bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neurogenic Bladder in Dogs, Cats and Humans: A Comparative Review of Neurological Diseases
Authors: Gernone Floriana , Uva Annamaria , Cavalera Maria Alfonsa , Zatelli Andrea
Published: November 2022

Lower urinary tract disease (LUTD) includes abnormalities in the structure and function of the bladder and the urethra. LUTD caused by neurological disease is defined neurogenic bladder (NB). The integrity of the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS) is required to explicate normal micturition, maintaining the proper function of bladder and urethra. The location and type of neurological lesions influence the pattern of clinical manifestations, potential treatment, and prognosis. Though, in dogs and cats, spinal cord injury is considered mainly responsible for bladder and/or urethra incompetence, other disorders, congenital or acquired, involving CNS or PNS, could play a role in NB. In veterinary medicine, the information about the epidemiology, prevalence, etiopathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of NB are scattered. The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the epidemiology, prevalence, clinical findings, diagnosis and prognosis for NB in dogs and cats compared with humans.
Global Warming and Long-Distance Spread of Invasive Discoglossus pictus (Amphibia, Alytidae): Conservation Implications for Protected Amphibians in the Iberian Peninsula
Authors: Villero Dani , Montori Albert , Llorente Gustavo A. , Roura-Pascual Núria , Geniez Philippe , Brotons Lluís
Published: November 2022

Discoglossus pictus is a North African amphibian that was introduced in southern France early the 20th century and has spread south and north along the Mediterranean coastal plains up to 170 km. In order to disentangle the conservation implications of the spread of D. pictus for sensitive native species, we examined the impact of long-term climate warming on the basis of niche overlap analysis, taking into account abiotic factors. The study area covered the distribution ranges of all genus Discoglossus species in northwestern Africa (659,784 km2), Sicily (27,711 km2), the Iberian Peninsula, and southern France (699,546 km2). Niche overlap was measured from species environmental spaces extracted via PCA, including climate and relief environmental variables. Current and future climatic suitability for each species was assessed in an ensemble-forecasting framework of species distribution models, built using contemporary species data and climate predictors and projected to 2070′s climatic conditions. Our results show a strong climatic niche overlap between D. pictus and native and endemic species in the Iberian Peninsula. In this context, all species will experience an increase in climatic suitability over the next decades, with the only exception being Pelodytes punctatus, which could be negatively affected by synergies between global warming and cohabitation with D. pictus.
Antibiotic Prescribing Patterns for Outpatient Pediatrics at a Private Hospital in Abu Dhabi: A Clinical Audit Study
Authors: El-Dahiyat Faris , Salah Dalal , Alomari Meriam , Elrefae Abdullah , Jairoun Ammar Abdulrahman
Published: November 2022

Background: Antibiotics are commonly used in pediatrics. The aim and objectives were to evaluate the antibiotic prescribing patterns of pediatric outpatients at a private hospital in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Methods: A retrospective drug utilization review was conducted for pediatric patients aged 1–18 between June and December 2018. The prescriptions with inclusion criteria were reviewed and evaluated by using the WHO indicators. Results: 419 encounters included were female (50.1%). Most pediatrics were aged 4–6 years (35.3%). The average number of drugs per prescription were 4.9 drugs. The percentage of parenteral medication prescriptions was 16.9%, and with antibiotic prescriptions was 43.0%, where cefaclor was the most prescribed antibiotic (31.1%). The average consultation time was 14 min, while the average dispensing time was 9.6 min. The most common diagnosis where antibiotics were prescribed was acute pharyngitis (33.4%). There were about 60.6% with lab investigation. Conclusion: As per the WHO indicators, the pediatric outpatient department has a high rate of antibiotic use and polypharmacy, but adherence to the drug formulary and prescribing medicines using generic names was appropriate. The average time for consultation and dispensing were suitable. Irrational antibiotic use for inappropriate diagnoses such as acute otitis media and bronchiolitis were found.
Physiological Characteristics of Putative Enterobacteria Associated with Meat and Fish Available in Southern Brazilian Retail Markets: Antimicrobial Susceptibility, Toxic Metal Tolerance and Expression of Efflux Pumps
Authors: Silva Renata da Costa Barros , Andrade Jéssica , Dias Vanessa Cordeiro , Sequeto Jéssica Carla , Santos Nayara Felga , da Silva Vânia Lúcia , Diniz Cláudio Galuppo
Published: November 2022

