bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Long-Term Conservation Agriculture Influences Weed Diversity, Water Productivity, Grain Yield, and Energy Budgeting of Wheat in North-Western Indo-Gangetic Plains
Authors: Sharma Tarun , Das Tapas Kumar , Maity Pragati Pramanik , Biswas Sunanda , Sudhishri Susama , Govindasamy Prabhu , Raj Rishi , Sen Suman , Singh Teekam , Paul Amrit Kumar , Roy Arkaprava , Babu Subhash , Rathi Neelmani
Published: April 2023

Wheat is grown in an area totalling 31.1 million hectares in India. The North-western Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) constitutes the major share of area and production of wheat in India and is known as the wheat belt of India. However, sustaining wheat production under declining/lower resource-use efficiency in the existing rice–wheat cropping system has led to considerations about diversifying this system with a pigeon pea–wheat system (PWS) in the IGP of India. However, little or no information is available on the impact of CA-based PWS on weed dynamics, productivity, profitability, and resource-use efficiencies. Therefore, we studied these aspects in wheat under a long-term (~12 years) conservation agriculture (CA)-based PWS. Treatments were conventional till flatbed (CT), ZT permanent narrow beds (PNBR & PNB), broad beds (PBBR & PBB), and flat beds (PFBR & PFB) with and without residue (R) retention and different N levels (75% and 100% of the recommended N). The results showed that the Shannon–Weiner index and the Simpson dominance index were higher under the CA system in 2021–2022 than in 2010–2011 and 2015–2016, indicating a change in weed diversity over the period. Furthermore, the Sorensen similarity index showed that there was not much difference in weed diversity for 2010–2011. However, in 2015–2016 and 2021–2022 respectively, only 89% (0.89) and 62% (0.62) of weed species were common to both CT and CA systems, indicating a shift in weed species in the long-term CA system in 2021–2022. Residue retention and N dose decreased weed density at 30 days after sowing (DAS). All the CA-based (PFBR100N, PBBR100N, PNBR100N, PFBR75N, PBBR75N, and PNBR75N) treatments reduced the weed density and dry weight compared to CT at 30 DAS. Wheat grain yield and net returns increased by 11.6–14.9% and 19.4–23.8% over CT in CA treatments, of which PFBR100N and PBBR100N were superior. The PBBR100N and PBBR75N systems had water productivity significantly higher than CT. Residue retention in ZT permanent beds reduced energy productivity in CA than CT and no residue treatments. In the 12th year, CA with 75% N (PFBR75N, PBBR75N, PNBR75N) resulted in a higher partial factor productivity of N and total NPK applied. Contrast analysis showed that 75% N was comparable with 100% N on crop, water, and energy productivities and 75% N was superior to 100% N on partial factor productivity of N and total NPK. Thus, the permanent broad bed with residue and 100% N in the initial years and 75% N in later years can be adopted in the north-western IGP for better weed suppression, higher yield, profitability, and resource-use efficiency.
China’s Green Total Factor Energy Efficiency Assessment Based on Coordinated Reduction in Pollution and Carbon Emission: From the 11th to the 13th Five-Year Plan
Authors: Zheng Zebin , Xiao Wenjun , Cheng Ziye
Published: April 2023

As the world’s largest energy consumer, China is facing multiple pressures to conserve energy, mitigate pollution and reduce carbon emissions. An objective and scientific assessment of green total factor energy efficiency (GTFEE) is an important prerequisite for achieving energy conservation, emission reduction and low carbon development. In this research, a non-radial data envelopment analysis (DEA) is conducted to assess the GTFEE in China, while the issue of climate and air pollution from energy use is considered in the assessment system. We use different indicators to refer to air pollutants, which provides a reference for related research in indicator selection. The results show that different indicators have different inefficiency values, but changes in the indicators have a minimal effect on the inefficiency values of the other constant indicators. We also assess the GTFEE for the last three five-year plan periods to inform future policy development. The results show that China’s average annual GTFEE exhibits a unique trend in each five-year plan period, with an overall “v” shaped trend. The annual average GTFEE of different regions also varies. The other changes in the rankings of the provinces are mainly concentrated in the 11th to 12th Five-Year Plan period.
Influence of Revitalization on the Social and Economic Well-Being of Residents: Case Study of Lithuania
Authors: Zabielaitė-Skirmantė Miglė , Burinskienė Marija , Maliene Vida
Published: April 2023

The lack of public spaces, recreational areas, and sports facilities in older city neighborhoods, as well as the importance of people’s social and economic well-being, have been exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Revitalization is used to update the physical environment of old neighborhoods; it improves not only the physical environment of the neighborhood, but also contributes to ensuring the social and economic well-being of the residents. The article aims to identify which typical revitalization project solutions, only referring to physical environmental improvement projects, improve the social and economic well-being of the residents. To achieve this goal, a statistical analysis of the Žirmūnai triangle residents was performed with obtained survey data. The hypothesized connections between typical revitalization solutions and changes in the social and economic well-being of the population were verified using Pearson’s Chi-Square test. The results showed that the public spaces, sports, and playgrounds provided by revitalization were directly related to the social and economic well-being of the residents. As a result of this typical revitalization solution, 17% of the residents experienced an improvement in their economic well-being, 17% of the residents got to know their neighbors, and 95% of the residents indicated that they enjoy living in the neighborhood.
Designing “Forest” into Daily Lives for Sustainability: A Case Study of Taiwanese Wooden Furniture Design
Authors: Sun Yikang , Yen Ching-Chiuan , Chen Tien-Li
Published: April 2023

