bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Graph-Community-Enabled Personalized Course-Job Recommendations with Cross-Domain Data Integration
Authors: Zhu Guoqing , Chen Yan , Wang Shutian
Published: June 2022

With millions of students/employees browsing course information and job postings every day, the need for accurate, effective, meaningful, and transparent course and job recommender systems is more evident than ever. The current recommendation research has attracted wide attention in the academic and industrial areas. However, existing studies primarily focus on content analysis and user feature extraction of courses or jobs and fail to investigate the problem of cross-domain data integration between career and education. At the same time, it also fails to fully utilize the relations between courses, skills, and jobs, which helps to improve the accuracy of the recommendation. Therefore, this study aims to propose a novel cross-domain recommendation model that can help students/employees search for suitable courses and jobs. Employing a heterogeneous graph and community detection algorithm, this study presents the Graph-Community-Enabled (GCE) model that merges course profiles and recruiting information data. Specifically, to address the skill difference between occupation and curriculum, the skill community calculated by the community detection algorithm is used to connect curriculum and job information. Then, the innovative heterogeneous graph approach and the random walk algorithm enable cross-domain information recommendation. The proposed model is evaluated on real job datasets from recruitment websites and the course datasets from MOOCs and higher education. Experiments show that the model is obviously superior to the classical baselines. The approach described can be replicated in a variety of education/career situations.
The Spatial-Temporal Evolution of China’s Carbon Emission Intensity and the Analysis of Regional Emission Reduction Potential under the Carbon Emissions Trading Mechanism
Authors: Zhang Xiufan , Fan Decheng
Published: June 2022

It is of great significance to study the regional differences and temporal and spatial evolution of China’s carbon emission intensity under the carbon emissions trading mechanism, and to explore the potential for regional emission reduction. This paper uses the Theil index and Moran index to analyze the regional differences and temporal and spatial evolution trend of carbon emission intensity in China from 2010 to 2019, further constructs the emission reduction effect standard of carbon emissions trading mechanisms, discusses the emission reduction effect of the trading mechanisms, and measures the regional emission reduction potential according to the environmental learning curve. The results showed that: (1) China’s overall carbon emissions continued to increase, but the carbon emission intensity showed an overall decreasing trend. There are strong regional differences in China’s carbon emission intensity. The carbon emission intensity in the western region is higher, and the overall regional difference is decreasing year by year. (2) China’s carbon emissions trading mechanism has a significant reduction effect, but the total quota slack of the Tianjin, Beijing, and Chongqing carbon emissions trading pilot markets is loose. (3) Shanghai, Shanxi, Jiangxi, Guizhou, Inner Mongolia, and Beijing are high-efficiency carbon emission reduction provinces (more than 35%), and Fujian and Xinjiang are low-efficiency carbon emission reduction provinces (less than 15%). It is necessary to further develop the demonstration effect of high emission reduction potential areas and increase the emission reduction efforts in low emission reduction potential areas.
Bi Objective Peer-to-Peer Ridesharing Model for Balancing Passengers Time and Costs
Authors: Hasanpour Jesri Seyed Omid , Akbarpour Shirazi Mohsen
Published: June 2022

Ride-sharing services are one of the top growing sustainable transportation trends led by mobility-as-a-service companies. Ridesharing is a system that provides the ability to share vehicles on similar routes for passengers with similar or nearby destinations on short notice, leading to decreased costs for travelers. At the same time, though, it takes longer to get from place to place, increasing travel time. Therefore, a fundamental challenge for mobility service providers should be finding a balance between cost and travel time. This paper develops an integer bi-objective optimization model that integrates vehicle assignment, vehicle routing, and passenger assignment to find a non-dominated solution based on cost and time. The model allows a vehicle to be used multiple times by different passengers. The first objective seeks to minimize the total cost, including the fixed cost, defined as the supply cost per vehicle, and the operating cost, which is a function of the distance traveled. The second objective is to minimize the time it takes passengers to reach their destination. This is measured by how long it takes each vehicle to reach the passenger’s point of origin and how long it takes to get to the destination. The proposed model is solved using the AUGMECON method and the NSGA II algorithm. A real case study from Sioux Falls is presented to validate the applicability of the proposed model. This study shows that ridesharing helps passengers save money using mobility services without significant change in travel time.
Woodland for Sludge Disposal in Beijing: Sustainable?
Authors: Wu Bingchen , Qi Shi , Hu Yishui , Li Yutong , Zhou Jinxing
Published: June 2022