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) mesophilic facultatively anaerobic Gram-negative rods are a public health issue and their spread from animal-source foods to humans is of concern worldwide. Hence, the aim of this study was to examine the antibiotic susceptibility patterns and physiological aspects of such rods, including their tolerance to toxic metals and the screening of efflux pumps expressing isolates among enterobacteria isolated from meat (chicken, beef and pork) and fish samples acquired from retail establishments in a Brazilian urban Centre of over 2,300,000 inhabitants. The study revealed that 62.9% of isolated bacteria were resistant to at least one antimicrobial, of which 32.3% and 8.1% were resistant to one and two of the tested drugs, respectively. A resistance of up to six antimicrobials was also observed (0.9%). Out of the total amount, 22.7% were classified as MDR. Chicken was the meat that harbored most MDR isolates, and fish harbored the least. It was not possible to distinguish the different types of meat or fish considering the resistance patterns. The MDR isolates showed a higher tolerance to mercury and cadmium salts and the increased activity of the efflux mechanisms compared to other susceptible or resistant strains. In One Health. the perspective occurrence of putative MDR bacteria in fresh meat and fish draws attention to the antimicrobial resistance phenomenon in an open environment.
Oxybaphus himalaicus Mitigates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Acute Kidney Injury by Inhibiting TLR4/MD2 Complex Formation
Authors: Zhan Honghong , Pu Qingxiu , Long Xiaoliang , Lu Wei , Wang Guowei , Meng Fancheng , Liao Zhihua , Lan Xiaozhong , Chen Min
Published: November 2022

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is described as the abrupt decrease in kidney function always accompanied by inflammation. The roots of Oxybaphus himalaicus Edgew. have long been used in Tibetan folk medicine for the treatment of nephritis. Nevertheless, modern pharmacological studies, especially about the underlying mechanism of O. himalaicus medications, are still lacking. Here, in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 macrophages, the O. himalaicus extract (OE) showed significant anti-inflammatory activity with the dose dependently reducing the LPS-stimulated release of nitric oxide and the mRNA level and protein expression of inflammatory cytokines and reversed the activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB). Co-immunoprecipitation assay indicated that OE inhibited Toll-like receptor 4/myeloid differentiation factor 2 (TLR4/MD2) complex formation and further suppressed both myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88)-dependent and TIR-domain-containing adapter-inducing interferon-β (TRIF)-dependent cascades activation. In addition, OE could restrain NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) endocytosis by blocking TLR4/MD2 complex formation to prevent reactive oxygen species production. In LPS-induced AKI mice, OE treatment mitigated renal injury and inflammatory infiltration by inhibiting TLR4/MD2 complex formation. UPLC-MS/MS analysis tentatively identified 41 components in OE. Our results indicated that OE presented significant anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting TLR4/MD2 complex formation, which alleviated LPS-induced AKI in mice.
CORSIA Lower Carbon Aviation Fuels: An Assessment of the Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Potential
Authors: Bauen Ausilio , Harris Anisha , Sim Christopher , Gudde Nick , Prussi Matteo , Scarlat Nicolae
Published: November 2022

Curbing aviation emissions is clear goal for the aviation sector, but it is a challenging task. At international level, the ICAO CORSIA initiative promotes the use of alternative fuels as a means to decarbonise flights. Among alternative fuels, lower carbon aviation fuels (LCAF) have been proposed under CORSIA. LCAF refers to a fossil fuel, which have been produced in a way that results in at least 10% lower lifecycle GHG emissions compared to a benchmark value. This paper analyses potential LCAF solutions for reducing GHG emissions of kerosene production and evaluates them relative to the ICAO baseline of 89.0 gCO2eq/MJ of fuel. The study analyses the levers that can reduce GHG upstream emissions (emissions from crude oil production) and refining emissions as well. This study shows that no one lever can reduce emissions to a sufficient level to meet the requirement of being a CORSIA-eligible fuel, and therefore that the deployment of multiple levers needed. Since jet fuel comprises only around 10% of total refining output, the LCAF measures could support the implementation of large, high-abatement cost changes, such as refinery-wide carbon capture and storage that affects multiple fuels.
Imitative Reinforcement Learning Fusing Mask R-CNN Perception Algorithms
Authors: He Lei , Ou Jian , Ba Mingyue , Deng Guohong , Yang Echuan
Published: November 2022

Autonomous urban driving navigation is still an open problem and has ample room for improvement in unknown complex environments. This paper proposes an end-to-end autonomous driving approach that combines Conditional Imitation Learning (CIL), Mask R-CNN with DDPG. In the first stage, data acquisition is first performed by using CARLA, a high-fidelity simulation software. Data collected by CARLA is used to train the Mask R-CNN network, which is used for object detection and segmentation. The segmented images are transformed into the backbone of CIL to perform supervised Imitation Learning (IL). DDPG means using Reinforcement Learning for further training in the second stage, which shares the learned weights from the pre-trained CIL model. The combination of the two methods is an innovative way of considering. The benefit is that it is possible to speed up training considerably and obtain super-high levels of performance beyond humans. We conduct experiments on the CARLA driving benchmark of urban driving. In the final experiments, our algorithm outperforms the original MP by 30%, CIL by 33%, and CIRL by 10% in the most difficult tasks, dynamic navigation tasks, and in new environments and new weather, demonstrating that the two-stage framework proposed in this paper shows remarkable generalization capability in unknown environments on navigation tasks.
Underwater Sparse Acoustic Sensor Array Design under Spacing Constraints Based on a Global Enhancement Whale Optimization Algorithm
Authors: Wang Lening , Zhao Hangfang , Wang Qide
Published: November 2022

