bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Recycling on the Mechanical, Thermal and Rheological Properties of Polypropylene/Carbon Nanotube Composites
Authors: Bata Attila , Nagy Dorottya , Weltsch Zoltán
Published: December 2022

In this research the effect of physical recycling on the mechanical, thermal, and rheological properties of polypropylene (PP)/multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) was investigated. After melt homogenization by extrusion, specimens were injection moulded with 0.1 and 0.5 wt% MWCNT content. The recycling process was simulated by multiple grinding and re-moulding, then we compared the behavior of original and recycled PP/MWCNT composites. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements proved that MWCNT had double the effect on the morphology of the PP matrix: on the one hand nucleating effect can be detected because 0.5 wt% MWCNT increased the onset temperature of crystallization by 10 °C, compared to the basic PP material; on the other hand, the crystalline fraction of the recycled composite materials decreased compared to the original PP material with the same MWCNT content. This resulted in a slight decrease in strength and stiffness but an increase in elongation at break. However, compared to the original unreinforced PP reference, even the recycled materials have better properties. The mechanical test results showed that recycled PP/MWCNT 0.5 wt% increased the elastic modulus (~15%) and decreased the tensile strain at yield (~10%). However, in the values of tensile stress at yield, relevant difference was not found. It was also shown by oscillatory rheometry that MWCNT had a significant effect on the rheological properties (storage and loss modulus, complex viscosity) of PP compounds in a wide temperature range (190–230 °C).
Cellulose-Based Light-Management Films with Improved Properties Directly Fabricated from Green Tea
Authors: Peng Jianfeng , Ji Xiaoqian , Xia Xinqun , Li Cuiyue , Wei Zhaoning , Chu Chen , Xu Zhen , Zhang Jun , Xia Guangmei
Published: December 2022

Tea polyphenols are a phenolic bioactive compound extracted from tea leaves and have been widely used as additives to prepare functional materials used in packaging, adsorption and energy fields. Nevertheless, tea polyphenols should be extracted first from the leaves before use, leading to energy consumption and the waste of tea. Therefore, completely and directly utilizing the tea leaf to fabricate novel composite materials is more attractive and meaningful. Herein, semi-transparent green-tea-based all-biomass light-management films with improved strength, a tunable haze (60–80%) and UV-shielding properties (24.23% for UVA and 4.45% for UVB) were directly manufactured from green tea by adding high-degree polymerization wood pulps to form entanglement networks. Additionally, the green-tea-based composite films can be produced on a large scale by adding green tea solution units to the existing continuous production process of pure cellulose films. Thus, a facile and feasible approach was proposed to realize the valorization of green tea by preparing green-tea-based all-biomass light-management films that have great prospects in flexible devices and energy-efficient buildings.
Revisiting Literacy Jihad Programs of ‘Aisyiyah in Countering the Challenges of Salafism
Authors: Arifin Achmad Zainal , Sofia Adib , Hidayah Irfatul
Published: December 2022

The rise of the Salafi movements in Indonesia during the last two decades has created an increasingly pessimistic view of the status of women in Islam. This paper aims to lessen this negative view by showing the tremendous contribution of ‘Aisyiyah, the oldest modern Muslim women’s organization in Indonesia, to transforming Indonesian society through literacy jihad for women and families. Using in-depth interviews with board members of ‘Aisyiyah, combined with library research to collect primary data on the past activities of ‘Aisyiyah, this qualitative research portrays how ‘Aisyiyah has preserved and maintained its consistency in conducting literacy jihad since the 1920s. Through the establishment of ‘Aisyiyah Bustanul Athfal Kindergarten, usually shortened to TK ABA, and the publication of Suara ‘Aisyiyah magazine, the literacy jihad of ‘Aisyiyah constantly empowers many Muslim women and families, especially those who live in urban areas across the country. Currently, the number of TK ABA has reached nearly 22,000 units, and the Suara ‘Aisyiyah has also entered a digital platform to continue raising the voice of women’s rights in Indonesia. Furthermore, we posit that the literary jihad programs of ‘Aisyiyah provide a new perspective on the relationship between modernist Muslim organizations and the Salafi movements, which have been seen as similar because they both subscribe to the same purification ideology.
By What Authority? Primatiality and Synodality in Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy: In Quest for Better Solutions
Authors: Kantyka Przemysław
Published: December 2022

The major Christian denominations over the centuries have developed structures of authority and decision-making. It is intended to prove, that in the Roman Catholic Church, the focus has shifted toward primacy, while the Orthodox Churches are considered to be governed in the most synodal manner. The existing models of authority have their advantages and disadvantages, influencing decision-making and shaping synodal structures. In the article, using the methods of analysis, interpretation and comparison, the structures of authority and decision-making in the Orthodox Churches and the Roman Catholic Church will be displayed, and on this basis, their strengths and weaknesses will be detected. The following questions will be answered in turn: how do primatial structures function in the churches? What is the shared responsibility for decision-making in synodal structures? What are the strong and weak points in the churches’ primatial and synodal structures? Based on the answers to these proposals, de-clericalisation of the primatial appointments and preventing synodal bodies from substantive failures will be formulated.
Good Immunogenicity of Delayed Second Dose of BNT162b2 Vaccine in Individuals with Acute Allergic-like Reactions after the First Dose
Authors: Araki Kazuhiro , Shimizu Nobuaki , Iijima Misa , Hosaka Hisashi , Yanagita Yasuhiro
Published: December 2022

