bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Scale Information Enhancement for Few-Shot Object Detection on Remote Sensing Images
Authors: Yang Zhenyu , Zhang Yongxin , Zheng Jv , Yu Zhibin , Zheng Bing
Published: November 2023

Recently, deep learning-based object detection techniques have arisen alongside time-consuming training and data collection challenges. Although few-shot learning techniques can boost models with few samples to lighten the training load, these approaches still need to be improved when applied to remote-sensing images. Objects in remote-sensing images are often small with an uncertain scale. An insufficient amount of samples would further aggravate this issue, leading to poor detection performance. This paper proposes a Gaussian-scale enhancement (GSE) strategy and a multi-branch patch-embedding attention aggregation (MPEAA) module for cross-scale few-shot object detection to address this issue. Our model can enrich the scale information of an object and learn better multi-scale features to improve the performance of few-shot object detectors on remote sensing images.
The Relationship between Land Surface Temperature and Air Temperature in the Douro Demarcated Region, Portugal
Authors: Adão Filipe , Fraga Helder , Fonseca André , Malheiro Aureliano C. , Santos João A.
Published: November 2023

Climatic studies of agricultural regions normally use gauge-based air temperature datasets, which are produced with interpolation methods. The informative quality of these datasets varies depending on the density of the weather stations in a particular region. A way to overcome this limitation is to use the land surface temperature calculated from satellite imagery. To show this, the MODIS land surface temperature was compared with the PTHRES gridded dataset for air temperature in the Douro Demarcated Region (Portugal) between the years 2002 and 2020. The MODIS land surface temperature was able to detect a more pronounced maritime–continental gradient, a higher lapse rate, and thermal inversions in valley areas in winter. This information could prove to be crucial for farmers looking to adapt their practices and crops to extreme events, such as heat waves or heavy frost. However, the use of land surface temperature in climate studies should consider the differences in air temperature, which, on some occasions and locations, can be up to ten degrees in the summer.
Evaluation of Five Satellite-Based Precipitation Products for Extreme Rainfall Estimations over the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
Authors: Zhang Wenjuan , Di Zhenhua , Liu Jianguo , Zhang Shenglei , Liu Zhenwei , Wang Xueyan , Sun Huiying
Published: November 2023

The potential of satellite precipitation products (SPPs) in monitoring and mitigating hydrometeorological disasters caused by extreme rainfall events has been extensively demonstrated. However, there is a lack of comprehensive assessment regarding the performance of SPPs over the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). Therefore, this research aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of five SPPs, including CMORPH, IMERG-Final, PERSIANN-CDR, TRMM-3B42V7, and TRMM-3B42RT, in identifying variations in the occurrence and distribution of intense precipitation occurrences across the QTP during the period from 2001 to 2015. To evaluate the effectiveness of the SPPs, a reference dataset was generated by utilizing rainfall measurements collected from 104 rainfall stations distributed across the QTP. Ten standard extreme precipitation indices (SEPIs) were the main focus of the evaluation, which encompassed parameters such as precipitation duration, amount, frequency, and intensity. The findings revealed the following: (1) Geographically, the SPPs exhibited better retrieval capability in the eastern and southern areas over the QTP, while displaying lower detection accuracy in high-altitude and arid areas. Among the five SPPs, IMERG-Final outperformed the others, demonstrating the smallest inversion error and the highest correlation. (2) In terms of capturing annual and seasonal time series, IMERG-Final performs better than other products, followed by TRMM-3B42V7. All products performed better during summer and autumn compared to spring and winter. (3) The statistical analysis revealed that IMERG-Final demonstrates exceptional performance, especially concerning indices related to precipitation amount and precipitation intensity. Moreover, it demonstrates a slight advantage in detecting the daily rainfall occurrences and occurrences of intense precipitation. On the whole, IMERG-Final’s ability to accurately detect extreme precipitation events on annual, seasonal, and daily scales is superior to other products for the QTP. It was also noted that all products overestimate precipitation events to some extent, with TRMM-3B42RT being the most overestimated.
Using a Non-Contact Sensor to Delineate Management Zones in Vineyards and Validation with the Rasch Model
Authors: Moral Francisco J. , Rebollo Francisco J. , Serrano João
Published: November 2023

