bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Research on Lidar Network Observation of Aerosol and Pollution in Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics
Authors: Lu Tong , Li Zhigang , Chen Yubao , Bu Zhichao , Wang Xiaopeng
Published: November 2022

During the Beijing Winter Olympics, three sets of aerosol lidar in different regions were used to conduct continuous observations to study the optical properties and vertical distribution characteristics of atmospheric aerosol. Based on the lidar data and sun photometer data, the accurate lidar ratio was determined to improve the inversion accuracy of the aerosol backscattering coefficient. The influence of meteorological conditions such as temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and wind direction on the optical properties of aerosol were analyzed, and the type of aerosol was classified by the depolarization ratio of aerosol particles and CALIPSO data. Furthermore, the backward trajectory analysis, potential source contribution function (PSCF), and concentration weighted trajectories (CWT) were employed to explore the sources and transport mechanisms of pollutants. The analysis found that the extinction coefficient under the atmospheric boundary layer during the Winter Olympics had a spatial distribution pattern of high value in the southeast and low value in the northwest. The occurrence of aerosol pollution events is not only caused by local emissions, but is also related to regional transmission.
Impacts of Soot, Ash, Sand, and Haze on Snow Albedo in Sierra Nevada, Spain
Authors: González-Correa Sofía , Lapuerta Magín , Ballesteros Rosario , Pacheco-Ferrada Diego , Castro Lina , Cereceda-Balic Francisco
Published: November 2022

Snow covers are greatly affected by particles deposited on their surface. In this work, an experimental campaign was carried out in the Sierra Nevada (Granada, Spain). The optical effect of different contaminating particles on the snow covers was measured using a field spectroradiometric system composed of three upwelling spectroradiometers and three downwelling ones. Sand collected from a Mediterranean beach (Spain), ash collected from the La Palma volcano eruption, haze collected from an event that occurred in Spain, and soot collected from a diesel vehicle were employed for contaminating the snow. Soot, ash, and sand were analysed with X-ray diffraction to obtain their mineralogical composition or their structural characteristics, whereas haze's mineralogical composition was obtained from the literature. From this information, the refractive index of each material was weigh-averaged, considering the refractive indices of their components. After measurements, snow samples were filtered and weighted to evaluate the particle concentrations in the snow. Previous contamination with soot was observed due to the existence of a nearby road. Snow albedo was calculated with the OptiPar model. The experimental and modelled results show that contaminating with sand decreases the snow albedo in the visible range whereas it increases the albedo in the infrared range. However, the rest of the materials lead to a decrease in the albedo in the whole spectrum, although with different intensities depending on the wavelength range.
Novel Optical Fiber-Based Structures for Plasmonics Sensors
Authors: Wang Zhi , Zhang Wen , Liu Xuecheng , Li Muyang , Lang Xianzheng , Singh Ragini , Marques Carlos , Zhang Bingyuan , Kumar Santosh
Published: November 2022

Optical fiber sensors based on surface plasma technology have many unique advantages in specific applications such as extreme environmental monitoring, physical parameter determination, and biomedical indicators testing. In recent decades, various kinds of fiber probes with special structures were developed according to special processing such as tapering, splicing, etching, fiber balls, grating etc. In this paper, the fabrication technology, characteristics, development status and application scenarios of different special optical fiber structures are briefly reviewed, including common processing equipment. Furthermore, many special novel optical fiber structures reported in recent years are summarized, which have been used in various kinds of plasmonic sensing work. Then, the fiber-plasmonic sensors for practical applications are also introduced and examined in detail. The main aim of this review is to provide guidance and inspiration for researchers to design and fabricate special optical fiber structures, thus facilitating their further research.
Wechsler Scale Intelligence Testing in Males with Dystrophinopathies: A Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Weerkamp Pien M. M. , Mol Eva M. , Sweere Dirk J. J. , Schrans Debby G. M. , Vermeulen R. Jeroen , Klinkenberg Sylvia , Hurks Petra P. M. , Hendriksen Jos G. M.
Published: November 2022

Background: Intelligence scores in males with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and Becker Muscular Dystrophy (BMD) remain a major issue in clinical practice. We performed a literature review and meta-analysis to further delineate the intellectual functioning of dystrophinopathies. Method: Published, peer-reviewed articles assessing intelligence, using Wechsler Scales, of males with DMD or BMD were searched from 1960 to 2022. Meta-analysis with random-effects models was conducted, assessing weighted, mean effect sizes of full-scale IQ (FSIQ) scores relative to normative data (Mean = 100, Standard Deviation = 15). Post hoc we analysed differences between performance and verbal intelligence scores. Results: 43 studies were included, reporting data on 1472 males with dystrophinopathies; with FSIQ scores available for 1234 DMD (k = 32) and 101 BMD (k = 7). DMD males score, on average, one standard deviation below average (FSIQ = 84.76) and significantly lower than BMD (FSIQ = 92.11). Compared to a previous meta-analysis published in 2001, we find, on average, significantly higher FSIQ scores in DMD. Conclusion: Males with Duchenne have, on average, significantly lower FSIQ scores than BMD males and the general population. Clinicians must consider lower intelligence in dystrophinopathies to ensure good clinical practice.
Interactions between Dietary Micronutrients, Composition of the Microbiome and Efficacy of Immunotherapy in Cancer Patients
Authors: Frąk Małgorzata , Grenda Anna , Krawczyk Paweł , Milanowski Janusz , Kalinka Ewa
Published: November 2022