Taiwan’s forest resources are abundant, diverse, and of high quality. However, Taiwan’s self-sufficiency rate for timber is only 1.2%. How to build Taiwan’s local wooden furniture brand to improve quality of life and achieve sustainable development is worth considering. This study adopted a qualitative research method using Taiwan’s local carbon-negative furniture brand “Forest in Living” as a case study. We used communication theory to construct a conceptual model that was then used to analyze the design and promotion of furniture. Carbon-negative furniture makes people feel like they are living and breathing deep in the forest, which is one of the best ways to reduce one’s carbon footprint. The Forest in Living furniture is full of Taiwanese characteristics and firmly captures the country’s foundation and soul. The designers have great respect for wood and strong control over the characteristics of the material, and the furniture has unique characteristics and rich content. In the future, we will further study the findings of this paper by inviting consumers to express their views on the design concepts and finished products of this type of furniture, which will be used to examine whether the design concepts can be recognized by consumers.
Integrated Management to Address Structural Shortage: The Case of Vega Baja of the Segura River, Alicante (Southeast Spain)
Authors: Redondo-Orts José Alberto , López-Ortiz María Inmaculada , Fernández-Aracil Patricia
Published: April 2023

The principal objective of this study is the detailed analysis of the water deficit based on the information gathered by hydrological planning in terms of both the supply of water resources from different sources (surface and groundwater natural sources, transferred from other basins and non-conventional sources based on the reuse of regenerated waters and the desalination of seawater) and the demand for water (urban, agricultural, environmental, industrial, and recreational uses). To do this, the balance between resources and demand is determined, identifying the water deficit and its repercussions, mainly in the agricultural sector. Subsequently, a series of recommendations are proposed that can contribute to the management of water resources in accordance with their origin and availability. The study focuses on the district of Vega Baja del Río Segura, which is located in Southeast Spain, specifically in the Segura River Basin of the province Alicante, and characterized by being one of the European spaces with the greatest structural shortage of water resources. The 27 municipalities, which it constitutes and are the object of analysis in this study, have a semi-arid climate with mild temperatures and scarce torrential rainfall, which generates a continuous situation of water stress and structural shortage. The management of water resources in this area is vitally important for socio-economic development and the maintenance of the natural ecosystems. According to the climate change predictions, this deficit situation is set to worsen, which will aggravate the water imbalance.
Assessing the Efficacy of Cryptocurrency Applications’ Affiliate Marketing Process on Supply Chain Firms’ Website Visibility
Authors: Sakas Damianos P. , Giannakopoulos Nikolaos T. , Nasiopoulos Dimitrios K. , Kanellos Nikos , Tsoulfas Giannis T.
Published: April 2023

Recent developments in blockchain technology have enabled the development of wallet applications for storing peoples’ cryptocurrency reserves. Cryptocurrency wallet applications could deploy affiliate marketing processes to increase the visibility of their products. From these affiliate marketing processes, supply chain firms in the air forwarding sector that seek to advertise their services to a larger audience could be benefited. This research examines whether affiliate marketing initials of cryptocurrency wallet applications affect their digital marketing efficiency, as well as whether air forwarding firms’ website visibility could be benefited from them. After collecting the required Web Analytic data, the authors performed statistical analysis (correlations and linear regressions), followed by Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM) macroanalysis and Hybrid Modeling (HM) microanalysis to assess the outcomes of cryptocurrency wallet applications’ affiliate marketing programs. Hence, from the deployed methodology, valuable insights arose. The first part of the produced outcomes concerns the effect of cryptocurrency wallet application affiliate marketing metrics on their digital marketing results. The increased implications of affiliate marketing metrics (referring domains, backlinks, etc.) decrease the number of pages their visitors see. Regarding the air forwarder firms’ website visibility, specific metrics (branded and referral traffic) were increased and others (social traffic) were decreased from the increment of cryptocurrency wallet application affiliate marketing metrics (backlinks, internal links, etc.). Supply chain firms, in the air forwarding sector, could have increased website visibility by deploying advertisements and affiliate marketing initiatives with cryptocurrency wallet organizations. Summing up, specific affiliate marketing metrics of cryptocurrency wallet applications are capable of significantly impacting their digital marketing performance and also constitute determinant factors of supply chain firms’ website visibility.
Effect of Innovative Sediment-Based Growing Media on Fruit Quality of Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.)
Authors: Giordani Edgardo , Bini Lorenzo , Bonetti Daniele , Petrucci William Antonio , Masciandaro Grazia , Chini Giacomo , Nin Stefania
Published: April 2023

