bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Energy consumption prediction of cement production based on chaotic neural network-Markov chain
Authors: Yin Run , Dou Chunxia , Yue Dong
Published: March 2021

In order to improve the accuracy of energy consumption modeling and prediction in the cement production process, a cement production energy consumption prediction model based on chaotic neural network is proposed: 1. In the energy consumption modeling stage, chaotic neural network is used to reconstruct the phase of chaotic time series. Space, the chaotic neural network can still make high-precision predictions of the system even when the network input is incomplete or mutated, and the determination coefficient value is 0.019 higher than that of the RBF neural network. 2. In the energy consumption prediction stage, the introduction of Marko The residual error correction method is to correct the current forecast value based on the residual error between the historical predicted energy consumption value and the actual energy consumption value. The result shows that the relative residual error of the predicted value corrected by the Markov correction method decreases from -0.6% to -0.25 %, the predicted value of energy consumption is closer to the actual value. Based on the above description of the two stages of energy consumption modeling, the proposed cement production energy consumption prediction model has better prediction effects and higher prediction accuracy than traditional mechanism modeling in cement production energy consumption prediction.
Enterprise development forecast analysis under environmental policy based on knowledge graph
Authors: Zhang Zeyu , Wang Xiaoting , Meng Lingzhong , Wang Qian
Published: March 2021

In order to fully explore the relationship between environmental policy and enterprise development, and further improve the forecasting effect of environmental enterprise development, this paper proposes a method of forecasting enterprise development status under environmental policy based on knowledge graph. This method extracts environmental policies and corporate information from the public website of the environmental department to build an environmental corporate knowledge graph, combines cosine similarity and regression algorithms to establish a prediction model for environmental policies and corporate development, and uses the model to analyse environmental policies and predict corporate future development. Experiments show that this method makes full use of the advantages of knowledge graphs in relation analysis and graphical display, has good accuracy and recall, greatly reduces the time cost of enterprise forecasting, and has strong application value.
Volume transports through the main straits of the East China Sea based on HYCOM reanalysis data
Authors: Wang Bin
Published: March 2021

Volume transports through the main straits of the East China Sea and the inter-annual variations are determined based on HYCOM reanalysis data in the period from 1993 to 2012. The annual mean transports through Taiwan Strait (TS) and Tsushima Strait (TUS) are approximately 1.24Sv (1Sv=106m3/s), and 2.41Sv, respectively. This suggests that the onshore intrusion of Kuroshio water crossing the shelf break of the East China Sea is around 1.17Sv. These estimations are consistent with the previous studies. Furthermore, the volume transports of other channels connecting the East China Sea with the open ocean also have been checked, which are 27.78Sv, 28.55Sv and 1.93Sv through East of Taiwan (TE), Tokara-Osumi Strait (TOS) and the Ryukyu Islands chain (RK), respectively. The Kuroshio transport of HYCOM reanalysis data is larger than the climatological value pointed out from the earlier studies. However, it is much closer to the new analysis value (28.1Sv) based on the observation of Japan Meteorological Agency during the period between 2003 and 2006. The possible reasons also have been addressed. The long-term trend suggests that the transports of TS and TUS have been increased slightly, while those of ET and TOS have been decreased.
Business models analysis for micro compressed air energy storage considering the comprehensive cost in its life-cycle
Authors: Xie Yuguang , Zheng Tianwen , Gao Bo , Jiang Libo , Chen Qingtao , Chen Fan
Published: March 2021

Micro compressed air energy storage (M-CAES) has the characteristics of pollution-free, high comprehensive utilization of energy, and the ability of combined cooling, heating, and electrical power, which can better meet the energy application in many areas. Considering that the business models restrict the development of M-CAES, business models analysis for M-CAES considering the comprehensive cost in its life-cycle is studied. Firstly, this paper analyzes possible investment models of M-CAES projects with multiple market participants, and then the business models of the M-CAES system are designed. Secondly, a scheme of life-cycle cost/benefit assessment is proposed for M-CAES investment, including the construction cost and the operation cost of the M-CAES. Finally, the economic benefits of different business models are analyzed by the 1MWh M-CAES. The results show that they can provide theoretical reference and engineering instruction for the research and engineering application of M-CAES.
“Scenes” updating the cultural landscape of villages along the Grand Canal under the all media communication*
Authors: Zhao Yan , Yan Jianwei , Hou Sushan
Published: March 2021

The rural cultural landscape along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal encompasses such tangible objects as water conservancy legacy projects, rural settlements, rural ecology and productive and natural landscape as well as such intangible contents as rural culture, conventions, handcrafts, biography and legends, forming unique linear legacies that boast high research values. The present paper made a field investigation into the typical villages along the South Canal and analyzed the current problems to explore the local cultural landscape resources and environmental conditions. It proposes to probe into the thinking philosophy to upgrade and design the “scenes” in the rural cultural landscape along the Grand Canal from the perspective of all media communication in hopes of broadening the idea of rural cultural landscape protection along the canal and offering references for the protection and inheritance of the characteristic rural culture thereof.
Optimal dispatching strategy in the domain with energy storage and heat storage taking into account deep regulation of thermal power plants
Authors: Ge Weichun , Liu Debao , Deng Guannan , Zhao Tieying , Wang Shunjiang , Guo Yu
Published: March 2021

