bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A GPS-Referenced Wavelength Standard for High-Precision Displacement Interferometry at λ = 633 nm
Authors: Blumröder Ulrike , Köchert Paul , Fröhlich Thomas , Kissinger Thomas , Ortlepp Ingo , Flügge Jens , Bosse Harald , Manske Eberhard
Published: February 2023

Since the turn of the millennium, the development and commercial availability of optical frequency combs has led to a steadily increase of worldwide installed frequency combs and a growing interest in using them for industrial-related metrology applications. Especially, GPS-referenced frequency combs often serve as a “self-calibrating” length standard for laser wavelength calibration in many national metrology institutes with uncertainties better than u = 1 × 10−11. In this contribution, the application of a He-Ne laser source permanently disciplined to a GPS-referenced frequency comb for the interferometric measurements in a nanopositioning machine with a measuring volume of 200 mm × 200 mm × 25 mm (NPMM-200) is discussed. For this purpose, the frequency stability of the GPS-referenced comb is characterized by heterodyning with a diode laser referenced to an ultrastable cavity. Based on this comparison, an uncertainty of u = 9.2 × 10−12 (τ = 8 s, k = 2) for the GPS-referenced comb has been obtained. By stabilizing a tunable He-Ne source to a single comb line, the long-term frequency stability of the comb is transferred onto our gas lasers increasing their long-term stability by three orders of magnitude. Second, short-term fluctuations-related length measurement errors were reduced to a value that falls below the nominal resolving capabilities of our interferometers (ΔL/L = 2.9 × 10−11). Both measures make the influence of frequency distortions on the interferometric length measurement within the NPMM-200 negligible. Furthermore, this approach establishes a permanent link of interferometric length measurements to an atomic clock.
Multiple In-Mold Sensors for Quality and Process Control in Injection Molding
Authors: Párizs Richárd Dominik , Török Dániel , Ageyeva Tatyana , Kovács József Gábor
Published: February 2023

The simultaneous improvement of injection molding process efficiency and product quality, as required by Industry 4.0, is a complex, non-trivial task that requires a comprehensive approach, which involves a combination of sensoring and information techniques. In this study, we investigated the suitability of in-mold pressure sensors to control the injection molding process in multi-cavity molds. We have conducted several experiments to show how to optimize the clamping force, switchover, or holding time by measuring only pressure in a multi-cavity mold. The results show that the pressure curves and the pressure integral are suitable for determining optimal clamping force. We also proved that in-channel sensors could be effectively used for a pressure-controlled SWOP. In the volume-controlled method, only the sensors in the cavity were capable of correctly detecting the end of the filling. We proposed a method to optimize the holding phase. In this method, we first determined the integration time of the area under the pressure curve and then performed a model fit using the relationship between the pressure integral and product mass. The saturation curve fitted to the pressure data can easily determine the gate freeze-off time from pressure measurements.
Deriving Multiple-Layer Information from a Motion-Sensing Mattress for Precision Care
Authors: Bai Dorothy , Ho Mu-Chieh , Mathunjwa Bhekumuzi M. , Hsu Yeh-Liang
Published: February 2023

Bed is often the personal care unit in hospitals, nursing homes, and individuals’ homes. Rich care-related information can be derived from the sensing data from bed. Patient fall is a significant issue in hospitals, many of which are related to getting in and/or out of bed. To prevent bed falls, a motion-sensing mattress was developed for bed-exit detection. A machine learning algorithm deployed on the chip in the control box of the mattress identified the in-bed postures based on the on/off pressure pattern of 30 sensing areas to capture the users’ bed-exit intention. This study aimed to explore how sleep-related data derived from the on/off status of 30 sensing areas of this motion-sensing mattress can be used for multiple layers of precision care information, including wellbeing status on the dashboard and big data analysis for living pattern clustering. This study describes how multiple layers of personalized care-related information are further derived from the motion-sensing mattress, including real-time in-bed/off-bed status, daily records, sleep quality, prolonged pressure areas, and long-term living patterns. Twenty-four mattresses and the smart mattress care system (SMCS) were installed in a dementia nursing home in Taiwan for a field trial. Residents’ on-bed/off-bed data were collected for 12 weeks from August to October 2021. The SMCS was developed to display care-related information via an integrated dashboard as well as sending reminders to caregivers when detecting events such as bed exits and changes in patients’ sleep and living patterns. The ultimate goal is to support caregivers with precision care, reduce their care burden, and increase the quality of care. At the end of the field trial, we interviewed four caregivers for their subjective opinions about whether and how the SMCS helped their work. The caregivers’ main responses included that the SMCS helped caregivers notice the abnormal situation for people with dementia, communicate with family members of the residents, confirm medication adjustments, and whether the standard care procedure was appropriately conducted. Future studies are suggested to focus on integrated care strategy recommendations based on users’ personalized sleep-related data.
Multi-Input Speech Emotion Recognition Model Using Mel Spectrogram and GeMAPS
Authors: Toyoshima Itsuki , Okada Yoshifumi , Ishimaru Momoko , Uchiyama Ryunosuke , Tada Mayu
Published: February 2023