The aim of this research was to assess the quality attributes of the fruits of wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca) “Regina delle Valli” plants cultivated in pots in remediated-sediment-based growing media (GM). For this purpose, phytoremediated and landfarmed dredged sediment from Leghorn Harbor (Italy) was mixed into a peat-based commercial substrate at different volume/volume percentages (0, 50 and 100%), and the plants were grown under greenhouse conditions with two different water regimes (WR1 = 950 cc/day; WR2 = 530 cc/day). The fruit quality parameters were differentially affected by the main factors (GM and WR) and their combinations. The fruits obtained from the substrate richest in treated sediment and with the higher water regime (TS100-WR1) showed the highest content of sugars (4056, 5256 and 5178 mg/100 g FW of sucrose, glucose and fructose, respectively), total soluble solids (16 °Brix) and organic acids (30, 490 and 2300 mg/100 g FW of ascorbic, malic and citric acid, respectively). Neither the polyphenol content nor the DPPH radical scavenging activity were significantly affected by the treatments, although the TS100-WR1 plants showed the highest DPPH value (an inhibition of 0.71%). Among the analyzed organic contaminants, only total heavy hydrocarbons (C10–C40) were found in fruits from TS50 and TS100 at very low values, while heavy metals were not detected. The PCA statistical multivariate analysis performed on the visual, olfactory, chewing and tasting aspects of a sensorial evaluation clearly showed that the substrate’s chemical–physical properties exerted a relevant influence on the fruit samples, while the irrigation regimes did not affect significantly fruit quality parameters. A number of highly correlated soil/fruit parameters were found. The remediated sediment proved to be a valid alternative to peat for wild strawberry production, even at the highest concentration.
Agricultural Efficiency in Different Regions of China: An Empirical Analysis Based on Dynamic SBM-DEA Model
Authors: Hsu Shao-Yin , Yang Chih-Yu , Chen Yueh-Ling , Lu Ching-Cheng
Published: April 2023

This study applies the dynamic slacks-based measure (DSBM) and the total-factor agricultural efficiency (TFAE) to explore the overall agricultural production efficiency of 30 administrative regions and the eastern, central, and western regions of China from 2012 to 2016. The previous literature has mainly focused on China’s economic development and experience, but as the economy continues to grow, more food is needed and agricultural labor is shifting to urban areas. Little attention has been paid to the impact of limited agricultural land on agricultural production efficiency. Therefore, this paper uses the agricultural land area as the carry-over variable and uses agricultural labor, total agricultural machinery power, rural electricity consumption, agricultural fertilizer use, and agricultural GDP as variables to discuss the efficiency of agricultural production in different regions. The empirical results show that from 2012 to 2016, the best administrative region in terms of overall agricultural production efficiency in China was the east. In terms of the overall analysis of the region, the east had the highest overall agricultural production efficiency, while the central region had the lowest. The input variable that needed the most improvement was rural electricity consumption, with the largest adjustment in rural electricity consumption being observed in Hebei and Liaoning provinces of the eastern region. Furthermore, from 2012 to 2016, both overall agricultural production efficiency and agricultural GDP showed upward trends. However, adjustments are still needed for other relevant agricultural input variables to effectively allocate resources and improve the overall agricultural production efficiency.
Sustainability Issues in Conservation of Traditional Medicinal Herbs and Their Associated Knowledge: A Case Study of District Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Authors: Shaheen Shabnum , Harun Nidaa , Ijaz Raina , Mukhtar Naila , Ashfaq Muhammad , Bibi Fozia , Ali Muhammad , Abbas Zaheer , Khalid Zaryab
Published: April 2023

Due to modernization and urbanization, traditional medicinal herbs and their associated knoweldge are under peril of being lost. The current study not only aimed to document the trend of herbal medicinal plant uitlization in District Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, but also raised alarming concerns about the conservation of these medicinal herbs and traditional knowledge linked to them. The data were collected from local people, herbalists, and gardeners by using standard ethnobotanical methods, i.e., questionnaires and interviews. Results reported that a lower number of informants possessed medicinal herb knowledge and reported only 50 medicinal herbs from the study area. This is probably due to the impact of speedy industrilaization and alterations in human life patterns in the study area. Not only the traditional knowledge is under threat but also the medicinal herbs themselves. Most of the reported medicinal herbs were rare (45.10%), while only few (9.80%) were ranked as abundant in the study area. The herbs with more medicinal importance are mostly rare. This is because of their over usage by the local people. Both conservation approaches (in situ and ex situ conservation and cultivation practices) and resource management (good agricultural practices and sustainable use solutions) should be adequately taken into account for the sustainable use of medicinal plant resources.
Analysis of Spatiotemporal Aggregation of Land Use Change Processes Considering the Shape of Land Units
Authors: Liang Ming , Nie Pin , Luo Rong , Ni Jianhua
Published: April 2023

