bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Molecular Insights into Abiotic Stresses in Mango
Authors: Muthuramalingam Pandiyan , Muthamil Subramanian , Shilpha Jayabalan , Venkatramanan Varadharajan , Priya Arumugam , Kim Jinwook , Shin Yunji , Chen Jen-Tsung , Baskar Venkidasamy , Park Kyoungmi , Shin Hyunsuk
Published: May 2023

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is one of the most economically important fruit crops across the world, mainly in the tropics and subtropics of Asia, Africa, and Central and South America. Abiotic stresses are the prominent hindrance that can adversely affect the growth, development, and significant yield loss of mango trees. Understanding the molecular physiological mechanisms underlying abiotic stress responses in mango is highly intricate. Therefore, to gain insights into the molecular basis and to alleviate the abiotic stress responses to enhance the yield in the mere future, the use of high-throughput frontier approaches should be tied along with the baseline investigations. Taking these gaps into account, this comprehensive review mainly speculates to provide detailed mechanisms and impacts on physiological and biochemical alterations in mango under abiotic stress responses. In addition, the review emphasizes the promising omics approaches in unraveling the candidate genes and transcription factors (TFs) responsible for abiotic stresses. Furthermore, this review also summarizes the role of different types of biostimulants in improving the abiotic stress responses in mango. These studies can be undertaken to recognize the roadblocks and avenues for enhancing abiotic stress tolerance in mango cultivars. Potential investigations pointed out the implementation of powerful and essential tools to uncover novel insights and approaches to integrate the existing literature and advancements to decipher the abiotic stress mechanisms in mango. Furthermore, this review serves as a notable pioneer for researchers working on mango stress physiology using integrative approaches.
Vegetative Propagation of the Commercial Red Seaweed Chondracanthus chamissoi in Peru by Secondary Attachment Disc during Indoor Cultivation
Authors: Arbaiza Samuel , Avila-Peltroche Jose , Castañeda-Franco Max , Mires-Reyes Arturo , Advíncula Orlando , Baltazar Paul
Published: May 2023

Chondracanthus chamissoi is an edible red seaweed with a high hydrocolloid content and food industry demand. This situation has led to a decline in their populations, especially in Peru. An alternative culture method based on the formation of secondary attachment discs (SADs) has shown several advantages over traditional spore strategies. However, there are still scarce reports of the SAD method in Peru. This work aimed to evaluate the best conditions for C. chamissoi maintenance prior to SAD development and the effect of locality on SAD formation using scallop shells as a substratum. Experiments were conducted with material collected from five localities in Pisco (Ica, Peru). Our results showed that the best conditions for C. chamissoi maintenance were: (1) fertilized seawater with Bayfolan® (0.2 mL L−1); and (2) medium exchange every two days or weekly. These conditions reduced the biomass loss to 9.36–11.14%. Most localities showed a similar capacity to produce SADs (7–17 SADs shell−1). However, vegetative algae, especially Mendieta, tended to present a higher number of SADs. Vegetative fronds also showed lower levels of necrosis and deterioration compared to cystocarpic and tetrasporophytic samples. This study shows the technical feasibility of culturing C. chamissoi through SADs for developing repopulation and/or intensive cultivation projects in Peru.
Influence of Experimental Warming on the Rate and Duration of Fruit Growth and Oil Accumulation in Young Olive Trees (cvs. Arbequina, Coratina)
Authors: Miserere Andrea , Searles Peter S. , Rousseaux M. Cecilia
Published: May 2023

Olive tree cultivation in new warmer areas and climate change have increased the global interest in understanding how air temperature affects both fruit growth and oil accumulation. The aims of this study were to evaluate the rate and duration of fruit growth and oil accumulation in response to experimental warming (+3) in a semiarid region of Argentina; and assess how warming affected fatty acid composition. Young, potted olive trees (cvs. Arbequina, Coratina) were warmed (T+) or maintained near ambient temperature (T0) inside open top chambers in the field during oil accumulation in 2014–2015 or 2015–2016 using different trees in each season. Warming reduced the rate of both fruit growth and oil accumulation in T+ compared to T0 in both cultivars. These rate reductions under T+ led to large decreases in final fruit dry weight and oil concentration. In contrast, the durations (i.e., days) of fruit growth and oil accumulation were most often not affected. Cultivar x temperature interactions were observed in 2014–2015 with warming decreasing oleic acid and increasing linoleic acid in cv. Arbequina, while cv. Coratina showed no response to warming. However, no interactions were found in 2015–2016. Studying how fruit growth and oil accumulation respond to adaptation strategies against increasing air temperatures should be a priority in both young and mature olive trees of numerous cultivars given crop expansion to new regions and future climate scenarios.
Short Flax Fibres and Shives as Reinforcements in Bio Composites: A Numerical and Experimental Study on the Mechanical Properties
Authors: Verstraete Sofie , Buffel Bart , Madhav Dharmjeet , Debruyne Stijn , Desplentere Frederik
Published: May 2023

