bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Multisensor Device Intended as an IoT Element for Indoor Environment Monitoring
Authors: Szczurek Andrzej , Gonstał Dawid , Maciejewska Monika
Published: February 2024

This work presents a multisensor device which is intended as an element of IoT for indoor environment (IE) monitoring. It is a portable, small-size, lightweight, energy-efficient direct-reading instrument. The device has an innovative design and construction. It offers real-time measurements of a wide spectrum of physical and chemical quantities (light intensity, temperature, relative humidity, pressure, CO2 concentration, content of volatile organic compounds including formaldehyde, NO2, and particulate matter), data storage (microSD; server as an option), transmission (WiFi; GSM and Ethernet as options), and visualization (smartphone application; PC as an option). Commercial low-cost sensors were utilized, which have been arranged in the individual sensing modules. In the case of gas sensors, dynamic exposure was chosen to ensure a minimum response time. The MQTT protocol was applied for data transmission and communication with other devices, as well as with the user. The multisensor device can collect huge amounts of data about the indoor environment to provide the respective information to the IoT. The device can be configured to control actuators of various auxiliary devices and equipment including external systems used for ventilation, heating, and air conditioning. The prototype is fully operational. The exemplary results of IE monitoring were shown.
Performance Assessment User Interface to Enhance the Utilization of Grid-Connected Residential PV Systems
Authors: Alfaris Faris E. , Almutairi Faris
Published: February 2024

The share of renewable energy resources in modern electrical power networks is increasing in order to meet environmental and technical targets. Consequently, energy researchers and power providers have been focusing on optimizing the integration of renewable energy into existing power grids. One of the most significant growing applications of renewable energy resources is residential photovoltaic (PV) systems; therefore, this paper discusses a new methodology to enhance the utilization of small-scale and medium-scale PV systems. For this purpose, this study proposes a user-friendly interface to help novice users optimally design their own PV projects with the highest possible utilization of the installed panels. Unlike the commercially available design tools, the proposed interface in this paper provides a higher degree-of-freedom computational process, as well as the option of improving the generated power quality, while maintaining the simplicity of the required tools and inputs. The proposed methodology mainly relies on a deep mathematical analysis considering different generation and consumption aspects, such as the load profile, time of usage, ambient temperature, PV system specifications and location. Furthermore, the mechanism of integrating a small portion of Energy Storage Systems (ESSs), to improve the quality of the extracted power, is also discussed in this study. The user interface provides the ability to estimate optimal ESS usage versus the estimated price when energy is urgently required. The case study was conducted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the results showed an essential improvement in the efficiency, solar fraction and power quality of the studied PV project, which can be extended to other home and distributed generation (DG) scales.
RETRACTED: Memon et al. Investigation of the Physical Properties of Yarn Produced from Textile Waste by Optimizing Their Proportions. Sustainability 2022, 14, 9453
Authors: Memon Hafeezullah , Ayele Henock Solomon , Yesuf Hanur Meku , Sun Li
Published: February 2024

The journal retracts the article, “Investigation of the Physical Properties of Yarn Produced from Textile Waste by Optimizing Their Proportions” [...]
Sustainability and Brazilian Agricultural Production: A Bibliometric Analysis
Authors: Nacimento Rafael Araujo , Rezende Vanessa Theodoro , Ortega Fábio José Muneratti , Carvalho Sylvestre Aureliano , Buckeridge Marcos Silveira , Gameiro Augusto Hauber , Rennó Francisco Palma
Published: February 2024

Agriculture is one of the most important industries in the world. In this context, the importance of Brazil as a strategic country to meet a range of SDG’s targets linked to food security, fighting against hunger, and poverty reduction is undeniable. This study aimed to highlight the production and dissemination of scientific research developed by Brazilian institutions, and to identify prominent authors and institutions based on articles related to sustainability, agriculture, livestock, and agribusiness. A bibliometric analysis was developed based on a sample of 3139 documents published between 2000 and 2022, comprising 21,380 authors that were then analyzed using the Biblioshiny package. As result, the term “sustainability” showed growth as it branched out to semantically similar terms, such as “sustainable agriculture” and “sustainable intensification”; and “crop–livestock integration” and “agroforestry” were highlighted as important in the development of future research. The majority of documents were produced by the University of São Paulo (~33%), the State University of São Paulo (~15%), and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (~11%), suggesting that their researchers could act as coordinators in future research through the formation of multi-collaborative groups to jointly lead to the participatory elaboration of public policies that promote more sustainable paths for agricultural production.
The Impact of Environmental Indicators on Consumer Purchase Decisions for Food Products
Authors: Paliwoda Beata , Matuszak-Flejszman Alina , Ankiel Magdalena
Published: February 2024