The processes of land use and cover change (LUCC) are highly diverse and complex, being heavily influenced by natural factors, economic factors, and other related factors. These changes have a significant impact on ecological environments and landscapes, and serve as a reflection of human activity, limited by natural factors. As a result, LUCC has been widely studied across multiple scientific disciplines. In particular, considerable progress has been made with regard to traditional methods of analyzing land use structures, which focus on the overall differences in the land use structure in each spatiotemporal snapshot. However, these methods have overlooked the continuity in the evolution of each land use unit between different snapshots, impeding the development of a comprehensive model for the spatiotemporal evolution of land use processes. In this work, land use change process (LUCP)—constructed using multiple land use data points from different points in time—was employed as the basis to develop a method to measure the spatiotemporal distance between irregular land patches in evolution sequences based on LUCP. Furthermore, the spatiotemporal distribution model was analyzed using Monte Carlo simulation and measurements of the shortest spatiotemporal distance of LUCP. This work employs land use data for Huainan in China, a typical coal resource city, from 2008 to 2017 for an empirical study. A typical kind of spatiotemporal evolution of LUCP (evolution from farmland to grassland within any two years) is evaluated. Taking into account the shape of land use units, the spatiotemporal distances between irregular evolutionary sequences are measured using buffer-based superposition. The results show that the expected mean nearest neighbor distance for the irregularly evolving sequence of land use units is 0.085 in the completely random CSR model, whereas the mean nearest neighbor distance is 0.037 in the real observation model. These results indicate that such LUCPs have generally shown a spatiotemporal aggregation pattern over the past 10 years. However, since the z-score is 1.03, which is in the range of −1.65 to 1.65, this aggregation pattern is not statistically significant. These experiments demonstrate the validity of using the method proposed herein to study similar problems. The results of this work provide valuable insight into the spatiotemporal evolution process of land use units, which could be instrumental in exploring the potential spatiotemporal model of LUCP evolution.
Application of Luminescent Bacteria Bioassay in the Detection of Pollutants in Soil
Authors: Zhang Kai , Liu Meng , Song Xinlong , Wang Dongyu
Published: April 2023

The luminescent bacteria bioassay has been commonly used in the detection of environmental pollutants. Compared with traditional chemical and other biological detection methods, the luminescent bacteria bioassay has many demonstrated advantages such as a sensitive response, low cost, high efficiency, and environmental friendliness. The traditional luminescent bacteria bioassay has poor reproducibility and cannot achieve undisturbed soil testing, and the use of leach liquor also affects the results. This paper reviews the research progress and existing issues for the traditional luminescent bacteria bioassay used in the detection of soil pollutants. The luminescence mechanisms and detection principles of three commonly used luminescent bacteria, i.e., Vibrio fischeri, Photobacterium phosphoreum, and Vibrio qinghaiensis, are discussed and compared. In addition, two new luminescent bacteria bioassays are introduced to detect soil pollutants. One method is based on recombinant luminescent bacteria obtained with a gene-modification technique. This method can realize specific detection and enhance sensitivity, but it still cannot achieve undisturbed soil detection. The other method involves using magnetic nanoparticle (MNP)-based biosensors made from luminescent bacteria and MNPs. It can realize the accurate detection of the biological toxicity of the combined pollutants in soil without disturbing the soil’s integrity. This study shows that MNP-based biosensors have good application prospects in soil pollution detection, but the mechanism behind their utility still needs to be investigated to realize their popularization and application.
Did Anything Good Come Out of the Pandemic? COVID-19-Stress Induced Self-Regulatory Sustainable Apparel Consumption among the Millennials in the U.S.
Authors: Chakraborty Swagata , Sadachar Amrut
Published: April 2023

Based on the theoretical frameworks of cognitive dissonance theory, regulatory focus theory, and the compensatory consumer behavior model, we proposed and tested a conceptual model delineating the relationships between COVID-19-stress, commitment to the environment, and intentions for sustainable apparel consumption in terms of intentions for purchasing sustainable apparel and divesting apparel (e.g., handing down or donating apparel). Conducting an online survey (n = 312) with the national millennial population of the U.S., we found that COVID-19-stress positively influenced (i) commitment to the environment and (ii) purchase intentions for sustainable apparel; commitment to the environment positively influenced (iii) purchase intentions for sustainable apparel and (iv) intentions for divesting apparel. Although COVID-19-stress did not influence intentions for divesting apparel directly, commitment to the environment mediated the relationships between COVID-19-stress and both purchase intentions for sustainable apparel and intentions for divesting apparel. We suggest that COVID-19-stress triggered self-regulatory sustainable apparel consumption intentions due to a heightened commitment to the environment to protect the environment amid the pandemic. Based on the findings of our study, we recommend the sustainable apparel brands and marketers promote how sustainable apparel consumption can protect the environment to make the environment and human beings less susceptible to the future outbreaks of pandemics.
“Some Angles Are Gonna Be Weird”: Tinkering with Math and Weaving
Authors: Thompson Naomi
Published: April 2023

It has been argued that much of how math is taught in schools aligns with a particular epistemology that comes from western mathematicians and philosophers, potentially leading to an undervaluing of diverse skills and abilities. Tinkering, a common STEAM practice, is one way of participating that does not necessarily involve a straightforward path from problem to solution; rather, tinkering may be non-linear, and involve movement back and forth between known and new solutions. This process is not always supported or encouraged in traditional mathematics spaces but may be more available through activities such as crafting. This study examines a weaving workshop with middle-school students, asking the question: When and how do learners tinker in mathematical ways as they learn to weave? Video data were analyzed using qualitative techniques and perspectives informed by interaction analysis and other multimodal analytic techniques. Findings show that youth could be seen tinkering in the workshops in the forms of “negotiating and renegotiating with materials” and “trying unexpected solutions.” Examples from two focal cases break these tinkering forms down in deeper detail and showcase the mathematical engagement made possible by the space to tinker. This work sparks possibilities for designing math learning spaces that honor youths’ personally meaningful ways of doing and being both through the materials used and the practices encouraged.
Air Pollution Prediction Based on Discrete Wavelets and Deep Learning
Authors: Shu Ying , Ding Chengfu , Tao Lingbing , Hu Chentao , Tie Zhixin
Published: April 2023

