bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
EEI-IoT: Edge-Enabled Intelligent IoT Framework for Early Detection of COVID-19 Threats
Authors: Deebak B. D. , Al-Turjman Fadi
Published: March 2023

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) across the globe, impacting effective diagnosis and treatment for any chronic illnesses and long-term health implications. In this worldwide crisis, the pandemic shows its daily extension (i.e., active cases) and genome variants (i.e., Alpha) within the virus class and diversifies the association with treatment outcomes and drug resistance. As a consequence, healthcare-related data including instances of sore throat, fever, fatigue, cough, and shortness of breath are given due consideration to assess the conditional state of patients. To gain unique insights, wearable sensors can be implanted in a patient’s body that periodically generates an analysis report of the vital organs to a medical center. However, it is still challenging to analyze risks and predict their related countermeasures. Therefore, this paper presents an intelligent Edge-IoT framework (IE-IoT) to detect potential threats (i.e., behavioral and environmental) in the early stage of the disease. The prime objective of this framework is to apply a new pre-trained deep learning model enabled by self-supervised transfer learning to build an ensemble-based hybrid learning model and to offer an effective analysis of prediction accuracy. To construct proper clinical symptoms, treatment, and diagnosis, an effective analysis such as STL observes the impact of the learning models such as ANN, CNN, and RNN. The experimental analysis proves that the ANN model considers the most effective features and attains a better accuracy (~98.3%) than other learning models. Also, the proposed IE-IoT can utilize the communication technologies of IoT such as BLE, Zigbee, and 6LoWPAN to examine the factor of power consumption. Above all, the real-time analysis reveals that the proposed IE-IoT with 6LoWPAN consumes less power and response time than the other state-of-the-art approaches to infer the suspected victims at an early stage of development of the disease.
Multi-UAV Path Planning in GPS and Communication Denial Environment
Authors: Xu Yahao , Wei Yiran , Wang Di , Jiang Keyang , Deng Hongbin
Published: March 2023

This paper proposes a feature fusion algorithm for solving the path planning problem of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) using GPS and communication denial conditions. Due to the blockage of GPS and communication, UAVs cannot obtain the precise position of a target, which leads to the failure of path planning algorithms. This paper proposes a feature fusion proximal policy optimization (FF-PPO) algorithm based on deep reinforcement learning (DRL); the algorithm can fuse image recognition information with the original image, realizing the multi-UAV path planning algorithm without an accurate target location. In addition, the FF-PPO algorithm adopts an independent policy for multi-UAV communication denial environments, which enables the distributed control of UAVs such that multi-UAVs can realize the cooperative path planning task without communication. The success rate of our proposed algorithm can reach more than 90% in the multi-UAV cooperative path planning task. Finally, the feasibility of the algorithm is verified by simulations and hardware.
Exploring Prosodic Features Modelling for Secondary Emotions Needed for Empathetic Speech Synthesis
Authors: James Jesin , B.T. Balamurali , Watson Catherine , Mixdorff Hansjörg
Published: March 2023

A low-resource emotional speech synthesis system for empathetic speech synthesis based on modelling prosody features is presented here. Secondary emotions, identified to be needed for empathetic speech, are modelled and synthesised in this investigation. As secondary emotions are subtle in nature, they are difficult to model compared to primary emotions. This study is one of the few to model secondary emotions in speech as they have not been extensively studied so far. Current speech synthesis research uses large databases and deep learning techniques to develop emotion models. There are many secondary emotions, and hence, developing large databases for each of the secondary emotions is expensive. Hence, this research presents a proof of concept using handcrafted feature extraction and modelling of these features using a low-resource-intensive machine learning approach, thus creating synthetic speech with secondary emotions. Here, a quantitative-model-based transformation is used to shape the emotional speech’s fundamental frequency contour. Speech rate and mean intensity are modelled via rule-based approaches. Using these models, an emotional text-to-speech synthesis system to synthesise five secondary emotions-anxious, apologetic, confident, enthusiastic and worried-is developed. A perception test to evaluate the synthesised emotional speech is also conducted. The participants could identify the correct emotion in a forced response test with a hit rate greater than 65%.
UAV Trajectory Design and Power Optimization for Terahertz Band-Integrated Sensing and Communications
Authors: Gao Ying , Xue Hongmei , Zhang Long , Sun Enchang
Published: March 2023

