bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Highly Sensitive and Ecologically Sustainable Reversed-Phase HPTLC Method for the Determination of Hydroquinone in Commercial Whitening Creams
Authors: Alqarni Mohammed H. , Alam Prawez , Shakeel Faiyaz , Foudah Ahmed I. , Alshehri Sultan
Published: September 2021

Hydroquinone (HDQ) is a natural depigmenting agent, which is commonly used in skin-toning preparations. The safety and greenness of analytical methods of HDQ quantification were not considered in previous literature. Therefore, a highly sensitive and ecologically greener reversed-phase high-performance thin-layer chromatography (RP-HPTLC)-based assay was established for HDQ estimation in four different commercial whitening creams (CWCs). The binary ethanol–water (60:40, v·v−1) mixture was utilized as the green solvent system. The estimation of HDQ was carried out at 291 nm. The present RP-HPTLC-based assay was linear in the 20–2400 ng band−1 range. The present analytical method was highly sensitive based on the detection and quantification data. The other validation parameters, such as accuracy, precision, and robustness, were also suitable for the determination of HDQ. Maximum HDQ quantities were obtained in CWC A (1.23% w·w−1) followed by CWC C (0.81% w·w−1), CWC D (0.43% w·w−1), and CWC B (0.37% w·w−1). The analytical GREEnness (AGREE) score for the present analytical method was estimated as 0.91, indicating the excellent greener characteristics of the present RP-HPTLC assay. These results suggest that the present analytical method is highly sensitive and ecologically sustainable for the quantitation of HDQ in its commercial formulations.
Saints, Sacred Trees, and Snakes: Popular Religion, Hierotopy, Byzantine Culture, and Insularity in Cyprus during the Long Middle Ages
Authors: Kyriacou Chrysovalantis
Published: September 2021

The holiness of sacred spaces is expressed through the creative synthesis and performance of different symbolic or iconic elements. This article concentrates on the medieval church of Ayios Iakovos in Nicosia, Cyprus. Dedicated to Saint James the Persian, the church became, by the 1600s, a shared shrine for Christians of different denominations (Orthodox, Maronites, and Latins) and Muslims. The aim of this article is to investigate in an interdisciplinary way the formation, adaptation, and negotiation of insular religious identities in relation to Ayios Iakovos’ hierotopy, official and popular religious practices, and the appropriation of Byzantine culture. The components in the creation of this sacred space reflect long-term contact between Cyprus and Greater Syria, constructing an inclusive religious environment with its own insular characteristics. It will be argued that these characteristics were shaped by global, regional, and local developments, including trade, pilgrimage, war, and environmental changes. Being in dialogue with recent scholarship on mixed sacred sites, this case study stresses the importance of interconnectivity and mobility in the creation of shared places of worship. It also shows that phenomena of religious co-existence and syncretism do not always result in homogenisation but maintain distinct group identities.
Evaluation of a Method for Calculating the Height of the Stable Boundary Layer Based on Wind Profile Lidar and Turbulent Fluxes
Authors: Sun Haijiong , Shi Hongrong , Chen Hongyan , Tang Guiqian , Sheng Chen , Che Ke , Chen Hongbin
Published: September 2021

The height of the stable boundary layer (SBL), known as the nocturnal boundary layer height, is controlled by numerous factors of different natures. The SBL height defines the state of atmospheric turbulence and describes the diffusion capacity of the atmosphere. Therefore, it is unsurprising that many alternative (sometimes contradictory) formulations for the SBL height have been proposed to date, and no consensus has been achieved. In our study, we propose an iterative algorithm to determine the SBL height h based on the flux–profile relationship using wind profiles and turbulent fluxes. This iterative algorithm can obtain temporally continuous, accurate estimates of h and is widely applicable. The predicted h presents relatively good agreement with four observation-derived SBL heights, hJ, h1, hi, and hθ (hJ: maximum wind speed height, h1: zero wind shear height, hi: temperature inversion height, and hθ: height at which 0.8 times the inversion strength appears for the first time), especially with hθ, which shows the best fit. In addition, h exhibits a low absolute difference and relative difference with hJ, which presents the second-best result. The agreement with hi and h1 may be satisfactory, but small differences are observed, and the one standard deviation of the mean relative difference is large. In addition, the predicted h is compared with other SBL height estimation methods, including diagnostic, λ1, λ2 and λ3 (three typical dimensional scale height parameters) and prognostic equation-based methods, λ(h) (an equation for the growth of h developed). The diagnostic formulas are found to be appropriate, especially under extremely stable conditions. Additionally, the equation of λ3 presents the best result of all the dimensional scale height parameters. However, the prognostic equation λ(h) in our study is very unsatisfactory.
Regarding Some Pitfalls in Urban Heat Island Studies Using Remote Sensing Technology
Authors: Parlow Eberhard
Published: September 2021