Air pollution directly affects people’s life and work and is an important factor affecting public health. An accurate prediction of air pollution can provide a credible foundation for determining the social activities of individuals. Scholars have, thus, proposed a variety of models and techniques for predicting air pollution. However, most of these studies are focused on the prediction of individual pollution factors and perform poorly when multiple pollutants need to be predicted. This paper offers a DW-CAE model that may strike a balance between overall accuracy and local univariate prediction accuracy in order to observe the trend of air pollution more comprehensively. The model combines deep learning and signal processing techniques by employing discrete wavelet transform to obtain the high and low-frequency features of the target sequence, designing a feature extraction module to capture the relationship between the variables, and feeding the resulting feature matrix to an LSTM-based autoencoder for prediction. The DW-CAE model was used to make predictions on the Beijing PM2.5 dataset and the Yining air pollution dataset, and its prediction accuracy was compared to that of eight baseline models, such as LSTM, IMV-Full, and DARNN. The evaluation results indicate that the proposed DW-CAE model is more accurate than other baseline models at predicting single and multiple pollution factors, and the R2 of each variable is all higher than 93% for the overall prediction of the six air pollutants. This demonstrates the efficacy of the DW-CAE model, which can give technical and theoretical assistance for the forecast, prevention, and control of overall air pollution.
Analysis of Carbon Emissions and Emission Reduction from Coal-Fired Power Plants Based on Dual Carbon Targets
Authors: Hou Haitao , Xie Bo , Cheng Yingying
Published: April 2023

The emission of greenhouse gases poses enormous pressure on current carbon emissions and carbon reduction. Accurate quantification of carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants is of great significance for achieving the dual carbon goal. To enable enterprises to better understand their carbon emissions, this study constructs a carbon emission model and carbon emission data accounting model for coal-fired power plants. Case data calculations and a carbon emission reduction analysis were conducted. The experiment showcases that the carbon sensitivity of the inner side of the boiler under control conditions is higher than that of the operating parameters controlled on the inner side of the steam turbine, with a maximum total value of 16.67 g/MJ; the annual average low calorific value of coal remains between 16,000 kJ/kg; the activity level of coal remains between 30,000 TJ; and the oxidation probability of coal char during combustion fluctuates, with a maximum of 99.8%. In the calculation of coal-fired carbon emissions, the fitting difference between the emissions of generator unit 1 and generator unit 2 is maintained within 2%. Overall, the CO2 emissions of power plants involved in the study are generally high. The model built through this study has well analyzed the carbon emissions of power plants. It is of great significance for the actual carbon emission reduction of coal-fired power plants.
Foliated Transport Networks in Intermodal Freight Transport
Authors: Jakara Martina , Brnjac Nikolina
Published: April 2023

Foliated transport networks represent a concept that aims to improve the efficiency of the transport system by combining direct connections and hub and spoke design. In addition to combining these designs, a foliated transport network requires a high level of dynamic planning and control, as well as optimisation of goods and resources between the different network layers. It highlights the advantages of individual transport network designs and minimizes their weaknesses, ultimately leading to better performance of the foliated system than the individual options. The purpose of this paper is to describe the basic models of the freight transport network and the benefits of connecting these models. This survey paper aims to provide an overview of previous research in the field of foliated transport networks and to provide future research guidelines in this field that include the application of this model in intermodal transport.
Large Scale Trials of Waste Mine Burden Backfilling in Pit Lakes: Impact on Sulphate Content and Suspended Solids in Water
Authors: Oggeri Claudio , Vinai Raffaele , Fenoglio Taddeo Maria , Godio Alberto
Published: April 2023

The paper describes the results obtained from a large-scale trial designed to assess the impact of the backfilling of waste mine burden in an exhausted pit on the quality of lake water. The trial aimed at understanding the interaction between groundwater and clay and silty sand soils composing the overburden material. The two main environmental concerns related to the turbidity of the water and the concentration of sulphate ions. Tests were designed to (I) assess the interaction between soil and water; (II) measure the turbidity of water, related to the amount of solid particles in suspension; (III) observe the sedimentation of fine particles; (IV) measure the concentration of sulphate ions during backfilling and water pumping operations; and (V) validate an analytical model for the prediction of sulphate quantity in water. The main results indicated that the basin was capable to retain particles with sizes in the order of diameters that were nearly 10 microns. The water pumping was responsible for a relevant motion of fine particles (diameter less than 2 μm); this effect impacted on the turbidity level observed at the outflow in a relevant way. On the other hand, the test indicated that the estimation of the release of sulphate ions in the water was heavily affected by a proper assumption of the average background values of the concentration of sulphate ions in the water before the dumping activity.
Generalization Investigation for Artificial Intelligence-Based Positioning in IIoT
Authors: Mu Qin , Wu Muqing , Zhou Huixuan
Published: April 2023

