bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Key Aspects of Adolescents’ Environmental Attitudes with a View to Transformative Education
Authors: Muñoz-García Isabel María , Alcántara-Manzanares Jorge , Medina Quintana Silvia
Published: August 2022

The aim of this study is to gauge the environmental attitudes of adolescents in order to improve environmental education plans. To this end, the Attitudes Towards the Environment validated survey was applied to 346 adolescents (51% boys and 49% girls, mean age = 15.05) at secondary schools in Cordoba (Spain). A factor analysis (FA) was carried out using the FACTOR program, obtaining three factors: emotional, cognitive, and behavioral. The results of the FA exhibit excellent internal consistency, with an Omega coefficient of 0.916 and Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.915, and adequate goodness of fit. The emotional factor results are good, as concern and responsibility towards the environment were notable. However, this did not translate into motivation to obtain further knowledge or to become involved in collective civic actions. The findings in this line give us information to review educational objectives and methodologies, for which emotional education is essential. Elements are proposed to encourage adolescents to adopt more proenvironmental attitudes so that the development of environmental awareness and concern in them is not undermined by frustration, and so that peer learning is present through dialogue and cooperative work, promoting an affinity for nature and the motivation to participate in collective civic activities.
Multi-Scale Semantic Segmentation for Fire Smoke Image Based on Global Information and U-Net
Authors: Zheng Yuanpan , Wang Zhenyu , Xu Boyang , Niu Yiqing
Published: August 2022

Smoke is translucent and irregular, resulting in a very complex mix between background and smoke. Thin or small smoke is visually inconspicuous, and its boundary is often blurred. Therefore, it is a very difficult task to completely segment smoke from images. To solve the above issues, a multi-scale semantic segmentation for fire smoke based on global information and U-Net is proposed. This algorithm uses multi-scale residual group attention (MRGA) combined with U-Net to extract multi-scale smoke features, and enhance the perception of small-scale smoke. The encoder Transformer was used to extract global information, and improve accuracy for thin smoke at the edge of images. Finally, the proposed algorithm was tested on smoke dataset, and achieves 91.83% mIoU. Compared with existing segmentation algorithms, mIoU is improved by 2.87%, and mPA is improved by 3.42%. Thus, it is a segmentation algorithm for fire smoke with higher accuracy.
Energy Management Strategy for PEM Fuel Cell Hybrid Power System Considering DC Bus Voltage Regulation
Authors: Trinh Hoai-An , Phan Van-Du , Truong Hoai-Vu-Anh , Ahn Kyoung Kwan
Published: August 2022

Developing an energy management strategy (EMS) is an important requirement to satisfy the load power demand for a proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) hybrid system under different working conditions. For this objective, this paper proposes an EMS to control the power distribution between the PEMFC, battery (BAT), and supercapacitor (SC) and regulate the DC bus voltage for matching the load power demand. In this strategy, fuzzy logic rules (FLRs) and low-pass filters (LPFs) are utilized to determine the reference currents for energy sources based on their dynamic response. In addition, current and voltage control loops are designed to provide the appropriate gains for compensators that can maintain a stable voltage on the DC bus. Finally, simulations are conducted in the MATLAB/Simulink environment to validate and compare the effectiveness of the proposed strategy with others. The simulation results present that the proposed EMS achieves the highest distributed power accuracy with an error of (−2.1→2.6) W, while reducing the DC bus voltage ripple by 1% under various load working conditions in comparison to the other approaches.
Intelligent Measurement of Frontal Area of Leaves in Wind Tunnel Based on Improved U-Net
Authors: Yang Xinnian , Wang Achuan , Jiang Haixin
Published: August 2022