This paper attempts to illustrate the complexity of thermal infrared (TIR) data analysis for urban heat island studies. While a certain shift regarding the use of correct scientific nomenclature (using the term “surface urban heat island”) could be observed, the literature is full of incorrect conclusions and results using erroneous terminology. This seems to be the result of the ease of such literature implicitly suggesting that “warm surfaces” result in “high air temperatures”, ultimately drawing conclusions for urban planning authorities. It seems that the UHI is easy to measure, easy to explain, easy to find, and easy to illustrate—simply take a TIR-image. Due to this apparent simplicity, many authors seem to jump into UHI studies without fully understanding the nature of the phenomenon as far as time and spatial scales, physical processes, and the numerous methodological pitfalls inherent to UHI studies are concerned. This paper attempts to point out some of the many pitfalls in UHI studies, beginning with a proper correction of longwave emission data, the consideration of the source area of a thermal signal in an urban system—which is predominantly at the roof level—demonstrating the physics and interactions of radiation and heat fluxes, especially in relation to the importance of urban storage heat flux, and ending with an examination of examples from the Basel study area in Switzerland. Attention is then turned to the analysis of spatially distributed net radiation in the day- and at nighttime as a minimum requirement for urban heat island studies. The integration of nocturnal TIR images is notably recommended, as satellite data and the UHI-phenomenon cover the same time period.
A Miniaturized Transmitting LPDA Design for 2 MHz–30 MHz Uses
Authors: Zhu Wenjun , Guo Lixin
Published: September 2021

A miniaturized horizontal polarized high frequency transmitting LPDA is presented. In use of the dipole transformation and antenna coefficient optimization methods, a 65% reduction in the size was achieved with the electrical performance kept in a competitive level. Full-wave simulation results showed a stable directional pattern and lower VSWR over the impedance bandwidth of 2 to 30 MHz. The gain bandwidth can reach the range of 4–30 MHz, meanwhile, there is only minor degradation on gain in frequencies under 4 MHz.
Provably Secure Three-Factor-Based Mutual Authentication Scheme with PUF for Wireless Medical Sensor Networks
Authors: Kwon DeokKyu , Park YoHan , Park YoungHo
Published: September 2021

Wireless medical sensor networks (WMSNs) are used in remote medical service environments to provide patients with convenient healthcare services. In a WMSN environment, patients wear a device that collects their health information and transmits the information via a gateway. Then, doctors make a diagnosis regarding the patient, utilizing the health information. However, this information can be vulnerable to various security attacks because the information is exchanged via an insecure channel. Therefore, a secure authentication scheme is necessary for WMSNs. In 2021, Masud et al. proposed a lightweight and anonymity-preserving user authentication scheme for healthcare environments. We discover that Masud et al.’s scheme is insecure against offline password guessing, user impersonation, and privileged insider attacks. Furthermore, we find that Masud et al.’s scheme cannot ensure user anonymity. To address the security vulnerabilities of Masud et al.’s scheme, we propose a three-factor-based mutual authentication scheme with a physical unclonable function (PUF). The proposed scheme is secure against various security attacks and provides anonymity, perfect forward secrecy, and mutual authentication utilizing biometrics and PUF. To prove the security features of our scheme, we analyze the scheme using informal analysis, Burrows–Abadi–Needham (BAN) logic, the Real-or-Random (RoR) model, and Automated Verification of Internet Security Protocols and Applications (AVISPA) simulation. Furthermore, we estimate our scheme’s security features, computation costs, communication costs, and energy consumption compared with the other related schemes. Consequently, we demonstrate that our scheme is suitable for WMSNs.
Dimensioning of Wide-Area Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) System for IoT-Based Automation
Authors: Siddiqui Mushran , Akther Farhana , Rahman Gazi M. E. , Elahi Mohammad Mamun , Mostafa Raqibul , Wahid Khan A.
Published: September 2021

Water, one of the most valuable resources, is underutilized in irrigated rice production. The yield of rice, a staple food across the world, is highly dependent on having proper irrigation systems. Alternate wetting and drying (AWD) is an effective irrigation method mainly used for irrigated rice production. However, unattended, manual, small-scale, and discrete implementations cannot achieve the maximum benefit of AWD. Automation of large-scale (over 1000 acres) implementation of AWD can be carried out using wide-area wireless sensor network (WSN). An automated AWD system requires three different WSNs: one for water level and environmental monitoring, one for monitoring of the irrigation system, and another for controlling the irrigation system. Integration of these three different WSNs requires proper dimensioning of the AWD edge elements (sensor and actuator nodes) to reduce the deployment cost and make it scalable. Besides field-level monitoring, the integration of external control parameters, such as real-time weather forecasts, plant physiological data, and input from farmers, can further enhance the performance of the automated AWD system. Internet of Things (IoT) can be used to interface the WSNs with external data sources. This research focuses on the dimensioning of the AWD system for the multilayer WSN integration and the required algorithms for the closed loop control of the irrigation system using IoT. Implementation of the AWD for 25,000 acres is shown as a possible use case. Plastic pipes are proposed as the means to transport and control proper distribution of water in the field, which significantly helps to reduce conveyance loss. This system utilizes 250 pumps, grouped into 10 clusters, to ensure equal water distribution amongst the users (field owners) in the wide area. The proposed automation algorithm handles the complexity of maintaining proper water pressure throughout the pipe network, scheduling the pump, and controlling the water outlets. Mathematical models are presented for proper dimensioning of the AWD. A low-power and long-range sensor node is developed due to the lack of cellular data coverage in rural areas, and its functionality is tested using an IoT platform for small-scale field trials.
A Novel Automate Python Edge-to-Edge: From Automated Generation on Cloud to User Application Deployment on Edge of Deep Neural Networks for Low Power IoT Systems FPGA-Based Acceleration
Authors: Belabed Tarek , Ramos Gomes da Silva Vitor , Quenon Alexandre , Valderamma Carlos , Souani Chokri
Published: September 2021

Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) deployment for IoT Edge applications requires strong skills in hardware and software. In this paper, a novel design framework fully automated for Edge applications is proposed to perform such a deployment on System-on-Chips. Based on a high-level Python interface that mimics the leading Deep Learning software frameworks, it offers an easy way to implement a hardware-accelerated DNN on an FPGA. To do this, our design methodology covers the three main phases: (a) customization: where the user specifies the optimizations needed on each DNN layer, (b) generation: the framework generates on the Cloud the necessary binaries for both FPGA and software parts, and (c) deployment: the SoC on the Edge receives the resulting files serving to program the FPGA and related Python libraries for user applications. Among the study cases, an optimized DNN for the MNIST database can speed up more than 60× a software version on the ZYNQ 7020 SoC and still consume less than 0.43W. A comparison with the state-of-the-art frameworks demonstrates that our methodology offers the best trade-off between throughput, power consumption, and system cost.
Icing Condition Predictions Using FBGS
Authors: González del Val Miguel , Mora Nogués Julio , García Gallego Paloma , Frövel Malte
Published: September 2021

Icing is a hazard which is important for the aerospace industry and which has grown over the last few years. Developing sensors that can detect the existence not only of standard icing conditions with typically small droplet size, but also of Supercooled Large Droplet (SLD) conditions is one of the most important aims in order to minimize icing hazards in the near future. In the present paper a study of the Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors’ (FBGSs) performance as a flight icing detection system that predicts the conditions of an icing cloud is carried out. The test matrix was performed in the INTA Icing Wind Tunnel (IWT) with several icing conditions including SLD. Two optic fibers with 16 FBGS in total were integrated in the lower and upper surface of an airfoil to measure the temperature all over the chord. The results are compared with a Messinger heat and mass balance model and the measurements of the FBGS are used to predict the Liquid Water Content (LWC) and Ice Accretion Rate (IAR). Finally, the results are evaluated and a sensor assessment is made. A good correlation was observed between theoretical calculations and test results obtained with the FBGS in the IWT tests. FBGS proved to detect the beginning and end of ice accretion, LWC and IAR quickly and with good precision.
Redox Heterogeneity Entangles Soil and Climate Interactions
Authors: Wilmoth Jared L.
Published: September 2021

Interactions between soils and climate impact wider environmental sustainability. Soil heterogeneity intricately regulates these interactions over short spatiotemporal scales and therefore needs to be more finely examined. This paper examines how redox heterogeneity at the level of minerals, microbial cells, organic matter, and the rhizosphere entangles biogeochemical cycles in soil with climate change. Redox heterogeneity is used to develop a conceptual framework that encompasses soil microsites (anaerobic and aerobic) and cryptic biogeochemical cycling, helping to explain poorly understood processes such as methanogenesis in oxygenated soils. This framework is further shown to disentangle global carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pathways that include CO2, CH4, and N2O. Climate-driven redox perturbations are discussed using wetlands and tropical forests as model systems. Powerful analytical methods are proposed to be combined and used more extensively to study coupled abiotic and biotic reactions that are affected by redox heterogeneity. A core view is that emerging and future research will benefit substantially from developing multifaceted analyses of redox heterogeneity over short spatiotemporal scales in soil. Taking a leap in our understanding of soil and climate interactions and their evolving influence on environmental sustainability then depends on greater collaborative efforts to comprehensively investigate redox heterogeneity spanning the domain of microscopic soil interfaces.
Effects of Total Quality Management (TQM) Dimensions on Innovation—Evidence from SMEs
Authors: Antunes Marina Godinho , Mucharreira Pedro Ribeiro , Justino Maria Rosário Texeira , Texeira-Quirós Joaquín
Published: September 2021