Sixth generation (6G) wireless networks require very low latency and an ultra-high data rate, which have become the main challenges for future wireless communications. To effectively balance the requirements of 6G and the extreme shortage of capacity within the existing wireless networks, sensing-assisted communications in the terahertz (THz) band with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is proposed. In this scenario, the THz-UAV acts as an aerial base station to provide information on users and sensing signals and detect the THz channel to assist UAV communication. However, communication and sensing signals that use the same resources can cause interference with each other. Therefore, we research a cooperative method of co-existence between sensing and communication signals in the same frequency and time allocation to reduce the interference. We then formulate an optimization problem to minimize the total delay by jointly optimizing the UAV trajectory, frequency association, and transmission power of each user. The resulting problem is a non-convex and mixed integer optimization problem, which is challenging to solve. By resorting to the Lagrange multiplier and proximal policy optimization (PPO) method, we propose an overall alternating optimization algorithm to solve this problem in an iterative way. Specifically, given the UAV location and frequency, the sub-problem of the sensing and communication transmission powers is transformed into a convex problem, which is solved by the Lagrange multiplier method. Second, in each iteration, for given sensing and communication transmission powers, we relax the discrete variable to a continuous variable and use the PPO algorithm to tackle the sub-problem of joint optimization of the UAV location and frequency. The results show that the proposed algorithm reduces the delay and improves the transmission rate when compared with the conventional greedy algorithm.
Energy Transfer Efficiency Based Nonlinear Ultrasonic Testing Technique for Debonding Defects of Aluminum Alloy Foam Sandwich Panels
Authors: Tu Jun , Yao Nan , Ling Yi , Zhang Xu , Song Xiaochun
Published: March 2023

In order to improve the accuracy of detection results of debonding defects of aluminum alloy thin plate, the nonlinear ultrasonic technology is used to detect the simulated defect samples, aiming at problems such as near surface blind region caused by the interaction of incident wave, reflected wave and even second harmonic wave in a short time due to the small thickness of thin plates. An integral method based on energy transfer efficiency is proposed to calculate the nonlinear ultrasonic coefficient to characterize the debonding defects of thin plates. A series of simulated debonding defects of different sizes were made using aluminum alloy plates with four thicknesses of 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm and 10 mm. By comparing the traditional nonlinear coefficient with the integral nonlinear coefficient proposed in this paper, it is verified that both methods can quantitatively characterize the size of debonding defects. The nonlinear ultrasonic testing technology based on energy transfer efficiency has higher testing accuracy for thin plates.
Aircrews, Rules and the Bogeyman: Mapping the Benefits and Fears of Noncompliance
Authors: Boskeljon-Horst Leonie , Boer Robert J. De , Steinmetz Vincent , Dekker Sidney W. A.
Published: March 2023

Although rules support people while executing tasks, they are not the same as work-as-done. It can be impossible to follow the rules and finish the job at the same time. In this study, the objective is to better understand the stakes and interests that lie behind retaining gaps between work-as-prescribed and work-as-done, mapping the benefits and fears of noncompliance. The study was conducted along the vertical hierarchy of an operational flight squadron of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. We applied a qualitative survey research methodology using semi-structured interviews, complemented by an investigation of relevant documents. We found a public and political commitment to compliance made by the Dutch Department of Defence, which reinforces a cycle of issuing promises followed by pressure to keep the promise. This contradicts the found need for adaptation and freedom to use expertise. The official safety narrative seems to convey a hidden message—bad things happen to bad people, reminiscent of a bogeyman. One opportunity to resolve the situation is a doctrine change, changing prescriptive rules to guidelines.
Galvanizing Local Anti-Trafficking Partnership Work Using Intelligence: Profiling the Problem and Building Resilience
Authors: Rinaldi-Semione Juliana , Brewster Ben
Published: March 2023

Prior research has evidenced the importance of collaboration and multi-agency partnership work in responding to human trafficking in both the UK and US. Three previous key studies are synthesized in this paper. We situate multi-agency anti-trafficking collaborative work within conceptualizations of “resilience” and mechanisms by which to achieve it, and draw comparisons between the structure, organization, and activities of anti-trafficking partnerships in the UK and US. We present results, reflections, and discussion regarding the utility of local-problem diagnosis and multi-agency, using collaborative intelligence analysis as a mechanism to galvanize and organize local partnership action, resulting from action research conducted in one police force area. We posit the replication of this “problem profile” exercise as a mechanism for anti-trafficking collaborators to galvanize their aims and day-to-day efforts to make their communities resilient to human trafficking. We close by arguing for resilience as a framing for this mechanism and for local collaborative efforts.
Stochastic Rational Method for Estimation of Flood Peak Uncertainty in Arid Basins: Comparison between Monte Carlo and First Order Second Moment Methods with a Case Study in Southwest Saudi Arabia
Authors: Al-Amri Nassir S. , Ewea Hatem A. , Elfeki Amro M.
Published: March 2023