Research on the aerodynamic characteristics of leaves is part of the study of wind-induced tree disasters and has relevance to plant biological processes. The frontal area, which varies with the structure of leaves, is an important physical parameter in studying the aerodynamic characteristics of leaves. In order to measure the frontal area of a leaf in a wind tunnel, a method based on improved U-Net is proposed. First, a high-speed camera was used to collect leaf images in a wind tunnel; secondly, the collected images were corrected, cut and labeled, and then the dataset was expanded by scaling transformation; thirdly, by reducing the depth of each layer of the encoder and decoder of U-Net and adding a batch normalization (BN) layer and dropout layer, the model parameters were reduced and the convergence speed was accelerated; finally, the images were segmented based on the improved U-Net to measure the frontal area of the leaf. The training set was divided into three groups in the experiment. The experimental results show that the MIoUs were 97.67%, 97.78% and 97.88% based on the improved U-Net training on the three datasets, respectively. The improved U-Net model improved the measurement accuracy significantly when the dataset was small. Compared with the manually labeled image data, the RMSEs of the frontal areas measured by the models based on the improved U-Net were 1.56%, 1.63% and 1.60%, respectively. The R2 values of the three measurements were 0.9993. The frontal area of a leaf can be accurately measured based on the proposed method.
Renewable Energy Sources as Backup for a Water Treatment Plant
Authors: Kotulla Michal , Goňo Miroslava , Goňo Radomír , Vrzala Matouš , Leonowicz Zbigniew , Kłosok-Bazan Iwona , Boguniewicz-Zabłocka Joanna
Published: August 2022

The article is focused on the issue of blackouts in a water industry and the selection of a renewable energy source for a water treatment plant. In the case of power outage, it is necessary to constantly ensure the supply of a drinking water, if this requirement would not be met, it could cause of deterioration of hygiene and health of the population. To be able to convey drinking water during a blackout, it is mandatory to have a backup power supply. The state of the current water treatment plants in the Czech Republic is that they are using diesel generators as backup power supply, which causes air pollution. There are other options of power supply that can be used, such as renewable energy sources. By using a multi-criteria analysis method, renewable energy sources were analyzed for a water treatment plant in the selected region. Based on the results, it seems that the most suitable choice is a small hydro power plant at the entry points of water treatment plant. Other possibilities of renewable energy sources that may be suitable for a water treatment plant and the usage of a multi-criteria analysis method for a water treatment plant in other countries are also discussed.
Multivariate Empirical Mode Decomposition and Recurrence Quantification for the Multiscale, Spatiotemporal Analysis of Electricity Demand—A Case Study of Japan
Authors: Delage Rémi , Nakata Toshihiko
Published: August 2022

In the new energy systems’ modeling paradigm with high temporal and spatial resolutions, the complexity of renewable resources and demand dynamics is a major obstacle for the scenario analysis of future energy systems and the design of sustainable solutions. Most advanced models are indeed currently restricted by past temporal energy demand data, improper for the analysis of future systems and often insufficient in terms of quantity or spatial resolution. A deeper understanding on energy demand dynamics is thus necessary to improve energy system models and expand their possibilities. The present study introduces noise-assisted multivariate empirical mode decomposition and recurrence quantification analysis for the study of this problematic variable with a case study of Japan’s electricity demand data per region. These tools are adapted to nonlinear, complex systems’ data and are already applied in a wide range of scientific fields including climate studies. The decomposition of electricity demand as well as the detection of irregularities in its dynamics allow to identify relations with temperature variations, demand sector shares, life style and local culture at different temporal scales.
A Comprehensive Review on Multilevel Inverters for Grid-Tied System Applications
Authors: Salem Mohamed , Richelli Anna , Yahya Khalid , Hamidi Muhammad Najwan , Ang Tze-Zhang , Alhamrouni Ibrahim
Published: August 2022

Multi-level inverters (MLIs) have been widely used in recent years due to their various advantages in industrial and grid-connected applications. Traditional MLI topologies are being hampered by the rapid surge of renewable energy systems (RES) as a result of performance difficulties such as poor power reliability, an economically unviable structure, and a lack of efficiency. These difficulties are due to the traditional MLI topologies’ inability to keep up with the increasing demand for RES. Because of concerns about performance and limitations posed by classic MLI topologies, researchers have found themselves driven to the idea of building innovative hybrid MLI topologies. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of multilevel inverter systems that are wired into the main power supply. Grid-connected inverter types and their configurations are discussed in depth in this review. Diverse multi-level inverter topologies, as well as the different approaches, are divided into various categories and discussed in depth. Additionally, a number of control reference frames for inverters were brought forward for discussion. Furthermore, different inverter control strategies were investigated, followed by a tabular summary of recent developments in the inverter-related literature for the convenience of the readers. Moreover, the recently proposed grid-connected multi-level inverter systems were discussed including their findings and innovations. In conclusion, a brief description of the study’s scope was offered and research directions for future studies were provided.
Correction: Mekonnen et al. Modeling, Analysis and Optimization of Grid-Integrated and Islanded Solar PV Systems for the Ethiopian Residential Sector: Considering an Emerging Utility Tariff Plan for 2021 and Beyond. Energies 2021, 14, 3360
Authors: Mekonnen Tefera , Bhandari Ramchandra , Ramayya Venkata
Published: August 2022