In recent years, IIoT scenarios show increasing demand for high-precision positioning. Cellular-based positioning plays a very important role in this application area. The cellular-based positioning system can be categorized as an asymmetric processing system. In this system, multiple base stations transmit positioning reference signaling to one device and the device derives its coordinates based on the measurement of the positioning reference signal by using certain positioning algorithms. The classical positioning algorithms encounter great challenges in satisfying the stringent precision requirement. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence (AI)-based positioning solutions draw great attention due to their strong ability in improving positioning accuracy in IIoT scenarios. For AI-based algorithms, generalization capability is one important metric. It demonstrates the ability to adapt to different environments. However, there is little literature touching on the investigation of generalization capability. In this article, we will tackle this issue by considering typical features in IIoT scenarios including the clutter distribution, network synchronization error, and receiving timing error. The impact of these typical features on the generalization capability is firstly evaluated and then the feasibility of existing popular generalization improvement solutions, i.e., optimized training data set and fine-tuning are tested under different cases. At last, directions to further guarantee the generalization capability are presented. The results of this article provide useful experience for developing AI models for positioning in realistic IIoT scenarios.
3C 120 Disk/Corona vs. Jet Variability in X-rays
Authors: Fedorova Elena , Del Popolo Antonio
Published: April 2023

The 3C120 (Mrk 1506, UGC 03087, Mrk 9014) is a type 1 Seyfert (Sy1)/broad-line radio galaxy (BLRG) with intriguing variable jet activity featuring “dip” and “outburst” phases. Significant X-ray observational datasets have been collected for 3C120 by INTEGRAL, XMM-Newton, SWIFT, Suzaku, and other X-ray observational facilities. The overall X-ray spectrum of 3C 120 is too soft for typical radio-loud AGN, likely due to both variable spectral shape and jet contamination. Separating the “jet base” and nuclear (disc/corona) counterparts in the X-ray spectrum of 3C 120 can provide us with the possibility to investigate its variability in a more detailed way. Our objectives are to estimate separately the time variations of the accretion disc/corona and SSC/IC jet emission counterparts in the 3C 120 X-ray spectra and to analyze the physical state of the nucleus during different phases. Here, we attempt to use the connections between the synchrotron radio- and X-ray SSC/IC jet spectra and their photon indices and the dependence between the nuclear continuum and Fe-K iron luminescent line emission near 6.4 keV to separate the nuclear and jet base contributions to the total X-ray continuum. Using the X-ray observational dataset of 3C 120, we obtained separated fluxes that were interpreted as originating from the nucleus (disc/corona) and non-thermal SSC/IC jet base contributions. After this component separation, we identified the accretion disc/corona and jet states during different phases and compared them with the “jet/disk cycle” (Lohfink) and “magnetic plasmoid reconnection” (Shukla/Manheim) models.
Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Infection on Unvaccinated Pregnant Women: Non-Reassuring Fetal Heart Rate Tracing Because of Placentitis
Authors: Claudet Alexandra , De Luca Daniele , Mosnino Elie , Mattern Jérémie , Picone Olivier , Sibiude Jeanne , Wafo Estelle , Tsatsaris Vassilis , Giral Emilie , Grefenstette Irène , Carrara Julie , Badr Dominique , Saint-Frison Marie-Hélène , Prevot Sophie , Benachi Alexandra , Vivanti Alexandre
Published: April 2023

In 2020, a new coronavirus, called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged in China. SARS-CoV-2 infection has been shown to be highly morbid in pregnant women, being a risk factor for several obstetric conditions leading to increased maternal and neonatal mortality. A few studies since 2020 have shown SARS-CoV-2 maternal–fetal transmission and noted placental abnormalities grouped under the term placentitis. We hypothesized that these placental lesions could be responsible for abnormalities in placental exchange and therefore abnormalities in cardiotocographic monitoring, leading to premature fetal extraction. The objective is to identify the clinical, biochemical, and histological determinants associated with the occurrence of non-reassuring fetal heart rate (NRFHR) outside labor in fetuses of SARS-CoV-2-infected mothers. We conducted a retrospective multicenter case series of the natural history of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infections resulting in fetal delivery outside labor due to NRFHR. Collaboration was sought with the maternity hospitals in the CEGORIF, the APHP and Brussels hospitals. The investigators were contacted by e-mail on three successive occasions over a period of one year. Data from 17 mothers and 17 fetuses were analyzed. Most women had a mild SARS-CoV-2 infection; only two women presented severe infection. No woman was vaccinated. We found a substantial proportion of maternal coagulopathy at birth: elevation of APTT ratio (62%), thrombocytopenia (41%) and liver cytolysis (58.3%). Iatrogenic prematurity was noted in 15 of 17 fetuses, and 100% were born by cesarean delivery due to emergency criteria. One male neonate died on the day of birth due to peripartum asphyxia. Three cases of maternal–fetal transmission were recorded following WHO criteria. Placental analysis in 15 cases revealed eight cases of SARS-CoV-2 placentitis, causing placental insufficiency. In total, 100% of the placentas analyzed showed at least one lesion suggestive of placentitis. SARS-CoV-2 maternal infection during pregnancy is likely to generate neonatal morbidity in relation to placental damage resulting in placental insufficiency. This morbidity may be the consequence of induced prematurity as well as acidosis in the most severe situations. Placental damage occurred in unvaccinated women and in women with no identified risk factor, in contrast to severe maternal clinical forms.
Impact of Dexamethasone on the Pathogen Profile of Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients
Authors: Kodde Cathrin , Timmen Finja , Hohenstein Sven , Bollmann Andreas , Bonsignore Marzia , Kuhlen Ralf , Nachtigall Irit , Tasci Selcuk
Published: April 2023