The effectiveness of immunotherapy in cancer patients depends on the activity of the host’s immune system. The intestinal microbiome is a proven immune system modulator, which plays an important role in the development of many cancers and may affect the effectiveness of anti-cancer therapy. The richness of certain bacteria in the gut microbiome (e.g., Bifidobacterium spp., Akkermanisa muciniphila and Enterococcus hire) improves anti-tumor specific immunity and the response to anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy by activating antigen-presenting cells and cytotoxic T cells within the tumor. Moreover, micronutrients affect directly the activities of the immune system or regulate their function by influencing the composition of the microbiome. Therefore, micronutrients can significantly influence the effectiveness of immunotherapy and the development of immunorelated adverse events. In this review, we describe the relationship between the supply of microelements and the abundance of various bacteria in the intestinal microbiome and the effectiveness of immunotherapy in cancer patients. We also point to the function of the immune system in the case of shifts in the composition of the microbiome and disturbances in the supply of microelements. This may in the future become a therapeutic target supporting the effects of immunotherapy in cancer patients.
Feasibility and Effectiveness of the Exercise Program in Endometrial Cancer; Feasibility and Acceptability Survivorship Trial (EPEC-FAST)
Authors: Smits Anke , Galaal Khadra , Winnan Steve , Lopes Alberto , Bekkers Ruud L. M.
Published: November 2022

To evaluate the feasibility of an individualized exercise program in the standard care for endometrial cancer patients aimed to improve quality of life and other health outcomes. This was a single-arm prospective intervention trial to assess the feasibility of an individualized exercise intervention in endometrial cancer patients after treatment. The exercise intervention consisted of weekly individualized training sessions, for 10 weeks, at a local gym facility. The program started six weeks post-operatively. Primary outcomes were feasibility aspects including number of eligible patients, recruitment and adherence rates. Secondary outcomes included quality of life outcomes and anthropometric measures. A total of 54 women were eligible for participation, of which 22 (41%) consented to the study. Overall attendance was 86%, and there were no adverse events. There was a significant improvement in quality of life outcomes, including role (p = 0.02), emotional (p = 0.02) and cognitive functioning (p = 0.04). In addition, there was a significant improvement in visceral fat percentage (p = 0.039) and physical fitness (six-minute walk test p < 0.001). The maximum weight loss achieved was 6.0 kg after 3 months and 8.4 kg after 6 months. An individualized one-to-one exercise intervention in endometrial cancer patients is feasible in terms of recruitment, adherence and safety.
Longitudinal Survival Outcomes in Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation: An Institutional Experience
Authors: Jiang Justin , Sigmund Audrey M. , Zhao Qiuhong , Elder Patrick , Benson Don M. , Vasu Sumithira , Jaglowski Samantha , Mims Alice , Choe Hannah , Larkin Karilyn , Brammer Jonathan E. , Wall Sarah , Grieselhuber Nicole , Saad Ayman , Penza Sam , Efebera Yvonne A. , Sharma Nidhi
Published: November 2022

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) is a potentially curative treatment for many hematological disorders, but is often complicated by relapse of the underlying disease, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and infectious complications. We conducted a retrospective analysis on patients undergoing allo-SCT from 1984 to 2018 to better understand how survival has changed longitudinally with therapeutic advancements made to mitigate these complications. Method: We analyzed data from 1943 consecutive patients who received allo-SCT. Patients were divided into groups (gps) based on the year (yr) of transplant. Primary endpoints were overall survival (OS), progression free survival (PFS), and GVHD-free relapse-free survival (GRFS). Secondary endpoints were the cumulative incidences of grade II–IV and grade III–IV acute GVHD (aGVHD), chronic GVHD (cGVHD), and non-relapse mortality (NRM). Results: Our study found statistically significant improvements in OS, PFS, and GRFS. Five-year PFS among the groups increased from 24% to 48% over the years. Five-year OS increased from 25% to 53%. Five-year GRFS significantly increased from 6% to 14%, but remained relatively unchanged from 2004 to 2018. Cumulative incidences of grade II–IV aGVHD increased since 2009 (p < 0.001). However, cumulative incidence of NRM decreased since 2004 (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Our data show improved OS, PFS, and GRFS post allo-SCT over decades. This may be attributed to advances in supportive care and treatments focused on mitigation of GVHD and relapse.
EMT-Related Genes Have No Prognostic Relevance in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer as Opposed to Stage II/III: Analysis of the Randomised, Phase III Trial FIRE-3 (AIO KRK 0306; FIRE-3)
Authors: Pretzsch Elise , Heinemann Volker , Stintzing Sebastian , Bender Andreas , Chen Shuo , Holch Julian Walter , Hofmann Felix Oliver , Ren Haoyu , Bösch Florian , Küchenhoff Helmut , Werner Jens , Angele Martin Konrad
Published: November 2022

