bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Experimental Investigations and Optimization of Machining Parameters in CNC Turning of SS304 Using Coolant at 0 °C
Authors: Patil Pravin , Karande Prasad
Published: October 2022

During the machining process, coolant is utilized to remove chips and tiny abrasive particles created during the machining process as well as to lessen heat concentration and friction between tools and chips. The machining performances, such as tool life, surface roughness, cutting forces, retention of mechanical properties of the work material, etc., are also desired to be retained or improved at the same time. This presented research work’s main goal is to investigate and analyze the impact of coolant at 0 °C on input machining parameters when turning SS304 (an austenitic stainless steel of the 300 series with high corrosion resistance) on a CNC lathe and to optimize the input variable factors, such as feed rate, cutting speed, and depth of cut for the best machining conditions, and each input cutting parameter is given a weight using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) technique. A novel experimental setup is created to decrease the temperature of emulsion coolant and to use it in control conditions during machining operation. To research and assess the impact on the workpiece surface roughness, forces produced during actual cutting operations, the rate of tool wear, and the rate of material removal, twenty-seven sets of experiments using the partial factorial design approach are devised and carried out. Prioritizing the many optimal solutions accessible for this work is done using the technique for the order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) and grey relation grade (GRG) approaches. Further, the surface finish of the workpiece after machining, rate of tool wear, cutting force generated during machining, and material removal rate from the workpiece were compared with traditionally/conventionally used input parameters with newly obtained optimized parameters through this work. Approximately a 30% improvement is observed in output parameters compared with using traditional parameters, and was close to the 50% of the result obtained through cryogenic machining. The work piece’s chip morphology along with tool wear was observed in form of SEM images, and it supports the claim of the surface finish and tool wear. The material removal rate was physically observed during machining. SEM pictures were used to physically validate the changes in tool wear. It has also been shown that keeping the coolant temperature at 0 °C significantly improves a number of work quality and machining characteristics. This method offers a substitute for cryogenic machining, making it useful for the manufacturing sectors.
SLA Resins Modification by Liquid Mixing with Ceramic Powders Aiming at Mechanical Property and Thermal Stability Enhancement for Rapid Tooling Applications
Authors: Karatza Anna , Zouboulis Panagiotis , Gavalas Iakovos , Semitekolos Dionisis , Kontiza Artemis , Karamitrou Melpo , Koumoulos Elias P. , Charitidis Costas
Published: October 2022

Stereolithography (SL) additive manufacturing process provides increased dimensional precision, smooth surface finish and printing resolution range in the order of magnitude of 100 μm, allowing to obtain intricate 3D geometries. The incorporation of ceramic-based inclusions within liquid resins enhances the thermal and mechanical properties of the final 3D printed component while improving the surface finishing of the final parts; in this way, it expands the range of process applications and reduces the post-processing steps. The proposed approach investigates the bulk modification of commercial SLA resins mixed with ceramic powders of Al2O3 (grain size 1–10 μm) and SiO2 (grain size 55–75 nm) aiming to improve 3D printed parts performance in terms of mechanical properties, dimensional stability and surface finishing compared with pure, unmodified resins. The produced materials were used for the development of inserts for injection moulding and were examined for their performance during the injection moulding process. The addition of particles in the nano- and micro-range is being employed to improve parts performance for rapid tooling applications whilst maintaining 3D printing accuracy, thermal and mechanical properties as well as achieving a smooth surface finishing compared with unmodified resins.
Calibration of Finite Element Model of Titanium Laser Welding by Fractional Factorial Design
Authors: Escribano-García Ruben , Álvarez Pedro , Marquez-Monje David
Published: October 2022

This paper focuses on the calibration of heat source parameters to reproduce temperatures and distortions in welded joints. Specifically, the proposed methodology, which combines the Finite Element Method and Design of Experiments, is applied to calibrate a T-joint dissimilar titanium laser welding process. The thermal problem is addressed using a 3D transient model with a Conical Gaussian heat flux, and the mechanical problem is tackled using a 3D elastic-plastic model. A Fractional-Factorial Design is performed to define a set of thermo-mechanical uncoupled models. Finally, optimal parameter combinations that replicate experimental data are identified. This methodology allows automation that replaces the traditional trial and error process, which frequently does not provide good results, is an exhausting task and requires a dubious amount of time.
The Conditional Probability for Human Error Caused by Fatigue, Stress and Anxiety in Seafaring
Authors: Russo Andrea , Vojković Lea , Bojic Filip , Mulić Rosanda
Published: October 2022

Human error caused by the interaction and effect of fatigue, stress and anxiety in seafarers is the subject of this research. The human element is a major part of the maritime system. We used Bayesian networks to predict human error in maritime affairs by analysing interactions between people, technology, organisational and environmental factors which make up the specificity of the maritime system. Bayesian networks are graphical structures developed to represent the conditional dependencies among a number of variables and to make conditional conclusions related to the selected variables. Through the analysis of psychic causes such as stress, fatigue, anxiety and so on, the model can produce graphic diagrams indicating which rank on which type of vessel at which seafarers age contributes to an increase in conditional probability of human error. The contribution of the paper is to find the worst combinations of influencing variables that can lead to an increase in the risk of human error. The results show a significant level of fatigue and stress in all officers (engine and nautical), regardless of the type of vessel they serve. A strong presence of anxiety is also reported in all surveyed officers, with a higher degree between engine officers.
Research on an All-Flow Velocity Control Strategy for a 120 kW Variable-Pitch Horizontal Axis Tidal Current Turbine
Authors: Wang Bingzhen , Ke Wei , Zhang Yuanfei , Duan Yunqi
Published: October 2022