In recent years, the installed capacity of wind power has been increasing, and the phenomenon of regional wind abandonment has become prominent. In order to improve the wind power accommodation, the domain definition is introduced, which stipulates that the periods without wind abandonment and load shedding during normal output of thermal power units are normal domains, the periods without wind abandonment or load shedding when thermal power units exert depth adjustment are abnormal domains, and the periods with wind abandonment or load shedding during depth adjustment of thermal power units are emergency domains. Give full play to the depth adjustment of thermal power units in abnormal and emergency areas, improve the accommodation of clean energy, and realize the coordinated and optimized scheduling of multiple energy sources including electricity storage and heat storage systems. To accommodate clean energy, an economic dispatching model including the cost of thermal power, the cost and benefit of power storage and heat storage system is constructed, and the optimal value of the model is solved by calling CPLEX with Matlab. The scheduling results not only ensure the safety and reliability of the whole network operation but also maximize the consumption of wind energy and realize the optimal clean energy scheduling.
Estimation of net oil and gas reserves and sensitivity analysis of influencing factors for net present value under royalty & tax contracts – a case study on X project, Kazakhstan
Authors: Fa Guifang , Shao Xinjun , Lan Jun
Published: March 2021

The Royalty & Tax Contract is one of the most common cooperation modes in the international petroleum industry. Under this mode, contractors take the share of net oil and gas reserves in kind, and pay royalties, income taxes and other taxes/fees to the landowner. The net reserves owned by a contractor refer to the remaining economical recoverable reserves that the contractor can obtain during the remaining contract period, and represent the contractor’s actual revenue. Taking the XX project in Kazakhstan as an example, this paper presented the method for estimating net oil and gas reserves under the Royalty & Tax Contract, discussed how the production, decline rate, development plan, oil prices, costs and taxes affect net reserves from the technical, economic, commercial and engineering perspective, and made sensitivity analysis of the most critical influence factors like oil production, oil prices, operation expenditure and investment. Finally, some development optimization and evaluation strategies were proposed to maximize the contractors’ economic benefits.
Short-term forecast of photovoltaic power generation output based on improved PSO-Elman neural network
Authors: Wu Yuhui , Liu Jingbo , Zhang Jiaan , Hao Feng
Published: March 2021

An improved particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is proposed to solve the problems of low power prediction accuracy and high randomness of PV power generation. In the first place, by changing the inertia weight and learning factor and concept of the hybrid genetic algorithm is introduced into the particle swarm optimization algorithm, determine the initial weight of the Elman neural network, establish Elman neural network, then using day feature vector selection and forecasting meteorological features high similarity of date, determine the main meteorological factors affecting the photovoltaic output, meteorological data and electricity generation are used as training sets of Elman neural network, prediction model is established. Finally, the simulation results show that the model is superior to the Without optimization Elman neural network, has higher prediction accuracy, and shows good stability and generalization ability.
AGC unit capacity planning model considering auxiliary service market under the background of China’s new electricity reform
Authors: Huang Hua , Gu Jiu , Xie Da
Published: March 2021

With the advancement of a new round of power system reform and the continuous access to renewable energy, the auxiliary service market has received extensive attention as an important service to ensure the safe and reliable operation of the power grid. However, it is difficult for the automatic generation control (AGC) units in the system to meet real-time fastness requirements of the power market. Based on the premise that “market electricity” and “planned electricity” coexist under the background of new electricity reform, this paper focuses on the upgrade and reconstruction of AGC units in “planned electricity”. With capacity matching and speed matching as the planning objectives, the optimization and reconstruction algorithm and model of the AGC units are established. Taking capacity matching and speed matching as research targets, the optimization and reconstruction algorithm and model of the AGC units are established. Finally, the effectiveness of the model and the specific scheme of the AGC unit optimization and reconstruction are established through simulation.
Dynamic reactive power optimization of distribution network based on variable step size beetle antennae search algorithm
Authors: Xie Yejun , Liu Zhendong , Pan Yongchao , Liu Lijuan , Du Ke , Yang Zhilong
Published: March 2021

To solve the dynamic reactive power optimization problem in the distribution network, a novel optimization algorithm (variable step size beetle antennae search algorithm, VBAS) is introduced. Meanwhile, from the economic point of view, the minimum network loss and capacitor switching cost are taken as the objective functions, and the dynamic reactive power optimization model is established. In contrast with the majority of existing traditional algorithms that are intricate in process, the conducted algorithm is of less calculate and easier achieved. Besides, the variable step size strategy is introduced to improve optimization accuracy. The effectiveness of this algorithm is verified by simulation analysis on the IEEE 33- bus system, and the results show that VBAS obtains the optimum operation point and outperforms traditional algorithms significantly.
Location planning of smart charging station based on fuzzy TOPSIS method
Authors: Zhao Xuliang , Xue Jiguang , Zhang Xiaoqi , Qin Yuewei , Zhang Xiaoyi , Yu Kun
Published: March 2021