This research paper analyzes consumer expectations and priorities concerning environmental indicators within the food industry. The study’s overall objective was to understand the importance of various environmental indicators on consumer purchasing decisions. A survey was conducted in Poland, utilizing a representative sample to measure participants’ opinions. Respondents were asked to assess the importance of various environmental indicators in influencing their purchasing choices. The findings underscore a high demand among Polish consumers for environmental responsibility from companies operating in the food sector. Key indicators include the effectiveness of environmental management systems, pro-environmental investments, the promotion of environmental awareness, waste management, water conservation, and attention to supply chain and wastewater issues. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of consumer preferences, offering guidance for industry stakeholders and policymakers seeking to enhance sustainability practices and align their efforts with consumer expectations in the dynamic landscape of the food sector.
The Use of Financial Tools in Small-Scale Irrigated Crops to Assess Socioeconomic Sustainability: A Case Study in Tocantins-Araguaia Basin, Brazil
Authors: Ribeiro Gabriel Browne de Deus , De Loreto Maria das Dores Saraiva , Miranda Edna Lopes , Bastos Rosária Cal , Aleman Catariny Cabral , da Cunha Fernando França , Rodrigues Paola Delatorre
Published: February 2024

To expand financial knowledge and promote the socioeconomic sustainability of agricultural production systems, this work applied financial instruments to small-scale irrigated crops, making use of agricultural projects from the Bom Sucesso/Santa Cruz Settlement, located in the Tocantins-Araguaia basin, Brazil. The economic viability indicators of two irrigated okra production systems (furrow and drip) were calculated using the following indicators: Net Present Value, Modified Internal Rate of Return, Cost–Benefit Index, Discounted Payback, and Average Cost of Production. And a risk assessment through sensitivity analysis, a tornado chart, and Monte Carlo simulation was performed in a simplified financial model. The economic viability results showed that both irrigated systems were economically viable, although the okra drip system had lower indicators and reduced financial resilience, with a 58% probability of success, while the furrow system’s was 89%. The crops’ financial return was mainly influenced by okra’s sale price and productivity, followed by harvesting and planting costs. The financial tools applied in this study demonstrated some key factors to assess socioeconomic sustainability, such as the necessity to increase producers’ organizational capacity and to achieve technical improvements, which could result in market power, competitive sale prices, lower input costs, and greater productivity. The applied instruments increased financial management and have the potential to the build economic and social strength in the area of small-scale irrigated crops, and they can be replicated using simplified tools for producers, companies, and policy makers.
A Synthetic Review on Enterprise Digital Transformation: A Bibliometric Analysis
Authors: Chen Junru , Shen Lei
Published: February 2024

The digital transformation of enterprises has become an inevitable trend. Conducting a bibliometric analysis of the literature on the digital transformation of enterprises and exploring the current status of digital transformation will provide valuable references and suggestions for enterprises. Both bibliometric analysis and literature review methods are utilized in this study. Among the bibliometric analysis tools are HistCite and CiteSpace. This study finds that Parida V and Technology Forecasting and Social Change are the most prolific authors and journals on enterprise digital transformation, respectively. The USA has the most publications, and Copenhagen Business School is the most influential institution. Three stages are shown by the citation mapping: the budding stage (before 2014), the system formation stage (2015–2019), and the diversified development stage (2020–present). Based on keyword co-occurrence analysis and emergent keyword analysis, this study constructs a conceptual framework for enterprise digital transformation in four aspects: digital technology adoption, digital dynamic capabilities, digital innovation orientation, and digital transformation performance. This study provides a systematic overview of enterprise digital transformation research, establishes a conceptual framework for enterprise digital transformation, and provides certain theoretical insights to steer corresponding practical activities.
Design and Fabrication of Nondestructive Capacitive Sensors for the Moisture Measurement in Chickpeas and Mustard Seeds
Authors: Aswani Geetika , Maurya Om Prakash , Mahboob Rahat , Khan Anwar Ulla , Islam Tarikul
Published: February 2024

Moisture in food grains, including chickpea and mustard seeds, plays a crucial role in their storage and processing, thus ensuring food quality. It helps in the improvement of preservation techniques. Moisture in these materials is an age-old problem; hence, it is important to monitor it in real time. The conventional gravimetric method is manual and time-consuming; some online electrical techniques are available in which grains are considered as a dielectric material, but they are relatively complex and costly. This present work describes a nondestructive concentric fringing field (CFF) capacitive sensor to detect moisture (4–33% by absolute weight) of chickpea grain and (12–30% by absolute weight) mustard seed. First, the proposed CFF sensor was modeled, and then three distinct concentric sensors were designed, simulated, fabricated, and experimentally validated to determine moisture in chickpea grains and mustard seeds. The capacitance values of all the sensors approximately linearly varied with the changes in the moisture of the grains. The average sensitivity of the most sensitive sensors was close to 20 fF/% wt for chickpeas and 31 fF/% wt for mustard seeds. The proposed sensor is sensitive, nondestructive, easy to use, inexpensive, and fast.
The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility Implementation on Enterprises’ Financial Performance—Evidence from Chinese Listed Companies
Authors: Li Xudong , Esfahbodi Ali , Zhang Yufeng
Published: February 2024