The existing research on emotion recognition commonly uses mel spectrogram (MelSpec) and Geneva minimalistic acoustic parameter set (GeMAPS) as acoustic parameters to learn the audio features. MelSpec can represent the time-series variations of each frequency but cannot manage multiple types of audio features. On the other hand, GeMAPS can handle multiple audio features but fails to provide information on their time-series variations. Thus, this study proposes a speech emotion recognition model based on a multi-input deep neural network that simultaneously learns these two audio features. The proposed model comprises three parts, specifically, for learning MelSpec in image format, learning GeMAPS in vector format, and integrating them to predict the emotion. Additionally, a focal loss function is introduced to address the imbalanced data problem among the emotion classes. The results of the recognition experiments demonstrate weighted and unweighted accuracies of 0.6657 and 0.6149, respectively, which are higher than or comparable to those of the existing state-of-the-art methods. Overall, the proposed model significantly improves the recognition accuracy of the emotion “happiness”, which has been difficult to identify in previous studies owing to limited data. Therefore, the proposed model can effectively recognize emotions from speech and can be applied for practical purposes with future development.
Research on Power Allocation in Multiple-Beam Space Division Access Based on NOMA for Underwater Optical Communication
Authors: Li Yanlong , Mohsan Syed Agha Hassnain , Chen Xiao , Tehseen Riffat , Li Shuaixing , Wang Jianzhao
Published: February 2023

To meet the transmission requirements of different users in a multiple-beam access system for underwater optical communication (UWOC), this paper proposes a novel multiple-beam space division multiple access (MB-SDMA) system by utilizing a directional radiation communication beam of the hemispherical LED arrays. The system’s access users in the different beams are divided into two categories: the users with a single beam and the users with multiple beams. We also propose a power allocation algorithm that guarantees the quality of service (QoS) for single beam and multiple beam access, especially the QoS for edge users, and fairness for all users. An optimization model of power distribution under the constraints of specific light-emitting diode (LED) emission power is established for two scenarios, which ensure the user QoS for edge users and the max–min fairness for fair users. Using the Karush–Kuhn–Tucker (KKT) condition and the bisection method, we obtain the optimal power allocation expression for the two types of users in the optimization model. Through simulation, we verify that the proposed user classification and power allocation method can ensure the fairness of fair users on the premise of ensuring the QoS of edge users. At the same time, we know that the number of users will affect the improvement of the minimum rate, and the throughput of the non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) system is greatly improved compared with the traditional orthogonal multiple access (OMA) systems.
The Design of GNSS/IMU Loosely-Coupled Integration Filter for Wearable EPTS of Football Players
Authors: Kim Mingu , Park Chulwoo , Yoon Jinsung
Published: February 2023

This study presents the filter design of GNSS/IMU integration for wearable EPTS (Electronic Performance and Tracking System) of football players. EPTS has been widely used in sports fields recently, and GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) and IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) in wearable EPTS have been used to measure and provide players’ athletic performance data. A sensor fusion technique can be used to provide high-quality analysis data of athletic performance. For this reason, the integration filter of GNSS data and IMU data is designed in this study. The loosely-coupled strategy is considered to integrate GNSS and IMU data considering the specification of the wearable EPTS product. Quaternion is used to estimate a player’s attitude to avoid the gimbal lock singularity in this study. Experiment results validate the performance of the proposed GNSS/IMU loosely-coupled integration filter for wearable EPTS of football players.
Accuracy and Interpretation of the Acceleration from an Inertial Measurement Unit When Applied to the Sprint Performance of Track and Field Athletes
Authors: Miranda-Oliveira Paulo , Branco Marco , Fernandes Orlando
Published: February 2023

In this study, we aimed to assess sprinting using a developed instrument encompassing an inertial measurement unit (IMU) in order to analyze athlete performance during the sprint, as well as to determine the number of steps, ground contact time, flight time, and step time using a high-speed camera as a reference. Furthermore, we correlated the acceleration components (XYZ) and acceleration ratio with the performance achieved in each split time obtained using photocells. Six athletes (four males and two females) ran 40 m with the IMU placed on their fifth lumbar vertebra. The accuracy was measured through the mean error (standard deviation), correlation (r), and comparison tests. The device could identify 88% to 98% of the number of steps. The GCT, flight time, and step time had mean error rates of 0.000 (0.012) s, 0.010 (0.011) s, and 0.009 (0.009) s when compared with the high-speed camera, respectively. The step time showed a correlation rate of r = 0.793 (p = 0.001) with no statistical differences, being the only parameter with high accuracy. Additionally, we showed probable symmetries, and through linear regression models identified that higher velocities result in the maximum anteroposterior acceleration, mainly over 0–40 m. Our device based on a Wi-Fi connection can determine the step time with accuracy and can show asymmetries, making it essential for coaches and medical teams. A new feature of this study was that the IMUs allowed us to understand that anteroposterior acceleration is associated with the best performance during the 40 m sprint test.
“In the Wild” Video Content as a Special Case of User Generated Content and a System for Its Recognition
Authors: Leszczuk Mikołaj , Kobosko Marek , Nawała Jakub , Korus Filip , Grega Michał
Published: February 2023