Sparse arrays with low cost and engineering complexity are widely applied in many fields. However, the high peak sidelobe level (PSLL) of a sparse array causes the degradation of weak target detection performance. Particularly for the large size of underwater low-frequency sensors, the design problem requires a minimum spacing constraint, which further increases the difficulty of PSLL suppression. In this paper, a novel swarm-intelligence-based approach for sparse sensor array design is proposed to reduce PSLL under spacing constrains. First, a global enhancement whale optimization algorithm (GEWOA) is introduced to improve the global search capability for optimal arrays. A three-step enhanced strategy is used to enhance the ergodicity of element positions over the aperture. In order to solve the adaptation problem for discrete array design, a position decomposition method and a V-shaped transfer function are introduced into off-grid and on-grid arrays, respectively. The effectiveness and superiority of the proposed approach is validated using experiments for designing large-scale low-frequency arrays in the marine environment. The PSLL of the off-grid array obtained by GEWOA was nearly 3.8 dB lower than that of WOA. In addition, compared with other intelligent algorithms, the on-grid array designed using GEWOA had the lowest PSLL.
Machine Learning and Food Security: Insights for Agricultural Spatial Planning in the Context of Agriculture 4.0
Authors: Martinho Vítor João Pereira Domingues , Cunha Carlos Augusto da Silva , Pato Maria Lúcia , Costa Paulo Jorge Lourenço , Sánchez-Carreira María Carmen , Georgantzís Nikolaos , Rodrigues Raimundo Nonato , Coronado Freddy
Published: November 2022

Climate change and global warming interconnected with the new contexts created by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict have brought serious challenges to national and international organizations, especially in terms of food security and agricultural planning. These circumstances are of particular concern due to the impacts on food chains and the resulting disruptions in supply and price changes. The digital agricultural transition in Era 4.0 can play a decisive role in dealing with these new agendas, where drones and sensors, big data, the internet of things and machine learning all have their inputs. In this context, the main objective of this study is to highlight insights from the literature on the relationships between machine learning and food security and their contributions to agricultural planning in the context of Agriculture 4.0. For this, a systematic review was carried out based on information from text and bibliographic data. The proposed objectives and methodologies represent an innovative approach, namely, the consideration of bibliometric evaluation as a support for a focused literature review related to the topics addressed here. The results of this research show the importance of the digital transition in agriculture to support better policy and planning design and address imbalances in food chains and agricultural markets. New technologies in Era 4.0 and their application through Climate-Smart Agriculture approaches are crucial for sustainable businesses (economically, socially and environmentally) and the food supply. Furthermore, for the interrelationships between machine learning and food security, the literature highlights the relevance of platforms and methods, such as, for example, Google Earth Engine and Random Forest. These and other approaches have been considered to predict crop yield (wheat, barley, rice, maize and soybean), abiotic stress, field biomass and crop mapping with high accuracy (R2 ≈ 0.99 and RMSE ≈ 1%).
Building Natural Language Interfaces Using Natural Language Understanding and Generation: A Case Study on Human–Machine Interaction in Agriculture
Authors: Zhang Yongheng , Yao Siyi , Wang Peng , Wu Hao , Xu Zhipeng , Wang Yongmei , Zhang Youhua
Published: November 2022

The human–machine interaction of existing agricultural measurement and control platforms lacks user-friendliness and requires manual operation by trained professionals. The recent development of natural language processing technology may bring some interesting changes. We propose a pipeline for building a natural language human–machine interaction interface to provide a better interaction for agricultural measurement and control platforms. Our construction process uses a new method of collecting training data based on the dynamic tuple language framework to synthesize natural language commands entered by the user into structured AOM statements (Action-Object-Member). To construct a mapping of the human–machine interface from natural language commands to AOM invocations, we propose an end-to-end framework that uses a special mask mechanism to improve the BERT-based Seq2Seq model to capture global sequence relations. Experimental results of data collection methods and NL2AOM demonstrate that our pipeline has good performance and a reasonable response time. Finally, we developed desktop and mobile platform applications based on the proposed model and used them in real agricultural scenarios.
Analysis of Optimal Loading Angle in Dynamic Flattened Brazilian Disc Splitting Test for Concrete
Authors: Shi Benjun , Xing Haozhe , Mu Chaomin , Li Jie , Xu Tianhan , Liu Wei
Published: November 2022