Horizontal-axis tidal current turbines have considerable potential to harvest renewable energy from ocean tides. The pitch control system is a critical part of variable-pitch tidal turbines. Existing control strategies for tidal turbines mainly rely on flow measurement devices to obtain tidal velocities, which are costly and subject to many limitations in practical applications, making them unsuitable for small off-grid tidal turbines. In this paper, we propose a pitch control strategy for a 120 kW horizontal-axis tidal current turbine based on the output power of the generator. The torque of the turbine was calculated based on the blade element momentum theory, and a dynamic model of the tidal turbine was established. The dynamic characteristics of the turbine and generator were studied under various flow rates and pitch angles. On the basis of the characteristic analysis, the generating efficiency of the unit was improved under a low flow rate, and the output power was limited to a rated value under high-current velocity by regulating the pitch angle. Furthermore, a novel protection and start up strategy is proposed to protect the unit and make full use of the tidal energy when the tidal current velocity exceeds the limit value. We performed simulations, the obtained results of which demonstrate the effectiveness and advantages of the designed control strategies.
Crisis Ocean Modelling with a Relocatable Operational Forecasting System and Its Application to the Lakshadweep Sea (Indian Ocean)
Authors: Shapiro Georgy I. , Gonzalez-Ondina Jose M. , Salim Mohammed , Tu Jiada , Asif Muhammad
Published: October 2022

This study presents the Relocatable Operational Ocean Model (ReOMo), which can be used as a Crisis Ocean Modelling System in any region of the global ocean that is free from ice. ReOMo can be quickly nested into an existing coarser resolution (parent) model. The core components of ReOMo are the NEMO hydrodynamic model and Rose-Cylc workflow management software. The principal innovative feature of ReOMo is the use of the Nesting with Data Assimilation (NDA) algorithm, which is based on the model-to-model assimilation technique. The NDA utilises the full 3D set of field variables from the parent model rather than just the 2D boundary conditions. Therefore, ReOMo becomes physically aware of observations that have been assimilated and dynamically balanced in the external model. The NDA also reduces the spatial phase shift of ocean features known as the ‘double penalty effect’. In this study, ReOMo was implemented for the Lakshadweep Sea in the Indian Ocean at 1/20°, 1/60°, or 1/120° resolution with and without model-to-model data assimilation. ReOMo is computationally efficient, and it was validated against a number of observational data sets to show good skills with an additional benefit of having better resolution than the parent model.
Numerical Simulations on the Flooding into a Damaged Cabin with a Flexible Bulkhead Based on the Mixed-Mode Function-Modified MPS Method
Authors: Wu Jinxin , Zhang Guiyong , Jiang Yichen , Yang Xi
Published: October 2022

Floodwater entering the damaged cabin and impacting the bulkhead can cause damage to the watertight compartment and affect the survival of the ship. The elastic deformation of the bulkhead can slow down the impact and affect the flow field, which affects the hydrodynamic distribution inside the cabin. In this work, numerical simulations on the flooding phenomena into the damaged cabin with various stiffness, watertight bulkheads are carried out by using the mixed-mode function-modified moving particle semi-implicit (MPS) method, with the objective of investigating the influence of the stiffness of the watertight bulkheads on the structural impact load. Firstly, the numerical model based on the MPS method is set up to predict the dam-break wave impact load on an elastic plate and compared with the experimental measurements to verify the feasibility of the method. Then, the evolution of the flooding process of the damaged cabin with four different stiffnesses are simulated and the impact pressure on the bulkhead is predicted and compared. It is found that the flexible watertight bulkheads not only can reduce the peak pressure acting on it, but also have an effect on the hydrodynamic pressure distribution of the entire cabin. This implies that properly selected stiffness and material properties of watertight bulkheads can mitigate the impact of flooding on the damaged cabin’s bulkheads.
Anthropogenic Pressure on Hydrographic Basin and Coastal Erosion in the Delta of Paraíba do Sul River, Southeast Brazil
Authors: Lämmle Luca , Perez Filho Archimedes , Donadio Carlo , Arienzo Michele , Ferrara Luciano , Santos Cleber de J. , Souza André O.
Published: October 2022

