bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Joint Inversion of Geodetic Observations and Relative Weighting—The 1999 Mw 7.6 Chi-Chi Earthquake Revisited
Authors: Roger Marine , Li Zhenhong , Clarke Peter , Song Chuang , Hu Jyr-Ching , Feng Wanpeng , Yi Lei
Published: September 2020

The Mw 7.6 Chi-Chi earthquake struck central western Taiwan in 1999. The rupture was complex with several dislocations along the 100-km long Chelungpu thrust fault. Revisiting this earthquake is a challenge, as the precision and coverage of the data sets available are quite poor. Furthermore, the topographic and vegetation coverage complexity of the area prevents coherent radar images. In this paper, radar and optical images, and terrestrial geodetic measurements, were utilised to study the fault. The Particle Swarm Optimization and Okada Inversion (PSOKINV) geodetic inversion package was used with the generalized Akaike’s Bayesian Information Criterion (gABIC) to precisely determine the slip distribution and relative weighting of datasets. Differences in results using the data sets jointly or separately (e.g., under-estimation due to InSAR, inconsistencies in SPOT offsets, smoother slip distribution with gABIC weighting) are observable. Most of the energy was released in the northern part of the fault, where the strike veers toward the east, and mainly at depths less than 4 km. The PSOKINV-gABIC approach is viable for the study of complicated cases such as the Chi-Chi earthquake and can significantly benefit the weight determination and physical realism of the fault geometry.
A Cyber-Physical-Human System for One-to-Many UAS Operations: Cognitive Load Analysis
Authors: Planke Lars J. , Lim Yixiang , Gardi Alessandro , Sabatini Roberto , Kistan Trevor , Ezer Neta
Published: September 2020

The continuing development of avionics for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) is introducing higher levels of intelligence and autonomy both in the flight vehicle and in the ground mission control, allowing new promising operational concepts to emerge. One-to-Many (OTM) UAS operations is one such concept and its implementation will require significant advances in several areas, particularly in the field of Human–Machine Interfaces and Interactions (HMI2). Measuring cognitive load during OTM operations, in particular Mental Workload (MWL), is desirable as it can relieve some of the negative effects of increased automation by providing the ability to dynamically optimize avionics HMI2 to achieve an optimal sharing of tasks between the autonomous flight vehicles and the human operator. The novel Cognitive Human Machine System (CHMS) proposed in this paper is a Cyber-Physical Human (CPH) system that exploits the recent technological developments of affordable physiological sensors. This system focuses on physiological sensing and Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques that can support a dynamic adaptation of the HMI2 in response to the operators’ cognitive state (including MWL), external/environmental conditions and mission success criteria. However, significant research gaps still exist, one of which relates to a universally valid method for determining MWL that can be applied to UAS operational scenarios. As such, in this paper we present results from a study on measuring MWL on five participants in an OTM UAS wildfire detection scenario, using Electroencephalogram (EEG) and eye tracking measurements. These physiological data are compared with a subjective measure and a task index collected from mission-specific data, which serves as an objective task performance measure. The results show statistically significant differences for all measures including the subjective, performance and physiological measures performed on the various mission phases. Additionally, a good correlation is found between the two physiological measurements and the task index. Fusing the physiological data and correlating with the task index gave the highest correlation coefficient (CC = 0.726 ± 0.14) across all participants. This demonstrates how fusing different physiological measurements can provide a more accurate representation of the operators’ MWL, whilst also allowing for increased integrity and reliability of the system.
Composting Process and Gas Emissions during Food Waste Composting under the Effect of Different Additives
Authors: Hwang Hyun Young , Kim Seong Heon , Shim Jaehong , Park Seong Jin
Published: September 2020

This study investigated the effects of adding mature compost (MC) and vermicompost (VC) on controlling gas emissions and compost quality during food waste (FW) composting. In addition to a control treatment (only food waste), four treatments were designed to mix the initial FW with varying rates of MC and VC (5.0% and 7.5%). The composting process was monitored for 84 days. Results indicate that the addition of MC and VC resulted in higher temperature, prolonged the thermophilic stage and reduced NH3 and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Compared to the control, the loss of NH3-N was decreased by 29–69%, and the global warming impact was also mitigated by 49–61%. The largest reductions in NH3 and global warming potential (GWP) were found for 7.5% VC and 5% MC, respectively. The treatments with additives more rapidly achieved the required maturity value. This research suggests that the addition of 7.5% MC and VC is suitable for food waste composting.
Multidimensional Assessment of the Social Development of EU Countries in the Context of Implementing the Concept of Sustainable Development
Authors: Barska Anetta , Jędrzejczak-Gas Janina , Wyrwa Joanna , Kononowicz Krzysztof
Published: September 2020

