bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Imbalanced Fault Diagnosis of Rotating Machinery Based on Deep Generative Adversarial Networks with Gradient Penalty
Authors: Luo Junqi , Zhu Liucun , Li Quanfang , Liu Daopeng , Chen Mingyou
Published: October 2021

In practical industrial application, the fault samples collected from rotating machinery are frequently unbalanced, which will create difficulties when it comes to diagnosis. Besides, the variation of working conditions and noise factors will further reduce the diagnosis’s accuracy and stability. Considering the above problems, we established a model based on deep Wasserstein generative adversarial network with gradient penalty (DWGANGP). In this model, the unbalanced fault data set will first be trained by the sample generation network to generate synthetic samples, which will be used to restore the balance. A one-dimensional convolutional neural network with a specific structure is then used as the fault diagnosis network to classify the reconstructed equilibrium samples. The experimental results show that the proposed sample generation network can generate high-quality synthetic samples under highly imbalanced data, and the diagnostic network has a fast training convergence. Compared to the combination methods of support vector machines, back propagation neural network and deep belief network, our method has a 74% average accuracy in all unbalanced experimental conditions, which has 64%, 69% and 87% averages leading, respectively.
Electrochemical Microslot Machining by Ultrasonic-Vibration-Aided Electrolyte on Nitinol Wire
Authors: Hung Jung-Chou , Yang Po-Jen
Published: October 2021

In this research, the main purpose was to study the applicability of a machining method on microscale medical-equipment manufacturing. The characteristics of wire electrochemical micromachining (WECMM) against NiTi 50-50 wire was investigated. The study utilized a tungsten wire 0.03 mm in diameter as an electrode to cut a fine slot into the nickel–titanium wire. In order to reach a high-precision WECMM finish, an ultrashort pulse power generator was used as a power source to minimize the stray current effect, thus improving the machining accuracy. During the process, various machining parameters were tested for their effects on machining characteristics. In addition, ultrasonic-vibration-aided WECMM was investigated to determine whether it benefited the machining characteristics. The experiment’s results showed that under such an experiment setting, microslots can be successfully manufactured. Furthermore, with the advance adjustment of experimental parameters, the machining accuracy was improved. Finally, a fine slot was manufactured under the optimum experiment parameters and aided by ultrasonic vibration.
Study of Heavy Gas Pollutants’ Dispersion in Street Canyon Terrain
Authors: Nie Xiaoye , Fan Yuyan , Gao Hong , Lin Qiang
Published: October 2021

This study focused on heavy gas dispersion under the terrain conditions of street canyons. The effects of street aspect ratio and height ratio were investigated, and the influence of environmental wind speed in the typical ideal street canyon terrain was explored. The results indicated that the surrounding flow field distributions in street terrains were dominated by higher buildings. In addition, when the building height was held constant, the flow field was affected by the joint influence of the two isolated buildings. The interception effect of the street canyon on upstream pollutants declined with the decrease in the street canyon’s aspect ratio. In addition, when the height ratios were different, a large quantity of upstream pollutants accumulated on the windward side of higher buildings. The relative concentration per unit area inside the canyon was affected by the air circulation inside and outside the canyon and the size of the dispersion space. The increase in the environmental wind speed promotes the entry of pollutants into the street while aggravating the overall dispersion of the pollutants. Therefore, the emergence of the most unsafe wind speeds caused most of the pollutants to gather in the street canyons.
Estimation of Gene Regulatory Networks from Cancer Transcriptomics Data
Authors: Cho Seong Beom
Published: October 2021

Cancer is a genetic disease in which multiple genes are perturbed. Thus, information about the regulatory relationships between genes is necessary for the identification of biomarkers and therapeutic targets. In this review, methods for inference of gene regulatory networks (GRNs) from transcriptomics data that are used in cancer research are introduced. The methods are classified into three categories according to the analysis model. The first category includes methods that use pair-wise measures between genes, including correlation coefficient and mutual information. The second category includes methods that determine the genetic regulatory relationship using multivariate measures, which consider the expression profiles of all genes concurrently. The third category includes methods using supervised and integrative approaches. The supervised approach estimates the regulatory relationship using a supervised learning method that constructs a regression or classification model for predicting whether there is a regulatory relationship between genes with input data of gene expression profiles and class labels of prior biological knowledge. The integrative method is an expansion of the supervised method and uses more data and biological knowledge for predicting the regulatory relationship. Furthermore, simulation and experimental validation of the estimated GRNs are also discussed in this review. This review identified that most GRN inference methods are not specific for cancer transcriptome data, and such methods are required for better understanding of cancer pathophysiology. In addition, more systematic methods for validation of the estimated GRNs need to be developed in the context of cancer biology.
Photolithographically Home-Made PVDF Sensor for Cavitation Impact Load Measurement
Authors: Hujer Jan , Dančová Petra , Kořínek Tomáš , Müller Miloš
Published: October 2021

