bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Estimation of Daily Arctic Winter Sea Ice Thickness from Thermodynamic Parameters Using a Self-Attention Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Liang Zeyu , Ji Qing , Pang Xiaoping , Fan Pei , Yao Xuedong , Chen Yizhuo , Chen Ying , Yan Zhongnan
Published: April 2023

Thermodynamic parameters play a crucial role in determining polar sea ice thickness (SIT); however, modeling their relationship is difficult due to the complexity of the influencing mechanisms. In this study, we propose a self-attention convolutional neural network (SAC-Net), which aims to model the relationship between thermodynamic parameters and SIT more parsimoniously, allowing us to estimate SIT directly from these parameters. SAC-Net uses a fully convolutional network as a baseline model to detect the spatial information of the thermodynamic parameters. Furthermore, a self-attention block is introduced to enhance the correlation among features. SAC-Net was trained on a dataset of SIT observations and thermodynamic data from the 2012–2019 freeze-up period, including surface upward sensible heat flux, surface upward latent heat flux, 2 m temperature, skin temperature, and surface snow temperature. The results show that our neural network model outperforms two thermodynamic-based SIT products in terms of accuracy and can provide reliable estimates of SIT. This study demonstrates the potential of the neural network to provide accurate and automated predictions of Arctic winter SIT from thermodynamic data, and, thus, the network can be used to support decision-making in certain fields, such as polar shipping, environmental protection, and climate science.
Creation of a Walloon Pasture Monitoring Platform Based on Machine Learning Models and Remote Sensing
Authors: Nickmilder Charles , Tedde Anthony , Dufrasne Isabelle , Lessire Françoise , Glesner Noémie , Tychon Bernard , Bindelle Jérome , Soyeurt Hélène
Published: April 2023

The use of remote sensing data and the implementation of machine learning (ML) algorithms is growing in pasture management. In this study, ML models predicting the available compressed sward height (CSH) in Walloon pastures based on Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, and meteorological data were developed to be integrated into a decision support system (DSS). Given the area covered (>4000 km2 of pastures of 100 m2 pixels), the consequent challenge of computation time and power requirements was overcome by the development of a platform predicting CSH throughout Wallonia. Four grazing seasons were covered in the current study (between April and October from 2018 to 2021, the mean predicted CSH per parcel per date ranged from 48.6 to 67.2 mm, and the coefficient of variation from 0 to 312%, suggesting a strong heterogeneity of variability of CSH between parcels. Further exploration included the number of predictions expected per grazing season and the search for temporal and spatial patterns and consistency. The second challenge tackled is the poor data availability for concurrent acquisition, which was overcome through the inclusion of up to 4-day-old data to fill data gaps up to the present time point. For this gap filling methodology, relevancy decreased as the time window width increased, although data with 4-day time lag values represented less than 4% of the total data. Overall, two models stood out, and further studies should either be based on the random forest model if they need prediction quality or on the cubist model if they need continuity. Further studies should focus on developing the DSS and on the conversion of CSH to actual forage allowance.
PLDS-SLAM: Point and Line Features SLAM in Dynamic Environment
Authors: Yuan Chaofeng , Xu Yuelei , Zhou Qing
Published: April 2023

Visual simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), based on point features, achieves high localization accuracy and map construction. They primarily perform simultaneous localization and mapping based on static features. Despite their efficiency and high precision, they are prone to instability and even failure in complex environments. In a dynamic environment, it is easy to keep track of failures and even failures in work. The dynamic object elimination method, based on semantic segmentation, often recognizes dynamic objects and static objects without distinction. If there are many semantic segmentation objects or the distribution of segmentation objects is uneven in the camera view, this may result in feature offset and deficiency for map matching and motion tracking, which will lead to problems, such as reduced system accuracy, tracking failure, and track loss. To address these issues, we propose a novel point-line SLAM system based on dynamic environments. The method we propose obtains the prior dynamic region features by detecting and segmenting the dynamic region. It realizes the separation of dynamic and static objects by proposing a geometric constraint method for matching line segments, combined with the epipolar constraint method of feature points. Additionally, a dynamic feature tracking method based on Bayesian theory is proposed to eliminate the dynamic noise of points and lines and improve the robustness and accuracy of the SLAM system. We have performed extensive experiments on the KITTI and HPatches datasets to verify these claims. The experimental results show that our proposed method has excellent performance in dynamic and complex scenes.
Evaluation of Spatial and Temporal Variations in the Difference between Soil and Air Temperatures on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau Using Reanalysis Data Products
Authors: Wang Xiqiang , Chen Rensheng
Published: April 2023