Measuring and monitoring the implementation of the concept of sustainable development is an important aspect of the assessment of the functioning of EU countries. One of the pivots of sustainable development is social order, although the literature analysis indicated that multidimensional empirical research in this area is scarce. The main goal of this article was to present the diversity of indicators characterizing social development in EU Member States in the context of progress made by each of them in implementing the concept of sustainable development between 2014 and 2018. The purpose of this article was also to compare Poland with the other EU countries in the years 2014 and 2018. The research procedure consisted of two stages. The first stage was to analyse and assess the regional differentiation of the values of variables explaining social development in the EU in the context of implementing the concept of sustainable development. The second stage envisaged a multidimensional assessment of the diversity of the thematic areas identified in the first stage, as well as a characterization of social development in the EU in the context of implementing the concept of sustainable development. Based on the obtained results, a conclusion could be drawn that many countries are witnessing positive trends which bring them closer to the successful implementation of the sustainable development paradigm—one of the principal priorities of the Europe 2020 strategy, a long-term socio-economic program of the EU. The multidimensional analysis also showed that the level of social development in the context of sustainable development differs across the EU. Particularly notable differences among EU countries could be observed for the variables denoting labour market and health, with demography being the least diversified of all areas. In Poland, the indicators regarding poverty and social exclusion improved significantly as a result of the implementation of numerous social programs. In addition to that, a positive change in education indicators was also reported in Poland. This favourable trend indicates that some of the goals set out in the Europe 2020 strategy have already been met by Poland while others are becoming increasingly attainable.
Analysis of Operational Changes of Tarbela Reservoir to Improve the Water Supply, Hydropower Generation, and Flood Control Objectives
Authors: Rafique Ahmed , Burian Steven , Hassan Daniyal , Bano Rakhshinda
Published: September 2020

In this study, a model was created with the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) System and used to explore the benefits of altering the operations of Tarbela Dam in terms of reliability, resilience, and vulnerability (RRV) for the three objectives of irrigation supply, hydropower generation, and flood control. Sensitivity analysis and logical reasoning with operators identified a feasible operational rule curve for testing using the integrated performance analysis. The reservoir performance for the altered operations was compared to the baseline performance following current operations for both historical and projected future climate and water demand conditions. Key simulation results show that the altered operations strategy tested under historical climate and water demand conditions would increase RRV by 17%, 67%, and 7%, respectively, for the water supply objective and 34%, 346%, and 22%, respectively, for hydropower generation. For projected future conditions, the proposed operations strategy would increase RRV by 7%, 219%, and 11%, respectively, for water supply and 19%, 136%, and 13% for hydropower generation. Synthesis of the results suggests significant benefits for reliability and resilience of water supply and hydropower are possible with slight operational adjustments. Overall, the integrated performance analysis supports the need to develop an optimized operations rule for Tarbela to adapt to projected climate and demand scenarios.
Liner Shipping Schedule Design for Near-Sea Routes Considering Big Customers’ Preferences on Ship Arrival Time
Authors: Jiang Xi , Mao Haijun , Wang Yadong , Zhang Hao
Published: September 2020

There usually exist a few big customers at ports of near-sea container shipping routes who have preferences on the weekly ship arrival times due to their own production and sale schedules. Therefore, in practice, when designing ship schedules, carriers must consider such customers’ time preferences, regarded as weekly soft-time windows, to improve customer retention, thereby achieving sustainable development during a depression in the shipping industry. In this regard, this study explores how to balance the tradeoff between the ship total operating costs and penalty costs from the violation of the weekly soft-time windows. A mixed-integer nonlinear nonconvex model is proposed and is further transformed into a mixed-integer linear optimization model that can be efficiently solved by extant solvers to provide a global optimal solution. The proposed model is applied to a near-sea service route from China to Southeast Asia. The results demonstrate that the time preferences of big customers affect the total cost, optimal sailing speeds, and optimal ship arrival times. Moreover, the voyage along a near-sea route is generally short, leaving carriers little room for adjusting the fleet size.
Interrelations among Leadership Competencies of BIM Leaders: A Fuzzy DEMATEL-ANP Approach
Authors: Mirhosseini Seyed Armin , Kiani Mavi Reza , Kiani Mavi Neda , Abbasnejad Behzad , Rayani Farzaneh
Published: September 2020