This research study aims to study and identify which dimensions of TQM have influence on and support innovation strategies within the Portuguese small and medium enterprises (SMEs), in the context of products or services’ innovation and process innovation, as well as to analyze the extent to which this relationship occurs. To examine the linkage between TQM dimensions and innovation strategies, concerning innovation products and innovation processes, a multiple linear regression analysis was chosen and an eight-predictor multiple linear regression model was proposed. The data was collected through a questionnaire sent by email. This research study allows to conclude that several dimensions of TQM, such as benchmarking, quality/conception and product design, and continuous improvement, have a significant and positive association with product innovation. Although the data analysis/measurement of the results dimension has a significant association with product innovation, this association is negative. Conversely, several TQM dimensions, such as leadership/management’s commitment, benchmarking, involvement/empowerment of employees, and continuous improvement, revealed a positive and significant association with process innovation. Our research is of crucial importance for the knowledge of Portuguese SMEs and the fundamental factors that companies must address to both improve their efficiency and be more competitive, thereby increasing profitability and ensuring financial sustainability in the medium and long term.
Estimation of Watershed Hydrochemical Responses to Future Climate Changes Based on CMIP6 Scenarios in the Tianhe River (China)
Authors: Sha Jian , Li Xue , Yang Jingjing
Published: September 2021

The impacts of future climate changes on watershed hydrochemical processes were assessed based on the newest Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP) scenarios in Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) in the Tianhe River in the middle area of China. The monthly spatial downscaled outputs of General Circulation Models (GCMs) were used, and a new Python procedure was developed to batch pick up site-scale climate change information. A combined modeling approach was proposed to estimate the responses of the streamflow and Total Dissolved Nitrogen (TDN) fluxes to four climate change scenarios during four future periods. The Long Ashton Research Station Weather Generator (LARS-WG) was used to generate synthetic daily weather series, which were further used in the Regional Nutrient Management (ReNuMa) model for scenario analyses of watershed hydrochemical process responses. The results showed that there would be 2–3% decreases in annual streamflow by the end of this century for most scenarios except SSP 1-26. More streamflow is expected in the summer months, responding to most climate change scenarios. The annual TDN fluxes would continue to increase in the future under the uncontrolled climate scenarios, with more non-point source contributions during the high-flow periods in the summer. The intensities of the TDN flux increasing under the emission-controlled climate scenarios would be relatively moderate, with a turning point around the 2070s, indicating that positive climate policies could be effective for mitigating the impacts of future climate changes on watershed hydrochemical processes.
Tandem Design of Bus Priority Based on a Pre-Signal System
Authors: Sun Yutong , Li Jin , Wei Xiaozhong , Jiao Yuling
Published: September 2021

Giving buses priority is an important measure to improve the attractiveness of public transport and to reduce urban traffic congestion. Reducing bus service delays as much as possible will have a positive impact on urban traffic. Based on the pre-signal system, a bus at an intersection with a left-turn special phase is optimized by “tandem design”. The design model is applied to the entrance of an intersection to study the process of vehicle arrival and departure at the main signal and pre-signal, and to calculate and analyze the delay changes of buses, straight social vehicles (meaning vehicles other than those required to be open to traffic) and left-turn vehicles before and after the adoption of “tandem design”. The results show that when the vehicle capacity at the intersection is saturated, the delays to buses and the delays of left-turn vehicles will be significantly reduced once the “tandem design” is adopted at the entrance of a cross intersection with a special left-turn phase. However, it has little effect on the delay of straight-on vehicles; with this system, the total delay experienced by straight vehicles will be reduced to one cycle.
Cascade Adaptive MPC with Type 2 Fuzzy System for Safety and Energy Management in Autonomous Vehicles: A Sustainable Approach for Future of Transportation
Authors: Phan Duong , Amani Ali Moradi , Mola Mirhamed , Rezaei Ahmad Asgharian , Fayyazi Mojgan , Jalili Mahdi , Ba Pham Dinh , Langari Reza , Khayyam Hamid
Published: September 2021

A sustainable circular economy involves designing and promoting new products with the least environmental impact through increasing efficiency. The emergence of autonomous vehicles (AVs) has been a revolution in the automobile industry and a breakthrough opportunity to create more sustainable transportation in the future. Autonomous vehicles are supposed to provide a safe, easy-to-use and environmentally friendly means of transport. To this end, improving AVs’ safety and energy efficiency by using advanced control and optimization algorithms has become an active research topic to deliver on new commitments: carbon reduction and responsible innovation. The focus of this study is to improve the energy consumption of an AV in a vehicle-following process while safe driving is satisfied. We propose a cascade control system in which an autonomous cruise controller (ACC) is integrated with an energy management system (EMS) to reduce energy consumption. An adaptive model predictive control (AMPC) is proposed as the ACC to control the acceleration of the ego vehicle (the following vehicle) in a vehicle-following scenario, such that it can safely follow the lead vehicle in the same lane on a highway. The proposed ACC appropriately switches between speed and distance control systems to follow the lead vehicle safely and precisely. The computed acceleration is then used in the EMS component to find the optimal engine torque that minimizes the fuel consumption of the ego vehicle. EMS is designed based on two methods: type 1 fuzzy logic system (T1FLS) and interval type 2 fuzzy logic system (IT2FLS). Results show that the combination of AMPC and IT2FLS significantly reduces fuel consumption while the ego vehicle follows the lead vehicle safely and with a minimum spacing error. The proposed controller facilitates smarter energy use in AVs and supports safer transportation.
Integrating Planned Behavior and Stage-of-Change into a Cycling Campaign
Authors: Olsson Lars E. , Friman Margareta , Kawabata Yuichiro , Fujii Satoshi
Published: September 2021

