bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Key Technology of Smart Energy System and Its Disciplinary Teaching Reform Measures
Authors: Zhang Dongdong , Tian Jun , Goh Hui-Hwang , Liu Hui , Li Xiang , Zhu Hongyu , Wu Xinzhang
Published: November 2022

Based on the rapid development of new energy technology, modern information technology, intelligent management technology and different countries’ strategic demand and deployment in the field of energy, the construction of intelligent energy systems is booming with the combination of new energy technology and Internet technology. The Energy Internet is the representative product of intelligent energy systems at the present stage. Its advantages are the effective promotion of energy saving, consumption reduction and optimization of deployment, thus improving the energy system. However, the large-scale construction of the Energy Internet requires a large number of professionals. In order to meet the needs of Energy Internet construction, the talent training mode of higher education is facing new challenges. To cultivate talents in Energy Internet construction, an effective measure is to reform the teaching system based on the current electrical engineering major in universities. This paper investigates the development and construction of the Energy Internet and the current situation of the electrical engineering discipline and puts forward teaching reform measures to transform the traditional electrical engineering discipline into an Energy Internet engineering discipline, considering course structure design, examination form, teacher allocation and teaching mode. This is important for promoting the large-scale construction of the Energy Internet and improving the competitiveness of graduates in the electrical engineering field.
A Systematic Review of the Delphi–AHP Method in Analyzing Challenges to Public-Sector Project Procurement and the Supply Chain: A Developing Country’s Perspective
Authors: Khan Md. Raquibuzzaman , Alam Mohammad Jahangir , Tabassum Nazia , Khan Niaz Ahmed
Published: November 2022

The effectiveness of public-sector agricultural development projects in developing countries lies not only in their contributions to agricultural sector growth but also in their contributions to environmental and socioeconomic system growth. As a result, the challenges associated with project procurement and supply chain management need to be carefully analyzed and evaluated. Although there has been reasonable literature on procurement and supply chain management, the limitations include the following: The literature, especially focusing on the analytical methodology, is scarce, as is the case with the developing country public-sector project context. This study, in its own modest way, contributes to this gap. Thus, the goal of this paper is to critically examine the Delphi and/or analytical hierarchy process (AHP), as well as their application and appropriateness in analyzing the challenges in the Bangladesh context, from relevant literature published between 2000 and 2019. A systematic review was carried out using the ABI/Inform, EBSCO, Google Scholar, and Science Direct databases for the study. The review of 2071 articles yielded 37 articles for the study. The Delphi and/or AHP were the most applied tools found in the review. Finally, the study examined 18 articles that applied Delphi and/or AHP methods. The review findings contribute to the literature by providing academics and practitioners with an understanding of the appropriateness of the Delphi-based AHP research framework for analyzing challenges to procurement and supply chain management in public-sector agriculture projects. Following that, a novel best-practice research framework based on the Delphi–AHP method is presented.
Relationship between Student’s Self-Determination, Parental Involvement, Special Education Teachers’ Support, and College and Career Readiness among Secondary Students with Learning Disabilities in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Authors: Binghashayan Norah Saleh , Yeo Kee Jiar , Kosnin Azlina Mohd
Published: November 2022

Students’ self-determination (SD), parental involvement (PI), special education teachers’ support (SETS) in non-academic skills, and college and career readiness (CCR) among secondary students with learning disabilities (SLDs) have been assessed from various perspectives. This study focuses on understanding the levels and relationship between students’ SD, PI, and SETS in non-academic skills, and CCR among SLDs in secondary schools from the point of view of SLDs, SLDs’ parents, and special education teachers. In addition, this study aimed to verify the gender of SLD as a moderator in the relationship between students’ SD and their CCR. Thus, this study designed and developed three sets of questionnaires to investigate the relationship between students’ SD, PI, SETS, and CCR among secondary SLDs. The three questionnaires were designed separately to address the SLDs, SLDs’ parents, and special education teachers. The questionnaires were answered by 263 SLDs, 264 SLDs’ parents, and 63 special education teachers in secondary schools in Riyadh who were selected by using stratified sampling technique and consideration of the sample size to represent the target population of the study. The results revealed that SLDs and special education teachers have a higher level of SD and a higher level of special education teachers’ support than parents. The results also indicated that PI is not positively or significantly related to CCR. However, the results indicated that SETS is positively and significantly associated with the student’s CCR. Furthermore, the results showed the path coefficient between Students’ SD and SETS were not statistically significant (β = 0.171; t < 1.96; p > 0.05) but were significantly different between PI and SETS (β = 0.749; t > 1.96; p < 0.05). Moreover, the results indicated a significant mediating effect of SETS in the relationship between PI and the endogenous variable, CCR, for SLDs in Riyadh. Additionally, students’ gender moderated the relationship between students’ SD and their CCR. The findings of this study suggest that improving students’ SD and PI, and SETS, may help in fostering CCR among secondary SLDs, and it has a significant implication for parents and special education teachers to be aware of and a greater focus on the importance of developing these aspects.
Evaluation of Sustainability of Wheat-Bread Chain Based on the Second Law of Thermodynamics: A Case Study
Authors: Nadi Fatemeh , Górnicki Krzysztof
Published: November 2022