The production of high-quality wines is one of the primary goals of modern oenology. In this regard, it is known that the potential quality of a wine begins to be determined in the vineyard, where the quality of the grape, initially, and later that of the wine, will be influenced by the soil properties. Given the spatial variability of the fundamental soil properties related to the potential grape production, such as texture, soil organic matter content, or cation exchange capacity, it seems that a uniform management of a vineyard is not the most optimal way to achieve higher grape quality. In this sense, the delineation of zones with similar soil characteristics to implement site-specific management is essential, reinforcing the interest in incorporating technologies and methods to determine these homogeneous zones. A case study was conducted in a 3.3 ha vineyard located near Évora, south of Portugal. A non-contact sensor (DUALEM 1S) was used to measure soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) in the vineyard, and later, a kriged ECa map was generated. ECa and elevation maps were utilised to delineate homogeneous zones (management zones, MZs) in the field through a clustering process. MZs were validated using some soil properties (texture; pH; organic matter—OM; phosphorous—P2O5; potassium—K2O; the sum of the exchange bases—SEB; and cation exchange capacity—CEC), which were determined from 20 soil samples taken in the different MZs. Validation was also performed using Rasch measures, which were defined based on the formulation of the objective and probabilistic Rasch model, integrating the information from the aforementioned soil properties at each sampling location. The comparison of the MZs was more evident with the use of the Rasch model, as only one value was to be employed in each MZ. Finally, an additional validation was conducted using a vegetation index to consider the plant response, which was different in each MZ. The use of a non-contact sensor to measure ECa constitutes an efficient technological tool for implementing site-specific management in viticulture, which allows for the improvement of decision-making processes by considering the inherent spatial variability of the soil.
Characterizing Mechanical Properties of Layered Engineered Wood Using Guided Waves and Genetic Algorithm
Authors: Atreya Nemish , Wang Pai , Zhu Xuan
Published: November 2023

This study develops a framework for determining the material parameters of layered engineered wood in a nondestructive manner. The motivation lies in enhancing nondestructive evaluation (NDE) and quality assurance (QA) for engineered wood or mass timber, promising construction materials for sustainable and resilient civil structures. The study employs static compression tests, guided wave measurements, and a genetic algorithm (GA) to solve the inverse problem of determining the mechanical properties of a laminated veneer lumber (LVL) bar. Miniature LVL samples are subjected to compression tests to derive the elastic moduli and Poisson’s ratios. Due to the intrinsic heterogeneity, the destructive compression tests yield large coefficients of variances ranging from 2.5 to 73.2%. Dispersion relations are obtained from spatial–temporal sampling of dynamic responses of the LVL bar. The GA pinpoints optimal mechanical properties by updating orthotropic elastic constants of the LVL material, and thereby dispersion curves, in a COMSOL simulation in accordance with experimental dispersion relations. The proposed framework can support estimation accuracy with errors less than 10% for most elastic constants. Focusing on vertical flexural modes, the estimated elastic constants generally resemble reference values from compression tests. This is the first study that evaluates the feasibility of using guided waves and multi-variable optimization to gauge the mechanical traits of LVL and establishes the foundation for further advances in the study of layered engineered wood structures.
Bridge Model Updating Based on Wavelet Neural Network and Wind-Driven Optimization
Authors: He Haifang , Zeng Baojun , Zhou Yulong , Song Yuanyuan , Zhang Tianneng , Su Han , Wang Jian
Published: November 2023

Aging, corrosive environments, and inadequate maintenance may result in performance deterioration of civil infrastructures, and finite element model updating is a commonly employed structural health monitoring procedure in civil engineering to reflect the current situation and to ensure the safety and serviceability of structures. Using the finite element model updating process to obtain the relationship between the structural responses and updating parameters, this paper proposes a method of using the wavelet neural network (WNN) as the surrogate model combined with the wind-driven optimization (WDO) algorithm to update the structural finite element model. The method was applied to finite element model updating of a continuous beam structure of three equal spans to verify its feasibility, the results show that the WNN can reflect the nonlinear relationship between structural responses and the parameters and has an outstanding simulation performance; the WDO has an excellent ability for optimization and can effectively improve the efficiency of model updating. Finally, the method was applied to update a real bridge model, and the results show that the finite element model update based on WDO and WNN is applicable to the updating of a multi-parameter bridge model, which has practical significance in engineering and high efficiency in finite element model updating. The differences between the updated values and measured values are all within the range of 5%, while the maximum difference was reduced from −10.9% to −3.6%. The proposed finite element model updating method is applicable and practical for multi-parameter bridge model updating and has the advantages of high updating efficiency, reliability, and practical significance.
An Optimal Integral Controller for Adaptive Optics Systems
Authors: Escárate Pedro , Coronel María , Carvajal Rodrigo , Agüero Juan C.
Published: November 2023

Integral controllers are commonly employed in astronomical adaptive optics. This work presents a novel tuning procedure for integral controllers in adaptive optics systems which relies on information about the measured disturbances. This tuning procedure consists of two main steps. First, it models and identifies measured disturbances as continuous-time-damped oscillators using Whittles´s likelihood and the wavefront sensor output signal. Second, it determines the integral controller gain of the adaptive optics system by minimizing the output variance. The effectiveness of this proposed method is evaluated through theoretical examples and numerical simulations conducted using the Object-Oriented Matlab Adaptive Optics toolbox. The simulation results demonstrate that this approach accurately estimates the disturbance model and can reduce the output variance. Our proposal results in improved performance and better astronomical images even in challenging atmospheric conditions. These findings significantly contribute to adaptive optics system operations in astronomical observatories and establish our procedure as a promising tool for fine-tuning integral controllers in astronomical adaptive optics systems.
Determination of Selenium in Selenium—Enriched Products by Specific Ratiometric Fluorescence
Authors: Aimaitiniyazi Munire , Muhammad Turghun , Yasen Ayzukram , Abula Sainawaer , Dolkun Almire , Tursun Zulhumar
Published: November 2023