The sludge products of urban sewage treatment plants in Beijing are increasing year by year, and there is a large amount of stagnation, which requires scientific and reasonable disposal strategies. Currently, the woodland in the mountainous area of Beijing is considered the main means for sludge disposal; however, because the heavy metals in the sludge may cause potential pollution to the soil and groundwater, it is unclear how much sludge can be applied per unit area. To ensure the sustainable disposal of sludge, it is necessary to measure the risk of heavy metals on soil and groundwater under different sludge application rates to determine the most scientific disposal plan. In this study, the undisturbed soil columns obtained from the field were used to clarify the migration behaviors and accumulation of eight hazardous heavy metals under simulated rainfall conditions, and three sets of tests (the application rates of sludge products were 30 t·ha−1·a−1, 60 t·ha−1·a−1 and 120 t·ha−1·a−1 respectively) were set based on the supply–demand relationship between Beijing’s annual sludge output and the woodland area available for sludge disposal. The results showed that there were significant differences in the migration rules of heavy metals under different application rates, which were mainly reflected in the differences in accumulation in each layer of the soil. In terms of the leaching efficiency of heavy metals, except for Cadmium, the leaching rates of other heavy metals did not exceed 0.1%, indicating that most heavy metals accumulated in the soil. During the application process of sludge products, Arsenic and Cadmium posed a greater potential risk to groundwater than other heavy metals, to which should be paid sufficient attention. Based on the accumulation of heavy metals in soil, Arsenic was the main factor limiting the amount and frequency of sludge product application. The application rate of 60 t·ha−1·a−1 was preferred compared with the other two tests because it presented minimal risk to groundwater and soil in the short term, while the total amount of sludge disposal can be maximized.
A Sustainable Productive Method for Enhancing Operational Excellence in Shop Floor Management for Industry 4.0 Using Hybrid Integration of Lean and Smart Manufacturing: An Ingenious Case Study
Authors: Tripathi Varun , Chattopadhyaya Somnath , Mukhopadhyay Alok Kumar , Sharma Shubham , Li Changhe , Singh Sunpreet , Hussan Waqas Ul , Salah Bashir , Saleem Waqas , Mohamed Abdullah
Published: June 2022

In industry 4.0, industry individuals implement lean and smart manufacturing to improve shop floor management systems. Shop floor management is used to control operational performance and enhance production within limited constraints. Various shop floor management approaches are used in the present scenario of industry 4.0, and mainly include value stream mapping, total productive maintenance, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and fuzzy logic. The present research aims to develop an open innovation method to achieve sustainability in shop floor management systems in industry 4.0 by using lean and smart manufacturing concepts. The proposed method has been validated by an enhancement obtained in a real case of the shop floor management system in industry 4.0. The authors are confident that the proposed method would provide sustainability in the shop floor management system within limited constraints in industry 4.0.
Hydrochemical Characteristics and the Relationship between Surface and Groundwater in a Typical ‘Mountain–Oasis’ Ecosystem in Central Asia
Authors: Sun Congjian , Wang Shiyu , Chen Wei
Published: June 2022

Water environment monitoring is an important way to optimize the allocation and sustainable utilization of regional water resources and is beneficial for ensuring the security of regional water resources. In order to explore hydrochemical distributions in a mountain–oasis ecosystem in Central Asia, surface water and groundwater samples from the Kaidu River basin were collected over four seasons. pH values, major ions, total dissolved solids (TDS) and stable isotopes were determined during the period from 2016 to 2017. The results showed: (1) that most water bodies in the study areas were mildly alkaline and that hydrochemical distributions showed significant seasonal and spatial variation; (2) that δD and δ18O in surface water and groundwater showed enrichment in summer and autumn and poverty in spring and winter, with higher δ18O values appearing in the oasis area and lower δ18O values appearing in the mountain area; (3) that most of the water bodies in the study areas were of HCO3−Ca2+ type, with the hydrochemical types of groundwater presenting obvious spatial inconsistency relative to surface water; (4) that rock weathering was the main factor controlling hydrochemical composition in the study areas and that human activities had an influence on the groundwater environment in the oasis area; (5) and that surface water–groundwater interactions also displayed spatial inconsistency, especially in summer. The interaction between river water and groundwater was more obvious in the traditional oasis area, especially in spring and summer. The results will be important for regional water resource management and sustainable water utilization.
Identification of Three Novel QTLs Associated with Yellow Rust Resistance in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Anong-179/Khaista-17 F2 Population
Authors: Saeed Muhammad , Ullah Farhan , Shah Liaqat , Ahmad Waqas , Ali Murad , Munsif Fazal , Zubair Ahmad , Ibrahim Muhammad , Shah Syed Mushtaq Ahmed , Uddin Hammad , Can Chen , Hongqi Si , Chuanxi Ma
Published: June 2022

