bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hybrid of Angular and Distance Protection for Coexistence of 5G Base Stations and Satellite Earth Stations
Authors: Liu Shuzhi , Wei Yiqiao , Hwang Seung-Hoon
Published: February 2022

In this study, we investigated the coexistence of the 5G communication network with a fixed-satellite service (FSS) in the 3.5 GHz and 26 GHz frequency bands. We analyzed an angular protection scheme for the FSS Earth station (ES) and 5G base stations (BSs). In addition, we defined the fixed BS-ES relative location, relative distance, and angular changes. The angular protection was integrated into the exclusion and restricted zones proposed by the distance protection scheme for simulation analysis to develop a transmit power control scheme based on the Citizens Broadband Radio Service. Its performances were extensively analyzed through simulations. The proposed scheme was evaluated in practical scenarios: rural macrocells, urban macrocells, and urban microcells, as defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The influence of antenna type was also researched, and BSs with 4 × 4, 8 × 8 and 16 × 16 antenna arrays, as specified by 3GPP, were considered for 5G networks. Finally, the results prove that the angular protection solution can solve the coexistence of the 5G system and the FSS. In addition, when angular protection and distance protection are used simultaneously, the coexistence effect of the two systems can be strengthened. Moreover, this work provides a quantitative perception for selecting system parameters, including an interference margin for the different scenarios and antenna types, the exclusion size, and the reduction area.
Optimization Approach for the Aggregation of Flexible Consumers
Authors: Dib Mohammad , Abdallah Rouwaida , Dib Omar
Published: February 2022

In an electric distribution system, the management of peak demands is becoming increasingly difficult. Every method we have to flatten the consumption curve greatly reduces the energy generation costs, CO2 emissions, and congestion in the generation, transmission, and distribution systems. Therefore, we can act on consumers’ consumption, especially when we know that some consumers can be interested in reducing their consumption levels for monetary compensations. This can be done by reporting a part of consumption or shifting it. For this, a new profession called aggregation is born to manage the flexible consumers and meet the network requirements. To maximize their revenues, aggregators need to own an intelligent system to manage their portfolio of flexible consumers. They should optimize the way they modify the load curve of their flexible assets by respecting the system requirements and a set of consumer constraints. In this article, we address this task by proposing a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) formulation for two different modes: The economic mode (Evaluation of the potential of the portfolio to generate benefits. The aggregator uses this mode to make bids on the energy market) and the dispatch mode (to be used in an operational situation to respect the bids already submitted). Experimentation studies on real and random in-stances (>1000 instances) demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed MILP.
A PVT-Insensitive Optimal Phase Noise Point Tracking Bias Calibration in Class-C VCO
Authors: Jung Gaim , Seong Siheon , Lee Minjae
Published: February 2022

This paper presents a Class-C voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) with bias voltage calibration that automatically finds the low-phase noise point and achieves robust start-up regardless of PVT variation. This VCO structure also has the bias circuit that compensates for temperature changes even when calibration is not applied. Through these techniques, the problems of robust start-up and vulnerability to PVT variation, which are chronic problems of Class-C VCO, are overcome. The proposed VCO was designed in a 28 nm CMOS process. Simulation results show that this VCO has an operating range from 3.717 to 4.675 GHz, resulting in a frequency tuning range (FTR) of 22.8%. In addition, power consumption was 2.135 mW, phase noise at 1 MHz was −124.1 dBc/Hz, and the figure of merit (FoM) was −192.2 dBc/Hz. The chip area was very small at 0.196 mm2.
Use of Cluster Analysis to Group Organic Shale Gas Rocks by Hydrocarbon Generation Zones
Authors: Kwilosz Tadeusz , Filar Bogdan , Miziołek Mariusz
Published: February 2022

In the last decade, exploration for unconventional hydrocarbon (shale gas) reservoirs has been carried out in Poland. The drilling of wells in prospective shale gas areas supplies numerous physicochemical measurements from rock and reservoir fluid samples. The objective of this paper is to present the method that has been developed for finding similarities between individual geological structures in terms of their hydrocarbon generation properties and hydrocarbon resources. The measurements and geochemical investigations of six wells located in the Ordovician, Silurian, and Cambrian formations of the Polish part of the East European Platform are used. Cluster analysis is used to compare and classify objects described by multiple attributes. The focus is on the issue of generating clusters that group samples within the gas, condensate, and oil windows. The vitrinite reflectance value (Ro) is adopted as the criterion for classifying individual samples into the respective windows. An additional issue was determining other characteristic geochemical properties of the samples classified into the selected clusters. Two variants of cluster analysis are applied—the furthest neighbor method and Ward’s method—which resulted in 10 and 11 clusters, respectively. Particular attention was paid to the mean Ro values (within each cluster), allowing the classification of samples from a given cluster into one of the windows (gas, condensate, or oil). Using these methods, the samples were effectively classified into individual windows, and their percentage share within the Silurian, Ordovician, and Cambrian units is determined.
Experimental Study of Water Displacement Rates on Remaining Oil Distribution and Oil Recovery in 2D Pore Network Model
Authors: Meng Lingwen , Ju Binshan
Published: February 2022