Coastal erosion affects several beaches worldwide in association with natural and human pressures. In recent decades, the coastland located on the Paraíba do Sul River mouth has been recognized as one of the main areas that suffer from this geomorphological dynamic. Furthermore, the scientific literature, even if scarce, has pointed out that these dynamics are causing negative socio-environmental responses and making the area less resilient. In the last few decades, hundreds of homes and other urban structures have become debris due to erosion caused by sea ingression, triggered by the coupling of environmental processes and dynamics occurring at different spatial and temporal scales. Thus, the present research aimed to analyze how the anthropic changes carried out in the Paraíba do Sul hydrographic basin are related to the intense coastal erosion at the mouth. Variations in fluvial–marine hydrosedimentary dynamics triggered this due to the construction of dams to supply large cities and for agricultural purposes. Water and sediment samples were collected and analyzed in different sectors of the main channel and on the adjacent coast, mapping land use in the basin area and surveying socioeconomic data. The results suggest that human pressures on the hydrographic basin during the last century are directly associated with the imbalance of the environmental system and, consequently, the progression of coastal erosion on the Paraíba do Sul delta shoreline.
Sediment Waves on the Western Slope of the Chukchi Rise (Arctic Ocean) and Their Implications for the Paleoenvironment
Authors: Hua Qingfeng , Li Guanbao , Zhou Qingjie , Li Shujiang , Xu Tengfei , Liu Baohua , Chen Hongxia
Published: October 2022

Based on multibeam bathymetric data and high-resolution shallow sub-bottom profiles acquired during China’s 10th Arctic Scientific Expedition Cruise in 2019, a sediment wave field was found on the western slope of the Chukchi Rise, in the Arctic Ocean. This sediment wave field developed on the lower slope with water depths of between 1200 m and 1800 m and stretched 15 km in the downslope direction. It comprised several parallel sediment waves, with wavelengths ranging from 700 m to 3400 m and wave heights from 12 m to 70 m. In the vertical direction, well-stratified deposits, tens of meters thick, were affected by sediment waves, which exhibit asymmetric waveforms and upslope migration trends. The morphological and seismostratigraphic characteristics of the sediment waves suggested their genesis as a result of the interaction between the bottom current and seafloor morphology, which was also supported by hydrographical data adjacent to the sediment wave field. It was infered that this bottom current was related to the Arctic Circumpolar Boundary Current, which many researchers suggest flows through the study area.
Quantitative PCR Effectively Quantifies Triazole-Susceptible and Triazole-Resistant Aspergillus fumigatus in Mixed Infections
Authors: Resendiz-Sharpe Agustin , Van Holm Wannes , Merckx Rita , Pauwels Martine , Teughels Wim , Lagrou Katrien , Vande Velde Greetje
Published: October 2022

Increasing resistance to triazole antifungals in Aspergillus fumigatus is worrisome because of the associated high mortality of triazole-resistant A. fumigatus (TRAF) infections. While most studies have focused on single triazole-susceptible (WT) or TRAF infections, reports of TRAF cases developing mixed WT and TRAF infections have been described in several studies. However, the prevalence of mixed infections and their responses to current recommended therapies are unknown and could be inappropriate, leading to poor clinical outcomes. To address the urgent need for tools to diagnose, monitor disease development and therapy efficacies in mixed infection settings where quantification of WT versus TRAF is key, this study developed a novel qPCR assay to differentiate WT and TRAF harboring the cyp51A-TR34/L98H mutation. The proposed assay successfully quantified A. fumigatus and discriminated TRAF-TR34 in vitro and in vivo, which was achieved by increasing the yield of extracted DNA through improved homogenization and specific primers targeting the WT-sequence or TR34-insertion and a TaqMan-probe directed to A. fumigatus. The here-developed qPCR assay overcomes sensitivity issues of methodologies such as CFU counts, providing specific, reproducible, and reliable quantitative information to study and follow up the (interplay and individual) effects of mixed A. fumigatus infections on disease development and treatment responses.
Short-Term Vegetation Restoration Enhances the Complexity of Soil Fungal Network and Decreased the Complexity of Bacterial Network
Authors: Xu Hengkang , Chen Chao , Pang Zhuo , Zhang Guofang , Wu Juying , Kan Haiming
Published: October 2022

Different vegetation restoration methods may affect the soil’s physicochemical properties and microbial communities. However, it is not known how the microbial network’s complexity of the bacterial and fungal communities respond to short-term vegetation restoration. We conducted a short-term ecological restoration experiment to reveal the response of the soil’s microbial community and microbial network’s stability to initial vegetation restoration during the restoration of the degraded grassland ecosystem. The two restoration methods (sowing alfalfa (Medicago sativa, AF) and smooth brome (Bromus inermis, SB)) had no significant effect on the alpha diversity of the fungal community, but the SB significantly increased the alpha diversity of the soil surface bacterial community (p < 0.01). The results of NMDS showed that the soil’s fungal and bacterial communities were altered by a short-term vegetation restoration, and they showed that the available phosphorus (AP), available potassium (AK), and nitrate nitrogen (nitrate-N) were closely related to changes in bacterial and fungal communities. Moreover, a short-term vegetation restoration significantly increased the complexity and stability of fungi ecological networks, but the opposite was the case with the bacteria. Our findings confirm that ecological restoration by sowing may be favorable to the amelioration of soil fungi complexity and stability in the short-term. Such findings may have important implications for soil microbial processes in vegetation recovery.
Morphological, Pathological and Genetic Diversity of the Colletotrichum Species, Pathogenic on Solanaceous Vegetable Crops in Bulgaria
Authors: Manova Vasilissa , Stoyanova Zornitsa , Rodeva Rossitza , Boycheva Irina , Korpelainen Helena , Vesterinen Eero , Wirta Helena , Bonchev Georgi
Published: October 2022