Many extreme meteorological events are closely related to the strength of land–atmosphere interactions. In this study, the heat exchange regime between the shallow soil layer and the atmosphere over the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (QTP) was investigated using a reanalysis dataset. The analysis was conducted using a simple metric ΔT, defined as the difference between the temperatures of the shallow soil and the air. First, the performance of 4 widely used reanalysis data products (GLDAS-Noah, NCEP-R2, ERA5 and ERA5-land) in estimating ΔT on the QTP at soil depths of 0~7 or 0~10 cm was evaluated during the baseline period (1981–2010); the ERA5-land product was selected for subsequent analysis, because it yielded a better performance in estimating the annual and seasonal ΔT and finer spatial resolution than the other datasets. Using the soil temperature at depths of 0~7 cm and the air temperature at 2 m above the ground, as provided by the ERA5-Land reanalysis dataset, the entire QTP was found to be dominated by a positive ΔT both annually and seasonally during the baseline period, with large differences in the spatial distribution of the seasonal values of ΔT. From 1950 to 2021, the QTP experienced a significant decreasing trend in the annual ΔT at a rate of −0.07 °C/decade, and obvious decreases have also been detected at the seasonal level (except in spring). In the southern and northeastern parts of the QTP, rapid rates of decrease in the annual ΔT were detected, and the areas with significantly decreasing trends in ΔT were found to increase in size gradually from summer, through autumn, to winter. This study provides a holistic view of the spatiotemporal variations in ΔT on the QTP, and the findings can improve our understanding of the land–atmosphere thermal interactions in this region and provide important information pertaining to regional ecological diversity, hydrology, agricultural activity and infrastructural stability.
Precise Ambiguity Performance Evaluation for Spaceborne SAR with Diverse Waveforms
Authors: Jin Guodong , Wang Yu , Yang Hui , Song Chen , Huang Jingkai , Wang Wei , Deng Yunkai , Zhu Daiyin
Published: April 2023

The ambiguity suppression is a technical challenge for the present generation of spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems since this kind of suppression does not take the high spatial resolution and wide coverage into account simultaneously. The transmitting scheme based on the waveform diversity technique is a promising candidate for the conventional (one transmit, one receive channel) SAR systems and has been widely discussed, because it has almost no extra system costs and the ambiguity suppression performance is not closely related to pulse repetition frequency (PRF). However, the accurate method to evaluate the ratio of the intensities of the ambiguities to that of the signal is still a gap. To this end, starting from the precise signal model formulated in this paper, the ambiguity evaluation for spaceborne SAR with waveform diversity has been analyzed in detail. Particularly, the modified azimuth ambiguity-to-signal ratio (AASR) and range ambiguity-to-signal ratio (RASR) formulas are given for the single polarization SARs and quadrature-polarimetric (quad-pol) SARs, which contributes a lot, for the system designer, to precisely evaluating the ambiguity performance. Finally, detailed simulation experiments exploiting the system parameters of the LuTan (LT-1) system are carried out to corroborate the theoretical developments.
Soil Moisture Inversion Based on Data Augmentation Method Using Multi-Source Remote Sensing Data
Authors: Wang Yinglin , Zhao Jianhui , Guo Zhengwei , Yang Huijin , Li Ning
Published: April 2023

Soil moisture is an important land environment characteristic that connects agriculture, ecology, and hydrology. Surface soil moisture (SSM) prediction can be used to plan irrigation, monitor water quality, manage water resources, and estimate agricultural production. Multi-source remote sensing is a crucial tool for assessing SSM in agricultural areas. The field-measured SSM sample data are required in model building and accuracy assessment of SSM inversion using remote sensing data. When the SSM samples are insufficient, the SSM inversion accuracy is severely affected. An SSM inversion method suitable for a small sample size was proposed. The alpha approximation method was employed to expand the measured SSM samples to offer more training data for SSM inversion models. Then, feature parameters were extracted from Sentinel-1 microwave and Sentinel-2 optical remote sensing data, and optimized using three methods, which were Pearson correlation analysis, random forest (RF), and principal component analysis. Then, three common machine learning models suitable for small sample training, which were RF, support vector regression, and genetic algorithm-back propagation neural network, were built to retrieve SSM. Comparison experiments were carried out between various feature optimization methods and machine learning models. The experimental results showed that after sample augmentation, SSM inversion accuracy was enhanced, and the combination of utilizing RF for feature screening and RF for SSM inversion had a higher accuracy, with a coefficient of determination of 0.7256, a root mean square error of 0.0539 cm3/cm3, and a mean absolute error of 0.0422 cm3/cm3, respectively. The proposed method was finally used to invert the regional SSM of the study area. The inversion results indicated that the proposed method had good performance in regional applications with a small sample size.
Statistical Assessments of InSAR Tropospheric Corrections: Applicability and Limitations of Weather Model Products and Spatiotemporal Filtering
Authors: Sun Luyi , Chen Jinsong , Li Hongzhong , Guo Shanxin , Han Yu
Published: April 2023