Selenium (Se), as one of the essential and nutrient components of living organisms and plants, plays an important role in life activities, while excessive selenium is hazardous to human health. So, the establishment of an effective method for simple, rapid, and highly sensitive determination of selenium content is crucial in the field of food composition analysis and other areas. In this paper, a novel and simple ratiometric fluorescence method for the determination of Se has been developed using 9-anthracenemethanol (AM) as the ratiometric fluorescence reagent on the basis of the conventional fluorometric assay which utilized 2,3-diaminonapthalene (DAN) as fluorescent ligand. The ratiometric method was compared with the conventional method with respect to precision and accuracy. The inter-day and intra-day precisions (RSDs) of the ratiometric fluorescence method ranged from 2.08 to 2.78% and 1.28 to 1.84%, with mean recoveries of 93.2~98.0% and limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.0016 and 0.0049 μg/mL, respectively. This method was successfully applied to the determination of total selenium in selenium-enriched milk and selenium-supplemented shampoo, with the results in agreement with those obtained by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). The results demonstrated that the precision and accuracy of the ratiometric fluorescence method were superior to those of the conventional fluorescence method, and the interferences of various environmental factors were effectively eliminated. The precision and accuracy of the conventional method can be significantly improved by simply adding an elaborately selected ratiometric fluorescence reagent, and the new method will have broader practical applications.
Optofluidic Flow Cytometer with In-Plane Spherical Mirror for Signal Enhancement
Authors: Zorzi Filippo , Bonfadini Silvio , Aloisio Ludovico , Moschetta Matteo , Storti Filippo , Simoni Francesco , Lanzani Guglielmo , Criante Luigino
Published: November 2023

Statistical analysis of the properties of single microparticles, such as cells, bacteria or plastic slivers, has attracted increasing interest in recent years. In this regard, field flow cytometry is considered the gold standard technique, but commercially available instruments are bulky, expensive, and not suitable for use in point-of-care (PoC) testing. Microfluidic flow cytometers, on the other hand, are small, cheap and can be used for on-site analyses. However, in order to detect small particles, they require complex geometries and the aid of external optical components. To overcome these limitations, here, we present an opto-fluidic flow cytometer with an integrated 3D in-plane spherical mirror for enhanced optical signal collection. As a result, the signal-to-noise ratio is increased by a factor of six, enabling the detection of particle sizes down to 1.5 µm. The proposed optofluidic detection scheme enables the simultaneous collection of particle fluorescence and scattering using a single optical fiber, which is crucial to easily distinguishing particle populations with different optical properties. The devices have been fully characterized using fluorescent polystyrene beads of different sizes. As a proof of concept for potential real-world applications, signals from fluorescent HEK cells and Escherichia coli bacteria were analyzed.
Utility of Spectral Filtering to Improve the Reliability of Marine Fauna Detections from Drone-Based Monitoring
Authors: Colefax Andrew P. , Walsh Andrew J. , Purcell Cormac R. , Butcher Paul
Published: November 2023

Monitoring marine fauna is essential for mitigating the effects of disturbances in the marine environment, as well as reducing the risk of negative interactions between humans and marine life. Drone-based aerial surveys have become popular for detecting and estimating the abundance of large marine fauna. However, sightability errors, which affect detection reliability, are still apparent. This study tested the utility of spectral filtering for improving the reliability of marine fauna detections from drone-based monitoring. A series of drone-based survey flights were conducted using three identical RGB (red-green-blue channel) cameras with treatments: (i) control (RGB), (ii) spectrally filtered with a narrow ‘green’ bandpass filter (transmission between 525 and 550 nm), and, (iii) spectrally filtered with a polarising filter. Video data from nine flights comprising dolphin groups were analysed using a machine learning approach, whereby ground-truth detections were manually created and compared to AI-generated detections. The results showed that spectral filtering decreased the reliability of detecting submerged fauna compared to standard unfiltered RGB cameras. Although the majority of visible contrast between a submerged marine animal and surrounding seawater (in our study, sites along coastal beaches in eastern Australia) is known to occur between 515–554 nm, isolating the colour input to an RGB sensor does not improve detection reliability due to a decrease in the signal to noise ratio, which affects the reliability of detections.
Seaweed Growth Monitoring with a Low-Cost Vision-Based System
Authors: Gerlo Jeroen , Kooijman Dennis G. , Wieling Ivo W. , Heirmans Ritchie , Vanlanduit Steve
Published: November 2023