The flood peak is commonly estimated using the rational method for the design of hydraulic structures. The method is mainly used in a deterministic context. However, there is often uncertainty in flood predictions, which should be incorporated in the design of mitigation schemes. This research proposes a methodology to cope with uncertainty in the rational method via the application of a stochastic framework. Data from 158 storms, recorded in the period 1984–1987 in 19 subbasins in the southwestern part of Saudi Arabia, were used to implement the proposed methodology. A tri-variate log-normal probability density function was used to model the joint relationship between the rational method parameters. The model considered the parameters as random variables. The uncertainty in the rainstorms was represented by intensity or depth; the uncertainty in basin delineation (due to the use of different digital elevation model resolution) was represented by the basin area; and the uncertainty in the land use/land cover was represented by the runoff coefficient. The Monte Carlo method was used to generate realizations of the peak flow and runoff volume with 95% and 99% confidence levels from the input parameters. Although the correlation between the parameters was weak, the model was capable of simulating the rational model parameters and estimating the peak flow and runoff volume relatively well, and the generated realizations fell within the confidence levels, except for a few marginal cases. The model can be used to generate peak flows and the associated confidence limits in ungauged basins from the statistics of the input parameters using the equations developed in this study.
Special Issue: Sustainable Food Supply Chain Research
Authors: Yamoah Fred Amofa , Yawson David Eshun
Published: March 2023

The persistent advocacy for a sustainable food supply chain is to enable stakeholders to configure, promote, and maintain food supply systems that deliver value in terms of profit and the well-being of people [...]
Food Security Challenges in Europe in the Context of the Prolonged Russian–Ukrainian Conflict
Authors: Rabbi Mohammad Fazle , Ben Hassen Tarek , El Bilali Hamid , Raheem Dele , Raposo António
Published: March 2023

The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, two major agricultural powers, has numerous severe socio-economic consequences that are presently being felt worldwide and that are undermining the functioning of the global food system. The war has also had a profound impact on the European food system. Accordingly, this paper examines the implications of the ongoing conflict on food security pillars (viz. availability, access, use, stability) in European countries and considers potential strategies for addressing and mitigating these effects. The paper highlights that the food supply in Europe does not seem to be jeopardized since most European countries are generally self-sufficient in many products. Nonetheless, the conflict might impact food access and production costs. Indeed, the European agricultural industry is a net importer of several commodities, such as inputs and animal feed. This vulnerability, combined with the high costs of inputs such as fertilizers and energy, creates production difficulties for farmers and threatens to drive up food prices, affecting food affordability and access. Higher input prices increase production costs and, ultimately, inflation. This may affect food security and increase (food) poverty. The paper concludes that increasing food aid, ensuring a stable fertilizer supply, imposing an energy price cap, initiating a farmer support package, switching to renewable energy sources for cultivation, changing individual food behaviors, lifting trade restrictions, and political stability can safeguard food security pillars and strengthen the resilience of the European food system.
Perceived Environmental Corporate Social Responsibility Effect on Green Perceived Value and Green Attitude in Hospitality and Tourism Industry: The Mediating Role of Environmental Well-Being
Authors: Khairy Hazem Ahmed , Elzek Yehia , Aliane Nadir , Agina Mohamed Fathy
Published: March 2023

This study examines how green perceived value (GPV) and green attitude (GA) are affected by environmental corporate social responsibility (ECSR). It also investigates the mediating role of environmental well-being (EWB) on the relationship between ECSR and GA and on the relationship between ECSR and GPV. A total of 910 responses gathered from the guests of travel agencies and 5-star hotels in Egypt were analyzed using PLS-SEM. The results showed positive relationships between ECSR with GA, EWB, and GPV. Positive relationships between EWB with GA and GPV also existed. In addition, there was a mediating role of EWB in the relationship between ECSR and GA and in the relationship between ECSR and GPV. The research provides a theoretical contribution to bridging the gap in studies related to ECSR and EWB in relation to GPV and GA, specifically in the tourism and hotel sector. Practically, the research provides the tourism and hotel enterprises with recommendations to improve ECSR and EWB—this could, in turn, positively impact the GPV and GA of their guests. Limitations and potential directions for future research were also presented.
Does Psychological Contract Violation Change the Original Intention of Eco-Tourists to Participate in Scenic Value Co-Creation?
Authors: Liu Hailing , Hu Ping , Shi Kewei , Zhang Yudan
Published: March 2023

Eco-tourists are the practitioners of promoting the harmonious development of humans and nature, and have a very important significance for the scenic spots and sustainable development of scenic areas. However, external factors often interfere with the eco-tourists’ original intention, which not only affect the tourist experience, but also bring a negative influence to the scenic spots, and even the destinations where they are located. Identifying the triggering factors and processes that influence eco-tourists’ participation in scenic value co-creation will lay a solid foundation for the effective governance of scenic areas. This paper systematically explores whether, how and when psychological contract violations significantly affect the eco-tourists’ participation in scenic value co-creation from the perspective of psychological contract violations. The data are collected from 556 eco-tourists’ questionnaires from the Yellow River Estuary Ecotourism Zone of Dongying City, Shandong Province, China. Through a hierarchical regression analysis and further validated by the Bootstrap method, the study finds the following: First, eco-tourists’ psychological contract violation has a significant negative effect on their participation in value co-creation. Second, moral disengagement plays a mediating role in the relationship between psychological contract violation and value co-creation behavior. Third, moral disengagement acts on value co-creation. The process of moral disengagement on value co-creation behavior is influenced by the level of expertise. The negative effect of moral disengagement on value co-creation decreases as the level of expertise increases. The findings of this paper not only expand the antecedents of tourists’ participation and the path of psychological contract violation in value co-creation, but also have important practical implications for promoting eco-tourists’ participation in value co-creation as well as reducing, preventing and identifying psychological contract violation in ecotourism scenic spots.
Sustainable Design of Self-Consolidating Green Concrete with Partial Replacements for Cement through Neural-Network and Fuzzy Technique
Authors: Han Shaoyong , Zheng Dongsong , Mehdizadeh Bahareh , Nasr Emad Abouel , Khandaker Mayeen Uddin , Salman Mohammad , Mehrabi Peyman
Published: March 2023