Tropospheric correction is a crucial step for interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) monitoring of small deformation magnitude. However, most of the corrections are implemented without a rigorous evaluation of their influences on InSAR measurements. In this paper, we present three statistical metrics to evaluate the correction performance. Firstly, we propose a time series decomposition method to estimate the tropospheric noise and mitigate the bias caused by ground displacement. On this basis, we calculate the root-mean-square values of tropospheric noise to assess the general performance of tropospheric corrections. Then, we propose the use of semi-variograms with model-fitted range and sill to investigate the reduction of distance-dependent signals, and Spearman’s rank correlation between phase and elevation to evaluate the mitigation of topography-correlated signals in hilly areas. The applicability and limitations were assessed on the weather model-derived corrections, a representative spatiotemporal filtering method, and the integration of the two mainstream methods. Furthermore, we notice that the persistent scatter InSAR processing resulted in two components, the primary and secondary images’ contribution to the tropospheric and orbit errors. To the best of our knowledge, this paper for the first time analyzes the respective roles of the two components in the InSAR tropospheric corrections.
Solar Photovoltaic Hotspot Inspection Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Thermal Images at a Solar Field in South India
Authors: Pruthviraj Umesh , Kashyap Yashwant , Baxevanaki Effrosyni , Kosmopoulos Panagiotis
Published: April 2023

The sun is an abundant source of energy, and solar energy has been at the forefront of the renewable energy sector for years. A way to convert it into electricity is by the use of solar cells. Multiple solar cells, connected to each other, create solar panels, which in their turn, are connected in a solar string, and they create solar farms. These structures are extremely efficient in electricity production, but also, cells are fragile in nature and delicate to environmental conditions, which is the reason why some of them show discrepancies and are called defective. In this research, a thermal camera mounted on a drone has been used for the first time in the solar farm operating conditions of India in order to capture images of the solar field and investigate solar panels for defective cells and create an orthomosaic image of the entire area. This procedure next year will be established on an international scale as a best practice example for commercialization, providing effortless photovoltaic monitoring and maintenance planning. For this process, an open source software WebODM has been used, and the entire field was digitized so as to identify the location of defective panels in the field. This software was the base in order to provide and analyze a digital twin of the studied area and the included photovoltaic panels. The defects on solar cells were identified with the use of thermal bands, which record and point out their temperature of them, whereas anomalies in the detected temperature in defective solar cells were captured using thermal electromagnetic waves, and these areas are mentioned as hotspots. In this research, a total number of 232.934 solar panels were identified, and 2481 defective solar panels were automatically indicated. The majority of the defects were due to manufacturing failure and normal aging, but also due to persistent shadowing and soiling from aerosols and especially dust transport, as well as from extreme weather conditions, including hail. The originality of this study relies on the application of the proposed under development technology to the specific conditions of India, including high photovoltaic panels wear rates due to extreme aerosol loads (India presents one of the highest aerosol levels worldwide) and the monsoon effects. The ability to autonomously monitor solar farms in such conditions has a strong energy and economic benefit for production management and for long-term optimization purposes.
Interaction of Climate Change and Anthropogenic Activity on the Spatiotemporal Changes of Surface Water Area in Horqin Sandy Land, China
Authors: Chen Xueping , Zhao Xueyong , Zhao Yanming , Wang Ruixiong , Lu Jiannan , Zhuang Haiyan , Bai Liya
Published: April 2023

Surface water dynamics are sensitive to climate change and anthropogenic activity, and they exert important feedback to the above two processes. However, it is unclear how climate and human activity affect surface water variation, especially in semi-arid regions, such as Horqin Sandy Land (HQSL), a typical part of the fragile region for intensive interaction of climate and land use change in northern China. We investigated the changes of spatiotemporal distribution and the influence of climatic and anthropogenic factors on Surface Water Area (SWA) in HQSL. There are 5933 Landsat images used in this research, which were processed on the Google Earth Engine cloud platform to extract water bodies by vegetation index and water index method. The results revealed that the area and number of water bodies showed a significant decrease in HQSL from 1985 to 2020. Spatially, the SWA experienced different amplitudes of variation in the Animal Husbandry Dominated Region (AHDR) and in the Agriculture Dominated Region (ADR) during two periods; many water bodies even dried up and disappeared in HQSL. Hierarchical partitioning analysis showed that the SWA of both regions was primarily influenced by climatic factors during the pre-change period (1985–2000; the mutation occurred in 2000), and human activity has become more and more significantly important during the post-change period (2001–2020). Thus, it is predictable that SWA variation in the following decades will be influenced by the interaction of climate change and human activity, even more by the later in HQSL, and the social sectors have to improve their ability to adapt to climate change by modifying land use strategy and techniques toward the sustainable development of water resources.
Can Associative Effects Affect In Vitro Digestibility Estimates Using Artificial Fermenters?
Authors: Camacho Larissa Frota , Silva Tadeu Eder da , Franco Marcia de Oliveira , Detmann Edenio
Published: April 2023