The mechanism of crack expansion in conventional Brazilian discs is clearly obtained with the help of numerical simulations, and the direction of crack expansion is related to the loading speed. Then the relationship between the stress field and the platform angle was given quantitatively based on the theoretical analysis. To obtain the accurate tensile strength of self-compacting concrete under the premise of numerical simulation and theoretical analysis, flattened Brazilian disc (BD) splitting tests with six loading angles were carried out by using the split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) loading system. The crack initiation mode and fracture propagation mode of specimens under different loading angles and loading rates were analyzed through digital image correlation (DIC) and strain gauges. When the loading angle lies between 28° and 30°, the specimens easily meet the requirement of central cracking under high loading rates. The experimental results were well explained with theoretical analysis from a view of dimensionless Griffith’s equivalent stress. The dynamic tensile strength measured from the non-central crack mode in flattened BD splitting tests underestimates the inherent dynamic tensile strength.
Is There an Influence of Electrically Stimulated Osteoblasts on the Induction of Osteoclastogenesis?
Authors: Sahm Franziska , Jakovljevic Ana , Bader Rainer , Detsch Rainer , Jonitz-Heincke Anika
Published: November 2022

Bone is a highly dynamic tissue characterized mainly by the interactions of osteoblasts and osteoclasts. When the healing ability of bone regeneration is disturbed, targeted biophysical stimulations such as electrical stimulation are applied. In this study the indirect effects of electrically stimulated human osteoblasts on osteoclastogenesis were investigated to better understand detailed cellular interactions. Therefore, two different cell developmental stages were examined: peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) as precursors and pre-osteoclasts as differentiated cells. Previously, over a 21-day period, human osteoblasts were stimulated with a low-frequency alternating electric field. The supernatants were collected and used for an indirect co-culture of PBMCs and pre-osteoclasts. The cellular viability and the induction of differentiation and activity were analyzed. Further, the secretion of relevant osteoclastic markers was examined. Supernatants of 7 d and 14 d stimulated osteoblasts led to a decrease in the viability of PBMCs and an increased number of cells containing actin ring structures. Supernatants from osteoblasts stimulated over 7 d induced PBMC differentiation and pre-osteoclastic activation. Furthermore, pre-osteoclasts showed varying mRNA transcripts of MCP-1, ACP5, CA2, and CASP8 when cultivated with media from osteoblasts. Supernatants from day 21 did not influence PBMCs at all but increased the viability of pre-osteoclasts. We could show that different time points of stimulated osteoblasts have varying effects on the cells and that changes can be observed due to the differentiation stages of the cells. Through the effects of the indirect stimulation, it was possible to underline the importance of studying not only osteoblastic differentiation and mineralization behavior under electric stimulation but also analyzing changes in osteoclastogenesis and the activity of osteoclasts.
Influence and Control of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission under Two Different Models
Authors: Gao Xubin , Chen Shuang , Pan Qiuhui , He Mingfeng , Qu Leilei
Published: November 2022

SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted by contacting; however, the virus is so active that it can attach to objects and be transmitted from objects to humans via such contacting. The virus, which spreads through some living or inanimate-mediated processes, is more dangerous. On the basis of the routine contact transmission of infectious diseases, this paper further discusses the scope and efficiency of infectious diseases with indirect transmission. Through the study of two different transmission routes, the dynamic models of infectious diseases were constructed. The propagation of these two processes is theoretically studied using a differential equation model and stability analysis theory, and some actual virus propagation processes are simulated by numerical solutions. The prevention and control methods of infectious diseases are given, which lay the theoretical foundation for the discussion of related problems in practical application.
Conscious Inhalation Sedation with Nitrous Oxide and Oxygen in Children: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Memè Lucia , Gallusi Gianni , Strappa Enrico , Bambini Fabrizio , Sampalmieri Francesco
Published: November 2022

Dental anxiety is a common problem in younger children, especially those who have had traumatic or perceived traumatic dental treatments. Nitrous oxide (N2O) and oxygen (O2) have been recommended by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry as the optimal approach for uncooperative or anxious patients. The study aimed to evaluate the cooperation of children treated on deciduous teeth without local anesthesia and with rubber dam. A retrospective study was conducted from January 2019 to December 2020 in a private dental practice on children aged 4–10 years who had previously reported cases of dental anxiety during dental procedures or refused to undergo them. After an initial cognitive examination, the children underwent conservative treatment lasting a maximum of 30 min. Initially, 100% O2 was administered, then N2O dose was gradually increased to 35%. At the end of the treatment, 100% pure O2 was administered for 5 min. Children’s cooperation was assessed by Venham score before treatment (T0), at the end of induction (T1), and during the treatment (T2). A total of 371 children (age: 6.3 ± 1.7 years) were included in the study. Cooperation increased significantly from baseline at T1 (p < 0.001) and T2 (p < 0.001). Younger children (4–6 years) showed lower levels of cooperation at baseline (p < 0.001) but achieved optimal levels of cooperation at T1 (p = 0.022). Only 2.7% of children reported side effects. N2O/O2 proved to be an effective and safe method in achieving a good level of cooperation in younger children.
Pavement Distress Initiation Prediction by Time-Lag Analysis and Logistic Regression
Authors: Liu Hao , Li Yishun , Liu Chenglong , Shen Guohong , Xiang Hui
Published: November 2022