Wheat flour, bread, and bakery products are an important source of macronutrients, micronutrients, dietary fibers, and antioxidants. Considering that Iran’s bread industry is the second highest bread-consuming industry in the world, this research is focused on the main operations of the bread production chain (wheat cultivation, milling, dough processing, and bread production). Investigating the sustainability and improvement strategies and farm-to-fork approach for the wheat-bread production chain was the aim of this work. Exergy analysis is a powerful tool in designing, optimizing, and evaluating the performance of energy systems to determine energy quality, compare different energy sources, and achieve maximum system performance. In this research, the cumulative degree of perfection, renewability index, and sustainability index of Iranian traditional loaves of bread (Sangak, Lavash, Barbari) and Baguette bread as a semi-industrial bread were estimated. Considering the functional unit of the weight of the produced bread, Baguette and Sangak breads had the highest and lowest sustainability, respectively. Considering the functional unit of energy of the produced bread, Baguette bread has the lowest exergy consumption per 100 cal of the embedded energy of bread. According to the obtained results, the bakery consumes the most exergy in the wheat-bread chain. Natural gas input is the most important indicator of unsustainability in bakeries. Meanwhile, in the entire wheat-bread chain, human labor and natural gas consumption were factors of unsustainability. By using renewable sources, the renewable index increased by 76–89%. Additionally, the use of renewable resources increased the sustainability index of bread production by 7.6 to 1.9 times.
An Optimization Method of Urban Rail Train Operation Scheme Based on the Control of Load Factor
Authors: Dou Fei , Zhang Huiru , Yin Haodong , Wei Yun , Ning Yao
Published: November 2022

The train operation scheme of urban rail transit is a transportation plan formulated to fully meet the needs of passenger travel under the constraints of signal system capacity, turn-back capacity, and so on. Facing an unexpected epidemic, it was particularly important for passengers to travel safely and in an orderly manner. With an ever-increasing passenger flow due to work resumption, this paper proposes an optimization method for the urban rail train operation scheme based on the control of the target load factor according to the preparation process of the train operation scheme. The proposed method obtained the optimal train running interval and routing scheme based on analyzing the spatiotemporal distribution of passenger flow. The north section of Beijing Subway Line 8 was taken as an example. After optimization, for trains in the morning peak hour in the downward direction, the maximum load factor for the collinear section of the full-length routing and short-turn routing was reduced by 21%, and the matching effect of the transportation capacity and volume in the non-collinear was improved. In general, the maximum load factor in the downward direction after optimization was 80%, which met the target control requirements. The results show that the optimization method plays an important role in balancing the load factor in each cross-section and realizing the optimal coupling of passenger flow and train flow.
Organizational Ambidexterity as an Outcome of Quality Dimensions and Triple Helix: The Role of Technology Readiness and User Satisfaction
Authors: Prasetio Agung Budi , Aboobaider Burhanuddin bin Mohd , Ahmad Asmala bin
Published: November 2022

Advancing times and rapidly developing technology put pressure and responsibility on the management of organizations. Organizational ambidexterity is a concept for an organization that can balance profitability with innovation and development. This study examined the relationship between the triple helix and quality dimensions on organizational ambidexterity mediated by technology readiness and user satisfaction to give management an advantage in addressing this problem. Quantitative analysis methods using PLS-SEM (Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling) were employed in this study. This study was conducted in Indonesia with 425 respondents participating in the data collection, 411 of which were declared valid after filtering. The results of this study demonstrate that the role of the triple helix in developing organizational ambidexterity is very significant and that other variables, such as quality dimensions and technology readiness, also play an essential role. The framework for organizational ambidexterity presented in this study may be helpful for future research in this field. This study can be further developed for future research, especially by adding new external variables that change over time and focusing more on a specific organization. At the very least, this study is relevant for researchers and practitioners to improve business quality using the concept of the triple helix, quality dimensions, and technology readiness.
Two Years of Hybrid Education in Romania: A Comparative Overview of the Students’ Expectations for the Online Educational Platforms
Authors: Pop Mădălin-Dorin , Pugna Adrian Pavel , Crețu Vladimir-Ioan , Potra Sabina Alina
Published: November 2022