A cycling campaign was assessed that used three different nudging conditions to progress people’s stage of motivation to make travel behavioral changes. The results of three waves of survey data showed that this cycling campaign generally strengthened their stage of motivation to reduce car use and that this stage-change, in turn, reduced actual car use while increasing bike use. It was observed that an improvement of cognitive psychological mechanisms was positively related to people’s motivation to change. Although the effect of the campaign was stronger just after it had ended (Wave 2), a reduction in car use, an increase in bike use, and an increase in the stage of motivation were still found three months after the campaign had ended. This is important as it shows that effects favoring sustainable travel last beyond the timeframe of the intervention. We conclude that travel interventions should aim to integrate processes that emphasize cognitive psychological mechanisms and people’s motivation to change as these drive a sustainable behavioral change.
Not All Wine Businesses Are the Same: Examining the Impact of Winery Business Model Extensions on the Size of Its Core Business
Authors: Dressler Marc , Paunovic Ivan
Published: September 2021

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact that various types of business model extensions (hospitality and tourism, online sales platforms, and sustainability) have on the winery business. The research is based on company data and online observations of N = 886 German wineries and deploys a content analysis, netnography, and structural equation modeling (SEM) in order to test the hypothesis on business model extensions of wineries, which have been set forth in the previous literature. The findings indicate that business model extensions related to online sales platforms have a positive impact on winery business size. These results mean that developing online sales platforms enlarges the winery BM (business model) size and type (manager-run, state-owned, or cooperatives). The paper presents in detail the impact of winery BM extensions on winery BM model type and size, thereby contributing to the literature on business model innovation.
Graphs Having Most of Their Eigenvalues Shared by a Vertex Deleted Subgraph
Authors: Farrugia Alexander
Published: September 2021

Let G be a simple graph and {1,2,…,n} be its vertex set. The polynomial reconstruction problem asks the question: given a deck P(G) containing the n characteristic polynomials of the vertex deleted subgraphs G−1, G−2, …, G−n of G, can ϕ(G,x), the characteristic polynomial of G, be reconstructed uniquely? To date, this long-standing problem has only been solved in the affirmative for some specific classes of graphs. We prove that if there exists a vertex v such that more than half of the eigenvalues of G are shared with those of G−v, then this fact is recognizable from P(G), which allows the reconstruction of ϕ(G,x). To accomplish this, we make use of determinants of certain walk matrices of G. Our main result is used, in particular, to prove that the reconstruction of the characteristic polynomial from P(G) is possible for a large subclass of disconnected graphs, strengthening a result by Sciriha and Formosa.
Histotype-Dependent Oligodendroglial PrP Pathology in Sporadic CJD: A Frequent Feature of the M2C “Strain”
Authors: Gelpi Ellen , Klotz Sigrid , Vidal-Robau Nuria , Ricken Gerda , Regelsberger Günther , Ströbel Thomas , Kalev Ognian , Leoni Marlene , Budka Herbert , Kovacs Gabor G.
Published: September 2021

In sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, molecular subtypes are neuropathologically well identified by the lesioning profile and the immunohistochemical PrPd deposition pattern in the grey matter (histotypes). While astrocytic PrP pathology has been reported in variant CJD and some less frequent histotypes (e.g., MV2K), oligodendroglial pathology has been rarely addressed. We assessed a series of sCJD cases with the aim to identify particular histotypes that could be more prone to harbor oligodendroglial PrPd. Particularly, the MM2C phenotype, in both its more “pure” and its mixed MM1+2C or MV2K+2C forms, showed more frequent oligodendroglial PrP pathology in the underlying white matter than the more common MM1/MV1 and VV2 histotypes, and was more abundant in patients with a longer disease duration. We concluded that the MM2C strain was particularly prone to accumulate PrPd in white matter oligodendrocytes.
Disruption of the Golgi Apparatus and Contribution of the Endoplasmic Reticulum to the SARS-CoV-2 Replication Complex
Authors: Hackstadt Ted , Chiramel Abhilash I. , Hoyt Forrest H. , Williamson Brandi N. , Dooley Cheryl A. , Beare Paul A. , de Wit Emmie , Best Sonja M. , Fischer Elizabeth R.
Published: September 2021

A variety of immunolabeling procedures for both light and electron microscopy were used to examine the cellular origins of the host membranes supporting the SARS-CoV-2 replication complex. The endoplasmic reticulum has long been implicated as a source of membrane for the coronavirus replication organelle. Using dsRNA as a marker for sites of viral RNA synthesis, we provide additional evidence supporting ER as a prominent source of membrane. In addition, we observed a rapid fragmentation of the Golgi apparatus which is visible by 6 h and complete by 12 h post-infection. Golgi derived lipid appears to be incorporated into the replication organelle although protein markers are dispersed throughout the infected cell. The mechanism of Golgi disruption is undefined, but chemical disruption of the Golgi apparatus by brefeldin A is inhibitory to viral replication. A search for an individual SARS-CoV-2 protein responsible for this activity identified at least five viral proteins, M, S, E, Orf6, and nsp3, that induced Golgi fragmentation when expressed in eukaryotic cells. Each of these proteins, as well as nsp4, also caused visible changes to ER structure as shown by correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM). Collectively, these results imply that specific disruption of the Golgi apparatus is a critical component of coronavirus replication.
Environmental Flow Assessment of a Tropical River System Using Hydrological Index Methods
Authors: Hairan Mohammad Haroon , Jamil Nor Rohaizah , Azmai Mohammad Noor Amal , Looi Ley Juen , Camara Moriken
Published: September 2021