In the five years between 2017 and 2022, IP video traffic tripled, according to Cisco. User-Generated Content (UGC) is mainly responsible for user-generated IP video traffic. The development of widely accessible knowledge and affordable equipment makes it possible to produce UGCs of quality that is practically indistinguishable from professional content, although at the beginning of UGC creation, this content was frequently characterized by amateur acquisition conditions and unprofessional processing. In this research, we focus only on UGC content, whose quality is obviously different from that of professional content. For the purpose of this paper, we refer to “in the wild” as a closely related idea to the general idea of UGC, which is its particular case. Studies on UGC recognition are scarce. According to research in the literature, there are currently no real operational algorithms that distinguish UGC content from other content. In this study, we demonstrate that the XGBoost machine learning algorithm (Extreme Gradient Boosting) can be used to develop a novel objective “in the wild” video content recognition model. The final model is trained and tested using video sequence databases with professional content and “in the wild” content. We have achieved a 0.916 accuracy value for our model. Due to the comparatively high accuracy of the model operation, a free version of its implementation is made accessible to the research community. It is provided via an easy-to-use Python package installable with Pip Installs Packages (pip).
Hardware-in-the-Loop Test Bench for Simulation of Catenary–Pantograph Interaction (CPI) with Linear Camera Measurement
Authors: Correcher Antonio , Ricolfe-Viala Carlos , Tur Manuel , Gregori Santiago , Salvador-Muñoz Mario , Fuenmayor F. Javier , Gil Jaime , Pedrosa Ana M.
Published: February 2023

Catenary–pantograph contact force is generally used for assessment of the current collection quality. A good current collection quality not only increases catenary lifetime but also keeps a stable electric supply and helps to avoid accidents. Low contact forces lead to electric arcs that degrade the catenary, and high contact forces generate excessive wear on the sliding surfaces. Railway track operators require track tests to ensure that catenary–pantograph force remains between safe values. However, a direct measure of the contact force requires an instrumented pantograph which is generally costly and complicated. This paper presents a test bench that allows testing virtual catenaries over real pantographs. Therefore, the contact point force behavior can be tested before the track test to guarantee that the test is passed. Moreover, due to its flexibility, the system can be used for model identification and validation, catenary testing, or contact loss simulation. The test bench also explores using computer vision as an additional sensor for each application. Results show that the system has high precision and flexibility in the available tests.
Fluxgate Sensor with Bifactor Excitation Mode
Authors: Bryakin Ivan V. , Bochkarev Igor V. , Khramshin Vadim R. , Gasiyarov Vadim R.
Published: February 2023

The paper considers non-destructive testing (NTDs) as a means to solve the flaw detection problems of magnetic products. It proposes a new probe-coil magnetic-field NDT, not requiring the pre-magnetization of the test object material, which is mandatory for all conventional magnetic flaw detection techniques. A new bifactor excitation of the fluxgate sensor’s sensitive element, based on double μ-transformation through the simultaneous activation of magnetic-modulating and electromagnetic-acoustic effects, is theoretically justified. The physical processes underlying the proposed technique are considered in detail, and a scheme for its practical implementation is described. The authors provide a variant of the new fluxgate’s original design, implementing the proposed excitation technique. The specifics of implementing the fluxgate operating modes are analyzed, testifying to the possibility of detecting a given class of flaws with the required coverage as well as ensuring the required diagnostic resolution during flaw detection, which, in fact, indicates a more reliable identification of both the flaw type and location. Herewith, the new fluxgate type features the advantages of improved functionality and lower cost due to its simple design. The paper also considers a method to experimentally study the capabilities of the proposed fluxgate sensor with a new bifactor excitation in detail. The results of the experimental study into its key specifications are provided, confirming its high resolution, narrower zone of uncertainty, and the possibility of detecting smaller flaws at greater depths compared to available analogs.
Design and Experiments of a Real-Time Bale Density Monitoring System Based on Dynamic Weighing
Authors: Yin Jianjun , Chen Zhijian , Liu Chao , Zhou Maile , Liu Lu
Published: February 2023

