bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Numerical Investigation of Flow Characteristics for Gas–Liquid Two–Phase Flow in Coiled Tubing
Authors: Sun Shihui , Liu Jiahao , Zhang Wan , Yi Tinglong
Published: November 2022

Coiled tubing (CT) is widely used for horizontal well fracturing, squeeze cementing, and sand and solid washing in the oil and gas industry. During CT operation, a gas–liquid two-phase flow state appears in the tubing. Due to the secondary flow, this state produces a more extensive flow-friction pressure loss, which limits its application. It is crucial to understand the gas–liquid flow behavior in a spiral tube for frictional pressure drop predictions in the CT technique. In this study, we numerically investigated the velocity distribution and phase distribution of a gas–liquid flow in CT. A comparison of experimental data and simulated results show that the maximum average error is 2.14%, verifying the accuracy of the numerical model. The gas and liquid velocities decrease first and then rise along the axial direction due to the effect of gravity. Due to the difference in the gas and liquid viscosity, i.e., the flow resistance of the gas and liquid is different, the gas–liquid slip velocity ratio is always greater than 1. The liquid velocity exhibits a D-shaped step distribution at different cross-sections of spiral tubing. The secondary-flow intensity, caused by radial velocity, increases along the tubing. Due to the secondary-flow effect, the zone of the maximum cross-section velocity is off-center and closer to the outside of the tube. However, under the combined action of centrifugal force and the density difference between gas and liquid, the variation in the gas void fraction along the tubing is relatively stable. These research results are helpful in understanding the complex flow behavior of gas–liquid two-phase flow in CT.
Effects of Blade Suction Side Modification on Internal Flow Characteristics and Hydraulic Performance in a PIV Experimental Centrifugal Pump
Authors: Chen Bo , Qian Yuzhe
Published: November 2022

In this paper, the effects of blade trailing edge (TE) profile modification of the suction side on the internal flow and hydraulic performance in a low-specific speed centrifugal pump are investigated through particle image velocimetry (PIV) analysis. Three impellers with different blade trailing edge profiles named original trailing edge (OTE), arc trailing edge 1 (ATE1), and arc trailing edge 2 (ATE2) are designed for PIV experiments. Results show that blade trailing edge modification of the suction side can significantly change the flow pattern, affecting the hydraulic performance of the model pumps. There is a definite counterclockwise backflow vortex near the suction side of OTE at deep-low flow rate, resulting in a decrease in the uniformity of the flow field at the outlet and the hydraulic performance. ATE1 with a reasonable larger blade outlet angle has the best flow field, and the head and efficiency are increased by about 1.2% and 8%, respectively under the same working condition. The hydraulic performance of ATE2 with the blade outlet angle of 59° is better than that of OTE under low flow rate, but it is less than that of OTE under high flow rate due to the streamline deviation generated on the pressure side. Meanwhile, the energy conversion abilities of the modified model pumps are evaluated by slip factor and the deviation degree of the nominalized local Euler head distribution (NLEHD). Since there is no definite counterclockwise backflow vortex at the outlet after modification, the slip factor of ATEs increases and the energy conversion ability is enhanced. Moreover, the jet-wake phenomenon of ATEs is weakened, and the local Euler head (LEH) increases near the outlet, decreasing the deviation degree of the NLEHD to obtain better energy conversion ability.
Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Polyphenols from Olive Pomace: Scale Up from Laboratory to Pilot Scenario
Authors: Rodríguez Óscar , Bona Sergio , Stäbler Andreas , Rodríguez-Turienzo Laura
Published: November 2022

Power ultrasound application has been proven to intensify the extraction of biocompounds from plant materials. In this work, the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of polyphenols from olive pomace (OP) has been studied at three different scales: laboratory (batch, 400 W, 0 barg), medium (continuous, 1000 W, 1.0 barg), and pilot (continuous, 2000 W, 1.0 barg) taking into consideration the influence of technological parameters: extraction time (s), solvent to solid ratio (mL/g), mixture pH, and acoustic parameters: amplitude (µm), intensity (W/cm2), and applied energy (Wh). A central composite design was used to optimize the UAE at laboratory scale (0.2 kg). The optimal conditions were: time: 490 s; ratio: 2.1 mL H2O/g OP; pH: 5.6 at an acoustic amplitude of 46 µm for a maximum extraction yield of 3.6 g GAE/L of extract. At medium scale (2.2 kg) the UAE was carried out using amplitudes from 41 to 57 µm. The effect of the pressure (1.0 barg) on the UAE was positive, in terms of higher extraction yield (2.9 g GAE/L) and faster extraction rates compared to the non-pressurized UAE (2.5 g GAE/L), however, the extraction yield was lower than the one observed at laboratory scale. At pilot scale (120 kg), the UAE involved different ultrasound constellations (booster + sonotrode) to deliver the ultrasound energy at different acoustic intensities from 23 to 57 W/cm2. The acoustic intensity (W/cm2) exerts an important effect on the extraction yield, and should be tailored to each process scale. The highest yield obtained at pilot-scale was 3.0 g GAE/L, and it was 58% higher than the one observed in the conventional extraction without ultrasound assistance (stirring and heating). In all tests, regardless of the scale, higher yields were observed between 80 and 85 °C. The application of this technology at the industrial scale to evaluate if the improvement of the extraction caused by the application of ultrasound could is still important when other operations like centrifugation, ultrafiltration, and reverse osmosis are included in the system and to evaluate its techno-economic feasibility.
Effect of Dynamic Biaxial Loading of Car Seats
Authors: Lepsik Petr , Fliegel Vitezslav , Lufinka Ales
Published: November 2022