Piezoelectric PVDF sensors offer a unique option for the measurement of cavitation aggressiveness represented by the magnitude of impacts due to cavitation bubble collapses near walls. The aggressiveness measurement requires specific sensor shape and area, whereas commercial PVDF sensors are fabricated in limited geometry and size ranges. The photolithography method offers a possibility of production of home-made PVDF sensors of arbitrary shape and size. The methodology of a unique application of the standard photolithography method, which is commonly used for the production of printed circuit boards, is described in this paper. It enables mass production of high quality sensors contrary to laboratory techniques. This paper deals with the fabrication and the calibration of a photolithographically home-made PVDF sensor for the cavitation impact load measurement. The calibration of sensors was carried out by the ball drop method. Sensors of different sizes were fabricated by the photolithography method from a multi-purpose, both side metallized PVDF sheet. Commercial PVDF sensors of the same size were calibrated, and the calibration results were compared with the home-made sensors. The effect of size and the effect of one added protective layer of Kapton tape on a sensor sensitivity were investigated. The theoretical and numerical analysis was conducted to explain some issues during the ball impact.
Application of Copper as Stabiliser in Aluminium Assisted Transfer of Titanium in Submerged Arc Welding of Carbon Steel
Authors: Coetsee Theresa , De Bruin Frederik
Published: October 2021

The element transfer of Ti from molten flux to the weld metal is limited to less than 310 ppm Ti in the submerged arc welding of carbon steel. This limitation is due to the high oxygen partial pressure prevailing at the molten flux-weld pool interface. Our previous study illustrated that the use of Al powder in combination with Ti powder improves the transfer of Ti to the weld metal to 4% Ti, whilst maintaining 509 ppm O in the weld metal. The weld metal ppm O should be controlled at 200 to 500 ppm O to maintain weld metal toughness. In this study, the addition of Cu powder with Ti and Al powder is applied to illustrate the stabiliser effect of Cu in the weld pool. The role of Cu as weld pool stabiliser is due to its decrease of the temperature required to melt Ti into the weld pool, so increasing the quantity of metal powder melted into the weld pool. The weld metal composition improved to 5.1% Ti, 3.6% Cu, and 371 ppm O. Thus, the role of Al in controlling the partial oxygen pressure at the molten flux-weld pool interface is maintained in the presence of Cu powder.
Numerical Prediction of Homogeneity of Gas Flow through Perforated Plates
Authors: Śmierciew Kamil , Butrymowicz Dariusz , Karwacki Jarosław , Gagan Jerzy
Published: October 2021

Vanes and baffles are often used as flow distributors where uniform flow is required in the apparatus of large cross-section surface areas. As an alternative, perforated plates with a range of open area ratios are applied to produce required gas flow homogeneity. Usually, the plates with various open area ratios are combined into large panels, of which total surface area can reach hundreds of square meters for large-sized industrial apparatus. Numerical modelling of the flow through such panels can be thought of as overly complex, time-consuming, and inefficient due to numerous small open area ratios in the plates and large differences in dimensions between open area ratios and free-stream areas. For this reason, numerical models of gas flow are limited to single plates only with constant open area ratios. A new indirect modelling approach of gas flow through the perforated plates panel with structural elements and various open area ratios with application of the porous media model is proposed. A perforated plate was experimentally investigated in terms of pressure drop and velocity distribution. The data obtained were used for the validation of the numerical results, which differed from the experimental results by less than 5%. In the next step, numerical analyses were performed for plates with open area ratios in the range of 30 to 70% for gas velocities of 5 and 10 m/s. A general correlation for pressure drop as a function of open area ratio was proposed. Finally, systematic numerical studies of the flow through both perforated and porous plates including structural elements were performed. The internal resistance of the porous core was calculated by means of a developed correlation. A good agreement between results with an error lower than 15% was observed.
Deep Ensemble of Slime Mold Algorithm and Arithmetic Optimization Algorithm for Global Optimization
Authors: Zheng Rong , Jia Heming , Abualigah Laith , Liu Qingxin , Wang Shuang
Published: October 2021

In this paper, a new hybrid algorithm based on two meta-heuristic algorithms is presented to improve the optimization capability of original algorithms. This hybrid algorithm is realized by the deep ensemble of two new proposed meta-heuristic methods, i.e., slime mold algorithm (SMA) and arithmetic optimization algorithm (AOA), called DESMAOA. To be specific, a preliminary hybrid method was applied to obtain the improved SMA, called SMAOA. Then, two strategies that were extracted from the SMA and AOA, respectively, were embedded into SMAOA to boost the optimizing speed and accuracy of the solution. The optimization performance of the proposed DESMAOA was analyzed by using 23 classical benchmark functions. Firstly, the impacts of different components are discussed. Then, the exploitation and exploration capabilities, convergence behaviors, and performances are evaluated in detail. Cases at different dimensions also were investigated. Compared with the SMA, AOA, and another five well-known optimization algorithms, the results showed that the proposed method can outperform other optimization algorithms with high superiority. Finally, three classical engineering design problems were employed to illustrate the capability of the proposed algorithm for solving the practical problems. The results also indicate that the DESMAOA has very promising performance when solving these problems.
Influence of Moulding Pressure on the Burst Pressure of Reverse-Acting Rupture Discs
Authors: Liu Lili , Yuan Chenxing , Li Wei , Li Beibei , Liu Xiumei
Published: October 2021