The authors wish to make the following corrections to their paper [...]
Study on Micro Topography of Thermal Aging of Insulation Pressboard Based on Image Processing
Authors: Zhao Liang , Jiang Wenhui , Wang Yulong , Wang Ziqi , Wang Yongqiang
Published: August 2022

The insulation pressboard is very important in the insulation of oil-immersed transformers, which determines the useful life of the transformer. In order to analyze the change in the micro topography of the pressboard under the condition of thermal aging in detail, the insulation pressboard samples of different thermal aging periods were made. Image enhancement, denoising, segmentation, optimization, edge detection, expansion, and corrosion were used to process SEM images of the pressboard after thermal aging, so as to extract the fiber width, hole size, and surface roughness. By comparing the relationship between the micro topography and the degree of polymerization of the insulation pressboard in different thermal aging periods, it can be concluded that when the fiber width was 91% of the unaged pressboard fiber width, and the corresponding roughness was 0.162, the insulation life was only approximately half of its original value, and when the fiber width was 79% of that of the unaged pressboard, the corresponding roughness was 0.225, and the insulation life was nearing the end of its life. This shows that the image processing method used in this paper can observe the micro topography changes during thermal aging and can estimate the thermal aging degree of the insulation pressboard.
NMR-Based Shale Core Imbibition Performance Study
Authors: Sun Yuping , Li Qiaojing , Chang Cheng , Wang Xuewu , Yang Xuefeng
Published: August 2022

Shale gas reservoirs are unconventional resources with great potential to help meet energy demands. Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have been extensively used for the exploitation of these unconventional resources. According to engineering practice, some shale gas wells with low flowback rate of fracturing fluids may obtain high yield which is different from the case of conventional sandstone reservoirs, and fracturing fluid absorbed into formation by spontaneous imbibition is an important mechanism of gas production. This paper integrates NMR into imbibition experiment to examine the effects of fractures, fluid salinity, and surfactant concentration on imbibition recovery and performance of shale core samples with different pore-throat sizes acquired from the Longmaxi Formation in Luzhou area, the Sichuan Basin. The research shows that the right peak of T2 spectrum increases rapidly during the process of shale imbibition, the left peak increases rapidly at the initial stage and changes gently at the later stage, with the peak of the left peak shifting to the right. The result indicates that water first enters the fracture system quickly, then enters the small pores near the fracture wall due to the effect of the capillary force, and later gradually sucks into the deep and large pores. Both imbibition rate and capacity increase with increased fracture density, decreased solution salinity, and decreased surfactant concentration. After imbibition flowback, shale permeability generally increases by 8.70–17.88 times with the average of 13.83 times. There are also many microcracks occurring on the end face and surface of the core sample after water absorption, which may function as new flowing channels to further improve reservoir properties. This research demonstrates the imbibition characteristics of shale and several relevant affecting factors, providing crucial theory foundations for the development of shale gas reservoirs.
Energy–Carbon Emissions Nexus Causal Model towards Low-Carbon Products in Future Transport-Manufacturing Industries
Authors: Adenuga Olukorede Tijani , Mpofu Khumbulani , Modise Ragosebo Kgaugelo
Published: August 2022

Climate change is progressing faster than previously envisioned. Efforts to mitigate the challenges of greenhouse gas emissions by countries through the establishment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has resulted in continuous environmental improvements in the energy efficiency and carbon emission signatures of products. In this paper, an energy–carbon emissions nexus causal model was applied using the Leontief Input–Output mathematical model for low-carbon products in future transport-manufacturing industries., The relationship between energy savings, energy efficiency, and the carbon intensity of products for the carbon emissions signature of the future transport manufacturing in South Africa was established. The interrelationship between the variables resulted in a 29% improvement in the total energy intensity of the vehicle body part products, 7.22% in the cumulative energy savings, and 16.25% in the energy efficiency. The scope that has been examined in this paper will be interesting to agencies of government, researchers, policymakers, business owners, and practicing engineers in future transport manufacturing and could serve as a fundamental guideline for future studies in these areas.
Silicone-Based Membranes as Potential Materials for Dielectric Electroactive Polymer Actuators
Authors: Bernat Jakub , Gajewski Piotr , Kołota Jakub , Marcinkowska Agnieszka
Published: August 2022