We assessed SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike immunoglobulin G (anti-S-IgG) levels among healthcare workers (HCWs) after BNT162b2 vaccination. The anti-S-IgG titers of study participants were measured every three months, a week before, and three weeks after each vaccination. This study compared the short-term immune response to the second vaccination in four HCWs who received the first two doses six months apart (due to acute allergic-like adverse events after the first dose), with that of six HCWs who received the first two doses three weeks apart, according to the standard schedule. The four HCWs who experienced acute allergic-like adverse events after the first vaccination took antihistamines before the second vaccination. None of them experienced an allergic-like reaction after the second vaccination, and the short-term immune response to the second vaccination was similar in both groups.
Multivehicle 3D Cooperative Positioning Algorithm Based on Information Geometric Probability Fusion of GNSS/Wireless Station Navigation
Authors: Tang Chengkai , Wang Chen , Zhang Lingling , Zhang Yi , Song Houbing
Published: December 2022

With the rapid development of large urban agglomerations and the increasing complexity of urban roads, the high-precision positioning of vehicles has become the cornerstone for the application of vehicle core technologies such as automatic driving. The real-time positioning accuracy of satellite navigation is easily affected by urban canyons, and its stability is poor; thus, how to use the information of the internet of vehicles to achieve satellite navigation fusion has become a difficult problem of multivehicle cooperative positioning. Aiming at this problem, this paper proposes a multivehicle 3D cooperative positioning algorithm based on information geometric probability fusion of GNSS/wireless station navigation (MVCP-GW), which creatively converts various navigation source information into an information geometric probability model, unifies navigation information time–frequency parameters, and reduces the impact of sudden error. Combined with the Kullback–Leibler algorithm (KLA) fusion method, it breaks off the shackles of the probabilistic two-dimensional model and achieves multivehicle three-dimensional cooperative positioning. Compared with the existing cooperative positioning algorithms in the performance of accuracy stability, applicability, obstruction scenarios, and physical verification, the simulation results and physical verification show that the MVCP-GW algorithm can effectively improve real-time vehicle positioning and the stability of vehicle positioning, as well as resist the impact of obstructed environments.
A Novel Scheme about Skeleton Optimization Designed for ISTTWN Algorithm
Authors: Yang Jie , Wen Xiaorong , Wang Qiulai , Ye Jin-Sheng , Zhang Yanli , Sun Yuan
Published: December 2022

The ISTTWN algorithm overcame the defect of separating the production process of skeleton points and skeleton lines in tree branch point cloud skeleton extraction and improved the accuracy of the extracted initial skeletons, but the skeletons need further optimization. In the existing skeleton optimization, it is difficult to see the stump adjustment, and most of the bifurcation optimization and skeleton smoothness adopt fitting. Based on the characteristics of the initial skeletons extracted by the ISTTWN algorithm, this research optimizes the skeleton from four aspects. An algorithm for the stump adjustment for reconstructing the stump based on the layer and hierarchical relationship and an algorithm for the bifurcation optimization based on the local branch point cloud and cosine correlation are proposed, and an existing pruning method and a skeleton smoothing method are used. The results show that the skeleton optimization method proposed or used in this research has a high computational efficiency in general and can ultimately retain the necessary skeleton lines. In a visual analysis, the optimized skeleton is obviously much more natural and more in line with the actual topology of trees. In the quantitative analysis, the completeness, accuracy and effectiveness reached 97.82%, 95.72% and 89.47%, respectively. In this study, in addition to the existing tree parameters extracted by the skeleton or generalized cylinder model, the generated skeleton is used to extract the branch attributes. The R2 of the deflection angle of the branch tip, distance from branch tip and branch length are about 0.897, 0.986 and 0.988, respectively, which illustrates that their models are very good. This research can further expand the application of the skeleton.
Ground Clutter Mitigation for Slow-Time MIMO Radar Using Independent Component Analysis
Authors: Yang Fawei , Guo Jinpeng , Zhu Rui , Le Kernec Julien , Liu Quanhua , Zeng Tao
Published: December 2022