An amount of oil remains in oil reservoirs even at the high water-cut stage of produced liquid from oil wells. To reveal the mechanism of displacement rates to affect the remaining oil in pore scales, a two-dimensional (2D) glass etching pore network model and real-time visual system were set up to observe the characteristics of oil distribution from water flooding and study the influence of displacement rates on oil recovery. It was found that the geometry of remaining oil in the pore network is diverse and dynamically changed at the high water-cut stage. Three geometric representative parameters were defined for the classification of five types of remaining oil (contiguous, branching, film, dropwise, bar columnar type), and controlling mechanisms for each type of remaining oil were analyzed. The experimental results show that the remaining oil saturation decreases from 21.2% to 6.5% when water injection rates increase from 0.05 to 0.5 mL/min. The increase in displacement rate improves the displacement efficiency of four types of remaining oil in the range of 55.00% to 93.67% except for dropwise type. The experimental data also indicate that the reduction in continuous residual oil and branched residual oil mainly contributes to the improvement of oil recovery of the whole network model. With the increase in displacement rate (from 0.05 to 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5 mL/min), the areas of five types of representative local residual oil reduce step by step. This research validates that the increase in water flooding rate in porous media leads to reduction in oil saturation, and it will improve oil recovery in oil reservoirs by enhancing water injection rates.
Influences of Crest Vertical Curve Curvature on Exhaust Emissions of Heavy-Duty Diesel Trucks at Grade Change Point Section in Highway
Authors: Jia Xingli , Qin Xuefang , Zhou Wuxiao , Chen Xingpeng , Li Shuangqing
Published: February 2022

The vertical curve is a major factor affecting vehicle exhaust (CO2, CO, NOx, PM2.5) emissions. This article takes a heavy-duty diesel truck as a typical vehicle, combining instantaneous speed, acceleration and the vehicle-specific power VSP to divide the operating mode, and the exhaust emission of a heavy-duty diesel truck is then calculated by using MOVES. Finally, the environmental modification factors (EMFs) are used to evaluate the influence of curvature change on the exhaust emissions. The results show that CO2 and PM2.5 emissions of heavy-duty diesel trucks are increasing with the curvature of the crest vertical curve changing; with the increase and decrease of curvature K of the crest vertical curve by 50%, CO and NOx emissions showed an increasing trend. Among the four main emissions, CO2 emission amount is the largest, followed by NOx, CO and PM2.5. The emission rates of CO2 and PM2.5 increase with the increase of curvature of the crest vertical curve, and the minimum values of CO2 and PM2.5 emission rates are 46.7 g/s and 0.022 g/s, respectively. The emission rates of CO and NOx increase with the increase of curvature. The minimum point of emission rates of CO and NOx are 0.042 g/s and 0.259 g/s, respectively.
Application of Landscape-Ecological Approach for Greenways Planning in Rural Agricultural Landscape
Authors: Melicher Jakub , Špulerová Jana
Published: February 2022

This article presents an innovative approach to the concept of facilitating greenways into sustainable landscape planning. The greenways can be planned by application of a landscape-ecological concept, including analysis and synthesis of selected abiotic, biotic, and socio-economic landscape-ecological factors and recreation conditions, and by reviewing the current landscape structure and condition of linear components of green infrastructure. Determining the landscape ecological stability, visual impact of agricultural lands, potential erosion risks and real erosion processes, and identifying the natural, cultural, and historical values in the landscape, contributes to the design of ideal greenways placement and other linear components of green infrastructure. Applying these proposals to the agricultural landscape would increase the ecological stability and connectivity, decrease soil and water erosion risks, eliminate visual impact, and develop recreational infrastructure. In this way, greenways planning brings about a synergy between sustainable rural development, landscape and nature protection, and landscape aesthetics, which provides optimal landscape utilization and may encourage tourism and economic prosperity in the study area. Finally, in addition to the researched ecological benefits, our greenways proposal represents an alternative connection of settlements in rural agricultural landscapes, and so it can stimulate sustainable mobility and recreation as well as physical activity, health, and well-being.
Raman Spectroscopy and Improved Inception Network for Determination of FHB-Infected Wheat Kernels
Authors: Qiu Mengqing , Zheng Shouguo , Tang Le , Hu Xujin , Xu Qingshan , Zheng Ling , Weng Shizhuang
Published: February 2022

Detection of infected kernels is important for Fusarium head blight (FHB) prevention and product quality assurance in wheat. In this study, Raman spectroscopy (RS) and deep learning networks were used for the determination of FHB-infected wheat kernels. First, the RS spectra of healthy, mild, and severe infection kernels were measured and spectral changes and band attribution were analyzed. Then, the Inception network was improved by residual and channel attention modules to develop the recognition models of FHB infection. The Inception–attention network produced the best determination with accuracies in training set, validation set, and prediction set of 97.13%, 91.49%, and 93.62%, among all models. The average feature map of the channel clarified the important information in feature extraction, itself required to clarify the decision-making strategy. Overall, RS and the Inception–attention network provide a noninvasive, rapid, and accurate determination of FHB-infected wheat kernels and are expected to be applied to other pathogens or diseases in various crops.
Uses of FT-MIR Spectroscopy and Multivariate Analysis in Quality Control of Coffee, Cocoa, and Commercially Important Spices
Authors: Castillejos-Mijangos Lucero Azusena , Acosta-Caudillo Aracely , Gallardo-Velázquez Tzayhrí , Osorio-Revilla Guillermo , Jiménez-Martínez Cristian
Published: February 2022