Along with the constant changes in the current business environment, more and more enterprises have recognised the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Considering that profit maximisation is the eternal pursuit of enterprises and that some studies have already linked the financial performance of enterprises and their implementation of social responsibility together, this study will try to further explore the impact of social responsibility initiatives on enterprises’ financial performance within the context of emerging economy. Given that enterprises’ sustainable development is closely related to their implementation of CSR, an improvement in their corresponding financial performance due to effective social responsibility practices can incentivise enterprises to take part in CSR initiatives aimed at enhancing the sustainable development of society and the environment. Through using the panel data from Chinese Listed Companies, this research finds that responsibility’s implementation is positively related with enterprises’ financial performance, and that relationship is non-linear. Additionally, as a critical regulatory institution, government fails to function as a mediator within the above-mentioned relationship based on the robust empirical test. At the same time, the fulfilment of CSR can not be achieved at the expense of profit maximisation. The non-linear relationship between CSR and enterprises’ financial performance (CFP) demonstrated in this research suggests that the financial performance of a firm can be optimised when it moderately fulfils its social responsibility. This finding offers a potential optimal strategy for the sustainable development of the firm as well as society. Also, the role of government deserves further exploration and utilisation, considering its significant linkages with enterprises and social development.
Modeling Dynamic Processes in the Black Sea Pelagic Habitat—Causal Connections between Abiotic and Biotic Factors in Two Climate Change Scenarios
Authors: Lazar Luminita , Boicenco Laura , Pantea Elena , Timofte Florin , Vlas Oana , Bișinicu Elena
Published: February 2024

The paper contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targeting Life Below Water by introducing user-friendly modeling approaches. It delves into the impact of abiotic factors on the first two trophic levels within the marine ecosystem, both naturally and due to human influence. Specifically, the study examines the connections between environmental parameters (e.g., temperature, salinity, nutrients) and plankton along the Romanian Black Sea coast during the warm season over a decade. The research develops models to forecast zooplankton proliferation using machine learning (ML) algorithms and gathered data. Water temperature significantly affects copepods and “other groups” of zooplankton densities during the warm season. Conversely, no discernible impact is observed on dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans blooms. Salinity fluctuations notably influence typical phytoplankton proliferation, with phosphate concentrations primarily driving widespread blooms. The study explores two scenarios for forecasting zooplankton growth: Business as Usual, predicting modest increases in temperature, salinity, and constant nutrient levels, and the Mild scenario, projecting substantial temperature and salinity increases alongside significant nutrient decrease by 2042. The findings underscore high densities of Noctiluca scintillans under both scenarios, particularly pronounced in the second scenario, surpassing the first by around 70%. These findings, indicative of a eutrophic ecosystem, underscore the potential implications of altered abiotic factors on ecosystem health, aligning with SDGs focused on Life Below Water.
Estimating Water Use Efficiency for Major Crops in Chihuahua, Mexico: Crop Yield Function Models vs. Evapotranspiration
Authors: Villalobos-Cano Octavio , Santellano-Estrada Eduardo , Stringam Blair L. , Grover Kulbhushan , Esparza-Vela Edgar
Published: February 2024

Water use in agriculture is a critical aspect of sustainable food production. Efficient water management is essential to address both yield optimization and environmental concerns. The current study evaluated the water diversions by the Irrigation District 05—Delicias (DR-05), in the State of Chihuahua, Mexico, for four major crops grown in the region including alfalfa, chile, pecans and peanuts. The amounts of water applied to raise these crops were compared to the amounts of water use estimated with the evapotranspiration (ET) method and with the crop yield function model, and respective water use efficiencies were estimated with both the methods. The water use efficiency measured using the ET estimation (WUE-ET) for alfalfa ranged from 60.9% to 70.4%, while the water use efficiency derived from the yield function data (WUE-YF) showed lower values and ranged from 43.6% to 59.7%. In the case of chile, the opposite trends were observed than in alfalfa, with the WUE-ET for chile ranging from 47.7% to 54.8%, and WUE-YF showing higher values that ranged from 49% to 70%. In the case of peanuts and pecans, only the WUE-ET was estimated and it ranged from 55.9% to 68.8% for peanuts and 90.9% to 116.9% pecans, respectively. Among the four crops studied, pecans were found to have the highest WUE-ET, with values of WUE-ET reaching higher than 100%. However, it is to be noted that these high values of water use efficiencies are more indicative that pecans are probably under irrigated.
Performance Assessment of a New Flat Sepiolite Clay-Based Ultrafiltration Membrane for the Removal of Paracetamol and Indigo Blue Dyes from Two Synthetic Aqueous Solutions
Authors: Romdhani Mohamed , Aloulou Wala , Aloulou Hajer , Duplay Joelle , Charcosset Catherine , Ben Amar Raja
Published: February 2024