The detection of low, slow and small (LSS) targets, such as small drones, is a developing area of research in radar, wherein the presence of ground clutter can be quite challenging. LSS targets, because of their unusual flying mode, can be easily shadowed by ground clutter, leading to poor radar detection performance. In this study, we investigated the feasibility and performance of a ground clutter mitigation method combining slow-time multiple-input multiple-output (st-MIMO) waveforms and independent component analysis (ICA) in a ground-based MIMO radar focusing on LSS target detection. The modeling of ground clutter under the framework of st-MIMO was first defined. Combining the spatial and temporal steering vector of st-MIMO, a universal signal model including the target, ground clutter, and noise was established. The compliance of the signal model for conducting ICA to separate the target was analyzed. Based on this, a st-MIMO-ICA processing scheme was proposed to mitigate ground clutter. The effectiveness of the proposed method was verified with simulation and experimental data collected from an S-band st-MIMO radar system with a desirable target output signal-to-clutter-plus-noise ratio (SCNR). This work can shed light on the use of ground clutter mitigation techniques for MIMO radar to tackle LSS targets.
Coupling an Ecological Network with Multi-Scenario Land Use Simulation: An Ecological Spatial Constraint Approach
Authors: Nie Wenbin , Xu Bin , Ma Shuai , Yang Fan , Shi Yan , Liu Bintao , Hao Nayi , Wu Renwu , Lin Wei , Bao Zhiyi
Published: December 2022

To balance ecological protection and urban development, a land use simulation model that couples an ecological network (EN) and multiple scenarios was developed based on the PLUS model. The simulation of land use in the Qiantang River Basin in 2030 successfully demonstrates the usefulness of the EN-PLUS model. In this model, conventional ecological constraints (nature reserves and water areas) and three different EN levels were taken as restricted conversion areas during the simulation. Then, four ecological constraints were coupled with four simulation scenarios: business as usual (BAU), rapid urban development (RUD), ecological protection (EP), and urban- and ecology-balanced (UEB). Information from the analysis of model simulation results can be used to reduce the potential damage to a range of land cover types. However, this protective effect is not obvious under the RUD scenario due to the impact of significant human disturbance. Furthermore, although EP is the scenario with the least ecological damage at the whole watershed scale, this is not the case for all subbasins. This indicates the existence of a landscape scale effect. Therefore, the best development scenario should be selected by comprehensively weighing the scale effect and the ecological characteristics of each subbasin.
Relative Pose Estimation of Non-Cooperative Space Targets Using a TOF Camera
Authors: Sun Dianqi , Hu Liang , Duan Huixian , Pei Haodong
Published: December 2022

It is difficult to determine the accurate pose of non-cooperative space targets in on-orbit servicing (OOS). The visual camera is easily affected by the extreme light environment in space, and the scanning lidar will have motion distortion when the target moves at high speed. Therefore, we proposed a non-cooperative target pose-estimation system combining a registration and a mapping algorithm using a TOF camera. We first introduce the projection model of the TOF camera and proposed a new calibration method. Then, we introduce the three modules of the proposed method: the TOF data preprocessing module, the registration module and the model mapping module. We assembled the experimental platform to conduct semi-physical experiments; the results showed that the proposed method has the smallest translation error 8 mm and Euler angle error 1° compared with other classical methods. The total time consumption is about 100 ms, and the pose tracking frequency can reach 10 Hz. We can conclude that the proposed pose-estimation scheme can achieve the high-precision pose estimation of non-cooperative targets and meet the requirements necessary for aerospace applications.
A Sentinel-2 Based Multi-Temporal Monitoring Framework for Wind and Bark Beetle Detection and Damage Mapping
Authors: Candotti Anna , De Giglio Michaela , Dubbini Marco , Tomelleri Enrico
Published: December 2022

The occurrence of extreme windstorms and increasing heat and drought events induced by climate change leads to severe damage and stress in coniferous forests, making trees more vulnerable to spruce bark beetle infestations. The combination of abiotic and biotic disturbances in forests can cause drastic environmental and economic losses. The first step to containing such damage is establishing a monitoring framework for the early detection of vulnerable plots and distinguishing the cause of forest damage at scales from the management unit to the region. To develop and evaluate the functionality of such a monitoring framework, we first selected an area of interest affected by windthrow damage and bark beetles at the border between Italy and Austria in the Friulian Dolomites, Carnic and Julian Alps and the Carinthian Gailtal. Secondly, we implemented a framework for time-series analysis with open-access Sentinel-2 data over four years (2017–2020) by quantifying single-band sensitivity to disturbances. Additionally, we enhanced the framework by deploying vegetation indices to monitor spectral changes and perform supervised image classification for change detection. A mean overall accuracy of 89% was achieved; thus, Sentinel-2 imagery proved to be suitable for distinguishing stressed stands, bark-beetle-attacked canopies and wind-felled patches. The advantages of our methodology are its large-scale applicability to monitoring forest health and forest-cover changes and its usability to support the development of forest management strategies for dealing with massive bark beetle outbreaks.
Ship Trajectory Generator under the Interference of Wind, Current and Waves
Authors: Ding Xian , Bian Hongwei , Ma Heng , Wang Rongying
Published: December 2022