Colletotrichum species are among the most devastating plant pathogens in a wide range of hosts. Their accurate identification requires a polyphasic approach, including geographical, ecological, morphological, and genetic data. Solanaceous crops are of significant economic importance for Bulgarian agriculture. Colletotrichum-associated diseases pose a serious threat to the yield and quality of production but are still largely unexplored. The aim of this study was to identify and characterize 26 pathogenic Colletotrichum isolates that threaten solanaceous crops based on morphological, pathogenic, and molecular data. DNA barcodes enabled the discrimination of three main taxonomic groups: C. acutatum, C. gloeosporioides, and C. coccodes. Three different species of acutatum complex (C. nymphaeae, C. godetiae, and C. salicis) and C. cigarro of the gloeosporioides complex were associated with fruit anthracnose in peppers and tomatoes. The C. coccodes group was divided in two clades: C. nigrum, isolated predominantly from fruits, and C. coccodes, isolated mainly from roots. Only C. salicis and C. cigarro produced sexual morphs. The species C. godetiae, C. salicis, and C. cigarro have not previously been reported in Bulgaria. Our results enrich the knowledge of the biodiversity and specific features of Colletotrichum species, which are pathogenic to solanaceous hosts, and may serve as a scientific platform for efficient disease control and resistance breeding.
Mechanical, Physical, and Chemical Properties of Mycelium-Based Composites Produced from Various Lignocellulosic Residues and Fungal Species
Authors: Aiduang Worawoot , Kumla Jaturong , Srinuanpan Sirasit , Thamjaree Wandee , Lumyong Saisamorn , Suwannarach Nakarin
Published: October 2022

Mycelium-based composites (MBCs) are characterized as biodegradable materials derived from fungal species. These composites can be employed across a range of industrial applications that involve the manufacturing of packaging materials as well as the manufacturing of buildings, furniture, and various other household items. However, different fungal species and substrates can directly affect the functional properties of MBCs, which ultimately vary their potential to be used in many applications. In this study, the mechanical, physical, and chemical properties of MBCs made from four different fungal species (Ganoderma fornicatum, Ganoderma williamsianum, Lentinus sajor-caju, and Schizophyllum commune) combined with three different types of lignocellulosic residues (sawdust, corn husk, and rice straw) were investigated. The results indicate that differences in both the type of lignocellulosic residues and the fungal species could affect the properties of the obtained MBCs. It was found that the MBCs obtained from sawdust had the highest degree of density. Moreover, MBCs obtained from S. commune with all three types of lignocellulosic residues exhibited the highest shrinkage value. The greatest degree of water absorption was observed in the MBCs obtained from rice straw, followed by those obtained from corn husk and sawdust. Additionally, the thermal degradation ability of the MBCs was observed to be within a range of 200 to 325 °C, which was in accordance with the thermal degradation ability of each type of lignocellulosic residue. The greatest degrees of compressive, flexural, impact, and tensile strength were observed in the MBCs of G. williamsianum and L. sajor-caju. The results indicate that the MBCs made from corn husk, combined with each fungal species, exhibited the highest values of flexural, impact, and tensile strength. Subsequently, an analysis of the chemical properties indicated that the pH value, nitrogen content, and organic matter content of the obtained MBCs were within the following ranges: 4.67–6.12, 1.05–1.37%, and 70.40–86.28%, respectively. The highest degree of electrical conductivity was observed in MBCs obtained from rice straw. Most of the physical and mechanical properties of the obtained MBCs were similar to those of polyimide and polystyrene foam. Therefore, these composites could be used to further develop relevant strategies that may allow manufacturers to effectively replace polyimide and polystyrene foams in the future.
Candida auris: A Mini Review on Epidemiology in Healthcare Facilities in Asia
Authors: Thatchanamoorthy Nishanthinie , Rukumani Devi Velayuthan , Chandramathi Samudi , Tay Sun Tee
Published: October 2022

Candida auris, a newly emerging healthcare-associated yeast pathogen from the Metschnikowiaceae family, was first described in the ear canal of an elderly Japanese patient in 2009. The yeast is one of the causative agents of candidemia, which has been linked with nosocomial outbreaks and high mortality rates in healthcare facilities worldwide. Since its first isolation, the occurrence of C. auris in six continents has becomes a grave concern for the healthcare professionals and scientific community. Recent reports showed the identification of five geographically distinct clades and high rates of antifungal resistance associated with C. auris. Till date, there are no effective treatment options, and standardized measures for prevention and control of C. auris infection in healthcare facilities. This leads to frequent therapeutic failures and complicates the eradication of C. auris infection in healthcare facilities. Thus, this review focuses on the recent understanding of the epidemiology, risk factors, diagnosis, transmission and prevention and control strategies of C. auris infection in healthcare facilities in Asia.
Mucochytrium quahogii (=QPX) Is a Commensal, Opportunistic Pathogen of the Hard Clam (Mercenaria mercenaria): Evidence and Implications for QPX Disease Management
Authors: Geraci-Yee Sabrina , Collier Jackie L. , Allam Bassem
Published: October 2022