In the last decade, the development of a new generation of membranes based on low-cost materials has been widely studied. These membranes demonstrate significantly higher performance than the conventional ceramic membranes currently used in membrane separation technology. This work is focused on the development of a low-cost flat UF ceramic membrane composed completely of sepiolite using a uniaxial pressing method with dimensions of 5.5 cm of diameter and 3 mm of thickness. The sintering temperatures used were from 650 to 800 °C. Several properties, such as morphology, porosity, permeability, mechanical strength, and chemical resistance, are investigated. The results show that the mean pore diameter is increased from 40 to 150 nm when the sintering temperature increases from 650 °C to 800 °C. At these temperatures, excellent mechanical strength of 18 MPa to 22 MPa and high chemical resistance were achieved. SEM results revealed a crack-free structure with a uniformly smooth surface. Permeability tests were conducted using dead-end filtration. The sepiolite membrane demonstrated an improvement in its water permeability from 18 to 41 L·m−2·h−1·bar−1 when the sintering temperature increased from 650 °C to 750 °C. The efficiency of the sepiolite membranes sintered at 650 °C and 700 °C were evaluated with the application of the removal of paracetamol (PCT) and indigo blue (IB) dye separately from two synthetic aqueous solutions representing the pharmaceutical and textile sectors. Excellent removal efficiency of almost 100% for both contaminants was observed at ambient temperature and a pressure of 3 bars. Membrane regeneration was achieved through simple rinsing with deionized water. According to this finding, the UF sepiolite membrane demonstrated reversible fouling, which is consistent with the fouling coefficient “FRR” value higher than 90%.
Thermally Driven Convection Generated by Reaction Fronts in Viscous Fluids
Authors: Vilela Pablo M. , Guzman Roberto , Vasquez Desiderio A.
Published: February 2024

Reaction fronts propagating in liquids separate reacted from unreacted fluid. These reactions may release heat, increasing the temperature of the propagating medium. As fronts propagate, they will induce density changes leading to convection. Exothermic fronts that propagate upward increase the temperature of the reacted fluid located underneath the front. For positive expansion coefficients, the warmer fluid will tend to rise due to buoyancy. In the opposite case, for fronts propagating downward with the warmer fluid on top, an unexpected thermally driven instability can also take place. In this work, we carry out a linear stability analysis introducing perturbations of fixed wavelength. We obtain a dispersion relation between the perturbation wave number and its growth rate. For either direction of propagation, we find that the front is stable for very short wavelengths, but is unstable for large enough wavelengths. We carry out a numerical solution of a cubic reaction–diffusion–advection equation coupled to Navier–Stokes hydrodynamics in a two-dimensional rectangular domain. We find transitions between the non-axisymmetric and axisymmetric fronts increasing with the width of the domain.
HBcAb Positivity as a Risk Factor for Missing HIV RNA Undetectability after the 3TC+DTG Switch
Authors: Malagnino Vincenzo , Mulas Tiziana , Teti Elisabetta , Basso Monica , Giobbia Mario , Geremia Nicholas , Battagin Giuliana , Abi Aad Yasmine , Vincensini Jean-Paul , Iannetta Marco , Parisi Saverio Giuseppe , Sarmati Loredana , Lacombe Karine
Published: February 2024

Hepatitis B Core antibody (HBcAb) positivity is the surrogate marker of hepatitis B occult infection. This condition is not a contraindication for switching to two-drug (2DR) antiretroviral therapy; however, the removal of tenofovir may contribute to poor control of HBV replication. A multicentre retrospective cohort study investigated the impact of HBcAb positivity on HIV control in patients switching to a 2DR with Lamivudine and Dolutegravir (3TC-DTG). In this study, a comparison analysis was conducted between HBcAb-positive and -negative PLWH regarding HIV-RNA suppression, considering: (1): Target Not Detected (TND) < 20 cp/mL; (2) Target Detected (TD) < 20 cp/mL; and (3) Detectable > 20 cp/mL and <50 cp/mL and >50 copies/mL. A total of 267 patients on 2DR with 3TC-DTG were included. In comparison to HBcAb-negative, HBcAb-positive patients were older (45 years [35–54]) and had a lower CD4+ nadir (248 vs. 349 cells/mmc, p = 0.007). No difference in the maintenance of virological suppression was present in the two groups of patients before the switch. Although no patient had an HIV-RNA > 20 cp/mL after the switch, significantly fewer HBcAb-positive compared with -negative subjects resulted in TND at 12, 24, and 36 months after the switch: 52 (69.3%) versus 164 (85.4%), p = 0.004, 50 [72.5%] versus 143 [89.9%], p = 0.001, and 30 [66.7%] versus 90 [92.8%], p = 0.001, respectively. HBcAb positivity is associated with an increased risk of suboptimal HIV suppression during the 36 months after 3TC/DTG simplification. This finding reinforces the relevance of the OBI condition in PLWH and raises the issue of careful virological monitoring of such cases.
Spatial and Temporal Characterization of Mine Water Inrush Accidents in China, 2014–2022
Authors: Sun Wenjie , Li Wenjie , Ren Lingfeng , Li Kexin
Published: February 2024