This article includes an overview of the materials and a thorough analysis of the methods that are used to produce dielectric electroactive actuator membranes. The paper also presents extensive results from our experimental studies on two types of addition silicone (Silicone Mold Start 15 and Dragon Skin 10M) that are used to manufacture actuators with different active membranes of thicknesses (165 μm and 300 μm, respectively). This study explored in depth the hardware architectures and methodologies for manufacturing the selected actuators. The displacements of the actuators were compared to their responses to two types of voltage excitation: a step response and a sinusoidal signal with an increasing frequency over time. This paper graphically presents the results that we obtained for all devices, with a particular emphasis on the resonance frequencies. When comparing membranes that had the same thickness (165 μm), it was found that the mean amplitude was higher for silicone membranes with lower values for the Young’s modulus (DS = 0.57 mm and MS = 0.73 mm). All experiments were repeated for two series of measurements and the results that were obtained in this study demonstrated the successful implementation of the actuator concepts that were made from the new types of silicone, which have not yet been used for production.
Influence of the Gas Model on the Performance and Flow Field Prediction of a Gas–Liquid Two-Phase Hydraulic Turbine
Authors: Sun Shuaihui , Ren Pei , Guo Pengcheng , Sun Longgang , Zheng Xiaobo
Published: August 2022

A two-phase hydraulic turbine’s performance and flow field were predicted under different Inlet Gas Volume Fractions (IGVF) with incompressible and compressible models, respectively. The calculation equation of equivalent head, hydraulic efficiency, and flow loss considering the expanding work of compressible gas were deduced based on the energy conservation equations. Then, the incompressible and compressible results, including the output power and flow fields, are compared and analyzed. The compressible gas model’s equivalent head, output power, and flow loss are higher than the incompressible model, but the hydraulic efficiency is lower. As the IGVF increases, the gas gradually diffuses from the blade’s working surface to its suction surface. The gas–liquid separation happens at the runner outlet in the compressible results due to the gas expansion. The area of the low-pressure zone in the incompressible results increases with the IGVF. However, it decreases with the IGVF in the compressible results. As the gas expands in the blade passage, it takes up more flow area, causing the high liquid velocity in the same passage. The runner’s inlet gas distribution affects the liquid flow angle, causing the inlet shock and high TKE areas, especially in the blade passage near the volute tongue. The high TKE area in the compressible results is larger than the incompressible results because the inlet impact loss and the liquid velocity in the blade passage are higher. This paper provides a reference for selecting gas models in the numerical simulation of two-phase hydraulic turbines.
Review and Techno-Economic Analysis of Emerging Thermo-Mechanical Energy Storage Technologies
Authors: Gautam Khem Raj , Andresen Gorm Brunn , Victoria Marta
Published: August 2022

Thermo-mechanical energy storage can be a cost-effective solution to provide flexibility and balance highly renewable energy systems. Here, we present a concise review of emerging thermo-mechanical energy storage solutions focusing on their commercial development. Under a unified framework, we review technologies that have proven to work conceptually through project demonstration at a scale above 1 MW by describing the current state of commercial development, quantifying techno-economic parameters, outlining the challenges, and assessing each technology’s potential for commercial viability. The levelized cost of storage for thermo-mechanical energy storage at storage duration between 8 h and 1 week is cheaper than that of lithium-ion batteries and hydrogen storage; however, energy storage for such duration does not pay for itself at the current renewable penetration levels. For medium-term energy storage to be viable, at the realistic storage cost of 15 USD/kWh to 40 USD/kWh, the investment cost for power components should decrease to one-fifth of the current costs. Thermo-mechanical energy storage can be economically viable at the current investment costs in off-grid systems only when the marginal cost of alternative fuel exceeds 100 USD/MWh. We identified the cost ratio (charge power cost/discharge power cost) and the discharge efficiency as the critical technology-related performance parameters. Other external factors such as wind and solar fractions, demand, interconnections, sector coupling, and market structure play an important role in determining the economic feasibility of thermo-mechanical energy storage.
Effect of Tip Clearance on the Cavitation Flow in a Shunt Blade Inducer
Authors: Guo Xiaomei , Jiang Chongyang , Qian Heng , Zhu Zuchao , Zhou Changquan
Published: August 2022