In order to achieve a sustainable mix design, this paper evaluates self-consolidating green concrete (SCGC) properties by experimental tests and then examines the design parameters with an artificial intelligence technique. In this regard, cement was partially replaced in different contents with granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) powder, volcanic powder, fly ash, and micro-silica. Moreover, fresh and hardened properties tests were performed on the specimens. Finally, an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) was developed to identify the influencing parameters on the compressive strength of the specimens. For this purpose, seven ANFIS models evaluated the input parameters separately, and in terms of optimization, twenty-one models were assigned to different combinations of inputs. Experimental results were reported and discussed completely, where furnace slag represented the most effect on the hardened properties in binary mixes, and volcanic powder played an effective role in slump retention among other cement replacements. However, the combination of micro-silica and volcanic powder as a ternary mix design successfully achieved the most improvement compared to other mix designs. Furthermore, ANFIS results showed that binder content has the highest governing parameters in terms of the strength of SCGC. Finally, when compared with other additive powders, the combination of micro-silica with volcanic powder provided the most strength, which has also been verified and reported by the test results.
The Role of Cities: Linking Integrated Assessment Models to Urban Solutions
Authors: Callegari Camila , Tanure Tarik , Fiorini Ana Carolina Oliveira , Haddad Eduardo , Domingues Edson , Magalhães Aline , Perobelli Fernando , Porsse Alexandre , Lucena André F. P. , Vasquez-Arroyo Eveline , Império Mariana , Baptista Luiz Bernardo , Schaeffer Roberto
Published: March 2023

Cities play a fundamental role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In this context, public authorities need tools to help in identifying the best set of available solutions for the urban environment. Here, we developed an approach to help decision makers in evaluating sustainable solutions, considering aspects such as emission rate, economic attractiveness, job creation, and local competitiveness in an intersectoral fashion. To rank the best solutions, we developed a new methodology that links integrated assessment models (IAMs) to the available solutions at the Innovation Observatory for Sustainable Cities (OICS) database and applied it to Brazil. Our results show that the solutions with the greatest impact were often related to new technologies, for example, renewable energy, which depends on institutional and financial arrangements that are beyond the administrative capacity of the vast majority of municipalities. Despite these limitations, Brazilian cities can act as regulators or provide financial incentives and advocacy to promote sustainable solutions in the urban environment.
Application of Phosphogypsum and Organic Amendment for Bioremediation of Degraded Soil in Tunisia Oasis: Targeting Circular Economy
Authors: Gabsi Hajer , Tallou Anas , Aziz Faissal , Boukchina Rachid , Karbout Nissaf , Caceres Luis Andreu , García-Tenorio Rafael , Boudabbous Khaoula , Moussa Mohamed
Published: March 2023

This study was conducted at the Institute of Arid Regions of Gabes in Tunisia. Three plots were left as controls and received no input, three plots were amended with cattle manure with a dose equivalent to 37.5 t/ha, and nine plots were amended with phosphogypsum in three doses (12.5 t/ha, 25 t/ha, and 50 t/ha), with three repetitions for each dose. A pot test to determine the germination index and radioactivity analysis was carried out in the laboratory. The results showed that organic manure amendments and phosphogypsum improved the germination rate of the different crops (jute mallow, turnip, and oat) compared with the control. At the same time, the 50 t/ha dose had the highest germination rate. An increase in yield of all crops during the whole duration of the experiment was observed for the soil amended by phosphogypsum. The best yield was recorded when the highest dose of phosphogypsum was applied. The cadmium level in plants of the two applied amendments was variable but still below the toxicity threshold (7 ppm). The values recorded following the analysis of the phosphogypsum radioactivity showed that the mean value of Ra-226 equals 214.45 Bq/kg, which is below the limit announced by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). The radioactivity results from the control soil samples showed the presence of natural radioactivity. Samples of phosphogypsum-amended soil and plants grown in these soils have radioactivity values that are still lower than those announced by the EPA. The novelty aspect of this study is the application of phosphogypsum in different crops during two consecutive years in degraded-soil areas of Tunisia, in addition to the study of different aspects of phosphogypsum reuse in agriculture as a promising strategy for a sustainable environment.
COVID-19, Didactic Practices, and Representations Assumed by Preservice Teachers at Universidad Técnica del Norte-Ecuador
Authors: Guerra-Reyes Frank , Naranjo-Toro Miguel , Basantes-Andrade Andrea , Guerra-Davila Eric , Benavides-Piedra Andrés
Published: March 2023