The use of new, digitally enabled innovations, such as building information modeling (BIM), raises issues such as the delineation of a competent leader. Even though BIM-based competency assessment models have become essential tools for maximizing the potential values of BIM implementation, the current competency models provide limited focus on leadership aspects that facilitate and enhance the BIM implementation efforts. This paper seeks to identify the specific competencies required for BIM implementation and examines the relationships between these competencies. Thirty-two experts from around the globe investigated a total of 15 leadership competencies under three categories pertaining to intellectual, managerial, and emotional leadership. Fuzzy Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) was implemented to examine the cause-and-effect relationships among the BIM leadership competencies and fuzzy analytic network process (ANP) was performed to weigh those competencies. Findings show that the intellectual competencies act as the cause group, while managerial and emotional competencies are the effect groups. Moreover, the involving leadership is found to be the more suitable leadership style for BIM professionals, given the current capability and maturity levels of BIM implementation, in order to deal with the required changes throughout the BIM implementation process. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge in the BIM domain to examine the associated leadership competencies by using the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) technique. The results of this research show the relative importance of criteria and sub-criteria, which contributes to further improvement of BIM leadership.
Anxiety and the Ecological Crisis: An Analysis of Eco-Anxiety and Climate Anxiety
Authors: Pihkala Panu
Published: September 2020

Eco-anxiety and climate anxiety are widely discussed in contemporary media and are subjects of growing research interest. However, there is a lack of research about the definitions and variations of these phenomena. This article analyzes various views of eco-anxiety from a wide range of disciplines. Insights from various anxiety theories are used to discuss empirical studies about forms of eco-anxiety. The article points out that uncertainty, unpredictability, and uncontrollability seem to be important factors in eco-anxiety. Most forms of eco-anxiety appear to be non-clinical, but cases of “pathological” eco-anxiety are also discussed. Other relevant terms and phenomena are scrutinized, such as ecological grief, solastalgia, and ecological trauma. The relationship between studies on eco-anxiety and research about ecological emotions and affect is probed. Eco-anxiety is found to be closely connected to fear and worry, but several disciplines include discussion of its character as existential anxiety. Psychosocial and sociological perspectives point out that social dynamics shape forms of eco-anxiety in profound ways. While paralyzing forms of eco-anxiety emerge as a problem, it is noted that eco-anxiety manifests itself also as “practical anxiety”, which leads to gathering of new information and reassessment of behavior options. This variety of forms of eco-anxiety should be taken into account in healthcare and public discussion.
A Bibliometric Analysis in Industry 4.0 and Advanced Manufacturing: What about the Sustainable Supply Chain?
Authors: Borregan-Alvarado Jon , Alvarez-Meaza Izaskun , Cilleruelo-Carrasco Ernesto , Garechana-Anacabe Gaizka
Published: September 2020

During the last decade, different concepts, methodologies, and technologies have appeared, evolving industry toward what we know today as the fourth industrial evolution or Industry 4.0 (I4.0) and Advanced Manufacturing (AM). Based on both, Supply Chain (SC) is presented as the relevant process that sets the sustainability of manufacturing and, therefore, is defined as a key term in a sustainable approach to I4.0. However, there are no studies that analyze the evolution of science in the fields of I4.0 and AM together. In order to fill this gap, the aim of this research work is to analyze the tendencies of science research related to I4.0 and AM by conducting a bibliometric and network analysis and also to generate a new contribution through the analysis of scientific trends related to SC and Sustainable Supply Chain (SSC) within this scientific context, for the time span 2010–2019. The results show that the number of publications is growing exponentially and the most active countries are Germany and the U.S., with Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen University being the most productive organization and Tecnologico de Monterrey the most collaborative. The analysis of the scientific terms allows us to conclude that the research field is in a growth phase, generating up to almost 4500 new terms in 2019.
Can China’s Government-Oriented Environmental Regulation Reduce Water Pollution? Evidence from Water Pollution Intensive Firms
Authors: She Ying , Liu Yaobin , Deng Yangu , Jiang Lei
Published: September 2020

China’s environmental regulation regime remains mainly government-oriented, consisting of the government environmental investment policy and the command–control policy. This paper first improves the traditional environment Copeland-Taylor model by including the above two types of government-oriented environment instruments. Then, based on a comprehensive firm-level dataset, we examine the effects of government-oriented environmental instruments on firms’ water pollutant emission abatement in the Yangtze River Economic zone. We find robust evidence of a significant decrease of 2.99% in chemical Oxygen Demand(COD) discharge and of 3.55% in ammonia nitrogen(NH3) discharge of firms in response to the government environmental investment policy, whereas the command–control instrument shows little effect on firms’ water pollutant emission reduction. Our results are robust when using alternative measurements for two types of environmental instruments. Additionally, we also find there exist heterogeneous effects across sub-samples: (1)comparing with large and medium firms, small and micro firms are more liable to be influenced by the two types of government-oriented environmental instruments; (2) the effect of two types of government-oriented environmental instruments is obviously significant in the intensive-water-pollution industry, whereas it is not obvious in clean industry; (3) the effect of government environmental investment is obvious on state-owned enterprises and domestic joint ventures, whereas the command–control policy has effectively reduced the water pollutant discharge for domestic joint ventures and private firms. Finally, this study also presents some future policy implications.
Influence of Determinants on Innovations in Small KIBS Firms in the Czech Republic before COVID-19
Authors: Bumberová Veronika , Milichovský František
Published: September 2020