In this paper, we introduce a method for automated seaweed growth monitoring by combining a low-cost RGB and stereo vision camera. While current vision-based seaweed growth monitoring techniques focus on laboratory measurements or above-ground seaweed, we investigate the feasibility of the underwater imaging of a vertical seaweed farm. We use deep learning-based image segmentation (DeeplabV3+) to determine the size of the seaweed in pixels from recorded RGB images. We convert this pixel size to meters squared by using the distance information from the stereo camera. We demonstrate the performance of our monitoring system using measurements in a seaweed farm in the River Scheldt estuary (in The Netherlands). Notwithstanding the poor visibility of the seaweed in the images, we are able to segment the seaweed with an intersection of the union (IoU) of 0.9, and we reach a repeatability of 6% and a precision of the seaweed size of 18%.
Research on an Active Hydrogen Maser Digital Circuit Control System Based on FPGA
Authors: Hu Wangwang , Shuai Tao , Xie Yonghui , Chen Pengfei , Pei Yuxian , Zhao Yang , Wang Rui
Published: November 2023

A hydrogen maser is a high-precision time measurement instrument with high frequency stability and low frequency drift, which is widely used in satellite navigation, ground time keeping, frequency measurement, and other fields. An active hydrogen maser (AHM) is better than the current space passive hydrogen maser (PHM) in orbit in terms of its frequency stability and drift rate, but it has the disadvantages of large volume and weight. To further reduce the volume and weight of the circuit, this paper demonstrates a digital circuit control system based on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). It uses digital temperature control, digital detectors, digital down-conversion, digital phase-locked loops, and other digital methods for temperature control, cavity auto-tuning, and crystal phase locking, which improve the integration and flexibility of the circuit system. Meanwhile, a tuning method based on hydrogen flow is proposed, which effectively solves the problem of fluctuations in hydrogen maser resonance frequency with changes in the external environment. Our experimental results show that the designed digital circuit control system meets the requirements of an oven-controlled crystal oscillator (OCXO) loop and a cavity loop. Its frequency stability can reach 2.6×10−13/1 s and 1.4×10−15/10,000 s, which is close to the stability index of ground active hydrogen maser. This scheme has certain practical engineering value, and can be used in the design of hydrogen masers for next-generation space navigation satellites, deep space exploration, and space stations.
Design of Twin Builder-Based Digital Twin Online Monitoring System for Crane Girders
Authors: Huang Baogui , Hui Yanbo , Liu Yonggang , Wang Hongxiao
Published: November 2023

The crossbeam is frequently subjected to alternating loads during work as an essential load-bearing part of the crane. However, due to the large volume and the limitations of detection technology, it is impossible to realize online monitoring of the mechanical state. The ongoing advancement of ROMing and digital twin technology plays a pivotal role in facilitating the resolution of this particular issue. In this paper, we take the crane beam as the physical entity and combine the Twin Builder reduced-order technology and Deployer digital twin deployment technology to establish a digital twin of the beam. The load recognition model within the twin system exhibits a prediction error rate of ±5%. Furthermore, the accuracy of the ROM surpasses that of conventional machine learning models by a factor of 25. Upon deployment on the web platform, the results are delivered within 0.5 s, representing a substantial improvement as it is merely 1/15 of the time required for traditional 3D displays. The digital twin online monitoring system has the advantages of high accuracy and low requirements for monitoring equipment, which can be widely used in engineering practice to solve the problem that the mechanical state of large parts cannot be accurately monitored online.
Radial Thermoelectric Model for Stranded Transmission Line Conductors
Authors: Riba Jordi-Roger
Published: November 2023

Bare-stranded conductors play a critical role in the efficiency and safe operation of transmission lines. The heat generated in the interior of the conductor is conducted radially to the outer surface, creating a radial thermal gradient. The radial temperature gradient between the core and the surface depends on multiple factors, such as stranding, number of layers, current level, electrical resistance and the effective radial thermal conductivity. Therefore, the radial temperature model must be considered when developing accurate conductor models. Such models are particularly important in the development of dynamic line rating (DLR) approaches to allow the full current carrying capacity of the conductor to be utilized while ensuring safe operation. This paper develops a radial one-dimensional thermoelectric model for bare-stranded conductors used in transmission lines. The accuracy of the proposed model is determined by experimental tests performed on three conductors.
Comprehensive Simulation Framework for Space–Air–Ground Integrated Network Propagation Channel Research
Authors: Zhang Zekai , Song Shaoyang , Xu Jingzehua , Wang Ziyuan , Hou Xiangwang , Zeng Ming , Men Wei , Ren Yong
Published: November 2023