As an alternative for university students to continue their professional training during the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education institutions implemented virtual learning modalities. In this context, it was proposed to determine the social representations assumed by university students who are pursuing their studies as future educators. It is presumed that representations related to didactic practices are composed of content (knowledge, skills, and attitudes) and organization (central core and representational system). This is an ethnographic study, with an available nonprobabilistic sample of 227 students from the primary education major at Universidad Técnica del Norte. Verbal association techniques and documentary research were used for information collection. To analyze the data, the IRaMuTeQ software (R interface for texts and questionnaire multidimensional analysis) was used. Two types of analyses were conducted: hierarchical classification and factorial correspondence. In conclusion, a virtuality with difficulties and a careful and responsible face-to-face modality are expressed as meanings associated to the representations, both of which require qualitative changes. Regarding the organization, didactic practice complementarity is assumed to be integrated in a hybrid learning modality.
Emotional Value in Online Education: A Framework for Service Touchpoint Assessment
Authors: He Xuemei , Song Ning
Published: March 2023

To enhance the online education service experience, the emotional valence of the user was studied as an evaluation variable, and both qualitative and quantitative research were used to find how to evaluate online education service touchpoints. First, deconstruct the system service interface with the interactive touchpoint matrix, set service evaluation indicators from four aspects, visual guidance, learning resources, after-class evaluation, and interactive feedback, and build an online education service touchpoint evaluation system. Secondly, using Tencent Classroom as the target of research, an online education service rating experiment is created based on the two dimensions of emotional valence and perceptual cognition. With the aid of a questionnaire survey and analytic hierarchy process (AHP), a multidimensional evaluation of online education service touchpoints is accomplished using the learners’ emotional enjoyment, activation, dominance, touchpoint satisfaction, and importance as measuring indicators. Finally, concluding the assessment and optimization of online education service touchpoints, the evaluation data for the service are combined, and the evaluation results are generated using visual design. This study includes successful strategies and practical recommendations for boosting interest in e-learning services, user initiative, and excitement for learning.
RivEr/Generation_LAB-Linking Resilience with Inclusiveness in the Urban-Built Environment of Rome
Authors: Mariano Carmela , Rossi Francesca
Published: March 2023

The impact of metropolization processes and climate change effects on natural and anthropic environments, together with energy waste, the excessive consumption of agricultural and natural soils and their progressive waterproofing and a reduction in vegetation cover, highlights the need for sustainable management of existing resources, in terms of equitable and ethical development, towards sustainable and inclusive communities able to adapt to the negative effects of emergency phenomena. This contribution presents the results of the activities conducted in the RivEr/Generation_LAB, a project organized by three CIVIS members (Sapienza University of Rome, Universitè libre de Bruxelles, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid) as a part of the CIVIS Project “RivEr/Generation_LAB. Linking resilience with inclusiveness in the urban built environment of Rome, Brussels, and Madrid”, financed by the Hub4 Cities, Territories & Mobilities’ Call for proposals 2021. The project proposes a methodology of intervention in the Flaminio district, in particular in the Olympic Village and its relationship with the Tiber River, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and the New European Bauhaus, to establish new relationships between cities and the natural environment, favoring sustainable and inclusive public spaces.
The Impact of Reverse Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions in Emerging Countries on the Division Position in the Global Value Chain: A Systematic Framework of the Third Country Effect
Authors: Liu Xia , Sun Hanwen , Liu Wei , Fang Jiaqi
Published: March 2023

The purpose of this paper is to build a systematic framework of the spatial spillover effects of host country heterogeneity, and to illustrate the impact of the third country effect of reverse cross-border mergers and acquisitions in emerging countries on the division position in the global value chain. We develop a composite index to measure the gap in the global value chain position, and use the ADB-MRIO database in UIBE GVC from 2010 to 2019 to conduct an empirical test, which includes 27 sample countries. The spatial modeling results suggest that both the third country effect of reverse cross-border mergers and acquisitions and the direct effect of forward cross-border mergers and acquisitions are conducive to narrowing the gap in the division position in the global value chain of China, as well as the host country. Therefore, reverse cross-border mergers and acquisitions should develop the export platform based cross-border mergers and acquisitions, while forward cross-border mergers and acquisitions are suitable for choosing the destination countries directly. An interesting insight shown by the spatial and temporal heterogeneity test is that the narrowing effect of cross-border mergers and acquisitions on the gap in the division position varies with time and space. There is also a trend of increasing convergence and spatial differentiation, and the change of this spatial spillover effect may be closely related to the bilateral relations between countries. The model of the third country effect with spatial heterogeneity affirms the spatial impact of host country heterogeneity, and provides empirical evidence for cross-border mergers and acquisitions based on export platforms.
Variation of Physico-Chemical Properties among Different Soil Orders under Different Land Use Systems of the Majha Region in North-Western India
Authors: Gowthamchand  , Dhaliwal Salwinder Singh , Sharma Vivek , Verma Gayatri , Singh Jagdish , Kaur Manpreet
Published: March 2023