With the increasing demand of electric vehicle charging, it is necessary to plan the location of electric vehicle charging station scientifically and reasonably. By considering the intelligent characteristics of unattended smart charging station, this paper studies the location problem of charging station under the influence of multiple factors, and the evaluation index system of smart charging station location is established. In the light of experts’ evaluation and a lot of experience, the fuzzy number is adopted to express the evaluation value and corresponding weight of indexes. The technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS) method of multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) is employed to sort the schemes and select the best one. Finally, the rationality and feasibility of the proposed method are verified by simulation results, and the influence of index weight on scheme selection is analyzed.
Combustion comparison analysis on two typical Shenhua chars
Authors: Xiang Baixiang , Huang Jun , Tan Houzhang , Li Yan , Han Binqiao
Published: March 2021

Shenhun and Shitan coal are two types of typical Shenhua coals in Shenhua Group. To compare the ignition and burn out characters of this two coals, the pyrolysis process was adopted and Shenhun, Shitan two chars were acquired. The thermogravimetric method(TGA) was used to evaluate two chars combustion characters. Results show that the combustibility of Shenhun char samples are better than that of Shitan char samples. Both the two types of chars DTG peak temperature are approximate 600-650 °C, indicating an easier ignition tendency. The increase of pyrolysis temperature is adverse to the coke combustion. The DTG peak temperature in 700 °C pyrolysis temperature condition is 50 °C larger than that in 900 °C. In addition, the larger particle size is not beneficial to burn out. From the results in this paper, the particle size below 125 μm is recommended.
Nucleation and recombination dependent desorption performance of Mg-based hydrides
Authors: Xie Lishuai , Wu Tong
Published: March 2021

High desorption temperature and sluggish desorption kinetics hinder the large-scale application of Mg-based hydrogen storage materials. Fundamental understanding of the dehydrogenation process and underlying mechanism is crucial for further modifying the desorption performance. Aiming at elucidating the dehydrogenation process of Mg-based hydrides, partially desorbed pure MgH2 and MgH2-Mg2NiH4-CeH2.73 composite have been prepared to investigate the effects of metal phase nucleation on overall desorption performance. It is found that metal Mg is formed on the surface of partially desorbed MgH2 and MgH2-Mg2NiH4-CeH2.73. Correspondingly, the desorption temperature of partially desorbed samples is significantly decreased, indicating an important role nucleation plays in desorption process. With minor Ni addition, the desorption temperature and kinetics of MgH2-Mg2NiH4-CeH2.73 are significantly improved. Promoting hydrogen recombination is another essential aspect to modify the desorption properties of Mg hydrides.
Steady combustion test and numerical simulation analysis of a single direct-flow pulverized coal burner at low load
Authors: Wang Jingjie , Xia Liangwei , Xu Yanhui , Song Xin , Yan Yanfei , Han Shengli , Yu Qiang , Wei Guohua , Huang Ying , Wang Minghao , Shen Tao , Zhu Lingkun , Shu Zhenyang
Published: March 2021

In this paper, the low load steady combustion test of a single burner was carried out on the 30MW thermal test bench of the State Key Laboratory of efficient and clean coal-fired power plant boiler. Combined with numerical simulation, the lower limit of the minimum stable combustion load of the burner was tried to find out, which provided the basic test data for the furnace combustion stability during the deep peak load regulation of the boiler. The experimental and numerical simulation results show that under 40% rated load, the outlet flame is stable and bright, and the negative pressure in the furnace is stable, which can realize the stable combustion of a single burner.
The modal and harmonic response analysis of final superheater based on workbench
Authors: Wan Yu
Published: March 2021

In order to avoid pipe failures affecting the operation of thermal power plants, the modal and harmonic response analysis method were carried out through the finite element software ANSYS Workbench to solve the long-term vibration of the final superheater at high temperature. Modal analysis can predict the natural frequencies of each stage of the structure and provide the frequency range for the harmonic response analysis. Then the response curve of stress to the frequency under the forced vibration was obtained on the base of harmonic response analysis, and observed the stress corresponding to the peak frequency. Furthermore, the fatigue life of the system was analyzed by the fatigue tool module in ANSYS Workbench. The results show that the fatigue safety factor of the final superheater pipe is greater than the allowed safety factor, and the fatigue life could meet the requirements for safe operation. The research results have certain reference value for further research on vibration fatigue of superheater pipelines.
Hydraulics analysis of the U-tubing effect in a riserless drilling system
Authors: Wang Echuan
Published: March 2021

