to 127 mm due to the high frictional resistance caused by the faster generation of hydration products, and the high water absorption of SR also led to reduced fluidity. The new binder’s hydration process mainly generated C-(A)-S-H gel, ettringite (ET), hydrocalumite (HC), calcium hydroxide (CH), and other crystalline hydrates. A 3% Na2O content inhibited the ET growth but significantly promoted the formation of uniformly distributed C-(A)-S-H gel and HC. Crystals grew in the pores or were interspersed in the gel, filling microcracks and significantly increasing the structure density and strength. Excessive Na2O (>3%) could promote the generation of non-uniformly distributed gel, producing more macropores in the matrix and reducing its strength. Additionally, the increased SR content was not conducive to C-(A)-S-H gel formation, but significantly promoted ET formation, which would inhibit strength development. This study provides a theoretical basis for replacing cement with this new binder in pavement bricks and other unreinforced products.
Fair Assignment for Reserved Nucleic Acid Testing
Authors: Xie Na , Liu Zhidong , Chen Xiqun (Michael) , Li Shen
Published: September 2022

Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is now treating the health of millions of people worldwide. The Chinese government now applies nucleic acid testing as a tool to detect patients from healthy people to control the spread of COVID-19. However, people may come to the nucleic acid testing stations simultaneously, leading to long queues and wasting time. In this paper, we proposed the reserved nucleic acid testing method, which could be easily implemented via Web applications associated with nucleic acid testing. Its key idea is to assign people to different pre-scheduled time slots so that the number of people arriving at a certain time slot can be controlled under the capacity, and thus congestion can be relieved. The key question is how to assign people in a fair manner. We propose a concise model to formalize and analyze the minimum total envy and pairwise fairness assignment problem for a variety of reservation-based applications, including nuclear acid testing. Its objective is to maximize the sum of each person’s utility under the capacity constraints of time slots. The decision variables are the time slot assignment of each person. We show that the envy-freeness solution is usually unavailable. However, we can minimize the total envy through appropriate arrangements and realize pairwise fairness with equal-chance shuffling.
Vulnerable Stakeholders’ Engagement: Advancing Stakeholder Theory with New Attribute and Salience Framework
Authors: Shafique Kamran , Gabriel Cle-Anne
Published: September 2022

Stakeholder engagement is a central tenet for understanding and solving sustainability challenges. Given the existing stakeholder knowledge base and the fact that practitioners mostly focus on the engagement of high-power and salience stakeholders, the interests of low-power and vulnerable stakeholders are often manipulated. Therefore, this research is devoted to the engagement of low-power and vulnerable stakeholders. Grounded in the stakeholder theory and the results of two illustrations, we demonstrate how the physical proximity of vulnerable stakeholders influences salience patterns in a multi-stakeholder engagement context. The contribution of the study is the conceptualisation of proximity as a stakeholder attribute, in addition to power, legitimacy, and urgency, to help managers identify and appropriately engage with vulnerable stakeholders. Thus, we extend stakeholder typologies by incorporating proximity into the existing attribute model. The proposed model addresses the paradoxical nature of stakeholder salience and engagement theories and furthers the sustainability agenda.
Spatiotemporal Differentiation and Driving Mechanism of Coupling Coordination between New-Type Urbanization and Ecological Environment in China
Authors: Zhang Yao , Wei Taoyuan , Tian Wentao , Zhao Kai
Published: September 2022