The impact of different soil orders and land use systems on the distribution of physico-chemical properties is the most critical matter to address in order to maintain sustainable agricultural production. Hence, the present investigation was carried out to study the variation in the physico-chemical characteristics of soil in diverse land use systems (LUSs), i.e., agriculture, horticulture, and forestry, under major soil orders (entisol, inceptisol, and alfisol) in the Majha region of Punjab. A total of 225 depth-wise (at 0–20 cm, 20–40 cm, 40–60 cm, 60–80 cm and 80–100 cm) soil samples were collected from three land-use systems under different soil orders. The mean values of the physico-chemical properties ranged from 6.80–7.50, 7.64–8.34 and 6.94–7.87 for pH; 0.13–0.42, 0.19–0.54 and 0.19–0.46 dS m−1 for EC; 0.14–0.99, 0.21–0.69 and 0.15–0.72% for OC; 0.75–2.07, 1.07–3.32 and 0.93–2.29% for CaCO3; 7.77–41.84, 10.56–40.23 and 7.24–39.51 kg ha−1 for P; and 98.37–334.68, 94.51–230.18 and 93.01–367.39 kg ha−1 for K under different land uses in soil orders entisols, inceptisols and alfisols, respectively. Soil parameters including pH, CaCO3, and phosphorus (P) distribution differed significantly among soil orders; however, soil EC, organic carbon (OC) and available potassium (K) did not. The inceptisols under the agricultural land use system (ALUS) had the highest soil pH, EC, and CaCO3 values. The highest soil OC content was found in entisols under forest land use systems (FLUS), followed by horticultural land use systems (HLUS). The highest values of soil-available phosphorous (P) were found in FLUS under inceptisols, while the highest amounts of soil-available potassium (K) were found in entisols and alfisols under ALUS and FLUS, respectively. Thus, the distribution of physico-chemical properties under different LUSs in each soil order is highly variable and does not follow any particular trend. In general, soil properties such as OC, P, and K content decreased with an increase in soil depth, while pH and CaCO3 values increased with depth in all land uses and soil orders. There was a positive correlation between soil OC and EC, as well as available P and K in the soils investigated. The available P and K are negatively correlated with soil pH and CaCO3 content in the soil. The principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that soil pH and OC were the most variable soil parameters, which influence the availability of other physico-chemical properties under different soil orders and land use systems. Therefore, it is suggested that the land use systems play an important role in the distribution of physico-chemical properties of soil in different soil orders. The results of the study will help students, researchers, and agricultural management staff in managing different land uses for maintaining soil fertility and productivity in alluvial soils of North-western India.
Social Entrepreneurship and Social Capital: A Review of Impact Research
Authors: Daskalopoulou Irene , Karakitsiou Athanasia , Thomakis Zafeirios
Published: March 2023

This study analyzes social capital as a mediator/moderator of social value creation in social entrepreneurship (SE); thus, we adopted a mixed methods review that was performed in two stages. In the first stage, we overviewed the reviews in order to summarize key findings from the analysis of social entrepreneurship. At this stage, the aim was to show the gap in the existing research, with an explicit focus on impact generation and measuring that impact within social enterprises. Then, we conducted a literature review focusing on studies that analyse the relationship between social entrepreneurship and social capital. Our assumption is that social capital is an impact generation mechanism that works at different interaction levels. Our analysis identifies three pathways which show how social entrepreneurship can have an impact, and how it can be generated by higher levels of social capital. These three pathways involve productivity, community resilience, and institutional development. The proposed classification of the empirically identified SE impact pathways offers insights that are useful to informing the available approaches concerning social impact creation and methods which approximate tangible SE outcomes. In addition, the mediator/moderator approach to social capital identifies these pathways as being complementary value creation processes.
A Participatory Approach to Economic Valuation of Ecosystem Services in Andean Amazonia: Three Country Case Studies for Policy Planning
Authors: Gómez Rosario , Aguirre Julio , Oliveros Luis , Paladines Renzo , Ortiz Néstor , Encalada Diana , Armenteras Dolors
Published: March 2023