Rupture discs, also called bursting discs, are widely used in pressure vessels, pressure equipment, and pressure piping in process industries, such as nuclear power, fire protection, and petrochemical industries. To explore the relationship between the burst pressure of reverse-acting rupture discs and their production, two common manufacturing methods, air pressure moulding and hydraulic moulding, were compared in this study. Reverse-acting rupture discs that complied with the form recommended by API 520-2014 were prepared with four release diameters, and burst pressure tests were carried out. These results showed an obvious negative correlation between the forming pressure of rupture discs and their actual burst pressure for all experimental samples. Further study showed that the main reason for this correlation was a reduction in thickness at the top of the rupture disc caused by large plastic deformation during compression moulding. To explore the relationship between the thickness reduction effect and moulding method, this study defined the “relative ratio of thickness reduction” and concluded that the effect of decreasing the thickness of the rupture disc was more obvious for rupture disc substrates with less flexural rigidity. The above conclusions have important significance for guiding the control of the burst pressure of rupture discs.
Deposit and Characterization of Semiconductor Films Based on Maleiperinone and Polymeric Matrix of (Poly(3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene) Polystyrene Sulfonate)
Authors: Sánchez Vergara María Elena , Ramirez Sergio Barrientos , Alanis Rafael Loaiza , Ramírez Georgina Montes de Oca , Baeza Alvarado María Dolores , Fomina Lioudmila , Rios Citlalli , Salcedo Roberto
Published: October 2021

The development of small semiconductor molecules such as the maleiperinone, have gained importance due to their applications in optoelectronics. In this work semiconductor films composed by a polymer matrix of PEDOT:PSS (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate) and maleiperinone were manufactured. The films used in the studies were deposited by vacuum evaporation and spin-coating techniques. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Infrared spectroscopy were used for the analysis of morphological and structural films. The fundamental and the onset of the direct and indirect band gaps were also obtained by UV-vis spectroscopy. The band-model theory and the Density-functional theory (DFT) calculations were applied to determine the optical parameters. The dipole moment is 3.33 Db, and the high polarity gives a signal of the heterogeneous charge distribution along the structure of maleiperinone. Simple devices were made from the films and their electrical behavior was subsequently evaluated. The presence of the polymer decreased the energy barrier between the film and the anode, favoring the transport of charges in the device. Graphene decreased the absorption and its ohmic behavior make it a candidate to be used as a transparent electrode in optoelectronic devices. Finally, the MoO3 provides a behavior similar to a dielectric.
Optimal Design of a Synchronous Reluctance Motor Using a Genetic Topology Algorithm
Authors: Lee Tae-Hee , Lee Jin-Hwan , Yi Kyung-Pyo , Lim Dong-Kuk
Published: October 2021

The topology algorithm (TA) can effectively find an optimal solution by changing the material and shape of the design target without the limitation of design variables. In this paper, a genetic topology algorithm (GTA) is proposed for the design optimization of a synchronous reluctance motor (SynRM). By applying the stochastic algorithm (genetic algorithm (GA)) and the deterministic algorithm (ON-OFF method) to the design, the optimal shape can be found quickly and effectively. The GTA, which improves manufacturability by removing the aliasing that occurs in TA, was applied to the design of SynRM to search for the optimal model. After dividing the rotor into a reverse mesh grid, the optimal topology was searched for by GA and ON-OFF methods. Then, mechanical stability was verified through stress analysis, and additional performance improvement was obtained through the skew technique. The final design, which satisfies the minimum efficiency, required torque, and torque ripple was derived by applying the step-by-step design using GTA to the SynRM optimization.
Physicochemical and Nutritional Evaluation of Bread Incorporated with Ayocote Bean (Phaseolus coccineus) and Black Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)
Authors: Mariscal-Moreno Rosa María , Chuck-Hernández Cristina , Figueroa-Cárdenas Juan de Dios , Serna-Saldivar Sergio O.
Published: October 2021