Nowadays, coffee, cocoa, and spices have broad applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries due to their organoleptic and nutraceutical properties, which have turned them into products of great commercial demand. Consequently, these products are susceptible to fraud and adulteration, especially those sold at high prices, such as saffron, vanilla, and turmeric. This situation represents a major problem for industries and consumers’ health. Implementing analytical techniques, i.e., Fourier transform mid-infrared (FT-MIR) spectroscopy coupled with multivariate analysis, can ensure the authenticity and quality of these products since these provide unique information on food matrices. The present review addresses FT-MIR spectroscopy and multivariate analysis application on coffee, cocoa, and spices authentication and quality control, revealing their potential use and elucidating areas of opportunity for future research.
Beneficial Effects of Eruca sativa Defatted Seed Meal on Visceral Pain and Intestinal Damage Resulting from Colitis in Rats
Authors: Lucarini Elena , Micheli Laura , Pagnotta Eleonora , Matteo Roberto , Parisio Carmen , Toti Alessandra , Ferrara Valentina , Ciampi Clara , Martelli Alma , Testai Lara , Calderone Vincenzo , Savino Michele , Russo Mario , Pecchioni Nicola , Ghelardini Carla , Di Cesare Mannelli Lorenzo
Published: February 2022

Most therapies used in patients affected by inflammatory bowel diseases are ineffective in preventing the development of chronic visceral hypersensitivity, mainly due to inflammation-induced enteric neuroplasticity. Glucosinolates, secondary metabolites mainly of Brassicaceae with anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties, are effective in treating both neuropathic and arthritis pain through H2S release and Kv7 potassium channel activation. The aim of this work was to investigate the protective and anti-hyperalgesic efficacy of a defatted seed meal from Eruca sativa Mill. (Brassicaceae), rich in glucosinolates, in a rat model of colitis induced by 2,4-dinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (DNBS). The mechanisms of action were also investigated. Visceral pain was assessed by measuring the abdominal response to colorectal distension. Fifteen days after colitis induction, the acute administration of E. sativa defatted seed meal (0.1–1 g kg−1 p.o.) dose-dependently relieved pain. This effect was hampered by co-administering an H2S scavenger or a selective Kv7 blocker. Administering E. sativa (1 g kg−1) for 14 days, starting after DNBS injection, contributed to counteracting visceral pain persistence in the post-inflammatory phase of colitis by promoting colon healing from the damage and reducing enteric gliosis. E. sativa defatted seed meal might be employed as a nutraceutical tool for supporting abdominal pain relief in patients.
Reply to Horacek, M. The Need to Consider Geochemistry When Interpreting Sr-Isotopes. Comment on “Gregorčič et al. The Provenance of Slovenian Milk Using 87Sr/86Sr Isotope Ratios. Foods 2021, 10, 1729”
Authors: Gregorčič Staša Hamzić , Ogrinc Nives , Frew Russell , Nečemer Marijan , Strojnik Lidija , Zuliani Tea
Published: February 2022

We appreciate Dr Horacek’s interest in our paper and his feedback [...]
Investigation on Cell Disruption Techniques and Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction of Mortierella alpina Lipid
Authors: Ong Chang Chng , Chen Yen-Hui
Published: February 2022

Mortierella alpina, an oleaginous fungus, has been shown to be a potential source for arachidonic acid (ARA) production. The recovery of intracellular lipids from M. alpina is an important step for the downstream bioprocessing, and green extraction techniques with a focus on being efficient and eco-friendly have drawn much attention. In this study, different cell disruption techniques (mechanical: high-speed homogenization 10,000 rpm, ultrasonication 20 kHz, high-pressure process (HPP) 200–600 MPa; non- mechanical: acid treatment HCl) were investigated for lipid recovery from M. alpina, and process parameters (A. temperature, B. pressure, C. cosolvent ratio) of supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) lipid extraction were studied by applying response surface methodology (RSM). Compared with Soxhlet extraction as a control group (100%), high-speed homogenization has the highest lipid recovery (115.40%) among mechanical disruption techniques. Besides, there was no significant difference between high-speed homogenization and 1 M HCl treatment (115.55%) in lipid recovery. However, lipid recovery decreased to 107.36% as the concentration of acid was increased to 3 M, and acid treatment showed a negative effect on the ARA ratio. In HPP treatment, the highest lipid recovery (104.81%) was obtained at 400 MPa, 1 time of treatment and water medium. In the response surface model of SC-CO2 extraction, results showed the major influence of the process parameters to lipid recovery was pressure, and there are interaction effects of AC (temperature and cosolvent ratio) and BC (pressure and cosolvent ratio). Lipid recovery of SC-CO2 extraction reached 92.86% at 201 bar, 58.9 °C and cosolvent ratio 1:15. The microbial lipid recovery process of this study could be used as a reference and an eco-friendly alternative for the future downstream bioprocessing of ARA production by M. alpina.
Genotype-Phenotype Correlation in Familial BAG3 Mutation Dilated Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Mėlinytė-Ankudavičė Karolina , Šukys Marius , Plisienė Jurgita , Jurkevičius Renaldas , Ereminienė Eglė
Published: February 2022