Wheat yellow rust (YR) caused by Puccinia striiformis is lethal for the leaf photosynthetic process, which substantially affects yield components and ultimately causes drastic yield reduction. The current study aimed to identify all-stage YR resistance linked QTLs in the best cross-combination. Experimental materials were phenotyped for disease severity in YR-hot spot area at Cereal Crops Research Institute, Pirsabak Pakistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in 2019 and 2020 and 2020 and 2021 Rabi seasons. The AN179 × KS17 was found to be the best cross combination, which showed high resistance to YR, whereas crosses AN179 × PK15 and PR129 × PK15 demonstrated susceptibility to YR with high disease severity. The recombinant inbred lines (RIL) F2 wheat population Annong-179/Khaista-17 demonstrated highly desirable YR resistance and yield component traits. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were used to genotype the RIL population and their parents. Three novel QTLs linked to all-stage YR resistance were found on chromosomes 2BS, 3BS and 6BS, which explained 1.24, 0.54, and 0.75 phenotypic variance, respectively. Incorporation of the newly identified novel YR-resistance associated QTLs into hybridization wheat breeding program could be effective for marker-assisted selection of the improved and sustainable resistance.
The Evolution of Ecological Space in an Urban Agglomeration Based on a Suitability Evaluation and Cellular Automata Simulation
Authors: Chen Yipu , Zheng Bohong , Liu Runjiao
Published: June 2022

Changing and reconstructing the ecological space of urban agglomerations is inevitable for ecological conservation and a scientific problem that needs urgent attention from geography, ecology, and urban and rural planning. Using ArcGIS and other software for data processing, this study established a spatial attribute database, constructed a land use conversion matrix of the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan (CZX) urban agglomeration’s ecological space, and quantitatively analyzed the main changes in ecological land. Using a trained cellular automata model with predicted land use in 2035 as the threshold value, the simulation research was presented by creating two simulation scenarios for the spatial distribution of land use by 2035 in the “Green Heart” area of the CZX urban agglomeration. The simulation results were compared, and the constraining role of land use suitability evaluation on ecological space evolution was analyzed. This study found that the total area of ecological space in the Green Heart area saw a rapid reduction, and it predicted that, by 2035, the total area of the CZX Green Heart area will have decreased. Comparing the two simulation scenarios proved the hypothesis that zoning ecological space reconstruction based on a land suitability evaluation can effectively protect ecological space and ensure ecological network functions are harnessed.
Sustainability of Digital Capital and Social Support during COVID-19: Indonesian Muslim Diaspora’s Case in South Korea
Authors: Shin Jiwon , Seo Myengkyo , Lew Yong Kyu
Published: June 2022

During the COVID-19 pandemic, digital capital and online activities have played significant roles as a tool for enhancing social support. Considering the increased role of information communication technology (ICT), in this study, we investigated the following research questions by focusing on the Indonesian Muslim diaspora in South Korea. To what extent do digital capital and online communities affect the formation of social support in the pandemic situation? How does the Indonesian Muslim diaspora pursue social support in South Korea, which has a high capacity for ICT infrastructure? We used the technology acceptance model (TAM) for the conceptual model and conducted semi-structured interviews and surveys for data collection. Structural equation modeling demonstrates that TAM can be applied in the case of South Korea’s Indonesian Muslim diaspora, especially during the pandemic. Findings suggest that digital capital and the perceived usefulness/perceived ease of use (PU/PEOU) of online communities reinforced the Indonesian Muslim diaspora’s participation in online communities after COVID-19. It also demonstrates the ways in which the Indonesian Muslim diaspora pursues social support through online communities under restricted situations.
Foam Concrete Produced with Recycled Concrete Powder and Phase Change Materials
Authors: Gencel Osman , Nodehi Mehrab , Hekimoğlu Gökhan , Ustaoğlu Abid , Sarı Ahmet , Kaplan Gökhan , Bayraktar Oguzhan Yavuz , Sutcu Mucahit , Ozbakkaloglu Togay
Published: June 2022

In construction industry, phase change materials (PCMs), have recently been studied and found effective in increasing energy efficiency of buildings through their high capacity to store thermal energy. In this study, a combination of Capric (CA)-Palmitic acid (PA) with optimum mass ratio of 85–15% is used and impregnated with recycled concrete powder (RCP). The resulting composite is produced as foam concrete and tested for a series of physico-mechanical, thermal and microstructural properties. The results show that recycled concrete powder can host PCMs without leaking if used in proper quantity. Further, the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results show that the produced RCP/CA-PA composites have a latent heat capacity of 34.1 and 33.5 J/g in liquid and solid phases, respectively, which is found to remain stable even after 300 phase changing cycles. In this regard, the indoor temperature performance of the rooms supplied with composite foams made with PCMs, showed significantly enhanced efficiency. In addition, it is shown that inclusion of PCMs in foam concrete can significantly reduce porosity and pore connectivity, resulting in enhanced mechanical properties. The results are found promising and point to the suitability of using RCP-impregnated PCMs in foam composites to enhance thermo-regulative performance of buildings. On this basis, the use of PCMs for enhanced thermal properties of buildings are recommended, especially to be used in conjunction with foam concrete.
Impact of Major Events on Interprovincial Carbon Emissions—Based on PSM-DID Analysis
Authors: Liu Jiwei , Li Qun
Published: June 2022