The aim of this article is to determine the effect of the biaxial loading of a car seat, in vertical and horizontal directions, on seating comfort. We measured the transfer characteristic in the vertical direction with a free load. The method of laboratory testing of the car seat was chosen due to the simple repetition of the tests, ensuring the same test conditions, with high accuracy of their reproduction. To determine the effect, tests with uniaxial loading were compared with tests with biaxial loading. The resulting characteristic was the transfer characteristic in the vertical direction. The effect of horizontal loading on the transfer characteristic of a car seat was determined.
Role of the Global Volatility Indices in Predicting the Volatility Index of the Indian Economy
Authors: Prasad Akhilesh , Bakhshi Priti
Published: November 2022

Movements in the volatility index of the Indian economy are influenced by global volatility indices (fear index). This study evaluates the influence of various global implied volatility indices in forecasting the day-to-day binary movements in the implied volatility index of India, denoted by the symbol ‘India VIX’. Historical daily data from 18 September, 2009, to 2 December, 2021, was acquired, and the target labels were created from changes in the India VIX. A set of classifiers, consisting of Logistic Regression, Random Forest and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XG Boost), were applied to rank the feature variables according to their importance. This study revealed that India’s VIX was impacted most by the previous day’s changes in the closing value of the US implied volatility indices, except for the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) Eurocurrency volatility index. Additionally, the Eurozone implied volatility index was also important. However, the implied volatility indices of Australian Hang Seng and Japan were the least important. This study’s outcomes help Indian traders in creating a watch list of important volatility indices.
A Modified Single-Frequency PPP Method for the Positioning and Time Transfer with BDS-3
Authors: Ouyang Mingjun , Zhu Xiangwei , Li Junzhi , Liu Yang
Published: November 2022

In this paper, time–frequency transfer and positioning experiments with signal coexistence in the BDS system were conducted using the four types of open service signals of the BDS-3 satellite (B1I, B1C, B2a, and B3I), as well as the B2I signals broadcast by the BDS-2 satellites. The experiments used the single-frequency PPP (precise point positioning) method. The experiment validated a modified version of the group and phase ionospheric correction (GRAPHIC) technique. The results demonstrate that, with a single frequency, 18 selected stations may provide positioning results accurate to within a few decimeters. The positioning accuracy of five frequencies signals is improved by 40.4%, 32.2%, 80.3%, 12.4%, and 10.3% when compared to the positioning accuracy of the same signals when using the general observation approach. Currently, the frequency stability may be as precise as dual frequencies with BDS.
Test–Retest Reliability of Task Performance for Golf Swings of Medium- to High-Handicap Players
Authors: Villarrasa-Sapiña Israel , Ortega-Benavent Nuria , Monfort-Torres Gonzalo , Ramon-Llin Jesús , García-Massó Xavier
Published: November 2022

Background: Golf swing performance in medium- to high-handicap players must be reliably measured to use this variable in both research studies and in applied settings. Nevertheless, there are no studies published on this topic and test–retest evidence is only available for low-handicap players. The aim of this study was to determine the number of attempts necessary to obtain a reliable measurement protocol for swing performance variables in medium- to high-handicap players. Methods: Ten amateur players (55.67 (13.64) years, 78.4 (11.4) kg, 1.75 (7.95) m) took part in a test–retest study in two experimental sessions one week apart. In each one, fifteen swings with a six iron and a driver were evaluated with a 3D Doppler tracking golf radar. Results: The results showed that variables related to side carry could not be reliably measured in medium- to high-handicap players in only fifteen trials (ICC < 0.26, SEM > 12.05 m and MDC > 33.41 m). The rest of the performance variables related to the club and ball trajectories could be reliably measured with a 3D Doppler radar with between seven and ten swings. Conclusions: At least seven swings are recommended for the driver and ten for the six iron to measure golf swing performance.
Attention-Based Scene Text Detection on Dual Feature Fusion
Authors: Li Yuze , Silamu Wushour , Wang Zhenchao , Xu Miaomiao
Published: November 2022