In view of the low accuracy of the motion parameters generated by the typical ship trajectory generator, and the fact that the problem of wind, current and wave interference is not considered, this paper establishes a new ship trajectory generator by analyzing the changes in the ship’s attitude and speed under different motion states. Through simulation, the accuracy of the main motion parameters is significantly improved compared with the typical trajectory generator; the time-varying non-uniform wind, current and wave fields are constructed, and the interference effect of wind, current and waves on ship motion is analyzed by combining the empirical formulas of force and moment; an adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) based on wind, current and wave interference is designed, and the fuzzy rules of the fuzzy system are determined by training and testing the measured data; the motion parameters of superimposed wind, current and wave interference are compared with the measured data, and the accuracy is further improved after superimposing wind, current and wave interference.
Seed Systems Resilience—An Overview
Authors: Louwaars Niels P. , Manicad Gigi
Published: December 2022

Seeds are a basic input for all crop production. Good seed is crucial for the global food and nutrition security, for rural development and farmers’ livelihoods and for all green value chains. What “good seed” is depends on individual farmer’s needs. The sustainable availability of seed and seed choice is thus an essential issue for every farmer. Farmers access seeds from multiple sources. Different seed systems have their strengths and vulnerabilities. With changing farming conditions around the world due to climate change, soil degradation and market demands, an analysis of possible disruptions and general future-proofing appears necessary. Such analysis also informs the kinds of support that different seed systems may need to be optimally resilient. Given the very limited studies on resilience of current seed systems, we performed a literature review on the opportunities and vulnerabilities of seed systems to identify possible resilience challenges. Seed system resilience in terms of future-proofing is closely linked with “seed security”, the secured access to preferred seeds by farmers. Such resilience depends on the functioning of each of the formal and farmers’ seed systems and how these two systems complement each other, particularly when one falters. In this paper, we describe the major characteristics of seed systems, analyze their strength and vulnerabilities, and describe support functions toward future-proofing them. Both the farmers’ and the formal seed systems are increasingly facing varying forms and degrees of sustainability challenges. These require various types of support. Farmers’ seed systems may find it hard to respond to radically changing conditions without support. Commercial formal seed systems are less vulnerable, as they generally are better equipped to respond to the (changing) needs of their customers. Commercial formal seed systems, however, only serve those farmers that are able and willing to pay for quality seeds. This immediately indicates a significant limitation. A common feature of both formal and farmers’ systems is their dependence on the continuous flow and capacity to use a diversity of plant genetic resources. In conclusion, no single seed system can be considered totally resilient and thus future-proof without specific external support.
Membrane-Based Electrochemical Detection of Uranium: A Review
Authors: Zhang Jingyue , He Qing , Zhang Wen
Published: December 2022

The determination of uranium in environmental samples has always been a crucial environmental issue due to its adverse impacts on human life. Electrochemical detection is one of the most suitable methods for directly determining uranium because of its portable instrument and quick response characteristics. The ion-selective membrane in the working electrodes is selectively responsible for uranium transport and separation. This mini-review provides a general overview of the membrane-based ion-selective electrodes in detecting uranium ions reported in the literature. The ion-selective membranes are classified according to their ionophore categories. Furthermore, the limits and outlook are also discussed to provide a reference for further developing membrane-based electrochemical uranium sensors.
Numerical Simulation and Experimental Study of a Multistage Multiphase Separation System
Authors: Chen Xuezhong , Zheng Jian , Jiang Jiayu , Peng Hao , Luo Yanli , Zhang Liming
Published: December 2022

Nowadays, most oilfields have entered the high water cut stage of waterflood development. The importance of oil–water separation technology becomes more obvious. Gravity separation is one of the most commonly used treatment techniques for produced fluid. The gravitational separator has a large processing capacity and a wide application range, but its structure is relatively simple and the separation efficiency gradually falls behind to meet current production needs. The key difficulties to improve the separation efficiency are to analyze the flow field and coalescing components inside the separator. Aiming at these difficulties, this paper reports an innovatively designed series-parallel multistage multiphase separation system (MMSS). A horizontal separator is connected in series with a vertical separator, and the vertical separator consists of five discrete pipes connected in parallel. Different coalescing components are then set inside the vertical separator. The separation effect of the MMSS is studied by numerical simulation and laboratory experiments. The oil phase volume distribution cloud diagrams of coalescing components are analyzed by numerical simulation, including semicircle baffle, spiral track plate, four-hole plate and seven-hole plate. Laboratory experiments show that MMSS has a high separation efficiency, and the water content at the oil outlet is 3.0% less than that of the horizontal separator. By observing the shape of oil droplets at the outlet and measuring the oil cut and water cut at the sampling outlet, the separation effect of four coalescent plates is obtained. According to the statistics, when the volumetric flow at the inlet of the separator is 1.5 m3/h, the average particle size of oil drops in the blank pipe, semicircular baffle, four-hole plate, spiral track and seven-hole plate increases in turn. A continuous oil layer appears at the outlet of the vertical separator in the fully open state. The water content at the oil outlet of the semicircular baffle coalescing component is always at a high level under different flow rates. When the inlet volumetric flow rate is less than 1.6 m3/h, the performance of the spiral track coalescing component is better. With the increase of the inlet volumetric flow rate, the separation efficiency of the spiral track is lower than that of the orifice. The results show that the semicircular coalescing component has the worst performance, the spiral track coalescing component is superior at small volumetric flow rates, and the orifice coalescing component is superior at large volumetric flow rates.
Numerical and Experimental Study on Propagation Attenuation of Leakage Vibration Acceleration Signal of the Buried Water Pipe
Authors: Yang Xuan , Wang Fuming , Yu Xiang , Li Shaohui
Published: December 2022