The objective of this study was to examine the physicochemical composition, thermal properties, quality, and sensorial characteristics of bread with substitution of wheat flour with ayocote bean (Phaseolus coccineus) or black bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) flours at 10, 20, and 30%. Ayocote and black bean contain 21.06 and 23.94% of protein, 3.06 and 5.21% of crude fiber, and 3.1 and 5.21% of ash, respectively, directly influencing bread composition. Bread with ayocote and black bean presented higher values in those components in contrast with control bread. The protein content increased in a range of 14–34%; ash increased by 10% to double, and crude fiber also increased. In vitro protein digestibility was similar for bread with 10% of substitution and control, and it decreased in samples with 30% of wheat substitution. Thermal analysis by DSC denoted that the addition of those legumes reduces retrogradation, as seen in 45.33–65.65 °C endotherm, producing higher endotherms of amylose-lipid complexes and protein denaturalization. Finally, the addition of black bean and ayocote bean decreased specific volume when the replacement percentage was 30% black bean and 20 and 30% for ayocote. An increase in nutrient content without sensorial properties affectation could be observed in substitution around 10 and 20%.
Evaluation of the Thermal and Morphological Properties of γ-Irradiated Chitosan-Glycerol-Based Polymeric Films
Authors: Al-Masry Waheed A. , Haider Sajjad , Mahmood Asif , Khan Mujeeb , Adil Syed Farooq , Siddiqui Mohammed Rafiq H.
Published: October 2021

Industry-sponsored research has intensified to find suitable substitutes for synthetic polymers. For this purpose, biopolymers are promising materials that are extracted from renewable resources. However, there are areas of concern (biopolymers are mostly brittle in the dry state) that require further research before they are used in advanced applications. To overcome this, plasticizers are often added to biopolymers to enhance their physicochemical properties. In this study, chitosan (CH)-glycerol (GL)-based polymeric films were prepared by a simple drop-casting technique, and the influence of a plasticizer (GL) on the properties of chitosan films was analyzed. Additionally, the as-prepared samples were irradiated with γ-rays (60Co γ rays with a dose of 102 kGy) to study the effect of γ-irradiation on the properties of polymeric composites. To achieve this, different samples were prepared by varying the amount of GL. FT-IR analysis revealed the interruption of hydrogen bonding in chitosan by the incorporation of GL. This led to the chain-spreading of CH, which ultimately increased the flexibility of the composite films (CH-GL). The DSC of the CH film showed two peaks: one endothermic peak below 100 °C (due to water vapor) and a second exothermic peak that appeared between 130 and 360 °C (degradation of the amino group). Plasticization of CH films with GL was confirmed by DSC, where the exothermic degradation was converted into an endothermic peak. Depending upon the amount of GL, γ-irradiation considerably affected the chemical structure of CH by breaking the carbohydrate and pyranose rings; this led to a decrease in the crystallinity of the composite films. The changes studied in the DSC and TGA analysis complemented each other. γ-irradiation also affected the morphology of the films, which changed from smooth and homogeneous to roasted structures, with random swelling on the surface of the films. This swelling reflected the degradation of the surfaces into thin layers. Considering the changes that occurred in the films post-γ-irradiation, it can be inferred that the irradiation dose of 102 kGy is sufficient to degrade as-prepared biopolymer composites.
“Confucianism”, an Alternative Source of Belief in Contemporary Chinese Society: An Empirical Study of the Founding of Xin 信 in a “Confucian” Company
Authors: Jiang-Fu Lan
Published: October 2021

Open claims to Confucian values, often associated with cultural traditionalism and a larger revival of Confucianism among the Chinese population from the 2000s onwards, have gained momentum in the world of entrepreneurs. The intensity of this phenomenon can be explained by a wide variety of motivations, among which a desire to establish a belief, a sort of xin 信 towards traditional values, has emerged from within the “Confucian” company. Based on fieldwork carried out between 2017 and 2018 at TW, a private company located in Dongguan (Guangdong), this paper aims to analyze the efforts undertaken by “Confucian” managers to use the spiritual guidance role of Confucianism. Our work is organized into three sections. First, we analyze the main modalities of proselytizing within TW. Then, based on the personal experiences of three employees of this company, we try to understand how they live the jiaohua and to what extent this “educational” experience inspired by Confucianism has allowed them to reorient themselves towards a new way of perceiving the world. Finally, by placing it in a broader context, that of contemporary Chinese society’s crisis of values, we question the role Confucianism can play in the foundation of a population’s beliefs.
The Massacres of the Jews under Richard I (A.D. 1189–1190)
Authors: Booth Ted
Published: October 2021

This article is a consideration of medieval religious violence during the time of Richard I set within the historiography of such writers as Nirenberg, Cohen, and Moore. This paper specifically examines a series of anti-Jewish massacres which broke out in England in the immediate aftermath of the coronation of the Crusader King Richard I. While modern violence against minorities is often attributed to the irrational actions of persons with extreme prejudice or ideologies, we find something a bit more nuanced in the situation in 12th century England. Certainly, there were long-standing prejudices against the Jews in England. However, this paper will argue that while general European antisemitism did create an undercurrent of tension across Europe and especially in this case England; similar to Nirenberg’s thoughts these passions were manipulated by those involved to the point that they became incendiary to suit specific local purposes and passions.
Religiosity as a Mechanism to Control Delinquent Behaviour of School Students
Authors: Ramzy Mohammad Ismath , Irfan Peer Mohamed Mohamed , Hussin Zaharah
Published: October 2021