There is still a lack of empirical evidence prevalent about innovation in knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS), and more particular, about determinants of innovations in small firms to sustain their future development. Studies in this area suggest that different determinants will affect different forms of innovation outputs of KIBS. This paper investigates the direction and the significance of these influences on propensity to innovate. The empirical evidence is based on quantitative and firm-level data gathered through an email questionnaire, which yielded 128 qualified responses from small KIBS in the Czech Republic. The analysis is based on binary logistic regression to identify the effects of determinants on the propensity to innovate. In addition to the consistent results produced by studies in this area, we found reverse relationships between innovation and selected determinants. Negatively evolving knowledge (especially lack of qualified employees) and market determinants (lack of information about the market), positively stimulated small KIBS towards the propensity to introduce organizational innovations (structural and human resources practices), followed by increasing intensity of competition positively related to introducing a new service to the firm (especially t-KIBS) and insufficient availability of business partners increasing the marketing efforts. It’s evident that some negatively evolving determinants perform as incentives or driving forces to specific types of innovations. The results of this study could also be useful for owners and managers in KIBS firms engaging in innovation activities and government support, or incentivize the propensity to innovate.
Effect of Landscape Elements and Structures on the Acoustic Environment on Wildlife Overpasses Located in Rural Areas
Authors: Sołowczuk Alicja
Published: September 2020

The constantly growing number of motor vehicles increases the biodiversity conservation awareness of the public. To this end, numerous compensation measures are implemented, primarily provision of wildlife crossing infrastructure to guide animals over and under transport routes. There are different design aspects that must be considered in the case of wildlife crossings located in rural areas and in forests. An interdisciplinary approach should be employed for the wildlife crossing design, involving specialists from different fields of science. This article deals with the effect of local landscape elements and structures on the acoustic environment on the wildlife overpasses located in rural areas. Several tests were carried out, covering the levels of traffic, improvements around the existing overpasses and the noise distribution on them. For the final analysis, seven overpasses were chosen, differing in terms of the landscape elements and structures present. Five of them included noise barriers of different shapes and lengths and had a flat approach area. Two crossings did not have noise barriers and the approach areas were located in varied terrain. The analysis of the derived sound maps allowed for the determination of the effect of the different landscape elements and structures on the noise distribution on the overpasses under analysis. Earthen berms aligned with the noise barriers and extending to the length defined by the approach area topography were found to be the most effective noise-reducing measure.
Integrating Sustainability Assessment into Decoupling Analysis: A Focus on the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomerations
Authors: Huang Yijia , Zhang Jiaqi , Wu Jinqun
Published: September 2020

Rapid urbanization has led to a growing number of environmental challenges in large parts of China, where the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) urban agglomerations serve as a typical example. To evaluate the relationship between environmental sustainability gaps and urbanization in 26 cities of the YRD, this study revisited the environmental sustainability assessment (ESA) by combining the metrics of environmental footprints and planetary boundaries at the city level, and then integrated the footprint-boundary ESA framework into decoupling analysis. The results demonstrated considerable spatiotemporal heterogeneity in the environmental sustainability of water use, land use, carbon emissions, nitrogen emissions, phosphorus emissions and PM2.5 emissions across the YRD cities during the study period 2007–2017. Decoupling analysis revealed a positive sign that more than half of the 26 cities had achieved the decoupling of each category of environmental sustainability gaps from urbanization since 2014, especially for nitrogen and phosphorus emissions. On the basis of ESA and decoupling analysis, all the cities were categorized into six patterns, for which the optimal pathways towards sustainable development were discussed in depth. Our study will assist policy makers in formulating more tangible and differentiated policies to achieve decoupling between environmental sustainability gaps and urbanization.
Sustainability and Quality Aspects of Different Table Egg Production Systems: A Literature Review
Authors: Molnár Szilvia , Szőllősi László
Published: September 2020

Eggs are of considerable importance in feeding the population, as they are a relatively inexpensive and complex food source of very high biological value. The daily animal protein requirement for the human body can be covered with eggs in the cheapest way and with the lowest environmental impact. As animal welfare, as well as environmental and health awareness issues, become increasingly prominent in developed countries, consumer demand for eggs has also changed significantly in recent years, with an increasing number of consumers buying eggs produced in non-cage housing systems. In recent years, cage housing has been more frequently debated in EU member states. An initiative was launched in 2018 to end cage housing technologies and the sale of eggs produced in this way. However, in addition to animal welfare, a number of other factors need to be considered in relation to sustainable production. For this reason, the aim of this research is to provide a comprehensive overview of the sustainability issues of various housing technologies, as well as quality factors affecting consumer health and egg consumption based on the relevant international references and databases. Although there is a growing demand for products produced in non-cage housing systems due to the increasing relevance of environmental protection, health awareness and animal welfare issues in Western societies, research has shown that non-caged production is not the best solution for environmentally, socially and economically sustainable egg production.
Bioengineering Techniques Adopted for Controlling Riverbanks’ Superficial Erosion of the Simplício Hydroelectric Power Plant, Brazil
Authors: Vianna Vinicius F. , Fleury Mateus P. , Menezes Gustavo B. , Coelho Arnaldo T. , Bueno Cecília , Lins da Silva Jefferson , Luz Marta P.
Published: September 2020