Ecosystem services have been steadily incorporated into policy and planning, particularly for conservation. While biophysical and economic values are often part of ecosystems assessments, integrating participatory approaches with these valuation tools into planning is essential. This study demonstrates the importance of undertaking case studies with an integrated approach from valuation to practice. We focus on the evaluation of ecosystem services based on user priorities in three different countries that comprise the northwestern part of the Amazon basin: Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. A total of 473 community and government representatives were interviewed and their priorities for ecosystem services were elicited. We used three approaches to value the prioritized services, market prices, cost avoided, and the value transfer method. We linked the economic valuation results with policy and development alternatives that focus on ES management and we utilized an adaptive policy framework as a crucial step to assess the “trade off” in relation to any given economic, social, and environmental goal. Seven ecosystem services were identified as priorities: fish, timber, and non-timber forest products as provisioning services; disease regulation, water purification, and carbon sequestration as regulating services; and scenic beauty as the only cultural service. The ecosystem services contributing to the highest proportion of local GDP were regulation of malaria (3.9%) in Colombia, followed by ecotourism (1.75%) in Ecuador and fish (1.7%) in Peru. The instruments developed to help integrate this information into policy actions are mostly related to improving the property right systems currently implemented in each country. The results of this study will enable the management of ecosystem service values to be targeted in planning development at the subnational level in each country.
Improved TV Image Denoising over Inverse Gradient
Authors: Li Minmin , Cai Guangcheng , Bi Shaojiu , Zhang Xi
Published: March 2023

Noise in an image can affect one’s extraction of image information, therefore, image denoising is an important image pre-processing process. Many of the existing models have a large number of estimated parameters, which increases the time complexity of the model solution and the achieved denoising effect is less than ideal. As a result, in this paper, an improved image-denoising algorithm is proposed based on the TV model, which effectively solves the above problems. The L1 regularization term can make the solution generated by the model sparser, thus facilitating the recovery of high-quality images. Reducing the number of estimated parameters, while using the inverse gradient to estimate the regularization parameters, enables the parameters to achieve global adaption and improves the denoising effect of the model in combination with the TV regularization term. The split Bregman iteration method is used to decouple the model into several related subproblems, and the solutions of the coordinated subproblems are derived as optimal solutions. It is also shown that the solution of the model converges to a Karush–Kuhn–Tucker point. Experimental results show that the algorithm in this paper is more effective in both preserving image texture structure and suppressing image noise.
The Impact of Increasing the Length of the Conical Segment on Cyclone Performance Using Large-Eddy Simulation
Authors: Pandey Satyanand , Brar Lakhbir Singh
Published: March 2023

In cyclone separators, the asymmetrical coherent structure significantly influences the velocity fluctuations and hence the cyclone performance. This asymmetric rotating vortex in the core region precesses around the cyclone axis with a frequency that depends on the cyclone geometry and operating conditions. In the present work, we studied the impact of increasing the length of the conical segment on the performance of cyclone separators as well as the precessing frequency of the asymmetrical structure. For this, five different cone lengths were considered such that the total cyclone length equalled 3.0D, 3.5D, 4.0D, 4.5D, and 5.0D (here, D is the main body diameter of the cyclone). The study was performed at three different inlet velocities, viz. 10, 15, and 20 m/s. Throughout the work, the angle of the conical segment was held fixed and resembled the reference model (which had a total cyclone length equal to 4.0D). The cyclone performance was evaluated using advanced closure large-eddy simulation with the standard Smagorinsky subgrid-scale model. Conclusive results indicate that with an increase in the cone length, the pressure losses reduce appreciably with small variations in the collection efficiency, followed by a reduction in the precessing frequency of the asymmetric vortex core. The results further indicate that the apex cone angle (or the bottom opening diameter) must be carefully adjusted when increasing the cone length.
Research on Credit Evaluation Indicator System of High-Tech SMEs: From the Social Capital Perspective
Authors: Liang Zhihao , Du Jinming , Hua Ying , Si Yanbo , Li Miao
Published: March 2023

High-tech small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in the high-quality economic development in a country. Nevertheless, due to the difficulties banks or other financial institutions have in accurately assessing their credit levels, financing difficulties have become the biggest bottleneck restricting the progress of high-tech SMEs, and therefore, this paper aims to construct a credit evaluation indicator system of high-tech SMEs. Based on prior studies and the characteristics of high-tech SMEs, this paper constructs an indicator system from financial and nonfinancial dimensions, including 22 measurement indicators reflecting the operation status, development potential, quality, and competitiveness of an enterprise. Principal component analysis (PCA) and a Delphi-analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method are employed for the evaluation. This indicator system innovates from the social capital perspective, and by setting more novel nonfinancial indicators, the system achieves a more comprehensive evaluation of credit level. This paper also performs an empirical application using the data from 125 enterprises in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region of China, and further performs an empirical study on the external environment’s impact on the credit level. The empirical results all show consistency with existing studies, verifying the workability and validity of the indicator system we constructed.
Environmental Conditions and the Fish Stocks Situation in the Black Sea, between Climate Change, War, and Pollution
Authors: Radulescu Victorita
Published: March 2023