We aimed to test the associative effects among forages, and between forage and concentrates on the in vitro digestibility of dry matter and neutral detergent fibre using an artificial ruminal fermentation system. The study consisted of two assays, in which associative effects were evaluated among three forages, sugarcane, maize silage, and Tifton 85 hay under two incubation conditions (single feed or all feeds together in a jar), and the associative effects between sugarcane and soybean meal and/or ground maize. For the first assay, sugarcane digestibility increased (p < 0.02), whereas the maize silage digestibility decreased (p < 0.01) when forages were incubated together in the same jar. Tifton hay digestibility was not altered (p ≥ 0.57) by the incubation condition. In the second assay, the sugarcane digestibility was depressed (p < 0.05) when the forage was incubated along with maize grain. For both assays, the pattern of repeatability for digestibility estimates presented an influence of the incubation condition. We concluded that the incubation of different feeds together in the same jar using artificial fermenters causes associative effects among them. These effects can influence the estimates of in vitro dry matter and fibre digestibility and alter their repeatability.
Circadian Lying Behaviour Assessed in a Commercial Mixed Horned Dairy Goat Herd
Authors: Maurmann Ines , Bernau Maren
Published: April 2023

In general, the lying behaviour of dairy goats follows a circadian progression. As lying times might have an effect on the health, performance and welfare of dairy goats, housing conditions and management practices should follow circadian behavioural patterns. In the present study, a mixed horned herd of Bunte Deutsche Edelziege was used. Goats were housed in a commercial dairy goat farm in south Germany. During two lactation periods, 20 goats in each period were fitted with an accelerometer to detect lying behaviour. To analyse the accelerometer data, a mixed linear model was used. The highest frequencies of lying bouts (FLBs) occurred in the afternoon, and the lowest ones occurred during milking. Generally, the least square means ± SE of the FLB counts per goat ranged between 1.72 ± 0.07 (20:00–21:59 P.M.) and 2.87 ± 0.07 (12:00–13:59 P.M.). The longest lying bouts (LBD) occurred at night, and lying bouts remained relatively short in the afternoon between milking times. The maximum LBD was 52.20 ± 0.01 min/bout (at night, 02:00–03:59 A.M.), and the shortest duration was 14.31 ± 0.01 min/bout (during morning milking, 08:00–09:59 A.M.). The interactions of time and month had a significant impact on FLB and LBD (p < 0.0001), and so did the interactions of horn status and time (p < 0.05). Further research is necessary to analyse the lying behaviour of dairy goats in more detail to improve management practices.
Development of Trade and Financial-Economical Relationships between China and Russia: A Study Based on the Trade Gravity Model
Authors: Aksenov Gleb , Li Ronglin , Abbas Qamar , Fambo Houlda , Popkov Sergey , Ponkratov Vadim , Kosov Mikhail , Elyakova Izabella , Vasiljeva Marina
Published: April 2023

This article empirically assessed new opportunities and provides a conceptual justification for promising areas of trade and financial and economic relations between China and Russia amidst ongoing global turbulence, the post-COVID situation, and sanctions pressure. The study utilized the trade gravity model, taking into account the latest trends in the development of the research subject and object, as well as current challenges and trends in the global economy. The study revealed similarities between the political systems, reforms, and policies of China and Russia, with centralized power structures overlapping and supporting each other at international forums such as the UNSC. The findings suggest that both countries plan to increase trade volume in the next two years, with China focusing more on trade and economic development, while Russia works to promote security and political stability. This study provides valuable insights into the economic relationship between Russia and China, its impact on the US and Europe, and highlights the need for effective policy interventions to address the challenges posed by this relationship. It offers significant theoretical and practical contributions, including the potential to unlock the potential of national economies, increase their competitiveness and help states enter a phase of advanced and sustainable development. This article provides several policy recommendations to ensure the long-term sustainability of the economic relationship between Russia and China and foster mutual understanding and trust between their peoples. These include promoting trade diversification, enhancing financial cooperation, addressing trade barriers, strengthening political and security coordination, mitigating negative impacts on other countries, promoting sustainable development, and fostering people-to-people exchanges.
Combined Effects of Biochar and Inhibitors on Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Global Warming Potential, and Nitrogen Use Efficiency in the Tobacco Field
Authors: Zhang Tongkun , Tang Yuan , Gao Weichang , Lee Xinqing , Li Huan , Hu Wei , Cheng Jianzhong
Published: April 2023