Currently, water inrush accidents in China’s coal mines are mainly under control, but occasionally, grave water inrush accidents still occur, causing significant casualties and economic losses. Existing studies have primarily focused on accident statistics, and the research on the trend of accident evolution is becoming obsolete to match the current context of coal resource development. This study analyzes the water inrush accidents in China’s coal mines between 2014 and 2022. It investigated the spatial and temporal distribution of accidents, the level of accidents, and the extent to which water prevention and control measures vary by zone in coal mines. The study results showed that from 2014 to 2022, water inrush accidents in coal mines exhibited a “decline-stability-fluctuation” stage change pattern. Additionally, the location of water inrush accidents has shifted westward. Paying particular attention to preventing and controlling water disasters in coal mines within the west development zone is crucial. The water disaster accidents in China’s coal mines have been effectively controlled, but the problem of unequal levels of preventing and controlling water disasters in coal mines persists. This study can provide a reference for the safe and efficient production of coal mines and the control of the number of deaths in mine water hazard accidents.
Consideration of the Environment in Water-Energy-Food Nexus Research in the Aral Sea Basin
Authors: Mayar Mohammad Assem , Hamidov Ahmad , Akramkhanov Akmal , Helming Katharina
Published: February 2024

The water-energy-food (WEF) nexus is a holistic concept used to understand the synergies and trade-offs of interdependent water, energy, and food resources. Despite its widespread use, this concept often overlooks environmental concerns. In addition, the lack of a systemic approach in the Aral Sea Basin (ASB) has resulted in serious environmental degradation. For instance, the Aral Sea, situated at the terminus of the basin, is steadily shrinking, yet researchers studying the WEF nexus tend to overlook the upstream tributaries of the basin. This study aims to determine the extent to which research on the WEF nexus in the ASB in Central Asia has considered the environment through a systematic review of the literature published between 2012 and 2022. The results indicate that the number of WEF publications regarding the ASB has seen an upward trend, with a primary focus on the transboundary level and less research available on the local and national levels. This confirms the strong reliance of Central Asian states on one another for food, energy, and water resources. Furthermore, the results show that the majority of published studies either do not consider environmental concerns in their analyses at all or do so with little precision. Therefore, to achieve precise and sustainable outcomes, this study recommends the inclusion of environmental concerns along with basin-wide coverage in future WEF analyses. Finally, the WEF concept should be downscaled to the national and local levels in order to facilitate its implementation.
Comprehensive Assessment of Dam Safety Using a Game-Theory-Based Dam Safety Performance Measure
Authors: Fu Zhijun , Feng Peng , Luo Zhu
Published: February 2024

More than 100,000 dams have been built in China and their safety conditions have drawn more attention to the stakeholders due to large socioeconomic effects, such as economic losses and casualties caused by dam incidents. Dam safety assessment was closely related to the safety conditions of various indicators and associated weights. However, traditional methods tended to adopt either the subjective weighting method (SWM) or the objective weighting method (OWM) to assess the weights of indicators, leading to an unreliable assessment of dam safety. To this end, this study proposed the game theory (GT)-based dam safety performance measure (DSPM) method to evaluate the safety level of dams. To assess the weights of all associated indicators of dams, the GT method that was used to capture the advantages of both the SWM and OWM was developed. The weights of each indicator were considered as variables and their values were obtained based on MATLAB. The DSPM that followed the form of the power-exponential function was proposed to assess dam safety. The whole method was exemplified by the five dams and the effectiveness of the proposed method was verified by comparing it with the code-based method (i.e., SL 258-2017). The results showed that the weights of indicators based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method and the CRiteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation (CRITIC) method were different. The maximum and minimum percentage differences between the weights based on AHP and CRITIC methods were 107.4% and 3.1%, respectively, revealing that the weights obtained from only one method were unreliable. The proposed GT method was suitable for assessing the weights. Obtained superiority and inferiority rankings (SIRs) based on the GT-based DSPM and the code-based methods were consistent, which showed the effectiveness of the GT-based DSPM method. The code-based method concerning the dam safety levels was too rough to capture the dam performance accurately; the proposed method gave a more detailed classification, which provided important information on wise investments for the stakeholders when enhancing the performance of deficient dams.
Hydrogeochemical Behavior of Shallow Groundwater around Hancheng Mining Area, Guanzhong Basin, China
Authors: Kou Xiaomei , Zhao Zhengzheng , Duan Lei , Sun Yaqiao
Published: February 2024