We report the case of a 22-year-old male who visited a cardiologist after the first episode of atrial fibrillation (AF). Echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed decreased left ventricular (LV) systolic function with dilated LV. An intermittent second-degree AV (atrioventricular) block was detected during 24 h Holter monitoring. Genetic test revealed the pathogenic variant of the BAG3 (BLC2-associated athanogene 3) gene. Due to the high risk of heart failure (HF) progression and ventricular arrhythmias, an event recorder was implanted and a pathogenetic HF treatment was prescribed. The analysis of genealogy revealed that the patient’s father, at the age of 32, was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and recurrent AF episodes. Genetic testing also confirmed a pathogenic variant of the BAG3 gene. Currently, with the optimal treatment of HF, the patient’s disease has been stable for three years and the condition is closely monitored on an outpatient basis. So, we demonstrate the importance of early detection for genetic testing and the unusual stability exhibited by the patient‘s optimal medical therapy for 3 years.
Performance as Intersectional Resistance: Power, Polyphony and Processes of Abolition
Authors: Tofighian Omid , Swain Rachael , Pigram Dalisa , Ra Bhenji , Connell Chandler , Brown Emmanuel , Shaheen Feras , Assaad Issa , Currie-Richardson Luke , Wheen Miranda , Bero Czack , Lopez Zachary
Published: February 2022

Australia’s brutal carceral-border regime is a colonial system of intertwining systems of oppression that combine the prison-industrial complex and the border-industrial complex. It is a violent and multidimensional regime that includes an expanding prison industry and onshore and offshore immigration detention centres; locations of cruelty, and violent sites for staging contemporary politics and coloniality. This article shares insights into the making of a radical intersectional dance theatre work titled Jurrungu Ngan-ga by Marrugeku, Australia’s leading Indigenous and intercultural dance theatre company. The production, created between 2019–2021, brings together collaborations through and across Indigenous Australian, Kurdish, Iranian, Palestinian, Filipino, Filipinx, and Anglo settler performance, activism and knowledge production. The artistic, political and intellectual dimensions of the show reinforce each other to interrogate Australia’s brutal carceral regime and the concept of the border itself. The article is presented in a polyphonic structure of expanded interviews with the cast and descriptions of the resulting live performance. It identifies radical ways that intersectional and trans-disciplinary performances can, as an ‘act of liberation’, be applied to make visible, embody, address, and help dismantle systems of oppression, control and subjugation.
Refugees and Representation: An Impossible Necessity
Authors: Bal Mieke
Published: February 2022

Staging a (fictional) encounter between two artworks, a work on paper by Indian artist Nalini Malani and the novel No Friend but the Mountains by Iranian-Kuridsh writer Behrouz Boochani, the text—an essay, rather than a traditional scholarly article—peruses the paradoxes of representing what cannot but must be (re-)presented. Issues such as the required modesty in the face of the suffering of others, the irrepresentability of trauma and intermediality are examined through the ongoing analysis of the two artworks.
Comprehensive CAD/CAM Prosthetic Rehabilitation Management in a Young Patient with Agenesis: A Case Report
Authors: Drancourt Noémie , Nicolas Emmanuel , Veyrune Jean-Luc , Bessadet Marion
Published: February 2022

With the advancement in ceramic restorations bonded to the tooth structure, the treatment has become a practicable and conservative option to restore teeth with shape alteration owing to the high demand for aesthetics, with minimum tooth preparation. This article describes the case of a 25-year-old man who was dissatisfied with his smile. After an assessment of the clinical situation, a decision was made to place a full-mouth prosthodontic rehabilitation (monolithic lithium disilicate glass-ceramic, IPS E-max CAD) with minimal tooth preparation, which figures as a conservative full-coverage approach. The restoration of an aesthetic smile resulted in the patient’s satisfaction. Bonding of all monolithic veenerlay and crowns onto minimally prepared teeth figures as conservative treatment in cases of hypodontia.
Advance Care Planning Preferences in Hong Kong: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Community
Authors: Yu Andrew
Published: February 2022

(1) Background: Hong Kong is experiencing population aging, but there is little research on advance care planning. This research asks for community-dwelling older adults’ views on advance care planning in order to provide a different angle to the results collected from nursing homes and hospitals. (2) Methods: The targeted respondents were people aged 55 or above. A total of 282 questionnaires were collected using the random sampling method. Respondents were asked whether they would make an advance care plan, whether they would prepare for their death, and whether they had received any death education; they were also given eight statements related to treatments and decision making. (3) Results: The study found that only 17% of the respondents would like to use advance care planning, even after it was explained to them. Advance care planning favorers would be more likely to insist on having wills and would be more likely to trust doctors rather than family members. (4) Conclusions: The results also suggested that the medical care and social support for end-of-life patients should be improved. The results also showed the importance of medical professionals as they showed that respondents wanted advice on end-of-life decision-making from medical professionals.
Adaptive Conditional Bias-Penalized Kalman Filter for Improved Estimation of Extremes and Its Approximation for Reduced Computation
Authors: Shen Haojing , Lee Haksu , Seo Dong-Jun
Published: February 2022