The space–air–ground integrated network (SAGIN) represents a pivotal component within the realm of next-generation mobile communication technologies, owing to its established reliability and adaptable coverage capabilities. Central to the advancement of SAGIN is propagation channel research due to its critical role in aiding network system design and resource deployment. Nevertheless, real-world propagation channel research faces challenges in data collection, deployment, and testing. Consequently, this paper designs a comprehensive simulation framework tailored to facilitate SAGIN propagation channel research. The framework integrates the open source QuaDRiGa platform and the self-developed satellite channel simulation platform to simulate communication channels across diverse scenarios, and also integrates data processing, intelligent identification, algorithm optimization modules in a modular way to process the simulated data. We also provide a case study of scenario identification, in which typical channel features are extracted based on channel impulse response (CIR) data, and recognition models based on different artificial intelligence algorithms are constructed and compared.
Smart Buildings: Water Leakage Detection Using TinyML
Authors: Atanane Othmane , Mourhir Asmaa , Benamar Nabil , Zennaro Marco
Published: November 2023

The escalating global water usage and the increasing strain on major cities due to water shortages highlights the critical need for efficient water management practices. In water-stressed regions worldwide, significant water wastage is primarily attributed to leakages, inefficient use, and aging infrastructure. Undetected water leakages in buildings’ pipelines contribute to the water waste problem. To address this issue, an effective water leak detection method is required. In this paper, we explore the application of edge computing in smart buildings to enhance water management. By integrating sensors and embedded Machine Learning models, known as TinyML, smart water management systems can collect real-time data, analyze it, and make accurate decisions for efficient water utilization. The transition to TinyML enables faster and more cost-effective local decision-making, reducing the dependence on centralized entities. In this work, we propose a solution that can be adapted for effective leakage detection in real-world scenarios with minimum human intervention using TinyML. We follow an approach that is similar to a typical machine learning lifecycle in production, spanning stages including data collection, training, hyperparameter tuning, offline evaluation and model optimization for on-device resource efficiency before deployment. In this work, we considered an existing water leakage acoustic dataset for polyvinyl chloride pipelines. To prepare the acoustic data for analysis, we performed preprocessing to transform it into scalograms. We devised a water leak detection method by applying transfer learning to five distinct Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) variants, which are namely EfficientNet, ResNet, AlexNet, MobileNet V1, and MobileNet V2. The CNN models were found to be able to detect leakages where a maximum testing accuracy, recall, precision, and F1 score of 97.45%, 98.57%, 96.70%, and 97.63%, respectively, were observed using the EfficientNet model. To enable seamless deployment on the Arduino Nano 33 BLE edge device, the EfficientNet model is compressed using quantization resulting in a low inference time of 1932 ms, a peak RAM usage of 255.3 kilobytes, and a flash usage requirement of merely 48.7 kilobytes.
Numerical Simulation and Measurement of Deformation Wave Parameters by Sensors of Various Types
Authors: Smailov Nurzhigit , Koshkinbayev Sauletbek , Tashtay Yerlan , Kuttybayeva Ainur , Abdykadyrkyzy Rimma , Arseniev Dmitry , Kiesewetter Dmitry , Krivosheev Sergey , Magazinov Sergey , Malyugin Victor , Sun Changsen
Published: November 2023

The results of applications of various methods for measuring the parameters of high-speed loading using a strain gauge, a fiber Bragg grating located on a metal measuring rod and an interferometer monitoring the movement of the free boundary of the end of the rod are presented. Numerical simulation confirmed the adequacy of the description of the shock-wave process according to experimental data and showed that, with the thickness of the adhesive layer fixing the fiber Bragg grating and the strain gauge on a dimensional rod up to 100 µm, the deformation parameters of the sensors correspond to the parameters of the stress–strain state of the rod. Experimentally, a good correspondence of the results of measuring the magnitude of the relative deformation at a pulse duration of 10–100 µs using sensors of various types is shown, and an estimate of the limit values of the measured values of the deformation wave parameters is given.
Diffusion, Separation, and Buffering of Non-Steady-State VOCs Flow on Activated Carbon
Authors: Shi Tianzhe , Liu Tao , Qiang Ning , He Jiao , Li Zhaohai , Cao Yiqi , Shi Xianbin
Published: November 2023

In this study, the diffusion, separation, and buffering of volatile organic compounds emitted in a non-steady state on activated carbon were studied. Ethanol and xylene, which have large differences in adsorption capacity and diffusion rate, were selected as the representative target pollutants of volatile organic compounds. In this paper, activated carbon with a certain intake concentration and adsorption equilibrium was chosen as the research object. The buffering effect of pulse load was studied. The buffering effect and influencing factors were analyzed. The Bangham equation proved to be a more effective tool in describing the dynamic processes of ethanol and xylene adsorption on activated carbon, indicating that pore diffusion was the rate-determining step in the adsorption process. R3 emerged as a more suitable criterion for evaluating non-steady-state emissions. Factors such as pulse time and pulse multiplier were influenced by Empty Bed Contact Time (EBCT), which collaborated with EBCT to impact the buffering performance of activated carbon. An EBCT of 4 cm was identified as the optimal bed height, with R3 reaching 1.48. Non-polar VOCs with chemically symmetric structures exhibited slower mass transfer rates compared to polar VOCs, resulting in larger adsorption capacities on activated carbon and better buffering performance.
“As Long as It’s Not on the Face”: Pornography Viewers Discuss Male Ejaculation Perceptions and Preferences
Authors: Shor Eran
Published: November 2023