Controlling and preventing soil erosion on slope surfaces is a pressing concern worldwide, and at the same time, there is a growing need to incorporate sustainability into our engineering works. This study evaluates the efficiency of bioengineering techniques in the development of vegetation in soil slopes located near a hydroelectric power plant in Brazil. For this purpose, twelve different bioengineering techniques were evaluated, in isolation and in combination, in the slopes (10 m high) of two experimental units (approximately 70 m long each) located next to the Paraíba do Sul riverbanks, in Brazil. High-resolution images of the slopes’ frontal view were taken in 15-day interval visits in all units for the first 90 days after implantation, followed by monthly visits up to 27 months after the works were finished. The images were treated and analyzed in a computer algorithm that, based on three-color bands (red–green–blue scale), helps to assess the temporal evolution of the vegetative cover index for each technique adopted. The results showed that most of the solutions showed a deficiency in vegetation establishment and were sensitive to climatological conditions, which induced changes in the vegetation phytosanitary aspects. Techniques which provided a satisfactory vegetative cover index throughout the investigated period are pointed out.
The Relationship of Perceived Consumer Effectiveness, Subjective Knowledge, and Purchase Intention on Carbon Label Products—A Case Study of Carbon-Labeled Packaged Tea Products in Taiwan
Authors: Liang Ta-Ching , Situmorang Rospita Odorlina P. , Liao Mei-Chi , Chang Shu-Chun
Published: September 2020

In view of global warming issues, the Taiwan government has implemented environmental-related policies and measures for sustainable development through promoting “carbon labeling” in recent years. Many studies related to carbon labeling have been conducted after its promotion, but the studies on the relationship of subjective knowledge or perceived knowledge on carbon labeling, perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE), and willingness to buy the products are still limited. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the relationship of subjective knowledge on carbon labeling, consumer perception, and willingness to buy carbon label products, with a case study of packaged tea products in Taiwan. The respondents were Taiwanese adults aged 18 years old and over, who have experience of buying packaged tea. The research was conducted by survey method using non-probability sampling method at convenience retail stores i.e., 7-Eleven and Family Mart. The result showed that (1) the consumers with high subjective knowledge have high willingness to purchase packaged tea products with carbon labels, consumers with high PCE have high subjective knowledge of carbon labeling, and consumers with high PCE have high willingness to buy carbon-labeled packaged tea products; (2) there is a positive linear relationship of subjective knowledge and PCE toward purchase intention of carbon label; and (3) a significant positive correlation between subjective knowledge, PCE, and willingness to buy packaged tea beverage products with carbon labels for the female respondents.
How Can Organizational Justice Contribute to Job Satisfaction? A Chained Mediation Model
Authors: Gori Alessio , Topino Eleonora , Palazzeschi Letizia , Di Fabio Annamaria
Published: September 2020

The maintenance of workers’ job satisfaction plays a central role among strategies supporting human capital, as it seems to be an important protective variable determining employees’ well-being and individual and organizational performances. Thus, the aim of the present research was to analyze the contribution of different dispositional and organizational variables that could affect individual job satisfaction, particularly focusing on the direct and indirect effects of acceptance of change with the mediation of organizational justice and its subdimensions. A total of 179 Italian workers (41% men, 59% women; mean age = 47 years old; SD = 10.87) completed the Acceptance of Change Scale, Job Satisfaction Scale and Organizational Justice Scale. Results showed a significant influence of acceptance of change on job satisfaction, also highlighting a partial mediation effect of organizational justice. Furthermore, when the latter was explored in depth by considering its subdimensions (procedural, distributive, informational, interpersonal justice) as mediators, a significant chained total-mediation model emerged. Such findings can provide useful indications for research and intervention to favor workers’ job satisfaction in several job contexts.
Modeling the Risk of Extreme Value Dependence in Chinese Regional Carbon Emission Markets
Authors: Qiu Hong , Hu Genhua , Yang Yuhong , Zhang Jeffrey , Zhang Ting
Published: September 2020

