bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cu-THQ-EFG Composite for Highly Selective Electrochemical CO2 Reduction to Formate at Low Overpotentials
Authors: Jia Lisha , Wagner Klaudia , Smyth Jamie , Officer David , Chen Jun , Wagner Pawel
Published: November 2022

Metal organic framework (MOFs) are promising materials for electrocatalysis. However, the active sites of bulk MOFs crystal normally cannot be fully utilized because of the slow reagent penetration of pores and blockage of active sites. Herein, we report a facile way to deposit copper-benzoquinoid (Cu-THQ) on the edge-functionalized graphene (EFG) which prevented material’s aggregation. EFG used as a substrate provides higher electrical conductivity and stability in water than previously utilized graphene oxide (GO). Besides, the plate-like morphology of EFG proved to be more beneficial to support the MOF, because of the functional groups on its edge regions and much lower resistance compared to the sheet GO. Therefore, EFG can boost the resultant material’s catalytic activity for CO2 electroreduction (CO2RR). Furthermore, Cu-THQ exhibits high selectivity for formate formation in CO2RR. Representing as the only CO2 reduced liquid product, formate can be separated from gaseous products and further extracted from the electrolyte for practical use. The electrocatalytic results of Cu-THQ-EFG indicate the composite exhibits a higher current density of −3 mA/cm2 and faradaic efficiency of −0.25 V vs. RHE, corresponding to 50 mV of overpotential. Moreover, it features a less negative on-set potential of −0.22 V vs. RHE, which is close to the equilibrium potential of CO2RR (−0.2 V vs. RHE) and is 0.16 V more positive than the on-set potential of Cu-THQ-GO (−0.38 V vs. RHE).
Microencapsulation of Piscirickettsia salmonis Antigens for Fish Oral Immunization: Optimization and Stability Studies
Authors: Sotomayor-Gerding Daniela , Troncoso José Miguel , Díaz-Riquelme Katherine , Torres-Obreque Karin Mariana , Cumilaf Juan , Yañez Alejandro J. , Rubilar Mónica
Published: November 2022

The development of fish oral vaccines is of great interest to the aquaculture industry due to the possibility of rapid vaccination of a large number of animals at reduced cost. In a previous study, we evaluated the effect of alginate-encapsulated Piscirickettsia salmonis antigens (AEPSA) incorporated in feed, effectively enhancing the immune response in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). In this study, we seek to characterize AEPSA produced by ionic gelation using an aerodynamically assisted jetting (AAJ) system, to optimize microencapsulation efficiency (EE%), to assess microparticle stability against environmental (pH, salinity and temperature) and gastrointestinal conditions, and to evaluate microparticle incorporation in fish feed pellets through micro-CT-scanning. The AAJ system was effective in obtaining small microparticles (d < 20 μm) with a high EE% (97.92%). Environmental conditions (pH, salinity and temperature) generated instability in the microparticles, triggering protein release. 62.42% of the protein content was delivered at the intestinal level after in vitro digestion. Finally, micro-CT-scanning images confirmed microparticle incorporation in fish feed pellets. In conclusion, the AAJ system is effective at encapsulating P. salmonis antigens in alginate with a high EE% and a size small enough to be incorporated in fish feed and produce an oral vaccine.
Preparation and Properties of Egg White Dual Cross-Linked Hydrogel with Potential Application for Bone Tissue Engineering
Authors: Duan Bingchao , Yang Minghui , Chao Quanchao , Wang Lan , Zhang Lingli , Gou Mengxing , Li Yuling , Liu Congjun , Lu Kui
Published: November 2022

In this study, an egg white dual cross-linked hydrogel was developed based on the principle that the external stimulus can denature proteins and cause them to aggregate, forming hydrogel. The sodium hydroxide was used to induce gelation of the egg white protein, subsequently introducing calcium ions to cross-link with protein chains, thereby producing a dual cross-linked hydrogel. The characteristics of the dual cross-linked hydrogels—including the secondary structure, stability, microstructure, swelling performance, texture properties, and biosafety—were investigated to determine the effects of calcium ion on the egg white hydrogel (EWG) and evaluate the potential application in the field of tissue engineering. Results showed that calcium ions could change the β-sheet content of the protein in EWG after soaking it in different concentrations of CaCl2 solution, leading to changes in the hydrogen bonds and the secondary structure of polypeptide chains. It was confirmed that calcium ions promoted the secondary cross-linking of the protein chain, which facilitated polypeptide folding and aggregation, resulting in enhanced stability of the egg white dual cross-linked hydrogel. Furthermore, the swelling capacity of the EWG decreased with increasing concentration of calcium ions, and the texture properties including hardness, cohesiveness and springiness of the hydrogels were improved. In addition, the calcium cross-linked EWG hydrogels exhibited biocompatibility and cell-surface adhesion in vitro. Hence, this work develops a versatile strategy to fabricate dual cross-linked protein hydrogel with biosafety and cell-surface adhesion, and both the strategy and calcium-egg white cross-linked hydrogels have potential for use in bone tissue engineering.
Advanced Formulations Based on Poly(ionic liquid) Materials for Additive Manufacturing
Authors: Miralles-Comins Sara , Zanatta Marcileia , Sans Victor
Published: November 2022