The coupling coordination between new-type urbanization and ecological environment is important for regional sustainable development in China. This study proposes an evaluation index system of new urbanization and ecological environment, and adopts a coupling coordination degree model and a spatial error model to explore the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics and driving factors of the coupling coordination degrees of new-type urbanization and ecological environment in 31 provinces of China from 2010 to 2019. The results show spatiotemporal differences in the overall coupling coordination degree, which has shifted from a mild disorder stage to a near disorder stage over the study period. The spatial distribution of the coupling coordination degrees by province has shifted over time from a pattern of low in the middle and high in both east and west regions to a pattern of stepwise decreasing from east, middle to west regions. The spatial correlation of the coupling coordination degrees is gradually weakening over time. Regional economic development, social security, technological progress, industrial structure, and education input can all contribute to inject strong impetus to the coupled and coordinated development of the two systems. As the development of impetus is still insufficient, it is suggested to pay attention to local conditions, strengthen inter-regional cooperation, and strengthen the superposition effect of multiple driving forces.
Household Food Security as a Complex System—Contributions to the Social Sciences from the Cuban Perspective during a Pandemic
Authors: Ruiz Yinet Domínguez , Nariño Osmanys Soler , Almonte José Manuel Jurado , Domínguez Juan Antonio Márquez
Published: September 2022

The food crisis caused by the rise in grocery prices affects many countries. Added to this complex panorama is the current health situation generated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Its impact on the productive sector will be detrimental to many household incomes and food practices. The social sciences need to adopt a complex understanding of household food security (HFS) as a dynamic process of building collective nutritional knowledge and eating habits. In the case of Cuba, the burden on the agrifood system is the result of external and internal factors that affect household food sustainability. This paper, therefore, seeks to assess the social construction of HFS as a complex system in the current pandemic scenario using the municipality of Santiago de Cuba as a case study. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used. The main results obtained focus on the role played by women in food use and distribution, and the effect of food vulnerability on HFS. These results provide an analytical model for the study of the new and diverse household-food-security configurations that are emerging.
Teacher Education Interventions on Teacher TPACK: A Meta-Analysis Study
Authors: Ning Yimin , Zhou Ying , Wijaya Tommy Tanu , Chen Jihe
Published: September 2022

Teacher education is an important strategy for developing teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK). Many schools in the world have incorporated the training into teacher education plans. However, there has been controversy in academic circles concerning the effects of teacher education intervention in promoting the development of teacher TPACK. Therefore, this study used a meta-analysis approach to review the published literature on teacher education programs to determine the impact on TPACK. The results showed that teacher education intervention positively affected TPACK (d = 0.839, p < 0.0001). Besides cultural background, experimental participants, types, sample types, intervention durations, differences in measurement methods, intervention types, and learning environments are the reasons for the differences in the effects of the interventions. The research design using random experiments had a significant positive effect on the size, which was significantly higher than that of the quasi-experiment. The longer the duration of teaching intervention, the stronger the improvement effect of teachers’ TPACK. There are significant differences in improving TPACK between teaching interventions, and the effect is more obvious. Teacher education intervention has a greater and slightly smaller impact on theoretical and practical knowledge. However, cultural background, experimental participant, sample type, and learning environment have no significant effect on teacher education intervention.
Impact of Land Cover Change on Mountain Circulation over the Hainan Island, China
Authors: Wu Bingxue , Miao Junfeng , Feng Wen
Published: September 2022

Focusing on the complex underlying surface area in central–southern Hainan Island, this study uses the Advanced Research Weather Research and Forecasting Model (Version 4.0) to simulate a typical mountain circulation case without obvious weather system forcing, and tries to reveal the impacts of land cover changes on the mountain circulation. One control experiment (CNTL) and three sensitivity experiments, in which the current land cover is taken as areas of uniform evergreen broadleaf forest (FOREST), grassland (GRASS), and bare soil (DESERT) coverage, are conducted. The results show that the near-surface wind speed increases with decreasing surface roughness, and DESERT shows the most obvious change as compared with the CNTL. In the vertical direction, FOREST shows the strongest valley breeze circulation, with the largest horizontal and vertical extents of circulation, as well as the highest vertical extent of the updraft. DESERT shows the weakest valley breeze circulation with the longest duration. GRASS shows the slightest change from the CNTL. The possible impact mechanism is that the land cover changes could affect the surface energy partitioning, leading to a variation in the temperature distribution (i.e., the horizontal potential temperature gradient and boundary layer stability), in turn affecting the structure and evolution characteristics of the mountain circulation.
Evaluating the Impact of Dynamic Changes in Grasslands on the Critical Ecosystem Service Value of Yanchi County in China from 2000 to 2015
Authors: Wang Bei , Li Xin , Zhu Gaofeng , Huang Chunlin , Ma Chunfeng , Tan Meibao , Zhong Juntao
Published: September 2022