Climate change, pollution, capture, invasive species, and the war from Ukraine have a significant impact on the environment and fish populations in the Black Sea. In June last year, on the Romanian and Bulgarian seashore, large amounts of algae, dead fish, and jellyfish were discovered. The ongoing depletion of fish stocks necessitates extensive research, concerning their living conditions, reproduction, population, and migration. This paper starts by presenting the environmental conditions for air, sediment, and water up to 60 m, based on direct monitoring and measurements realized between 2014 and 2020. The recent war has affected the environmental conditions of the sea, especially near Snake Island and Crimea Peninsula, well known for fish reproduction. A dedicated paragraph presents the sources of water pollution, with direct effects on eutrophication, fish reproduction, and their populations. The appearance and development of some invasive species, which influence the local fish populations, are also illustrated. All these new factors associated with the capture quotas are responsible for decreasing the number of fish species and their populations in the Black Sea. Finally, some discussions are mentioned, which are necessary to be followed in order to restore the fish stocks.
Contemporary Sedimentation in Lake Onego: Geochemical Features of Water, Suspended Matter, and Accumulation Rate
Authors: Belkina Natalia A. , Kulik Natalia V. , Efremenko Natalia A. , Potakhin Maxim S. , Kukharev Vyacheslav I. , Ryabinkin Aleksandr V. , Zdorovennov Roman E. , Georgiev Andrey P. , Strakhovenko Vera D. , Gatalskaya Ekaterina V. , Kravchenko Irina Yu. , Ludikova Anna V. , Subetto Dmitry A.
Published: March 2023

The spatio-temporal variability of the modern sedimentation process in Lake Onego, the second largest lake in Europe, was evaluated. The chemical composition of the lake water was studied. Sedimentation takes place in the oxidation conditions of low TDS water of the calcium bicarbonate type, where the ratio between terrigenous clastic material and lacustrine biochemical suspended matter in the material deposited to the bottom is close to one. We demonstrate that the sedimentation process in the lake is non-uniform. Sedimentation rates in different regions of the lake were estimated (0.1 to 2 kg per sq. m of bottom surface per year) through in situ surveys with sediment traps. Annual sediment input was estimated on the basis of the lake’s chemical balance. Analysis of the qualitative characteristics of the material deposited to the bottom shows its composition corresponds to the humus-Fe-Si type of sedimentation. The uniform texture and mineral composition and the similar multielement spectra of the sediments suggest that active water dynamics cause fine-grained suspended load to remain in the water column for prolonged time periods. Variations in the sediment chemical composition across the lake are due to natural causesand to unevenly distributed anthropogenic pressure.
Tracing COVID-19 Trails in Wastewater: A Systematic Review of SARS-CoV-2 Surveillance with Viral Variants
Authors: Tiwari Ananda , Adhikari Sangeet , Zhang Shuxin , Solomon Tamunobelema B. , Lipponen Anssi , Islam Md. Aminul , Thakali Ocean , Sangkham Sarawut , Shaheen Mohamed N. F. , Jiang Guangming , Haramoto Eiji , Mazumder Payal , Malla Bikash , Kumar Manish , Pitkänen Tarja , Sherchan Samendra P.
Published: March 2023

The emergence of new variants of SARS-CoV-2 associated with varying infectivity, pathogenicity, diagnosis, and effectiveness against treatments challenged the overall management of the COVID-19 pandemic. Wastewater surveillance (WWS), i.e., monitoring COVID-19 infections in communities through detecting viruses in wastewater, was applied to track the emergence and spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants globally. However, there is a lack of comprehensive understanding of the use and effectiveness of WWS for new SARS-CoV-2 variants. Here we systematically reviewed published articles reporting monitoring of different SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater by following the PRISMA guidelines and provided the current state of the art of this study area. A total of 80 WWS studies were found that reported different monitoring variants of SARS-CoV-2 until November 2022. Most of these studies (66 out of the total 80, 82.5%) were conducted in Europe and North America, i.e., resource-rich countries. There was a high variation in WWS sampling strategy around the world, with composite sampling (50/66 total studies, 76%) as the primary method in resource-rich countries. In contrast, grab sampling was more common (8/14 total studies, 57%) in resource-limited countries. Among detection methods, the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-based sequencing method and quantitative RT-PCR method were commonly used for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 variants in wastewater. Among different variants, the B1.1.7 (Alpha) variant that appeared earlier in the pandemic was the most reported (48/80 total studies), followed by B.1.617.2 (Delta), B.1.351 (Beta), P.1 (Gamma), and others in wastewater. All variants reported in WWS studies followed the same pattern as the clinical reporting within the same timeline, demonstrating that WWS tracked all variants in a timely way when the variants emerged. Thus, wastewater monitoring may be utilized to identify the presence or absence of SARS-CoV-2 and follow the development and transmission of existing and emerging variants. Routine wastewater monitoring is a powerful infectious disease surveillance tool when implemented globally.