Innovation in materials specially formulated for additive manufacturing is of great interest and can generate new opportunities for designing cost-effective smart materials for next-generation devices and engineering applications. Nevertheless, advanced molecular and nanostructured systems are frequently not possible to integrate into 3D printable materials, thus limiting their technological transferability. In some cases, this challenge can be overcome using polymeric macromolecules of ionic nature, such as polymeric ionic liquids (PILs). Due to their tuneability, wide variety in molecular composition, and macromolecular architecture, they show a remarkable ability to stabilize molecular and nanostructured materials. The technology resulting from 3D-printable PIL-based formulations represents an untapped array of potential applications, including optoelectronic, antimicrobial, catalysis, photoactive, conductive, and redox applications.
Investigation of Alumina-Doped Prunus domestica Gum Grafted Polyaniline Epoxy Resin for Corrosion Protection Coatings for Mild Steel and Stainless Steel
Authors: Kamran Muhammad , Shah Anwar ul Haq Ali , Rahman Gul , Bilal Salma , Röse Philipp
Published: November 2022

Eco-friendly inhibitors have attracted considerable interest due to the increasing environmental issues caused by the extensive use of hazardous corrosion inhibitors. In this paper, environmentally friendly PDG-g-PANI/Al2O3 composites were prepared by a low-cost inverse emulsion polymerization for corrosion inhibition of mild steel (MS) and stainless steel (SS). The PDG-g-PANI/Al2O3 composites were characterized by different techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV/Vis, and FTIR spectroscopy. XRD measurements show that the PDG-g-PANI/Al2O3 composite is mostly amorphous and scanning electron micrographs (SEM) reveal a uniform distribution of Al2O3 on the surface of the PDG-g-PANI matrix. The composite was applied as a corrosion inhibitor on mild steel (MS) and stainless steel (SS), and its efficiency was investigated by potentiodynamic polarization measurement in a 3.5% NaCl and 1 M H2SO4 solution. Corrosion kinetic parameters obtained from Tafel evaluation show that the PDG-g-PANI/Al2O3 composites protect the surface of MS and SS with inhibition efficiencies of 92.3% and 51.9% in 3.5% NaCl solution, which is notably higher than those obtained with untreated epoxy resin (89.3% and 99.5%). In particular, the mixture of epoxy/PDG-g-PANI/Al2O3 shows the best performance with an inhibition efficiency up to 99.9% on MS and SS. An equivalent good inhibition efficiency was obtained for the composite for 1M H2SO4. Analysis of activation energy, formation enthalpy, and entropy values suggest that the epoxy/PDG-g-PANI/Al2O3 coating is thermodynamically favorable for corrosion protection of MS and exhibits long-lasting stability.
Gel-Forming Soil Conditioners of Combined Action: Field Trials in Agriculture and Urban Landscaping
Authors: Smagin Andrey V. , Sadovnikova Nadezhda B. , Belyaeva Elena A. , Krivtsova Victoria N. , Shoba Sergey A. , Smagina Marina V.
Published: November 2022

The article summarizes multivariate field trials of gel-forming soil conditioners for agriculture and urban landscaping in various climatic conditions from arid (O.A.E., Uzbekistan) to humid (Moscow region, Russia). The field test program included environmental monitoring of weather data, temperature, water–air regimes, salinity, alkalinity, and biological activity of various soils (sandy and loamy sandy Arenosols, Retisols, loamy Serozems), productivity and yield of plants (lawns, vegetables) and their quality, including pathogen infestation. The evolutionary line of polymer superabsorbents from radiation-crosslinked polyacrylamide (1995) to the patented “Aquapastus” material (2014–2020) with amphiphilic fillers and biocidal additives demonstrated not only success, but also the main problems of using hydrogels in soils (biodegradation, osmotic collapse, etc.), as well as their technological solutions. Along with innovative materials, our know-how consisted in the intelligent soil design of capillary barriers for water accumulation and antipathogenic and antielectrolyte protection of the rhizosphere. Gel-forming polymer conditioners and new technologies of their application increase the productivity of plant crops and the quality of biomass by 30–50%, with a 1.3–2-fold saving of water resources and reliable protection of the topsoil from pathogens and secondary salinization. The results can be useful to a wide range of specialists from chemical technologists to agronomists and landscapers.
Religion, Animals, and the Theological Anthropology of Microbes in the Pandemicene
Authors: Al-Attas Bradford Aminah
Published: November 2022