Pavement condition prediction plays a vital role in pavement maintenance. Many prediction models and analyses have been conducted based on long-term pavement condition data. However, the condition evaluation for road sections can hardly support daily routine maintenance. This paper uses high-frequency pavement distress data to explore the relationship between distress initiation, weather, and geometric factors. Firstly, a framework is designed to extract the initial time of pavement distress. Weather and geometric data are integrated to establish a pavement distress initiation dataset. Then, the time-lag cross-correlation analysis methods were utilized to explore the relationship between distress initiation and environmental factors. In addition, the logistic regression model is used to establish the distress initiation prediction model. Finally, Akaike information criterion (AIC), Bayesian information criterions (BIC), and areas under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) of logistic regression models with or without time-lag variables are compared as performance measurements. The results show that pavement distress initiation is susceptible to weather factors and location relationships. Daily total precipitation, minimum temperature, and daily average temperature have a time delay effect on the initiation of the pavement distress. Distress initiation is negatively correlated with the distance from the nearby intersection and positively correlated with adjacent distresses. The weather factors, considering the time-lag effect, can improve the model performance of the distress initiation prediction model and provide support for emergency management after severe weather.
Experimental Study and Numerical Simulation of W/O Emulsion in Developing Heavy Oil Reservoirs
Authors: Wang Kaixuan , Liu Pengcheng , Wang Bojun , Wang Chao , Liu Peng , Zhao Jiu , Chen Junwei , Zhang Jipeng
Published: November 2022

In the process of waterflooding development of heavy oil, W/O emulsion has a strong ability to improve the mobility ratio and block the high-permeability layer, which can effectively improve the sweep coefficient and enhance oil recovery. In this paper, the stability and droplet size distribution of emulsions under different conditions were studied by taking heavy oil and formation water from Jimusar Oilfield in Xinjiang as samples. On this basis, double-pipe core flooding experiments were carried out to study the shut-off ability and oil displacement efficiency of W/O emulsion, and then a numerical simulation was carried out. The results show that oil and water can be completely emulsified when the stirring speed is higher than 4000 r/min. A stable emulsion can be formed when the experimental temperature is lower than 60 °C. A lower water cut results in a more stable emulsion. The emulsion is difficult to stabilize after the salinity exceeds 10,000 mg/L. When the pH value is about 7, the stability of the emulsion is the worst. With the increase in stirring speed, the increase in temperature, and the decrease in water content and salinity, the emulsion droplet size range is relatively concentrated, and the average particle size is smaller. In heterogeneous reservoirs, the permeability of different percolation channels is quite different, such that the displacement fluid only percolates along the high-permeability channel and cannot drive oil effectively. The results of displacement experiments show that the emulsion with a water cut of 60% has high viscosity and obvious sweep ability, but its stability is very poor; the effect is opposite when the water cut is less than 40%. The shut-off ability of W/O emulsion disappears gradually when the permeability contrast is more than 5.92. The research results are of great significance for improving oil recovery in heterogeneous heavy oil reservoirs.
Determination of Cycle to Cycle Battery Cell Degradation with High-Precision Measurements
Authors: Schürholz Daniel , Schweighofer Bernhard , Neumayer Markus , Wegleiter Hannes
Published: November 2022

Due to the long life of lithium ion cells, it is difficult to measure their low capacity degradation from cycle to cycle. In order to accelerate the measurements, cells are often exposed to extreme stress conditions, which usually means elevated temperatures and high charging currents. This raises doubts as to whether the results obtained in this way are representative for real world applications. This work shows that, with the help of very precise capacity measurements, it is possible to determine cell aging in a few days even under normal operating conditions from cycle to cycle. To verify this, a self-built measurement system is used. After demonstrating the capabilities of the system, two different cycling schemes are used simultaneously to determine the various causes of aging—namely cycle aging, calendrical aging and self-discharge due to leakage currents.
Mathematical Model for Establishing the Time-Dependent Behavior of Rocks by the Gradient Method
Authors: Toderas Mihaela
Published: November 2022

In the underground activity domain, most problems related to mining pressure and mining stability need to be solved by taking into account the time behavior of rocks through an approach of the interaction amidst the rock massif, support system, time through the elastic, viscous and plastic models, namely a rheological approach. In order to choose a rational support system, one needs to know the sustainment solicitation at different time intervals. The change in the sustainment in time is emphasized only in the analytical research in which the massif is studied and characterized in terms of the rheological behavior. The gradient method applied in this regard is based on the evolution of the final deformations at a given time, compared to their previous evolution. The paper is structured into two parts, the experimental and interpretation of the experimental data, showing the author’s methodology to assess the rheological behavior of analyzed andesite, the result of the theoretical and experimental research being carried out on the analyzed rock types. Based on the deformation and the time curve of the horizontal mining work contour, the mathematical function was established, which expresses the law of sought deformation. At the same time, the rheological model capable of describing the behavior under a load and under extremely adverse conditions is proposed.
Investigating Media-User Interaction for Public Play Space in a Smart City
Authors: Lee Dohwa , Lee Sangwon
Published: November 2022