As a newly developed marine drilling technology, riserless drilling (RD) shows obvious advantages for use in deep-water and ultra-deepwater petroleum resources exploitation. However, the available published hydraulic analysis models for RD are rare or imperfect, especially regarding the lack of accounting for the out-of-hole time. To analyse the actual flow characteristics of drilling mud in an RD system after the surface mud pumping is complete, this paper presents a new hydraulic simulation model of the U-tubing effect. The specific calculation methods of pressure loss in the drilling string and the wellbore annulus at different flow regimes (turbulent flow, transition flow, and laminar flow) are provided based on the Herschel-Bulkley (HB) rheological model. A case study shows that a critical volumetric flow rate (CVFR) exists for a specific RD system to just cause the standpipe pressure to become zero. Only when the initial pump circulation rate is greater than the CVFR can it ensure the normal operation of the RD. Otherwise, the fluid mud level inside the drilling string will drop, resulting in the u-tubing effect. In the first few seconds after the surface pump is shut down, the wellbore transient flow rate is influenced strongly by the initial circulation rate. When the initial flow rate is less than the CVFR, the transient flow rate is accelerated during the first few seconds, which is not the expected behaviour. The influence of the drilling string size, fluid density and rheological parameters of the drilling fluid on the transient flow rate and the Bottom Hole Pressure (BHP) are also considered. The results proved that the smaller values of the rheological parameters are beneficial for reducing the fluctuation of the BHP during the U-tubing process.
The transfer law of exergy in the lines (pipes) and exergy loss analysis
Authors: Xie Pingping , Mao Tian , Xuan Peizheng , Lu Siyu
Published: March 2021

In order to explore the transfer law of exergy in the lines (pipes), based on the generalized expression equation of exergy and the generalized exergy transfers and conversion equation, the transfer law of exergy in the lines (pipes) is derived, and then the exergy loss of three typical energies are analyzed based on the exergy loss model, which are electric exergy loss, pressure exergy loss and heat exergy loss. This paper reveals the change mechanism of exergy transfer process, which can provide more comprehensive guidance for energy saving.
The structural characteristics and electrical of MoS2 and MoS2/graphene: a first-principles study
Authors: Xu Ke , Liao Ningbo
Published: March 2021

MoS2/graphene, as a promising composite candidate of lithium anode, is widely used because of high capacity and high capability of rate. The hetero interface of MoS2/graphene plays a critical role on its electrochemical performance. In this paper, first principles investigations are conducted to study the details of the DOS, band structure, electron density of MoS2 / graphene hetero junction by first principles calculations, which prove that this system is promising to be used in lithium batteries, gas sensors and other domains, for example, like super capacitors and catalysis.
Numerical study on the impact of interface contact resistance on the performance of a PEMFC with serpentine flow field
Authors: Chen Shuyu , Feng Sheng , Lu Wenbo , Chen Qi
Published: March 2021

The performance of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) strongly relies on the flow-field design. In this study, a three-dimensional, multiphase, and non-isothermal PEMFC model with single serpentine flow field has been developed to investigate the effect of interface contact resistance (ICR) between the bipolar plate (BP) and gas diffusion layer (GDL) on the flow field dimension. In the cases of 25 different combinations of channel and rib width, polarization curves and power density curves of the PEMFC without ICR and with ICR of 7.418 mΩ.cm2 as well as 21 mΩ.2 are investigated. The results show that ICR has little effect on channel pressure drop but on liquid water accumulation. The value of ICR affects both the ohmic loss stage and concentration loss stage of the polarization curves. The power density of the PEMFC without ICR at the operating voltage 0.5V decreases as the rib width increases, while that with ICR increases as the rib width increases. Furthermore, the influence of invalid active area in BPs caused by flow field configuration on the cell performance should not be neglected when the ICR value is lower than 10 mΩ.2.
The effect of thermal hysteresis on the performance of a regenerative Ericsson refrigeration cycle with MnFe-based composite material
Authors: Li Yan , Lin Guoxing , Chen Jincan
Published: March 2021

MnFe-based magnetocaloric materials exist a giant magnetocaloric effect so that they can be used as the working substance for room-temperature magnetic refrigeration. But there are two key problems to be solved before employing them as the working substance: one is that for single MnFe-based material, its giant magnetocaloric effect only arise in a small temperature range and the other is that these materials exist generally thermal hysteresis. For these reasons, a novel composite material based on MnFe-based materials is designed optimally, and a regenerative Ericsson refrigeration cycle using the composite material as the working substance is established. Furthermore, the performance of the refrigeration cycle with the composite is analyzed and evaluated. The influences of thermal hysteresis on main thermodynamic parameters of the refrigeration cycle are revealed by numerical calculation. The research results can provide some significant guidances for the parametric design and performance improvement of room-temperature magnetic refrigerators.
The effect of propionic acid accumulation on methane production in dry mesophilic anaerobic fermentation
Authors: Li Hongli , Wang Yan
Published: March 2021