During the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the high infection rates, in some periods, a hybrid or totally online educational system was used. In both types of fully online and hybrid educational processes, the need for online educational platforms arose. This research aims to provide a comparative overview of the expectations for these platforms using the responses of two successive generations of students as input by applying the Kano methodology. Furthermore, this article performs a Fong test as a relevance check to identify the features for which the Kano analysis results are statistically significant. The results of the analysis show that the expectations of students are more related to the features that describe their access to administrative resources and the technical-related features. This can be explained through a permanent need, independent of the chosen educational system (i.e., face-to-face, fully online, or hybrid) and their field of study. The use of virtual reality (VR) technology in creating laboratory experimental lessons is identified as the only possible mechanism, from the proposed features in the engagement category, to keep students engaged during periods when fully online and hybrid educational processes are needed.
Reusing Waste Coffee Grounds in the Preparation of Porous Alumina Ceramics
Authors: Kerolli Mustafa Mihone , Gabelica Ivana , Mandić Vilko , Veseli Rea , Ćurković Lidija
Published: November 2022

Porous ceramics can be used in various industrial applications, such as thermal insulation, orthopedic implants, high-temperature filtration, lightweight structural components, and catalyst supports, etc., and can be obtained using various methods. In this study, the sacrificial fugitive method was used to prepare a porous alumina ceramic. The appropriate amount of sacrificial fugitive was combined with raw ceramic powder as a pore-forming agent, and was then evaporated or burned out either before or during the sintering process to create the desired pores. Various materials can be used as pore-forming agents; in this work, eco-friendly waste coffee grounds (WCG) were utilized. First, alumina ceramic green bodies were prepared via slip casting of 60 wt. % alumina suspensions with five different amounts of WCG (0 wt. %, 1 wt. %, 5 wt. %, 10 wt. % and 15 wt. %) and the dispersant Dolapix (0.2 wt. %), and using PVA (0.5 wt. %) as a binder for all solutions. The effect of the various amounts of WCG on the alumina ceramic green bodies, and subsequently on the obtained sintered ceramics, was tracked and validated through different analyses. Suspension viscosity was determined through a rotational viscometer. Simultaneous differential thermal and thermogravimetric (DTA/TGA) analyses were used to observe the thermal decomposition of WCG and to determine the sintering regime. After sintering, the density, porosity, and shrinkage of the samples were examined and calculated. In addition, the phase composition and crystallite size of all sintered samples were determined by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) analysis, as well as their morphology and composition using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The results show that density decreased from 3.743 to 2.172 g/cm3 and porosity increased from 6.12% to 45.52%, both with the increasing amount of WCG (from 0 wt. % to 15 wt. %).
Farmers’ Preferences for Recycling Pesticide Packaging Waste: An Implication of a Discrete Choice Experiment Method
Authors: Huang Shengnan , Elahi Ehsan
Published: November 2022

Recycling pesticide packaging wastes (PPWs) is important for promoting green development in agriculture and improving the rural ecological environment. However, limited studies have focused on the subsidy, reward, and punishment policies for the recycling of pesticide packaging wastes. Therefore, to fill the research gap, the main aim of this study was to analyze farmers’ preferences for different PPW recycling policies using a choice experiment method. Furthermore, the study identified farmers’ heterogeneous preferences to provide a decision-making base for the governments to formulate PPWs recycling policies. We used a random parameter logit and latent class model to approach study objectives. A well-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 256 vegetable growers from the Hebei province of China. The results found that more than 80% of farmers used less than 30 g (mL) of pesticides, and more than 60% of farmers deeply buried the PPWs. In the study area, farmers preferred subsidy incentive policies and found it hard to accept the higher capacity specifications of pesticide packaging and punitive measures. Moreover, it is confirmed that farmers’ preferences for PPW recycling policies are heterogeneous, and 55.5% of farmers preferred incentive-type policies. Therefore, the government should establish a proper PPW recycling system with a subsidy-based incentive policy. Moreover, local agricultural officers should provide training to the farmers for recycling PPWs.
Sustainable Metrics in Project Financial Risk Management
Authors: Gładysz Barbara , Kuchta Dorota
Published: November 2022

The objective of this study is to propose an approach that would increase the efficiency and efficacy of project financial risk management. The starting point of this research is an original detailed list of project financial risk categories, as it was observed that financial risk is described in the literature far too generally. Following a survey of project managers, it is shown that all the identified project financial risk categories are significant and early warning signals may play an important role in their prevention or mitigation. Additionally, the main causes for project financial risks are identified and their importance assessed. Following a literature review on metrics-based and financial risk management in projects, as well as an analysis of the causes assessed in the survey, it is hypothesised that sustainability principles, combined with metrics-based management, may increase the efficiency and efficacy of project financial risk management. A corresponding method is proposed, which should be embedded into the traditional process of project financial risk management. This method consists of generating metrics with a warning and preventive potential for each combination of three elements (financial risk category, risk cause, sustainability principle). This approach introduces into project financial risk management elements going beyond the financial optics, which may considerably increase its potential.
Toward Feeds for Circular Multitrophic Food Production Systems: Holistically Evaluating Growth Performance and Nutrient Excretion of African Catfish Fed Fish Meal-Free Diets in Comparison to Nile Tilapia
Authors: Shaw Christopher , Knopf Klaus , Kloas Werner
Published: November 2022