The success of major events can enhance national image, boost people’s confidence, and alleviate the current “three-fold pressure”—contraction in demand, supply shocks and weak expectations. In the context of the carbon neutrality target, it is important to analyze the relationship between major events and carbon emissions as the ecological, social and economic systems become more closely related. To study the extent and persistence of the impact of major events on the carbon emissions of the hosting provinces, this paper collects annual carbon emission data from 2015 to 2019 for 30 provinces in China. The propensity score matching Difference in Difference model (PSM-DID) is used to explore the impact of major events, such as political conferences, sports events and cultural exchanges, at the national level on inter-provincial carbon emissions. The empirical study shows that (1) the carbon emissions of the provinces involved in major events significantly increase in the year when the major event is held, (2) the carbon emissions of the province significantly decrease in the year after the conclusion of the major event, and (3) the decrease is higher than the increase in carbon emissions in the year when the event is held. Finally, the model results are analyzed in the context of economic events and macroeconomic policy lags during the preparation period of the event, and policy suggestions are made to incorporate carbon neutrality into the overall layout study of ecological civilization construction, strengthening the construction of legal thinking, enhancing inter-provincial and inter-city pollution synergy control, innovating carbon-related technologies, unifying carbon emission accounting and improving data openness.
Heat and Moisture Relevant In Situ Measurements in a Railway Passenger Vehicle Driving through the Swiss Alpine Region
Authors: Raedle Wolfgang , Wakili K. Ghazi , Geyer Christoph , Hausammann Roman , Uehlinger Urs
Published: June 2022

Transportation is a major sector of energy consumption in most, if not in all, European countries. Besides the energy used for traction, energy is also consumed for ventilation, heating, and cooling inside the vehicles to assure traveler comfort. This issue gains increasing importance as the demand for public transport increases in the future. There is a need for retrofit to improve the thermal resistance of the envelope of existing vehicles to reduce the heat loss to the environment during the cold period of the year, especially in the Alpine region. A major concern in adding insulation material to the envelope is the possibility of convective moisture transfer due to air circulation in the vehicle, which would cause condensation accumulation on the cold surfaces. The present investigation addresses this topic by measuring surface and air temperature, air moisture, air flow, and heat flow at several critical locations of a vehicle during its travel in the Swiss Alpine region over several months during the cold period of the year. Temperature measurements showed the potential of reducing the heat losses in some parts of the vehicle. The level and duration of the moisture exposure did not suggest a relevant formation of condensation in the cross-section of the vehicle wall. The observed increase in relative humidity when driving through tunnels is too short to cause relevant condensation in the vehicle shell. The measured low air flow justifies the assumption that no forced convection occurs in the envelope cavities.
Impact of Openings on the In-Plane Strength of Confined and Unconfined Masonry Walls: A Sustainable Numerical Study
Authors: Mughal Ubaid Ahmad , Qazi Asad Ullah , Ahmed Ali , Abbass Wasim , Abbas Safeer , Salmi Abdelatif , Sayed Mohamed Mahmoud
Published: June 2022

While openings are an essential requirement in buildings as a source of access, fresh air and sunlight, these openings cause a reduction in the lateral stiffness and torsional resistance of masonry wall units. A detailed numerical investigation was carried out to explore the impact of the opening percentage on the in-plane stiffness and lateral strength of unconfined and confined masonry wall panels prepared using calcium silicate bricks, for sustainable masonry structures. A commercially available FEM package (ANSYS) was used to carry out comparative analysis of ten wall panels, five of each type (confined and unconfined masonry walls) with concentrically located openings of varying sizes (0% to 16.5%). A simplified micro-modeling technique following the Newton Raphson Algorithm was adopted. Results revealed that the confined masonry approach unveiled a more reliable anti-seismic response along with improved in-plane strength in the case of confined masonry walls. The failure type shifted from pure flexural to more of a blend of shear and flexure after the opening percentage increased to 10.09% in unconfined masonry walls, which was not the case where confinement was provided. Based on the outcomes, it is strongly recommended to adopt confined masonry in highly seismic-prone areas to avoid catastrophic damage caused by earthquakes.
A Review on Supply Costs and Prices of Residual Biomass in Techno-Economic Models for Europe
Authors: Karras Tom , Brosowski André , Thrän Daniela
Published: June 2022