Delinquent behaviour among school students is a great concern of governments and educational institutions. Although the authorities and civil society organisations have tried to control the growing trend of school violence, antisocial behaviour among students is significantly increasing. The low delinquency rate among school students in Shah Alam, a city closed to the Malaysian capital, inspired the researchers to explore the association between religiosity and delinquent behaviour. The objective of this study is to explore the relationship between religiosity and the delinquent behaviour of school students. This research employed a mixed method to collect the data. An instrument consisting of 101 questions prepared based on the Muslim Religiosity–Personality Inventory (MRPI) was administrated to measure the level of religiosity. A total of 107 secondary school students (58 boys, 49 girls) aged 13 to 14 years participated in the data collection. A semi-structured interview was used to collect the data from four school counsellors and discipline teachers to examine the relationship between religiosity and delinquency. This research found a moderate level of religiosity among students in Shah Alam while having an inverse relationship between religiosity and delinquency. The researchers, therefore, recommend religiosity as a successful mechanism to control delinquency among school students.
Giving Up Our Cultural Addiction
Authors: Orr Deborah
Published: October 2021

This article will begin with an overview of the sources of our cultural addiction to patriarchal culture and its values in Western cultures. Of particular importance to this was the development of the daughter languages of Sanskrit with their dualistic structure. A further major source lies in the Biblical Genesis creation text and subsequent Western philosophy and theology. These things together supported the delusional consciousness which led to individual suffering and the exploitation of others and the earth. The article will then look briefly at some of this addiction’s manifestations and their effects and then explain how Buddhist practice can help with the withdrawal process and foster a ‘new’ way of life although it must be acknowledged that there are real questions as to whether Buddhist practice will be used extensively enough to do so in time to save us from ourselves.
Developing an Educational Course in Spiritual Care: An Action Research Study at Two Danish Hospices
Authors: Viftrup Dorte Toudal , Laursen Kenneth , Hvidt Niels Christian
Published: October 2021

Further improvement of spiritual care in palliative care is warranted. Particularly reducing barriers and enhancing spiritual care competencies among the healthcare professionals is needed. The aim was to develop a training course in spiritual care in close collaboration with patients and staff from two Danish hospices. We applied an action research design to ensure that the training course was rooted in everyday practice of patients and staff. The methodology applied was based on philosophical hermeneutics and existential phenomenology. The action research process enabled the division into three topics on how a training course can reduce barriers towards spiritual care among the healthcare professionals. These three topics functioned as a theoretical framework for educating staff at a hospice in spiritual care. The three topics were: (1) the vulnerable encounter; (2) self-reflection concerning spiritual needs, thoughts, beliefs, and values; and (3) shared professional language for spiritual care. We operationalized the three topics into a flexible course design that could be adaptable to the practical possibilities and limitations of the individual hospice. The curriculum includes theoretical teaching, reflection exercises, and an improvisation theater workshop with professional actors. Educating staff led to the improvement of spiritual care at the hospices involved in the study.
Conservative Christian Persecution Discourse and Support for Political Violence: Experimental Evidence from the United States
Authors: Herrington Luke M.
Published: October 2021

International Relations scholarship on religious freedom points to religious persecution as a major driver of political violence around the globe. If correct, the perceived persecution of conservative Christians in the United States (U.S.) may contribute to the radicalization of individuals who self-identify as conservative and Christian. Yet, in focusing on country-level indicators, previous empirical research on the “religious freedom peace” is generally silent on the role of individual-level perceptions in the formation and mobilization of grievances. This article represents a first attempt to fill this gap. As such, it asks if the religious freedom discourse articulated in conservative American media contributes to the radicalization of its domestic consumers through the cultivation of perceptions of persecution that are divorced from the generally high levels of religious freedom otherwise experienced in the U.S. Although the results of an original online survey experiment demonstrate that persecution discourse does indeed shape perceptions of threat to religious liberty, I find no support for the idea that it also leads to increased support for political violence, either directly or indirectly through misperceptions of persecution.
EU Law’s Half-Hearted Protection of Religious Minorities Minority Specific Rights and Freedom of Religion for All
Authors: Henrard Kristin
Published: October 2021