In aquaponics and circular multitrophic food production systems, dietary protein source, as well as fish species choice, particularly in cases of different nutritional physiology, could be factors affecting excreted nutrient profiles. Accordingly, growth performance, dissolved nutrient accumulation and feces nutrient profiles were evaluated for African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) reared in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) and fed single protein source diets based on black soldier fly larvae meal (BSF), poultry by-product meal (PM), poultry blood meal (PBM) and fish meal (FM) and the results were compared to previous findings for Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). All diets resulted in significantly different growth performances of African catfish, with FM producing the best growth performance, followed by PM, BSF and PBM. PM resulted in the highest soluble reactive phosphorus concentrations (SRP) in the RAS water; whereas, BSF resulted in the highest K, Mg and Cu concentrations. The highest feces nutrient density was recorded for PBM; whereas, FM and PM yielded the lowest feces nutrient density. Comparing African catfish to Nile tilapia revealed that the former showed significantly better growth performance with FM and PM, however, significantly weaker performance with BSF. Although dissolved K accumulation was similar between species across diets, significant differences were recorded for total inorganic nitrogen and SRP production per unit of feed for individual diets. Despite similar feces nutrient profiles, African catfish produce significantly less feces dry matter per unit of feed for each diet compared to Nile tilapia. Findings are discussed regarding their implications for aquafeed development in the context of circular multitrophic food production systems.
The Impact of Vertical/Horizontal Individualism and Collectivism on Ethical Consumption
Authors: Cui Ge-Qi , Zeng Jing-Yun , Jin Chang-Hyun
Published: November 2022

This study aimed to investigate how cultural values affect ethical consumption behavior. For this purpose, cultural values were divided into the following four groups: vertical individualism, vertical collectivism, horizontal individualism, and horizontal collectivism. Ethical consumption was analyzed across two dimensions: eco-friendly and socioeconomic-oriented consumption. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted using the results of an online survey. Survey links were texted and e-mailed to 938 subjects who responded after being contacted in advance to join consumer panels registered with a marketing research company. Structural equation modeling with EQS 6 was used to test the hypotheses in this study. Vertical individualism was found to have no significant effect on socioeconomic-oriented consumption. Horizontal individualism, horizontal collectivism, and vertical collectivism, however, positively impacted eco-friendly and socioeconomic-oriented consumption. In addition, an exploratory factor analysis of ethical consumption was conducted to construct the variables. This study provides valuable guidelines for further research into ethical consumption behaviors, that is, eco-friendly ethical consumption behaviors and socioeconomic-oriented ethical consumption behaviors. Based on these components, subsequent studies could provide valuable information regarding consumers’ ethical value structures and the identification of causal relationships with prior factors or happiness outcomes. The study implications are discussed in the conclusion.
Characterization of Tensile Crack Propagation and Energy Evolution during the Failure of Coal–Rock Samples Containing Holes
Authors: Jing Chen , Zhang Lei
Published: November 2022

The instability and fracturing of gas drainage boreholes are one of the main causes of low drainage efficiency. Based on the rock mass energy principle and the Barenblatt model, the energy evolution of the coal–rock mass around the hole, the conversion characteristics of the dissipated energy Ud, and the propagation pattern of the initial tensile cracks were investigated. The results show that based on the conversion process of the dissipated energy, the failure process of samples containing holes can be divided into an initial dissipation stage, a decelerated dissipation stage, a stable dissipation stage, and an accelerated dissipation stage. The dissipated energy is always greater than the elastic energy during the first half of loading, and it is mainly used for the continuous development and propagation of initial tensile cracks. Then, remote cracks and cracks to the left and right of the hole boundary are generated to inhibit the propagation of the tensile cracks. Later, when the energy storage limit is reached, the elastic strain energy around the hole is released, and the macroscopic failure cracks propagate and coalesce, which causes the stress environment to change and the tensile cracks to reopen and finally propagate. The tensile cracks in the upper and lower ends of the holes undergo an opening–closing–reopening process, and the presence of cohesion c(x) hinders the propagation of the tensile cracks that are formed by the generation and migration of fracture initiation zone, friction zone, and intact zone. The dissipated energy released was related to the different stages of the tensile crack propagation, which could be used for the structure monitoring and flaw predicting of the gas drainage borehole.
A Novel Method of Fault Diagnosis for Injection Molding Systems Based on Improved VGG16 and Machine Vision
Authors: Hu Zhicheng , Yin Zhengjie , Qin Ling , Xu Fengxiang
Published: November 2022