This review paper aims to investigate the supply costs and prices for biogenic residues, wastes and by-products for Europe that are used as key economic parameters for techno-economic analyses in the relevant literature. The scope of the paper is to show: (i) which information on costs and prices is used in techno-economic models; (ii) which sources these monetary values are based on; and (iii) whether these values are able to be compared and classified. The methodology employed in this review paper is a systematic evaluation of the supply costs and prices for residual biomass used as the basis for techno-economic analyses in the literature. Three evaluation criteria (COST TYPE, TIME PERIOD and COST SCOPE) are used to operationalise the scope of the delivery, the time frame and the spatial resolution of the monetary values. The pricing and cost variables UNIT and BIOMASS are also studied. The results show that the supply costs and pricing differ in terms of the units used, the scope of the delivery and the spatial scale, making it difficult to compare individual studies or transfer the findings to other use cases. The costs and pricing examined range from 0.00 EUR/Mg (dm) for “bio-waste from private households” to a regional value of 1097.02 EUR/Mg (dm) for “woody biomass from vineyards”. They are rarely based on cost calculations or price analyses over a period of several years, and more than half of the literature sources examined do not take into account regional differences. The findings suggest that the input data on costs and prices are not always of sufficient quality. For that reason, in the future, the data on supply costs and prices that are provided for processing should have a more detailed temporal and spatial resolution.
Allocation of Regional Logistics Hubs and Assessing Their Contribution to Saudi Arabia’s Logistics Performance Index Ranking
Authors: Almalki Malk , Alkahtani Mohammed
Published: June 2022

In 2016, Saudi Arabia published its vision for the year 2030, which is based on the Kingdom’s geographical, financial, social and religious potentials. Developing the logistics sector and improving the Kingdom’s ranking in the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index (LPI) to the twenty-fifth rank was one of the most targeted success factors. Unfortunately, Saudi Arabia’s rank in this index has declined over the past years, until it reached the fifty-fifth rank as per the last published LPI report. This research proposes a set of logistics hubs (LHs) which are located at key multi-logistics areas within the regional trading zones of the country. A spatial model was implemented on a macro level to integrate multi-logistical, infrastructural and natural geographic information system (GIS) layers, and highlight their intersections as initial feasible areas. Subsequently, an optimization model based on integer linear programming (ILP) was used to maximize the number of allocated LHs and minimize the overall distances between allocated LHs and international trading nodes considering multiple factors. More than 80 selected subject matter experts (SMEs) from 9 different countries have participated in World Bank’s driven surveys that assess the contribution of the LHs’ allocation proposal on Saudi Arabia’s LPI ranking. An improvement of about 10% in the LPI overall score with a 20 rank promotion has been estimated as per the SMEs responses. These results demonstrate that investing in logistics infrastructure and ranking in LPI are perfectly, positively and highly related.
Consumer Motivations for Luxury Fashion Rental: A Second-Order Factor Analysis Approach
Authors: Ruan Yanwen , Xu Yingjiao , Lee Hanna
Published: June 2022

With the rise of the sharing economy, luxury fashion rental (LFR) services have seen significant growth by providing sustainable consumption options to newcomers in the luxury fashion market. Several studies have analysed consumer motivations for luxury and collaborative consumption; however, limited research has examined consumer behaviour towards LFR, focusing on the collaborative consumption perspective but overlooking the influence of the characteristics and values of luxury fashion products. Therefore, this study seeks to identify consumer motivations for LFR from both the luxury consumption and collaborative consumption perspectives. Specifically, this study aims to: (1) identify motivations for LFR by reviewing the relevant literature; (2) propose a classification of LFR motivations (intrinsic versus extrinsic) by following self-determination theory; and (3) statistically evaluate and confirm said classification. To this end, data were collected from 359 U.S. consumers via an online survey. Subsequently, a second-order confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to confirm the validity of the second-order hierarchical structure. The findings show that intrinsic LFR motivations include hedonic benefits, uniqueness, and sustainability, while extrinsic motivations include economic benefits, social norms, smart shopping, and ego defence. To conclude this paper, theoretical and practical implications are discussed and recommendations for future studies are presented.
Do Inquiry Letters Curb Corporate Catering Motives of High Sustainable R&D Investment? Empirical Evidence from China
Authors: Yu Yan , Lee Yi-Tsung
Published: June 2022

Sustainable R&D investment is an important issue for enterprises to obtain core competitiveness in modern society. Government supervision can play a guiding role in the process of developing a competitive advantage in innovation in developing countries. This paper analyzes the impact of the government’s proactive regulatory model, represented by the R&D expense inquiry letters (hereafter, RDILs), on the corporate catering motives of high sustainable R&D investment. The results show that the RDILs have a regulatory effect on the listed companies’ catering motives of high sustainable R&D investment, but this effect is weakened by higher stock price crash risk, lower stock liquidity, and greater market short-selling pressure. Further analysis shows that the regulatory effect of RDILs is achieved by reducing the subsequent level of strategic R&D classification manipulation by the company. Overall, our study finds a monitoring role for inquiry letter supervision on the sustainability of corporate R&D investments. Exchanges in other countries should consider their use.
Teaching and Learning about Bee Extinction through Project-Based Learning (PBL): Its Impact on the Classroom Climate (CL) among Eighth Grader Students
Authors: Asli Sare , Abu-Alhiga Riad , Algmal Shafea , Hugerat Muhamad
Published: June 2022