The dry anaerobic digestion performances were investigated at the temperature of 35±1°Cwith addition of propionic acid at different concentrations in five lab-scale reactors (R1-R5) to investigate the effect of propionic acid accumulation on methane production in dry mesophilic anaerobic digestion. And the volatile fatty acids, biogas and microbial community were detected. The active of microbial community and the methane generation would be inhibited when the propionic acid exceeded 30 gL1, which affected not only syntrophic propionate-oxidizing bacteria but also acetate-utilizing methanogens. Eubacteria decreased sharply accompany with the higher concentration of propionic in R4 and R5. The relative abundance of acetoclastic methanogens was directly correlated with volatile solids removals and methane generation in dry anaerobic reactors. Otherwise, the quantity of syntrophic propionate-oxidizing bacteria was positively linear correlated with propionic acid when the concentration was below 30 gL1. The methanogenic bacteria activity in R3 was the best with the methane yield of 27.01 mLCH4 g-1 VS d-1. The results suggested that appropriate propionate could enhance methane production in the dry anaerobic fermentation.
The parametric study of a novel methanol steam reforming system combining Pd membrane purification and purification retentate combustion
Authors: Zhou Yaodong , Wang Lintao , Deng Bicai , Li Qiyu , Lin Zhimin
Published: March 2021

A hydrogen production process combining methanol steam reforming, Pd membrane purification and purification retentate combustion is proposed and simulated by Aspen plus. The influence of key components’ performance like the methanol conversion rate and hydrogen recovery rate on the methanol consumption is calculated and analyzed. Simulation results show that the overall methanol consumption only reduces by 0.8% when the methanol conversion rate or hydrogen recovery rate increases by 5 percent point. The main benefit is the CO2 emission reduction.
The effect of ion exchange membranes on the bipolar membrane electrodialysis of ammonium chloride wastewater
Authors: Li Ya , Li Wei , Shi Shaoyuan , Wu Xinmin
Published: March 2021

The different bipolar membranes and their configurations with monopolar ion exchange membranes from different manufacturers such as FAB-FBM-FKB, AHA-(BP-1E)- CMB, and JAM-(BMP-1)-JCM are used in the bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED) of simulated NH4Cl wastewater to examine the effect of membrane properties on the generation of HCl and NH3∙H2O. The results indicated that the configuration of AHA-(BP-1E)-CMB presented the promising performance among all the ion exchange membranes according to the generated acid and base concentration. And the configuration of FAB-FBM-FKB presented the expected performance on the membrane stack voltage, energy consumption, current efficiency of the BMED system. The stability of different ion exchange membranes in strong acid and base solution were investigated further by the analyses of SEM, contact angle and membrane resistance. It was found that the membranes AHA and FKB had better chemical stability than other membranes.
Effects of temperature on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of the LiFePO4 battery
Authors: Wu Xijin , He Zhenyu , Wang Tianqi , Li Xin , Yang Dongmei , Wang Qingshan , Li Yan
Published: March 2021

Change in temperature affects cycle life and performance of the LiFePO4battery. Thus, different temperature (-20°C∼45°C) performance of the LiFePO4battery was investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The prismatic 40 Ah batteries testing was utilized to show the effect of increasing temperature on ohmic impedance (RΩ) and charge transfer internal resistance (Rct), and evaluate electrical performance consistency of a batch of batteries The results showed that the effect of increasing temperature on RΩ was very slight and on Rctwas more obvious. The change was believed to result from ion moving speed, chemical reaction speed and ion charge transfer process at the electrode/electrolyte interface. At low-temperature (-20°C), the standard deviation of R was larger than other higher temperature, indicating that the electrical performance difference of the battery pack was large under low temperature condition.
Determination of Presence Iron and Manganese in Tasik Chini
Authors: Nadiatul Adilah A A G , Muhammad Syukri L
Published: March 2021

This study investigates the current concentration of heavy metal in Tasik Chini which is iron and manganese. Status of water quality index (WQI) in the rivers at Tasik Chini namely Melai River, Jemberau River, Jerangking River and Gumum River was identified. The water quality results were classified based on the National Water Quality Standard, Malaysia (NWQS). Physical and chemical parameters such as pH, temperature, turbidity, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Suspended Solids (SS), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Ammonia Nitrogen (NH3-N), Phosphorus (P) were analysed on site and by laboratory experiments. Two types of heavy metals have been tested to determine the concentration of Iron (Fe) and Manganese (Mn) contained in the water samples in Melai River, Jemberau River, Jeranking River and Gumum River using laboratory tools named as Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). This (ICP-MS) method is conducting by Central Laboratory in Universiti Malaysia Pahang. Based on the results of the study conducted according to the Water Quality Index (WQI) and National Water Quality Standard, Malaysia (NWQS), the water quality at selected locations which are Melai River, Jemberau River, Jerangking River and Gumum River at Tasik Chini was classified in Class II where conventional treatment are required. According to the results of the study, there are activities conducted around Tasik Chini which have caused water pollution which involves the release of heavy metals. Among the activities identified as the main cause of water pollution in Tasik Chini are iron mining, agriculture, illegal logging and waste disposal.
Influence of Doping Concentration on the Zinc Doped Nickel Oxide Nanostructures: Morphological, Structural, and Optical Properties
Authors: Parimon N , Mamat M H , Shameem Banu I B , Vasimalai N , Suriani A B , Mohamed A , Ahmad M K , Rusop M
Published: March 2021