The complete flax stem, which contains shives and technical fibres, has the potential to reduce the cost, energy consumption and environmental impacts of the composite production process if used directly as reinforcement in a polymer matrix. Earlier studies have utilised flax stem as reinforcement in non-bio-based and non-biodegradable matrices not completely exploiting the bio-sourced and biodegradable nature of flax. We investigated the potential of using flax stem as reinforcement in a polylactic acid (PLA) matrix to produce a lightweight, fully bio-based composite with improved mechanical properties. Furthermore, we developed a mathematical approach to predict the material stiffness of the full composite part produced by the injection moulding process, considering a three-phase micromechanical model, where the effects of local orientations are accounted. Injection moulded plates with a flax content of up to 20 V% were fabricated to study the effect of flax shives and full straw flax on the mechanical properties of the material. A 62% increase in longitudinal stiffness was obtained, resulting in a 10% higher specific stiffness, compared to a short glass fibre-reinforced reference composite. Moreover, the anisotropy ratio of the flax-reinforced composite was 21% lower, compared to the short glass fibre material. This lower anisotropy ratio is attributed to the presence of the flax shives. Considering the fibre orientation in the injection moulded plates predicted with Moldflow simulations, a high agreement between experimental and predicted stiffness data was obtained. The use of flax stems as polymer reinforcement provides an alternative to the use of short technical fibres that require intensive extraction and purification steps and are known to be cumbersome to feed to the compounder.
bmtest: A Jamovi Module for Brunner–Munzel’s Test—A Robust Alternative to Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney’s Test
Authors: Karch Julian D.
Published: May 2023

In psychological research, comparisons between two groups are frequently made to demonstrate that one group exhibits higher values. Although Welch’s unequal variances t-test has become the preferred parametric test for this purpose, surpassing Student’s equal variances t-test, the Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test remains the predominant nonparametric approach despite sharing similar limitations with Student’s t-test. Specifically, the Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test is associated with strong, unrealistic assumptions and lacks robustness when these assumptions are violated. The Brunner–Munzel test overcomes these limitations, featuring fewer assumptions, akin to Welch’s t-test in the parametric domain, and has thus been recommended over the Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test. However, the Brunner–Munzel test is currently unavailable in user-friendly statistical software, such as SPSS, making it inaccessible to many researchers. In this paper, I introduce the bmtest module for jamovi, a freely available user-friendly software. By making the Brunner–Munzel test accessible to a wide range of researchers, the bmtest module has the potential to improve nonparametric statistical analysis in psychology and other disciplines.
Revisit the Medieval Warm Period and Little Ice Age in Proxy Records from Zemu Glacier Sediments, Eastern Himalaya: Vegetation and Climate Reconstruction
Authors: Mehrotra Nivedita , Basavaiah Nathani , Shah Santosh K.
Published: May 2023

The Late Holocene fossil pollen records from the Zemu glacier, located in Yabuk, North Sikkim, in the eastern Himalayas, effectively generated quantitative climate reconstructions based on the transfer function model. The transfer function model was developed by establishing a modern pollen–climate calibration set from the temperate alpine belt of North Sikkim. A redundancy analysis was carried out to detect the pattern of variation of climatic variables in the modern pollen datasets. The mean annual precipitation (MAP) and mean temperature of the warming month (MTWA) had the strongest influence on the composition of the modern pollen samples among the climatic variables considered in the analysis. Proxy data in the form of fossil pollen records were analyzed for reconstructing past climate based upon the relationships between modern pollen vegetation assemblages and climatic patterns. Transfer functions for MAP and MTWA were developed with the partial least squares (PLS) approach, and model performance was assessed using leave-one-out cross-validation. The validated model was used to reconstruct MAP and MTWA for the last 2992 cal years BP (1042 BC) in North Sikkim. The variability observed in the reconstructions was analyzed for past global climatic events. It was further compared with the available regional and hemispheric proxy-based climate reconstructions. The reconstructions captured comparable Medieval Warm Period (MWP) and Little Ice Age (LIA)-like events from the Zemu glacier region. The fossil pollen data and climate reconstructions were further compared with the mineral magnetism data of the subsurface sediment profile.
American Civil Religion in the Era of Trump
Authors: Everton Sean F.
Published: May 2023

In 1967, Robert Bellah argued that America’s “founding myth”, what he called American civil religion, helps bind American society together by providing its citizens with a sense of origin, direction, and meaning. For evidence, Bellah primarily turned to the inaugural speeches of American presidents. This paper draws on semantic network analysis to empirically examine the inaugural addresses of Presidents Trump and Biden, looking for evidence of what some would consider aspects of American civil religion. As some believe American civil religion to be no more than a thinly veiled form of nationalism, it also considers the importance of words associated with nationalism. It finds that both Trump and Biden employed the language of nationalism and American civil religion in their respective addresses, and while it found no differences in their use of nationalist discourse, it did find that American civil religion figures more prominently in Biden’s address than in Trump’s.
Gaining Instead of Losing: The Image of Dunhuang as a Religious Heritage in a WeChat Mini-Programme
Authors: Song Zhuyun
Published: May 2023