Artificial intelligence technology has enabled the manufacturing industry and actively guided its transformation and promotion for the past few decades. Injection molding technology is a crucial procedure in mechanical engineering and manufacturing due to its adaptability and dimensional stability. An essential step in the injection molding process is quality inspection and manual visual inspection is still used in conventional quality control, but this open-loop working method has issues with subjectivity and real-time monitoring capacity. This paper proposes an integrated “processing–matching–classification–diagnosis” concept based on machine vision and deep learning that allows for efficient and intelligent diagnosis of injection molding in complex scenarios. Based on eight categories of failure images of plastic components, this paper summarizes the theoretical method of processing fault categorization and identifies the various causes of defects from injection machines and molds. A template matching mechanism based on a new concept—arbitration function Jψij—provided in this paper, matches the edge features to achieve the initial classification of plastic components images. A conventional VGG16 network is innovatively upgraded in this work in order to further classify the unqualified plastic components. The classification accuracy of this improved VGG16 reaches 96.67%, which is better than the 53.33% of the traditional network. The accuracy, responsiveness, and resilience of the quality inspection are all improved in this paper. This work enhances production safety while promoting automation and intelligence of fault diagnosis in injection molding systems. Similar technical routes can be generalized to other industrial scenarios for quality inspection problems.
Novel COVID-19 Based Optimization Algorithm (C-19BOA) for Performance Improvement of Power Systems
Authors: Safiullah Sheikh , Rahman Asadur , Lone Shameem Ahmad , Hussain S. M. Suhail , Ustun Taha Selim
Published: November 2022

The ongoing pandemic due to novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly unsettled the health sector with a considerable fatality rate. The main factors that help minimize the spread of this deadly virus are the proper use of masks, social distancing and antibody growth rate in a person. Based on these factors, we propose a new nature-inspired meta-heuristic algorithm named COVID-19 Based Optimization Algorithm (C-19BOA). The proposed C-19BOA mimics the spread and control behavior of coronavirus disease centered on three containment factors: (1) social distancing, (2) use of masks, and (3) antibody rate. Initially, the mathematical models of containment factors are presented, and further, the proposed C-19BOA is developed. To ascertain the effectiveness of the developed C-19BOA, its performance is verified on standard IEEE mathematical benchmark functions for the minimization of these benchmark functions and convergence to the optimal values. These performances are compared with established bio-inspired optimization algorithms available in the literature. Finally, the developed C-19BOA is applied on an electrical power system load–frequency–control model to test its effectiveness in optimizing the power system parameters and to check its applicability in solving modern engineering problems. A performance comparison of the proposed C-19BOA and other optimization algorithms is validated based on optimizing the controller gains for reducing the steady-state errors by comparing the effective frequency and tie-line power regulation ability of an industrially applied Proportional–Integral–Derivative controller (PID) and Active Disturbance Rejection controller (ADRC). Moreover, the robustness of C-19BOA optimized PID and ADRC gains is tested by varying the system parameters from their nominal values.
Perception of Light in Museum Environments: Comparison between Real-Life and Virtual Visual Experiences
Authors: Çevik Aslıhan , Kazanasmaz Zehra Tuğçe , Tambellini Giuseppe , Salvadori Giacomo , Leccese Francesco
Published: November 2022

Alternative environments to real-life have been in recent demand in regard to lighting design and in museums. In this study, the effectiveness of the perception of the museum space in simulations or virtual-based environments is studied. Answers to a questionnaire regarding lighting in four different visual experiences are compared: Real-life, virtual-video-based, virtual-photo-based and virtual-render-based. A total of 117 participants were divided into four visual experience groups. Each group answered the same lighting related questions for four exhibition halls in the Natural History Museum of the University of Pisa (Italy), which is housed in the Monumental Charterhouse of Calci. The answers were analyzed using ANOVA and a T-test. The results show that virtual experiences can be acceptable alternatives to real-life experience as the answers were indifferent in more than half of the criteria, and no criterion was affected significantly by experience, regardless of the hall’s characteristics. However, it was found that the hall’s characteristics also had an impact on the perception of the criteria in different experiences. Controlled artificial lighting or uniformly distributed lighting (full day or artificial light) were found to be more indifferent to the experience.
Comparative Economic and Experimental Assessment of Air Source Heat Pump and Gas-fired boiler: A Case Study from Turkey
Authors: Kul Onder , Uğural Mehmet Nurettin
Published: November 2022

Since sustainability has become a major concern in the construction industry, making economically efficient investment decisions in energy conservation are needed to minimize energy consumption for space heating and cooling. Although Air-Source Heat Pump (ASHP) systems are used to meet buildings’ heating and cooling demands worldwide, high initial setup costs limit the widespread use of these systems. This paper presents comparative assessment of ASHP system versus conventional gas-fired boiler system for a real commercial building with a floor area of 2500 m2 in Istanbul, Turkey. The key performance variable, Coefficient of Performance (COP), of the ASHP system was experimentally evaluated. The experimental results revealed that the system’s COP ranged from 3.22 to 4.32, while the outside temperature ranged from 4.8 to 18.6 °C and the supply water temperature ranged from 32.2 to 36.2 °C. Moreover, the economic analysis results showed that despite the high initial cost, ASHP systems are cost competitive against gas-fired boiler in Turkey. ASHP system could reduce the present value of total Life-Cycle Cost (LCC) by up to 26.4% (47,865 USD) compared to the conventional gas-fired boiler system because it can dramatically reduce the energy consumption per year
E-Scooter Presence in Urban Areas: Are Consistent Rules, Paying Attention and Smooth Infrastructure Enough for Safety?
Authors: della Mura Matteo , Failla Serena , Gori Nicolò , Micucci Alfonso , Paganelli Filippo
Published: November 2022