For detecting water pipeline leakage signals, in the past people preferred to use sensors to obtain the leakage signal and then use various means and methods to remove noise to increase the positioning accuracy. However, as the leakage signal is generated, it spreads along the pipeline wrapped in soil. In this process, the signal will change significantly, eventually becoming very different from the original signal. As such, the detection accuracy will decline, as the detection distance becomes longer. Despite this, few researchers have considered the distortion caused by signal propagation in the whole process and instead use the distorted signal characteristics for positioning. This direction needs to be further studied. In this paper, the acceleration signal of leakage vibration is taken as the research object using a combination of tests and numerical simulation. The acceleration signals from the leakage source are collected and simulated at different distances. The reliability of the numerical simulation model is verified by using the inversion theory, and the influence of soil with different elastic modulus on the acceleration signal is expanded. Research findings: (a) For the attenuation of the acceleration signal of pipeline leakage vibration along the pipeline, the elastic modulus of soil around the pipeline in the numerical simulation model is about 3.3 times its compression modulus, which is closer to the actual situation. (b) The attenuation of the acceleration signal amplitude of pipeline leakage vibration conforms to the characteristics of an exponential function. The higher the elastic modulus of soil, the stronger the signal attenuation. (c) The soil with different elastic modulus has different absorption capacities to signal components, and the high-frequency part of the acceleration signal attenuates faster. (d) The group velocity of the leakage vibration signal is 929 m/s, and the different elastic modulus of soil will affect the group velocity of the leakage vibration signal.
Paper Analysis of the Relevance of Place Attachment to Environment-Related Behavior: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Feng Xueli , Zhang Zhibin , Chen Xianfei
Published: December 2022

The discourse regarding place attachment (PA) has grown even more divergent, and an array of scholars and practitioners apply place attachment concepts in their work, drawing out associations between PA and environment-related behavior and revealing how an understanding of people’s attachment to place can influence research, policy, and design practice. In this paper, we use bibliometrics and CiteSpace software to quantify and visualize 528 publications of place attachment and environment-related behavior research (PAEBR) in the core collection database of Web of Science (WoS) from 1 January 2004 to 1 November 2022 and trace the main overview of the research from the number of published papers. First, we present the number of papers published, research discipline distribution, the core authors of articles, the fundamental condition of countries and research organizations, and the major journals of articles involved in PAEBR through bibliometrics. Second, we identify trending research topics in PAEBR using keyword co-occurrence analysis. The results show that the four research trending topics involved climate change, pro-environmental behavior, and environmental threat. All of these provide readers with a preliminary understanding of PAEBR, indicating that cooperation and analysis involving multiple disciplines, specialties, and perspectives will become the dominant trend in this field.
A Strategy to Quantify Water Supply of an Agricultural Reservoir for Integrated Water Management Policy
Authors: Lee Jaenam , Shin Hyungjin , Noh Jaekyoung
Published: December 2022

A data-driven approach is required to scientifically manage agricultural water resources in accordance with the integrated water management policy of South Korea. In this study, a quantification strategy is presented to calculate reservoir supply by comparing the results with the actual reservoir water storage. Strategies considering current calculation methods were divided into canal flow measurement (S1), theoretical flow rate (S2), water storage decrease in field practice (S3), and water demand in design practice (S4), utilizing water levels of the reservoir and its canal and the level–flow rate curve obtained from surveying the canal flow. Each strategy was assessed through hydrological verification of reservoir water balance modeling. Based on the determination coefficient (R2), Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), and relative error (RE) values, the S1 method was found to be the most suitable. S2 had lower reliability than S1, while S3 and S4 satisfied neither R2 nor NSE and had a larger RE than S1 and S2. To accurately quantify agricultural water supplies, the importance of directly measuring reservoir canal flows must be emphasized using automatic water level and flow gauges in canals. This study provides insights into more scientific management of agricultural reservoir water supplies and more effective monitoring of agricultural water usage.
Performance Compensation Commitment in Mergers and Acquisitions
Authors: Qin Na , Liu Yiping
Published: December 2022