Bale density is one of the main performance indicators to measure the quality of baler operation. In this study, a real-time baler bale density monitoring system was designed for the problem of difficult real-time measurement of bale density on round balers. Firstly, a weighing calculation model for the rolling and sliding stage of the bale was established, and the dynamic characteristics during the contact between the bale and the inclined surface were analyzed based on ADAMS dynamics simulation. Then, a real-time monitoring system for the bale density based on the contact pressure of the inclined surface, attitude angle measurement and hydraulic monitoring of the cylinder was constructed, and the accuracy of the weighing model was confirmed. The system was used to observe and analyze the changes in the pitch angle of the carrier table and the oil pressure in the rod chamber of the backpack cylinder during the operation of the round baler. Finally, the monitoring system was calibrated and the dynamic calibration equations were obtained. The results show that the maximum error between the calculated value of the original weighing model and the actual weight was 3.63%, the maximum error of the calculated value of the weighing model corrected by the calibration equations was 3.40% and the measurement accuracy could be satisfied. The results show that the system was highly accurate and met the practical needs of bale weighing in the field.
Modeling the Composites for Magnetoelectric Microwave Devices
Authors: Bichurin Mirza , Sokolov Oleg , Ivanov Sergey , Ivasheva Elena , Leontiev Viktor , Lobekin Vyacheslav , Semenov Gennady
Published: February 2023

Many studies of the ME effect have been carried out in the microwave range in connection with the possibility of creating new electronic devices. One of the main microwave ME effects is the FMR line shift in an electric field, and the purpose of this article is to compare the FMR line shift in the ME structure in an electric field for a number of ferromagnetic metals, their alloys, and YIG ferrite using various piezoelectrics. This article discusses the regimes when the bias field is directed along the main axes of the magnetic component, while, as is known, the observed effect is due only to deformation. As a result of the study, ME structures with maximum and minimum microwave ME effects were found. In addition, the “substrate effect” in the piezoelectric YIG-GGG structure is considered.
The Need for Machines for the Nondestructive Quality Assessment of Potatoes with the Use of Artificial Intelligence Methods and Imaging Techniques
Authors: Danielak Marek , Przybył Krzysztof , Koszela Krzysztof
Published: February 2023

This article describes chemical and physical parameters, including their role in the storage, trade, and processing of potatoes, as well as their nutritional properties and health benefits resulting from their consumption. An analysis of the share of losses occurring during the production process is presented. The methods and applications used in recent years to estimate the physical and chemical parameters of potatoes during their storage and processing, which determine the quality of potatoes, are presented. The potential of the technologies used to classify the quality of potatoes, mechanical and ultrasonic, and image processing and analysis using vision systems, as well as their use in applications with artificial intelligence, are discussed.
YOLOv7-RAR for Urban Vehicle Detection
Authors: Zhang Yuan , Sun Youpeng , Wang Zheng , Jiang Ying
Published: February 2023

Aiming at the problems of high missed detection rates of the YOLOv7 algorithm for vehicle detection on urban roads, weak perception of small targets in perspective, and insufficient feature extraction, the YOLOv7-RAR recognition algorithm is proposed. The algorithm is improved from the following three directions based on YOLOv7. Firstly, in view of the insufficient nonlinear feature fusion of the original backbone network, the Res3Unit structure is used to reconstruct the backbone network of YOLOv7 to improve the ability of the network model architecture to obtain more nonlinear features. Secondly, in view of the problem that there are many interference backgrounds in urban roads and that the original network is weak in positioning targets such as vehicles, a plug-and-play hybrid attention mechanism module, ACmix, is added after the SPPCSPC layer of the backbone network to enhance the network’s attention to vehicles and reduce the interference of other targets. Finally, aiming at the problem that the receptive field of the original network Narrows, with the deepening of the network model, leads to a high miss rate of small targets, the Gaussian receptive field scheme used in the RFLA (Gaussian-receptive-field-based label assignment) module is used at the connection between the feature fusion area and the detection head to improve the receptive field of the network model for small objects in the image. Combining the three improvement measures, the first letter of the name of each improvement measure is selected, and the improved algorithm is named the YOLOv7-RAR algorithm. Experiments show that on urban roads with crowded vehicles and different weather patterns, the average detection accuracy of the YOLOv7-RAR algorithm reaches 95.1%, which is 2.4% higher than that of the original algorithm; the AP50:90 performance is 12.6% higher than that of the original algorithm. The running speed of the YOLOv7-RAR algorithm reaches 96 FPS, which meets the real-time requirements of vehicle detection; hence, the algorithm can be better applied to vehicle detection.
The Study of the Acoustic Characteristics of Chitosan Acetate Film Using a Radial Electric Field Excited Resonator
Authors: Teplykh Andrey , Zaitsev Boris , Semyonov Alexander , Borodina Irina
Published: February 2023

Currently, the lateral electric field excited resonators are used for the creation of various sensors. We have recently proposed a new type of acoustic resonator called radial electric field excited disk acoustic resonator. The advantage of this type of resonator is its high sensitivity to mechanical and electrical boundary conditions on its free surface. This makes it possible to determine both the acoustic and electrical properties of a thin layer of material deposited on the free end of the resonator. In this work, we used a radial electric field excited disk acoustic resonator of Russian-made barium plumbum zirconate titanate (BPZT) piezoceramics. With the help of this resonator, the material constants for the piezoceramic sample were refined, and their temperature dependencies were determined. Then, this resonator was used to determine the elastic modulus, viscosity, and conductivity of the chitosan acetate film in air and ammonia vapors of various concentrations. It was shown that the chitosan acetate film under the influence of ammonia vapor significantly changes its mechanical properties and increases its electrical conductivity thousands of times, and then completely restores its properties.
Crowd-Aware Mobile Robot Navigation Based on Improved Decentralized Structured RNN via Deep Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Zhang Yulin , Feng Zhengyong
Published: February 2023