Biochar (BC), nitrification inhibitors (methyl 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl) propionate, MHPP), and urease inhibitors (n-butyl phosphorothioate triamine, NBPT) have emerged as effective soil greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation strategies in agroecosystems. However, the combined use of BC and inhibitors in karst areas has no available data. Therefore, the combined effects of BC, MHPP, and NBPT on GHG emissions, global warming potential (GWP) and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in roasted tobacco cropping systems were studied to improve the understanding in climate mitigation. CO2, CH4, and N2O emissions from soils were measured using static chamber-gas chromatography. Results showed that the combined use of BC and inhibitors significantly increased soil total nitrogen, available potassium, electric conductivity, pH, and soil organic matter compared to the control. The combined use of BC and MHPP or NBPT significantly increased cumulative soil CO2 emissions by 33.95% and 34.25%, respectively. The exponential–exponential function of soil CO2 fluxes with soil moisture and temperature demonstrated good fit (R2: 0.506–0.836). The combination of BC and NBPT increased the cumulative soil CH4 emissions by 14.28% but not significantly compared to the fertiliser treatment. However, the combination of BC and MHPP resulted in a significant reduction in cumulative soil CH4 emissions by 80.26%. In addition, the combined use of BC and MHPP or NBPT significantly reduced the cumulative soil N2O emissions by 26.55% and 40.67%, respectively. The inhibition effect of NBPT was better than MHPP. Overall, the combined use of BC and inhibitors significantly reduced the yield-scaled GWP, markedly increased crop yield and NUE, and mitigated climate change in the southwest karst region.
Staircase Wetlands for the Treatment of Greywater and the Effect of Greywater on Soil Microbes
Authors: Qadir Ghulam , Pino Vanessa , Brambilla Arianna , Alonso-Marroquin Fernando
Published: April 2023

Fresh water is an increasingly scarce resource in both urban and rural development. As a response to this challenge, non-potable water reuse is on the rise. This research explored a potential off-grid system for water purification, consisting of a staircase wetland with terracotta pot plants working as a filter for greywater. This study further investigated the physicochemical properties of greywater and the soil before and after wetland purification. The removal of total suspended solids, total coliforms, fecal coliforms, etc., was always between 90 and 99%. Results show that the filtered water satisfied all requirements for water reuse, e.g., a pH of 7–7.5 and a turbidity < 5 NTU. This research then uniquely investigated the effect of greywater on soil microbes and soil biomass using soil DNA extraction and the tea bag index testing method. The filtered greywater absorbed by soil decomposed the soil faster (66% for green tea) and stabilized it better compared to tap-water-absorbed soil or unfiltered greywater. DNA generation sequencing revealed no significant differences in alpha diversity between the control and treatment samples. The beta diversity differences were significant. This nature-based solution can lead to reduced loads on the sewage system, resulting in less wastewater generation.
Study on Utilization of Biochar Prepared from Crop Straw with Enhanced Carbon Sink Function in Northeast China
Authors: Huang Xinyi , Chen Xue , Guo Yunzhi , Wang Hanxi
Published: April 2023

Carbon emission reduction is an important issue facing the current industrial development. With the agglomeration of old industrial bases in Northeast China and the high total carbon emission, it is difficult to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality. The objective of crop straw biochar preparation and utilization research is to achieve regional carbon neutralization and carbon sink function. The waste crop straw resources in Northeast China were huge, with an annual yield of about 7.0 × 107 tons which showed an increasing trend. The development of the biochar industry in Northeast China significantly reduced carbon emissions and the environmental pollution caused by straw burning. At the same time, it obtained a huge profit of 7.0 × 1010 RMB. Because of the special location conditions in Northeast China, the establishment of the biochar industry chain needed multi-angle research and judgment. The biochar industry in Northeast China will have a broad prospect, and the industrial demand is not only farmland soil improvement but also winter heating fuel utilization and carbon reduction. This study will further increase the carbon sink capacity in Northeast China and promote the realization of China’s carbon neutrality goal, which also has important reference value for carbon reduction in other countries in the world.
Effects of Solid Waste Reutilization on Performance of Pervious Concrete: A Review
Authors: Xie Hui-Zhu , Li Leo Gu , Ng Pui-Lam , Liu Feng
Published: April 2023

With rapid urban development, natural aggregate resources have become scarce and a large number of ageing buildings are being demolished, which has resulted in a significant reduction in natural resources and a large increase in construction waste. Therefore, the reuse of solid waste, including waste powder and recycled aggregate, has attracted more and more attention. Additionally, as a prominent way to alleviate the urban heat island effect and manage stormwater runoff, pervious concrete has been widely studied and applied. In this paper, the effects of waste powder (fly ash, volcanic powder and blast furnace slag) and recycled aggregate (recycled concrete aggregate and recycled brick aggregate) on the mechanical properties, water permeability, water filtration and durability of pervious concrete are summarized and introduced, and some prospects are put forward. From the literature review, it can be found that adding the appropriate amount of solid waste or applying proper treatment methods to solid waste will not bring negative effects; rather, it would even improve the performance attributes of pervious concrete. Therefore, the use of solid waste in pervious concrete has great potential for urban construction and environmental protection.
Research on Day-Ahead Optimal Scheduling Considering Carbon Emission Allowance and Carbon Trading
Authors: Li Jiangnan , Mao Tian , Huang Guanglei , Zhao Wenmeng , Wang Tao
Published: April 2023