Feminist scholars have suggested that male ejaculations in pornographic videos, particularly ejaculations on a sexual partner’s face or in their mouth, are often used to symbolically debase and humiliate women. However, no previous study has asked pornography viewers about their perceptions and preferences regarding male ejaculation. In this article, I investigate these perceptions and preferences using a large sample of more than 300 pornography viewers representing diverse demographics and cultural backgrounds. I find that most viewers either did not care about the male ejaculation or its placement or preferred for it to be in the female partner’s vagina. In contrast to common assumptions found in the literature, very few viewers expressed a preference for ejaculation on a woman’s face or in her mouth and many of them found such practices disturbing.
Techno-Economic Analysis of Redox-Flow and Lithium-Iron-Phosphate Battery Storages at Different Imbalance Settlement Intervals
Authors: Ezennaya Samuel O. , Yuan Ziliao , Kowal Julia
Published: November 2023

The proliferation of renewable energy sources has presented challenges for Balancing Responsible Parties (BRPs) in accurately forecasting production and consumption. This issue is being addressed through the emergence of the balancing markets, which aims to maintain real-time equilibrium between production and consumption across various imbalance settlement intervals. This study conducted a techno-economic analysis of Lithium-Iron-Phosphate (LFP) and Redox-Flow Batteries (RFB) utilized in grid balancing management, with a focus on a 100 MW threshold deviation in 1 min, 5 min, and 15 min settlement intervals. Imbalance data, encompassing both imbalance volumes and prices, sourced from the Belgian Transmission System Operator (TSO)—Elia—over a three-year period from September 2019 to September 2022, formed the basis of this investigation. The analysis underscored the significant influence of factors, such as imbalance volume, price dynamics, and market settlement intervals on the technical and financial feasibility of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESSs) within the context of balancing management. Notably, the technical and economic results of LFP and RFB exhibited comparable tendencies across the different market settlement intervals, providing valuable insights into potential developments about how trends will evolve in other settlement intervals.
Building Muscles from Eating Insects
Authors: Kuff Rafaela Flores , Lucchese-Cheung Thelma , Quevedo-Silva Filipe , Giordani Arthur Mancilla
Published: November 2023

Research and market data have shown a growing demand for sports supplements and increasing consumers’ awareness regarding their health and environmental attributes. An extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) framework was tested to explain insect-based protein bars and powder consumption among 256 Brazilians who are gym users and consume conventional sports supplements and results were analyzed using PLS-SEM. Perceived risk outperformed attitude as a predictor, diminishing the intention to consume insect-based sports supplements. Health proved to be the most important explanatory factor of attitude, while sustainability resulted in a smaller effect and taste impact was not significant. Whereas media was significant and a relatively strong predictor of the subjective norm, experts were not. Media content, such as social media, receives more attention and the information that gym users value is not predominantly provided by health professionals in the case of muscle-building products. Policymakers, marketing professionals, consumer psychology and product development can also benefit from the results to provide clear and accessible information about supplements across all sporting communities to reduce risk perception and increase acceptance.
Innovative Thermal Renders Incorporating Oyster Shells for Sustainable Insulation
Authors: Bellei Poliana , Magalhães Fernanda , Pereira Manuel , Torres Isabel , Solstad Runar , Flores-Colen Inês
Published: November 2023

In accordance with current sustainable development objectives, it is intended to implement innovative and sustainable solutions at economic, environmental, and functional levels, boosting the construction sector to increasingly contribute to society. Expanded cork is an alternative to sand aggregate in improving the thermal insulating properties of renders. In addition, other materials can be incorporated as aggregates in an attempt to contribute to both the improvement of the physical characteristics that the render must fulfil as well as the improvement of thermal behaviour (if possible). In this sense, bio-based materials generated by the aquaculture sector, such as oyster shells, can contribute as a bio-based insulation material for thermal renders. In this study, thermal natural hydraulic lime mortars were produced from a mixture of expanded cork (EC) insulating aggregate and oyster shells (OSs). The percentages of replacing EC by OSs were 20, 30, 40, and 50%. The tests were carried out in fresh and hardened states. The studied mortars presented a thermal conductivity and compressive strength of 0.151 W/(m·K) and 0.63 MPa, respectively. The most interesting performance between thermal conductivity and compressive strength was for the composite with 50% of each bio-based material. The potential of incorporating oyster shells as a bio-based insulation material could contribute to a sustainable blue circular economy.
Adsorption of Lead from Aqueous Solution Using Activated Carbon Derived from Rice Husk Modified with Lemon Juice
Authors: Futalan Cybelle Concepcion , Diana Emmanuel , Edang Ma. Florita Andrea , Padilla Jelly May , Cenia Marie Chela , Alfeche Dale Mhar
Published: November 2023