A total of 18 samples of shallow groundwater around the Hancheng mining area in the Guanzhong Basin were collected from 1–4 May 2018. According to the analysis of hydrochemical data, the Gibbs semi-logarithmic diagram and Piper diagram were used to research the hydrogeochemical behavior of shallow groundwater around the Hancheng mining area in the Guanzhong Basin. The results of the groundwater hydrochemical analyses shown on the Gibbs and Piper plots are as follows: The chemical composition analysis showed that the main cation components were Mg2+, Ca2+, Na+, and K+, the anion components were HCO3−, Cl−, and SO42−. A measure of 89% of the groundwater samples in this area were freshwater, the HCO3− were mainly dolomite, calcite, and gypsum dissolved precipitation resulted. Na+ and Cl− came from the dissolution of halite. Most of the groundwater was of the SO4·Cl-Ca·Mg type, accounting for 61.1%. The main ion chemistry of the shallow groundwater in this area is controlled by rock weathering, and pyrite oxidation is a significant factor affecting the SO42− concentration. These research results will help analyze the formation mechanism of chemical components and provide some basic data for the evolution of mine water in this area in the future.
Research Advancements in Swine Wastewater Treatment and Resource-Based Safe Utilization Management Technology Model Construction
Authors: Chen Biao , Zhu Yong , Wu Meijin , Xiao Yanchun , Huang Jing , Lin Chengfei , Weng Boqi
Published: February 2024

Swine wastewater contains large amounts of organic matter, nutrients, toxic metal elements, and antibiotics. If it is directly discharged or not properly treated, it poses a significant threat to the environment and human health. Currently, the management of swine wastewater has become a focus of social attention, and it adopts a dual-track parallel model of standard discharge supplemented by resource utilization. If treated properly, it can achieve the recycling of water resources and promote the effective recovery of resources. Based on the pollution characteristics of swine wastewater, this paper analyzes its impact on the environment, society, and the economy in detail and expounds on the research progress of swine wastewater treatment technology. From the perspective of resource utilization and recycling of anaerobic digestion liquid (biogas slurry) from swine wastewater and the carrying capacity of the soil environment and cumulative ecological environmental risks, this study explores new development trends and application prospects for swine wastewater treatment technology.
Numerical Study for Damage Identification in Beams Using Continuous Wavelet Transformation and Convolution Neural Network
Authors:   University of Basrah, R. Bustan Eman , K. Ali Jaafar ,   University of Basrah
Published: February 2024

The discovery and identification of damages in engineering structures is very important in the field of engineering maintenance, as it is a great challenge in presenting new methods in measuring vibrations and discovering damages with the development in the field of automation and high accuracy in discovering damages. In this study, natural frequencies and mode shapes of transverse vibration for damage detection in structures are investigated. The study is performed for various crack depth and crack location. And suggested a new technique based on Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT) and Convolution Neural Network (CNN). The comparison will be done by simulating the oscillations of a cantilever steel beam with and without defect as a numerical case. The proposed new technique proved to outperform classical methods and has achieved a100% accuracy in the identification of defect position for the data studied.
Experimental Investigation of the Performance of a Household Refrigerator Using Phase Change Material
Authors:   University of Basrah, R. Jasim Mqdad , S. Sultan Hussien ,   University of Basrah, A. Abood Falah ,   University of Basrah
Published: February 2024

A household refrigerator represents an essential device for all houses nowadays. The electric energy consumed by the refrigerator and the fluctuation of the temperature inside the fresh food cabin is the main two problems affecting its performance. Incorporating phase change material (PCM) inside the refrigerator is one of the solutions for the previous mentioned problems. In the present study, a water PCM is added to the cabinet of 220-litters double door refrigerator. The PCM (0.5 ml of water) is added at three different locations, touch the front of the evaporator part inside the cabin, touch the rear of the evaporator part in the cabin, and far away from the evaporator part inside the cabin. The location of the PCM determines how much energy is released and stored from the evaporator. The use of phase change material (PCM) touch to the evaporator increases the rate of heat transfer due to the conduction method being used throughout the whole heat transfer process from the evaporator to the phase changematerial (PCM), which raises the refrigeration system's COP (coefficient of performance). The experimental test period is 24 hours for each day. Firstly, the refrigerator is tested without using PCM, and the power consumption, the temperatures at different points for the refrigerator, suction pressure, discharge pressure, the ambient temperature, and the time on period and time off period of the compressor are measured. Secondly, for same testing period all previous parameters are measured with using PCMat different locations inside the refrigerator. The results show that, adding the PCM (water) behind the evaporator led to increase the COP by 21.97%, increase the compressor off time by 73 minutes, reduction in power consumption of 14.4%, decrease of exergy losses of the system by 8% and temperature fluctuation reduced inside the fresh food cabin, that enhance the quality of stored food. Adding the PCM front the evaporator improve the previous parameters but less than that of the first case. The third location, adding the PCM far away from the evaporator has no improvement on the refrigerator's performance.
Prediction of Residual Stresses in 316 Stainless Steel Pipes Welded Joint
Authors:   University of Basrah, A. Mutair Zahraa , M. Mohammad Haider ,   University of Basrah
Published: February 2024