Grasslands are the basis for sustainable development in the northern farming-pastoral transition zone of China, with functions of human production, living, and ecology. Large-scale human activities inevitably lead to significant changes in grasslands, resulting in significant impacts on ecosystem services. To this end, we quantitatively estimated the ecosystem services value in each positive succession process (the improvement in the coverage or area of grasslands) and negative succession process (the degradation in the coverage or area of grasslands). The results indicated that (1) grasslands showed an improving trend from 2000 to 2015. The grassland improvement from low to high coverage dominated the positive succession process. Grassland degradation from high to low coverage dominated the negative succession process. (2) The total ecosystem services value increased by 25,294.87 × 104 yuan from 2000 to 2015. The grassland improvement from low to high coverage was the most important process that led to the increase in ecosystem service value. The degradation between grasslands and non-grasslands was the key process that led to the decrement in ecosystem services value. (3) The impact of grassland dynamics on the regional ecosystem service value showed significant spatial heterogeneity at the town scale. The results will provide some implications for the sustainable development of grassland ecosystem services to improve human well-being.
Application of a Multiplier Transformation to Libera Integral Operator Associated with Generalized Distribution
Authors: Hamzat Jamiu , Oladipo Abiodun , Oros Georgia
Published: September 2022

The research presented in this paper deals with analytic p-valent functions related to the generalized probability distribution in the open unit disk U. Using the Hadamard product or convolution, function fs(z) is defined as involving an analytic p-valent function and generalized distribution expressed in terms of analytic p-valent functions. Neighborhood properties for functions fs(z) are established. Further, by applying a previously introduced linear transformation to fs(z) and using an extended Libera integral operator, a new generalized Libera-type operator is defined. Moreover, using the same linear transformation, subclasses of starlike, convex, close-to-convex and spiralike functions are defined and investigated in order to obtain geometrical properties that characterize the new generalized Libera-type operator. Symmetry properties are due to the involvement of the Libera integral operator and convolution transform.
A Text Classification Model via Multi-Level Semantic Features
Authors: Mao Keji , Xu Jinyu , Yao Xingda , Qiu Jiefan , Chi Kaikai , Dai Guanglin
Published: September 2022

Text classification is a major task of NLP (Natural Language Processing) and has been the focus of attention for years. News classification as a branch of text classification is characterized by complex structure, large amounts of information and long text length, which in turn leads to a decrease in the accuracy of classification. To improve the classification accuracy of Chinese news texts, we present a text classification model based on multi-level semantic features. First, we add the category correlation coefficient to TF-IDF (Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency) and the frequency concentration coefficient to CHI (Chi-Square), and extract the keyword semantic features with the improved algorithm. Then, we extract local semantic features with TextCNN with symmetric-channel and global semantic information from a BiLSTM with attention. Finally, we fuse the three semantic features for the prediction of text categories. The results of experiments on THUCNews, LTNews and MCNews show that our presented method is highly accurate, with 98.01%, 90.95% and 94.24% accuracy, respectively. With model parameters two magnitudes smaller than Bert, the improvements relative to the baseline Bert+FC are 1.27%, 1.2%, and 2.81%, respectively.
Proportional Caputo Fractional Differential Inclusions in Banach Spaces
Authors: Rahmani Abdelkader , Du Wei-Shih , Khalladi Mohammed Taha , Kostić Marko , Velinov Daniel
Published: September 2022