In 2020, a WeChat mini-programme called the Dunhuang E-Tour (云游敦煌) was launched during the COVID-19 pandemic to showcase one of China’s most important religious heritage sites, the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes (also known as the Dunhuang Caves), and it attracted a considerable number of online tourists. Unlike the colonial image of Dunhuang in Chinese public discourse, the mini-programme does not focus on Dunhuang’s history; rather, it provides a dynamic and interactive representation of Dunhuang’s religious murals, painted sculptures and cave architecture. To reflect the impact of the mini-programme’s digital mechanisms on users’ experience, this study adopts an analytical framework that combines the walkthrough method and religious tourist perspectives to explore the image of the digital Dunhuang and how it was shaped. The analysis finds that the functions of the Dunhuang E-Tour create a culturally rich image of Dunhuang, which subverts its decades-long Dunhuang image as a site of loss in Chinese public discourse. This difference in images mirrors the potential impact of China’s recent cultural policy of ‘cultural confidence’ in relation to its cultural and creative industries.
The Protevangelium of James in Papyrus Bodmer V: Titles, Genres, and Traditions in Transmission
Authors: Fowler Kimberley A.
Published: May 2023

The apocryphal account of the birth and childhood of Mary, mother of Jesus (and to a lesser degree Jesus himself) known most commonly as the Protevangelium of James is one of the most influential early Christian texts outside of the New Testament. It is witnessed substantially in the Greek manuscript tradition as well as in several other languages. In the process of its transmission in Greek from the late third century or the fourth century into the late medieval/early modern period, various titular formulae were attached to the text. This article examines the earliest manuscript witness for Prot. Jas, Papyrus Bodmer V, and argues that the title present here is reflective of the complexities surrounding the perceived genre and function of early Christian literature in addition to the creation and continuation of traditions encompassing authorial identity and legitimacy. The Prot. Jas demonstrates well the hermeneutical weight often carried by titular paratexts as literature is transmitted, and regardless of whether P. Bodmer V represents continuity or evolution in this regard, it offers a window onto the flexibility of genre and its representation in early Christianity.
Occupancy Grid Mapping via Resource-Constrained Robotic Swarms: A Collaborative Exploration Strategy
Authors: Rogers Andrew , Eshaghi Kasra , Nejat Goldie , Benhabib Beno
Published: May 2023

This paper addresses the problem of building an occupancy grid map of an unknown environment using a swarm comprising resource-constrained robots, i.e., robots with limited exteroceptive and inter-robot sensing capabilities. Past approaches have, commonly, used random-motion models to disperse the swarm and explore the environment randomly, which do not necessarily consider prior information already contained in the map. Herein, we present a collaborative, effective exploration strategy that directs the swarm toward ‘promising’ frontiers by dividing the swarm into two teams: landmark robots and mapper robots, respectively. The former direct the latter, toward promising frontiers, to collect proximity measurements to be incorporated into the map. The positions of the landmark robots are optimized to maximize new information added to the map while also adhering to connectivity constraints. The proposed strategy is novel as it decouples the problem of directing the resource-constrained swarm from the problem of mapping to build an occupancy grid map. The performance of the proposed strategy was validated through extensive simulated experiments.
An Effective Infrared and Visible Image Fusion Approach via Rolling Guidance Filtering and Gradient Saliency Map
Authors: Li Liangliang , Lv Ming , Jia Zhenhong , Jin Qingxin , Liu Minqin , Chen Liangfu , Ma Hongbing
Published: May 2023

To solve problems of brightness and detail information loss in infrared and visible image fusion, an effective infrared and visible image fusion method using rolling guidance filtering and gradient saliency map is proposed in this paper. The rolling guidance filtering is used to decompose the input images into approximate layers and residual layers; the energy attribute fusion model is used to fuse the approximate layers; the gradient saliency map is introduced and the corresponding weight matrices are constructed to perform on residual layers. The fusion image is generated by reconstructing the fused approximate layer sub-image and residual layer sub-images. Experimental results demonstrate the superiority of the proposed infrared and visible image fusion method.
Extent, Severity, and Temporal Patterns of Damage to Cuba’s Ecosystems following Hurricane Irma: MODIS and Sentinel-2 Hurricane Disturbance Vegetation Anomaly (HDVA)
Authors: Turner Hannah C. , Galford Gillian L. , Hernandez Lopez Norgis , Falcón Méndez Armando , Borroto-Escuela Daily Yanetsy , Hernández Ramos Idania , González-Díaz Patricia
Published: May 2023