The problem of focusing only on the efficiency of an ICTs’ digital convergence in technology-oriented smart city construction has been raised. To address this problem, Plan Smart City Comprehensive Plan is in progress, excluding play spaces in public spaces where the city and users communicate directly or indirectly. In addition, when looking at Christopher Alexander’s 253 pattern languages, which many scholars and experts consider as a study guide for urban planning projects, there is no design alternative for ICTs’ digital convergence for future smart cities. Therefore, in this study, we propose a 4th plan model for ICTs’ future smart city development regarding digital technology and a place-oriented digilog strategic plan. This model proposal is applied to an actual project where the user and the space can interact based on the user’s behavior analysis using the keywords of participation, sharing, and cooperation in the public play space. This study aims to verify the rational method of the ICTs’ smart city Future 4th plan model alternative. There is a strategic plan for ICTs’ participatory media user interaction in a public play space in which: 1. the way people behave in the space; 2. the way people interact with the space; 3. the way people accept the actions of others for entertainment and enjoyment. This study can contribute as a strategic plan for ICTs’ participatory media-user interaction in a public play space; it can contribute to the rational design of the presentation of digilog strategic planning.
Research on the Mechanism and Safe Thickness of Karst Tunnel-Induced Water Inrush under the Coupling Action of Blasting Load and Water Pressure
Authors: Duan Ya , Zhang Xuemin , Zhou Xianshun , Ou Xuefeng
Published: November 2022

When the drilling and blasting method is used to construct a tunnel through the karst stratum, the coupling effect of the blasting load and the karst water pressure in front of the tunnel face exposes the tunnel face to the risk of water inrush, which threatens the safety of personnel and property. It is very important for the design and construction of related tunnels to study the evolution mechanism of water inrush in karst tunnels and determine the minimum thickness of outburst prevention under blasting. Relying on the Dejiang tunnel Project in Tongren City, this paper adopts the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamic–Finite Element Method (SPH-FEM) coupling calculation method to study the evolution process of water inrush in karst tunnels under blasting, analyzing the results of water inrush in tunnels under different rock wall thicknesses under blasting. Then, according to the regression of rock wall stress peak data, the analysis determines the minimum outburst prevention thickness of the karst tunnel. The research results show that there is a superposition effect between the blasting stress wave and the gravitational interaction of the karst water itself, and that the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamic (SPH) particles in the aquifer cause damage and cracks to the rock wall under the coupling action of the blasting load and the karst water pressure, further leading to the expansion of the cracks and the formation of inrush channels. the stress, vibration velocity, and displacement of the unit at the junction of the aquifer and the rock layer show a trend that first decreases, then increases, and then decreases with an increase in the thickness of the rock wall. Based on the actual geological conditions of the Dejiang tunnel project parameters, when the thickness of the rock wall is 3.08 m, the peak stress of the rock formation unit at the junction with the aquifer reaches the maximum value. In order to avoid water inrush during blasting, the minimum outburst prevention thickness should be greater than 3.08 m. Based on the analysis results, a corresponding water inrush prevention plan was formulated on site which effectively guaranteed construction safety and, at the same time, verified the reliability of the analysis results. The relevant research results can provide useful references for similar projects.
On-Site Manufacturing Method for Pre-Tension U-Type Pre-Stressed Concrete Girders and Analytical Performance Verification of Anchoring Blocks Used for Applying Tension Force
Authors: Seo Dong-Woo , Park Sangki , Park Ki-Tae , Jang Hyun-Ock , Shin Yeon-Woo
Published: November 2022

Development of U-type pre-stressed girders has been attempted to increase the length of I-type girders in South Korea. However, a length of 30 m or less is common because the self-weight, according to the post-tension method, is large. In this study, the pre-tension method was applied without limiting the post-tension method to induce a reduction in self-weight and in the materials used because of the decrease in the cross section. In addition, the authors proposed an application of an on-site pre-tensioning method using the internal reaction arm of a U-type girder. A pre-stressed concrete U-type girder bridge is composed of a concrete deck slab and a composite section. Structural performance characteristics, such as resistance and rigidity, were improved compared to those of the PSC I-type girders. Construction safety is also improved in the manufacturing and installation stages, and the elongation ratio is reduced because of the reduction in the weight of the girders. Therefore, it is possible to ensure the aesthetic landscape and economic efficiency of bridges. As a result, it is expected that efficient construction will be possible with high-quality factory-made and cast-in-place members. In this study, the pre-tension method is introduced in the field, and the analytical performance of the anchoring block used for tension is verified.
Morphological and Physical Performance-Related Characteristics of Elite Male Handball Players: The Influence of Age and Playing Position
Authors: Mohoric Uros , Abazovic Ensar , Paravlic Armin H.
Published: November 2022