Tropical rivers and wetlands are recognized as one of the greatest and most abundant ecosystems in terms of ecological and social benefits. However, climate change, damming, overfishing, water pollution, and the introduction of exotic species threaten these ecosystems, which puts about 65% of river flow and aquatic ecosystems under a moderate to high level of threat. This paper aims to assess the environmental flow of the Selangor River based on the hydrological index method using the Global Environmental Flow Calculator (GEFC) and Indicators of Hydrological Alterations (IHA) software. The daily flow data collected by the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID), Malaysia, over a 60-year period (1960–2020) was used in this study to assess the Selangor River flow alterations. As per the results, the river flow has had two distinct periods over the last 60 years. In the first period, the river flows without any alteration and has a natural flow with high flood pulses and low flow pulses. While in the second, or post-impact, period, the flow of the river has a steady condition throughout the year with very little fluctuations between the dry and wet seasons of the year. From the overall comparison of the pre- and post-impact periods, it can be concluded that the minimum flow in the dry seasons of the year has increased, while the maximum flow has decreased in the monsoon seasons during the post-impact period. As a result, the Flow Duration Curve (FDC) and Environmental Management Class (EMC) analysis of the river flow recommends that the Selangor River be managed under EMC “C” to provide sufficient water for both human use and ecosystem conservation, which would also help to avoid a water level drop in the reservoirs. However, further holistic studies are suggested for a detailed analysis of the effects of the dams on aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem services in the Selangor River Basin.
Institutional Conditions for Inclusive, Flood Resilient Urban Deltas: A Comparative Institutional Analysis of Two International Resilience Programs in Southeast Asia
Authors: Laeni Naim , van den Brink Margo , Arts Jos
Published: September 2021

Policy makers in Southeast Asian flood-vulnerable regions are confronted with various institutional challenges when planning for inclusive flood resilience. This paper focuses on the role of international resilience programs and investigates how these programs can enable institutional transformation. The key question is which institutional conditions promote the development and implementation of inclusive flood resilience strategies by international resilience programs. The Mekong Delta Plan in Vietnam (MDP) and the Water as Leverage for Resilient Cities Asia (WaL) program in Semarang, Indonesia, are selected as the cases for a comparative analysis. To structure the comparative analysis of these programs, the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework is adopted and operationalized for the institutional analysis of inclusive flood resilience planning. The findings illustrate that whereas the MDP was able to involve decision makers from the national government and international financial institutions for mobilizing funding and technical support, the strength of the WaL program was its enabling environment for the cocreation of context-specific flood resilience proposals. Overall, this study concludes that the institutional conditions that enable project financing and the implementation of long-term and integrated flood resilience solutions are determined by engagement with national governments and by ownership of the solutions at both the national and local levels.
Chlorophyll and Suspended Solids Estimation in Portuguese Reservoirs (Aguieira and Alqueva) from Sentinel-2 Imagery
Authors: Neves Vítor Hugo , Pace Giorgio , Delegido Jesús , Antunes Sara C.
Published: September 2021

Reservoirs have been subject to anthropogenic stressors, becoming increasingly degraded. The evaluation of ecological potential in reservoirs is remarkably challenging, and consistent and regular monitoring using the traditional in situ methods defined in the WFD is often time- and money-consuming. Alternatively, remote sensing offers a low-cost, high frequency, and practical complement to these methods. This paper proposes a novel approach, using a C2RCC processor to analyze Sentinel-2 imagery data to retrieve information on water quality in two reservoirs of Portugal, Aguieira and Alqueva. We evaluate the temporal and spatial evolution of Chl a and total suspended solids (TSS), between 2018 and 2020, comparing in situ and satellite data. Generally, Alqueva reservoir allowed lower relative (NRMSE = 8.9% for Chl a and NRMSE = 21.9% for TSS) and systematic (NMBE = 1.7% for Chl a and NMBE = 2.0% for TSS) errors than Aguieira, where some fine-tuning would be required. Our paper shows how satellite data can be fundamental for water-quality assessment to support the effective and sustainable management of inland waters. In addition, it proposes solutions for future research in order to improve upon the methods used and solve the challenges faced in this study.
Tutorial on Acoustic Fluid Loading of Structures
Authors: Hambric Stephen
Published: September 2021