Mangrove forests provide a range of ecosystem services but may be increasingly threatened by climate change in the North Atlantic due to high-intensity storms. Hurricane Irma (Category 5) hit the northern coast of Cuba in September 2017, causing widespread damage to mangroves; losses have not yet been extensively documented due to financial and logistical constraints for local scientists. Our team estimated Irma’s impacts on Cuban ecosystems in a coastal and upland study area spanning over 1.7 million ha. We developed a multi-resolution time series “vegetation anomaly” approach, where post-disturbance observations in photosynthetically active vegetation (Enhanced Vegetation Index, EVI) were normalized to the reference period (dry season mean over a historical time series). The Hurricane Disturbance Vegetation Anomaly (HDVA) was used to estimate the extent, severity, and temporal patterns of ecological changes with Sentinel-2 and MODIS data and used vicarious validation with microsatellite interpretation (Planet). HDVA values were classed to convey qualitative labels useful for local scientists: (1) Catastrophic, (2) Severe, (3) Moderate, (4) Mild, and (5) No Loss. Sentinel-2 had a limited reference period (2015–2017) compared to MODIS (2000–2017), yet the HDVA patterns were similar. Mangrove and wetlands (>265,000 ha) sustained widespread damages, with a staggering 78% showing damage, largely severe to catastrophic (0–0.81 HDVA; >207,000 ha). The damaged area is 24 times greater than impacts from Irma as documented elsewhere. Caguanes National Park (>8400 ha, excluding marine zones) experienced concentrated, severe mangrove and wetland damages (nearly 4000 ha). The phenological declines from Irma’s impacts took up to 17 months to fully actualize, a much longer period than previously suggested. In contrast, dry forests saw rapid green flushes post-hurricane. With the increase of high-intensity storm events and other threats to ecosystems, the HDVA methods outlined here can be used to assess intense to low-level damages.
Spatio-Temporal Cluster Mapping System in Smart Beds for Patient Monitoring
Authors: Maddeh Mohamed , Hajjej Fahima , Alazzam Malik Bader , Otaibi Shaha Al , Turki Nazek Al , Ayouni Sarra
Published: May 2023

Innovative technological solutions are required to improve patients’ quality of life and deliver suitable treatment. Healthcare workers may be able to watch patients from a distance using the Internet of Things (IoT) by using big data algorithms to analyze instrument outputs. Therefore, it is essential to gather information on use and health problems in order to improve the remedies. To ensure seamless incorporation for use in healthcare institutions, senior communities, or private homes, these technological tools must first and foremost be easy to use and implement. We provide a network cluster-based system known as smart patient room usage in order to achieve this. As a result, nursing staff or caretakers can use it efficiently and swiftly. This work focuses on the exterior unit that makes up a network cluster, a cloud storage mechanism for data processing and storage, as well as a wireless or unique radio frequency send module for data transfer. In this article, a spatio-temporal cluster mapping system is presented and described. This system creates time series data using sense data collected from various clusters. The suggested method is the ideal tool to use in a variety of circumstances to improve medical and healthcare services. The suggested model’s ability to anticipate moving behavior with high precision is its most important feature. The time series graphic displays a regular light movement that continued almost the entire night. The last 12 h’ lowest and highest moving duration numbers were roughly 40% and 50%, respectively. When there is little movement, the model assumes a normal posture. Particularly, the moving duration ranges from 7% to 14%, with an average of 7.0%.
Modeling, Simulation, and Optimization of Membrane Processes
Authors: Li Mingheng
Published: May 2023

From water desalination and gas purification to metal recovery and beyond, membrane separation has become integral to numerous industrial applications [...]
Microporous Carbons Obtained via Solvent-Free Mechanochemical Processing, Carbonization and Activation with Potassium Citrate and Zinc Chloride for CO2 Adsorption
Authors: Saning Amonrada , Dubadi Rabindra , Chuenchom Laemthong , Dechtrirat Decha , Jaroniec Mietek
Published: May 2023

In this study, the facile and sustainable synthesis of highly microporous carbons is explored to reduce the extensive use of harsh activating agents and solvents. The role of potassium citrate (PC) as a greener activating agent in addition to the conventional ZnCl2 is investigated in the mechanochemical solvent-free preparation of highly microporous carbon materials from chestnut tannin (CT), a biomass-type carbon precursor. A small amount of potassium citrate as a chemical activator coupled with CO2 activation at 700 °C afforded carbons with higher specific surface area (1256 m2 g−1) and larger micropore volume (0.54 cm3 g−1) as compared to the carbons activated with both PC and ZnCl2. The high microporosity of the PC-activated carbon materials, significantly enlarged after CO2 activation from micropore volume of 0.16 to 0.54 cm3 g−1, makes them favorable for CO2 adsorption, as evidenced by high adsorption capacity of 3.55 mmol g−1 at ambient conditions (25 °C, 1 bar). This study shows that the solvent-free mechanochemical processing of tannin in the presence of PC is a promising method for obtaining highly microporous carbon materials.
Dynamic Pricing for the Open Online Ticket System: A Surrogate Modeling Approach
Authors: Stavinova Elizaveta , Varshavskiy Ilyas , Chunaev Petr , Derevitskii Ivan , Boukhanovsky Alexander
Published: May 2023

Dynamic pricing is frequently used in online marketplaces, ticket sales, and booking systems. The commercial principles of dynamic pricing systems are often kept secret; however, their application causes complex changes in human behavior. Thus, a scientific tool is needed to evaluate and predict the impact of dynamic pricing strategies. Publications in the field lack a common quality evaluation methodology, public data, and source code, making them difficult to reproduce. In this paper, a data-driven method, DPRank, for evaluating dynamic pricing systems is proposed. DPRank first builds a surrogate price elasticity of demand model using public data generated by a hidden dynamic pricing model, and then applies the surrogate model to build an exposed dynamic pricing model. The hidden and exposed dynamic pricing models were then systematically compared in terms of quality using a Monte Carlo simulation in terms of a company’s revenue. The effectiveness of the proposed method was tested on the dataset collected from the website of a Russian railway passenger carrier company. Depending on the train type, the quality difference between the hidden and exposed models can vary by several dozen percent on average, indicating the potential for improving the existing (hidden) company’s dynamic pricing model.
Perceptions and Attitudes toward Risks of City Administration Employees in the Context of Smart City Management
Authors: Wielicka-Gańczarczyk Karolina , Jonek-Kowalska Izabela
Published: May 2023