Introduction: There is no standard treatment after resection of colorectal liver metastases and the role of systemic therapy remains controversial. To avoid over- or undertreatment, proper risk stratification with regard to postoperative treatment strategy is highly needed. We recently demonstrated the prognostic relevance of EMT-related (epithelial-mesenchymal transition) genes in stage II/III CRC. As EMT is a major step in CRC progression, we now aimed to analyse the prognostic relevance of EMT-related genes in stage IV CRC using the study cohort of the FIRE-3 trial, an open-label multi-centre randomised controlled phase III trial of patients with metastatic CRC. Methods: Overall and progression free survival were considered as endpoints (n = 350). To investigate the prognostic relevance of EMT-related genes on either endpoint, we compared predictive performance of different models using clinical data only to models using gene data in addition to clinical data, expecting better predictive performance if EMT-related genes have prognostic value. In addition to baseline models (Kaplan Meier (KM), (regularised) Cox), Random Survival Forest (RSF), and gradient boosted trees (GBT) were fit to the data. Repeated, nested five-fold cross-validation was used for hyperparameter optimisation and performance evaluation. Predictive performance was measured by the integrated Brier score (IBS). Results: The baseline KM model showed the best performance (OS: 0.250, PFS: 0.251). None of the other models were able to outperform the KM when using clinical data only according to the IBS scores (OS: 0.253 (Cox), 0.256 (RSF), 0.284 (GBT); PFS: 0.254 (Cox), 0.256 (RSF), 0.276 (GBT)). When adding gene data, performance of GBT improved slightly (OS: 0.262 vs. 0.284; PFS: 0.268 vs. 0.276), however, none of the models performed better than the KM baseline. Conclusion: Overall, the results suggest that the prognostic relevance of EMT-related genes may be stage-dependent and that EMT-related genes have no prognostic relevance in stage IV CRC.
The NAMPT Inhibitor FK866 Increases Metformin Sensitivity in Pancreatic Cancer Cells
Authors: Parisotto Maxime , Vuong-Robillard Nhung , Kalegari Paloma , Meharwade Thulaj , Joumier Loick , Igelmann Sebastian , Bourdeau Véronique , Rowell Marie-Camille , Pollak Michael , Malleshaiah Mohan , Schmitzer Andréea , Ferbeyre Gerardo
Published: November 2022

Pancreatic cancer (pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: PDAC) is one of the most aggressive neoplastic diseases. Metformin use has been associated with reduced pancreatic cancer incidence and better survival in diabetics. Metformin has been shown to inhibit PDAC cells growth and survival, both in vitro and in vivo. However, clinical trials using metformin have failed to reduce pancreatic cancer progression in patients, raising important questions about molecular mechanisms that protect tumor cells from the antineoplastic activities of metformin. We confirmed that metformin acts through inhibition of mitochondrial complex I, decreasing the NAD+/NADH ratio, and that NAD+/NADH homeostasis determines metformin sensitivity in several cancer cell lines. Metabolites that can restore the NAD+/NADH ratio caused PDAC cells to be resistant to metformin. In addition, metformin treatment of PDAC cell lines induced a compensatory NAMPT expression, increasing the pool of cellular NAD+. The NAMPT inhibitor FK866 sensitized PDAC cells to the antiproliferative effects of metformin in vitro and decreased the cellular NAD+ pool. Intriguingly, FK866 combined with metformin increased survival in mice bearing KP4 cell line xenografts, but not in mice with PANC-1 cell line xenografts. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the drug combination reactivated genes in the p53 pathway and oxidative stress, providing new insights about the mechanisms leading to cancer cell death.
Phytol Suppresses Osteoclast Differentiation and Oxidative Stress through Nrf2/HO-1 Regulation in RANKL-Induced RAW264.7 Cells
Authors: Kim Eun-Nam , Trang Nguyen Minh , Kang Heesun , Kim Ki Hyun , Jeong Gil-Saeng
Published: November 2022

Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disorder where osteoclasts are prevalent among osteoblasts. Oxidative stress is one of the main causes of osteoporosis, and nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is the master regulator of antioxidant responses. Phytol, a diterpene isolated from Stevia rebaudiana leaves, has many biological effects, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects. This study investigated the crosstalk between Nrf2 and osteoclast differentiation in the presence of phytol. Phytol inhibited osteoclast differentiation through TRAP-positive and F-actin formation. The expression of anti-nuclear factor of activated T cells-c1 (NFATc1) and c-Fos was suppressed by phytol, as shown using Western blot and RT-PCR analysis. Phytol inhibited oxidative stress by suppressing reactive oxidant species (ROS) accumulation while recovering antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase and catalase. Additionally, phytol ameliorated osteoclast-specific differentiation, function, and oxidative stress through Nrf2 regulation by siRNA transfection. In conclusion, these data demonstrate the inhibitory effect of phytol on osteoclast differentiation through Nrf2 regulation, suggesting its potential use in oxidative stress-related osteoporosis and bone diseases.
Understanding Molecular Actors of SARS-CoV-2 Virulence to Tackle COVID-19 Outbreak
Authors: Berisio Rita
Published: November 2022

COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) is a threatening disease caused by the novel enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA beta-coronavirus, denoted as SARS-CoV-2 [...]
Effect of Metakaolin and Lime on Strength Development of Blended Cement Paste
Authors: Hassannezhad Kosar , Akyol Yasemin , Dursun Mehmet Can , Ow-Yang Cleva W. , Gulgun Mehmet Ali
Published: November 2022

To develop a more reactive pozzolan for supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), the co-calcination of kaolinite and limestone was investigated for its contribution to hydration of blended cement. Kaolinite (with ~50 wt% quartz impurity) was calcined at 700 °C, and a mixture of kaolinite and limestone was calcined at 800 °C. These activated SCMs were added to ordinary Portland cement (OPC), replacing ca. 30 wt% of the OPC. The compressive strength of these blended cement paste samples was measured after 28 and 90 days, while the hydration products and microstructural development in these blended cement pastes were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results revealed that adding free lime to OPC, together with metakaolin, led to enhanced compressive strength. The compressive strength of this new blended cement paste reached 113% and 112% of the compressed strength of pure OPC paste after 28 and 90 days of hydration, respectively. Furthermore, this study showed that the improvement was due to the increased consumption of Portlandite (CH), the formation of calcium aluminosilicate hydrate (CASH), and the reduction of porosity in the sample containing free lime and metakaolin.
Study of the La1−xSrxMnO3 Cathode Film Prepared by a Low Power Plasma Spray Method with Liquid Solution Precursor for a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell
Authors: Lee Chih-Hao , Yeh Bing-Syun , Yang Tsun-Neng
Published: November 2022

A perovskite La1−xSrxMnO3 cathode thin film for an oxygen ion conducting solid oxide fuel cell was prepared using a low power (8.8 kW) liquid solution plasma spray method. Usually, a 30–50 kW Ar plasma torch with temperature higher than all the melting points of solid precursors is essential to synthesis oxides thin film. However, using the liquid precursors as the feeding materials, the required power can be reduced and save a lot of thermal budget. The precursors are water solutions of lanthanum nitrate hexahydrate, manganese(II) nitrate tetrahydrate, and strontium nitrate. The atomic percentage of La in the plasma sprayed La1−xSrxMnO3 cathode film is lower than that of La in the feeding precursor into the torch, which is due to the low boiling temperature of La(NO3)3 precursor. The oxygen stoichiometry of La1−xSrxMnO3−δ deduced from the valence state of Mn measured by X-ray absorption spectroscopy shows an oxygen deficit structure. The measured low resistivity of 0.07–0.09 Ωcm at room temperature for this La1−xSrxMnO3−δ is essential for oxygen ion transport in the cathode thin film of a solid-state fuel cell.
Improving Strength-Ductility via Short Austenitization in a Low-Carbon Carbide-Free Bainitic Steel
Authors: Li Jianhua , Chen Peng , Yang Dapeng , Di Hongshuang , Yi Hongliang
Published: November 2022

The strength and ductility of low-carbon carbide-free bainitic (CFB) automotive steel are not good enough. In this study, a short austenitization (SA) process in conjunction with isothermal bainitic transformation was adopted to refine the bainitic ferrite lath, thus improving the mechanical properties of low-carbon CFB steel. The microstructure evolution was traced by dilatometric measurements and microstructure characterization, which revealed the refined microstructure by SA process. Besides, the deformation behaviors of the studied steels were analyzed, indicating that the improved work hardening capability by refined bainitic ferrite lath and more stable austenite were responsible for the better strength-ductility match. The CFB steel treated by SA process exhibits a high tensile strength of ~1180 MPa, and its elongation of 22.6% is comparable with commercial QP980 steel.
High Expression of POGK Predicts Poor Prognosis in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Xu Wenxiong , Huang Yanlin , Mei Yongyu , Zhang Yeqiong , Luo Qiumin , Zhu Shu , Peng Liang , Gao Zhiliang , Liu Ying , Li Jianguo
Published: November 2022