Environmental education is essential in order to curb the current dramatic loss of biodiversity. Students’ commitment to protect local biodiversity is an important goal of education in order to develop and promote sustainable environmental education elsewhere. The main focus of biodiversity education has been to create the knowledge, interest, and skills needed to solve various problems in biodiversity with respect to the local context. This study, which investigated 8th grade students who were taught by the project-based learning (PBL) method, sheds light on the subject of biodiversity (specifically bee extinction); it shows its impact on the classroom climate (CL). This method combines many activities on the subject of bee extinction, such as extracurricular learning and watching videos, in addition to classroom activities where bee extinction is learned experientially; its impact on the CL was investigated. The research tool used was a structured questionnaire (WHIMC; What Happened In My Class); it consisted of 35 questions that examined students’ perceptions of the CL when they learned an entire study unit on bee extinction by the PBL method. The research results indicated that the PBL method, used in studying bee extinction, after performing the activity in all of its dimensions, had a very positive effect on the CL for the experimental group (N = 62), but not among the students in the control group, i.e., the group that continued to study by the traditional teaching method. This was shown, for example, regarding social cohesion (t(57) = 21.85; p < 0.001); students’ perceptions in the experimental group (M = 4.56; SD = 0.32) were more positive than their perceptions in the control group (M = 2.41; SD = 0.42).
Physiological and Transcriptomic Responses of Illicium difengpi to Drought Stress
Authors: Liu Baoyu , Liang Huiling , Wu Chao , Huang Xiyang , Wen Xiangying , Wang Manlian , Tang Hui
Published: June 2022

Illicium difengpi Kib and Kim, an endangered plant unique to karst areas in China, has evolved an extremely high tolerance to arid environments. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of the response to drought stress in I. difengpi, physiological index determination and transcriptome sequencing experiments were conducted in biennial seedlings grown under different soil moisture conditions (70~80%, 40~50% and 10~20%). With increasing drought stress, the leaf chlorophyll content decreased, while the proline (Pro), soluble sugar (SS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents increased; superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) activities also increased. Transcriptome sequencing and pairwise comparisons of the treatments revealed 2489, 4451 and 753 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in CK70~80 vs. XP40~50, CK70~80 vs. XP10~20 and XP40~50 vs. XP10~20, respectively. These DEGs were divided into seven clusters according to their expression trends, and the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment results of different clusters indicated that genes in the hormone signal transduction and osmotic regulation pathways were greatly activated under mild drought stress. When drought stress increased, the DEGs related to membrane system and protein modification and folding were all upregulated; simultaneously, chitin catabolism- and glycolysis/gluconeogenesis-related genes were continuously upregulated throughout drought stress, while the genes involved in photosynthesis were downregulated. Here, 244 transcription factors derived from 10 families were also identified. These results lay a foundation for further research on the adaptation of I. difengpi to arid environments in karst areas and the establishment of a core regulatory relationship in its drought resistance mechanism.
The Adoption of Digital Technologies and Artificial Intelligence in Urban Health: A Scoping Review
Authors: Sapienza Martina , Nurchis Mario Cesare , Riccardi Maria Teresa , Bouland Catherine , Jevtić Marija , Damiani Gianfranco
Published: June 2022

As more people live in cities, the impact of urban settings on population health has been increasing. One of the main strategies to cope with urbanization is adopting artificial intelligence (AI) and new digital technologies to develop new urban services that improve citizens’ health and well-being. The aim of this study is to review urban interventions and adopting digital technologies and AI-based algorithms to improve population health. A scoping review of the literature was conducted by querying MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Scopus databases. The included studies were categorized into one urban health area, suggested by the WHO, according to the type of intervention investigated. Out of 3733 records screened, 12 papers met all inclusion criteria. Four studies investigated the “outdoor and indoor pollution” area, one “climate change”, one “housing”, two “health and social services” and four “urban transport” areas. Only one article used a comprehensive approach to public health, investigating the use of AI and digital technologies both to characterize exposure conditions to health determinants and to monitor population health effects, while the others were limited to characterizing exposure conditions to health determinants, thus employing a preliminary public health perspective. From this point of view, countries should foster synergy for the development of research on digital technologies to address the determinants of health in the urban context. From a global health perspective, sharing results with the scientific community would also allow other countries to use those technologies that have been shown to be effective, paving the way for more sustainable living conditions worldwide.
Superimposed Renewal of Industrial Heritage under the Guidance of Low Maintenance and Sustainability—Renewal of Refinery Site in Jinan Tianhong Community
Authors: Li Zijia , Gai Qiyu , Qin Luofeng
Published: June 2022