Smart cities are required to be effectively and efficiently managed in order to ensure the desired level of sustainability and quality of life for all inhabitants. This is a particularly difficult challenge in crisis situations of considerable scale and intensity (for example, the COVID-19 pandemic, armed conflicts, social tensions). For this reason, the aim of this article is to identify the attitudes and perceptions of risk by city administration employees combined with an assessment of their impact on the consequences of risk (the implementation of internal and external threats). The analyses used the results of a survey conducted on a representative sample of 399 Polish municipal offices, as well as descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling. The obtained results show that: (1) employees of municipal offices negatively perceive risk and are aware of its destructive impact on the organization, but are reluctant to report the risks; (2) individual and collective measures are taken in offices to protect against risks, but employees are not always encouraged to report potential sources of risk (rarely in the form of an informal conversation and even more rarely in a systemic form); (3) for the most part, employees are aware that internal and external risks have a negative impact on the operation of municipal offices; (4) the consequences of risks are more strongly influenced by employees’ perceptions of risk than by individual, team, and systemic attitudes toward risk. The added value of the research presented in this article comes from diagnosing the behavioral aspects of urban risk management and assessing the impact of attitudes toward risks and risk perceptions (internal and external) in a broad, representative range.
Military Assistance to Ukraine and Its Significance in the Russo-Ukrainian War
Authors: Szőke Júlia , Kusica Kolos
Published: May 2023

The interest of social sciences in the military dates back ages, and currently, special attention is being paid to Russia’s war in Ukraine. The present paper also follows this research trend, and it intends to analyze both the tactical and operational levels of war by investigating how the military assistance provided by Western states and international organizations to Ukraine is influencing the course of the Russo-Ukrainian war. Subsequently, the paper studies the military assistance in all three phases of the war, beginning from the invasion of Crimea, through the Donbas offensive, to the phase of Ukrainian counter-offensives. The research method used by this paper was to review and synthesize the existing but scarce and sometimes disinformative literature. The findings suggest that Western military aid began cautiously by providing only non-lethal, defensive weapons, but it was of crucial importance in the second phase of the war by guaranteeing heavy weaponry. The paper concludes that Western military assistance, especially from the United States, United Kingdom, Poland, and Germany, has had a significant role in the Russo-Ukrainian war, without which Ukrainian forces may not have persisted to now.
Hyperspectral Imaging for Sustainable Waste Recycling
Authors: Palmieri Roberta , Gasbarrone Riccardo , Fiore Ludovica
Published: May 2023

Waste management is a crucial global issue that affects both society and the environment [...]
Seismic Resilience Assessment of Curved Reinforced Concrete Bridge Piers through Seismic Fragility Curves Considering Short- and Long-Period Earthquakes
Authors: Uenaga Tomoya , Omidian Pedram , George Riya Catherine , Mirzajani Mohsen , Khaji Naser
Published: May 2023

Curved bridges are commonly used for logistics and emergencies in urban areas such as highway interchange bridges. These types of bridges have complicated dynamic behaviors and also are vulnerable to earthquakes, so their functionality is a critical parameter for decision makers. For this purpose, this study aims to evaluate the bridge seismic resilience under the effects of changes in deck radius (50, 100, 150 m, and infinity), pier height irregularity (Regular and Irregular), and incident seismic wave angle (0°, 45°, and 90°) under short- and long-period records. In the first step, fragility curves are calculated based on the incremental dynamic analysis and probabilistic seismic demand models. Finally, seismic resilience curves/surfaces are constructed and their interpolated values of the log-normal distribution function presented for assessing system resilience. It is found that when long-period records are applied in one given direction, the angle of incidence has the most significant effect on seismic resilience, and bridges are most vulnerable when the angle of incidence tends to 0°. The effect of deck radius on seismic resilience became more remarkable as the angle of incidence increased. Additionally, results indicate that the bridge vulnerability in long-period records is more significant than that under short-period records.
Hybrid Intuitionistic Fuzzy Entropy-SWARA-COPRAS Method for Multi-Criteria Sustainable Biomass Crop Type Selection
Authors: Mardani Abbas , Devi Sarita , Alrasheedi Melfi , Arya Leena , Singh Mrigendra Pratap , Pandey Kiran
Published: May 2023