In this work, we introduce the notion of a (weak) proportional Caputo fractional derivative of order α∈(0,1) for a continuous (locally integrable) function u:[0,∞)→E, where E is a complex Banach space. In our definition, we do not require that the function u(·) is continuously differentiable, which enables us to consider the wellposedness of the corresponding fractional relaxation problems in a much better theoretical way. More precisely, we systematically investigate several new classes of (degenerate) fractional solution operator families connected with the use of this type of fractional derivatives, obeying the multivalued linear approach to the abstract Volterra integro-differential inclusions. The quasi-periodic properties of the proportional fractional integrals as well as the existence and uniqueness of almost periodic-type solutions for various classes of proportional Caputo fractional differential inclusions in Banach spaces are also considered.
Modern Dimensional Analysis-Based Steel Column Heat Transfer Evaluation Using Multiple Experiments
Authors: Száva Renáta-Ildikó , Száva Ioan , Vlase Sorin , Gálfi Pál-Botond , Jármai Károly , Gălățeanu Teofil , Popa Gabriel , Asztalos Zsolt
Published: September 2022

In order to foresee the response during the fire of a real symmetrical structure (prototype), nowadays engineers apply methods which involve the associated reduced-scale model’s behaviors, mainly dimensional analysis behaviors. Between the dimensional analysis methods, the so-called Modern Dimensional Analysis (MDA), developed by Szirtes, fulfills all engineering requirements compared with the classical one. The authors used this new proposed method to describe their original electric fire simulation testing bench, as well as the Model Law (using MDA) for the heat transfer in tubular rectangular bars. So, a validation of the Model Law was performed based on several scrupulous experimental investigations both on a real column’s segment and its associated reduced-scale models manufactured at 1:2; 1:4, as well as 1:10 scales. The original heating system, the elaborated protocol, the deduced Model Law, and the results of the experimental investigations represent the contributions of the authors in the field of metallic structures subject to fires. The results validate the possibility of using MDA in the case of heat transmission.
A Machine-Learning-Based Approach to Critical Geometrical Feature Identification and Segmentation in Additive Manufacturing
Authors: Staub Alexandre , Brunner Lucas , Spierings Adriaan B. , Wegener Konrad
Published: September 2022

Additive manufacturing (AM) processes offer a good opportunity to manufacture three- dimensional objects using various materials. However, many of the processes, notably laser Powder bed fusion, face limitations in manufacturing specific geometrical features due to their physical constraints, such as the thermal conductivity of the surrounding medium, the internal stresses, and the warpage or weight of the part being manufactured. This work investigates the opportunity to use machine learning algorithms in order to identify hard-to-manufacture geometrical features. The segmentation of these features from the main body of the part permits the application of different manufacturing strategies to improve the overall manufacturability. After selecting features that are particularly problematic during laser powder bed fusion using stainless steel, an algorithm is trained using simple geometries, which permits the identification of hard-to-manufacture features on new parts with a success rate of 88%, showing the potential of this approach.
On the Study of Thermal Transitions in Selected n-Paraffins Using Differential Scanning Calorimetry
Authors: Earnest Charles , Jones Josh , Dunn Ashley
Published: September 2022

The results obtained from a study of the thermal transformations of polymorphic long-chain normal paraffins (n-C32H66 and n-C36H74) are presented here. The research was performed using a power-compensated Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC). Both heating and cooling experiments were performed in dynamic nitrogen atmosphere. Thermodynamic data for both polymorphic transitions, as well as the fusion endotherms, were determined from the DSC thermal curves. Using the heats of transition (∆H), in Joules/gram, obtained from the data in the DSC thermal curves, molar heats of transition (∆H), in kJ/mol, were calculated and compared to previously published values. The molar entropy of transition (∆S) was then calculated for each of the observed thermal events. Additional information is given by the author on obtaining the best results from the use of DSC for the thermal behavior of n-paraffins. This manuscript opens with a review of most of the early work and the results it provided dealing with polymorphism of n-paraffin solids. Some of this referenced work was performed prior to the advent of computerized analytical instrumentation.
Healthier Lifestyles Attenuated Association of Single or Mixture Exposure to Air Pollutants with Cardiometabolic Risk in Rural Chinese Adults
Authors: Wu Xueyan , Liu Xiaotian , Liao Wei , Dong Xiaokang , Li Ruiying , Hou Jian , Mao Zhenxing , Huo Wenqian , Guo Yuming , Li Shanshan , Chen Gongbo , Wang Chongjian
Published: September 2022