Microbiology’s ecological turn, as it shifts its gaze from the individual microbe to the entanglement and ubiquity of microbial life, is transforming conceptions of human nature and disease in the sciences and humanities. Both the fields of Christian theological anthropology and medical anthropology are tuning in to these microbiological shifts for their reformative possibilities. Meanwhile, practical resistance to these shifts in recent pandemic responses suggest that forces greater than just the “pure science” of microbiology are informing attachments to hyper-modern or Pasteurian epidemiologies and radically independent, buffered views of the self. This essay explores the roots of such resistance. It investigates the interplay of shifts in theological anthropology and disease theories. Cultural anthropology and critical studies offer accounts of epidemiology’s fraught relationship to a history of colonialism, racialization, and vilification of pathogens and pathogenicized humans. This essay adds a theological analysis of the historical entanglement of perspectives on disease and Christian doctrine, which bears on the present pandemic response. It illuminates the ways some Christians “benefit” from germ theory’s influence. Germ theory interrupts key Christian doctrine (especially theodicy) that makes Christian theology resistant to relational accounts of being human. Germ theory’s theological reshaping of Christian teaching may also encourage the current resistance to more relational pandemic responses known as One Health strategies. While reformative and more realistic possibilities of emergent and entangled multispecies accounts of humanity’s microbiality are ample and apt, they must account for the ways in which microbiology has never been epidemiological without also being colonial and theological. In other words, this essay explores the smallest and most reviled “animals” in relationship to Christian conceptions of sin, contagion, and evil as groundwork for engaging humanity’s micro-animality and diseases’ relational aspects. To conclude, I offer four modest suggestions.
Conscience and Truth
Authors: Gallagher Raphael
Published: November 2022

The immediate background to this essay is the contemporary expression of the relationship between conscience and truth in Catholic theology. The methods pursued are historically and textually based. Historically, there is a clear development in how Catholic theology has dealt with this relationship. Textually, three significant theologians are cited to explain this development (Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas, and Alphonsus de Liguori). The conclusions reached indicate a strategy for a more robust Catholic expression of how conscience and truth can be explained.
The Functions of the Fishermen’s Sea Pilgrimage to St Peter and St Paul’s Church Fair in the Town of Puck
Authors: Palmowski Tadeusz , Przybylska Lucyna
Published: November 2022

The purpose of this article is to define the function of the Fishermen’s Sea Pilgrimage organised in northern Poland. It is the only boat pilgrimage on the Baltic Sea. One of the authors took part in nearly all the pilgrimages in the years 2004–2022. The authors describe the origins and form of sea pilgrimage against contemporary general trends in pilgrimage in Poland. Next, they present the route, participants, and course of this particular event. The participants of the Fishermen’s Sea Pilgrimage chose Saints Peter and Paul the Apostles’ church in Puck as their destination. The pilgrimage is an illustration of an emerging trend in contemporary pilgrimaging in Poland, characterised by: (1) choosing alternative modes of making the journey, apart from walking; (2) pilgrimage groups not based exclusively on the parishioners’ place of residence; (3) the performance of both religious and non-religious functions.
Embodying Devī: Śākta Narratives of Healing and Transformation
Authors: Perkins Sophie-Anne
Published: November 2022

This article explores how twelve practitioners of a contemporary Western Śākta community relate to Devī, experience Her presence in their lives, embody Her through the practice of deity yoga, and find their manner of relating to self, others, and the world transformed by it. The narratives were obtained via semi-structured interviews and thus increase the ethnographic data in the field of tantric studies. Altogether, these testimonies suggest that deity yoga and its metaphysical framework, when interpreted through both a theistic and non-theistic lens, may enable a decrease in self-conscious emotions and negative affective reactivity, and an increase in positive affect and self-confidence or trust, as well as empathic or affiliative changes. The latter may result in changes in motivation or goals that are prosocial in nature and enable desirable changes in one’s interpersonal relationships and interactions. Additionally, it may potentially decrease the severity of the impact that neuroticism, mental disorders, substance use disorders, and negative affect can have on an individual’s life, or even assist in eliminating their presence, over time. Finally, it may effectively help some in navigating and overcoming grief or accepting the inevitability of death.
Leading the School Wisely and Purposefully: Design of a Practical, Wise Leadership Practice to Fulfil the Mission of Catholic Education
Authors: Van der Zee Theo
Published: November 2022

Regarding the educational endeavour of their schools, Catholic school leaders are challenged to maintain “mission integrity”, and to remain faithful to the principles of Catholic education. While their daily praxis is characterised by multiple interruptions, even school leaders with profound theoretical knowledge and extensive experience do not automatically know how to deal with them in a way that aligns with the distinctive and authentic principles of Catholic education. This article argues that a practical, wise leadership practice based on Christian discernment practices provides a kind of executive function that helps Catholic school leaders to decide and act wisely and purposefully. A generic design for interrelated strategies of practical, wise school leadership is presented that in a profound way does justice not only to the ethical but also to the transformative nature of the endeavour of Catholic education. The design consists of four clusters of strategies, characterised by practical wisdom and well-chosen reflective questions to activate these strategies.
The Ark and Other Bubbles: Jewish Philosophy and Surviving the Disaster
Authors: Atlas Dustin
Published: November 2022