In this study, we analyze the risk of extreme value dependence in Chinese regional carbon emission markets. After filtering the daily return data of six carbon markets in China using a generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (GARCH) model, we obtain the standardized residual series. Next, the dependence structures in the markets are captured by the Copula function and the Extreme Value theory (EVT). We report high peaks, heavy tails and fluctuation aggregation in the logarithm return series of the markets, as well as significant dependent structures. There are significant extreme value risks in Chinese regional carbon markets, but the risks can be mitigated through appropriate portfolio diversification.
Cross-Docking Center Location Selection Based on Interval Multi-Granularity Multicriteria Group Decision-Making
Authors: Deng Xuchen , Qu Shaojian
Published: September 2020

Cross-docking is a new logistics model. The location planning of the crossover center is one of the important issues in logistics management. The location of the cross-docking center is not only a technical issue, but also a management issue. This is a decision made by senior leaders after considering various factors. Therefore, considering the decision-making method, a multicriteria group decision-making method based on an interval multi-granularity language model is proposed. It is suitable for non-static frameworks where the decision-making environment changes at any time during the process. Due to the uncertainty of the location information of the cross-docking center, experts can use their favorite language tag set to provide preferences, so a multi-granular interval fuzzy language model is used to enable experts to reliably provide preference values. At the same time, taking into account the formula threshold for decision-making, after a limited round of discussions, decision-making experts, site selection criteria, and site alternatives can be changed arbitrarily so that when the final opinion is reached, the consensus of experts reaches this threshold. Finally, through the numerical calculation of the site selection center, it is found that the experts will reach a higher level of consensus when joining the experts who change their status. The validity of the method is verified, and the feasibility and applicability of the proposed method are shown.
Antisymmetric Tensor Fields in Modified Gravity: A Summary
Authors: Paul Tanmoy
Published: September 2020

We provide various aspects of second rank antisymmetric Kalb–Ramond (KR) field in modified theories of gravity. The KR field energy density is found to decrease with the expansion of our universe at a faster rate in comparison to radiation and matter components. Thus as the universe evolves and cools down, the contribution of the KR field on the evolutionary process reduces significantly, and at present it almost does not affect the universe evolution. However the KR field has a significant contribution during early universe; in particular, it affects the beginning of inflation as well as increases the amount of primordial gravitational radiation and hence enlarges the value of tensor-to-scalar ratio in respect to the case when the KR field is absent. In regard to the KR field couplings, it turns out that in four dimensional higher curvature inflationary model the couplings of the KR field to other matter fields is given by 1/MPl (where MPl is known as the “reduced Planck mass” defined by MPl=18πG with G is the “Newton’s constant”) i.e., same as the usual gravity–matter coupling; however in the context of higher dimensional higher curvature model the KR couplings get an additional suppression over 1/MPl. Thus in comparison to the four dimensional model, the higher curvature braneworld scenario gives a better explanation of why the present universe carries practically no footprint of the Kalb–Ramond field. The higher curvature term in the higher dimensional gravitational action acts as a suitable stabilizing agent in the dynamical stabilization mechanism of the extra dimensional modulus field from the perspective of effective on-brane theory. Based on the evolution of KR field, one intriguing question can be—“sitting in present day universe, how do we confirm the existence of the Kalb–Ramond field which has considerably low energy density (with respect to the other components) in our present universe but has a significant impact during early universe?” We try to answer this question by the phenomena “cosmological quantum entanglement” which indeed carries the information of early universe. Finally, we briefly discuss some future perspectives of Kalb–Ramond cosmology at the end of the paper.
Mathematical Modeling for Neuropathic Pain: Bayesian Linear Regression and Self-Organizing Maps Applied to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Authors: Pellicer-Valero Oscar J. , Martín-Guerrero José D. , Cigarán-Méndez Margarita I. , Écija-Gallardo Carmen , Fernández-de-las-Peñas César , Navarro-Pardo Esperanza
Published: September 2020

A better understanding of the connection between risk factors associated with pain and function may assist therapists in optimizing therapeutic programs. This study applied mathematical modeling to analyze the relationship of psychological, psychophysical, and motor variables with pain, function, and symptom severity using Bayesian linear regressions (BLR) and self-organizing maps (SOMs) in carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). The novelty of this work was a transfer of the symmetry mathematical background to a neuropathic pain condition, whose symptoms can be either unilateral or bilateral. Duration of symptoms, pain intensity, function, symptom severity, depressive levels, pinch tip grip force, and pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) over the ulnar, radial, and median nerve trunks, the cervical spine, the carpal tunnel, and the tibialis anterior were collected in 208 women suffering from CTS. The first BLR model revealed that symptom severity, PPTs over the radial nerve, and function had significant correlations with pain intensity. The second BLR showed that symptom severity, depressive levels, pain intensity, and years with pain were associated with function. The third model demonstrated that pain intensity and function were associated with symptom severity. The SOMs visualized these correlations among variables, i.e., clinical, psychophysical, and physical, and identified a subgroup of women with CTS exhibiting worse clinical features, higher pressure sensitivity, and lower pinch tip grip force. Therefore, the application of mathematical modeling identified some interactions among the intensity of pain, function, and symptom severity in women with CTS.
Vague Graph Structure with Application in Medical Diagnosis
Authors: Kosari Saeed , Rao Yongsheng , Jiang Huiqin , Liu Xinyue , Wu Pu , Shao Zehui
Published: September 2020