The segmentation-based scene text detection algorithm has advantages in scene text detection scenarios with arbitrary shape and extreme aspect ratio, depending on its pixel-level description and fine post-processing. However, the insufficient use of semantic and spatial information in the network limits the classification and positioning capabilities of the network. Existing scene text detection methods have the problem of losing important feature information in the process of extracting features from each network layer. To solve this problem, the Attention-based Dual Feature Fusion Model (ADFM) is proposed. The Bi-directional Feature Fusion Pyramid Module (BFM) first adds stronger semantic information to the higher-resolution feature maps through a top-down process and then reduces the aliasing effects generated by the previous process through a bottom-up process to enhance the representation of multi-scale text semantic information. Meanwhile, a position-sensitive Spatial Attention Module (SAM) is introduced in the intermediate process of two-stage feature fusion. It focuses on the one feature map with the highest resolution and strongest semantic features generated in the top-down process and weighs the spatial position weight by the relevance of text features, thus improving the sensitivity of the text detection network to text regions. The effectiveness of each module of ADFM was verified by ablation experiments and the model was compared with recent scene text detection methods on several publicly available datasets.
SOCRATES: Introducing Depth in Visual Wildlife Monitoring Using Stereo Vision
Authors: Haucke Timm , Kühl Hjalmar S. , Steinhage Volker
Published: November 2022

The development and application of modern technology are an essential basis for the efficient monitoring of species in natural habitats to assess the change of ecosystems, species communities and populations, and in order to understand important drivers of change. For estimating wildlife abundance, camera trapping in combination with three-dimensional (3D) measurements of habitats is highly valuable. Additionally, 3D information improves the accuracy of wildlife detection using camera trapping. This study presents a novel approach to 3D camera trapping featuring highly optimized hardware and software. This approach employs stereo vision to infer the 3D information of natural habitats and is designated as StereO CameRA Trap for monitoring of biodivErSity (SOCRATES). A comprehensive evaluation of SOCRATES shows not only a 3.23% improvement in animal detection (bounding box mAP75), but also its superior applicability for estimating animal abundance using camera trap distance sampling. The software and documentation of SOCRATES is openly provided.
Matrix-Assisted 1H DOSY Applied to Flavonoid Analysis in Scutellaria baicalensis
Authors: You Yulin , Guo Dongxiao , Cui Weiliang , Wang Zhifan , Yang Chunguo , Lin Yongqiang , Wang Shuqi
Published: November 2022

Matrix-assisted diffusion-ordered spectroscopy (MA DOSY) technology enables efficient the virtual separation of components in a mixture according to their coefficients (D). In the current research, MA DOSY technology was applied for the analysis of a flavonoid mixture. To establish the method, five representative active flavonoid ingredients, including baicalein, baicalin, quercetin, puerarin and rutinum, were selected for the mixture model. The effects of the type and concentration of the matrix, solvent polarity, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experimental conditions on the resolution of the DOSY spectrum were investigated. It turned out that sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) showed the best performance in increasing the resolution of different analytes, which initially increased to the peak below the added amount of 9 mg, and decreased upon the addition of more SDS. In addition, the five flavonoids showed higher resolution in DMSO–d6 than in MeOD. Experimental parameters of DOSY, including the number of scans (NS), dummy scans (DS), and value of the FID data points (TD), were also optimized. Finally, the above optimized method was used for the qualitative analysis of the total flavonoid mixture extracted from Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi. A total of nine compounds were identified and confirmed by comparing them with mass spectrometry data, which further verifies the practical value of this method upon analyzing flavonoid mixtures and provides some reference significance for the follow-up research.
Stress among Students and Difficulty with Time Management: A Study at the University of Galați in Romania
Authors: Lovin Daniel , Bernardeau-Moreau Denis
Published: November 2022

Stress is a defining trait of our modern societies. The correlations between economic and social developments and the state of ill-being of populations have long been demonstrated. Today, negative environmental factors such as climate change, war and health crises have consequences on populations. Regardless of gender or age, more and more people are suffering from stress, of which there are many effects. According to studies, stress is an emotional response resulting from human–environmental interaction. They define stress as a state of discomfort and tension caused by external factors. This author believes that stress has a negative impact, which leads to frustration and increased difficulty in addressing issues. Authors describes stress as a physical and psychological state experienced by someone facing a real or potential. For students, stress can be caused by a number of factors. Some of these may include how the university functions, exam periods, relationships with teachers, the pressure that parents put on academic achievement, competition with other students, financial problems, uncertainty about the future, and lack of self-confidence. Symptoms of stress are now well identified. Students suffering from stress report feeling unhappy, having stomach pains, difficulty relaxing and sleeping, mental health problems, and even depression. When it comes to stress, Romanian students are no exception, especially because of the particularly volatile situation faced by the nation. The country has high immigration of skilled and qualified labour, inflation, and depreciation of the national currency. Students also claim to be stressed by the challenges of student life and the demands of the working world. They have a constant fear of failure and doubt themselves, their academic skills, and success in their careers after graduating. Our sociological study aims to deepen our knowledge in this field in Romania. In an already anxious context, it successively examines stress factors, symptoms experienced by students, conditions for organising studies, and ways to improve students’ quality of life. To conduct our study, we sampled students at the Dunărea de Jos University of Galați. We analysed 151 questionnaires sent to a sample of students listed in various first-year university courses. The results of this survey ultimately allow us to better identify the time-related, financial, and social factors of stress and the resulting symptoms. It is very clear that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a detrimental effect on this already fragile young population. Our study is also an opportunity to discuss ways to better manage student stress.
Parents’ Perspectives on Children’s Independent Mobility in Selected Rural Towns in South Africa: A Human Capabilities Perspective
Authors: Rachel Chinyakata , Roman Nicolette Vanessa , Vickerman Shelley Ann , Donga Gift Taruwandira
Published: November 2022