The impact of performance compensation commitments on mergers and acquisitions (M&As) has been widely discussed, but has no consistent conclusions. By investigating M&A events among A-share firms from 2011–2015, we found an inverted U-shaped relationship between performance compensation commitments and M&A performance. The PSM is firstly used to select a paired sample of firms’ signing performance compensation commitments, which is used to test the incentive effect of signing performance compensation commitments. Secondly, the different impact paths of performance compensation commitment on M&A performance are tested empirically. The study found that: (1) the signing of performance compensation commitment agreements is more likely to increase the M&A price, resulting in a “high premium”; (2) M&A premiums and performance compensation commitments are helpful to improve the short-term effect of M&A performance. However, in the long run, M&A premiums and performance compensation commitments reduce M&A performance, which means that performance commitments have an inverted U-shaped effect on M&A performance. This study enriches our understanding about the impact of performance compensation commitments on M&A performance and has important implications for institutional construction and the protection of small and medium-sized businesses.
Efforts Proposed by IOC to Alleviate Pressure on Olympic Games Hosts and Evidence from Beijing 2022
Authors: Yan Weihua , Xu Na , Xue Rui , Ye Zhenghang , Wang Zhaoyang , Ren Dingmeng
Published: December 2022

Nowadays, the Olympic Games (OG) are faced with escalating complications and gigantism that frustrate the motivation of potential Olympic bidders, therefore obstructing the sustainable development of the Olympic Movement. The IOC has made numerous efforts to solve the problems, which include easing the pressure on OG hosts (including candidates) in an attempt to regain public trust and justify the delivery of the OG. Relevant countermeasures have been adopted and highlighted in the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 (Beijing 2022). This study first examined the governance model proposed by the IOC, which consists of diversified stakeholders and different guiding documents. Then a typology of measures to reduce the pressure on Olympic hosts was developed, and four significant initiatives taken by different actors were identified, namely reducing economic costs and increasing financial support, setting up subsidiaries and outsourcing services, signing official partners to share the workload, and transferring organising knowledge. To be more clear, the case of Beijing 2022 was analysed to illustrate the measures proposed by the IOC. Additionally, suggestions were made to the IOC and future hosts in their preparations for the OG. The current study could add to the literature by inspiring future candidates/hosts to draw on the IOC’s policy and to have a better understanding of the successful delivery of the OG.
Potential and Complexity of Implementing Financial Instruments in the Framework of Rural Development Policies in Italy—The Friuli Venezia Giulia Revolving Fund
Authors: Cisilino Federica , Licciardo Francesco
Published: December 2022

Although in recent years some credit institutions have shown a willingness to support agricultural entrepreneurs, there is still a lack of private financing or co-financing in the agricultural sector. Many farms, in fact, are not able to meet the indicators or to provide the fees required by banks to obtain investment loans. The financial instruments introduced by the European Commission within the Rural Development Programme aim at supporting access to credit for farms to make them more economically viable, competitive, and suited to market requirements. The objective of this paper is to analyze the role played by the financial instruments introduced by the European Union to support and encourage the improvement of farms and, in general, the agriculture, forestry, human capital, and rural development in Italy. The paper explores the topic in detail by presenting a case study of a region that has successfully applied these instruments using a revolving fund with a special background. The quantitative data used in this study are administrative; some information was obtained through a survey. Regional information on the implementation of this fund is examined in terms of both opportunities and limitations to highlight the best practice. The findings suggest that certain conditions are required to develop and implement effective financial instruments: a real and effective collaboration between regional administration, banking institutions, and farms that are willing to grasp the newness; a reasonable period of time (some years); know-how because knowledge and experience are crucial, together with the ability to face complexity both in terms of normative issues and financial engineering instruments themselves. Several implications derive from these findings.
Operation of Different Reverse Osmosis (RO) Membrane Modules for the Treatment of High-Strength Wastewater to Enhance the Recovery of Clean Water—A Case Study in Bac Ninh, Vietnam
Authors: Ho Ngo Anh Dao , Nguyen Van Hieu , Babel Sandhya
Published: December 2022

In this study, a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Vietnam receiving high-strength wastewater with COD of about 30,000 mg/L and various heavy metals from industries was treated by different RO membrane modules in order to meet the stringent national discharge standard and recover wastewater for reuse. The Fenton and coagulation pre-treatments were employed based on optimal conditions, which were experimentally pre-determined. For the RO membrane system, the two-stage treatment employed a plate frame RO (PFRO) followed by spiral wound RO (SPRO) to obtain high-quality permeate, while the high-pressure PFRO (HP PFRO) module was employed for the recovery of concentrated streams from the PFRO unit. As a result, a significant COD removal efficiency of 99.62% was achieved in the SPRO module. The heavy metal concentrations (i.e., Cu, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cr) measured in the output mostly met the standards for discharge levels. A significant decrease in electrical conductivity (EC) to below 250 µS/cm was achieved. In addition, high rates of water recovery were achieved from the RO modules (i.e., PFRO 63%, HP PFRO 9–12%, SPRO > 80–90%). The high-quality treated wastewater was thus suitable for reuse purposes. This study highlights the feasibility of RO membranes for practical treatment of high-strength wastewater and provides valuable data for the WWTP operator.
Numerical Inverse Laplace Transform Methods for Advection-Diffusion Problems
Authors: Kamran  , Shah Farman Ali , Aly Wael Hosny Fouad , Aksoy Hasan , Alotaibi Fahad M. , Mahariq Ibrahim
Published: December 2022