Efficient navigation in a socially compliant manner is an important and challenging task for robots working in dynamic dense crowd environments. With the development of artificial intelligence, deep reinforcement learning techniques have been widely used in the robot navigation. Previous model-free reinforcement learning methods only considered the interactions between robot and humans, not the interactions between humans and humans. To improve this, we propose a decentralized structured RNN network with coarse-grained local maps (LM-SRNN). It is capable of modeling not only Robot–Human interactions through spatio-temporal graphs, but also Human–Human interactions through coarse-grained local maps. Our model captures current crowd interactions and also records past interactions, which enables robots to plan safer paths. Experimental results show that our model is able to navigate efficiently in dense crowd environments, outperforming state-of-the-art methods.
Apollo: Adaptive Polar Lattice-Based Local Obstacle Avoidance and Motion Planning for Automated Vehicles
Authors: Li Yiqun , Chen Zong , Wang Tao , Zeng Xiangrui , Yin Zhouping
Published: February 2023

The motion planning module is the core module of the automated vehicle software system, which plays a key role in connecting its preceding element, i.e., the sensing module, and its following element, i.e., the control module. The design of an adaptive polar lattice-based local obstacle avoidance (APOLLO) algorithm proposed in this paper takes full account of the characteristics of the vehicle’s sensing and control systems. The core of our approach mainly consists of three phases, i.e., the adaptive polar lattice-based local search space design, the collision-free path generation and the path smoothing. By adjusting a few parameters, the algorithm can be adapted to different driving environments and different kinds of vehicle chassis. Simulations show that the proposed method owns strong environmental adaptability and low computation complexity.
Ballota saxatilis from Jordan: Evaluation of Essential Oil Composition and Phytochemical Profiling of Crude Extracts and Their In-Vitro Antioxidant Activity
Authors: Al-Bataineh Nezar , Algethami Faisal K. , Al-Jaber Hala I. , Alhamzani Abdulrahman G. , Bataineh Rand M. , Al-Dalahmeh Yousef , Bataineh Tareq T. , Abu-Orabi Sultan T. , Al-Qudah Mahmoud A.
Published: February 2023

The chemical composition of essential oil extracted from the aerial parts of Ballota saxatilis Sieber ex C.Presl from Jordan has been elucidated by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Additionally, aqueous methanol (BsA), Butanol (BsB) and water (BsW) extracts were screened for their total phenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activities using the 2,2 Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2-Azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) methods. The most potent extracts were screened for their phenolic acids and flavonoid content using liquid the chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technique. The results indicated that the essential oil predominantly contained cis-pinane (14.76%), β-caryophyllene (8.91%) and allo-aromadendrene epoxide (6.39%). Among the different extracts investigated, the BsB fraction had the most TPC and TFC (455.79 ± 1.03 µg gallic acid/g dry extract; 272.62 ± 8.28 µg quercetin/g dry extract, respectively) and had the best radical and radical cation scavenging activities, as determined using the DPPH and ABTS methods. Quantitative and qualitative LC-MS analyses of BsA and BsB using LC-MS revealed each of the kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside (30.29%), chrysoeriol-7-glucoside (7.93%) and luteolin 7-o-glucoside (7.76%) as the main constituents of the BsA fraction. The BsB fraction was rich in 7,4′-dimethoxy-3-hydroxyflavone (34.68%), kaempferol-3,7,4′-trimethyl ether (29.17%) and corymbosin (9.66%) and lower concentration levels of kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside (1.63%) and chrysoeriol-7-glucoside (0.51%).
Organic C Fractions in Topsoil under Different Management Systems in Northeastern Brazil
Authors: Gualberto Adriano Venicius Santana , de Souza Henrique Antunes , Sagrilo Edvaldo , Araujo Ademir Sergio Ferreira , Mendes Lucas William , de Medeiros Erika Valente , Pereira Arthur Prudêncio de Araujo , da Costa Diogo Paes , Vogado Renato Falconeres , da Cunha João Rodrigues , Teixeira Marcos Lopes , Leite Luiz Fernando Carvalho
Published: February 2023