Mucochytrium quahogii, commonly known as QPX (Quahog Parasite Unknown), is the causative agent of QPX disease in hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria), but poor understanding of the relationship between host and pathogen has hindered effective management. To address this gap in knowledge, we conducted a two-year study quantifying the distribution and abundance of M. quahogii in hard clam tissue, pallial fluid, and the environment. M. quahogii was broadly distributed in clams and the environment, in areas with and without a known history of QPX disease. M. quahogii in clams was not strongly related to M. quahogii in the environment. M. quahogii was always present in either the tissue or pallial fluid of each clam, with an inverse relationship between the abundance in the two anatomical locations. This study suggests that the sediment–water interface and clam pallial fluid are environmental reservoirs of M. quahogii and that there is a host-specific relationship between M. quahogii and the hard clam, supporting its classification as a commensal, opportunistic pathogen. There appears to be minimal risk of spreading QPX disease to naïve clam populations because M. quahogii is already present and does not appear to be causing disease in hard clam populations in locations unfavorable for pathogenesis.
Waterless Dyeing and In Vitro Toxicological Properties of Biocolorants from Cortinarius sanguineus
Authors: Herrala Mikko , Yli-Öyrä Johanna , de Albuquerque Anjaína Fernandes , de Farias Natália Oliveira , Morales Daniel Alexandre , Räisänen Riikka , Freeman Harold S. , Umbuzeiro Gisela Aragão , Rysä Jaana
Published: October 2022

As a part of an ongoing interest in identifying environmentally friendly alternatives to synthetic dyes and in using liquid CO2 as a waterless medium for applying the resulting colorants to textiles, our attention turned to yellow-to-red biocolorants produced by Cortinarius sanguineus fungus. The three principal target anthraquinone colorants (emodin, dermocybin, and dermorubin) were isolated from the fungal bodies using a liquid–liquid separation method and characterized using 700 MHz NMR and high-resolution mass spectral analyses. Following structure confirmations, the three colorants were examined for dyeing synthetic polyester (PET) textile fibers in supercritical CO2. We found that all three biocolorants were suitable for dyeing PET fibers using this technology, and our attention then turned to determining their toxicological properties. As emodin has shown mutagenic potential in previous studies, we concentrated our present toxicity studies on dermocybin and dermorubin. Both colorants were non-mutagenic, presented low cellular toxicity, and did not induce skin sensitization. Taken together, our results indicate that dermocybin and dermorubin possess the technical and toxicological properties needed for consideration as synthetic dye alternatives under conditions that are free of wastewater production.
Cerebral Oxygen Delivery and Consumption in Brain-Injured Patients
Authors: Siwicka-Gieroba Dorota , Robba Chiara , Gołacki Jakub , Badenes Rafael , Dabrowski Wojciech
Published: October 2022

Organism survival depends on oxygen delivery and utilization to maintain the balance of energy and toxic oxidants production. This regulation is crucial to the brain, especially after acute injuries. Secondary insults after brain damage may include impaired cerebral metabolism, ischemia, intracranial hypertension and oxygen concentration disturbances such as hypoxia or hyperoxia. Recent data highlight the important role of clinical protocols in improving oxygen delivery and resulting in lower mortality in brain-injured patients. Clinical protocols guide the rules for oxygen supplementation based on physiological processes such as elevation of oxygen supply (by mean arterial pressure (MAP) and intracranial pressure (ICP) modulation, cerebral vasoreactivity, oxygen capacity) and reduction of oxygen demand (by pharmacological sedation and coma or hypothermia). The aim of this review is to discuss oxygen metabolism in the brain under different conditions.
How to Rate the Financial Performance of Private Companies? A Tailored Integrated Rating Methodology Applied to North-Eastern Italian Districts
Authors: Mantovani Guido Max , Gadzinski Gregory
Published: October 2022

This paper contributes to solving the puzzle of assessing the financial performance of private/unlisted companies. The inner characteristics of these companies make the adoption of traditional best practices in estimating risk premia difficult or impossible. Moreover, the lack of market data and comparable information biases the perception of corporate performance and generates the misallocation of credit fundings (both quantities and pricing). Hence, in this paper, we develop an Integrated Rating Methodology (IRM) to estimate a more efficient corporate “return-to-risk” measure. Our IRM is rooted in the seminal “certainty equivalent” model as developed by Lintner in 1965, but we modify it using a shortfall approach, and then compute a “confident equivalent” that is compliant with Fischer Black’s zero-beta model as well as the Basel agreements. An empirical application of the approach is conducted with a sample of 13,583 non-financial SMEs in the north-east regions of Italy, where there is evidence of inefficient bank financing. We back-test our IRM by rating these companies using corporate financial data during the period 2007–2014, which encompasses both the Great Financial Crisis and the European sovereign debt crisis. Our empirical results depict a clear crowding-out effect of credit allocations when we compare our IRM scoring measure with the actual raising ability and the cost of capital relating to these firms. We find that 36% of companies are underfunded, even if they have a superior IRM score, while 27% of them are funded without merit. Interestingly, this last figure is in line with the average non-performing loan ratio provided by official Italian statistics from 2015 to 2020. Therefore, we conclude that our IRM methodology is promising and may be better at estimating risk financing in small private companies (including start-ups) than internal banking models. These initial results will drive our forthcoming research towards creating an IRM 2.0.
Soil Microbiome: A Treasure Trove for Soil Health Sustainability under Changing Climate
Authors: Shah Aanisa Manzoor , Khan Inayat Mustafa , Shah Tajamul Islam , Bangroo Shabir Ahmed , Kirmani Nayar Afaq , Nazir Shaista , Malik Abdul Raouf , Aezum Aziz Mujtaba , Mir Yasir Hanif , Hilal Aatira , Biswas Asim
Published: October 2022