This article begins with some reflections on the definition of religious minorities, their needs and rights and how this relates to the discussion about the need for minority specific rights in addition to general fundamental rights as rights for all human beings irrespective of particular identity features. Secondly, an overall account of the ambiguous relationship between religious minorities and fundamental rights is presented. The third and most extensive section zooms in on the EU and religious minorities, starting with an account of the EU’s general approach towards minorities and then turning to the protection of fundamental rights of religious minorities in/through the EU legal order. First, the EU’s engagement with minority specific rights and the extent to which these norms have been attentive to religious themes will be discussed. Second, the CJEU’s case law concerning freedom of religion and the prohibition of dis-crimination as general human rights is analysed. The conclusion then turns to the overall perspective and discusses whether the EU’s protection of religious minorities’ fundamental rights can be considered ‘half-hearted’ and, if so, to what extent. This in turn allows us to return to the overall focus of the Special Issue, namely the relationship between the freedom of religion for all and special rights for religious minorities.
Natural and Geomorphological Response of the Small Lowland River Valley for Anthropogenic Transformation
Authors: Oglęcki Paweł , Ostrowski Piotr Sebastian , Utratna-Żukowska Marta
Published: October 2021

The regulation of small rivers and the consequent maintenance works are common in the Central European Lowlands. This article attempts to determine the relationship between the invertebrate fauna (and consequently the biocenosis) of the small lowland river valley and its landforms (morphodynamics) under the conditions of very large and rapid changes caused by river regulation and maintenance. On this basis, an attempt to analyze the response of the ecosystem to rapid transformations associated with engineering works was made. The study covered Kraska, a small river typical for Polish Lowlands, which has been regulated along almost the entire length. The results showed that, in the regulated sections, where the natural forms of the relief were destroyed, there were significantly fewer taxa and significantly smaller numbers of the specimen. Despite the clear negative impact of the regulatory work on the ecosystem, the river in some sections showed the ability to spontaneously restore certain geomorphic features.
Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment of a Novel Bio-Based Multilayer Panel for Construction Applications
Authors: Barrio Aitor , Francisco Fernando Burgoa , Leoncini Andrea , Wietschel Lars , Thorenz Andrea
Published: October 2021

The bioeconomy can be integral to transforming the current economic system into one with reduced environmental and social impacts of material consumption. This work describes a bio-based multi-layer panel that is based on residual coniferous bark. To ensure that the presented bio-based panel positively contributes to environmental protection while remaining competitive with conventional products and meeting high social standards, the development of the panel is accompanied by a life cycle sustainability assessment. This study performs a comparative LCA and LCC of the developed panel to conventional benchmark panels, as well as a qualitative social life cycle assessment. While the panel performs only economically marginally weaker than the benchmarks, the results are more heterogeneous for the environmental dimension with benefits of the bio-based panel in categories such as climate change, acidification, and ozone formation and detriments in categories including eutrophication. The S-LCA analysis shows that all of the involved companies apply social principles in direct proximity; however, social responsibility along the supply chain could be further promoted. All results need to be viewed with the caveat that the manufacturing processes for the new panel have been implemented, to date, on a pilot scale and further improvements need to be achieved in terms of upscaling and optimisation cycles.
Different Nonlinear Regression Techniques and Sensitivity Analysis as Tools to Optimize Oil Viscosity Modeling
Authors: Stratiev Dicho , Nenov Svetoslav , Nedanovski Dimitar , Shishkova Ivelina , Dinkov Rosen , Stratiev Danail D. , Stratiev Denis D. , Sotirov Sotir , Sotirova Evdokia , Atanassova Vassia , Atanassov Krassimir , Yordanov Dobromir , Angelova Nora A. , Ribagin Simeon , Todorova-Yankova Liliana
Published: October 2021

Four nonlinear regression techniques were explored to model gas oil viscosity on the base of Walther’s empirical equation. With the initial database of 41 primary and secondary vacuum gas oils, four models were developed with a comparable accuracy of viscosity calculation. The Akaike information criterion and Bayesian information criterion selected the least square relative errors (LSRE) model as the best one. The sensitivity analysis with respect to the given data also revealed that the LSRE model is the most stable one with the lowest values of standard deviations of derivatives. Verification of the gas oil viscosity prediction ability was carried out with another set of 43 gas oils showing remarkably better accuracy with the LSRE model. The LSRE was also found to predict better viscosity for the 43 test gas oils relative to the Aboul Seoud and Moharam model and the Kotzakoulakis and George.
ISO 22000 Certification: Diffusion in Europe
Authors: Granja Nathalia , Domingues Pedro , Cabecinhas Mónica , Zimon Dominik , Sampaio Paulo
Published: October 2021