In the context of the marketization of carbon trading in the power system, it is of great theoretical and practical significance to study a scientific and effective carbon emission quota allocation strategy. To solve this problem, under the current situation of large-scale access to new energy, considering the limitations of the carbon emissions from different emission subjects plus the construction of a carbon trading model among the emission subjects, a day-ahead optimal scheduling method that takes carbon emission quotas and carbon trading into account is proposed. Firstly, carbon transaction cost models of thermal power and wind power are constructed, respectively, and a carbon emission quota allocation strategy based on the entropy method is proposed to redistribute the weights of baseline emission factors for the regional power grid. Then, considering the additional carbon emissions of conventional thermal power units caused by wind power access, the carbon trading costs of different types of generation units are calculated on the basis of carbon trading price prediction. Thereafter, a day-ahead optimal scheduling model considering carbon emissions trading is constructed with the objective of minimizing the total cost of the system in the scheduling period. The model is solved as an MINLP problem based on MATLAB 2016a software utilizing CPLEX 12.4. Simulation results verify the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed method.
Evaluation of the Thermal Environment of Xi’an Subway Stations in Summer and Determination of the Indoor Air Design Temperature for Air-Conditioning
Authors: Sui Xuemin , Chen Siyi , Han Bing , Yu Senfeng
Published: April 2023

Taking two typical subway stations in Xi’an as the research objects, the thermal environment and human thermal comfort of the station in summer were studied based on field measurements and a questionnaire survey. Based on the relative warmth index (RWI), the passengers’ thermal comfort during the process from entering to leaving the station under the operating temperature and the designed temperature was also analyzed. Moreover, the RWI method was modified based on the comparative analysis of the predicted results from the RWI and questionnaire methods. Then based on the revised RWI method, the suitable indoor air design temperature in Xi’an subway stations was discussed. The research results revealed that if the air-conditioning system was operated at the design temperature suggested by Code GB 50157-2013, it cannot meet the thermal comfort needs of most passengers. Only when the temperature of the platform was at least 1 °C lower than that in the station hall did the passengers obtain temporary relative thermal comfort. According to the control proportion that 25% of passengers need a cooler environment, the indoor air design temperature for air-conditioning in Xi’an subway stations should be 25.5 °C in the station hall and 24.5 °C on the platform.
Financial Literacy of Managers in Serbian Health Care Organizations as a Path to Sustainability
Authors: Gačić Jasna , Milojević Stefan , Knežević Snežana , Adamović Miljan
Published: April 2023

Adequate financial management is of great importance to the health care system. In the contemporary state of affairs, health care is facing numerous limitations due to drastic costs and growing pressures to provide quality health care. In such appalling conditions, the managers of health organizations must build skills and knowledge that go beyond the comfort zone of their clinical competencies. It is necessary to develop their leadership skills. Bearing in mind the importance of financial competencies, the general aim of this paper is to determine the competencies of the managers of Serbian health institutions (private and public sector) in this area. Insufficient attention has been given to how health care organizations’ financial literacy affects their sustainability. For the purpose of this prospective research, a questionnaire was created that surveyed the managers of various health care institutions. The results of this study indicated that managers of health organizations have a relatively modest level of financial knowledge. However, they participate in financial activities to a large extent. This gap between the function they perform and the knowledge they have can potentially harm the well-being of the health care organizations they lead. Managers of organizations in the public sector showed a more active role in the development of business plans and more frequent independent decision making, while managers of organizations in the private sector gave more importance to financial control, negotiation, and internal financial reporting, for the improvement of the management process.
Sustainable Watershed Protection from the Public Perspective, China
Authors: Chen Chunci , He Guizhen , Yu Mingzhao
Published: April 2023

The conservation and sustainability of the Yongding River Watershed attracted great attention as Beijing and Zhangjiakou jointly hosted the Winter Olympics in 2022. The government has implemented many management measures and restoration programs in the past decade. However, information and opinions from the public perspective were rarely considered. This paper investigates 626 residents neighboring the Yongding River Watershed through a face-to-face questionnaire survey to reveal public perceptions, attitudes, concerns, and behaviors toward sustainable watershed protection and proposes multiple regression models to explore factors affecting their concerns and behaviors. The results show that the majority of respondents (52–58%) have limited knowledge about the watershed environment, and their views are influenced by living places. More than half of the respondents (52%) believe that upstream should take responsibility for watershed protection, but 72% are not aware that upstream suffers economic restrictions. Public behaviors toward watershed protection are diverse depending on knowledge, attitudes, and concerns about the watershed environment as well as on sociodemographic background. Our results highlight that a better understanding of watershed protection can be used to foster public participation and increase support for watershed management initiatives.
Research on the Generating Mechanism of Urban Talent Competitiveness Based QCA Method: A Configurational Analysis of 24 Chinese Cities
Authors: Liu Sike , Wang Wuyi
Published: April 2023