Climate change imprints on soil are projected primarily through the changes in soil moisture and surge in soil temperature and CO2 levels in response to climate change and is anticipated to have varying impacts on soil characteristics and processes that are instrumental in the restoration of soil fertility as well as productivity. Climate change encompasses a major concern of sharing its impact on the stability and functionality of soil microbiome and is characterized by one or more chief stability metrics encircling resistance, resilience, and functional redundancy. Nevertheless, the explorations over the past years have unveiled the potential of microbial interventions in the regeneration of soils or assurance of perked-up resilience to crops. The strategies involved therein encompass harnessing the native capability of soil microbes for carbon sequestration, phyto-stimulation, bio fertilization, rhizo-mediation, biocontrol of plant pathogens, enzyme-mediated breakdown, antibiosis, prompting of anti-oxidative defense mechanism, exudation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and induced systemic resistance (ISR) response in the host plant. However, the short storage and shelf-life of microbe-based formulations stay a significant constraint and rigorous efforts are necessary to appraise their additive impact on crop growth under changing climate scenarios.
Unraveling the Causal Mechanisms for Non-Grain Production of Cultivated Land: An Analysis Framework Applied in Liyang, China
Authors: Cheng Xianbo , Tao Yu , Huang Conghong , Yi Jialin , Yi Dan , Wang Fei , Tao Qin , Xi Henghui , Ou Weixin
Published: October 2022

The excessive use of cultivated land for non-grain production activities is considered a threat to grain security. This study presents an analysis framework on unraveling the causal mechanisms for non-grain production of cultivated land. We apply the analysis framework in Liyang, which is located in the Yangtze River Delta and is also an important “national grain base” county of China. We first determine four non-grain production categories as immediately recoverable (IMR), simple-engineering recoverable (SER), engineering recoverable (ENR), and irrecoverable (IR) based on the effect of non-grain activities on the degree of soil damage of the cultivated land, especially the difficulty of restoring the capacity for grain production. Then, we analyze the spatial pattern features for non-grain production of four given categories at the village scale. Furthermore, we reveal the mechanisms of the four categories using multiple linear regression modeling with geophysical, demographic, economic, and policy variables. The results show that the total non-grain area of cultivated land in Liyang is 28,158.38 hectares, and the non-grain rate is 48.09%, ranging from 10.59% to 96.75% among villages. The IMR, SER, ER, and IR rates are 11.81%, 17.76%, 15.07%, and 3.45%, respectively. There is also a significant neighborhood effect among the four categories, indicating that non-grain production activities have a stimulating effect on the surrounding operators of cultivated land. Farming conditions such as the proportion of irrigated farmland and economic variables such as the tourism scale have stronger effects on non-grain production than demographic variables. Policy variables, especially the cultivated land transfer policy, neither inhibit nor promote non-grain production. Based on these findings, we make policy suggestions for reducing non-grain production activities and protecting cultivated land. This analysis framework contributes to a new perspective for unraveling the causal mechanisms and making categorical governance decisions of non-grain production on cultivated land at the village level.
Characterization of Land-Cover Changes and Forest-Cover Dynamics in Togo between 1985 and 2020 from Landsat Images Using Google Earth Engine
Authors: Kombate Arifou , Folega Fousseni , Atakpama Wouyo , Dourma Marra , Wala Kperkouma , Goïta Kalifa
Published: October 2022

Carbon stocks in forest ecosystems, when released as a result of forest degradation, contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To quantify and assess the rates of these changes, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recommends that the REDD+ mechanism use a combination of Earth observational data and field inventories. To this end, our study characterized land-cover changes and forest-cover dynamics in Togo between 1985 and 2020, using the supervised classification of Landsat 5, 7, and 8 images on the Google Earth Engine platform with the Random Forest (RF) algorithm. Overall image classification accuracies for all target years ranged from 0.91 to 0.98, with Kappa coefficients ranging between 0.86 and 0.96. Analysis indicated that all land cover classes, which were identified at the beginning of the study period, have undergone changes at several levels, with a reduction in forest area from 49.9% of the national territory in 1985, to 23.8% in 2020. These losses of forest cover have mainly been to agriculture, savannahs, and urbanization. The annual change in forest cover was estimated at −2.11% per year, with annual deforestation at 422.15 km2 per year, which corresponds to a contraction in forest cover of 0.74% per year over the 35-year period being considered. Ecological Zone IV (mountainous, with dense semi-deciduous forests) is the one region (of five) that has best conserved its forest area over this period. This study contributes to the mission of forestry and territorial administration in Togo by providing methods and historical data regarding land cover that would help to control the factors involved in forest area reductions, reinforcing the system of measurement, notification, and verification within the REDD+ framework, and ensuring better, long-lasting management of forest ecosystems.
How Do the Different Types of Land Costs Affect Agricultural Crop-Planting Selections in China?
Authors: Zhang Yuanjie , Yuan Shichao , Wang Jian , Cheng Jian , Zhu Daolin
Published: October 2022