Kalman filter (KF) and its variants and extensions are wildly used for hydrologic prediction in environmental science and engineering. In many data assimilation applications of Kalman filter (KF) and its variants and extensions, accurate estimation of extreme states is often of great importance. When the observations used are uncertain, however, KF suffers from conditional bias (CB) which results in consistent under- and overestimation of extremes in the right and left tails, respectively. Recently, CB-penalized KF, or CBPKF, has been developed to address CB. In this paper, we present an alternative formulation based on variance-inflated KF to reduce computation and algorithmic complexity, and describe adaptive implementation to improve unconditional performance. For theoretical basis and context, we also provide a complete self-contained description of CB-penalized Fisher-like estimation and CBPKF. The results from one-dimensional synthetic experiments for a linear system with varying degrees of nonstationarity show that adaptive CBPKF reduces the root-mean-square error at the extreme tail ends by 20 to 30% over KF while performing comparably to KF in the unconditional sense. The alternative formulation is found to approximate the original formulation very closely while reducing computing time to 1.5 to 3.5 times of that for KF depending on the dimensionality of the problem. Hence, adaptive CBPKF offers a significant addition to the dynamic filtering methods for general application in data assimilation when the accurate estimation of extremes is of importance.
Integrated Hydrological Modeling to Analyze the Effects of Precipitation on Surface Water and Groundwater Hydrologic Processes in a Small Watershed
Authors: Paudel Sabin , Benjankar Rohan
Published: February 2022

The main objective of this study is to evaluate the performance of the integrated hydrological model, MIKE SHE in a small watershed to analyze the effect of two different precipitation sources on model outputs (groundwater elevation and surface water flows). The model was calibrated and validated with observed groundwater elevations and surface water flows measured at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) gage stations in the basin. The model calibration performance for surface water flows (R = 0.80, MAE= 0.20 m3/s, BIAS = −0.14 m3/s, NSE = 0.59) and groundwater elevations (R = 0.74, MAE = 0.45 m, BIAS = 0.08 m, NSE = 0.35) showed that the model was able to predict hydrological processes based on forcing variables in a small watershed. The analysis did not show the model with precipitation at the nearer (NOAA-Edwardsville) gauge station has better performance than the farther gauge station (NOAA-St. Louis). The quantitative analyses for the most sensitive model output variable suggested that precipitation uncertainties had noticeable impacts on surface water flows (0.81% to 11.19%), than groundwater elevations (0.06% to 0.07%), with an average of 6.71% and 0.66%, respectively. Our results showed noticeable differences in simulated surface water flows in spring (12.9%) and winter (36%) seasons compared to summer (11.4%) and fall (4.6%) as a result of difference (6% to 18%) in precipitation, which indicated that uncertainties in precipitation impact simulated surface water flows in a small watershed vary with different seasons. Our analyses have shown that precipitation affects the simulated hydrological processes and care should be taken while selecting input datasets (i.e., precipitation) for better hydrological model performance, specifically for surface water flows.
Comparing Combined 1D/2D and 2D Hydraulic Simulations Using High-Resolution Topographic Data: Examples from Sri Lanka—Lower Kelani River Basin
Authors: Samarasinghe Jayanga T. , Basnayaka Vindhya , Gunathilake Miyuru B. , Azamathulla Hazi M. , Rathnayake Upaka
Published: February 2022

The application of numerical models to understand the behavioural pattern of a flood is widely found in the literature. However, the selection of an appropriate hydraulic model is highly essential to conduct reliable predictions. Predicting flood discharges and inundation extents are the two most important outcomes of flood simulations to stakeholders. Precise topographical data and channel geometries along a suitable hydraulic model are required to accurately predict floods. One-dimensional (1D) hydraulic models are now replaced by two-dimensional (2D) or combined 1D/2D models for higher performances. The Hydraulic Engineering Centre’s River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) has been widely used in all three forms for predicting flood characteristics. However, comparison studies among the 1D, 2D to 1D/2D models are limited in the literature to identify the better/best approach. Therefore, this research was carried out to identify the better approach using an example case study of the Kelani River basin in Sri Lanka. Two flood events (in 2016 and 2018) were separately simulated and tested for their accuracy using observed inundations and satellite-based inundations. It was found that the combined 1D/2D HEC-RAS hydraulic model outperforms other models for the prediction of flows and inundation for both flood events. Therefore, the combined model can be concluded as the better hydraulic model to predict flood characteristics of the Kelani River basin in Sri Lanka. With more flood studies, the conclusions can be more generalized.
School Feeding Programs: What Happens Globally?
Authors: Cupertino Alessandra , Ginani Veronica , Cupertino Ana Paula , Botelho Raquel Braz Assunção
Published: February 2022