The aim of the present study was to describe the morphological and performance characteristics of elite handball players using data collected over the last two decades within the talent evaluation program of the Slovenian Handball Federation. A total of 1066 elite male handball players selected for one of the Slovenian national teams (U17, U19, U21 or senior) were recruited. The data were collected from 2007/8 to the 2021/22 season. The main effects were observed for: body height, body weight, and body mass index (BMI). The muscle mass percentage differed only between different age categories (p = 0.003; η2 = 0.015), while the fat mass percentage (FM%) differed between playing positions (p < 0.001; η2 = 0.107). Post-hoc comparisons showed that, within senior handball players, pivot players were 6.46 cm (p = 0.009) taller than wing players and heavier than goalkeepers (12.43 kg, p = 0.004), backcourts (13.30 kg, p < 0.001) and wings (17.83 kg, p < 0.001). Moreover, pivots had a greater BMI than goalkeepers (2.3 kg/m2, p = 0.003), backcourts (2.62 kg/m2, p < 0.001), and wings (3.07 kg/m2, p < 0.001), while FM% was significantly higher in pivots compared to wings (4.32%, p = 0.010). Taking into consideration playing positions and age, the main effects were also observed for squat jump height, countermovement jump height, end-running speed, and VO2max (all p < 0.001; η2 = 0.017 to 0.091). Both morphological and performance characteristics clearly differ across playing positions and age categories, which should be a valuable guide for coaches to develop position-specific talent identification programs and training plans.
Grouting for Tunnel Stability Control and Inadequate Grouting Section Recognition: A Case Study of Countermeasure of Giant Karst Cave
Authors: Peng Peng , Peng Feng , Sun Zhenyu , Zhang Dingli
Published: November 2022

Backfilling a giant karst cave with grouted engineering spoil as a new countermeasure for tunnels through giant karsts cave is studied in this paper. The numerical models of sections with different distribution characteristics of karst cave and tunnels are established for studying the deformation of surrounding rock and mechanical response of tunnel lining with and without grouting, respectively. The results illustrate that the countermeasure scheme is feasible. In order to ensure that the countermeasure can perform as expected effect, the inadequate grouting sections are recognized and verified using field grouting records and single-hole grouting quantity analysis. Finally, the application effect of the countermeasure scheme is evaluated by field monitoring of horizontal convergence. The result shows that the grouting can reduce the deformation of surrounding rock at the side wall and bottom of tunnel by 70–80% and reduce the stress redistribution range of surrounding rock. However, due to the great differences between the limestone and engineering spoil, the grouting cannot change the share of distribution of load between corresponding region surrounding rock, the max principle stress of tunnel lining is almost identical with and without grouting. The grouting reinforced engineering spoil backfill the giant karst cave can meet the requirement of excavation stability. The inadequate grouting sections caused by groundwater and through crack are identified effectively, and are verified by coring observation method. The horizontal convergence of the tunnel is less than 30 mm, and the stable state can be reached within 20 days, which demonstrate that the remarkable engineering results is achieved. The countermeasure of giant karst cave can provide a useful reference for similar project.
Correlations of ESG Ratings: A Signed Weighted Network Analysis
Authors: Ioannidis Evangelos , Tsoumaris Dimitrios , Ntemkas Dimitrios , Sarikeisoglou Iordanis
Published: November 2022

ESG ratings are data-driven indices, focused on three key pillars (Environmental, Social, and Governance), which are used by investors in order to evaluate companies and countries, in terms of Sustainability. A reasonable question which arises is how these ratings are associated to each other. The research purpose of this work is to provide the first analysis of correlation networks, constructed from ESG ratings of selected economies. The networks are constructed based on Pearson correlation and analyzed in terms of some well-known tools from Network Science, namely: degree centrality of the nodes, degree centralization of the network, network density and network balance. We found that the Prevalence of Overweight and Life Expectancy are the most central ESG ratings, while unexpectedly, two of the most commonly used economic indicators, namely the GDP growth and Unemployment, are at the bottom of the list. China’s ESG network has remarkably high positive and high negative centralization, which has strong implications on network’s vulnerability and targeted controllability. Interestingly, if the sign of correlations is omitted, the above result cannot be captured. This is a clear example of why signed network analysis is needed. The most striking result of our analysis is that the ESG networks are extremely balanced, i.e. they are split into two anti-correlated groups of ESG ratings (nodes). It is impressive that USA’s network achieves 97.9% balance, i.e. almost perfect structural split into two anti-correlated groups of nodes. This split of network structure may have strong implications on hedging risk, if we see ESG ratings as underlying assets for portfolio selection. Investing into anti-correlated assets, called as "hedge assets", can be useful to offset potential losses. Our future direction is to apply and extend the proposed signed network analysis to ESG ratings of corporate organizations, aiming to design optimal portfolios with desired balance between risk and return.
Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Extreme Precipitation under Climate Change over Gandaki Province, Nepal
Authors: Pandey Sudip , Mishra Binaya Kumar
Published: November 2022