The conversion from native forest to other land-use systems can decline the soil organic carbon (SOC) in tropical soils. However, conservationist management could mitigate SOC losses, promoting the functioning and stability of agricultural soils. This study aimed to address the influence of conversion from native forest to different land-use systems on SOC fractions in Northeastern Brazil. Topsoil soil samples were collected in areas under pasture (PAS), no-tillage (NT1 and NT2), eucalyptus (EUC), and native forests of Cerrado in Northeastern, Brazil. Total organic C, microbial biomass (MBC), particulate (POC), and mineral-occluded organic C (MOC), as well as fulvic acids (C-FA), humic acids (C-HA), and humin (C-HUM) fractions were accessed. The results showed that land conversion maintained similar levels of humic fractions and total organic carbon (TOC) stocks in the PAS, NT1, NT2, and EUC as compared to native Cerrado. Soils with the input of permanent and diverse fresh organic material, such as NT2, PAS, and EUC, presented high levels of MBC and POC, and the lowest C-FA:TOC and C-HA:TOC ratios. The land conversion to agricultural systems that include cropping rotations associated with pasture species such as Mombasa grass and eucalyptus prevents topsoil losses of active C compartments in the Cerrado of the Brazilian Northeast. It suggests that sustainable and conservationist management should be emphasized to maintain and improve the status of soil organic C.
Natural and Anthropogenic Sources of Cadmium in Cacao Crop Soils of Santander, Colombia
Authors: Joya-Barrero Valentina , Huguet Carme , Pearse Jillian
Published: February 2023

Elevated cadmium (Cd) levels in cacao products have been detected in a major cacao-producing region of Colombia, with concentrations well above those permitted for export and posing a potential threat to human health. Geochemical and petrographic analyses of fertilizer, soil and rocks from three farms were used to determine the origin of Cd. Parent rocks were the main source of the Cd in soils, while organic fertilizer may have further contributed to elevated metal content in one farm. High Cd levels in the organic fertilizer were most likely due to bioaccumulation, since it was sourced from animals in the same area. Even though the soil pH range, elevated OM content and the presence of Mn and K diminish bioavailability, the extremely high Cd content in soils results nonetheless in significant uptake by the plants and subsequent accumulation in cocoa beans. Traditional methods to reduce Cd adsorption, such as the addition of calcium, will not be effective in this case. Instead, the selection of cacao species that are naturally low accumulators and amendment with soil microorganisms with mineralization and biotransformation capabilities, as well as testing of fertilizers before application, could all be cost-effective solutions to reduce Cd in the final product.
Materials Based on Amorphous Al2O3 and Composite W-Al2O3 for Solar Coatings Deposited by High-Rate Sputter Processes
Authors: Diletto Claudia , D’Angelo Antonio , Esposito Salvatore , Guglielmo Antonio , Mirabile Gattia Daniele , Lanchi Michela
Published: February 2023

In parabolic trough technology, the development of thermally and structurally stable solar coatings plays a key role in determining the efficiency, durability, and economic feasibility of tube receivers. A cermet-based solar coating is typically constituted by a thin film stratification, where a multilayer graded cermet is placed between an infrared metallic reflector and an antireflection filter. This work reports the realization of materials based on Al2O3 and W characterized by high structural and chemical stability in vacuum at high temperature, obtained through the optimization of high-deposition-rate processes. Al2O3 material, employed as the antireflection layer, was deposited through a reactive magnetron sputtering process at a high deposition rate. Cermet materials based on W-Al2O3 were deposited and employed as absorber layers by implementing reactive magnetron co-sputtering processes. An investigation into the stability of the realized samples was carried out by means of several material characterization methods before and after the annealing process in vacuum (1 × 10−3 Pa) at high temperature (620 °C). The structural properties of the samples were evaluated using Raman spectroscopy and XRD measurements, revealing a negligible presence of oxides that can compromise the structural stability. Spectrophotometric analysis showed little variations between the deposited and annealed samples, clearly indicating the high structural stability.
Green Roofs, Vegetation Types, Impact on the Thermal Effectiveness: An Experimental Study in Cyprus
Authors: Yıldırım Sinem , Özburak Çimen , Özden Özge
Published: February 2023

Anthropogenic activities and climate change have a profound impact on the urban environment. Therefore, energy conservation is an important subject for city planners. Green roofs can provide building insulation and mitigate against the urban heat island effect. This research was conducted in Cyprus, comparing different types of green roof vegetation against a control roof with no vegetation and their concomitant effects on indoor temperatures. The research project was performed at Near East University Campus for duration of twelve months. The experiment consisted of three different green roof types, and each hut with green roof had 3.5 m2 roof areas with a soil depth of 8 cm. In addition, one control green roof system was established without insulation, without soil, and without vegetation. In order to measure the indoor temperatures of the huts, Elitech RC-5 temperature data loggers were used. The research results showed that green roof huts provided lower mean temperatures than the control hut during the summer period. Most importantly, huts with shrub plants had the lowest temperatures during hot summer conditions. Our results indicated that green roofs perform an important role in terms of building insulation and its subsequent energy use.
An Engineering Case History of the Prevention and Remediation of Sinkholes Induced by Limestone Quarrying
Authors: Tang Zhen , Song Lei , Jin Dianqi , Chen Ligen , Qin Gan , Wang Yongjun , Guo Lei
Published: February 2023