Electric micromobility represents a sustainable mobility option for specific classes of users and distance thresholds. Had this mobility solution been integrated into a comprehensive mobility framework from the beginning, it would have expanded the coverage and accessibility of urban transit services. Instead, slow and incoherent regulation has established a contrast between enthusiastic users (who consider electric micromobility vehicles “fun” and “easy to use”) and recalcitrant public opinion (wherein electric micromobility vehicles are deemed “unsafe” and “dangerous”). Beyond the few attempts made by transport experts to assess the capability of e-scooters to become a sound mobility option (through mobility surveys, pattern analysis, fleet and routing problems), safety and infrastructure design should be developed in a consistent way in order to guarantee a balanced transport setting. With respect to this challenge, a methodology framework is proposed to address the increasing proliferation of micromobility in the context of a coherent transport system. Special attention is devoted to those aspects that have received less attention from the scientific community, namely infrastructure and safe interactions at intersections. The similarities and differences between e-scooters and bikes, chosen in this study as the representative of traditional soft mobility modes, have been taken into consideration. To support the proposed approach, tests investigating e-scooter performance and the perception of both the modes at safety-critical nodes (such as intersections) under different conditions are presented, and the methodology can be applied to a variety of urban scales. The results can be adopted by local authorities, transport companies and e-mobility providers to optimize infrastructure and increase the number and quality of available mobility options.
Preparation of Mullite/PU Nanocomposites by Double Waste Co-Recycling
Authors: Gu Xiaohua , Zhu Yanwei , Liu Siwen , Zhu Shangwen , Liu Yan
Published: November 2022

The massive accumulation of industrial waste has become an environmental problem that is very difficult to deal with. In this paper, mullite whisker nanomaterials were developed independently using industrial waste residues, which were used to degrade polyurethane (PU) solid waste by alcoholysis with ethylene glycol (EG) and ethanolamine (ETA) bi-component, and mullite modified regenerated polyol materials were obtained by double waste synergistic recycling. Mullite/PU foam nanocomposites were prepared by one-step foaming. The analysis of the test results shows that, at EG/ETA = 2:1 and mullite whisker addition of 0.15%, the regenerated rigid PU foam obtained has low thermal conductivity and higher compressive strength, at which time the regenerated PU foam has the best performance. The FTIR test results show that the silanol of mullite reacts with isocyanate during foaming and is attached to the polyurethane chain, such that the compressive strength and thermal insulation properties are maximized. It provides a new way to create a “double waste synergy” for preparing high-value materials by comprehensively utilizing resources.
Computational Analysis of Viscoplastic Nanofluid Blending by a Newly Modified Anchorage Impeller within a Stirred Container
Authors: Brahim Mebarki , Benhanifia Kada , Jamshed Wasim , Al-Farhany Khaled , Redouane Fares , Eid Mohamed R. , Hussain Syed Modssir , Akram Mohammad , Kamel Alwaleed
Published: November 2022

Several industrial fields require mixing and mechanical agitation processes. This operation is mainly used to enhance heat and mass transfer inside stirred tank systems and improve the degree of homogeneity to obtain a high-quality final product. The main goal of this research paper is to analyze the thermal and hydrodynamic behavior of non-Newtonian nanofluid (Bingham–Papanastasiou–Al2O3) inside a symmetrically stirred tank. A 3D numerical study has been conducted for a stationary laminar flow inside a symmetric cylindrical vessel under influencing parameters, including the inertia parameter (Re=1, 20, 100) and the volume fraction of nanoparticles (Ø=0.02, 0.06, 0.1) with different geometric configurations, has been introduced into the stirring system. According to the findings, with high inertia (Re=100), the heat transfer inside the stirred tank is enhanced. Furthermore, increasing the nanoparticle fraction volume had a significant impact on the acceleration of heat transfer along the stirred vessel. It has been also found that the geometric configuration of an anchor with added arm blade (Case 2) is more efficient compared with the rest of the anchor agitator.
Novel Identities of Bernoulli Polynomials Involving Closed Forms for Some Definite Integrals
Authors: Abd-Elhameed Waleed Mohamed , Amin Amr Kamel
Published: November 2022