Partial differential equations arising in engineering and other sciences describe nature adequately in terms of symmetry properties. This article develops a numerical method based on the Laplace transform and the numerical inverse Laplace transform for numerical modeling of diffusion problems. This method transforms the time-dependent problem to a corresponding time-independent inhomogeneous problem by employing the Laplace transform. Then a local radial basis functions method is employed to solve the transformed problem in the Laplace domain. The main feature of the local radial basis functions method is the collocation on overlapping sub-domains of influence instead of on the whole domain, which reduces the size of the collocation matrix; hence, the problem of ill-conditioning in global radial basis functions is resolved. The Laplace transform is used in comparison with a finite difference technique to deal with the time derivative and avoid the effect of the time step on numerical stability and accuracy. However, using the Laplace transform sometimes leads to a solution in the Laplace domain that cannot be converted back into the real domain by analytic methods. Therefore, in such a case, the Laplace transform is inverted numerically. In this investigation, two inversion techniques are utilized; (i) the contour integration method, and (ii) the Stehfest method. Three test problems are used to evaluate the proposed numerical method. The numerical results demonstrate that the proposed method is computationally efficient and highly accurate.
Estimating the Spread of Generalized Compartmental Model of Monkeypox Virus Using a Fuzzy Fractional Laplace Transform Method
Authors: Rexma Sherine V. , Chellamani P. , Ismail Rashad , Avinash N. , Britto Antony Xavier G.
Published: December 2022

The main objective of this work is to develop the fuzzy fractional mathematical model that will be used to examine the dynamics of monkeypox viral transmission. The proposed dynamical model consists of human and rodents individuals and this monkeypox infection model is mathematically formulated by fuzzy fractional differential equation defined in Caputo’s sense. We provide results that demonstrate the existence and uniqueness of the considered model’s solution. We observe that our results are accurate, and that our method is applicable to the fuzzy system of fractional ordinary differential equations (ODEs). Furthermore, this monkeypox virus model has been identified as a generalization of SEIQR and SEI models. The results show that keeping diseased rodents apart from the human population reduces the spread of disease. Finally, we present brief discussions and numerical simulations to illustrate our findings.
Generating Many Majorana Corner Modes and Multiple Phase Transitions in Floquet Second-Order Topological Superconductors
Authors: Zhou Longwen
Published: December 2022

A d-dimensional, nth-order topological insulator or superconductor has localized eigenmodes at its (d−n)-dimensional boundaries (n≤d). In this work, we apply periodic driving fields to two-dimensional superconductors, and obtain a wide variety of Floquet second-order topological superconducting (SOTSC) phases with many Majorana corner modes at both zero and π quasienergies. Two distinct Floquet SOTSC phases are found to be separated by three possible kinds of transformations, i.e., a topological phase transition due to the closing/reopening of a bulk spectral gap, a topological phase transition due to the closing/reopening of an edge spectral gap, or an entirely different phase in which the bulk spectrum is gapless. Thanks to the strong interplay between driving and intrinsic energy scales of the system, all the found phases and transitions are highly controllable via tuning a single hopping parameter of the system. Our discovery not only enriches the possible forms of Floquet SOTSC phases, but also offers an efficient scheme to generate many coexisting Majorana zero and π corner modes, which may find applications in Floquet quantum computation.
Prevalence of Mutated Colistin-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Yusof Nik Yusnoraini , Norazzman Nur Iffah Izzati , Hakim Siti Nur’ain Warddah Ab , Azlan Mawaddah Mohd , Anthony Amy Amilda , Mustafa Fatin Hamimi , Ahmed Naveed , Rabaan Ali A. , Almuthree Souad A. , Alawfi Abdulsalam , Alshengeti Amer , Alwarthan Sara , Garout Mohammed , Alawad Eman , Yean Chan Yean
Published: December 2022

The emergence of genetic mutations in chromosomal genes and the transmissible plasmid-mediated colistin resistance gene may have helped in the spread of colistin resistance among various Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) isolates and other different bacteria. In this study, the prevalence of mutated colistin-resistant K. pneumoniae isolates was studied globally using a systematic review and meta-analysis approach. A systematic search was conducted in databases including PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus and Google Scholar. The pooled prevalence of mutated colistin resistance in K. pneumoniae isolates was analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Software (CMA). A total of 50 articles were included in this study. The pooled prevalence of mutated colistin resistance in K. pneumoniae was estimated at 75.4% (95% CI = 67.2–82.1) at high heterogeneity (I2 = 81.742%, p-value < 0.001). Meanwhile, the results of the subgroup analysis demonstrated the highest prevalence in Saudi Arabia with 97.9% (95% CI = 74.1–99.9%) and Egypt, with 4.5% (95% CI = 0.6–26.1%), had the lowest. The majority of mutations could be observed in the mgrB gene (88%), pmrB gene (54%) and phoQ gene (44%). The current study showed a high prevalence of the mutation of colistin resistance genes in K. pneumoniae. Therefore, it is recommended that regular monitoring be performed to control the spread of colistin resistance.
Towards a Model of Urban Evolution—Part I: Context
Authors: Silver Daniel , Adler Patrick , Fox Mark S.
Published: December 2022