Fuzzy graph models enjoy the ubiquity of being in natural and human-made structures, namely dynamic process in physical, biological and social systems. As a result of inconsistent and indeterminate information inherent in real-life problems which are often uncertain, it is highly difficult for an expert to model those problems based on a fuzzy graph (FG). Vague graph structure (VGS) can deal with the uncertainty associated with the inconsistent and indeterminate information of any real-world problem, where fuzzy graphs may fail to reveal satisfactory results. Likewise, VGSs are very useful tools for the study of different domains of computer science such as networking, capturing the image, clustering, and also other issues like bioscience, medical science, and traffic plan. The limitations of past definitions in fuzzy graphs have led us to present new definitions in VGSs. Operations are conveniently used in many combinatorial applications. In various situations, they present a suitable construction means; therefore, in this research, three new operations on VGSs, namely, maximal product, rejection, residue product were presented, and some results concerning their degrees and total degrees were introduced. Irregularity definitions have been of high significance in the network heterogeneity study, which have implications in networks found across biology, ecology and economy; so special concepts of irregular VGSs with several key properties were explained. Today one of the most important applications of decision making is in medical science for diagnosing the patient’s disease. Hence, we recommend an application of VGS in medical diagnosis.
MADICS: A Methodology for Anomaly Detection in Industrial Control Systems
Authors: Perales Gómez Ángel Luis , Fernández Maimó Lorenzo , Huertas Celdrán Alberto , García Clemente Félix J.
Published: September 2020

Industrial Control Systems (ICSs) are widely used in critical infrastructures to support the essential services of society. Therefore, their protection against terrorist activities, natural disasters, and cyber threats is critical. Diverse cyber attack detection systems have been proposed over the years, in which each proposal has applied different steps and methods. However, there is a significant gap in the literature regarding methodologies to detect cyber attacks in ICS scenarios. The lack of such methodologies prevents researchers from being able to accurately compare proposals and results. In this work, we present a Methodology for Anomaly Detection in Industrial Control Systems (MADICS) to detect cyber attacks in ICS scenarios, which is intended to provide a guideline for future works in the field. MADICS is based on a semi-supervised anomaly detection paradigm and makes use of deep learning algorithms to model ICS behaviors. It consists of five main steps, focused on pre-processing the dataset to be used with the machine learning and deep learning algorithms; performing feature filtering to remove those features that do not meet the requirements; feature extraction processes to obtain higher order features; selecting, fine-tuning, and training the most appropriate model; and validating the model performance. In order to validate MADICS, we used the popular Secure Water Treatment (SWaT) dataset, which was collected from a fully operational water treatment plant. The experiments demonstrate that, using MADICS, we can achieve a state-of-the-art precision of 0.984 (as well as a recall of 0.750 and F1-score of 0.851), which is above the average of other works, proving that the proposed methodology is suitable for use in real ICS scenarios.
Solanum nigrum Fruit Extract Increases Toxicity of Fenitrothion—A Synthetic Insecticide, in the Mealworm Beetle Tenebrio molitor Larvae
Authors: Spochacz Marta , Szymczak Monika , Chowański Szymon , Bufo Sabino Aurelio , Adamski Zbigniew
Published: September 2020

Synthetic insecticides are widely used for crop protection both in the fields and in the food stored facilities. Due to their toxicity, and assumptions of Integrated Pest Management, we conducted two independent experiments, where we studied the influence of Solanum nigrum unripe fruit extract on the toxicity of an organophosphorus insecticide fenitrothion. In the first variant of the experiment, Tenebrio molitor larvae were fed with blended fenitrothion (LC50) and the extract in four concentrations (0.01, 0.1, 1 and 10%) in ratio 1:1 for 3 days. In the second variant, a two-day application of fenitrothion (LC40) was preceded by a one-day extract treatment. The first variant did not show any increase in lethality compared to fenitrothion; however, ultrastructure observations exhibited swollen endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes in the midgut and nuclear and cellular membranes in the fat body, after application of blended fenitrothion and extract. An increased amount of heterochromatin in the fat body was observed, too. In the second variant, pre-treatment of the extract increased the lethality of larvae, decreased the level of glycogen and lipids in the fat body and disrupted integrity of midgut cellular membranes. S. nigrum extract, applied prior to fenitrothion treatment can be a factor increasing fenitrothion toxicity in T. molitor larvae. Thus, this strategy may lead to decreased emission of synthetic insecticides to the environment.
Genome Analysis of a Novel Clade b Betabaculovirus Isolated from the Legume Pest Matsumuraeses phaseoli (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)
Authors: Shu Ruihao , Meng Qian , Miao Lin , Liang Hongbin , Chen Jun , Xu Yuan , Cheng Luqiang , Jin Wenyi , Qin Qilian , Zhang Huan
Published: September 2020