Talent competition is the core of urban competition; urban development needs strong talent competitiveness. This study applies configuration thinking and the QCA method through the integration of six influencing conditions, namely talent scale, talent structure, talent innovation, talent development, talent efficiency and talent living, it selects 24 Chinese cities as research cases, explores the generation mechanism of urban talent competitiveness. The results demonstrate that: (1) Talent scale, talent innovation, talent development and talent living are the key conditions for generating urban talent competitiveness; (2) The quality improvement mode, innovation leading mode and resource competitive mode are the main modes of generating urban talent competitiveness; the resource competitive mode is the most common combination of strategies for generating urban talent competitiveness; (3) Talent development and talent living have a substitution relationship in the process of generating urban talent competitiveness; (4) The configuration that hinders the generation of competitiveness and promotes the generation of competitiveness is asymmetric.
Bond Performance of Corroded Steel Reinforcement and Recycled Coarse Aggregate Concrete after Freeze–Thaw Cycles
Authors: Huang Xutong , Su Tian , Wang Jinxu , Cao Fubo , Wang Chenxia
Published: April 2023

Freeze–thaw cycles and steel reinforcement corrosion can damage the properties of concrete structures in a frigid marine environment. In this paper, experimental and analytical research on the freeze–thaw resistance of recycled coarse aggregate concrete (RAC) and the bond performance of corroded steel reinforcement and RAC after freeze–thaw cycles was conducted. The results showed that the ultimate bond strength decreases with increasing freeze–thaw cycles and steel reinforcement corrosion rates, and the bond strength decreases more rapidly under the coupled effect of freeze–thaw cycles and steel reinforcement corrosion. Additionally, the quantitative analysis of the relationships between the ultimate bond strength and different freeze–thaw cycles and steel reinforcement corrosion rates was conducted through the relativity analysis, and analysis results revealed that freeze–thaw cycles have a more pronounced effect on the ultimate bond strength than steel reinforcement corrosion. A modified bond–slip prediction model of corroded steel reinforcement and RAC after freeze–thaw cycles was established, and the model exhibited better agreement with the test data of this and other research, demonstrating its rationality and applicability. These research results can provide experimental and analytical support for freeze–thaw-resistant design and bond performance prediction of RAC structures in a frigid marine environment.
Categorizing Chinese Consumers’ Behavior to Identify Factors Related to Sustainable Clothing Consumption
Authors: Guo Wenjun , Kim Eunyoung
Published: April 2023

Consumers’ current clothing consumption behavior patterns have become the primary challenge to environmental sustainability within the clothing industry. In order to ensure any behavioral change intervention is successful, a thorough understanding of consumers’ current consumption behavior is required. Accordingly, we aimed to identify factors related to sustainable clothing consumption by categorizing the actual clothing consumption behaviors of Chinese consumers. Specifically, the study aims to answer two sub-questions: (1) how can we categorize clothing consumption behaviors? and (2) what factors influence different types of clothing consumption behaviors? Data were collected through a two-phase survey that included observations and a questionnaire. The consumer behavior was divided into three categories based on the actual total number of clothing items and clothing usage frequency during a designated period. Among these categories, demographics and clothing consumption behavior variables were examined in the purchase, use, and disposal phases, using Chi-square analysis, Fisher’s exact test, and variance analysis. The findings show that gender, age, brand preference, annual expenditure, number of new items, purchase priorities, reason for disposal, disposal channels, disposal quantity, repair experience, duration of use, price, and clothing type were the main factors related to sustainable clothing consumption. Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings and define the issues to be addressed in order to move towards sustainable clothing consumption behavior changes.
Study on the Restoration of Ecological Environments in Mining Area Based on GIS Technology
Authors: Qi Jiawei , Zhang Yichen , Zhang Jiquan , Wu Chenyang , Chen Yanan , Cheng Zhongshuai
Published: April 2023

Taking Erdaojiang and Dongchang District of Tonghua City, Jilin Province as examples, this paper studies the ecological environment restoration and governance model of their mining areas. In this paper, the vegetation cover (NDVI) data in the past ten years were selected from the study area. The Theil–Sen median and Mann–Kendall (MK) methods were used to analyze the time series of NDVI, and the vegetation cover change trend map of the study area was obtained. Then, the land use data of the study area for 4 years were selected, and the transfer matrix method was used to analyze the land use conversion between the years. Finally, according to the characteristics of the distribution of mines in the study area, for the mining area in different natural geographical locations, it was concluded that the restoration of cultivated land and the restoration of forest land and ecological reconstruction were adopted. Among them, the restoration of forest land includes natural restoration and artificial intervention.
Consolidation by Vertical Drains Considering the Rheological Characteristics of Soil under Depth and Time-Dependent Loading
Authors: Shen Siliang , Hu Zheyu
Published: April 2023