The zinc doped nickel oxide (Zn:NiO) nanostructures with 0 at.% (UD), 1 at.% (1ZNO), and 2 at.% (2ZNO) of Zn concentrations were successfully deposited on the NiO seed-coated glass substrates. The films were successfully produced from two synthesis techniques: the sol-gel spin coating for NiO seed-coated and the solution immersion for the Zn:NiO nanostructures. The films were then pre-baked at 150 °C and subsequently annealed at 500 °C. The Zn doping concentrations affecting NiO in terms of morphological, structural, and optical properties were investigated. The surface morphologies and cross-sectional images of the Zn:NiO nanostructures were observed by field emission scanning microscopy. The observation showed that the groups of nanoflower (NF), which were grown above the nanosheet (NS) array were gradually decreased with the increasing percentage of the Zn doping. The thickness of the NS also drastically decreases as the Zn dopant is increased. The thicknesses measured are 910 nm, 410 nm, and 100 nm for UD, 1ZNO, and 2ZNO, respectively. The X-ray diffraction analysis showed the Zn:NiO peak intensities were affected and decreased as the Zn doping is increased. Take into account the significant differences in the (200) plane, the crystal parameters were calculated. The dislocation density, interplanar spacing, lattice parameter, and unit cell volume increased as the Zn doping increased. Meanwhile, the average crystallite size reduces when the percentage of Zn doping is increased. This condition makes the Zn:NiO nanostructures are promising for sensing applications due to enhanced surface area. The strain and stress values of the Zn:NiO showed the tensile strain and compressive stress, respectively. The transmittance spectra showed the transparencies in the visible region within 400 to 800 nm wavelength increases when the percentage of Zn doping is increased. The average transmittance percentages are 32.1 %, 62.8 %, and 67.0 % for UD, 1ZNO, and 2ZNO, respectively. The optical bandgap increases sharply as the Zn doping increased from 3.55 to 4.75 eV.
Fruit Tree Identification Based on Multi-source Remote Sensing Image Data—Taking Pomegranate Tree as an Example
Authors: Liang Fang , Yang Weifang , Xing Dongxing
Published: March 2021

In recent years, the development of remote sensing technology systems with medium-high spatial, temporal and spectral resolution is very fast. Remote sensing technology has been widely used in the extraction of feature elements and has achieved good results. If we could identify tree species accurately use remote sensing technology, it will be convenient and efficient to obtain the area of single fruit planting in the investigation of large-scale and multi-variety agricultural products. Then providing guidance for the planning of fruit tree and avoiding expanding planting area blindly according to price trends to bring planting economic benefits. At present, the tree species structure in the fruit growing area is complex, and it is difficult to accurately distinguish a single tree species. The existing extraction method to pomegranate cultivation area is poor effective. Therefore, based on the multi-source remote sensing image and field data, we should preprocess the remote sensing image firstly, then we do the band difference, ratio analysis, spectral index calculation spectral index change tracking, image composite and identification methods co-processing. In the last step we analyse the differences of NDVI values and spectral characteristics of remote sensing images of different tree species in different periods, then we can recognize and extract the pomegranate in fruit tree planting area. The results of the experiment indicate that the method can effectively extract the distribution information of pomegranate trees in complex areas where planting information is available. Thus it can be extended to other crop identification research, which can provide a good reference for the development of precision agriculture and intelligent agriculture management.
Spatio-temporal Variation of Net Primary Productivity of Farmland Ecosystem in Central Yunnan Plateau
Authors: He Yunling , Yan Wenbo , Deng Fuying , Qu Xinxing
Published: March 2021

Based on MODIS data and CASA (Camegie Ames Stanford Approach) model to estimate the net primary productivity (NPP) of farmland ecosystem in the Central Yunnan Plateau from 1982 to 2019, the spatial autocorrelation method and Sen’ s trend analysis were used to analyze the spatial-temporal variation characteristics of farmland NPP and the influence of climate factors for the last 38 years. The results indicated: The annual NPP of farmland varied from 772.43 to 993.72 g C/(m2⋅a) during 1982 - 2019, with the total mean value of 897.50 g C/(m2⋅a), which had the decrease trend during 1982 - 2000 but showed the increase fluctuation from 2001 to 2019. The total values of NPP tended to stabilize during 1982 - 2019. As for the spatial distribution, the farmland NPP in the southwest low-altitude areas were relatively high (>1500 g C/(m2⋅a)), whereas the farmland NPP in the northeast high-altitude regions had the lower values, especially in Kunming and urbans in central Yunnan (<200 g C/(m2⋅a). From the variation trend, the farmland NPP significantly increased in 31.7% of the agricultural area in the Central Yunnan Plateau, with no obvious change and significant decrease in 37.1% and 31.2%, which was observed for obvious increase tendency in the northeast area. The significant positive relationships were observed for 30.0%, 28.2% and 73.0% of mean pixel NPP with precipitation, temperature and SPEI drought index respectively, which indicated that the farmland ecosystem was largely influenced by drought to a certain extent.
Study on the Effects of Low Molecular Organic Acids on the Availability and Morphology of Phosphorus in Calcite Soils
Authors: Fu Wenjie , Wan Yazhen
Published: March 2021