The main aim of this paper is to answer the research question, “Is the Gompertz model suitable for studying the diffusion of the ISO 22000 standard in Europe?” Forecasting models adopting the Gompertz model were developed to estimate to which extent the Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS) based on the ISO 22000 standard are expected to be implemented and certified in the European continent. To provide a forecast for the next few years, data from the diffusion of renowned ISO standards, namely, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, were extrapolated in order to overcome the shortcoming since data concerning ISO 22000 certification was only available for the period 2007 to 2018. The results provide a cross-sectional portrayal of the European diffusion of ISO 22000 certification and suggest an interval of the estimated number of certificates issued in Europe. This research paper presents the first attempt to empirically analyze the dynamic of diffusion of the European ISO 22000 certification. A more accurate fitting with real results may be expected with further information available in the forthcoming years.
Practice of Non-Financial Reports Assurance Services in the Polish Audit Market—The Range, Limits and Prospects for the Future
Authors: Bartoszewicz Anna , Rutkowska-Ziarko Anna
Published: October 2021

In recent years, many companies have been issuing non-financial information which is used by a wide range of stakeholders in their decision-making processes. Considering the fact that such reports play an important role in financial markets, the information they provide should be submitted to verification by an external, independent body. Our study, carried out in 2020, showed that only 2.3% of audit firms in Poland offer auditing non-financial report services. This was the starting point for our further investigations, the results of which will be presented in this article. The aim of the article is to identify the factors that limit or stimulate the performance of auditing in Poland with respect to non-financial data, and to determine the scope of operations carried out by audit firms which provide this service. The article comprises literature perusal and results of empirical studies among audit firms in Poland. Several important findings have emerged, including the fact that there are few companies in the Polish auditing market rendering the service of auditing non-financial reports, which are leaders in this field. The factor that most significantly limits the performance of non-financial report auditing is the low demand for such a service, which arises from the fact that verification and assurance of non-financial data are not obligatory for all reporting undertakings. Given that the number of CRS reports is increasing every year, it seems necessary to make full audits in order to confirm the reliability of non-financial information provided by reporting companies. Otherwise, stakeholders interested in these reports might be exposed to a risk of making inadequate decisions.
Soil Moisture Retrieval over a Vegetation-Covered Area Using ALOS-2 L-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar Data
Authors: Gao Ya , Gao Maofang , Wang Liguo , Rozenstein Offer
Published: October 2021

Soil moisture (SM) plays a significant part in regional hydrological and meteorological systems throughout Earth. It is considered an indispensable state variable in earth science. The high sensitivity of microwave remote sensing to soil moisture, and its ability to function under all weather conditions at all hours of the day, has led to its wide application in SM retrieval. The aim of this study is to evaluate the ability of ALOS-2 data to estimate SM in areas with high vegetation coverage. Through the water cloud model (WCM), the article simulates the scene coupling between active microwave images and optical data. Subsequently, we use a genetic algorithm to optimize back propagation (GA-BP) neural network technology to retrieve SM. The vegetation descriptors of the WCM, derived from optical images, were the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), the normalized difference water index (NDWI), and the normalized multi-band drought index (NMDI). In the vegetation-covered area, 240 field soil samples were collected simultaneously with the ALOS-2 SAR overpass. Soil samples at two depths (0–10 cm, 20–30 cm) were collected at each sampling site. The backscattering of the ALOS-2 with the copolarization was found to be more sensitive to SM than the crosspolarization. In addition, the sensitivity of the soil backscattering coefficient to SM at a depth of 0–10 cm was higher than at a depth of 20–30 cm. At a 0–10 cm depth, the best results were the mean square error (MAE) of 2.248 vol%, the root mean square error (RMSE) of 3.146 vol%, and the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 0.056 vol%, when the vegetation is described as by the NDVI. At a 20–30 cm depth, the best results were an MAE of 2.333 vol%, an RMSE of 2.882 vol%, a MAPE of 0.067 vol%, with the NMDI as the vegetation description. The use of the GA-BP NNs method for SM inversion presented in this paper is novel. Moreover, the results revealed that ALOS-2 data is a valuable source for SM estimation, and ALOS-2 L-band data was sensitive to SM even under vegetation cover.
Lithospheric Equilibrium, Environmental Changes, and Potential Induced-Earthquake Risk around the Newly Impounded Baihetan Reservoir, China
Authors: Fu Guangyu , She Yawen , Zhang Guoqing , Wang Yun , Gao Shanghua , Liu Tai
Published: October 2021

The Baihetan hydropower station is the second largest hydropower station worldwide. It began to store water in April 2021. We conducted a dense hybrid gravity and GNSS survey at 223 stations, obtained the free-air and Bouguer gravity anomalies, inversed the lithospheric density structure, and calculated the isostatic additional force (IAF) borne by lithosphere in the reservoir area. Moreover, we studied the gravity change and Coulomb stress change around the Baihetan reservoir due to impoundment. The main findings are the following. (1) Hybrid gravity and GNSS observations significantly improved the spatial resolution of the gravity field, and the maximum improvement reached up to 150 mGal. (2) A new method for risk assessment of reservoir-induced earthquakes is proposed from the perspective of lithospheric equilibrium. It was found that there is an IAF of −30 MPa at approximately 20 km upstream of the Baihetan dam, and the risk of a reservoir-induced earthquake in this area warrants attention. (3) It was found that the Coulomb stress variation on the Xiaojiang fault near Qiaojia at a depth of 10 km exceeded the threshold for inducing an earthquake (0.1 bar).
Using Artificial Neural Networks for the Estimation of Subsurface Tidal Currents from High-Frequency Radar Surface Current Measurements
Authors: Bradbury Max C. , Conley Daniel C.
Published: October 2021