This paper introduces an engineering case history of the prevention and remediation of sinkholes induced by limestone quarrying in Longmen county, Huizhou city, China, through karst groundwater-air pressure monitoring, the design and construction of a grouting curtain, and grouting effect detection. Based on hydrogeological surveys, the location of the main karst development zones and faults can be accurately delineated by combining geophysical exploration with drilling, providing a basis for curtain setting. According to the interpretation results of geophysical exploration, the monitoring boreholes of groundwater-air pressure were set up, which provided support for mine construction, optimization of prevention and remediation of the sinkhole scheme, and reduction of sinkhole risk. In order to prevent the further expansion of sinkhole hazards, grouting curtain technology was used for engineering treatment of the water inflow points of the quarry. After construction of the grouting curtain was completed, comprehensive detection methods were used to evaluate the grouting effect of the curtain. The results showed that the inflow rate reduced from 3500 to approximately 500 m3/day, the water plugging effect was significant, and the occurrence of sinkhole hazards was effectively reduced. The monitoring boreholes can capture the changes of groundwater-air pressure within karst conduit systems, and the purpose of monitoring and warning of sinkholes can be achieved by setting an appropriate warning threshold.
Flora and Typology of Wetlands of Haho River Watershed, Togo
Authors: Folega Fousséni , Kanda Madjouma , Fandjinou Kossi , Bohnett Eve , Wala Kperkouma , Batawila Komlan , Akpagana Koffi
Published: February 2023

Wetlands are recognized as hotspots of biodiversity and providers of several ecosystem services, including water purification, sediment stabilization, and flood, erosion, and climate regulation. This article aims to investigate the floristic diversity of the wetlands the Haho River watershed in southern Togo. Spatial data from Astrium service and Google Earth were collected, and phytosociological data were classified following the Braun–Blanquet approach. The findings indicate that 72 families in total have evolved in this environment, with Poaceae (14.95%) and Fabaceae (11.98%) dominating. The number of species was estimated to be 323; the three species that were most prevalent in the wetland’s habitats were Elaeis guineensis Jacq (2.44%), Panicum maximum Jacq (2.29%), and Lonchocarpus sericeus (Poir) H. B. K. (1.71%). The most prevalent and abundant life forms in these moist habitats were micro-phanerophytes (34.70%) and therophytes (23.50%). However, the most common and abundant chorological categories included pantropical (31.05%) and Guinean-Congolese species (21.46%). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to examine how abiotic parameters, including depth/degree of immersion, influence the distribution of plant species in a wetland landscape. This research has the potential to be developed into a more robust action study for wetland classification and recognition.
Modelling the Factors Influencing Polish Consumers’ Approach towards New Food Products on the Market
Authors: Piwowar Arkadiusz , Wolańska Wioletta , Orkusz Agnieszka , Kapelko Magdalena , Harasym Joanna
Published: February 2023

The sustainability of food systems and circular economy aspects are ending the traditional food approaches and are demanding changes in raw materials and products supplied by agriculture and the food industry. However, the “supply” of new products is the easiest to achieve, while gaining the acceptance of consumers for a new product will always be the toughest. For the consumer the new product is an item which until recently was not known or used. However, considering the newness of products concept on a scientific basis, it is obvious that the concept covers new, novel, and innovative food products. The study applies an advanced analysis of the factors that drive the consumers’ acceptance of new products (perceived as new, novel, and innovative) on the food market in Poland. Specifically, seaweeds (as new), edible insects (as novel), and 3D-printed personalized food products (as innovative) were chosen. The selected factors influencing the Polish consumers’ approach towards the newness of food products, including the different tendencies to accept innovations in this area, were analyzed by using factor and reliability analysis. The assessment of the differences towards an acceptance of new products based on the socio-demographic characteristics of the consumer was completed using the Kruskal–Wallis test. Furthermore, to analyze the features favoring the acceptance of new products, the logistic regression was estimated. The article presents the results of a survey of 500 Polish respondents in the 20–44 age group. The profound statistical analysis showed that the destiny of foreign travel turned out to be an important variable in the logistic regression model.
A Multi-Objective Planning Strategy for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations towards Low Carbon-Oriented Modern Power Systems
Authors: Ahmed Hassan Yousif , Ali Ziad M. , Refaat Mohamed M. , Aleem Shady H. E. Abdel
Published: February 2023