School feeding programs (SFPs) are an important effort to address food insecurity, improve nutritional education, and ultimately improve health outcomes. The objective of this research was to describe the nutritional, cultural, food safety, and agro-family participation of SFPs in different countries and observe the SFP in low-middle and high-income countries to establish disparities. The study followed documentary research of SFP official online resources complemented by a literature review. The programs were assessed in four criteria: (1) nutritional aspects, (2) cultural aspects, (3) food safety, and (4) agro-family participation. Out of 192 countries registered, 117 countries (60.93%) have an SFP, and only 8 (4.16%) do not have SFPs. A total of 67 countries (34.89%) did not have an official online resource and did not respond to follow-up emails. Out of the 117 countries with SFP, all of them had a detailed description of their nutritional aspects, cultural aspects (11.96%), food safety (16.23%), and agro-family participation (23.93%). Europe and Central Asia were the continents with the most comprehensive SFP. While most countries incorporate nutritional aspects and healthy food, cultural, food safety, and agro-family participation must be incorporated in their SPF to optimize children and adolescent development. Moreover, the study identified disparities across countries where the SFPs were identified in low-middle countries compared to middle- and high-income countries.
Androgen Deprivation Therapy for Prostate Cancer Did Not Increase the Risk of Retinal Vascular Occlusion: A Population-Based Cohort Study
Authors: Lin Hsin-Le , Lee Chia-Yi , Huang Jing-Yang , Tseng Po-Chen , Yang Shun-Fa
Published: February 2022

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) on retinal vascular occlusion (RVO) development in patients with prostate cancer, using data from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database. A total of 1791, 1791, and 3582 patients were enrolled in the prostate cancer with ADT group, prostate cancer without ADT group, and the control group, respectively. The primary outcome was RVO occurrence, according to diagnostic codes. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to determine the adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of ADT and other covariates for RVO incidence. After a follow-up interval of up to 18 years, the patients with prostate cancer who received ADT showed significantly lower RVO incidence than the control group (aHR: 0.191, 95% CI: 0.059–0.621, p = 0.0059), after adjusting for multiple confounders. Hypertension was related to higher RVO incidence (aHR: 2.130, 95% CI: 1.127–4.027, p = 0.0199). Our overall results showed that using ADT for prostate cancer did not lead to a greater risk of RVO development. In fact, the patients with prostate cancer who received ADT had lower RVO incidence than those who did not receive ADT.
The Influence of Built Environment Factors on Elderly Pedestrian Road Safety in Cities: The Experience of Madrid
Authors: Gálvez-Pérez Daniel , Guirao Begoña , Ortuño Armando , Picado-Santos Luis
Published: February 2022

With the progressive ageing of the population, the study of the relations between road safety and elderly users is becoming increasingly relevant. Although the decline of pedestrian skills in the elderly has been widely studied in the literature, few studies have been devoted to the contributing built environmental factors of the elderly pedestrian collisions, such as the sidewalk density, the presence of traffic lights, or even some indicator related to land use or the socioeconomic features of the urban fabric. This paper contributes to the limited literature on elderly pedestrian safety by applying a negative binomial regression to a set of built environmental variables to study the occurrence of accidents involving elderly and younger (non-elderly) pedestrians in Madrid (Spain) between 2006 and 2018. The model considers a selection of built environmental factors per city district, linked to land use, infrastructure, and socioeconomic indicators. Results have highlighted that the elderly pedestrian collisions could be avoided with the existence of a wider sidewalk in the district and a greater traffic lights density. Unlike younger pedestrian accidents, these accidents are much more favored in ageing districts with higher traffic flows.
Applications of Sponge Iron and Effects of Organic Carbon Source on Sulfate-Reducing Ammonium Oxidation Process
Authors: Zhu Yanjun , Yang Shidong , Wang Weizhuo , Meng Lingwei , Guo Jingbo
Published: February 2022

The typical characteristics of wastewater produced from seafood, chemical, textile, and paper industries are that it contains ammonia, sulfate, and a certain amount of chemical oxygen demand (COD). The sulfate-reducing ammonium oxidation process is a biochemical reaction that allows both ammonia and sulfate removal, but its low growth rate and harsh reaction conditions limit its practical application. Due to the adsorption properties of the iron sponge and its robust structure, it provides a suitable living environment for microorganisms. To reduce the negative impact on the environment, we employed 4.8 kg of sponge iron in a 2.0 dm3 anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR). We investigated the effects of the type and concentration of carbon sources on the performance of the sulfate-reducing ammonium oxidation (SRAO) process. The results demonstrated that during a start-up period of 90 days, the average ammonium removal efficiency and the sulfate conversion efficiency of the reactor containing the sponge iron were 4.42% and 8.37% higher than those of the reactor without the sponge iron. The addition of the sponge iron shortens the start-up time of this greenhouse gas-free denitrification process and reduces future costs in practical applications. The removal of total nitrogen (TN) significantly increased after adding organic carbon sources and then declined sharply, while the most considerable reduction of ammonium removal efficiency from 98.4% to 30.5% was observed with adding phenol. The performance of the group employing glucose as the carbon source was recovered on the 28th day, with the average ammonium removal efficiency increasing from 49.03% to 83.5%. The results of this simulation study will help the rapid start-up of SRAO in the water treatment industry and can precisely guide the application of the SRAO process for wastewater containing different organic carbon sources.
Ecological Risk, Input Flux, and Source of Heavy Metals in the Agricultural Plain of Hebei Province, China
Authors: Cai Kui , Li Chang
Published: February 2022