A child’s independent mobility is essential to their social, emotional physical, and cognitive development and provides children the opportunity to explore and experience their environment. The freedom of free movement and security from all forms of harm is necessary for achieving the capability of bodily integrity which is one of the essential capabilities necessary for well-being. Despite this, research on child independent mobility in Africa remains limited. Hence, this paper focuses on parents’ perspectives on children’s independent mobility in rural towns in South Africa to understand the factors that enhance or impede children’s independent mobility. This is essential in suggesting guidelines and recommendations to promote the independent mobility of children in South Africa. A qualitative methodology was used as the research approach to guide the collection and analysis of the data. Data were collected from a sample of parents in the community and thematically analysed in ATLAS.ti. From this study, it can be noted that parents were not comfortable with the independent movement of their children due to the issues of safety around the community. This led to the restricted movement of children, supervised movements, accompaniment of children to school, and organising transport to ferry children to and from school. This study, therefore, calls for the involvement of stakeholders from various levels to develop and implement strategies to promote safe and child-friendly environments in the community. This is essential in enhancing and restoring a child’s independent mobility.
Creating Monetary Collaborative Spaces for Social and Ecological Transformation
Authors: Gelleri Christian
Published: November 2022

Complementary currencies have spread to many places around the world at the beginning of the 21st century. Creating sustainable economic cycles and short transport routes are often the goals of introducing them. Due to their manageability, regional currencies can be embedded in debates of regional economics and sustainability. Above all, they are suitable for democratic experiments that can show in real environments whether currency designs work as examples of collaborative communities and research. One of these monetary experiments is the climate bonus, which is linked to the local currency Chiemgauer. The research path goes into the daily routine of a real laboratory to find out which methods would be effective enough to deliver carbon savings. The climate bonus creates a monetary network where people can try out new behaviors in a protected space. As a result, three years after the initiation of the project, carbon reductions are above expectations.
Risks in the Role of Co-Creating the Future of Tourism in “Stigmatized” Destinations
Authors: Gajić Tamara , Vukolić Dragan , Petrović Marko D. , Blešić Ivana , Zrnić Miloš , Cvijanović Drago , Sekulić Dejan , Spasojević Ana , Obradović Maja , Obradović Ana , Savić Ilija , Jovanović Jasmina M. , Gajić Mirjana , Lukić Dobrila , Anđelković Željko
Published: November 2022

The primary goal of this paper was to investigate the strength of the influence of different types of risk on the travelers’ intention to visit destinations in future, that are, prejudiced due to COVID-19, marked as “stigmatized”, “isolated”, or “risky destinations”. Field interview research was conducted at the “Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport” (Serbia). The results obtained by multiple regression analysis showed that all types of risks influenced the intention of travelers, with financial risk showing a more significant impact. Canonical discriminant analysis indicated that men were most afraid of human induced risk, service quality risk, natural disaster and COVID-19 risk, and they chose safer destinations. Among the women, the biggest fear was financial risk, socio-psychological risk, and food safety risk. Older respondents and those under the influence of external factors decided on safer destinations, while financial status did not play a significant role in predicting the choice of destination. The selection of the destination according to the degree of security was determined by the ordinal regression methodology. The entire research presents a certain novelty, because so far in the numerous studies on the topic of the negative consequences of COVID-19 on tourism, there has been no discussion of stigmatized or risky destinations that received that epithet, and were therefore negatively and unfairly marked in the minds of tourists for future visits.
Exploring the Asymmetrical Influence of Economic Growth, Oil Price, Consumer Price Index and Industrial Production on the Trade Deficit in China
Authors: Pan Liurong , Amin Asad , Zhu Nian , Chandio Abbas Ali , Naminse Eric Yaw , Shah Aadil Hameed
Published: November 2022