The story of Noah is the story of a near-total biocide. And yet, in popular imagination, it appears as more of a floating petting zoo, a charming menagerie that follows the far more serious Edenic storylines of Genesis 1–5. In this paper, the ark, and midrash it inspired, acts as a guide for a set of speculations and arguments about the role Jewish philosophy might play during the present ecological disaster. These speculations are guided by the following claim: Jewish philosophy best responds to ecological crises when it does not attempt to provide an ecological ethics “out of the sources of Judaism”—making expansive normative and metaphysical claims—but instead explores enclosures and spaces; when it thinks about our relation to disasters, rather than trying to prevent or solve them. In other words, there is an element of Jewish thought which attempts to think enclosures and protect small but important things in the midst of disasters, and it is this I wish to highlight. My goal is to demonstrate that this kind of thinking presents viable possibilities for ecological thought. Specifically, I will argue that Mara Benjamin’s work gives us an indication of where such philosophy can go and how it might get there.
Implementing Sentinel-2 Data and Machine Learning to Detect Plant Stress in Olive Groves
Authors: Navrozidis Ioannis , Alexandridis Thomas , Moshou Dimitrios , Haugommard Anne , Lagopodi Anastasia
Published: November 2022

Olives are an essential crop for Greece and constitute a major economic and agricultural factor. Diseases, pests, and environmental conditions are all factors that can deteriorate the health status of olive crops by causing plant stress. Researchers can utilize remote sensing to assist their actions in detecting these sources of stress and act accordingly. In this experiment, Sentinel-2 data were used to create vegetation indices for commercial olive fields in Halkidiki, Northern Greece. Twelve machine learning algorithms were tested to determine which type would be the most efficient to detect plant stress in olive trees. In parallel, a test was conducted by testing 26 thresholds to determine how setting different thresholds for stress incidence affects model performance and which threshold constitutes the best choice for more accurate classification. The results show that among all tested classification algorithms, the quadratic discriminant analysis provided the best performance of 0.99. The stress incidence threshold used in the current case to generate the best-performing model was 6%, but the results suggest that setting customized thresholds relevant to specific cases would provide optimal results. The best-performing model was used in a one-vs.-rest multiclass classification task to determine the source of the stress between four possible classes: “healthy”, “verticillium”, “spilocaea”, and “unidentified”. The multiclass model was more accurate in detection for the “healthy” class (0.99); the “verticillium” and “unidentified” classes were less accurate (0.76); and “spilocaea” had the lowest score (0.72). Findings from this research can be used by experts as a service to enhance their decision-making and support the application of efficient strategies in the field of precision crop protection.
Evaluation of the Spatiotemporal Distribution of Precipitation Using 28 Precipitation Indices and 4 IMERG Datasets over Nepal
Authors: Talchabhadel Rocky , Shah Suraj , Aryal Bibek
Published: November 2022

Accurate accounting of spatiotemporal variability of precipitation is essential for understanding the changing climate. Among the available precipitation estimates, the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) is an international satellite network providing advanced global precipitation estimates. The integrated multi-satellite retrievals for GPM (IMERG) algorithm combines information from the GPM satellite constellation to estimate precipitation and yields a better performance in detecting precipitation events and spatial resolution. Here, we used twenty years (2001–2020) of IMERG Final data over the entire Nepal to analyze the spatial and temporal distribution of precipitation. This study evaluates the dynamic characteristics of the precipitation amounts, intensities, frequencies, and other relevant data across Nepal, using four IMERG datasets: (i) microwave only, (ii) infrared only, (iii) multi satellites gauge uncalibrated, and (iv) multi satellites gauge calibrated. A total of 28 precipitation indices was computed: threshold-based counts, consecutive days, precipitation amounts and extremes, precipitation intensity, percentile-based extremities, proportion-based indices, and additional seasonal indices. Results show that all four IMERG datasets are promising in capturing spatial details. The frequency of wet days corresponds with ground-based precipitation. Still, most indices, including consecutive wet days, annual and monsoon precipitation, and days when precipitation equaled or exceeded 20 and 50 mm, were substantially underestimated. In addition, the microwave-only dataset highly underestimated the precipitation amount. Notably, a substantial proportion of false alarms is a problem for all four IMERG datasets. Moreover, our results demonstrate that the IMERG uncalibrated dataset tends to overestimate precipitation during heavy precipitation events. These advantages and shortcomings of IMERG datasets over the rugged terrain of Nepal can provide useful feedback for sensor and algorithm developers to overcome limitations and improve retrieval algorithms. The study findings are helpful to the broader data users and practitioners for effective water decision applications.
A Framework for Distributed LEO SAR Air Moving Target 3D Imaging via Spectral Estimation
Authors: Han Yaquan , Jiao Runzhi , Huang Haifeng , Wang Qingsong , Lai Tao
Published: November 2022