Background: Even though several therapeutic options are available, COVID-19 is still lacking a specific treatment regimen. One potential option is dexamethasone, which has been established since the early beginnings of the pandemic. The aim of this study was to determine its effects on the microbiological findings in critically ill COVID-19 patients. Methods: A multi-center, retrospective study was conducted, in which all the adult patients who had a laboratory-confirmed (PCR) SARS-CoV-2 infection and were treated on intensive care units in one of twenty hospitals of the German Helios network between February 2020–March 2021 were included. Two cohorts were formed: patients who received dexamethasone and those who did not, followed by two subgroups according to the application of oxygen: invasive vs. non-invasive. Results: The study population consisted of 1.776 patients, 1070 of whom received dexamethasone, and 517 (48.3%) patients with dexamethasone were mechanically ventilated, compared to 350 (49.6%) without dexamethasone. Ventilated patients with dexamethasone were more likely to have any pathogen detection than those without (p < 0.026; OR = 1.41; 95% CI 1.04–1.91). A significantly higher risk for the respiratory detection of Klebsiella spp. (p = 0.016; OR = 1.68 95% CI 1.10–2.57) and for Enterobacterales (p = 0.008; OR = 1.57; 95% CI 1.12–2.19) was found for the dexamethasone cohort. Invasive ventilation was an independent risk factor for in-hospital mortality (p < 0.01; OR = 6.39; 95% CI 4.71–8.66). This risk increased significantly in patients aged 80 years or older by 3.3-fold (p < 0.01; OR = 3.3; 95% CI 2.02–5.37) when receiving dexamethasone. Conclusion: Our results show that the decision to treat COVID-19 patients with dexamethasone should be a matter of careful consideration as it involves risks and bacterial shifts.
Comparing Deterministic and Stochastic Methods in Geospatial Analysis of Groundwater Fluoride Concentration
Authors: Brindha K. , Taie Semiromi Majid , Boumaiza Lamine , Mukherjee Subham
Published: April 2023

Dental and skeletal fluorosis caused by consuming high-fluoride groundwater has been reported over several decades globally. Prediction maps to estimate the fluoride contaminated area rely on interpolation methods. This study presents a comparison of the accuracy of nine spatial interpolation methods in predicting the fluoride in groundwater. Leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV), hold-out validation and validation with an independent dataset were used to assess the precision of the interpolation methods. This is the first study on fluoride with a large dataset (N = 13,585) applied at the regional level in India. Our findings showed that the inverse distance weighted (IDW) algorithm outperformed other methods in terms of less discrepancy between measured and predicted fluoride. IDW and local polynomial interpolation (LPI) were the only methods to predict contaminated areas (fluoride > 1.5 mg/L). However, the area estimated by the typical assessment of the percentage of unsuitable samples was much higher (6.1%) compared to that estimated by IDW (0.2%) and LPI (0.2%). LOOCV provided viable results than the other two validation methods. Interpolation methods are accompanied with uncertainty which are regulated by the sample size, sample density, sample distribution, minimum and maximum measured concentrations, smoothing and border effects. Drawing a comparison among variegated interpolation methods capturing a wide range of prediction uncertainty is suggested rather than relying on one method exclusively. The high-fluoride areas identified in this study can be used by the Government in planning remediation actions.
Investigation on the Hydrogeochemical Characteristics and Controlling Mechanisms of Groundwater in the Coastal Aquifer
Authors: An Guangnan , Kang Hao , Fu Rongbing , Xu Damao , Li Jia
Published: April 2023

Groundwater contamination in coastal areas has attracted widespread attention. However, studies on the hydrogeochemical characteristics and controlling mechanisms in coastal aquifers are still lacking. In this study, 71 sets of groundwater samples were collected during the dry and wet seasons in a coastal city, Shandong Province. Correlation and principal component analyses were used to identify pollution sources. Meanwhile, Piper diagrams, Gibbs plots, ion ratios, and saturation indices were employed to investigate the hydrogeochemical controlling mechanisms. The results revealed that pollution components included Na+, NH4+, Cl−, SO42−, NO3−, NO2−, Pb, As, Se, TDS, TH, F−, and Mn. Pollution compositions in the study area were primarily derived from natural processes and anthropogenic activities. The contamination of nitrogen resulted primarily from agricultural activities. The exceedance of SO42− was mainly due to the leaching of waste by rainfall. High Na+, Cl−, and F− were related to sea intrusion. Pb and Se might have been caused by anthropogenic activities. The exceedance of As was caused by anthropogenic inputs and natural factors. The poor seepage conditions and anoxic conditions promoted the enrichment of Mn. The concentration of most components in the dry season was larger than that in the wet season. There were no significant differences in water chemistry type during the wet season and dry season. Groundwater chemical compositions were dominated by the dissolution of halite, gypsum, and anhydrite, as well as the cation exchange reaction. The influence of seawater intrusion on groundwater was not serious.
In Search of Climate Crisis in Greece Using Hydrological Data: 404 Not Found
Authors: Koutsoyiannis Demetris , Iliopoulou Theano , Koukouvinos Antonis , Malamos Nikolaos , Mamassis Nikos , Dimitriadis Panayiotis , Tepetidis Nikos , Markantonis David
Published: April 2023