There is little research on how long-term exposure to independent and multiple air pollutants changes cardiometabolic risk in adults. In addition, previous studies focused on only the effect of one or two lifestyles on cardiometabolic risk. The evidence on the interactive effects of the lifestyle score and exposure to independent and mixtures of air pollutants on cardiometabolic risk is lacking. A total of 33,638 rural residents were included in the cross-sectional study. The three-year average concentrations of air pollutants for participants were predicted by using a satellite-based prediction. The air pollution score was created to assess the combined exposure of four air pollutants (PM1, PM2.5, PM10, and NO2). A gender−age-specific cardiometabolic risk score was calculated. Multivariable-adjusted linear regression and quantile g-computation were used to investigate the associations between air pollutants and cardiometabolic risk. Interaction plots were applied to describe the interactive effects of air pollution and the healthy lifestyle score on cardiometabolic risk. Per interquartile range (IQR) unit increases in PM1, PM2.5, PM10, or NO2 were associated with 0.162 (95% CI: 0.091, 0.233), 0.473 (95% CI: 0.388, 0.559), 0.718 (95% CI: 0.627, 0.810), and 0.795 (95% CI: 0.691, 0.898) unit increases in cardiometabolic risk score (all p < 0.05), respectively. A 0.854 (95% CI: 0.768, 0.940) unit increase in cardiometabolic risk was associated with each IQR increase in air pollution score. Furthermore, the strengths of associations of PM1, PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and the air pollution score on cardiometabolic risk score were attenuated with the healthy lifestyle score increase. In addition, there was no statistical significance after the lifestyle score equal to four scores for the effect of PM1 on the cardiometabolic risk score. In conclusions, individual or joint air pollutants were associated with an increased cardiometabolic risk. Improving the healthy lifestyle may be an effective method to improve cardiometabolic health in highly polluted rural regions.
Variation of Aflatoxin Levels in Stored Edible Seed and Oil Samples and Risk Assessment in the Local Population
Authors: Iqbal Shahzad Zafar , Waqas Muhammad , Razis Ahmad Faizal Abdull , Usman Sunusi , Ali Nada Basheir , Asi Muhammad Rafique
Published: September 2022

Five hundred and twenty samples of edible seeds and oilseeds (sunflower, palm, peanut, sesame, cotton, and grapeseed) were purchased from markets, farmers, and superstores in the central cities of Punjab, Pakistan. A total of 125 (48.1%) edible seed samples from a 6 ≤ months storage period, and 127 (48.8%) from a 2 ≥ years storage period were found to be infested with AFs. The average elevated amount of AFB1 and total AFs was observed in a 2 ≥ years storage period, i.e., 28.6 ± 4.5 and 51.3 ± 10.4 µg/kg, respectively, in sesame seeds. The minimum amount of AFB1 and total AFs was observed in palm seed samples with a storage period of 6 ≤ months, i.e., 9.96 ± 2.4, and 11.7 ± 1.90 µg/kg, respectively. The maximum amount of AFB1 and total AFs were observed in peanut oil samples, i.e., 21.43 ± 2.60 and 25.96 ± 4.30 µg/kg, respectively, with a storage period of 2 ≥ years. Therefore, the maximum dietary intake of 59.60 ng/kg/day was observed in oil samples stored at a ≥ 2 years storage period. The results of the present study concluded that a significant difference was found in the amounts of total AFs in edible seed samples stored at 6 ≤ months and 2 ≥ years storage periods (p < 0.05).
In Silico Conformational Features of Botulinum Toxins A1 and E1 According to Intraluminal Acidification
Authors: Cottone Grazia , Chiodo Letizia , Maragliano Luca , Popoff Michel-Robert , Rasetti-Escargueil Christine , Lemichez Emmanuel , Malliavin Thérèse E.
Published: September 2022