To select a biomass crop type of the highest sustainability for the purpose of producing biofuel is recognized as a problem of the multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) type, as it comprises different conflicting criteria. To effectively address this problem, the present paper introduces a novel integrated approach using the complex proportional assessment (COPRAS) method under the intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IFSs). The proposed approach works based on the IFSs operators as well as an innovative process utilized in evaluating the attributes’ weights. To evaluate these weights, the subjective weights using the step-wise weight assessment ratio analysis (SWARA) model are integrated with the objective weights achieved using an entropy-based approach in order to attain more realistic weights. As MCDA problems inevitably suffer from different degrees of uncertainty, the proposed approach could be of great help to those who are required to make decisions in uncertain settings. The paper took into consideration a sustainable biomass crop selection problem to exemplify the effectiveness of the presented approach in handling real MCDA problems. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis with respect to the diverse values of the attributes is presented in order to assess the stability of the introduced model. This study reveals that the combination of the objective and subjective weights enhances the stability of the introduced approach with diverse attribute weights. Finally, the results of the introduced model are compared to some existing intuitionistic fuzzy information-based methods. The findings of the comparison confirm the efficiency of the present approach in performing the defined tasks under uncertain environments.
Classification Method of Photovoltaic Array Operating State Based on Nonparametric Estimation and 3σ Method
Authors: Tong Qiang , Li Donghui , Ren Xin , Wang Hua , Wu Qing , Zhou Li , Li Jiaqi , Zhu Honglu
Published: May 2023

Photovoltaic (PV) array, as the key component of large-scale PV power stations, is prone to frequent failure that directly affects the efficiency of PV power stations. Therefore, accurate classification of the operating state of PV arrays is the basis for fault location. Thus, a novel classification method for PV array operating state was designed based on nonparametric estimation and a 3σ method. The actual data analysis proves the hypothesis that performance ratio (PR) distribution characteristics of PV arrays can characterize the operating state of PV arrays. The modeling curve of the PV array with an excellent performance has only one peak and the peak value is large, while the distribution curve of the PV array with a poor performance has a small peak. In this paper, the distribution characteristics of PV arrays are modeled, the peak value is used to classify the operating state of PV arrays, and finally the effectiveness of the proposed method is compared. Overall, this paper makes a valuable contribution by proposing a novel method for accurately classifying the operating state of PV arrays. The proposed method can help improve the efficiency and fault diagnosis of PV power stations.
Modern Management Methods in the Area of Public Housing Resources in the Community
Authors: Kabus Judyta , Dziadkiewicz Michał
Published: May 2023

Real estate management is a complex process that consists of making or indicating decisions of both a tactical and strategic character. To ensure the realization of the tasks, real property owners need to adjust their services to respond to technological pressure, a dynamically changing market, and the demands of the customer, thus resulting in various innovations introduced by the owners in the process of the public housing management. A review of the subject literature was the source of the theoretical motivation to conduct the empirical research on the innovations implemented by property owners. The main objective of said research was to ascertain which innovations have been implemented by the entities that were owners of public property in the Częstochowa City Commune and how were they evaluated by the residents. A questionnaire survey was used to verify the hypotheses. Statistical analyses were also carried out using the IBM SPSS Statistics 26 package, which was used to analyze basic descriptive statistics, including the Shapiro–Wilk test, the Student’s t-test for independent samples, Spearman’s rho correlation analysis, Pearson’s r correlation analysis, and linear regression analysis. The research presented in this paper was conducted in the Q3 and Q4 of 2020 among the residents of the public housing in Częstochowa, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland. The measurement tool used was a survey form. The survey itself was submitted by 444 respondents (n = 444). The results of the research made it possible to determine which innovations were implemented by the municipality in question and to what extent they were important or for the residents. The main finding of the survey is that residents of the municipal housing stock consider the innovations implemented by the municipality to be important.
Coherent Spontaneous Emission from Short Electron Bunches: Competition between Different Transverse Waveguide Modes
Authors: Oparina Yuliya , Savilov Andrei
Published: May 2023

In this paper, we study spontaneous coherent undulator emission from a short dense electron bunch. A special “negative-mass” undulator ensuring stabilization of the axial size of the bunch is considered. We focus on the situation where the competition between two different transverse waveguide modes takes place, so that the undulator resonance is provided simultaneously for three waves placed on the dispersion diagram symmetrically with respect to electrons (namely, the group velocity of the higher waveguide mode coincides with the electron velocity, whereas two resonance frequencies of the lower transverse mode correspond to wave group velocities, one of which slightly exceeds the translational velocity of electrons, with the other being less than the electron velocity). We show that the higher waveguide mode can win this competition due to its proximity to group synchronization with the electron bunch.
Identifying Growth Patterns in Arid-Zone Onion Crops (Allium Cepa) Using Digital Image Processing
Authors: Duarte-Correa David , Rodríguez-Reséndiz Juvenal , Díaz-Flórez Germán , Olvera-Olvera Carlos Alberto , Álvarez-Alvarado José M.
Published: May 2023

The agricultural sector is undergoing a revolution that requires sustainable solutions to the challenges that arise from traditional farming methods. To address these challenges, technical and sustainable support is needed to develop projects that improve crop performance. This study focuses on onion crops and the challenges presented throughout its phenological cycle. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and digital image processing were used to monitor the crop and identify patterns such as humid areas, weed growth, vegetation deficits, and decreased harvest performance. An algorithm was developed to identify the patterns that most affected crop growth, as the average local production reported was 40.166 tons/ha. However, only 25.00 tons/ha were reached due to blight caused by constant humidity and limited sunlight. This resulted in the death of leaves and poor development of bulbs, with 50% of the production being medium-sized. Approximately 20% of the production was lost due to blight and unfavorable weather conditions.
A Review: Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances—Biological Degradation
Authors: Grgas Dijana , Petrina Ana , Štefanac Tea , Bešlo Drago , Landeka Dragičević Tibela
Published: May 2023