In order to study the effect of tip clearance on the internal cavitation stability of a shunt blade inducer, an external characteristics experiment of a centrifugal pump with a shunt blade inducer was carried out. Based on the turbulence model and mixture model, the cavitating flow in a centrifugal pump with the inducer was numerically simulated. The influence of tip clearance on the cavitating flow in a shunt inducer was studied and analyzed. Through the research, it was found that tip clearance has a certain influence on the critical cavitation coefficient. The existence of the tip clearance caused a significant leakage vortex near the inducer’s inlet and a strong transient effect was shown. The location and degree of cavitation caused by the tip leakage are clarified in this paper. Tip clearance has a great impact on the pressure distribution on a shunt blade inducer. The influence law of tip clearance on an inducer’s blade load distribution was clarified. The results showed that tip clearance has a significant effect on the cavitation of a shunt blade inducer under low flow rate conditions.
Hotel Adapted to the Requirements of an nZEB Building—Thermal Energy Performance and Assessment of Energy Retrofit Plan
Authors: Borowski Marek
Published: August 2022

Recently, emissions and the energy use of the building and construction sector globally increased. Therefore, energy retrofit processes and reducing the energy consumption of buildings are increasingly often discussed by the academic community, industry, and end-users. The application of high-performance technologies and highly insulating materials results in a low energy demand in newly constructed buildings. A crucial challenge is to reduce energy consumption in existing buildings. The article presents an energy analysis of the reconstruction of a historic building adapted to hotel functionality. Based on the available information on the design of the facility, and the annual demand for cooling and heating energy, simulations of the energy performance were carried out. The proposals to exchange the heat source and replace the existing systems were simulated and assessed. Three different retrofit options were analyzed, including the replacement of the air handling unit (variant 1—v1), bathroom fixtures (v2), and, in the last scenario analyzed (v3), the above-mentioned activities and the usage of tri-generation units. As the results show, such solutions allow for the reduction in final energy consumption of 20%, to 73% regarding the baseline variant.
Intelligent Control of the Energy Storage System for Reliable Operation of Gas-Fired Reciprocating Engine Plants in Systems of Power Supply to Industrial Facilities
Authors: Ilyushin Pavel , Filippov Sergey , Kulikov Aleksandr , Suslov Konstantin , Karamov Dmitriy
Published: August 2022

Gas-fired reciprocating engine plants (GREPs) are widely used in power supply systems of industrial facilities, which allows for ensuring the operation of electrical loads in case of accidents in the power system. Operating experience attests to the fact that during islanded operations, GREPs are shut down by process protections or protective relays in the event of severe disturbances. This leads to complete load shedding, which is accompanied by losses and damage to industrial facilities. Severe disturbances include the following ones: large load surges on GREPs due to one of them being switched off, the group starting of electric motors, and load shedding (more than 50%) during short circuits or disconnection of process lines. Energy storage systems (ESS) have the ability to compensate for instantaneous power imbalances to prevent GREPs from switching off. The authors of this study have developed methods for intelligent control of the ESS that allow one to solve two problems: prevention of GREPs shutdowns under short-term frequency and voltage deviations as well as preservation of the calendar and cycling lifetime of battery storage (BS) of the GREP. The first method does not require performing the calculation of adjustments of control actions for active and reactive power on the ESS online but rather determines them by the value of frequency deviations and the voltage sag configuration, which greatly simplifies the system of automatic control of the ESS. The second method, which consists in dividing the steady-state power/frequency characteristic into sections with different droops that are chosen depending on the current load of the ESS and the battery state of charge, and offsetting it according to a specified pattern, allows for preventing the premature loss of power capacity of the ESS BS.
Design Optimization of a Rotary Thermomagnetic Motor for More Efficient Heat Energy Harvesting
Authors: Hey Jonathan , Repaka Maheswar , Li Tao , Tan Jun Liang
Published: August 2022