This paper seeks to develop the core concepts of a model of urban evolution. It proceeds in four major sections. First, we review prior adumbrations of an evolutionary model in urban theory, noting their potential and their limitations. Second, we turn to the general sociocultural evolution literature to draw inspiration for a fresh and more complete application of evolutionary theory to the study of urban life. Third, building upon this background, we outline the main elements of our proposed model, with special attention to elaborating the value of its key conceptual innovation, the “formeme”. Last, we conclude with a discussion of what types of research commitments the overall approach does or does not imply, and point toward the more formal elaboration of the model that we undertake in “Towards a Model of Urban Evolution, Part II” and “Towards a Model of Urban Evolution, Part III”. In “Towards a Model of Urban Evolution, Part IV” we demonstrate the application of the model to Yelp data.
Climate Changes and Hydrological Processes
Authors: Wang Wenchuan , Feng Zhongkai , Ma Mingwei
Published: December 2022

Due to the influences of climate changes and human activities, extreme climate events have made obvious changes to the hydrological process and the temporal-spatial distribution of water resources over the past several decades [...]
Development of a Cloud Point Extraction Technique Based on Lecithin for the Recovery of Carotenoids from Liquid Tomato Wastewater
Authors: Giovanoudis Ioannis , Athanasiadis Vassilis , Chatzimitakos Theodoros , Gortzi Olga , Nanos George D. , Lalas Stavros I.
Published: December 2022

The traditional extraction methods used to recover natural antioxidants from food industry wastes involve significant amounts of hazardous solvents. A viable alternative is the use of non-toxic surfactants to remove organic compounds from wastes at temperatures above the cloud point. Cloud point extraction has only recently begun to be used to recover high-value added compounds from food industry wastes. In the current work, a method for the isolation of high-value added components from liquid tomato wastewater using a cloud point extraction method was developed and optimized. Food-grade lecithin was examined for its potential to be used as a surfactant in the developed procedure. Moreover, parameters affecting the extraction (ionic strength, sample pH, temperature of extraction, and surfactant concentration) were examined and optimized. According to the results, the maximum recovery of carotenoids from the sample could be achieved with the developed procedure, by simply adjusting the pH to 3.5, adding 35.6% (w/v) sodium chloride, and setting the temperature at 45 °C. Moreover, the amount of lecithin used was examined. In order to extract the total amount of carotenoids from a sample, it was found that either three extractions with 1% lecithin are needed, or two extractions with 2% lecithin. In addition, the antioxidant activity of the extract was examined and it was found to scavenge 36.3% of DPPH free radicals. This percentage was 10% lower compared to the initial sample, which suggests that the extracted compounds retain their activity. Overall, the developed procedure can be used to recover carotenoids in a cost-efficient and easy way.
Âyetullah Humeynî’de Velâyet-i Fakîh Düşüncesinin Gelişimi
Authors: BİÇEN Gürkan , İSKENDEROĞLU Muammer
Published: December 2022

İslâm siyaset felsefesi ve siyaset biliminin ele aldığı teorilerden biri de Velâyet-i fakîh’tir. Ulemânın siyasi liderliğini iktidarın meşruiyet temeli sayan bu teori Sünnî düşüncede de yer almakla birlikte Şiî düşüncesinde daha belirgin ve önemli bir yer tutar. Bin yılı bulan teorik gelişiminin ardından yirminci yüzyılda Âyetullah Humeynî bu teoriyi İran İslâm Cumhuriyeti’nin siyasi ve idari nizamının ekseni kıldığından, bugün bu teori ve teori temelinde inşa edilen siyasi ve idari yapı çeşitli yönleriyle incelenmektedir. Bu yöndeki çalışmaların pek çoğu teorinin tatbik sahasına çıktığı dönemi esas aldığından nihai anlamda verili alanı konu edinmektedir. Âyetullah Humeynî’nin Velâyet-i fakîh düşüncesinin gelişim aşamalarını kendisinin eserleri, tarihi kayıtlar ve tanıklıklar üzerinden incelediğimiz bu çalışma ile Âyetullah Humeynî’nin Velâyet-i fakîh konusundaki düşüncelerinin dört dönemde ele alınabileceği neticesine ulaşmış bulunmaktayız. Âyetullah Humeynî 1962’ye kadar süren ilk dönemde siyasete doğrudan müdahil olmazken, 1962 - 1979 arasında giderek sertleşen bir muhalefet yürütür ve bu dönemde fakihin velâyetini gündeme getirir. 1979’dan 1988’e dek yalın haliyle bunu savunur. 1988’den sonra fakihin mutlak velâyeti düşüncesine ulaşır.