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), highly stable synthetic organic compounds with multiple carbon-fluorine bonds, are emerging as environmental contaminants, toxic, bioaccumulative, and environmentally persistent. PFASs are strongly resistant to biological and chemical degradation, and therefore PFASs present a challenge to researchers and scientists for a better understanding and application of remediation methods and biodegradation of PFASs and have become subject to strict government regulations. The review summarizes the recent knowledge of bacterial and fungal degradation of PFASs, as well as the enzymes involved in the processes of transformation/degradation of PFASs.
Mono-(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate (MEHP)-Induced Telomere Structure and Function Disorder Mediates Cell Cycle Dysregulation and Apoptosis via c-Myc and Its Upstream Transcription Factors in a Mouse Spermatogonia-Derived (GC-1) Cell Line
Authors: Zhou Fangji , Guo Chengwei , Wang Lingqiao , Zhang Guowei , Wang Jia , Chen Weiyan , Cui Ke , Tan Yao , Zhou Ziyuan
Published: May 2023

As a typical environmental endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC), di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is thought to be related to reproductive disorders, especially in males. Growing evidence suggests that various EDCs may result in an impaired telomere structure and function, which is associated with male infertility. However, the adverse effect of DEHP on telomeres in male reproductive cells has rarely been studied, and the related mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we tested the effects of mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP), the primary metabolite of DEHP, on telomere dysfunction in mouse spermatogonia-derived cells (GC-1) and the potential role of TERT and c-Myc in MEHP-induced spermatogenic cell damage. Results showed that MEHP induced cell viability inhibition, G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis in GC-1 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Shortened telomeres, reduced telomerase activity, and decreased expression of TERT, c-Myc, and upstream transcription factors of c-Myc were also observed in the MEHP-treated cells. In conclusion, it can be concluded that TERT-mediated telomere dysfunction may contribute to MEHP-induced G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in GC-1 cells through the impairment of c-Myc and its upstream transcription factors.
Histoplasmosis at a Reference Center for Infectious Diseases in Southeast Brazil: Comparison between HIV-Positive and HIV-Negative Individuals
Authors: Paixão Ariane Gomes , Almeida Marcos Abreu , Correia Roberta Espírito Santo , Kamiensky Beatriz Brittes , Zancopé-Oliveira Rosely Maria , Lazera Márcia dos Santos , Wanke Bodo , Lamas Cristiane da Cruz
Published: May 2023

Objectives: Histoplasmosis is a systemic mycosis, present globally. We aimed to describe cases of histoplasmosis (Hc) and to establish a risk profile associated with Hc in HIV-infected patients (HIV+). Methods: This was a retrospective study of patients with a clinical laboratory diagnosis of Hc. Data were fed into REDCap, and statistical analysis was performed with R. Results: We included 99 records, 65 HIV+ and 34 HIV−. Average age was 39 years. Median time from onset to diagnosis was 8 weeks in HIV− and 22 weeks in HIV+. Disseminated histoplasmosis occurred in 79.4% of HIV+, vs. 36.4% of HIV− patients. Median CD4 count was 70. Co-infection with tuberculosis was present in 20% of HIV+ patients. Blood cultures were positive in 32.3% of HIV+ vs. 11.8% of HIV− (p = 0.025) patients; bone marrow culture was positive in 36.9% vs. 8.8% (p = 0.003). Most HIV+ patients (71.4%) were hospitalized. On univariate analysis, anemia, leukopenia, intensive care, use of vasopressors and mechanical ventilation were associated with death in HIV+ patients. Conclusions: Most of our patients with histoplasmosis were HIV+, presenting advanced AIDS. Diagnosis was late in HIV+ patients, and they frequently presented disseminated Hc, required hospitalization, and died. Early screening for Hc in HIV+ and drug-induced immunosuppressed patients is crucial.
Not All Social Capital Is Equal: Conceptualizing Social Capital Differences in Cities
Authors: Wesselow Maren
Published: May 2023

Social capital is the basis of community-based action and constitutes an important resource for the poor in urban areas. However, social class, age, ethnicity and gender play an important role in shaping social capital outcomes. This article provides a literature-based framework for the qualitative analysis of the differences in social capital between social groups. This study defines and distinguishes social capital functions and resources and highlights the importance of taking negative effects of social capital and social capital needs into account. To test the framework, the social capital portfolios of two exemplary social groups, namely young people and ethnic minorities in urban areas, are presented. The analysis shows that the social capital resources and functions of the different groups as well as the specific needs vary in quality. The study provides a conceptual enhancement to the concept of social capital and recommends that strategies aiming at improving social capital must acknowledge the differences in social capital according to specific groups and environments.
Identifying Urban Heritage Facility Management Support Services Considering World Heritage Sites
Authors: Prabowo Bintang Noor , Temeljotov Salaj Alenka , Lohne Jardar
Published: May 2023