The present study intends to scrutinize the asymmetrical influence of economic growth, industrial production, CPI (consumer price index) and oil price on the trade deficit for the People’s Republic of China’s economy. The Toda–Yamamoto causality, non-linear ARDL method, and quarterly data for 1995Q1 to 2021Q4 have been utilized to investigate the results. The estimated results confirm the uni-directional causality and presence of non-linear co-integration among variables under discussion. However, bound test analysis also reveals the long-run asymmetrical association among TD (trade deficit), IP (industrial production), oil price, and GDP growth, but not the CPI (consumer price index). Further, long-run asymmetrical outcomes highlight that a decrease (increase) in industrial production and an increase (decrease) in oil price and GDP growth rate increase (decrease) the trade deficit. Short-run asymmetrical outcomes reveal a similar trend to the long run, but the impact of all variables in the short run is insignificant, which means that linkages between the trade deficit and the explanatory variables are a long-run phenomenon in People’s Republic of China. Thus, in terms of policy, to reduce the trade deficit, it is necessary to focus on attaining standardized GDP growth, increasing industrial-sector production using advanced technology, and replacing oil-using energy sources with green technology (solar panels, wind farm energy).
Research on Attention Allocation of Land Policy System Reform: A Comparative Analysis Based on Central No. 1 Documents of China
Authors: Hu Zhenhua , Jin Shanshan , Hu Ziyue , Lin Degen
Published: November 2022

Dealing with relationships on farmland is one of the most important issues in China. Since its reform and opening up, the policies of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on “agriculture, rural areas, and farmers” have been embodied in the Central No. 1 document. The documents, which represent the purpose of China, reveal the strategic direction and development ideas of the state. Based on Central No. 1 documents published by the Central Committee of the CPC, and using the attention theory from psychology, we proposed PAI and PAD indicators to express the Central Committee of the CPC’s concern and direction on agriculture, and then measured the change in attention allocation of the Central Committee of the CPC’s land policy, as well as what is “new” in the land policy system. Results showed that: First, the attention allocation of the Central Committee of the CPC’s land policy (PAI) shows a wave-like upward trend from 3.9% to 5%, and has gone through the stage of contracting management to benefit people’s livelihoods and liberate productivity, the stage of allocating land resource elements under scientific use control, and the stage of expanding power and enabling capacity to promote the modernization of land management. Second, the policy attention direction (PAD) has experienced a process from the early focus on the release of land factor productivity to the optimal allocation of land factor resources and then to the modernization of land management. Third, the scope of attention allocation is gradually expanding, especially for the construction of ecological civilization and promotion of the modernization of land management. To be specific, it is necessary to reasonably arrange the overall planning of China’s land policy system based on the actual situation, and to clarify and optimize the development direction and the proportion of attention allocation in its subdivision fields. The intention to be the first to push forward the implementation of the relevant policies and pilot issues of land governance modernization will become the new trend of the future research. Based on the actual situation, we should continue to emancipate prevailing perceptions and combine the focus of rural land reform to inject vitality into rural development and into the development of the whole economy and society.
Carbon Emission Measurement and Influencing Factors of China’s Beef Cattle Industry from a Whole Industry Chain Perspective
Authors: Sun Yumeng , Yang Chun , Wang Mingli , Xiong Xuezhen , Long Xuefen
Published: November 2022

The beef cattle industry is pivotal in China’s livestock industry and is important for meeting people’s needs for a better life in the new era. It is strategically important for prospering the frontier, enriching people, and revitalizing the countryside. Because of the national “double carbon” target, there will be an impact on the development of the meat cattle industry, which has a relatively high carbon emission level. The scientific measurement of carbon emission levels in the beef cattle industry, clarifying its main impact factors, are particularly critical. This study measured the carbon emissions from China’s beef cattle industry from 2008 to 2020, using provincial data and the life cycle method, and investigated its influencing factors using a spatial econometric model. The study is of great practical significance for accurately understanding the carbon emissions of the beef cattle industry and for promoting low carbon emission reductions and the transformational development of the beef cattle industry.
Implementation and Sustainability Assessment of a Public Procurement Strategy
Authors: Benchekroun Houda Taoudi , Benmamoun Zoubida , Hachimi Hanaa
Published: November 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic crisis marks a rare example of a supply disruption that had a devastating effect on the global economy. The vaccine has then been considered to be an effective long-term solution. The particularity of the supply chain of the COVID-19 vaccine is that the procurement is made by government agencies directly from the manufacturers, thus bypassing the typical vaccine supply chain of distributors and wholesalers. The first purpose of this paper is to further understand the public procurement strategies (PPSs) for the COVID-19 vaccine in a pandemic situation, using a methodology that brings together Kraljic’s purchasing portfolio model, Porter’s five forces analysis and a multi-attribute decision making method. The second aim is to evaluate the sustainability of a PPS, using the sustainable development analytical grid (SDAG), an analytical tool that addresses six dimensions: ecological, social, economic, ethical, cultural and governance. To assess the effectiveness of the methodology, we consider Morocco, an emergent country, as a case study. It results that Morocco’s approach is in line with the theoretical strategy: diversification and bringing the production in house. The sustainability assessment shows that the PPS covers the six dimensions, but considering the urge for an economic and social recovery, some sustainable development objectives are to be prioritized.
Bio-Mediated Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles through Tea Residue: Ecosynthesis, Characterizations, and Biological Efficiencies
Authors: Mathizhagan Tamil Elakkiya , Subramaniyan Vijayakumar , Renganathan Sangeetha , Elavarasan Vidhya , Subramaniyan Prathipkumar , Vijayakumar Sekar
Published: November 2022