This paper aims to perform imaging and detect moving targets in a 3D scene for space-borne air moving target indication (AMTI). Specifically, we propose a feasible framework for distributed LEO space-borne SAR air moving target 3D imaging via spectral estimation. This framework contains four subsystems: the distributed LEO satellite and radar modeling, moving target information processing, baseline design framework, and spectrum estimation 3D imaging. Firstly in our method, we develop a relative motion model between the satellite platform and the 3D moving target for satellite and radar modeling. In a very short time, the relative motion between the platform and the target is approximated as a uniform motion. We then establish the space-borne distributed SAR moving target 3D imaging model based on the motion model. After that, we analyze the influencing factors, including the Doppler parameters, the three-dimensional velocity, acceleration, and baseline intervals, and further investigate the performance of the 3D imaging of the moving target. The moving target spectrum estimation 3D imaging finally obtains the 3D imaging results of the target, which preliminarily solves the imaging and resolution problems of slow air moving targets. Simulations are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed distributed LEO space-borne SAR moving target 3D imaging framework.
Geothermal Exploration in the Burwash Landing Region, Canada, Using Three-Dimensional Inversion of Passive Electromagnetic Data
Authors: Tschirhart Victoria , Colpron Maurice , Craven James , Ghalati Fateme Hormozzade , Enkin Randy J. , Grasby Stephen E.
Published: November 2022

Sustainable development of Canada’s North requires an increased focus on renewable, zero-emission energy sources. Burwash Landing in Yukon is prospective for geothermal energy based on a high geothermal gradient, local occurrence of warm groundwater and proximity to the active, crustal-scale Denali fault. Uncertainties about the potential geothermal system include the nature and geometry of fluid pathways, and heat sources required to drive a hydrothermal system. In this study, we inverted three passive electromagnetic datasets—321 extremely low frequency electromagnetic, 33 audiomagnetotelluric and 51 magnetotelluric stations—to map the subsurface electrical structure to 8 km depth. Our new model reveals vertical conductive structures associated with the two main faults, Denali and Bock’s Creek, which we interpret to represent fluid-deposited graphite and hydrothermal alteration, respectively. Our model supports an interpreted releasing bend on the main Denali fault strand. This is associated with the deepest conductivity anomaly along the fault and potential for deeper penetration of fluids. Enigmatic conductive bodies from 1 to > 6 km depth are associated with intermediate to mafic intrusions. Fluids released from these bodies may advect heat and provide a possible heat source to mobilize hot fluids and sustain a geothermal system in the region.
A Novel Functional Electrical Stimulation-Induced Cycling Controller Using Reinforcement Learning to Optimize Online Muscle Activation Pattern
Authors: Coelho-Magalhães Tiago , Azevedo Coste Christine , Resende-Martins Henrique
Published: November 2022

This study introduces a novel controller based on a Reinforcement Learning (RL) algorithm for real-time adaptation of the stimulation pattern during FES-cycling. Core to our approach is the introduction of an RL agent that interacts with the cycling environment and learns through trial and error how to modulate the electrical charge applied to the stimulated muscle groups according to a predefined policy and while tracking a reference cadence. Instead of a static stimulation pattern to be modified by a control law, we hypothesized that a non-stationary baseline set of parameters would better adjust the amount of injected electrical charge to the time-varying characteristics of the musculature. Overground FES-assisted cycling sessions were performed by a subject with spinal cord injury (SCI AIS-A, T8). For tracking a predefined pedaling cadence, two closed-loop control laws were simultaneously used to modulate the pulse intensity of the stimulation channels responsible for evoking the muscle contractions. First, a Proportional-Integral (PI) controller was used to control the current amplitude of the stimulation channels over an initial parameter setting with predefined pulse amplitude, width and fixed frequency parameters. In parallel, an RL algorithm with a decayed-epsilon-greedy strategy was implemented to randomly explore nine different variations of pulse amplitude and width parameters over the same stimulation setting, aiming to adjust the injected electrical charge according to a predefined policy. The performance of this global control strategy was evaluated in two different RL settings and explored in two different cycling scenarios. The participant was able to pedal overground for distances over 3.5 km, and the results evidenced the RL agent learned to modify the stimulation pattern according to the predefined policy and was simultaneously able to track a predefined pedaling cadence. Despite the simplicity of our approach and the existence of more sophisticated RL algorithms, our method can be used to reduce the time needed to define stimulation patterns. Our results suggest interesting research possibilities to be explored in the future to improve cycling performance since more efficient stimulation cost dynamics can be explored and implemented for the agent to learn.
Two Versatile Pencil Graphite–Polymer Sensor Electrodes Coupled with Potentiometry and Potentiometric Titration Methods: Profiling Determinations of Vitamin V in Tablets and Urine Samples
Authors: Hassan Abeer M. E. , El Hamd Mohamed A. , El-Maghrabey Mahmoud H. , Mahdi Wael A. , Alshehri Sultan , Batakoushy Hany A.
Published: November 2022