Objective: Kruppel-associated box (KRAB) proteins reportedly play a dual role in neoplastic transformation. At present, little is known about the function of the proteins encoded by the human pogo transposable element derived with KRAB domain (POGK) gene. Herein, we evaluated the prognostic significance of POGK expression in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: The data of HCC patients was downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. To determine the relationship between POGK and clinical features, logistic regression was applied. Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analyses were used to evaluate the correlation between POGK and survival rates. Gene ontology (GO) analysis and Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) were conducted to identify the enriched pathways and functions associated with POGK. Results: A total of 374 HCC patients were identified in TCGA. POGK was significantly upregulated in HCC and correlated with tumor status (p = 0.036), race (p = 0.025), weight (p = 0.002), body mass index (p = 0.033), histologic grade (p < 0.001), and alpha-fetoprotein (p < 0.001). High POGK expression in HCC patients correlated with a poor outcome in terms of overall survival (p = 0.0018), progression-free survival (p = 0.0087), relapse-free survival (p = 0.045), and disease-specific survival (p = 0.014), according to Kaplan-Meier analysis. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of POGK expression for HCC diagnosis was 0.891. GSEA showed that high POGK expression might activate mitotic prometaphase, kinesins, homologous DNA pairing and strand exchange, MET activates PTK2 signaling pathway, G1 to S cell cycle control, Aurora B pathway, ncRNAs involved in WNT signaling pathway, hepatitis C, and ncRNAs involved in the STAT3 signaling pathway. POGK expression correlated with the abundance of adaptive and innate immunocytes in HCC. Conclusion: High expression of POGK has high diagnostic and prognostic values in patients with HCC. Moreover, POGK expression is correlated with immune infiltration in HCC.
The Impact of COVID-19 on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Lung Cancer over a 2-Year Period at a Canadian Academic Center
Authors: Kasymjanova Goulnar , Rizzolo Angelo , Pepe Carmela , Friedmann Jennifer E. , Small David , Spicer Jonathan , Lecavalier-Barsoum Magali , Sultanem Khalil , Wang Hangjun , Spatz Alan , Cohen Victor , Agulnik Jason S.
Published: November 2022

Background: We have recently reported a 35% drop in new lung cancer diagnoses and a 64% drop in lung cancer surgeries during the first year of the pandemic. Methods: The target population was divided into three cohorts: pre-COVID-19 (2019), first year of COVID-19 (2020), and second year of COVID-19 (2021). Results: The number of new lung cancer diagnoses during the second year of the pandemic increased by 75%, with more than 50% being in the advanced/metastatic stage. There was a significant increase in cases with multiple extrathoracic sites of metastases during the pandemic. During the first year of the pandemic, significantly more patients were treated with radiosurgery compared to the pre-COVID-19 year. During the second year, the number of radiosurgery and surgical cases returned to pre-COVID-19 levels. No significant changes were observed in systemic chemotherapy and targeted therapy. No statistical difference was identified in the mean wait time for diagnosis and treatment during the three years of observation. However, the wait time for surgery was prolonged compared to the pre-COVID-19 cohort. Conclusions: The significant drop in new diagnoses of lung cancer during the first year of the pandemic was followed by an almost two-fold increase in the second year, with the increased rate of metastatic disease with multiple extra-thoracic site metastases. Limited access to surgery resulted in the more frequent use of radiosurgery.
A Nonbinary LDPC-Coded Probabilistic Shaping Scheme for a Rayleigh Fading Channel
Authors: Kang Weimin
Published: November 2022

In this paper, a novel, nonbinary (NB) LDPC-coded probabilistic shaping (PS) scheme for a Rayleigh fading channel is proposed. For the NB LDPC-coded PS scheme in Rayleigh fading channel, the rotation angle of 16 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) constellations, 64QAM constellations and 256QAM constellations are optimized by the exhaustive search. The simulation results verify the information–theoretical analysis. Compared with the binary LDPC-coded PS scheme for Rayleigh fading channel, the proposed NB LDPC-coded PS scheme can improve error performance. In summary, the proposed NB LDPC-coded PS scheme for Rayleigh fading channel is reliable and thus suitable for future communication systems.
3D Simulations of Freezing Characteristics of Double-Droplet Impact on Cold Surfaces with Different Wettability
Authors: Hu Anjie , Yuan Qiaowei , Guo Kaiyue , Wang Zhenyu , Liu Dong
Published: November 2022

In this work, the freezing characteristics of double-droplet impact on three typical wettability surfaces were investigated by coupling the solidification and melting VOF models. Different temperature conditions were adopted to study the influence of icing speed on droplet behavior. Simulation results show that the motion of the double-droplet impact is consistent with that of a single droplet in the early spreading stage but behaves differently in the retraction stage. The wetting area evolution during the impact-freezing process shows different tendency for hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces: Compared with single droplets, double droplets have a smaller wetting area factor on hydrophilic surfaces but a larger one on superhydrophobic surfaces. In addition, three typical impact results are observed for the double-droplet impact on a superhydrophobic cold surface: full rebound, adhesive avulsion, and full adhesion, which reflects the interaction of droplet merging and solidification during the impact freezing of the double droplet. These findings may deepen our understanding of the mechanism of impact freezing on a cold surface, it provides reference for the associated applications and technologies in icing/anti-icing.
A New Class of Weighted CUSUM Statistics
Authors: Shi Xiaoping , Wang Xiang-Sheng , Reid Nancy
Published: November 2022