Recent advances in nanotechnology have placed a major emphasis on environmentally friendly processes that encourage sustainable growth by using moderate reaction conditions and non-toxic precursors. In the present study, a simple, inventive, and affordable green technique was applied to generate bio-augmented ZnO nanoparticles using an aqueous extract of tea residue as a reducing and stabilizing component. Numerous methods, including UV-Vis, XRD, FT-IR, FE-SEM with EDAX and TEM were used to analyze ZnO nanoparticles that were generated. The antimicrobial capabilities of biomediated ZnO nanoparticles against pathogenic organisms were examined using an agar well method. 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT assay) and flow cytometry analysis was utilized to explore cytotoxic effects and apoptosis, and methylene blue dye was used to examine photocatalytic activity. The ZnO nanoparticles demonstrated considerable anticancer activity in human lung cancer cells (A549) as well as highly effective antibacterial activity against several different microbial pathogens. Furthermore, the greatest degradation percentage of methylene blue obtained was found to be 86% after 140 min. Therefore, it is concluded that the chosen nanoparticle combination enhanced antimicrobial, anticancer and photocatalytic activities. The combination may represent a useful tool for removing dye pollution from wastewater and, ideally, be used in the pharmaceutical sector to combat lung cancer.
Evaluation Cloud Model of Spontaneous Combustion Fire Risk in Coal Mines by Fusing Interval Gray Number and DEMATEL
Authors: Xu Kun , Li Shuang , Liu Jiao , Lu Cheng , Xue Guangzhe , Xu Zhengquan , He Chao
Published: November 2022

Coal still occupies a key position in China’s energy consumption structure, and ensuring safe production in coal mines is a key focus for ensuring energy security. Spontaneous combustion fires in coal mines are a serious threat to the sustainability of safe production in coal mines. In order to prevent coal mine fire risk scientifically and effectively and to assess the level of disaster risk effectively and rationally, a study was conducted on the risk of spontaneous combustion fires in underground coal mines. An evaluation cloud model of spontaneous combustion fire risk in coal mines integrating the interval gray number with the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) was established. Seventeen representative risk evaluation indicators were selected, and a coal mine spontaneous combustion fire risk evaluation index system was constructed based on four aspects: personnel, machinery, environment, and management. The interval gray number theory was introduced to improve the classical DEMATEL analysis method, which fully expresses the expert empirical knowledge and solves the problem of ambiguity and randomness in the semantic expression of expert evaluation. The relative importance of each indicator was determined by analyzing the influence relationships between risk evaluation indicators through the improved DEMATEL. A cloud model capable of transforming quantitative descriptions and qualitative concepts was used for comprehensive evaluation of risk, and based on the results of DEMATEL analysis, a comprehensive evaluation cloud model of coal mine spontaneous combustion fire risk was formed. Finally, the validity and practicality of the model were verified by using a mine in Shenmu City, Shaanxi Province, China as an example. This study provides a powerful tool to prevent spontaneous combustion fires in coal mines and makes a positive contribution to the sustainable development of coal mine safety management.
Circular Economy and Information Technologies: Identifying and Ranking the Factors of Successful Practices
Authors: Naveed Wishal , Ammouriova Majsa , Naveed Noman , Juan Angel A.
Published: November 2022

Optimal resource utilization and sustainability are gaining importance in the last decades, raising awareness about the circular economy principles. The transition toward the circular economy demands appropriate culture, environment and technology. The developments in information and communication technologies could form the base for these requirements. Our study targets identifying factors that affect the implementation of circular economy principles. In addition, the role of information technologies in their implementation is targeted. A structured literature review was conducted to define these factors. These factors are categorized into four categories: cultural, automation, sharing, and measurement. The importance of these factors is ranked based on a questionnaire. The results show that the found factors are considered success factors in implementing circular economy practices. With respect to categories, the highest impact was noticed by the cultural category, emphasizing the impact of human factor, relations, and communication on the success of circular economy policies. In addition, factors related to appropriate infrastructure and data collection support the transition toward circular economy.
Probing Determinants Affecting Intention to Adopt Cloud Technology in E-Government Systems
Authors: Abied Osama , Ibrahim Othman , Kamal Siti Nuur-Ila Mat , Alfadli Ibrahim M. , Binjumah Weam M. , Ithnin Norafida , Nasser Maged
Published: November 2022