Vertical drains have been widely used in soil improvement projects to accelerate consolidation and improve the strength of soft soil. Previous consolidation models are mainly based on instantaneous loading, which cannot reflect the actual time-variable loading condition. This paper presents a set of analytical solutions for consolidation with vertical drains under depth and time-dependent loading, involving one-step loading, multi-step loading, and cyclic loading. A four-element model, which is a combination of the Merchant model and Maxwell model, is introduced to consider the rheological characteristics of the soil. By simulating the results of a consolidation test, it is found that the four-element model is more accurate than the Merchant model in predicting the changes in pore pressure and settlement during the clay consolidation process. Based on the solutions obtained, several factors affecting consolidation behavior are investigated. It has been shown that the rheological behavior becomes more and more obvious at the later stage of consolidation with the decrease both in the modulus of the spring in the Kelvin body and the viscosity coefficient of the independent dashpot. With the increase in the viscosity coefficient of the dashpot in the Kelvin body, the rate of consolidation becomes faster at an initial stage but slower at a later stage. For cyclic loading, the consolidation degree in each cycle reaches a maximum at the end of unloading and reaches a minimum at the beginning of the loading.
The Adaptability of Cities to Climate Change: Evidence from Cities’ Redesign towards Mitigating the UHI Effect
Authors: Spyrou Georgia , Ioannou Byron , Souliotis Manolis , Savvides Andreas L. , Fokaides Paris A.
Published: April 2023

The urban heat island effect can be studied through satellite imaging, field measurements, or analytical and numerical tools. However, the latter methods are considered more comprehensive due to the complexity of the built environment and the large quantity of data required for an adequate analysis. This study aims to investigate the extent to which specific urban bioclimatic design concepts and strategies affect the urban heat island intensity in Mediterranean semi-arid environmental conditions, classified as subtropical. The case study site chosen was Kaimakli, an urban district in Nicosia, Cyprus, known for high urban heat island intensities due to its location and rapid growth characterized by more impervious materials and less green vegetation. The analysis of the specific site considers parameters such as urban density, vegetation, soil sealing effect, building age and materials, land coverage ratio, and orientation. A design scenario consisting of three mitigation policies of different building types, heights, and vegetated types was developed and investigated. The study found that under semi-arid conditions, the use of extensive vegetation in an urban block of a 200 × 200 m² area and the reduction of the built area by about 10% resulted in an air temperature reduction of 1.5 °C during the summer solstice at 3:00 pm. These findings quantify the impact of specific urban heat island mitigation practices on decreasing the intensity of the effect under subtropical climatic conditions. This study provides valuable insights into the potential of specific urban bioclimatic design concepts and strategies to mitigate the urban heat island effect. The use of extensive vegetation and a reduction in the built area have been shown to be effective in reducing air temperatures, which can have significant implications for public health, energy consumption, and overall urban sustainability.
Electrical Efficiency Investigation on Photovoltaic Thermal Collector with Two Different Coolants
Authors: Abouel Nasr Emad , Mahmoud Haitham A. , El-Meligy Mohammed A. , Awwad Emad Mahrous , Salunkhe Sachin , Naranje Vishal , Swarnalatha R. , Abu Qudeiri Jaber E.
Published: April 2023

The design and development of a photovoltaic thermal (PVT) collector were developed in this study, and electrical and electrical thermal efficiency were assessed. To improve system performance, two types of coolants were employed, liquid and liquid-based MnO nanofluid. Flow rates ranging from 1 to 4 liters per minute (LPM) for the interval of 1.0 LPM were employed, together with a 0.1% concentration of manganese oxide (MnO) nanofluid. Various parametric investigations, including electrical power generation, glazing surface temperature, electrical efficiency, and electrical thermal efficiency, were carried out on testing days, which were clear and sunny. Outdoor studies for the aforementioned nanofluids and liquids were carried out at volume flow rates ranging from 1 to 4 LPM, which can be compared for reference to a freestanding PV system. The research of two efficiency levels, electrical and electrical thermal, revealed that MnO water nanofluid provides better photovoltaic energy conversion than water nanofluid and stand-alone PV systems. In this study, three different domains were examined: stand-alone PV, liquid-based PVT collector, and liquid-based MnO nanofluids. The stand-alone PV system achieved a lower performance, the liquid-based MnO performed better, and the liquid-based PVT achieved an intermediate level.