A change point is a location or time at which observations or data obey two different models: before and after. In real problems, we may know some prior information about the location of the change point, say at the right or left tail of the sequence. How does one incorporate the prior information into the current cumulative sum (CUSUM) statistics? We propose a new class of weighted CUSUM statistics with three different types of quadratic weights accounting for different prior positions of the change points. One interpretation of the weights is the mean duration in a random walk. Under the normal model with known variance, the exact distributions of these statistics are explicitly expressed in terms of eigenvalues. Theoretical results about the explicit difference of the distributions are valuable. The expansions of asymptotic distributions are compared with the expansion of the limit distributions of the Cramér-von Mises statistic and the Anderson and Darling statistic. We provide some extensions from independent normal responses to more interesting models, such as graphical models, the mixture of normals, Poisson, and weakly dependent models. Simulations suggest that the proposed test statistics have better power than the graph-based statistics. We illustrate their application to a detection problem with video data.
A Preprocessing Perspective for Quantum Machine Learning Classification Advantage in Finance Using NISQ Algorithms
Authors: Mancilla Javier , Pere Christophe
Published: November 2022

Quantum Machine Learning (QML) has not yet demonstrated extensively and clearly its advantages compared to the classical machine learning approach. So far, there are only specific cases where some quantum-inspired techniques have achieved small incremental advantages, and a few experimental cases in hybrid quantum computing are promising, considering a mid-term future (not taking into account the achievements purely associated with optimization using quantum-classical algorithms). The current quantum computers are noisy and have few qubits to test, making it difficult to demonstrate the current and potential quantum advantage of QML methods. This study shows that we can achieve better classical encoding and performance of quantum classifiers by using Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) during the data preprocessing step. As a result, the Variational Quantum Algorithm (VQA) shows a gain of performance in balanced accuracy with the LDA technique and outperforms baseline classical classifiers.
Underwater Acoustic Target Recognition Based on Attention Residual Network
Authors: Li Juan , Wang Baoxiang , Cui Xuerong , Li Shibao , Liu Jianhang
Published: November 2022

Underwater acoustic target recognition is very complex due to the lack of labeled data sets, the complexity of the marine environment, and the interference of background noise. In order to enhance it, we propose an attention-based residual network recognition method (AResnet). The method can be used to identify ship-radiated noise in different environments. Firstly, a residual network is used to extract the deep abstract features of three-dimensional fusion features, and then a channel attention module is used to enhance different channels. Finally, the features are classified by the joint supervision of cross-entropy and central loss functions. At the same time, for the recognition of ship-radiated noise in other environments, we use the pre-training network AResnet to extract the deep acoustic features and apply the network structure to underwater acoustic target recognition after fine-tuning. The two sets of ship radiation noise datasets are verified, the DeepShip dataset is trained and verified, and the average recognition accuracy is 99%. Then, the trained AResnet structure is fine-tuned and applied to the ShipsEar dataset. The average recognition accuracy is 98%, which is better than the comparison method.
A Comparison of Neural Networks and Center of Gravity in Muon Hit Position Estimation
Authors: Aktas Kadir , Kiisk Madis , Giammanco Andrea , Anbarjafari Gholamreza , Mägi Märt
Published: November 2022

The performance of cosmic-ray tomography systems is largely determined by their tracking accuracy. With conventional scintillation detector technology, good precision can be achieved with a small pitch between the elements of the detector array. Improving the resolution implies increasing the number of read-out channels, which in turn increases the complexity and cost of the tracking detectors. As an alternative to that, a scintillation plate detector coupled with multiple silicon photomultipliers could be used as a technically simple solution. In this paper, we present a comparison between two deep-learning-based methods and a conventional Center of Gravity (CoG) algorithm, used to calculate cosmic-ray muon hit positions on the plate detector using the signals from the photomultipliers. In this study, we generated a dataset of muon hits on a detector plate using the Monte Carlo simulation toolkit GEANT4. We demonstrate that two deep-learning-based methods outperform the conventional CoG algorithm by a significant margin. Our proposed algorithm, Fully Connected Network, produces a 0.72 mm average error measured in Euclidean distance between the actual and predicted hit coordinates, showing great improvement in comparison with CoG, which yields 1.41 mm on the same dataset. Additionally, we investigated the effects of different sensor configurations on performance.
The Impact of Technology and Government Policies on OECD Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Authors: Dehdar Fatemeh , Silva Nuno , Fuinhas José Alberto , Koengkan Matheus , Nazeer Nazia
Published: November 2022

This study investigated the effect of technology and government policies on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 36 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries from 1994 to 2015. This empirical investigation uses econometric models, such as panel quantile regression and ordinary least squares (OLS). The research uses the method proposed by Lin and Ng in 2015 to deal with parameter heterogeneity across countries that identified two separate groups. The empirical results indicated that Gross Domestic Product (GDP), fossil fuel consumption, industrialisation and taxation to GDP intensify CO2 emissions. In contrast, urbanisation (% of the total population), environmental patents, and environmental tax as a percentage of total tax reduce CO2 gas emissions. Estimates with homogeneity preserve the signs of the parameters but reveal substantial differences in intensity and that environmental tax revenues (as % of GDP and % of tax) are only statistically significant for our studied group 1. The conclusions of this study have important policy implications. The effect of industrialisation on environmental degradation is an observable fact. When the country reaches the allowable thresholds, it needs to maximize energy consumption. Policymakers should design policies that help them to promote environmentally sustainable economic growth by imposing and accumulating environmental taxes. In addition, environmental taxes, the discharge system and credit could support the modification of in-industrial structures and modes of economic growth. Policymakers should also use policies that encourage trade in nuclear-generated electricity to neighbouring OECD countries.
Simulation of Micron and Submicron Particle Trapping by Single Droplets with Electrostatic Fields
Authors: Sun Qiaoqun , Zhang Wei , Zhang Yu , Dan Yaodong , Dong Heming , Wen Jiwang , Du Qian , Gao Jianmin
Published: November 2022