A large amount of heavy metal (HM) inputs exists in the farming areas of the Hebei plain of northern China. However, the potential ecological risk, source, and input flux of HMs in these areas have not been well-investigated. In this study, atmospheric deposition, fertilizer, irrigation water, and agricultural soil samples were collected from farming areas (~74,111 km2) in Hebei Province, China. The HM index of geoaccumulation (Igeo) and potential ecological risk index (RI) of soil was calculated for eight HMs. The source and input flux of each element were predicted using the input flux and principal component score–multiple linear regression (PCS–MLR) methods. The results showed that Cd and Hg increased Igeo values, and the maximum levels of As (29.5 mg/kg), Cu (228.9 mg/kg), Cd (4.52 mg/kg), and Zn (879.0 mg/kg) were greater than the health risk screening values in the soil quality standard of China. The potential ecological risk factor (Er) of Cd demonstrated a moderately potential ecological risk, accounting for 67.72%. The distribution map showed that Cd was mainly concentrated in eastern area of Baoding (BD) in the study area. The result of the atmospheric dry and wet deposition contributed more to soil pollution than the usage of fertilizer or irrigation water by calculating the input flux. The order was Zn (94%) > Cu (92%) > Pb (89%) > Cr (86%) > Cd (72%) > Hg = Ni (71%) > As (59%). Principal component analysis (PCA) results showed that there were four sources of HMs in soil. Geological sources contribute to the accumulation of As, Cr, and Ni in soil. Cu and Pb in the soil were attributable to the input from vehicular emissions and irrigation water. Cd and Zn in the soil were attributable to the farming activity, whereas Hg originates from the combustion of coal. The results of PCS–MLR demonstrated that the contribution rate of As, Ni, and Cr in the study area was 30.06%, 71.86%, 57.71% for the first group (natural source); Cu, Pb and Zn were 71.78%, 63.59%, and 30.72% for the second group (vehicle emissions); Zn was 60.93% for the third group (fertilizer application and irrigation water); and Hg was 85.16%, for the fourth group (coal combustion). These factors provide a valuable reference for remediating HM pollution.
The Impact of Social Pension Scheme on Farm Production in China: Evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey
Authors: Xie Tongwei , Xiong Changjiang , Xu Qing , Zhou Tianshu
Published: February 2022

How does a social pension scheme affect farm production? This study addresses this question by investigating the effect of social pension on farm production by taking Urban and Rural Residents Pension Scheme (URRPS) in China as an illustration. Based on the implementation of the policy before and after the unification of URRPS, this paper uses the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey (CHARLS) in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2018 and conducts an analytical framework of the difference-in-difference model. The results show that, although the impact of URRPS on labor productivity is not significant, the pension income of URRPS significantly improves the land productivity of elderly farmers. Furthermore, the land productivity effect is larger for male farmers. This paper reveals the certain role played by pension scheme in promoting farm production, providing insights on alleviating the pressure of farm production brought by agricultural labor aging.
Analyzing the Freight Characteristics and Carbon Emission of Construction Waste Hauling Trucks: Big Data Analytics of Hong Kong
Authors: Wei Xiaoxuan , Ye Meng , Yuan Liang , Bi Wei , Lu Weisheng
Published: February 2022

Unlike their counterparts that are used for container or municipal solid waste hauling, or their peers of taxies and other commercial vehicles, construction waste hauling trucks (CWHTs) are heterogeneous in that they transport construction waste from construction sites to designated disposal facilities. Depending on the intensity of the construction activities, there are many CWHTs in operation, imposing massive impacts on a region’s transportation system and natural environment. However, such impacts have rarely been documented. This paper has analyzed CWHTs’ freight characteristics and their carbon emission by harnessing a big dataset of 112,942 construction waste transport trips in Hong Kong in May 2015. It has been observed that CWHTs generate 4544 daily trips with 307.64 tons CO2-eq emitted on working days, and 553 daily trips emitting 28.78 tons CO2-eq on non-working days. Freight carbon emission has been found to be related to the vehicle type, transporting weight, and trip length, while the trip length is the most influential metric to carbon emission. This research contributes to the understanding of freight characteristics by exploiting a valuable big dataset and providing important benchmarking metrics for monitoring the effectiveness of policy interventions related to construction waste transportation planning and carbon emission.
Diversity and Phosphate Solubilizing Characteristics of Cultivable Organophosphorus-Mineralizing Bacteria in the Sediments of Sancha Lake
Authors: Li Yong , Yu Xintao , Zheng Jiarui , Gong Zhilian , Xu Wenlai
Published: February 2022