A rotary thermomagnetic motor that is designed for heat energy harvesting is presented in this paper. The power output, power density, and efficiency of the device is estimated using a mathematical model coupling the heat transfer, magnetic interactions, and rotor dynamics. The design analysis shows that the efficiency of the device is maximized, when there is a balance between the volume of thermomagnetic material used against the rate of heating and cooling of the material. On the other hand, the power output is determined largely by the size of the rotor, while the power density tends to peak at a particular aspect (length to diameter) ratio of the rotor. It is also observed that a higher rate of cooling leads to more output, especially when this is matched to a similar rate of heat supplied to the thermomagnetic motor. The result from the design optimization points to an ‘optimal’ design configuration and corresponding operating conditions that results in the largest power output, highest power density and best efficiency. After the optimization, it is estimated that the rotary thermomagnetic motor is able to produce up to 88 W of power with a power density of approximately 27 kW/m3 of thermomagnetic material used, while a maximum thermal-to-mechanical energy conversion efficiency of 2.1% is achievable. The results obtained from this design analysis and optimization shows the potential for such a rotary thermomagnetic motor to be implemented at a larger scale for heat energy harvesting application.
Recent Advances in the Development of Nanocatalysts for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells
Authors: de Sá Maria H. , Moreira Catarina S. , Pinto Alexandra M. F. R. , Oliveira Vânia B.
Published: August 2022

Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) have attracted much attention due to their potential application as a power source for portable devices. Their simple construction and operation, associated with compact design, high energy density, and relatively high energy-conversion efficiency, give the DMFCs an advantage over other promising energy production technologies in terms of portability. Nowadays, research on DMFCs has received increased attention in both academics and industries. However, many challenges remain before these systems become commercial, including their costs and durability. As a key material with a high-value cost, noble metal catalysts for both the anode and cathode sides face several problems, which hinder the commercialisation of DMFCs. This paper provides a detailed comprehensive review of recent progress in the development of nanocatalysts (NCs) for the anode and cathode reactions of DMFCs, based on Platinum, Platinum-hybrid, and Platinum-free materials. Particular attention is devoted to the systematisation of published experimental results tested in DMFC devices since 2015, with an emphasis on passive DMFC systems. In addition, a dedicated section was created to include modelling/theoretical studies. Some open problems and remaining challenges are also highlighted in the final section.
Full Implementation of Electric Mobility in a Countryside Region of Spain
Authors: Montero Romero Andrés , Di Martino Andrea , Longo Michela , Barelli Linda , Zaninelli Dario
Published: August 2022

The ongoing spread of electric sustainable mobility is transforming the local ways of transport in metropolitan areas. This is meant to be extended outside of big cities in the near future thanks to new technological developments. Little towns should adapt to these changes, as they are located geographically far from the big cities and are generally characterized by low economic and demographic indicators. Hence, little towns must keep pace with these changes in mobility to avoid being isolated from the main cities in a country. People living in the countryside usually move toward big cities for various reasons, either related to work or living necessities. Therefore, it must be possible to conduct usual displacements through the use of electric vehicles (EVs), i.e., reaching the destinations and supplying the batteries through charging infrastructures. This paper studies the full implementation of electric mobility applied in the case of Cuenca, a city located in middle Spain. A brief geographical context is provided, together with the routes and destinations of interest considered. Then, different EVs are considered and an analytical vehicle model is provided. The model was exploited to simulate the electrical energy demand to reach the destinations chosen; the results allow comparing the performances offered by different types of EVs. This aspect is then considered as the basis to propose further upgrades in the charging infrastructures where needed, to comply with the widespread use of electric mobility.
Theoretical Prediction on Hydraulic Lift of a Coandă Effect-Based Mining Collector for Manganese Nodule
Authors: Jia Hao , Yang Jian , Su Xianghui , Xia Qiu , Wu Kexin
Published: August 2022

The undersea collecting vehicle is one of the three main parts in the deep-sea exploitation system. The Coandă effect-based collector picks up manganese nodules by providing an adverse pressure difference over the nodule, through the jet flowing around a curved wall. In order to overcome the drawbacks of repeated prototyping and experimenting in the traditional design procedure of the Coandă effect-based collector, the theoretical guide should be well placed to ensure correct design of the strongly related parameters of the collector. In this paper, a simplified model of curved wall jets was developed and the solution of approximate closed form was obtained to predict the lift force of the nodules. The variational tendencies of velocity, pressure and single-particle lift index perpendicular to the curved wall were investigated and the Coandă effects were found to be stronger with higher initial velocity, higher non-dimensional jet slot height and lower non-dimensional wall height. A CFD-DEM simulation of a number of particles was additionally performed to give more insight into the predictive accuracy of the simplified theory. Target lift force was found to be related to high efficiency in collection of particles, resulting in certain predictability of the theoretical model to the nodule lifting in a pre-prototype hydraulic device based on the Coandă effect.
Modular Multilevel Converter for a Linear Generator for Wave Energy Converter
Authors: Zapata Henry M. , Pérez Marcelo A.
Published: August 2022