In the context of implementing the European Flood Directive in Greece, a large set of rainfall data was compiled with the principal aim of constructing rainfall intensity–timescale–return period relationships for the entire country. This set included ground rainfall data as well as non-conventional data from reanalyses and satellites. Given the European declaration of climate emergency, along with the establishment of a ministry of climate crisis in Greece, this dataset was also investigated from a climatic perspective using the longest of the data records to assess whether or not they support the climate crisis doctrine. Monte Carlo simulations, along with stationary Hurst–Kolmogorov (HK) stochastic dynamics, were also employed to compare data with theoretical expectations. Rainfall extremes are proven to conform with the statistical expectations under stationarity. The only notable climatic events found are the clustering (reflecting HK dynamics) of water abundance in the 1960s and dry years around 1990, followed by a recovery from drought conditions in recent years.
Komşuluk Üzerine Bir İnceleme: Eski Türkçe Metinler Tanıklığında
Authors: DOĞAN Aybüke Betül
Published: April 2023

Bu çalışmada, Eski Türklerin komşuluk hayatına ilişkin söz varlığı incelenmiştir. Öncelikle Eski Türklerin yaşayış biçimi ve konaklama kültürü açıklanmıştır. Metin veri tabanları geniş tutulmaya çalışılmış, komşuluk kavramı ve bununla ilgili söz varlığı net bir şekilde betimlenmiştir. Bu amaçla runik harfli Eski Türkçe metinler, Uygur alfabeli belli başlı metinler ile Karahanlı Türkçesine ait dil malzemeleri derlem alanına katılmıştır. Eski Türkçe metinlerde komşuluk ile ilgili söz varlığı; kişi ve topluluk adları, yer adları ve fiiller alt başlıkları olmak üzere üç grupta irdelenmiştir. Bozkır kültürün etkisiyle yaylak ve kışlak hayatını benimseyen Türklerin, zamanla ekicilik faaliyetlerinin arttığı, din faktörüyle yerleşik hayat düzenine geçtiği ve buna bağlı olarak da komşuluk ile ilgili söz varlığında kimi değişikliklerin olduğu gözlenmiştir. Runik harfli Eski Türkçe metinlerde daha çok doğa, yer-yön bilgisi, sınır ifade eden sözcük ve fiiller ağırlıklı iken; Uygur ve Arap alfabeli Eski Türkçe metinlerde komşuluk bilgisi içeren sözcükler belirginleşmiştir. Runik metinlerde komşu karşılığında sadece körşi sözcüğü tespit edilirken, Uygurca metinlerde konuk, konşı, körşi, konaş sözcükleri tanıklanmıştır. Neticede Eski Türklerin komşuluk hayatına ilişkin kapsamlı ve ayrıntılı söz varlığı bilgisi paylaşılmış, Türkçenin söz varlığı çalışmalarına katkı sağlanmıştır.
Özbek Destanlarında Algı Fiilleri
Authors: KARADENİZ Yasin
Published: April 2023

Algı fiilleri, dilbilimi incelemelerinde mental fiillerin alt bölümü olarak değerlendirilmektedir. Türkiye’de mental fiillerle ilgili yapılan çalışmalarda algı fiilleri için duyu fiilleri ya da duygu fiilleri terimleri de kullanılmaktadır. Yabancı kaynaklarda ise algı fiilleri için perception verbs, sensory perception verbs gibi terimler kullanılmaktadır. Algı fiillerini oluşturan eylemler beş temel duyu olan “görme, dokunma, işitme, tatma, koklama” duyularından hareketle gerçekleştirilmektedir. Beş duyuyu içeren algı fiilleriyle ilgili çalışmalar mental fiillerin içinde anlatıldığı gibi sadece algı fiillerini anlatan çalışmalar da bulunmaktadır. Ayrıca algı fiilleriyle ilgili çalımalar tek bir duyuyu içerdiği gibi beş duyuyu da kapsayabilmektedir. Bu türdeki çalışmalarla algı fiillerindeki anlam genişlemesi de anlatılmaktadır.
Algı fiilleri mental sürecin yani öğrenme sürecinin baş etkeni olduğu için sık kullanılmaktadır. Tabi ki her algı fiili aynı sıklıkta kullanılmaz. İnsanın öğrenme sürecinde ve kendini ifade edebilmesinde en çok ihtiyaç duyduğu algı fiilleri daha sık kullanılmaktadır. Mesela görme duyusuyla ilgili fiiller insan için daha önemli olması sebebiyle daha çok kullanılmaktadır. Bu durum dünya dilleri için geçerli olduğu kadar Özbek Türkçesi için de geçerlidir.
Bu çalışmada Özbek destanlarında algı fiilleri ve bu fillerin kullanım sıklıkları gösterilecektir. Böylelikle Özbek Türkçesindeki algı fiillerinin durumu hakkında bilgi verilecektir. Ayrıca bu çalışmada algı fiillerinin her bir destanda ve beş temel duyuya göre kullanım biçimleri tablolarla gösterilerek analiz edilecektir.