In the present work, activated carbon (RHAC-LJ) was synthesized utilizing rice husk as a carbon source that is activated with lemon juice. Moreover, the adsorptive capacity of RHAC-LJ in removing Pb(II) from aqueous solution was investigated. FTIR analysis revealed the presence of amides, alkenes, carboxyl and hydroxyl groups in RHAC-LJ. SEM micrographs illustrate that activation with lemon juice resulted in high pore volume and greater pore diameter. Activation using acid from lemon juice can remove impurities from the adsorbent surface. The surface area and pore volume of RHAC-LJ were determined to be 112.87 m2·g−1 and 0.107 cm3/g, respectively. Adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-second-order equation (R2 = 0.9941) with a rate constant of 3.3697 g/mg·min for Pb (II), which indicates chemisorption to be the rate-determining step of the process. The BBD model using RSM was applied in studying the effects of pH, stirring speed and adsorbent dosage and their interactions on the removal efficiency of RHAC-LJ. Analysis of variance was used to examine the significance of the model, independent parameters, and their interactions. Moreover, a removal efficiency of 98.49% can be attained using the following optimal conditions: 197 rpm, pH 5.49, and adsorbent dosage of 0.3487 g. Overall, the present work illustrates RHAC-LJ as a potential low-cost adsorbent for the removal of Pb(II) from synthetic wastewater.
Exploring the Nexus of Sustainability and Project Success: A Proposed Framework for the Software Sector
Authors: Khalifeh Amin , Al-Adwan Ahmad Samed , Alrousan Mohammed Kasem , Yaseen Husam , Mathani Belal , Wahsheh Firas Rashed
Published: November 2023

In the last two decades, there have been many calls to integrate sustainability into projects. However, there are conflicting views about the relationship between sustainability and project success. Some contend that project sustainability could adversely affect project success, while others maintain the contrary. Yet, the exploration of this relationship has been insufficient thus far. Notably, no existing work specifically investigates this relationship within the software domain. Therefore, this paper aims to contribute significantly by introducing a conceptual framework that assists in inspecting the relationships between software project sustainability (SPS) and project success. The proposed framework was developed based on well-defined aspects of both concepts. The findings show that most of the relationships between the two concepts are expected to be significant and positive. Our propositions were built after analysing the best of relevant contributions. However, an empirical examination is needed, especially with the presence of control variables such as country, company size, and project complexity. This work could be an initial motion for future empirical studies and provide a significant theoretical foundation for researchers and practitioners in this domain.
Spatiotemporal Dynamics of the Suitability for Ecological Livability of Green Spaces in the Central Yunnan Urban Agglomeration
Authors: Pan Yue , Wang Ying , Wang Yingxue , Xie Yanling , Dong Junmei , Liu Min
Published: November 2023

Green spaces are an essential aspect of building an eco-livable city and play an important role in building for eco-livability in the central Yunnan urban agglomeration. However, there are relatively few studies evaluating the eco-livability of green spaces. The establishment of a green-space eco-livability assessment system may help researchers to analyze the eco-livability of urban green spaces more effectively. To address this research gap, we constructed an ecological livability-evaluation index system for green spaces that incorporates three determinants—economic development, social life, and the ecological environment—using the green spaces of the urban agglomeration in central Yunnan as a case study. We used the entropy method to calculate the suitability for ecological livability of the green spaces in each district and county in the central Yunnan urban agglomeration for 2010, 2015 and 2020. We used the spatial autocorrelation analysis function of ArcGIS 10.8 software to explore the spatial clustering characteristics of the suitability for ecological livability of green spaces in the central Yunnan urban agglomeration. The results showed that, from 2010 to 2020, the suitability for ecological livability of green spaces of the 49 districts and counties in the central Yunnan urban agglomeration increased in some districts and decreased in others. The spatial characteristics were high in the central districts and counties and low in the peripheral districts and counties. The spatial characteristics of the suitability of the target layers for economic development and ecological-environment target were consistent with the overall suitability. Through a spatial autocorrelation analysis, we observed that the suitability of green spaces for ecological livability had a positive spatial correlation and demonstrated significant spatial clustering. In this study, we propose recommendations to improve the suitability for ecological livability of green spaces from two dimensions of government policy and urban development, using a combination of the three target layers. The results of the study provide a reference for decision-making in the construction of eco-livable cities in the central Yunnan urban agglomeration.
Taxonomy and Indicators for ESG Investments
Authors: Sica Francesco , Tajani Francesco , Sáez-Pérez Mª Paz , Marín-Nicolás José
Published: November 2023