In this paper we propose a modular multilevel converter for a linear generator for a wave energy converter. The coils of this generator are individually controlled to improve energy harvesting performance. This topology involves two stages. The first stage uses a full-bridge to control the harvested current with a reference generated by means of an MPPT method. The second stage uses a half-bridge to control the voltage of the DC-link and the output current. Furthermore, multilevel modular converters allow the generation of a medium DC voltagethat reduces the losses in energy transmission lines from offshore to a coupling common point on the shore.
Research Advances in Oxidosqualene Cyclase in Plants
Authors: Wang Pengqing , Wei Guo , Feng Liguo
Published: August 2022

Triterpenes are natural products of plants that can defend against microorganisms and various stresses. Oxidosqualene cyclase (OSC), the key rate-limiting enzyme of the triterpene biosynthetic pathway, catalyzes 2,3-oxidosqualene into sterols and triterpenes with different skeletons through the chair–boat–chair (CBC) conformation or chair–chair–chair (CCC) conformation. They were expanded in plants mainly by tandem duplication and are distributed in many plant lineages. They have multiple biological activities, including as functional foods and drugs. Here, we summarize the current characterized forest OSCs and their potential functions, especially for pharmacological applications. The study of triterpene-catalyzed enzyme OSC has an important scientific role and potential economic value. This paper summarizes the research advances of the main members of the OSC family in plants, their structure and function, the biosynthesis of triterpenes, and the molecular evolution of OSC.
Bushfire-Resistant Lightweight Masonry Blocks with Expanded Perlite Aggregate
Authors: Ariyaratne Indunil Erandi , Ariyanayagam Anthony , Mahendran Mahen
Published: August 2022

During bushfires, one of the building elements that is directly exposed to embers, radiant heat and direct flames is the “wall” element. This study investigated the feasibility of using expanded perlite aggregate in masonry (i.e., cement) blocks to enhance their bushfire resistant characteristics. The chemical, physical, and thermal properties of expanded perlite aggregate were determined first and then masonry block cement mixes were developed by replacing sand in the conventional mix with expanded perlite aggregate by volume at different percentages (100, 80, 60, and 40%). The properties of fresh and hardened cement mixes (slump, density, compressive strength, and water absorption) were measured. The developed masonry blocks were exposed to Bushfire Flame Zone conditions (i.e., 20–842 °C) and the standard fire curve for three hours (i.e., 20–1110 °C) to assess their resistance to bushfires and building fires, respectively. The properties of Cement–Expanded Perlite mixes were compared with those of the standard Cement–Sand mix. The test results showed that the use of perlite aggregate reduced the workability, density, and compressive strength of the cement mix while increasing the water absorption and fire resistance level. All the developed perlite blocks were lightweight and had three hours of fire resistance level (-/180/180). When exposed to bushfire flame zone conditions, the blocks made with 100, 80, and 60% perlite satisfied the maximum ambient surface temperature limit. Of these, masonry blocks made with 60% perlite aggregate are the most suitable for use in external walls of bushfire shelters and residential and commercial buildings in bushfire-prone areas.
Natural Antimicrobials: A Clean Label Strategy to Improve the Shelf Life and Safety of Reformulated Meat Products
Authors: Santiesteban-López Norma Angélica , Gómez-Salazar Julián Andrés , Santos Eva M. , Campagnol Paulo C. B. , Teixeira Alfredo , Lorenzo José M. , Sosa-Morales María Elena , Domínguez Rubén
Published: August 2022