Any vibrating structure is loaded by the fluid surrounding it. Whether air, water, or something else, the fluid loading adds a spatially distributed resistance (in phase with the vibration) and reactance (out of phase with the vibration) over the structural surfaces. The resistance
absorbs energy, and damps structural vibrations. The reactance is either mass-like, effectively adding to the structural density, reducing resonance frequencies and vibration amplitudes; or stiffness-like, increasing resonance frequencies. Usually, mass-like reactance is caused by fluids external
to a structure, and stiffness-like reactance is caused by enclosed volumes of fluids. This tutorial uses analytic methods to compare and contrast external and internal fluid loading on a flat rectangular plate and demonstrates the effects of fluid loading on plate vibration and radiated sound.
The well-known stiffening effect of the internal Helmholtz resonance is demonstrated for a thin panel and a shallow entrained cavity. The differences between heavy (water) and light (air) external fluid loading are also demonstrated, with significant reductions in resonance frequencies and
peak vibration amplitudes for water loading.
Optimization of Low Noise Blade of Small Axial Fan at Low Reynolds Number
Authors: Yu Peixun , Bai Junqiang , Han Xiao
Published: September 2021

A multidisciplinary optimization design to simultaneously enhance the aeroacoustic and aerodynamic performance of an cooling fan is performed. The flow analysis of the cooling fan is conducted by solving three dimensional steady-state RANS equations with shear-stress transport turbulence
model. Based on the results of the steady flow, aeroacoustic analysis is performed by using the Hanson and Brooks model. A multi-objective optimization is performed to simultaneously improve the efficiency and reduce the sound pressure level through an improved non-dominated sorting gentic
algorithm. A Kriging surrogate model is used to approximate the function value while reducing computational cost. Series of optimum designs on the pareto front yielded increases in efficiency and decreases in the sound pressure level compared to the reference design. Through numerical analysis
and experimental test, the aerodynamic efficiency is increased by 5% and the total sound pressure level is reduced by 4dB without loss of air volume for the selected optimized cooling fan. The thining of rotor boundary layer and inward load shift are the main factors to improve aerodynamic
efficiency and reduce noise of the cooling fan.
Prediction and Improvement of Aircraft Cabin Acoustics using Statistical Energy Analysis and Sound Quality Evaluation
Authors: Turkdogru Gurun Nurkan , Chen Jonathan , Ward Frederick , Wilcox Matthew , Luo Zhiming
Published: September 2021

Aircraft interior acoustic design is a key influencer for cabin comfort. An essential part of the design is optimization of acoustic insulation systems under weight restrictions to create a pleasant environment for human ear. Considering the complexity of aircraft geometry, noise sources,
and transfer paths, computational prediction techniques become invaluable tools for increasing the accuracy in material selection while reducing design time and costs. In this study, a procedure that integrates sound quality evaluation with Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) to design aircraft
acoustic insulation systems is described. SEA is employed to predict the cabin sound pressure levels of a narrow body aircraft insulated with sound absorption and vibration damping materials. Aircraft cabin including under-floor sections is modelled based on 3D airframe and VIP style interior
design and the model is validated with flight test data. Transfer functions obtained from SEA model for selected transfer paths are utilized to filter the noise signal recorded with a binaural recording system during flight. Sound quality metrics are computed in order to map perceptive response.
An iterative process is introduced to improve acoustic design by investigating the effects of different sound insulation systems and room absorption values on noise levels and sound quality metrics.
Lighthill's analogy applied to a automotive turbocharger compressor
Authors: Freidhager Clemens , Heinisch Martin , Renz Andreas , Schoder Stefan , Kaltenbacher Manfred
Published: September 2021

Computing transient CFD simulations of turbocharger compressors is computationally very demanding. It is of fundamental importance to resolve turbulent structures at the location of their generation and to establish a fine enough grid to allow propagation of the resolved structures.
This results in high-resolution grids, existing of more than 20 million cells. Applying Lighthill's analogy, it is possible to only resolve turbulent structures at their location of generation and compute the pressure propagation by using an additional, not that demanding, acoustic grid. This
allows using coarser CFD grids in the inlet and outlet section. For transferring Lighthill's source terms from the CFD to the acoustic grid, advanced interpolation algorithms are used. The simulation results are validated by measurements of a cold gas test rig are considered.
Operational noise optimization of aircraft approaches - Initial findings
Authors: Moberg Bengt , Johansson Anders , Rignér Johan , Näsman Per
Published: September 2021

As the pilots slow the aircraft down and extend flaps and landing gear in preparation for landing the characteristics of the aircraft as a noise source changes. In the OPNOP project, the possibility to use this variation in noise generation to minimize noise at a specified location
is examined. Such analysis requires an increased understanding about aircraft noise generation as the aircraft changes configuration and speed during the approach, where theoretical models available can be overly simplistic and of little use for this purpose. Using flight data from 113 actual
Airbus A321 flights, and corresponding noise measurements on the ground, this study reports on the initial findings forming the foundation on which further analysis will be conducted. Intermediary findings relate to: a comparison between models and actual measurements, the distance variability
to the runway for various flap selections and extension of the landing gear as well as a comparison between flight data and on-ground noise measurements. Captured data suggest that it should be possible to use speed and configuration recommendations to reduce noise over selected approach areas.
Future research will include scenario generation and incorporate flight data from an earlier study to increase validity.
Virtual reality simulated aircraft flyovers: Influence of the landscape on the overall pleasantness of the environment.
Authors: Dedieu Romain , Lavandier Catherine , Aalmoes Roalt , Lania Henk , Legriffon Ingrid , Boullet Isabelle , Iemma Umberto
Published: September 2021