Wet electrostatic precipitators have problems such as uneven water distribution and poor economy in applying ultra-clean particulate matter emissions from coal-fired boilers. Upgrading the droplets in wet dust removal to charged mobile collectors can effectively compensate for these shortcomings. In this paper, the effects of particle sphericity, particle size, and charge on the capture efficiency of a single droplet for capturing micron and submicron particles are qualitatively studied by simulating the process of particle capture by charged droplets in a turbulent flow field. The simulation results show that the trapping efficiency of charged droplets is positively correlated with the sphericity and the amount of charge. The particle size significantly impacts the capture efficiency, and the increase in size increases the capture efficiency, and the capture efficiency of 5.49 μm particles reaches 100%. The effect of particle movement speed on the capture efficiency needs to be considered in combination with particle size. For micron particles, the capture efficiency is close to 100% when the movement speed is 0.3 m/s and 0.5 m/s. For submicron particles, the aggregation morphology is lower at lower speeds. Simple non-spherical particles have greater capture efficiency.
Design of a Fluxgate Weak Current Sensor with Anti-Low Frequency Interference Ability
Authors: Tan Xiangyu , Li Wenyun , Qian Guochao , Ao Gang , Xu Xiaowei , Wei Ran , Ke Yi , Zhang Wenbin
Published: November 2022

According to the requirements of weak current measurement in power grid, a weak current sensor with anti-low frequency interference ability is developed. The sensor adopts the principle of fluxgate detection and adds a magnetic ring on the original basis. The structure of the magnetic ring is simulated using comsol to further improve detection sensitivity. In order to solve the problem that the electromagnetic current sensor is vulnerable to the interference of geomagnetic field and power frequency magnetic field in weak current measurement, a magnetic shielding method with low cost is selected, and the shielding shell structure is designed using a finite element analysis method. The experimental results show that the minimum measurable current is 1 mA, the measurement range is 1 mA–1 A, and the bandwidth is DC-16 kHz. The designed magnetic shielding shell can effectively reduce 97.3% of the DC magnetic field interference and 95.7% of the power frequency magnetic field interference. The sensor can realize accurate measurement of weak current in power grid.
A Comprehensive Review of Research Approaches in the Energy Sector: A Management Sciences Perspective
Authors: Szarucki Marek , Rybkowski Radosław , Bugaj Justyna , Bracio Klaudia
Published: November 2022

The energy sector plays a crucial role in addressing the global challenges of achieving sustainability by using renewable energy sources as well as by increasing energy efficiency and conservation while gaining energy security and safety. Choosing an appropriate research method to investigate the energy sector’s management has become more complex, involving multiple factors such as technical, environmental, social, political and economic. Additionally, considering the important role of energy in modern society, it is imperative to study the current methods used in examining the energy sector and to create an appropriate theory of the managing energy sector enterprises in the future. The main purpose of this review paper is to explore which research methods and approaches are utilized by researchers studying the issues of the managing energy sector enterprises. This article presents a systematic review based on a qualitative synthesis of the accessible publications from the Scopus database. In this review, which also adhered to strict search and filter criteria, a total of 77 articles were selected and synthesized. The selected papers met the inclusion criteria and a bibliometric visualization approach was applied using MAXQDA2020 software. The present paper reveals existing research trends in utilizing various research approaches in the energy sector from the perspective of management sciences in the last ten years and also provides future research avenues in the discussed area of knowledge.
Humic Substances—Common Carriers of Micropollutants in Municipal Engineering
Authors: Anielak Anna M. , Styszko Katarzyna , Kłeczek Aneta , Łomińska-Płatek Dominika
Published: November 2022