This paper presents new results of Bernoulli polynomials. New derivative expressions of some celebrated orthogonal polynomials and other polynomials are given in terms of Bernoulli polynomials. Hence, some new connection formulas between these polynomials and Bernoulli polynomials are also deduced. The linking coefficients involve hypergeometric functions of different arguments that can be summed in some cases. Formulas that express some celebrated numbers in terms of Bernoulli numbers are displayed. Based on the new connection formulas between different polynomials and Bernoulli polynomials, along with some well-known integrals involving these polynomials, new closed forms for some definite integrals are given.
Fractional Stefan Problem Solving by the Alternating Phase Truncation Method
Authors: Chmielowska Agata , Słota Damian
Published: November 2022

The aim of this paper is the adaptation of the alternating phase truncation (APT) method for solving the two-phase time-fractional Stefan problem. The aim was to determine the approximate temperature distribution in the domain with the moving boundary between the solid and the liquid phase. The adaptation of the APT method is a kind of method that allows us to consider the enthalpy distribution instead of the temperature distribution in the domain. The method consists of reducing the whole considered domain to liquid phase by adding sufficient heat at each point of the solid and then, after solving the heat equation transformed to the enthalpy form in the obtained region, subtracting the heat that has been added. Next the whole domain is reduced to the solid phase by subtracting the sufficient heat from each point of the liquid. The heat equation is solved in the obtained region and, after that, the heat that had been subtracted is added at the proper points. The steps of the APT method were adapted to solve the equations with the fractional derivatives. The paper includes numerical examples illustrating the application of the described method.
The Way to Invest: Trading Strategies Based on ARIMA and Investor Personality
Authors: Tang Xiaoyu , Xu Sijia , Ye Hui
Published: November 2022

In the field of financial investment, accurate prediction of financial market values can increase investor profits. Investor personality affects specific portfolio solutions, which keeps them symmetrical in the process of investment competition. However, information is often asymmetric in financial markets, and this information bias often results in different future returns for investors. Nowadays, machine learning algorithms are widely used in the field of financial investment. Many advanced machine learning algorithms can effectively predict future market changes and provide a scientific basis for investor decisions. The purpose of this paper is to study the problem of optimal matching of financial investment by using machine learning algorithms combined with finance and to reduce the impact of information asymmetry for investors effectively. Moreover, based on the model results, we study the effects of different investor personalities on factors such as expected investment returns and the number of transactions. Based on the time-series characteristics of price data, through multi-model comparison, we select the ARIMA model combined with particle swarm algorithm to determine the optimal prediction model and introduce the concepts of mean-variance model, Sharpe ratio, and efficient frontier to find the balance point of risk and return. In this study, we use gold and bitcoin price data from 2016–2021 to develop optimal investment strategies and study the impact of investor behavior on trading strategies.
Mycotoxins in Wheat Flours Marketed in Shanghai, China: Occurrence and Dietary Risk Assessment
Authors: Zhou Haiyan , Xu Anqi , Liu Meichen , Yan Zheng , Qin Luxin , Liu Hong , Wu Aibo , Liu Na
Published: November 2022

The risk of exposure to mycotoxins through the consumption of wheat flours has long been a concern. A total of 299 wheat flours marketed in Shanghai Province of China were surveyed and analyzed for the co-occurrence of 13 mycotoxins through an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method. The detection rates of mycotoxins in wheat flours ranged from 0.7~74.9% and their average contamination levels in wheat flours (0.2~57.6 µg kg−1) were almost lower than the existing regulations in cereals. However, their co-contamination rate was as high as 98.1%, especially Fusarium and Alternaria mycotoxins. Comparative analysis of different types of wheat flours showed that the average contamination levels in refined wheat flours with low-gluten were lower. Based on these contamination data and the existing consumption data of Shanghai residents, point evaluation and the Monte Carlo assessment model were used to preliminarily evaluate the potential dietary exposure risk. The probable daily intakes of almost all mycotoxins, except for alternariol, were under the health-based guidance values for 90% of different consumer groups. Health risks of dietary exposure to alternariol should be a concern and further studied in conjunction with an internal exposure assessment.
Longitudinal Variations in Equatorial Ionospheric TEC from GPS, Global Ionosphere Map and International Reference Ionosphere-2016 during the Descending and Minimum Phases of Solar Cycle 24
Authors: Ogwala Aghogho , Oyedokun Oluwole Johnson , Ogunmodimu Olugbenga , Akala Andrew Ovie , Ali Masood Ashraf , Jamjareegulgarn Punyawi , Panda Sampad Kumar
Published: November 2022