The renewal of industrial heritage is a long process. With the development of society, a single form of renewal can no longer meet the needs of the public and environment in China. In the case that a large number of industrial heritage sites require secondary renewal, it becomes an urgent issue to consider how to achieve sustainability in the process of superimposed renewal, reduce the amount of future renewal changes, and at the same time realize economic and environmental friendliness, reduce maintenance costs, achieve cyclic spontaneous renewal, and ensure the feasibility, variability and growth of the reserved renewal. Jinan Tianhong Community Refinery Industrial Heritage Park was selected as the case study in this paper based on the theory of low maintenance to explore the strategy of superimposed renewal under the guidance of low maintenance and sustainability-oriented superimposed design in the social process; thus, the design of the secondary renewal of industrial heritage can create an eco-friendly space for activities from an ecological perspective, so as to achieve low-maintenance, low-intervention and sustainable industrial heritage renewal in the long-term.
3D Localization Method of Partial Discharge in Air-Insulated Substation Based on Improved Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm
Authors: Li Pengfei , Peng Xinjie , Yin Kaiyang , Xue Yaxu , Wang Rongqing , Ma Zhengsen
Published: June 2022

Partial discharge (PD) localization in an air-insulated substation (AIS) can be used to assess insulation conditions efficiently. Many localization methods have been reported during the past few years. However, the error of the localization results has been large or the localization algorithm too inefficient. The reason is that the localization equation set is nonlinear and non-symmetrical. In this paper, an improved particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is proposed to improve the localization accuracy in 3D. Firstly, the proposed localization method is based on the symmetrical antenna array and the location error distribution is analyzed. Secondly, the objective function of PSO is constructed using the error distribution. Specifically, the 3D location target is divided into two steps—plane coordinates and height. The two targets are optimized respectively. To verify the method, a test is carried out by a prefabricated fault bushing in the laboratory to compare with the existing methods. According to the results, the localization error is 0.21 m, which can locate the PD source accurately. A complete calculation takes 42.29 s, and the efficiency is increased by 16.13 times under the same accuracy. The comparison results show that the proposed method can greatly improve the efficiency while ensuring accuracy.
Unbounded Energy Collisions inside and outside Black Holes
Authors: Augousti Andy T. , Gusin Pawel , Radosz Andrzej , Ściborski Romuald J.
Published: June 2022

The possibility of on-horizon collisions of unbounded energy in the case of an extreme Kerr black hole is known as the BSW effect. It is also a widely accepted point of view that the energy collision of two identical particles of mass m near the horizon of a Schwarzschild black hole is limited to a value of 25 m. We show that there are two possible scenarios for unbounded energy collisions both for the exterior and for the interior of spherically symmetric black holes. Similar scenarios are found for axially symmetric black holes. It is shown that divergent (infinite) energy on-(inner)horizon collisions are excluded due to the anisotropic character of the dynamics of black hole interiors.
SQRT: A Secure Querying Scheme of Routing Table Based on Oblivious Transfer
Authors: Zhao Yue , Tian Bo , Hu Ning , Zhao Qi , Niu Yiru , Lin Leyu , Yang Yarang
Published: June 2022

The user equipment and directory server stay in the state of asymmetric information in anonymous networks, so that it is hard to coordinate information leakage prevention and information sharing when we explore the routing addressing technology. The severe security risk faced by existing anonymous networks, such as Tor and I2P, is the leakage of privacy information of routing nodes. This paper tries to resolve this problem and proposes a novel secure querying scheme of the routing table (SQRT) based on oblivious transfer, which can effectively ensure that both user equipment and directory server faithfully follow the routing querying protocol and protect the privacy information of both parties to the greatest extent. The SQRT scheme can realize that the directory server cannot only send the required routing nodes to the user equipment, but can also ensure that the directory server cannot know the exact routing nodes received by the user equipment and protect the information of other routing nodes in the directory server from disclosure. Security analysis shows that in the scenario where the directory server and user equipment are semi-honest, respectively, the SQRT scheme can ensure the privacy of both directory server and user equipment. The experimental simulation results show that compared with existing schemes, the SQRT scheme has obvious performance advantages in terms of the degree of anonymity, protocol running time, and communication traffic.
A Quantum Calculus View of Hermite–Hadamard–Jensen–Mercer Inequalities with Applications
Authors: Bin-Mohsin Bandar , Saba Mahreen , Javed Muhammad Zakria , Awan Muhammad Uzair , Budak Hüseyin , Nonlaopon Kamsing
Published: June 2022

In this paper, we derive some new quantum estimates of generalized Hermite–Hadamard–Jensen–Mercer type of inequalities, essentially using q-differentiable convex functions. With the help of numerical examples, we check the validity of the results. We also discuss some special cases which show that our results are quite unifying. To show the efficiency of our main results, we offer some interesting applications to special means.
An Improved Convergence Theorem of the Newton-Based AOR Method for Generalized Absolute Value Equations
Authors: Chen Raojie , Peng Xiaofei , Yu Wensong
Published: June 2022

For solving the large sparse generalized absolute value equations, recently a Newton-based accelerated over-relaxation (NAOR) method was investigated. In this paper, we widen the convergence regions for the parameters and establish a new convergence theorem of the NAOR method when the system matrix is an H+-matrix. Numerical examples demonstrate that the NAOR method has a better convergence performance when the parameters are taken according to the proposed convergence theorem.
The Convergence Rate on a Quadrature of a Fourier Integral with Symmetrical Jacobi Weight for an Analytical Function
Authors: Zhou Yongxiong , Chen Ruyun
Published: June 2022