Adopting e-government services presents numerous challenges for governmental sectors in developing countries. These problems can fail some projects involving e-government. Therefore, a solution is required to address these problems. This paper presents a conceptual model and measurement to identify crucial factors that impact cloud computing technology in e-government to address the issues with e-government. According to the recent studies on technology adoption models, a theoretical model is proposed in this study. Extracting items from the literature and adapting them, creates the measurement scales for the proposed model’s structures. Through the use of face validity, pre-testing, and a pilot study, the authors confirm the scales’ content validity and reliability. The data used for this study were collected by the authors from 40 information technology IT professionals for the pilot study in the top 10 government departments in Libya who are responsible for many IT decisions in e-government. In this study, the authors first examine the reliability of the scale using Cronbach’s alpha and perform exploratory factor analysis to assess the scales’ validity. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings demonstrate that the scale measurements satisfy the standard requirements for the validity and reliability According to previous studies on cloud computing adoption from the IS perspectives, this paper theoretically provides a combination model for investigating the cloud-based implementation services to provide a more comprehensive model and the objective is to develop an empirical instrument for analyzing countries’ e-government adoption of cloud computing.
Tilt Angle and Orientation Assessment of Photovoltaic Thermal (PVT) System for Sub-Saharan Tropical Regions: Case Study Douala, Cameroon
Authors: Ekoe A Akata Aloys Martial , Njomo Donatien , Agrawal Basant , Mackpayen Auguste , Ali Abdel-Hamid Mahamat
Published: November 2022

Photovoltaic systems when integrated into a building structure can satisfy the world’s energy requirements at a competitive cost by providing onsite electrical and thermal energies for domestic appliances. The energy yield of the photovoltaic system is affected by the intensity of the solar radiation, wind speed, tilt angle, orientation, geographical location, etc. This paper presents an optimisation model of the tilt angle and orientation of a photovoltaic thermal system. A methodology has been developed to optimize the tilted angle of the roof for higher exergy output taking into account the intensity of solar radiation, wind speed, geographical location, cost of cleaning dust, etc. For a system installed in the city of Douala, Cameroon, it is recommended that the PV should be inclined at an angle between 10° and 20° south-facing for economical output. The cost per unit of electricity between the tilt inclination angles from 0° to 20° with south orientation is USD 0.04 per kWh. The cost of electricity loss due to a 20° tilt inclination angle can be compensated with the labour cost and work required for cleaning the photovoltaic thermal (PVT) system of the horizontal roof. The system installed over an effective area of 8 m2 is capable of producing annual net exergy of 2195.81 kWh/year at an efficiency of 11.8%.
Analysis of the Eurozone’s Resilience to Crises and Disturbances in the Context of EU Development Strategies—Contemporary Approach Using Anfis
Authors: Brlečić Valčić Sonja , Peša Anita , Čičin-Šain Dijana
Published: November 2022

In the context of the capability of economies to adapt their strategies in response to changing economic circumstances, this paper examines the resilience to crises and disturbances of Eurozone member countries in accordance with the priorities and strategies of the European Commission for development. Given that significant discrepancies were noted in the success of the growth of developed economies in the years after the last financial crisis, i.e., the resilience of economies to recover from the crisis, 25 variables of interest were selected for analysis in accordance with the European development guidelines. The selected variables have been classified into clusters using a dendrogram, and the set of variables in the formed clusters were then analyzed using the Adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS). The conducted analysis highlighted the importance of parameters such as energy imports dependency, real GDP per capita, share of trade with the EU27, gross domestic expenditure on R&D and trade volume indices, and they served as output variables in the observed models. While based on the previously performed clusters, these other parameters have been classified into clusters of prominent variables of importance. The conducted analysis can be used to determine investment priorities in terms of strengthening the resilience of the Eurozone.
Modified RMR Rock Mass Classification System for Preliminary Selection of Potential Sites of High-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Engineering
Authors: Tong Yue , Yue Yao , Huang Zhongkai , Zhu Liping , Li Zhihou , Zhang Wei
Published: November 2022

This paper proposed a modified Rock Mass Rating (RMR) system, the RMRHLW system, for evaluating the rock quality of High-level Radioactive Waste (HLW) geological disposal engineering. Some salient factors, including the weakening of groundwater and temperature on the uniaxial compressive strength, the continuity of index values, the geostress, the rock permeability, and the groundwater chemical properties, were further incorporated based on the widely used RMR system. The proposed RMRHLW system was then verified by the case study of selection of nine candidate sites for HLW disposal engineering in China. The results indicated that the rock quality of the Xinchang site was the best and ranked as the most appropriate site, while the Jiujing site ranked the worst. Compared with the traditional RMR system, the proposed RMRHLW system can further consider crucial factors related to the long-term safety of HLW disposal and better reflect the differences between the potential sites. It can facilitate engineers to preliminarily evaluate the rock quality of the potential sites for High-level Radioactive Waste geological disposal engineering.
Maintaining Quality of Life during the Pandemic: Managing Economic, Social, and Health Well-Being Amid the COVID-19 Crisis of Agricultural Entrepreneurs
Authors: Cheng Yi , Nadeem Muhammad , Haq Shamsheer ul , Prisca Kyalisiima , Aziz Babar , Imran Muhammad , Shahbaz Pomi
Published: November 2022