Land costs in agricultural production are rapidly becoming apparent and increasing in light of the market’s rapid development in rural China. This study examines how agricultural operators’ farming decisions are affected by explicit and implicit costs associated with land transfers. This study first categorizes explicit and implicit land costs theoretically and demonstrates that both types of land costs affect farmers’ crop-planting selections. The study then uses the most recent household survey data from the Chinese Family Database (CFD) and the China Household Finance Survey (CHFS), released in 2017, to empirically test the theoretical analysis and examine the mechanisms underlying the impact of land costs on crop-planting selections. This study makes the case that higher land costs, both explicit and implicit, cause agricultural operators to grow more crops for cash and less for food. The impact of land costs on planting selection can vary depending on the heterogeneity of production areas and geography. In terms of production area heterogeneity, the explicit cost of land has a greater influence on planting decisions in non-major food-producing areas, whereas the implicit cost of land has a greater influence on planting decisions in major food-producing areas. In terms of topographic heterogeneity, the less flat the terrain, the more growers would choose to grow cash crops. A complementary relationship between the two forms of costs is also suggested by this study’s confirmation that explicit and implicit land costs can positively reduce each other’s impact on cropping decisions. Additional mechanism research revealed that explicit and implicit land costs impact crop crop-planting selections. The explicit cost of land primarily affects the local land transfer market effect, whereas the implicit cost of land affects the land transfer service.
Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Landscape Transformation in Western Balkans’ Metropolitan Areas
Authors: Hyka Isra , Hysa Artan , Dervishi Sokol , Solomun Marijana Kapovic , Kuriqi Alban , Vishwakarma Dinesh Kumar , Sestras Paul
Published: October 2022

Human-caused landscape transformation represents a danger to conserving the Earth’s natural habitats. Landscape fragmentation (LF) caused by transportation infrastructure and urban development poses a threat to human and environmental health by increasing traffic noise and pollution, reducing the size and viability of wildlife populations, facilitating the spread of invasive species, and reducing the recreational qualities of the landscape. It is especially noticeable in the metropolitan areas of developing countries due to rapid and unsupervised urban sprawl. In this context, this study aims to protect natural landscapes and biodiversity, promoting forms of sustainable development. To exemplify our aim, we bring a spatio-temporal analysis of landscape change comparing three metropolitan areas in the Western Balkans (WB). First, we compare the land use land cover (LULC) changes in Tirana (Albania), Skopje (North Macedonia), and Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina). The comparison was based on the Urban Atlas (UA) data of 2012 and 2018. The analysis was performed on two levels, at the metropolitan and urban spatial scales. Apart from descriptive statistics about the changes in surface area and patch counts, we used effective mesh size (meff) as a landscape metric to quantify the LF level. Our results show that each city has faced significant LULC change between 2012 and 2018, with a dominant increase in artificial surfaces. Furthermore, the cumulative natural surface area reduction is followed by increased landscape patch counts, indicating an increased LF at both levels. This study enhances public awareness about the landscape transformation trends in the developing metropolitan regions of WB. The respective administrative bodies at both local and central levels are invited to consider our results and adopt proper measurements to reduce the adverse consequences of subsequent spatial development decisions.
The Effect of Urban Resilience on Residents’ Subjective Happiness: Evidence from China
Authors: Liao Liping , Du Minzhe , Huang Jie
Published: October 2022

This study aims to analyze the role of urban resilience in residents’ subjective happiness in China. Results show that the overall urban resilience is a critical factor in improving residents’ subjective happiness, and each sub-class resilience index of cities in the ecological, social, infrastructure, and economic aspects shows positive and significant correlations with residents’ subjective happiness. Heterogeneous results show that the effect of urban resilience is greater for residents with higher education or living in cities with larger population size. The mechanism results show that four possible channels are confirmed. The rise of urban resilience raises residents’ subjective happiness through increasing residents’ income or consumption, improving their health status, and raising their social trust or social integration. The main conclusion drawn from the empirical analysis is that raising urban resilience is an effective strategy to strengthen residents’ subjective happiness.
Stakeholder Perceptions of the Ecosystem Services of Health Clinic Gardens in Settlements and Small- to Medium-Sized Cities in the North-West Province, South Africa
Authors: Gwedla Nanamhla , Cornelius Susanna Francina A. , Du Toit Marié J. , Cilliers Sarel S.
Published: October 2022