Herein, we developed a new pencil graphite ion-selective electrode strategy for the broadly used erectile dysfunction medication, sildenafil citrate (SC, vitamin V), for its automated potentiometry and potentiometric titration profiling in marketed tablets and human urine samples. The method was based on ion-pair complexation between SC and sodium tetraphenylborate (Na-TPB) or phosphotungstic acid (PTA), embedded into a pencil-fabricated graphite sensor electrode coated with poly(vinyl chloride, PVC) matrix, which is pre-plasticized with two different pre-studied plasticizers. The modern fabricated electrodes have a proven fast near-Nernstian response for SC over the concentration range of 1.0 × 10−6 to 1.0 × 10−2 and 1.0 × 10−5 to 1.0 × 10−2 M, with LODs of 6.5 × 10−7 and 5.5 × 10−6 over a pH 3–6 for (SC-TPB)- and (SC-PTA)-based membrane sensors, of O-nitrophenyl octyl ether (O-NPOE) and dioctyl phthalate (DOP), respectively. The selectivity coefficients for different interferents, including many inorganic cations, sugars, and/or nitrogenous compounds, were tested and confirmed. Applications of the proposed method were conducted on the determination of SC in its tablets and urine samples under the proper conditions. The percent recovery values were compared with those obtained by an official method and showed an RSD ≤ 0.3% (n = 5).
Fuzzy Control of Pressure in a Water Supply Network Based on Neural Network System Modeling and IoT Measurements
Authors: Santos de Araújo José Vinicius , Villanueva Juan Moises Mauricio , Cordula Marcio Miranda , Cardoso Altamar Alencar , Gomes Heber Pimentel
Published: November 2022

As hydroenergetic losses are inherent to water supply systems, they are a frequent issue which water utilities deal with every day. The control of network pressure is essential to reducing these losses, providing a quality supply to consumers, saving electricity and preserving piping from excess pressure. However, to obtain these benefits, it is necessary to overcome some difficulties such as sensing the pressure of geographically distant consumer units and developing a control logic that is capable of making use of the data from these sensors and, at the same time, a good solution in terms of cost benefit. Therefore, this work has the purpose of developing a pressure monitoring and control system for water supply networks, using the ESP8266 microcontroller to collect data from pressure sensors for the integrated ScadaLTS supervisory system via the REST API. The modeling of the plant was developed using artificial neural networks together with fuzzy pressure control, both designed using the Python language. The proposed method was tested by considering a pumping station and two reference units located in the city of João Pessoa, Brazil, in which there was an excess of pressure in the supply network and low performance from the old controls, during the night period from 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. The field results estimated 2.9% energy saving in relation to the previous form of control and a guarantee that the pressure in the network was at a healthy level.
Augmented Hearing of Auditory Safety Cues for Construction Workers: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Dang Khang , Elelu Kehinde , Le Tuyen , Le Chau
Published: November 2022

Safety-critical sounds at job sites play an essential role in construction safety, but hearing capability is often declined due to the use of hearing protection and the complicated nature of construction noise. Thus, preserving or augmenting the auditory situational awareness of construction workers has become a critical need. To enable further advances in this area, it is necessary to synthesize the state-of-the-art auditory signal processing techniques and their implications for auditory situational awareness (ASA) and to identify future research needs. This paper presents a critical review of recent publications on acoustic signal processing techniques and suggests research gaps that merit further research for fully embracing construction workers’ ASA of hazardous situations in construction. The results from the content analysis show that research on ASA in the context of construction safety is still in its early stage, with inadequate AI-based sound sensing methods available. Little research has been undertaken to augment individual construction workers in recognizing important signals that may be blocked or mixed with complex ambient noise. Further research on auditory situational awareness technology is needed to support detecting and separating important acoustic safety cues from complex ambient sounds. More work is also needed to incorporate context information into sound-based hazard detection and to investigate human factors affecting the collaboration between workers and AI assistants in sensing the safety cues of hazards.
A Comparison between High and Low Cuff Pressures on Muscle Oxygen Saturation and Recovery Responses Following Blood-Flow Restriction Resistance Exercise
Authors: Bartolomei Sandro , Montesanto Pasquale , Lanzoni Ivan Malagoli , Gatta Giorgio , Cortesi Matteo , Fantozzi Silvia
Published: November 2022

The aim of the study was to compare the recovery response and muscle oxygenation of a blood-flow restriction resistance exercise (BFR) session with high [HP: 80% of the arterial occlusion pressure (AOP)] and low cuff pressure (LP: 40% of AOP). Both exercise sessions included 4 sets to failure at the barbell preacher curl exercise. Twelve resistance trained men (27.4 ± 5.0 years; 83.5 ± 11.6 kg; 176.6 ± 7.0 cm) performed each protocol in a counterbalanced, randomized order. Maximal isometric force, muscle morphology and muscle soreness of the biceps brachii muscle were assessed at baseline, 15-min, 60-min and 24-h post each testing session. In addition, muscle oxygen saturation (SmO2) was assessed during each training session. A lower number of repetitions (p = 0.013) was detected in HP compared to LP. A lower SmO2 (p < 0.001) was detected in the recovery time between the sets in HP (mean: 47.6 ± 15.7%) compared to LP (mean: 68.9 ± 7.2%). No differences between the two trials (p > 0.05) were noted for isometric force, muscle architecture and soreness at any timepoint. Results indicate that, despite a high cuff pressure may induce a more hypoxic condition compared to a lower cuff pressure, recovery responses may not be affected.
Wireless Heart Sensor for Capturing Cardiac Orienting Response for Prediction of Neurodevelopmental Delay in Infants
Authors: Aguilar-Rivera Marcelo , Kable Julie A. , Yevtushok Lyubov , Kulikovsky Yaroslav , Zymak-Zakutnya Natalya , Dubchak Iryna , Akhmedzhanova Diana , Wertelecki Wladimir , Chambers Christina , Coleman Todd P.
Published: November 2022