Research over several years has shown that municipal engineering is an important source of humic substance formation (HS). Effluents from municipal landfills and digested sludge, due to high concentrations of organic pollutants, including HS and inorganic pollutants, are discharged to a biological treatment plant, where their largely non-biodegradable pollutants constitute a burden on the activated sludge and generate problems related to wastewater treatment. To demonstrate that humic substances, primarily soluble acids, are the carriers of micro-pollutants, their isolation was carried out from samples taken at different municipal management sites. The following analyses were performed: elemental composition, and the content of inorganic micropollutants, including heavy metals. In addition, the sorption affinity of pure HS to selected pharmaceuticals was investigated. The sorbed pharmaceuticals were Diclofenac and Estrone. HS commonly found in municipal engineering have been shown to be carriers of inorganic and organic micropollutants, including pharmaceuticals. Based on the study data, surface water’s primary source of micropollutants is treated municipal wastewater and fulvic acids are the transfer agent. To demonstrate the locations of HS occurrence within municipal engineering and the micropollutants they carry, their isolation was carried out from samples taken at different municipal management sites. Fulvic acids were studied due to their high mobility. Extraction was carried out according to the method recommended by the International Humic Substances Society (IHSS) with the author’s modification. The following analyses were performed: elemental composition (N, C, O, and H); the content of inorganic micropollutants, including heavy metals; and the IR spectrum. In addition, the sorption affinity of pure HS to selected pharmaceuticals was investigated. The sorbed pharmaceuticals were Diclofenac and Estrone. The study confirmed the occurrence of HS in municipal landfill effluents, activated sludge, excess and digested sludge effluents, and treated wastewater. At the same time, HS commonly found in municipal engineering have been shown to be carriers of inorganic and organic micropollutants, including pharmaceuticals.
Computational Tool to Support the Decision in the Selection of Alternative and/or Sustainable Refrigerants
Authors: Jesus Guilherme , Aguiar Martim L. , Gaspar Pedro D.
Published: November 2022

There have been consequences regarding the increment of the greenhouse effect, such as the rise in the planet’s global temperature, and climate change. Refrigerants have an important contribution to the aforementioned environmental impact. In particular, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) contribute to the destruction of the ozone layer and the increase of the greenhouse effect. Protocols, international agreements, and legislation were developed to slow down the emission of greenhouse gases. Prohibition and definition of deadlines for the gradual elimination of various refrigerants have been proposed to replace them with others that are environmentally sustainable. Soon, the refrigeration sector will have to replace some refrigerants with others that are alternative and/or sustainable with minimal or zero environmental impact. A computational tool to support decision-making regarding the selection of alternative and/or sustainable refrigerant to replace the old one is developed to be used by refrigeration companies, manufacturers, and installers. A suggestion of refrigerants with reduced environmental impact is provided, ensuring similar thermal performance and energy efficiency, considering the safety level and renovation cost of the installation and refrigerant itself. This decision support system (DSS) uses an objective function that includes the technical specifications and properties of alternative and sustainable refrigerants. The computational tool is applied in the agri-food sector in three case studies. The results show not only the consistency of the computational tool, but also its flexibility, objectivity, and simplicity. Its use allows companies to choose refrigerants with reduced environmental impact, reduced or zero ozone depletion potential and global warming impact, thus contributing to environmental sustainability.
Reduction in Energy Consumption by Mitigation of Cultivation Resistance Due to the New Fallow Harrow Concept
Authors: Bulgakov Volodymyr , Nadykto Volodymyr , Orynycz Olga , Pascuzzi Simone
Published: November 2022

One of the best precursors for winter wheat is fallow. Its application aims to solve two important tasks: preserving and accumulating soil moisture and weed control. The authors of this paper have designed a new modular harrow for fallow tillage, which can work stably at a depth of 5–6 cm tillage while maintaining and even accumulating soil moisture. This article describes a method designed by the authors for a reasonable selection of the design parameters concerning the working devices mounted inside the new harrow, such as their length and working width, as well as the angles of vertical inclination (ε) and horizontal deviation (γ) of blades, depending on the accepted depth of the upper soil layer loosening. To reduce the soil tillage resistance of the harrowing unit resulting in a reduction in the tractor fuel consumption, the value of the inclination angle (ε) of its vertical blade should be chosen so that the corresponding change in the value of the deflection angle of the horizontal blade (γ) complies with the constrain of the product of tangents of these angles. Moreover, preference should be given to choosing the value of the angle ε with the subsequent determination of the angle γ value. It is demonstrated that proper use of the new type of harrow assures fuel savings and decreases carbon dioxide emissions even if fossil fuel alone is used. Additional reduction of CO2 emission can be achieved when biofuels are used as a replacement for fossil ones.
Study on the Change in the Total Factor Carbon Emission Efficiency of China’s Transportation Industry and Its Influencing Factors
Authors: Jiang Meiru , Li Jiachen
Published: November 2022

The transportation industry is a high carbon emission industry, and China has also put forward strict requirements for the transportation industry to achieve carbon emission reduction. By measuring the total factor carbon emission efficiency of the transportation industry, we can understand the change trend and the influencing factors of the total factor carbon emissions. To fully consider the problem of multiple inputs and outputs in the transportation industry and obtain a more accurate efficiency evaluation value, this paper adopted the slack-based model-data envelopment analysis method and global Malmquist—Luenberger index to study the change in the total factor carbon emission performance of the transportation industry. The combination of static analysis and dynamic analysis was used to calculate the TFP of the transportation industry and increase the content of output indicators. The results indicate that the average TFP and GML index values exhibited significant heterogeneity nationwide. The values in Anhui and Hebei Provinces were greater than 1, and the average GML index values in Shanxi, Guangxi, and Yunnan were greater than 1. The eastern region performed well in terms of technical efficiency and scale efficiency. The technical efficiency in the central, western, and northeastern regions was optimal. In terms of influencing factors, the influencing factors causing the different carbon emission efficiencies in the four regions varied. Finally, corresponding policy suggestions were proposed.