Every sphere of life is being impacted by COVID-19, but little is known about how the pandemic is affecting agricultural entrepreneurs’ quality of life in developing nations. Therefore, this study examined how COVID-19 affected agricultural entrepreneurs’ quality of life by utilizing the data collected from 220 females and 1501 males through multistage purposive and random sampling methods. The dataset was analyzed using ordered logistic regression and principal component analysis. The study results indicated that female agricultural entrepreneurs’ quality of life was more adversely affected than that of male agricultural entrepreneurs during COVID-19. The findings also showed that male and female agricultural entrepreneurs with a lower socioeconomic status were more severely impacted than male and female agricultural entrepreneurs with a higher socioeconomic status. More female agricultural entrepreneurs compared to males reported that the pandemic had a negative impact on their mental health. More than two-thirds of both male and female agricultural entrepreneurs reported that the pandemic had a negative impact on their ability to purchase both food and non-food items. Similar to this, a sizable majority of people of both sexes stated that COVID-19 had an impact on their ability to access medical facilities. The results also showed that COVID-19 had a greater impact on married agricultural entrepreneurs’ quality of life than on single people. Therefore, a paradigm shift in agricultural policy is required for the pandemic response to account for COVID-19’s various effects on different genders and socioeconomic groups in rural areas.
Effects of the Numerical Values of the Parameters in the Gielis Equation on Its Geometries
Authors: Wang Lin , Ratkowsky David A. , Gielis Johan , Ricci Paolo Emilio , Shi Peijian
Published: November 2022

The Lamé curve is an extension of an ellipse, the latter being a special case. Dr. Johan Gielis further extended the Lamé curve in the polar coordinate system by introducing additional parameters (n1, n2, n3; m): rφ=1Acosm4φn2+1Bsinm4φn3−1/n1, which can be applied to model natural geometries. Here, r is the polar radius corresponding to the polar angle φ; A, B, n1, n2 and n3 are parameters to be estimated; m is the positive real number that determines the number of angles of the Gielis curve. Most prior studies on the Gielis equation focused mainly on its applications. However, the Gielis equation can also generate a large number of shapes that are rotationally symmetric and axisymmetric when A = B and n2 = n3, interrelated with the parameter m, with the parameters n1 and n2 determining the shapes of the curves. In this paper, we prove the relationship between m and the rotational symmetry and axial symmetry of the Gielis curve from a theoretical point of view with the condition A = B, n2 = n3. We also set n1 and n2 to take negative real numbers rather than only taking positive real numbers, then classify the curves based on extremal properties of r(φ) at φ = 0, π/m when n1 and n2 are in different intervals, and analyze how n1, n2 precisely affect the shapes of Gielis curves.
A Construction and Empirical Study of Quality Management Evaluation Index System in the Internet of Things Industry
Authors: Shang Meng , Lee Chulwoo , Cao Junwei , Liu Yu
Published: November 2022

A revised version of the ISO9001:2015 quality management system is an indispensable element for a corporation to survive against the severe competition and maintain sustainable, competitive superiority, as well as a new outlook. With this in mind, the first purpose of this research was to seek customer satisfaction through the continuous improvement of the organization in the IoT industry. Furthermore, it aimed to lay a foundation for a preemptive response and formulate a management strategy regarding the continuity of the business. Simultaneously, we explored whether the scale items of the lower-ranking level resulting from the latent variables in the main provision of the revised edition are the variables that can sufficiently explain the latent variables. Furthermore, the statistical programs of the SPSS22.0 and the AMOS18.0 were utilized for analysis. The results demonstrated that corporations can achieve customer satisfaction through continuous improvements concerning the successful introduction and conversion of the new quality management system. It was confirmed that the core variables of the revised edition sufficiently explained the latent variables. Consequently, it is imperative to understand the latent risks from the internal and external environments surrounding the organization and formulate the short-term and long-term strategies of the organization on the part of a corporation.
Critical Review of the Recent Literature on Organic Byproducts in E-Cigarette Aerosol Emissions
Authors: Soulet Sebastien , Sussman Roberto A.
Published: November 2022

We review the literature on laboratory studies quantifying the production of potentially toxic organic byproducts (carbonyls, carbon monoxide, free radicals and some nontargeted compounds) in e-cigarette (EC) aerosol emissions, focusing on the consistency between their experimental design and a realistic usage of the devices, as determined by the power ranges of an optimal regime fulfilling a thermodynamically efficient process of aerosol generation that avoids overheating and “dry puffs”. The majority of the reviewed studies failed in various degrees to comply with this consistency criterion or supplied insufficient information to verify it. Consequently, most of the experimental outcomes and risk assessments are either partially or totally unreliable and/or of various degrees of questionable relevance to end users. Studies testing the devices under reasonable approximation to realistic conditions detected levels of all organic byproducts that are either negligible or orders of magnitude lower than in tobacco smoke. Our review reinforces the pressing need to update and improve current laboratory standards by an appropriate selection of testing parameters and the logistical incorporation of end users in the experimental design.