Research on longitudinal discrepancies in local ionospheric variability, especially in equatorial and low-latitude regions, is a focal point of interest for the space weather modeling community. The ionosphere over these regions is influenced by complex electrodynamics, wind, and temperature dynamics that can seriously impact dynamic technological systems such as satellite tracking and positioning, satellite radio communication, and navigation control systems. Here, we researched the longitudinal variability in the ionospheric total electron content (TEC) by analyzing observed global positioning system (GPS)-derived TEC values along with those extracted from the most reliable global ionospheric maps (GIMs) and the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI-2016) model at selected stations in the vicinity of the magnetic equator along the American, African, and Asian longitude sectors. The period of study covered the descending (2016–2017) and deep solar minimum (2018–2019) years in the 24th solar cycle. Apart from the decreasing trend of the TEC from the descending to deep solar minimum period irrespective of season and longitude sector, the results showed a relatively higher magnitude of TEC in the African longitude than the other two longitude sectors. Despite evident overestimation and underestimations of TEC in both models, GIM predictions generally looked better in terms of observed variation patterns, especially in the African longitude. The study also highlights the seasonal and semiannual effects of longitudinal variations in TEC, manifesting in local time offsets and some peculiar anomalies, which seemed to be different from previously reported results, especially during the solar minimum years at the three longitude sectors. The insignificant effects of longitudinal variations on the equinoctial asymmetry are attributed to the diverse electron density distribution and ionospheric morphology at the three longitude sectors that will prompt further investigations in the future. The outcomes from this study may augment the past efforts of scientists to understand the seasonal effects of the longitudinal variations in TEC, thereby complementing the improvements of ionospheric representations in global ionosphere models and maps.
Study of Intra-Day Flux Distributions of Blazars Using XMM-Newton Satellite
Authors: Wani Kiran , Gaur Haritma
Published: November 2022

We present a study of the flux distribution of a sample of 15 Intermediate and Low-energy peaked blazars using XMM-Newton observations in a total of 57 epochs on short-term timescales. We characterise the X-ray variability of all of the light curves using excess fractional variability amplitude and found that only 24 light curves in 7 sources are significantly variable. In order to characterise the origin of X-ray variability in these blazars, we fit the flux distributions of all these light curves using Gaussian and lognormal distributions, as any non-Gaussian perturbation could indicate the imprints of fluctuations in the accretion disc, which could be Doppler boosted through the relativistic jets in blazars. However, intra-day variability, as seen in our observations, is difficult to reconcile using disc components as the emissions in such sources are mostly dominated by jets. We used Anderson–Darling (AD) and χ2 tests to fit the histograms. In 11 observations of 4 blazars, namely, ON 231, 3C 273, PKS 0235+164 and PKS 0521-365, both models equally fit the flux distributions. In the rest of the observations, we are unable to model them with any distribution. In two sources, namely, BL Lacertae and S4 0954+650, the lognormal distribution is preferred over the normal distribution, which could arise from non-Gaussian perturbations from relativistic jets or linear Gaussian perturbation in the particle time scale leading to such flux distributions.
H1N1 Influenza A Virus Protein NS2 Inhibits Innate Immune Response by Targeting IRF7
Authors: Zhang Bo , Liu Minxuan , Huang Jiaxin , Zeng Qiaoying , Zhu Qiyun , Xu Shuai , Chen Hualan
Published: November 2022

Influenza A virus (IAV) is a globally distributed zoonotic pathogen and causes a highly infectious respiratory disease with high morbidity and mortality in humans and animals. IAV has evolved various strategies to counteract the innate immune response, using different viral proteins. However, the mechanisms are not fully elucidated. In this study, we demonstrated that the nonstructural protein 2 (NS2) of H1N1 IAV negatively regulate the induction of type-I interferon. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments revealed that NS2 specifically interacts with interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF7). NS2 blocks the nuclear translocation of IRF7 by inhibiting the formation of IRF7 dimers, thereby prevents the activation of IRF7 and inhibits the production of interferon-beta. Taken together, these findings revealed a novel mechanism by which the NS2 of H1N1 IAV inhibits IRF7-mediated type-I interferon production.
Rational Engineering of a Sub-Picomolar HIV-1 Blocker
Authors: Secchi Massimiliano , Vangelista Luca
Published: November 2022

With the aim of rationally devising a refined and potent HIV-1 blocker, the cDNA of CCL5 5p12 5m, an extremely potent CCR5 antagonist, was fused to that of C37, a gp41-targeted fusion inhibitor. The resulting CCL5 5p12 5m-C37 fusion protein was expressed in E. coli and proved to be capable of inhibiting R5 HIV-1 strains with low to sub-picomolar IC50, maintaining its antagonism toward CCR5. In addition, CCL5 5p12 5m-C37 inhibits R5/X4 and X4 HIV-1 strains in the picomolar concentration range. The combination of CCL5 5p12 5m-C37 with tenofovir (TDF) exhibited a synergic effect, promoting this antiviral cocktail. Interestingly, a CCR5-targeted combination of maraviroc (MVC) with CCL5 5p12 5m-C37 led to a synergic effect that could be explained by an extensive engagement of different CCR5 conformational populations. Within the mechanism of HIV-1 entry, the CCL5 5p12 5m-C37 chimera may fit as a powerful blocker in several instances. In its possible consideration for systemic therapy or pre-exposure prophylaxis, this protein design represents an interesting lead in the combat of HIV-1 infection.