In this paper, through complex analysis, the convergence rate is given on a quadrature of a Fourier integral with symmetrical Jacobi weight. The interpolation nodes of this quadrature formula are expressed by the frequency, and the coefficients can be expressed by the Bessel function. When the frequency is close to 0, the nodes are close to those in the Gauss quadrature. When the frequency tends to infinity, the nodes tend symmetrically to the two ends of the integrand. The higher the frequency is, the higher the accuracy of this quadrature will be. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the theoretical results.
A Hybrid Particle Swarm Optimization-Based Wavelet Threshold Denoising Algorithm for Acoustic Emission Signals
Authors: Hassan Farrukh , Rahim Lukman Ab. , Mahmood Ahmad Kamil , Abed Saad Adnan
Published: June 2022

Acoustic emission (AE) as a non-destructive monitoring method is used to identify small damage in various materials effectively. However, AE signals acquired during the monitoring of oil and gas steel pipelines are always contaminated with noise. A noisy signal can be a threat to the reliability and accuracy of the findings. To address these shortcomings, this study offers a technique based on discrete wavelet transform to eliminate noise in these signals. The denoising performance is affected by several factors, including wavelet basis function, decomposition level, thresholding method, and the threshold selection criteria. Traditional threshold selection rules rely on statistical and empirical variables, which influence their performance in noise reduction under various conditions. To obtain the global best solution, a threshold selection approach is proposed by integrating particle swarm optimization and the late acceptance hill-climbing heuristic algorithms. By comparing five common approaches, the superiority of the suggested technique was validated by simulation results. The enhanced thresholding solution based on particle swarm optimization algorithm outperformed others in terms of signal-to-noise ratio and root-mean-square error of denoised AE signals, implying that it is more effective for the detection of AE sources in oil and gas steel pipelines.
Motor Skills Training Program Reinforces Crossing the Body’s Midline in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder
Authors: Saidmamatov Orifjon , Rodrigues Paula , Vasconcelos Olga
Published: June 2022

Midline crossing problems have been associated with children with atypical development. When compared to typical development (TD) children, they are less likely to cross the midline into contralateral space with their preferred hand. A motor skills training program is the most beneficial intervention for children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD). However, there is not enough information on how this intervention will affect crossing the midline. The goal of this study was to find out midline crossing behavior after an intervention program for children with DCD. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC-2) was used to assess motor coordination, and Bishop’s card-reaching task measured the ability of children to cross the midline. The study included 48 right-handed children, 28 with TD and 20 with DCD (5.17 ± 0.70 years) from four preschools in the Khorezm region (Uzbekistan). Participants identified as having DCD were placed in an experimental group (EG: n = 15), receiving ten weeks of a motor skills training program, and a control group (CG: n = 5). Concerning midline crossing behavior before intervention, DCD children showed more contralateral and less midline right-hand use compared to TD children. After intervention, a significant group × position interaction was found between the EG and CG at positions 1 and 4, and between the EG and TD group at position 4. Concerning the midline reaching, fewer right-hand reaches were made by the EG group compared to the other two groups. The same could be seen at position 1 when compared to the CG group. It can be concluded that, after intervention, DCD children in the EG showed fewer right-hand reaches in the contralateral space, but they improved their right-hand reaches in the midline, showing a similar behavior to TD children.
Stress Point Monitoring Algorithm for Structure of Steel Cylinder Concrete Pipes in Large Buildings
Authors: Yang Huabin , Jiang Suo
Published: June 2022

The internal structure of steel cylinder concrete pipe in large buildings is complex. Traditionally, the safety monitoring method is unable to accurately monitor the situation of every stress point in the structure. Therefore, the wireless sensor network with practical value in the field of building safety monitoring was introduced. A monitoring algorithm for stress points in pipeline structure was put forward. The distribution law of circumferential prestress produced by prestress steel wire on the pipe core concrete was analyzed. According to the influencing factors, the mechanical performance of tube concrete pipe structure was discussed, and the method of calculating prestress of pipe structure was constructed. Combined with sensor network nodes, a series of basic hypothesis information was set. Moreover, the force between node and stress point was analyzed by virtual potential field. Based on the force analysis for the centroid of the sensing area, the monitoring of the stress point in pipeline structures was completed. After that, a rectangular area to be monitored was selected and the force points were established randomly. According to the relationship between network coverage rate and monitoring efficiency, we found that the proposed algorithm had good network immunity. According to the different number of nodes, sensing radii and perception angles, the influence of index on the monitoring accuracy was discussed. Experimental results show that the accuracy of the proposed algorithm is sensitive to the change of node parameter. When the number of nodes, sensing radius and sensing angle change, the maximum fluctuation range of monitoring accuracy is 0.08–0.99. From the application effect of the algorithm, we can see that the detection effect of the algorithm has obvious advantage.