This paper presents a research study of expected precipitation extremes across the Gandaki Province, Nepal. The study used five indices to assess extreme precipitation under climate change. Precipitation output of two Global Climate Models (GCMs) of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase Six (CMIP6) were used to characterize the future precipitation extremes during the rainfall season from June to September (JJAS) and overall days of the year. To characterize extreme precipitation events, we used daily precipitation under the SSP2–4.5 and SSP5–8.5 scenarios from the Beijing Climate Center and China Meteorological Administration, China; and Meteorological Research Institute (MRI), Japan. Considering large uncertainties with GCM outputs and different downscaling (including bias correction) methods, direct use of GCM outputs were made to find change in precipitation pattern for future climate. For 5-, 10-, 20-, 50-, and 100-year return periods, observed and projected 24 h and 72 h annual maximum time series were used to calculate the return level. The result showed an increase in simple daily intensity index (SDII) in the near future (2021–2040) and far future (2081–2100), with respect to the base-year (1995–2014). Similarly, heavy precipitation days (R50 mm), very heavy precipitation days (R100 mm), annual daily maximum precipitation (RX1day), and annual three-day maximum precipitation (RX3day) indices demonstrated an increase in extreme precipitation toward the end of the 21st century. A comparison of R50 mm and R100 mm values showed an extensive (22.6% and 63.8%) increase in extreme precipitation days in the near future and far future. Excessive precipitation was forecasted over Kaski, Nawalparasi East, Syangja, and the western half of the Tanahun region. The expected increase in extreme precipitation may pose a severe threat to the long-term viability of social infrastructure, as well as environmental health. The findings of these studies will provide an opportunity to better understand the origins of severe events and the ability of CMIP6 model outputs to estimate anticipated changes. More research into the underlying physical factors that modulate the occurrence of extreme incidences expected for relevant policies is suggested.
Wave Patterns inside Transparent Scatterers
Authors: He Youzi , Liu Hongyu , Wang Xianchao
Published: November 2022

It may happen that under a certain wave interrogation, a medium scatterer produces no scattering. In such a case, the scattering field is trapped inside the scatterer and forms a certain interior resonant mode. We are concerned with the behavior of the wave propagation inside a transparent scatterer. It turns out that the study can be boiled down to analyzing the interior transmission eigenvalue problem. For isotropic mediums, it is shown in a series of recent works that the transmission eigenfunctions possess rich patterns. In this paper, we show that those spectral patterns also hold for anisotropic mediums.
Experimental Study on Thermal Runaway Behavior of Lithium-Ion Battery and Analysis of Combustible Limit of Gas Production
Authors: Yang Xinwei , Wang Hewu , Li Minghai , Li Yalun , Li Cheng , Zhang Yajun , Chen Siqi , Shen Hengjie , Qian Feng , Feng Xuning , Ouyang Minggao
Published: November 2022

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are widely used in electric vehicles (EV) and energy storage stations (ESS). However, combustion and explosion accidents during the thermal runaway (TR) process limit its further applications. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the uncontrolled TR exothermic reaction for safe battery system design. In this study, different LIBs are tested by lateral heating in a closed experimental chamber filled with nitrogen. Moreover, the relevant thermal characteristic parameters, gas composition, and deflagration limit during the battery TR process are calculated and compared. Results indicate that the TR behavior of NCM batteries is more severe than that of LFP batteries, and the TR reactions becomes more severe with the increase of energy density. Under the inert atmosphere of nitrogen, the primarily generated gases are H2, CO, CO2, and hydrocarbons. The TR gas deflagration limits and characteristic parameter calculations of different cathode materials are refined and summarized, guiding safe battery design and battery selection for power systems.
Physics-Informed Neural Network (PINN) Evolution and Beyond: A Systematic Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis
Authors: Lawal Zaharaddeen Karami , Yassin Hayati , Lai Daphne Teck Ching , Che Idris Azam
Published: November 2022

This research aims to study and assess state-of-the-art physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) from different researchers’ perspectives. The PRISMA framework was used for a systematic literature review, and 120 research articles from the computational sciences and engineering domain were specifically classified through a well-defined keyword search in Scopus and Web of Science databases. Through bibliometric analyses, we have identified journal sources with the most publications, authors with high citations, and countries with many publications on PINNs. Some newly improved techniques developed to enhance PINN performance and reduce high training costs and slowness, among other limitations, have been highlighted. Different approaches have been introduced to overcome the limitations of PINNs. In this review, we categorized the newly proposed PINN methods into Extended PINNs, Hybrid PINNs, and Minimized Loss techniques. Various potential future research directions are outlined based on the limitations of the proposed solutions.