Due to the extremely complicated thermal cycle for the welding process, the fusion zone and heat-affected zone (HAZ) produce irreversible elastic-plastic deformation and residual stresses. The differential heating of the pipes caused by the weld heat source causes residual stress as a result of the welding process. However, the strength and lifetime of the component are also decreased as a result of residual stresses in and around the weld zone. The objective of this research is to analyze the residual stresses created during the welding process and select the best welding parameters that give the lowest residual stresses in 316SS pipes with 50 mm diameter and 4 mm thickness that were manually welded by used (316) welding wire and using shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) in a single-pass butt joint with the various values for each of current (58, 68, 78, 88) amperes and voltage (22, 23, 24, 25, 26) volts. The shielded metal arc welding process involves heating, melting, and solidifying the parent metals and filler material in a localized fusion zone by a transient heat source to create a junction between the parent metals. The welding process free from preheating and heat treatment will be obtained. ANSYS Finite Element methods are used to calculate the welding residual stress distribution. The mechanical and thermal models were used to carry out the theoretical analysis. In general, the numerical study found that the residual stress distribution at the weld zone’s center is continuous, rising, and has a value of about (1738 MPa). Additionally, the residual stress at the boundary between the heat-affected zone and the weld zone climbs to a maximum value of around (3799.6 MPa). On the other hand, the magnitude of the residual stress in the heat-affected zone of the weld reduces significantly and achieves a minimum value at a position of (20 mm) with a value near zero.
Epoxy–Silica Functionally Graded Materials: A Review
Authors:   University of Basrah, Shareef AbdulRazaq Jaafar , F. Hassan Abdul Kareem ,   University of Basrah, Hadi Jasim Al Hasan Nuha ,   University of Basrah
Published: February 2024

This article provides an overview of the studies that have been conducted on the characteristics of epoxy resins containing various types of silica nanoparticles and microparticles, as well as their performance in the industrial application of functionally graded materials (FGMs). Silica nanoparticles and microparticles are used to create epoxy resins in order to improve various properties, such as thermal stability, adhesiveness, electrical conductivity, strength, modulus, and toughness. This review examines the literature that has been published in the last decade, compares the results, focuses on the mechanical and thermal properties, and discusses the changes that have resulted in improvements in those properties. Previous experimental findings are presented and contrasted to demonstrate the extent to which silica filler content contributes to improving the properties of composite materials. The findings reveal that the characteristics of epoxy compounds can be improved by adding a particular amount of silica particles. There is a correlation between an increase in the silica amount and an increase in the Young modulus of epoxy compounds, this correlation becomes stronger as the silica amount increases. Additionally, the tensile strength of epoxy compounds increases to a certain limit as the amount of silica nanoparticles increases. In contrast, the hardness of the material increases as the silica amount increases. The density of the material also increases steadily as the silica amount in the material increases. According to thermal analysis results from calorimetric research on epoxy–silica systems, the glass transition temperature increases as the silica amount increases.
Effect of Solar Radiation and Soil Temperature on the Flow Characteristics in Above Ground and Underground Petroleum Pipelines
Authors:   University of Basrah, M. Essa Tabarak , H. Hammadi Salman ,   University of Basrah
Published: February 2024

In this proposed study, all environmental factors affecting the aboveground and buried pipes, such as solar radiation and temperature, and soil temperature, have been studied on the characteristics of flow inside the aboveground and underground pipelines by building a mathematical model using MATLAB based on energy balance equations. From the mathematical model, the effect of solar radiation on the aboveground section of the pipeline is significate. During March and an inlet temperature of 34 °C, the pipeline outlet fluid temperature will rise to 50 °C. Other parameters affecting the aboveground section of the pipeline, such as ambient temperature and wind speed, have a much smaller effect on the fluid temperature, and the temperature difference is approximately 4 °C between the highest and lowest pipeline outlet fluid temperature. The result for the underground section of the pipeline showed that the main affecting parameter on the fluid temperature is the burry depth of the pipeline, the deeper the pipeline depth the lower the temperature variation and the lower fluid temperature can be seen, at 1 meter of bury depth the minimum and maximum fluid temperature was 18 °C and 36 °C respectively, and at 5 meters of bury depth, the minimum and maximum fluid temperature was 26 °C and 31 °C respectively. This study also checks different process parameters. Some of these are fluid flow, pipe diameter, and pipe material. The effect of the fluid flow and pipe diameter has a similar impact on the fluid temperature (while fixing all the other parameters), the higher the fluid flow or the smaller the pipe diameter resulted in a better heat transfer and more considerable temperature difference, and vice versa. The final process parameter, pipe material, had little to no effect on the fluid temperature variation.
Patient preferences for investigating cancer-related symptoms in Australian general practice: a discrete-choice experiment
Authors: Venning Brent , Pearce Alison , De Abreu Lourenco Richard , Hall Rebekah , Bergin Rebecca J , Lee Alex , Donohoe Keith , Emery Jon
Published: February 2024

Background

Striking the right balance between early cancer diagnosis and the risk of excessive testing for low-risk symptoms is of paramount importance. Patient-centred care must also consider patient preferences for testing.

Aim

To investigate the diagnostic testing preferences of the Australian public for symptoms associated with oesophagogastric (OG), bowel, or lung cancer.

Design and setting

One of three discrete-choice experiments (DCEs) related to either OG, bowel, or lung cancer were administered to a nationally representative sample of Australians aged ≥40 years.