Matsumuraeses phaseoli is a Lepidopteran pest that primarily feeds on numerous species of cultivated legumes, such as Glycine and Phaseolus. It is widely distributed in northeast Asia. A novel granulovirus, designated as Matsumuraeses phaseoli granulovirus (MaphGV), was isolated from pathogenic M. phaseoli larvae that dwell in rolled leaves of Astragalus membranaceus, a Chinese medicinal herb. In this study, using next-generation sequencing, we report the complete genome of MaphGV. MaphGV genome comprises a double-stranded DNA of 116,875 bp, with 37.18% GC content. It has 128 hypothetical open reading frames (ORFs). Among them, 38 are baculovirus core genes, 18 are lepidopteran baculovirus conserved genes, and 5 are unique to Baculoviridae. MaphGV has one baculovirus repeat ORF (bro) and three inhibitors of apoptosis proteins (iap), including a newfound iap-6. We found two atypical baculoviral homologous regions (hrs) and four direct repeats (drs) in the MaphGV genome. Based on phylogenetic analysis, MaphGV belongs to Clade b of Betabaculovirus and is closely related to Cydia pomonellagranulovirus (CpGV) and Cryptophlebia leucotretagranulovirus (CrleGV). This novel baculovirus discovery and sequencing are invaluable in understanding the evolution of baculovirus and MaphGV may be a potential biocontrol agent against the bean ravaging pest.
Mountain Lake Evaporation: A Comparative Study between Hourly Estimations Models and In Situ Measurements
Authors: Pérez Andrés , Lagos Octavio , Lillo-Saavedra Mario , Souto Camilo , Paredes Jerónimo , Arumí José Luis
Published: September 2020

The quantification of evaporation is very important for water resource management, determination of water availability and environmental modeling. Evaporation (E) is a key component of the hydrological cycle, which becomes more relevant under a changing climate scenario, where increases in temperature and E are projected on a regional scale. This study evaluated the hourly applicability of 21 methods to estimate E in a mountain lake. Models were grouped as combination, solar radiation-temperature and mass transfer methods. Estimated E by all models were compared to three measurement campaigns with an eddy covariance system in Lake Laja during the month of January (22 to 28), March (17 to 23) and November (09 to 15) of 2016. The average evaporated water during the measurement sessions were 3.40, 3.38 and 1.89 mm d−1, respectively. Best model performance was obtained with models whose main E principles are heat flow and water vapor flow. The best performance in this group was the Penman model using a calibrated wind function with a determination coefficient (R2) of 0.91, Nash–Sutcliffe coefficient (NS) of 0.9, and index of agreement (W) of 0.98. Comparing daytime and nighttime hours, it was found that the daytime E in the lake is best explained by the product of the vapor pressure deficit and wind speed, while the nighttime E was explained by the flow of heat in the water. The results highlight the importance of the analysis of diurnal dynamics of water flux and energy stored in water to better understand the E in water bodies.
Lake Phytoplankton Assemblage Altered by Irregularly Shaped PLA Body Wash Microplastics but Not by PS Calibration Beads
Authors: Yokota Kiyoko , Mehlrose Marissa
Published: September 2020

Microplastics are an emerging environmental pollutant, whose global ubiquity is becoming increasingly evident. Conventional wastewater treatment does not completely remove them, and there are growing concerns about microplastics in source water and post-treatment drinking water. Microplastics have been reported to alter the development, physiology, and behavior of various aquatic organisms; however, limited knowledge exists on their effect on natural phytoplankton communities. Many studies also use uniformly spherical plastic beads, while most scrub particles in consumer products and secondary microplastics in the environment have various shapes and sizes. We tested the effects of two types of microplastics, 50 µm polystyrene (PS) calibration beads and polylactic acid (PLA) plastic body wash scrub particles, and one type of plant-derived body wash scrub particle on a natural phytoplankton assemblage through a 7-day incubation experiment in a temperate, mesotrophic lake. The calibration beads and the plant-derived particles generally did not alter the taxonomic composition of the phytoplankton in the mesocosms, while the PLA body wash microplastics eliminated cryptophytes (p < 0.001) and increased chrysophytes (p = 0.041). Our findings demonstrate differential effects of irregularly shaped PLA body wash microplastics vs. PS calibration beads on lake phytoplankters and empirically support potential bottom-up alteration of the aquatic food web by secondary microplastics.