Early identification of infants at risk of neurodevelopmental delay is an essential public health aim. Such a diagnosis allows early interventions for infants that maximally take advantage of the neural plasticity in the developing brain. Using standardized physiological developmental tests, such as the assessment of neurophysiological response to environmental events using cardiac orienting responses (CORs), is a promising and effective approach for early recognition of neurodevelopmental delay. Previous CORs have been collected on children using large bulky equipment that would not be feasible for widespread screening in routine clinical visits. We developed a portable wireless electrocardiogram (ECG) system along with a custom application for IOS tablets that, in tandem, can extract CORs with sufficient physiologic and timing accuracy to reflect the well-characterized ECG response to both auditory and visual stimuli. The sensor described here serves as an initial step in determining the extent to which COR tools are cost-effective for the early screening of children to determine who is at risk of developing neurocognitive deficits and may benefit from early interventions. We demonstrated that our approach, based on a wireless heartbeat sensor system and a custom mobile application for stimulus display and data recording, is sufficient to capture CORs from infants. The COR monitoring approach described here with mobile technology is an example of a desired standardized physiologic assessment that is a cost-and-time efficient, scalable method for early recognition of neurodevelopmental delay.
Location of Latent Forensic Traces Using Multispectral Bands
Authors: Miralles-Mosquera Samuel , Alarcos Bernardo , Gardel Alfredo
Published: November 2022

In this paper, a conventional camera modified to capture multispectral images, has been used to locate latent forensic traces with a smart combination of wavelength filters, capturing angle, and illumination sources. There are commercial multispectral capture devices adapted to the specific tasks of the police, but due to their high cost and operation not well adapted to the field work in a crime scene, they are not currently used by forensic units. In our work, we have used a digital SLR camera modified to obtain a nominal sensitivity beyond the visible spectrum. The goal is to obtain forensic evidences from a crime scene using the multispectral camera by an expert in the field knowing which wavelength filters and correct illumination sources should be used, making visible latent evidences hidden from the human-eye. In this paper, we show a procedure to retrieve from latent forensic traces, showing the validity of the system in different real cases (blood stains, hidden/erased tattoos, unlocking patterns on mobile devices). This work opens the possibility of applying multispectral inspections in the forensic field specially for operational units for the location of latent through non-invasive optical procedures.
Towards an Optimized Ensemble Feature Selection for DDoS Detection Using Both Supervised and Unsupervised Method
Authors: Saha Sajal , Priyoti Annita Tahsin , Sharma Aakriti , Haque Anwar
Published: November 2022

With recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and next-generation communication technologies, the demand for Internet-based applications and intelligent digital services is increasing, leading to a significant rise in cyber-attacks such as Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS). AI-based DoS detection systems promise adequate identification accuracy with lower false alarms, significantly associated with the data quality used to train the model. Several works have been proposed earlier to select optimum feature subsets for better model generalization and faster learning. However, there is a lack of investigation in the existing literature to identify a common optimum feature set for three main AI methods: machine learning, deep learning, and unsupervised learning. The current works are compromised either with the variation of the feature selection (FS) method or limited to one type of AI model for performance evaluation. Therefore, in this study, we extensively investigated and evaluated the performance of 15 individual FS methods from three major categories: filter-based, wrapper-based, and embedded, and one ensemble feature selection (EnFS) technique. Furthermore, the individual feature subset’s quality is evaluated using supervised and unsupervised learning methods for extracting a common best-performing feature subset. According to our experiment, the EnFS method outperforms individual FS and provides a universal best feature set for all kinds of AI models.
Adverse Childhood Experiences in Latinx Families: A Comparison between Intraracial and Interracial Families
Authors: Wang Xiafei , Shen Fei , Zhang Yongjun , Wu Shiyou
Published: November 2022

Racial/ethnic minorities are prone to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), posing a concern over social justice. However, the influence of interracial family structure has been rarely discussed. Considering that 26% of Hispanic individuals form interracial marriages in the U.S., we need to examine whether interracial family structure matters for ACEs disparities in Latinx families. We hypothesized that there were differences in ACEs between intraracial and interracial families in the Latinx population. A Latinx sample was collected from the Fragile Family and Child Well-being Studies with 1113 children of two Latinx parents and 397 children of interracial parents (e.g., White mother/Latinx father, Black mother/Latinx father, Latinx mother/White father, Latinx mother/Black father). Negative binomial models revealed a higher overall ACEs score among children in interracial families (β = 0.54, p < 0.05). Compared to children with two Latinx parents, children in each interracial family group were prone to higher risks of different ACEs. For example, children with Latinx mothers and Black fathers were more likely to experience parental separation (OR = 2.33), household material hardship (OR = 1.64), physical abuse (OR = 6.01), and psychological abuse (OR = 3.49) than children in intraracial Latinx families. Based on our findings, we call for culturally responsive ACEs prevention and intervention that consider the unique stressors of interracial families, to promote the health and well-being of racial/ethnic minorities.
Can Green Bonds Stimulate Green Innovation in Enterprises? Evidence from China
Authors: Rao Huacheng , Chen Dongxu , Shen Feichao , Shen Yangyang
Published: November 2022