An extensive record of current velocities at all levels in the water column is an indispensable requirement for a tidal resource assessment and is fully necessary for accurate determination of available energy throughout the water column as well as estimating likely energy capture for any particular device. Traditional tidal prediction using the least squares method requires a large number of harmonic parameters calculated from lengthy acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) measurements, while long-term in situ ADCPs have the advantage of measuring the real current but are logistically expensive. This study aims to show how these issues can be overcome with the use of a neural network to predict current velocities throughout the water column, using surface currents measured by a high-frequency radar. Various structured neural networks were trained with the aim of finding the network which could best simulate unseen subsurface current velocities, compared to ADCP data. This study shows that a recurrent neural network, trained by the Bayesian regularisation algorithm, produces current velocities highly correlated with measured values: r2 (0.98), mean absolute error (0.05 ms−1), and the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (0.98). The method demonstrates its high prediction ability using only 2 weeks of training data to predict subsurface currents up to 6 months in the future, whilst a constant surface current input is available. The resulting current predictions can be used to calculate flow power, with only a 0.4% mean error. The method is shown to be as accurate as harmonic analysis whilst requiring comparatively few input data and outperforms harmonics by identifying non-celestial influences; however, the model remains site specific.
A Stacking Ensemble Deep Learning Model for Building Extraction from Remote Sensing Images
Authors: Cao Duanguang , Xing Hanfa , Wong Man Sing , Kwan Mei-Po , Xing Huaqiao , Meng Yuan
Published: October 2021

Automatically extracting buildings from remote sensing images with deep learning is of great significance to urban planning, disaster prevention, change detection, and other applications. Various deep learning models have been proposed to extract building information, showing both strengths and weaknesses in capturing the complex spectral and spatial characteristics of buildings in remote sensing images. To integrate the strengths of individual models and obtain fine-scale spatial and spectral building information, this study proposed a stacking ensemble deep learning model. First, an optimization method for the prediction results of the basic model is proposed based on fully connected conditional random fields (CRFs). On this basis, a stacking ensemble model (SENet) based on a sparse autoencoder integrating U-NET, SegNet, and FCN-8s models is proposed to combine the features of the optimized basic model prediction results. Utilizing several cities in Hebei Province, China as a case study, a building dataset containing attribute labels is established to assess the performance of the proposed model. The proposed SENet is compared with three individual models (U-NET, SegNet and FCN-8s), and the results show that the accuracy of SENet is 0.954, approximately 6.7%, 6.1%, and 9.8% higher than U-NET, SegNet, and FCN-8s models, respectively. The identification of building features, including colors, sizes, shapes, and shadows, is also evaluated, showing that the accuracy, recall, F1 score, and intersection over union (IoU) of the SENet model are higher than those of the three individual models. This suggests that the proposed ensemble model can effectively depict the different features of buildings and provides an alternative approach to building extraction with higher accuracy.
DEANet: Dual Encoder with Attention Network for Semantic Segmentation of Remote Sensing Imagery
Authors: Wei Haoran , Xu Xiangyang , Ou Ni , Zhang Xinru , Dai Yaping
Published: October 2021

Remote sensing has now been widely used in various fields, and the research on the automatic land-cover segmentation methods of remote sensing imagery is significant to the development of remote sensing technology. Deep learning methods, which are developing rapidly in the field of semantic segmentation, have been widely applied to remote sensing imagery segmentation. In this work, a novel deep learning network—Dual Encoder with Attention Network (DEANet) is proposed. In this network, a dual-branch encoder structure, whose first branch is used to generate a rough guidance feature map as area attention to help re-encode feature maps in the next branch, is proposed to improve the encoding ability of the network, and an improved pyramid partial decoder (PPD) based on the parallel partial decoder is put forward to make fuller use of the features form the encoder along with the receptive filed block (RFB). In addition, an edge attention module using the transfer learning method is introduced to explicitly advance the segmentation performance in edge areas. Except for structure, a loss function composed with the weighted Cross Entropy (CE) loss and weighted Union subtract Intersection (UsI) loss is designed for training, where UsI loss represents a new region-based aware loss which replaces the IoU loss to adapt to multi-classification tasks. Furthermore, a detailed training strategy for the network is introduced as well. Extensive experiments on three public datasets verify the effectiveness of each proposed module in our framework and demonstrate that our method achieves more excellent performance over some state-of-the-art methods.