Improving the availability of phosphate fertilizer in the soil can significantly improve the yield and quality of crops, which is related to China’s food security. In the present study, malonic acid, a low molecular weight organic acid, was used as a synergist and monoammonium phosphate. The results showed that the availability of phosphorus increased by 12.02% compared with monophosphate. By analyzing the morphology and correlation of inorganic phosphorus in the soil, it was found that the conversion rate of Ca2-P to CA8-P slowed down. Therefore, the addition of malonic acid can improve the availability of phosphate fertilizer in calcareous soil.
Physiological Response of Vitis Amurensis Rupr. Seedlings to Drought Stress and Re-watering
Authors: Wang Mingjie , Liang Wenwei , Fan Lili , Lu Huiling , Lv Yunbo , Zhou Shuang , Zhang Lili , Ma Xiao
Published: March 2021

In order to study drought resistance in Vitis amurensis Rupr. seedling and to provide some theoretical bases for water management in Vitis amurensis Rupr. production, using potted ‘Beta’ tissue culture seedlings as materials, effects of natural drought stress for different durations and re-watering treatment on physiological indexes of leaves. The results showed that drought stress can cause cells dehydration of Vitis amurensis Rupr., and this reaction intensifies with time. Especially after 20 d drought stress re-watering, the relative water content of leaves has no obvious change compared with drought treatment, that is, it has caused loss to cell membrane, while the effect of short- and medium-term drought (5 d, 10 d) is relatively small. The content of proline and soluble sugar increased first and then decreased with the extension of drought stress time, and the osmotic regulator increased relatively steadily in the short time (5 d, 10 d), which indicated that it could maintain metabolic balance through its own osmotic regulation. The accumulation of proline and soluble sugar decreased under prolonged stress (20 d), the accumulation of proline and soluble sugar was significantly higher than the control, which still had some protective effect on the cells. Under short drought stress, the activity SOD, POD, CAT grape increased steadily, but with the prolongation of stress time, the activity of the three protective enzymes varied greatly. The SOD activity reached a peak d stress 15, and the POD, CAT activity reached a peak in 20. After re-watering, the three protective enzyme activities of Vitis amurensis Rupr. decreased, and after 10 d of stress, the protective enzyme activity of re-watering could be restored to the control level. It shows that the grape has a certain ability to recover after drought. To sum up, this study suggests that Vitis amurensis Rupr. seedlings can withstand 10 d of drought stress because of their high osmotic regulation and antioxidant capacity to maintain normal physiological metabolism.
Learning human insight by cooperative AI: Shannon-Neumann measure
Authors: Siregar Edouard
Published: March 2021

A conceptually sound solution to a complex real-world challenge, is built on a solid foundation of key insights, gained by posing ‘good’ questions, at the ‘right’ times/places. If the foundation is weak, due to insufficient human insight, the resulting, conceptually flawed solution, can be very costly or impossible to correct downstream. The response to the global 2020 pandemic, by countries using just-in-time supply/production chains and fragmented health-care systems, are striking examples. Here, Artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help human insight, are of significant value. We present a computational measure of insight gains, which a cooperative AI agent can compute, by having a specific internal framework, and by observing how a human behaves. This measure enables a cooperative AI to maximally boost human insight, during an iterated questioning process—a solid foundation for solving complex open-ended challenges. It is an AI-Human insight bridge, built on Shannon entropy and von Neumann utility. Our next paper will addresses how this measure and its associated strategy, reduce a hard cooperative inverse reinforcement learning game, to simple Q-Learning, proven to converge to a near-optimal policy.
Feasibility of modifying the hospital environment to reduce the length of amnesia after traumatic brain injury: a pilot randomized controlled trial
Authors: Lannin Natasha A , Galea Claire , Coulter Megan , Gruen Russell , Jolliffe Laura , Ownsworth Tamara , Schmidt Julia , Unsworth Carolyn
Published: March 2021

Background

Reorientation programmes have been an important component of neurotrauma rehabilitation for adults who suffer from post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) after traumatic brain injury (TBI); however, research testing the efficacy of acute programmes is limited.

Objective

This study aimed to determine if it is feasible to provide a standardized environmental reorientation programme to adults suffering from PTA after TBI in an acute care hospital setting, and whether it is likely to be beneficial.

Methods

We conducted a randomized controlled trial with concealed allocation and intention-to-treat analysis. A total of 40 participants suffering from PTA after TBI were included. The control group received usual care; the experimental group received usual care plus a standardized orientation programme inclusive of environmental cues. The primary outcome measure was time to emergence from PTA measured by the Westmead PTA Scale, assessed daily from hospital admission or on regaining consciousness.

Results

Adherence to the orientation programme was high, and there were no study-related adverse responses to the environmental orientation programme. Although there were no statistically significant between-group differences in time to emergence, the median time to emergence was shorter for those who received the standardized reorientation programme (9.0 (6.4–11.6) versus 13.0 (4.5–21.5) days). Multivariate analysis showed that the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) at scene (P = 0.041) and GCS at arrival at hospital (P = 0.0001) were significant factors contributing to the longer length of PTA.