This paper proposes a multi-objective planning framework for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in emerging power networks that move towards green transportation electrification. Four cases are investigated to study the impacts of EV integration on environmental and economic requirements. In order to facilitate the installation of EV charging stations, the proposed model is formulated to combine the planning models of renewable energy systems, energy storage systems (ESSs), thyristor-controlled series compensators, and transmission lines into the EV-based planning problem. The first objective function aims to maximize EVs’ penetration by increasing the networks’ capacity to supply charging stations throughout the day, whereas the second objective, on the other hand, emphasizes lowering the carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel-based generation units in order to benefit the environment. The third objective is to meet the financial requirements by lowering the initial investment and operating costs of the installed devices. The proposed model is written as a multi-objective optimization problem that is solved using the multi-objective version of the Gazelle optimization algorithm (MGOA). The efficiency of the MGOA was tested by solving a set of four benchmark test functions and the proposed problem. The obtained results demonstrated the MGOA’s superiority in solving multi-objective optimization problems when compared to some well-known optimization algorithms in terms of robustness and solution quality. The MGOA’s robustness was between 20% and 30% and outperformed other algorithms by 5%. The MGO was successful in outperforming the other algorithms in providing a better solution. The Egyptian West Delta Network simulations revealed a 250 MWh increase in the energy supplied to EVs when energy storage was not used. However, storage systems were necessary for shifting EV charging periods away from high solar radiation scenarios. The use of ESS increased greenhouse gas emissions. When ESS was installed with a capacity of 1116.4 MWh, the carbon emissions increased by approximately 208.29 million metric tons. ESS’s role in improving the EV’s hosting capacity grows as more renewables are added to the network. ESS’s role in improving the EV’s hosting capacity rises as more renewables are added to the network.
Conceptual Design of a Semi-Automatic Process Line for Recycling Photovoltaic Panels as a Way to Ecological Sustainable Production
Authors: Niekurzak Mariusz , Lewicki Wojciech , Coban Hasan Huseyin , Brelik Agnieszka
Published: February 2023

The article presents the developed technology for the comprehensive recycling of depleted, used or damaged photovoltaic (PV) cells made of crystalline silicon. The developed concepts of technology and the results of research on recycling were presented on silicon photovoltaic cells and modules. The sequence of steps and the type of procedures used are proposed. A thermal delamination method for used commercial photovoltaic modules has been developed to separate the materials. In addition, a recycling line was proposed along with the selection of machines and a holistic approach to project profitability based on a SWOT analysis. The presented semi-automatic installation enables recycling on a laboratory scale. The line was designed for the assumed capacity of 30 t/h. The total energy demand for the designed line was calculated, which showed that 16.49 kWh is needed to recycle 1 ton of photovoltaic laminates. Implementation of developed solutions on an industrial scale will allow to reduce production costs, mainly thanks to energy savings, which translates into less devastation of the natural environment and reduced material consumption. In addition, the implementation of the PV module recycling system will reduce and, consequently, eliminate a significant amount of used PV devices deposited in landfills. The content of the article gives a fresh and innovative look at the essence of photovoltaic panel recycling processes in terms of production benefits as well as financial and environmental benefits.
A Fuzzy-Set Configurational Examination of Governance Capability under Certainty and Uncertainty Conditions: Evidence from the Chinese Provincial Cases of Early COVID-19 Containing Practice
Authors: Yang Chao , Meng Xianyin
Published: February 2023

It is a complex task for provincial governments to sustain the effectiveness of the governance system in containing the spread of COVID-19 in the early stages. This study aims to examine the complex causal combinations of certainty, uncertainty and governance capabilities leading to high and low effectiveness of governance across 30 Chinese provincial administrative regions. The fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) shows that: (1) Two paths lead to a high level of governance effectiveness. One is condition-based, while the other is mainly based on the expertise of health directors and low-spreading control conditions. (2) Two paths lead to a low level of governance effectiveness. Because of a high level of spreading control difficulty, most provinces take the first path. (3) The SARS experience in 2003 may not be a necessary condition to improve the governance effectiveness of the COVID-19 outbreak. Provinces could achieve good governance effectiveness even if they had no prior SARS experience. The findings enhance the understanding of the emergency response to a public health crisis in a country with a strong government by clarifying various effective and ineffective configurations. It also reflects China’s existing public health emergency system to maintain sustainable governance under varying degrees of certainty and uncertainty.
Efficiency Improvement of Eco-Friendly Solar Heat Supply System as a Building Coating
Authors: Voznyak Orest , Spodyniuk Nadiia , Antypov Ievgen , Dudkiewicz Edyta , Kasynets Mariana , Savchenko Olena , Tarasenko Svitlana
Published: February 2023

The background of this article is the potential energy savings of solar heat supply systems due to the use of the renewable energy of solar radiation. The motivation is to create a solar collector design that would combine the functions of both a building cover and a solar collector. It is necessary to investigate and compare different types of solar collector coatings (traditional and modern) and pipe diameters. The purpose of the article is to solve aspects of energy efficiency for new eco-friendly solar collectors. The most effective result occurred with the solar collector covered with the rubber–graphite composition of Grafplast PDA, and when using Prandelli/Tuborama pipes with a diameter of 0.016 m. Their efficiency increased by 8% compared to the second version of the collector made using a more traditional solution. The influence of the distance between the pipes and the flow rate of the heat carrier on the efficiency of the solar collectors was evaluated.