Although botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are among the most toxic compounds found in nature, their molecular mechanism of action is far from being elucidated. A key event is the conformational transition due to acidification of the interior of synaptic vesicles, leading to translocation of the BoNT catalytic domain into the neuronal cytosol. To investigate these conformational variations, homology modeling and atomistic simulations are combined to explore the internal dynamics of the sub-types BoNT/A1 (the most-used sub-type in medical applications) and BoNT/E1 (the most kinetically efficient sub-type). This first simulation study of di-chain BoNTs in closed and open states considers the effects of both neutral and acidic pH. The conformational mobility is driven by domain displacements of the ganglioside-binding site in the receptor binding domain, the translocation domain (HCNT) switch, and the belt α-helix, which present multiple conformations, depending on the primary sequence and the pH. Fluctuations of the belt α-helix are observed for closed conformations of the toxins and at acidic pH, while patches of more solvent-accessible residues appear under the same conditions in the core translocation domain HCNT. These findings suggest that, during translocation, the higher mobility of the belt could be transmitted to HCNT, leading to the favorable interaction of HCNT residues with the non-polar membrane environment.
Mycotoxins Contamination in Rice: Analytical Methods, Occurrence and Detoxification Strategies
Authors: Santos Ana Rita , Carreiró Filipa , Freitas Andreia , Barros Sílvia , Brites Carla , Ramos Fernando , Sanches Silva Ana
Published: September 2022

The prevalence of mycotoxins in the environment is associated with potential crop contamination, which results in an unavoidable increase in human exposure. Rice, being the second most consumed cereal worldwide, constitutes an important source of potential contamination by mycotoxins. Due to the increasing number of notifications reported, and the occurrence of mycotoxins at levels above the legislated limits, this work intends to compile the most relevant studies and review the main methods used in the detection and quantification of these compounds in rice. The aflatoxins and ochratoxin A are the predominant mycotoxins detected in rice grain and these data reveal the importance of adopting safety storage practices that prevent the growth of producing fungi from the Aspergillus genus along all the rice chain. Immunoaffinity columns (IAC) and QuECHERS are the preferred methods for extraction and purification and HPLC-MS/MS is preferred for quantification purposes. Further investigation is still required to establish the real exposition of these contaminants, as well as the consequences and possible synergistic effects due to the co-occurrence of mycotoxins and also for emergent and masked mycotoxins.
Digital technologies used for updating the rental factors of land value providing the conditions for industrialization of economy
Authors:   St. Petersburg State Agrarian University, St. Petersburg, Efimova G. A. , Efimova S. V. ,   St. Petersburg State Agrarian University, St. Petersburg, Fyodorov N. A. ,   St. Petersburg State Agrarian University, St. Petersburg
Published: September 2022

The article considers the rental factors of land payments, providing development of competition and industrialization of economy. To update the soil characteristics necessary for substantiation of subsidies and part of the rental income subject to taxation, the technology of creation of electronic soil maps based on archive data in the QGIS environment are proposed in this article. The study are based on the theory of rental income as an increase in normal yield from the quality of soil and economic factors, determined by the materials of soil surveys, which can be updated in a digital environment using digital technology and GIS systems.
Modeling of aerogenic pollution by waste from livestock on the example of Tomsk
Authors:   National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk, Pasko O. A. , Katashova A. E. ,   National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk, Bondarenko D. E. ,   National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk
Published: September 2022

The analysis of the main sources of air pollution (by ammonia and hydrogen sulfide), as well as investigation of geoinformation systems "Zapah" and "ERA-UPRZA" used for monitoring the air condition are made in this work. The research revealed shortcomings limiting operational use of these systems. The authors developed the web application of four classes (Map, Forms, Geojson Layer and Weather) demonstrating the high accuracy of calculations.