Instead of the well-known three-pillar model of economic, social, and environmental sustainability, the shift in valuation paradigm to the sustainable realm needs a fundamental methodological and operational modification, with a focus on determining and describing metrics, criteria, and performance indicators that can be used to support Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG)-based valuation practices. As of now (2023), there is significant language and semantic heterogeneity in the indicators, standards, and operational methods to be used while conducting ESG assessments and analyses. The primary objective of this contribution is to analyze the current ESG criteria/indicators that can be found in relevant scientific publications. A scoping review of the recent ESG literature (2015–2023) as well as a content study of the reports from the most influential worldwide rating agencies—which are now utilized as models in the usage of criteria, indicators, and ESG metric applications—have been both carried out. A total of 182 indicators (78 environmental, 64 social, and 40 governance) have been gathered as a result of the investigation. In the endeavor to design and apply ESG-focused valuation and analytical practice, sets of Key Performance Indicators for the three dimensions have been found using cluster analysis and text mining, and a reference taxonomy has been provided based on them.
A Sustainable Strategy for Reforestation and Restoration of Burnt Natural Areas in Mediterranean Regions: A Case Study from Greece
Authors: Tzamtzis Iordanis , Ganatsas Petros , Kokkoris Ioannis P. , Samaritakis Vasileios , Botsis Dimitrios , Tsakaldimi Marianthi , Tziritis Ilias , Kalevra Natalia , Georgiadis Nicholas M.
Published: November 2023

Greece, along with most of the countries in the Mediterranean basin, is historically linked with forest fires. Wildfires have always occurred, are happening, and will continue to occur, causing serious problems regarding the sustainability of natural resources. Their frequency, however, has shown a noticeable increase during the last decades; according to the most recent projections, the broader Mediterranean region will face significant challenges in the future within the context of climate change. Despite the historical experience of forest fires in Greece, a standardized and up-to-date system for identifying and prioritizing burnt areas, in relation to their restoration needs, has not yet been developed and adopted. In this paper, a systematic methodological approach for decision-making regarding the identification and prioritization of active restoration/reforestation of burnt areas is proposed. This approach is based on critical parameters, such as the regeneration potential of the affected forest species, the “fire history”, and the slope of the affected areas. The proposed methodological approach can be applied in all burnt natural areas in the country in the future, as well as in other areas of the Mediterranean region. The fire impact on Natura 2000 sites is also assessed to highlight the importance of restoration and conservation needs in protected areas. The results from case studies are presented, and future steps and policy recommendations for the post-fire management of natural ecosystems are discussed to enable the sustainable management of forest resources in the burnt areas.
Balancing Nature and Visitors for Sustainable Development: Assessing the Tourism Carrying Capacities of Katon-Karagay National Park, Kazakhstan
Authors: Aktymbayeva Aliya , Nuruly Yeldar , Artemyev Alexandr , Kaliyeva Aida , Sapiyeva Akmaral , Assipova Zhanna
Published: November 2023

Tourism carrying capacity remains pivotal for ensuring sustainable development within protected terrains, accentuating the balance between conservation, socio-economic benefits, and visitor satisfaction. This study delves into the intricate dimensions of this balance, focusing on the Katon-Karagay National Park (KKNP). Merging comprehensive empirical data accrued from fieldwork within the park, calculations surrounding recreational loads, and a synthesis of the relevant literature, the study designed a methodology. This included calculation techniques incorporating ecological and tourist social capacities, the psychocomfort approach, and an ongoing monitoring approach, supplemented by exclusive data from the park’s administration. Key findings underscored the significance of an adaptive balance, revealing specific permissible recreational loads for different park zones. For instance, zones of quiet recreation evidenced up to 5 people/ha, while active recreation zones fluctuated between 20 and 100 people/ha. Monitoring evidenced critical environmental changes, shaping recommendations for effective tourism flow regulation, ensuring alignment with established norms and ecological preservation. The exploration substantiates the indispensability of a meticulously structured approach to ascertain tourism carrying capacity, emphasizing the harmony achievable between environmental sanctity and human pursuits. KKNP’s empirical data serve as a paradigm, guiding sustainable tourism frameworks for similar ecologically sensitive regions.
New Energy Technology Innovation and Industry Carbon Emission Reduction Based on the Perspective of Unbalanced Regional Economic Development
Authors: Yu Zhen , Li Weidong , Duan Hongyan
Published: November 2023

Innovation in new energy technologies is a key driver in China’s efforts to achieve its environmental goals. However, the ability of different regions to develop and utilize new energy technologies may depend on their level of economic development. Based on a two-way fixed-effects panel data model, this paper empirically analyses the industry carbon emission reduction effect of new energy technology innovation and its heterogeneous performance at different stages of economic development, using data from 30 provinces and cities in China from 2000 to 2019. The results show that new energy technology innovation generally promotes CO2 emissions in China. The specific effects are closely related to the characteristics of the industry and the stage of economic development. At the same time, the implementation of environmental regulations will inhibit this positive effect, while the adjustment of the industrial structure may promote this positive effect. This paper discovers the mechanism of heterogeneity in new energy technology innovation among different provinces with different levels of economic development. This finding helps to fully assess the carbon emission reduction capacity and potential of different provinces and facilitates the rational disaggregation and formulation of climate policy goals among regions.