Gardens provide spaces for connectedness to nature, which contributes to human well-being and promotes pro-environmental behavior. However, the provision of ecosystem services (ES) in gardens of sub-Saharan Africa is challenged by a lack of knowledge, resulting in inefficient gardening practices. Stakeholders also influence the manifestation of ES provisioning through their perceptions, learning, and decisions. Health clinic gardens may be able to address some of these challenges where other types of gardens fail because of a lack of awareness of other garden benefits and a lack of gardening skills and knowledge, among other factors. Thus, this study aimed to assess stakeholder perceptions of ES provided by health clinic gardens in the North-West province, South Africa. Survey questionnaires were administered to 218 stakeholders across 105 health clinic gardens to ascertain their involvement and prioritization of the ES provided by the gardens and their perspectives on gardens in general. The diversity and abundance of stakeholders per clinic garden were enumerated based on the respondents’ reports. Stakeholder prioritization of ES was scored out of 5, where 1 is the least prioritization. Health clinic gardens have a diversity of one to five types of stakeholders per garden, and more than 80% of the gardens were reported to have a groundsman. Stakeholders spent 1.5 ± 0.5 to 4.7 ± 0.12 days/week engaged in garden activities. Groundsmen spent the most time (4.7 ± 0.12 days/week) in the gardens, while facility managers spent the least (0.90 ± 0.12). Regulating and cultural ES, each scoring an average of 3.7 out of 5, were perceived as the most valuable ES of health clinic gardens. A “garden” was mainly associated with vegetable cultivation and rarely linked with recreation or aesthetical appreciation. A case for establishing these gardens across the country and other developing countries of the Global South can be made through the assessment of their potential ES from the perspectives of stakeholders. This study addresses this topic and contributes to an understanding of the importance of a variety of stakeholders for maintaining functional health clinic gardens.
A Joint Bayesian Optimization for the Classification of Fine Spatial Resolution Remotely Sensed Imagery Using Object-Based Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Azeez Omer Saud , Shafri Helmi Z. M. , Alias Aidi Hizami , Haron Nuzul Azam
Published: October 2022

In recent years, deep learning-based image classification has become widespread, especially in remote sensing applications, due to its automatic and strong feature extraction capability. However, as deep learning methods operate on rectangular-shaped image patches, they cannot accurately extract objects’ boundaries, especially in complex urban settings. As a result, combining deep learning and object-based image analysis (OBIA) has become a new avenue in remote sensing studies. This paper presents a novel approach for combining convolutional neural networks (CNN) with OBIA based on joint optimization of segmentation parameters and deep feature extraction. A Bayesian technique was used to find the best parameters for the multiresolution segmentation (MRS) algorithm while the CNN model learns the image features at different layers, achieving joint optimization. The proposed classification model achieved the best accuracy, with 0.96 OA, 0.95 Kappa, and 0.96 mIoU in the training area and 0.97 OA, 0.96 Kappa, and 0.97 mIoU in the test area, outperforming several benchmark methods including Patch CNN, Center OCNN, Random OCNN, and Decision Fusion. The analysis of CNN variants within the proposed classification workflow showed that the HybridSN model achieved the best results compared to 2D and 3D CNNs. The 3D CNN layers and combining 3D and 2D CNN layers (HybridSN) yielded slightly better accuracies than the 2D CNN layers regarding geometric fidelity, object boundary extraction, and separation of adjacent objects. The Bayesian optimization could find comparable optimal MRS parameters for the training and test areas, with excellent quality measured by AFI (0.046, −0.037) and QR (0.945, 0.932). In the proposed model, higher accuracies could be obtained with larger patch sizes (e.g., 9 × 9 compared to 3 × 3). Moreover, the proposed model is computationally efficient, with the longest training being fewer than 25 s considering all the subprocesses and a single training epoch. As a result, the proposed model can be used for urban and environmental applications that rely on VHR satellite images and require information about land use.
Productive Vocabulary Knowledge Predicts Acquisition of Spanish DOM in Brazilian Portuguese-Speaking Learners
Authors: López Otero Julio César , Jimenez Abril
Published: October 2022

Differential object marking (DOM) in Spanish refers to the overt morphological marking of certain direct objects. Specifically, this a-marking of direct objects is driven by animacy and usually precedes human objects. Other features such as specificity and definiteness matter to a lesser extent. This direct object a-marking has also been attested in Brazilian Portuguese (BP), but with more restrictions than in Spanish. Thus, BP is typically not considered a DOM language. This article discusses the acquisition of DOM in second language (L2) Spanish among BP speakers. Seventy-four adult Brazilians with various levels of L2 proficiency completed three experimental tasks: elicited production, acceptability, and productive vocabulary knowledge, which measures productive lexical knowledge and was designed specifically to assess this language pair. We analyzed our data to uncover the knowledge that BP-speaking L2 learners of Spanish possess of DOM and to determine whether their knowledge of DOM can be predicted by their L2 productive vocabulary knowledge. Results indicate that the learners acquire the animacy-driven nature of Spanish DOM, both in their productive and receptive grammatical knowledge, as their productive vocabulary knowledge increases. The L2 learners present different acquisitional outcomes yet those with deeper productive vocabulary knowledge show a stronger animacy-driven distribution of DOM in Spanish.