The organophosphate-mineralizing bacteria (OPB) convert environmental organic phosphorus (P) into soluble P that can be directly absorbed and utilized by organisms. OPB is an important group of microorganisms in lake sediments. The P decomposed and released from the sediments by OPB is an important P-source in eutrophic water bodies. In this study, the egg-yolk organophosphate medium was used to isolate and screen OPB strains from the sediments of Sancha Lake. Furthermore, the obtained OPB strains were classified based on their 16S rDNA sequence. Both the solid and liquid lecithin hydrolyzing experiments were conducted to investigate the P-solubilizing characteristics of the obtained OPB strains. Microcosm experimentsiwere performed to study the P-release ability of OPB strains from sediments. A total of 39 OPB strains were isolated from the sediments of Sancha Lake. They belonged to three phyla, five families, and five genera, and contained two potentially new species. Bacillus and Pseudomonas were the dominant genera. On the solid lecithin plate, 35 of the 39 OPB strains produced visible phosphate halos, and 24 strains showed a high ratio of P halo diameter (HD)/colony diameter (CD). In the liquid lecithin medium, all 39 OPB strains demonstrated P-solubilizing ability, but with significant differences. The Pseudomonas strain demonstrated the strongest P-solubilizing ability, at 70.91 mg·L−1. There was no significant correlation between the amount of released phosphorus by OPB strains and pH. The P-solubilizing characteristics of OPB were affected by the interaction of dissolved inorganic phosphate and alkaline phosphatase. In the microcosm experiments, the added OPB strains significantly promoted the decomposition and release of organic phosphorus (OP) in the sediments. OPB in the sediments of Sancha Lake is rich in diversity and had a strong ability to release OP in the sediments.
Specific Gut Microbial Environment in Lard Diet-Induced Prostate Cancer Development and Progression
Authors: Sato Hiromi , Narita Shintaro , Ishida Masanori , Takahashi Yoshiko , Mingguo Huang , Kashima Soki , Yamamoto Ryohei , Koizumi Atsushi , Nara Taketoshi , Numakura Kazuyuki , Saito Mitsuru , Yoshioka Toshiaki , Habuchi Tomonori
Published: February 2022

Lard diet (LD) is a risk factor for prostate cancer (PCa) development and progression. Two immunocompetent mouse models fed with isocaloric specific fat diets (LD) enriched in saturated and monounsaturated fatty acid (SMFA), showed significanftly enhanced PCa progression with weight gain compared with a fish oil diet (FOD). High gut microbial divergency resulted from difference in diets, and the abundance of several bacterial species, such as in the orders Clostridiales and Lactobacillales, was markedly altered in the feces of LD- or FOD-fed mice. The proportion of the order Lactobacillales in the gut was negatively involved in SMFA-induced body weight gain and PCa progression. We found the modulation of lipid metabolism and cholesterol biosynthesis pathways with three and seven commonly up- and downregulated genes in PCa tissues, and some of them correlated with the abundance of the order Lactobacillales in mouse gut. The expression of sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 2, which is associated with the order Lactobacillales and cancer progression in mouse models, was inversely associated with aggressive phenotype and weight gain in patients with PCa using the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus database. Therefore, SMFA may promote PCa progression with the abundance of specific gut microbial species and overexpression of lipogenic genes in PCa. Therapeutics with alteration of gut microbiota and candidate genes involved in diet-induced PCa progression may be attractive in PCa.
Splenic Architecture and Function Requires Tight Control of Transmembrane TNF Expression
Authors: Jeucken Kim C. M. , Kaaij Merlijn H. , Rip Jasper , van Rooijen Charlotte C. N. , Kan Yik Y. , Corneth Odilia B. J. , van Hamburg Jan Piet , Tas Sander W.
Published: February 2022

Soluble tumor necrosis factor (sTNF) is an important inflammatory mediator and essential for secondary lymphoid organ (SLO) development and function. However, the role of its transmembrane counterpart (tmTNF) in these processes is less well established. Here, the effects of tmTNF overxpression on SLO architecture and function were investigated using tmTNF-transgenic (tmTNF-tg) mice. tmTNF overexpression resulted in enlarged peripheral lymph nodes (PLNs) and spleen, accompanied by an increase in small splenic lymphoid follicles, with less well-defined primary B cell follicles and T cell zones. In tmTNF-tg mice, the spleen, but not PLNs, contained reduced germinal center (GC) B cell fractions, with low Ki67 expression and reduced dark zone characteristics. In line with this, smaller fractions of T follicular helper (Tfh) and T follicular regulatory (Tfr) cells were observed with a decreased Tfh:Tfr ratio. Moreover, plasma cell (PC) formation in the spleen of tmTNF-tg mice decreased and skewed towards IgA and IgM expression. Genetic deletion of TNFRI or –II resulted in a normalization of follicle morphology in the spleen of tmTNF-tg mice, but GC B cell and PC fractions remained abnormal. These findings demonstrate that tightly regulated tmTNF is important for proper SLO development and function, and that aberrations induced by tmTNF overexpression are site-specific and mediated via TNFRI and/or TNFRII signaling.