Whether public sectors or private institutions, in-house or outsourced, building-level or urban-scale, the critical role of facility management (FM) is to support the core business activities of an organization in accomplishing its objectives. Through the services it manages and provides, FM impacts people’s health, well-being, and quality of life. While there is no difficulty in defining a corporation, organization, or institution’s core business, defining the core business of a city as an institution is not widely discussed in the urban-scale facility management literature. By using a narrative research approach from the available literature, this study seeks to shed light on potential justifications for a city’s “core business” and its possible support services. The context of the World Heritage site is used to provide a sharper perspective on the possible urban-scale support services customized for urban heritage areas. This study suggests that a city’s primary objective is to maintain and possibly attract new “desirable” citizens through the provision of excellent services, a quality-built environment, a sense of well-being, health, safety and security, and economic growth. Consequently, the integration of urban-scale support services must be aligned with the purpose of the city, or the World Heritage site, to be specific.
Evaluation of Phragmites australis for Environmental Sustainability in Bahrain: Photosynthesis Pigments, Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn Content Grown in Urban Wastes
Authors: Perna Simone , AL-Qallaf Zainab Ali , Mahmood Qaisar
Published: May 2023

Modern urban societies generate tremendous amounts of hazardous wastes, including toxic organics and metals. Toxic metals harm plants and pose a risk to human health; examples of them are copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), palladium (Pb), and cadmium (Cd). Wetland plants are excellent for the ecological restoration of toxic metal-affected environments. Phragmites australis (common reed) belongs to the family Poaceae and is a broadly distributed wetland grass that is native to Bahrain, Europe, and America. P. australis shows a high content of chlorophyll. This study aimed to assess percentages of water, chlorophyll, and toxic metal content using acetone extraction; the calculation of the concentrations was performed according to the equations proposed by Lichtenthaler and the percentage of water content was calculated. After the metal exposure, the reed plants were digested, and their total mineral analysis was accomplished by atomic absorption spectroscopy; statistical analysis was conducted by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. The results revealed that the immature stage showed the highest chlorophyll a (mean 1641.5 (µg/g)) carotenoids (mean 359.75 (µg/g)) and total chlorophyll (mean 2183.93 (µg/g)), and the mature flowering stem had the highest chlorophyll b (mean 676.45 (µg/g)). The mature flowering stem stage showed the highest Pb (mg/L) and Cd (mg/L) values; on the other hand, Cu was the highest in the fully elongated non-flowering stage (0.108 mg/L), and the highest Zn content was found in the immature stage (mean 2.083). Owing to its growth in contaminated environments, P. australis can be considered a potential source of phytonutrients; higher concentrations were mostly available in the immature and mature flowering stages, with a favorable immature stage. The use of such marginal wetland plants may be very useful in reducing the pollution burden of urban built environments. These plants offer a green and sustainable solution for the disposal of waste from urban areas. Hence, further planning and execution of such a green solution are pivotal for creating environmental sustainability.
Trajectory of Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Previously Hospitalized COVID-19 Survivors: The Long COVID Experience Multicenter Study
Authors: Fernández-de-las-Peñas César , Torres-Macho Juan , Guijarro Carlos , Martín-Guerrero José D. , Pellicer-Valero Oscar J. , Plaza-Manzano Gustavo
Published: May 2023

This multicenter cohort study used Sankey plots and exponential bar plots to visualize the fluctuating evolution and the trajectory of gastrointestinal symptoms in previously hospitalized COVID-19 survivors during the first 18 months after acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. A total of 1266 previously hospitalized COVID-19 survivors were assessed at four points: hospital admission (T0), at 8.4 months (T1), at 13.2 months (T2), and at 18.3 months (T3) after hospitalization. Participants were asked about their overall gastrointestinal symptoms and particularly diarrhea. Clinical and hospitalization data were collected from hospital medical records. The prevalence of overall gastrointestinal post-COVID symptomatology was 6.3% (n = 80) at T1, 3.99% (n = 50) at T2 and 2.39% (n = 32) at T3. The prevalence of diarrhea decreased from 10.69% (n = 135) at hospital admission (T0), to 2.55% (n = 32) at T1, to 1.04% (n = 14) at T2, and to 0.64% (n = 8) at T3. The Sankey plots revealed that just 20 (1.59%) and 4 (0.32%) patients exhibited overall gastrointestinal post-COVID symptoms or diarrhea, respectively, throughout the whole follow-up period. The recovery fitted exponential curves revealed a decreasing prevalence trend, showing that diarrhea and gastrointestinal symptoms recover during the first two or three years after COVID-19 in previously hospitalized COVID-19 survivors. The regression models did not reveal any symptoms to be associated with the presence of gastrointestinal post-COVID symptomatology or post-COVID diarrhea at hospital admission or at T1. The use of Sankey plots revealed the fluctuating evolution of gastrointestinal post-COVID symptoms during the first two years after infection. In addition, exponential bar plots revealed the decreased prevalence of gastrointestinal post-COVID symptomatology during the first three years after infection.