To give residents better understanding of the impact of future airport scenarios, a virtual reality application with sound simulation will be tested in the frame of the European ANIMA project. The set-up has been evaluated in laboratory before being used in real situation. This paper
presents the laboratory experiment whose aim is to assess the application's relevance for simulating flyovers. Although the perceptual experiment is designed to test the influence of aircraft vision crossed with aircraft sound, this paper focusses only on the impact of the landscape where
the flyovers are observed. Two landscapes (park and buildings) are presented to 60 participants, in balanced order, with 12 audio-visual stimuli in both landscapes. Participants had to rate four differential semantic scales. Globally there is no influence of the landscape on the overall pleasantness,
but when looking at the individual answers, it appears that three groups of participants can be discriminated. The majority of people do not change their pleasantness ratings in both landscapes, but some participants prefer experiencing the flyovers in the park landscape because it is visually
more pleasant, and others prefer the opposite because it is more annoying to be submitted to aircraft noise in a green park landscape.
Aircraft Noise Management
Authors: Remigi Francesca , Sepulcri Daniele , Wisniewska Shanti , Nayer Nouri Kalil
Published: September 2021

Several studies predict an increase up to 40% in traffic flights by the 2040. Airport noise control is a complicated procedure which creates an interesting blend of science, politics, and money. Accordingly, in many communities where airport noise is perceived as a significant problem,
a noise control program is sometimes viewed as a continual process, rather than a discrete solution which will come to an end at some point in time.This work is an overview in the existing European low framework and the noise abatement procedure put in place to manage the aircraft noise.
Acoustical modelling of a Swedish 13th century church ruin, and its use for musical production.
Authors: Holm Sebastian
Published: September 2021

Visby is an old hanseatic town on the island of Gotland in Sweden. The town has a large number of old church ruins, one of which goes by the name of St. Lars. The church is believed to be a 13-century orthodox church, and abandoned in the 16 century, all that is left today are the stone
walls and parts of the inner ceiling vaults. Through collaboration with the local museum, St.Lars has now been measured and 3D-modelled by the author, Sebastian Holm from Efterklang, who is also a part-time musician. The model has been fitted with what is assumed to be an historically accurate
ceiling structure and materials as well as windows, doors, various furnishings and a make-up stage. With acoustical modelling and auralisations made in Odeon, various source and receiver positions has been tested for acoustical qualities, and the impulse responses are now used for musical
production for the medieval band known as Patrask. The mixing process uses the impulse response from left and right side of the stage to produce a stereo reverb, and the results are compared to auralisations of the music made with Odeon. The overall process is discussed, with links to the
music itself.
Band structure and defect states in acoustic phononic crystals using expansion and micro-perforated chamber mufflers
Authors: Goto Adriano Mitsuo , Dos Santos Victor Gustavo Ramos Costa , Dos Santos José Maria Campos
Published: September 2021

The expansion and the micro-perforated chamber mufflers are acoustic silencers designed to attenuate the sound propagation at duct systems. These silencers can show interesting phononic crystals behavior when set periodically. The concept of phononic crystals still is an emerging topic
in vibration and sound control. The periodic arrangement of acoustic silencers can provide a significant enhancement of the sound absorption due to the "wave filtering" property where the wave cannot propagate at certain frequency ranges, called stopbands or bandgaps. However, these
properties may be affected by defects, like the break of the periodicity due to manufacturing errors. For the present work, the influence of some defects on the acoustic efficiency is investigated numerically for expansion and micro-perforated chamber mufflers. A direct and efficient approach
is used to obtain the transfer and dynamic stiffness matrices. Simulated examples are used to calculate the forced response, transmission loss, and dispersion diagram, which are verified by other methods.
Numerical simulations of flow induced noise from a dual rotor cooling fan used in electronic cooling systems
Authors: Wasala Sahan , Xue Yutong , Stevens Lon , Wiegandt Ted , Persoons Tim
Published: September 2021

Hard Disk Drive (HDD) system enclosures in a data center require effective cooling systems to avoid HDD overheating. These systems often rely on air cooling because of their cost effciency and maintainability. Air cooling systems typically consist of an array of axial fans which push
or pull the air through the system. These fans emit high level tonal noise particularly at high tip speed ratios. High-capacity HDDs, on the other hand, are sensitive to high acoustic noise, which consequently increases the risk of read/write error and deteriorates drive performance. Therefore,
cooling fan noise adversely affects the function of the HDD enclosure systems which emphasizes the need to understand the noise sources and develop methods to mitigate HDD noise exposure.