Green innovation is the main driving force to improve green productivity and achieve green circular economy development. The existing literature has demonstrated extensively that government policies can promote green innovation in enterprises. However, there is much less literature exploring whether green finance policies can promote green innovation in enterprises. In this paper, we investigate the impact of corporate green bond issuance on green innovation in China’s listed companies. The findings indicate that the issue of green bonds by enterprises has had a positive and significant effect on the output of green patents. The effect is stronger for state-owned, large, and low-pollution enterprises. Furthermore, this positive effect is achieved by easing the financing constraints of the enterprise and has a dynamic and continuous impact. These results suggest green bonds stimulate green innovation by easing financing constraints, thereby promoting green transformation in a rapidly industrializing economy.
Understanding China’s Economic Engagement in Africa: An Exploration of the FDI-Trade Nexus
Authors: Zhang Qiyue , Wang Zheng , Okafor Godwin
Published: November 2022

The rapid rise of China on the global stage has promoted a widely held concern about the country’s political intention behind its expanding overseas economic activities. This paper attempts to shed new light on this old question: Is the abundance of natural resources in Africa the primary motivation for Chinese economic engagement in the continent? To this end, we investigate the nexus of China’s direct investment in 54 African countries and its international trade with the region between 2003 and 2014 to estimate how and to which extent Chinese investment affects its trade with the continent. This empirical task is facilitated using a transaction-level trade database from Chinese customs, which allows us to trace the trade records by product, destination, and exporting firm. Our empirical results support the trade-promoting effect of China’s foreign direct investment in the region, and this effect is found to be more significant for China’s exports of consumption and processed goods to the continent than for China’s imports of primary goods from this same region. Furthermore, we do not find systematic evidence that these investment activities lead to more primary goods being imported by Chinese state-owned enterprises. While these findings do not rule out the existence of resource-seeking motivation, they cast doubt on that being a primary driving force behind Chinese investment in Africa.
Drought Impacts on the Crop Sector and Adaptation Options in Burkina Faso: A Gender-Focused Computable General Equilibrium Analysis
Authors: Sawadogo Boureima
Published: November 2022

The crop sector in Burkina Faso has been facing recurrent droughts since 1970. This study analyzes the impacts of droughts and adaptation options such as the use of irrigation capacity development methods, integrated soil management and drought-tolerant crop varieties on the crop sector. Indeed, we focus on the consequences of agricultural droughts on economic growth and employment and on the gender dimension of household poverty. Using a gendered dynamic computable general equilibrium model linked to a microsimulation model, we conduct simulations of various drought scenarios (mild, moderate and severe). We show that the mild, moderate and intense droughts experienced by Burkina Faso over the past ten years have negatively affected the country’s economic performance and considerably degraded the welfare of its households. The gross domestic product has fallen by 3.0% in the short term and 3.3% in the long term due to intense droughts. Moreover, the number of poor people is growing faster in male-headed households than in female-headed households. Given the large female population in both groups of households, women bear the brunt of droughts. These results also demonstrate how these negative impacts could worsen in the future with the recurrence of intense droughts due to the threat of global climate change. We find that Burkina Faso has room to reduce the negative impacts by adopting drought-tolerant crop varieties, integrated soil management approaches or expanding their irrigation capacity.
Field Experimental Study on the Infiltration and Clogging Processes at Aksu Research Site, Kazakhstan
Authors: Mirlas Vladimir , Kulagin Vitaly , Ismagulova Aida , Anker Yaakov
Published: November 2022

The challenge of a good quality drinking water supply to southeastern Kazakhstan’s local population from far-away natural surface water sources motivates groundwater utilization from local aquifers. To prevent groundwater resource deficits, artificial groundwater recharge is needed. To this end, infiltration and clogging processes were evaluated through comprehensive field research in southeastern Kazakhstan’s typical river drainage basin (Aksu experimental site). The infiltration scenario included constructed mini pools and their typical soil profile clogging and silting processes. The local aquifer unsaturated and upper saturated zones underwent a detailed study of water balance, hydrodynamic setting, and filtration properties. The research results suggest that the infiltration rate decreased from 15 m/day until the saturation steady state and remained at 0.75 m/day until the end of the experiment. In summer, clogging layers with thicknesses ranging from 3 mm for the clayey silt layer to 6 mm for muddy clay began to form at the mini pools nearly one month after the test began. During infiltration, the mini pools’ upper soil layer dirt-holding capacity varied from 3.72 to 5.25 kg/m2. The field study results serve as a factual basis for artificial replenishment system design and groundwater replenishment methodology optimization in southeastern Kazakhstan and similar regions.