Method

Each DCE comprised three scenarios with symptom positive predictive values (PPVs) for undiagnosed cancer ranging from 1% to 3%. The numerical risk was concealed from participants. DCE attributes encompassed the testing strategy, GP familiarity, test and result waiting times, travel duration, and test cost. Preferences were estimated using conditional and mixed logit models.

Results

A total of 3013 individuals participated in one of three DCEs: OG (
n
= 1004), bowel (
n
= 1006), and lung (
n
= 1003). Preferences were chiefly driven by waiting time and test cost, followed by the test type. There was a preference for more invasive tests. When confronted with symptoms carrying an extremely low risk (symptom PPV of ≤1%), participants were more inclined to abstain from testing.

Conclusion

Access-related factors, particularly waiting times and testing costs, emerged as the most pivotal elements influencing preferences, underscoring the substantial impact of these systemic factors on patient choices regarding investigations.
Analyse de la règlementation antidopage du Sénégal relative aux chevaux de course au regard des règles antidopage de la Fédération internationale des Autorités Hippiques : cas des substances dopantes
Authors: Penoukou Etsri Kokou , Teko-Agbo Assiongbon , Gbati Oubri-Bassa
Published: February 2024

Tout pays signataire d’un article des règles antidopage éditées par la Fédération internationale des Autorités Hippiques des courses de galop se doit de prendre des dispositions dans sa législation nationale pour mettre en œuvre les directives de cet article. Le Sénégal, bien que non signataire, s’aligne plus ou moins sur les directives proposées au niveau international en ce qui concerne les substances dopantes en dépit des dissimilitudes relevées quant à la nature de certaines substances dans sa réglementation antidopage. Toutefois, les Autorités Hippiques sénégalaises se doivent d’une part, d’assurer la cohérence entre les différents textes servant de réglementation nationale antidopage et d’autre part, d’intégrer les mises à jour au regard des avancées scientifiques en ce qui concerne les substances dopantes chez les chevaux de course.
Fiscalização, pela Polícia Militar do Paraná, dos dispositivos destinados ao controle de ruído do motor produzidos por motocicletas, motonetas, ciclomotores, triciclos e quadriciclos
Authors: Zancan Gustavo Dalledone
Published: February 2024

A poluição sonora decorrente do excesso de ruídos produzidos no trânsito, por motocicletas e assemelhados, com escapamentos adulterados, é um problema crônico, um inconveniente que gera prejuízo à saúde física e mental das pessoas. A complexidade na fiscalização e certo conflito de competências geram dificuldades em sua execução e possíveis falhas na interpretação das leis, sobre a forma correta de fiscalização dos dispositivos destinados ao controle de ruído do motor. O estudo em tela trata-se de pesquisa documental e descritiva, com os objetivos de demonstrar a problemática na saúde humana e o ponto de vista da medicina sobre este fator de estresse ambiental; a competência das polícias militares na fiscalização, nos termos do Código de Trânsito Brasileiro e os convênios vigentes no Estado do Paraná; definir o dispositivo de controle de ruído, como equipamento obrigatório dos veículos, as regulamentações dos órgãos federais (Conama), com o limite máximo de ruído (Ibama), com os procedimentos para medição de ruído (Inmetro) e a certificação dos componentes automotivos, além das resoluções do Contran; as condutas de falta de escapamento, dispositivo não original, descarga livre e silenciador defeituoso, as penalidades, medidas administrativas e os enquadramentos cabíveis; descrever as orientações afetas e constantes dos manuais e normativas, para a correta fiscalização dos dispositivos, citando  orientação do Cetran/PR. Concluindo pela necessidade em instruir os policiais militares quanto à maneira correta de fiscalizar, e pela demanda em intensificar as ações de trânsito voltadas aos escapamentos de motocicletas.
The History of Communication Technology Education including Objectives and Contents of Technology Education Curriculum in Secondary level
Authors:   Korean Technology Education Association, Yi Sangbong
Published: February 2024

The purpose of this study is to present directions for communication technology-related technology education by analyzing transition in communication technology instructional objectives and contents.
From the first to third technology education in middle school, electrical and electronic-related education is the main focus, and industrial education is strong. On the other hand, from the 4th period, the instructional objectives and instructional contents of communication technology began to be emphasized, and from the 8th period, the ability to process information and solve technological problems related to information and communication was emphasized. High school technology education is also dominated by electricity and electronics-related education from the 1st to the 3rd, and has a strong industrial education character. On the other hand, from the 4th period, instructional objectives and instructional contents related to computers and information communication were presented in earnest, and in the 6th and 7th periods, information related subjects were newly established as independent subjects, so communication technology was not dealt with. In the 8th period, problem-solving experience activities related to information and communication technology were presented, and in the 9th period, instructional objectives and instructional contents suitable for the characteristics of technology education were presented, but the proportion was very small.
Based on this study, instructional objectives and educational contents should be selected based on a systematic approach to technology in middle and high school technology subjects, and follow-up studies should be conducted on the instructional objectives and instructional contents as general education should be conducted.