Conclusion

Providing an orientation programme in acute care is feasible for adults suffering from PTA after TBI. A future efficacy trial would require 216 participants to detect a between-group difference of 5 days with an alpha of 0.05 and a power of 80%.
Property, Analogy and Variety
Authors: McFarlane Ben , Douglas Simon
Published: March 2021

How should a court respond if a party argues that, because her right to an intangible asset is a property right, the defendant is under a strict duty not to interfere with that intangible asset? Our view is that such a conclusion does not follow from the premise, and the argument is really one that the party’s right deserves protection as it is sufficiently analogous to a right to a tangible asset.
Neurons in the Nonhuman Primate Amygdala and Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex Signal Aversive Memory Formation under Sedation
Authors: Samuel Nir , Kahana Eilat , Taub Aryeh , Reitich-Stolero Tamar , Paz Rony , Raz Aeyal
Published: March 2021

Background

Anesthetics aim to prevent memory of unpleasant experiences. The amygdala and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex participate in forging emotional and valence-driven memory formation. It was hypothesized that this circuitry maintains its role under sedation.

Methods

Two nonhuman primates underwent aversive tone–odor conditioning under sedative states induced by ketamine or midazolam (1 to 8 and 0.1 to 0.8 mg/kg, respectively). The primary outcome was behavioral and neural evidence suggesting memory formation. This study simultaneously measured conditioned inspiratory changes and changes in firing rate of single neurons in the amygdala and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex in response to an expected aversive olfactory stimulus appearing during acquisition and tested their retention after recovery.

Results

Aversive memory formation occurred in 26 of 59 sessions under anesthetics (16 of 29 and 10 of 30, 5 of 30 and 21 of 29 for midazolam and ketamine at low and high doses, respectively). Single-neuron responses in the amygdala and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex were positively correlated between acquisition and retention (amygdala, n = 101, r = 0.51, P < 0.001; dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, n = 121, r = 0.32, P < 0.001). Neural responses during acquisition under anesthetics were stronger in sessions exhibiting memory formation than those that did not (amygdala median response ratio, 0.52 versus 0.33, n = 101, P = 0.021; dorsal anterior cingulate cortex median response ratio, 0.48 versus 0.32, n = 121, P = 0.012). The change in firing rate of amygdala neurons during acquisition was correlated with the size of stimuli-conditioned inspiratory response during retention (n = 101, r = 0.22 P = 0.026). Thus, amygdala and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex responses during acquisition under anesthetics predicted retention. Respiratory unconditioned responses to the aversive odor anesthetics did not differ from saline controls.

Conclusions

These results suggest that the amygdala–dorsal anterior cingulate cortex circuit maintains its role in acquisition and maintenance of aversive memories in nonhuman primates under sedation with ketamine and midazolam and that the stimulus valence is sufficient to drive memory formation.

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Normal Tissue Complication Probability (NTCP) prediction model for osteoradionecrosis of the mandible in head and neck cancer patients following radiotherapy: Large-scale observational cohort
Authors: van Dijk Lisanne V. , Abusaif Abdelrahman A. , Rigert Jillian , Naser Mohamed A. , Hutcheson Katherine A. , Lai Stephen Y. , Fuller Clifton D. , Mohamed Abdallah S. R.
Published: March 2021

Background and purpose

Osteoradionecrosis (ORN) of the mandible represents a severe, debilitating complication of radiation therapy (RT) for head and neck cancer (HNC). At present, no Normal Tissue Complication Probability (NTCP) models for risk of ORN exist. The aim of this study was to develop a multivariable clinical/dose-based NTCP model for the prediction of ORN any grade (ORNI-IV) and Grade IV (ORNIV) following radiotherapy (± chemotherapy) in HNC patients.

Methods

Included HNC patients were treated with (chemo-)radiotherapy between 2005 and 2015. Mandible bone radiation dose-volume parameters, and clinical variables (i.e. age, sex, tumor site, pre-RT dental extractions, chemotherapy history, post-operative RT and smoking status), were considered as potential predictors. The patient cohort was randomly divided into a training (70%) and independent test (30%) cohort. Bootstrapped forward variable selection was performed in the training cohort to select the predictors for the NTCP models. Final NTCP model(s) were validated on the holdback test subset.

Results

Of 1259 included HNC patients, 13.7% (n=173 patients) developed any grade ORN (ORNII-IV primary endpoint) and 5% (n=65) ORNIV (secondary endpoint). All dose and volume parameters of the mandible bone were significantly associated with the development of ORN in univariable models. Multivariable analyses identified D30% and pre-RT dental extraction as independent predictors for both ORNI-IV and ORNIV best-performing NTCP models with an AUC of 0.78 (AUCvalidation=0.75) and 0.81 (AUCvalidation=0.82), respectively.

Conclusion

This study presented NTCP models – based on mandible bone D30% and pre-RT dental extraction – that predict ORNI-IV and ORNIV (i.e. needing invasive surgical intervention) following HNC radiotherapy. Our results suggest that less than 30% of the mandible should receive a dose of 35Gy or more for an ORNI-IV risk lower than 5%. These NTCP models can improve ORN prevention and management by identifying patients at risk of ORN.