Meat is a nutrient-rich matrix for human consumption. However, it is also a suitable environment for the proliferation of both spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms. The growing demand to develop healthy and nutritious meat products with low fat, low salt and reduced additives and achieving sanitary qualities has led to the replacement of the use of synthetic preservatives with natural-origin compounds. However, the reformulation process that reduces the content of several important ingredients (salt, curing salts, etc.), which inhibit the growth of multiple microorganisms, greatly compromises the stability and safety of meat products, thus posing a great risk to consumer health. To avoid this potential growth of spoiling and/or pathogenic microorganisms, numerous molecules, including organic acids and their salts; plant-derived compounds, such as extracts or essential oils; bacteriocins; and edible coatings are being investigated for their antimicrobial activity. This review presents some important compounds that have great potential to be used as natural antimicrobials in reformulated meat products.
Effect of Tremella fuciformis and Different Hydrocolloids on the Quality Characteristics of Wheat Noodles
Authors: Zhang Lifan , Chen Jie , Xu Fei , Han Rui , Quan Miaomiao
Published: August 2022

To improve the quality characteristics of noodles and enrich nutritional value, Tremella fuciformis (TF) powder was incorporated into noodles. Tremella fuciformis (TF) is an edible fungus with rich nutritional value, and TF gel has good viscosity properties. This paper explored the effect of TF on noodle quality, and compared the difference between TF and three hydrocolloids: sodium alginate (SA), guar gum (GG) and xanthan gum (XG). The results showed that TF could significantly (p < 0.05) increase the hardness, adhesiveness and chewiness of noodles, and showed a decreasing trend for additions greater than 3%. The addition of 3% TF enhanced storage modulus (G′), loss modulus (G″) and elasticity of dough. The addition of 3% TF also increased α-helix and β-sheet content, and degradation temperature in noodles. Meanwhile, it elevated the deeply bound water content and retarded water mobility. In addition, the content of slowly digestible starch and resistant starch in the noodles increased with the addition of 3% TF. It was found that the effect of 3% TF on the above data was not different from the effects of the three hydrocolloids (respectively, their optimal additions), and improved the quality characteristics of the noodles. The results provide guidance for the application of TF and the development of a new natural hydrocolloid and nutritionally fortified noodles.
Correction: Grabež et al. Seaweed Inclusion in Finishing Lamb Diet Promotes Changes in Micronutrient Content and Flavour-Related Compounds of Raw Meat and Dry-Cured Leg (Fenalår). Foods 2022, 11, 1043
Authors: Grabež Vladana , Coll-Brasas Elena , Fulladosa Elena , Hallenstvedt Elin , Håseth Torunn Thauland , Øverland Margareth , Berg Per , Kidane Alemayehu , Egelandsdal Bjørg
Published: August 2022

“Alemayehu Kidane” was not included as an author in the original publication [...]
Evaluating Morphological Methods for Sex Estimation on Isolated Human Skeletal Materials: Comparisons of Accuracies between German and South African Skeletal Collections
Authors: Gupta Avinash , Billings Brendon K. , Hummel Susanne , Grosskopf Birgit
Published: August 2022

Objectives: The focus of this research is to evaluate the sex estimation methods on isolated human materials by applying morphological methods published in various forensic and anthropological literature on different skeletal series. Materials and Methods: 165 individuals from the 19th to 20th century Inden skeletal series, 252 individuals from the 13th to 14th century Lübeck skeletal series of German ancestry housed at the Department of Historical Anthropology and Human Ecology, the University of Göttingen, Germany, and 161 individuals from the 19th and 20th century of South African African ancestry housed within the Raymond A. Dart collection of modern human skeletons at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, with crania, mandibles, and pelves, were assessed. The evaluation criteria are burial information on the Inden series, genetic sex on both the Inden and the Lübeck series, and previous demography on cadavers from the South African African series. Results and Discussion: The sex estimation with cranial traits perform better in Inden and South Africa samples and worse in Lübeck sample. The mandible accuracies for pooled sexes are not exemplary, but the individual traits perform better for males in the Inden, Lübeck, and South Africa samples, except for gonion and angle, which performs better in females. The pelvic traits perform better in the Inden and South Africa samples compared to the Lübeck sample. The statistical tests show that there is a huge difference in the accuracy rates and the performance between both population groups from Germany itself, considering that Inden and Lübeck samples share the same ancestry. The accuracy rates improve with the exclusion of ambiguous individuals.
Fractional Sturm–Liouville Eigenvalue Problems, II
Authors: Dehghan Mohammad , Mingarelli Angelo B.
Published: August 2022

We continue the study of a non-self-adjoint fractional three-term Sturm–Liouville boundary value problem (with a potential term) formed by the composition of a left Caputo and left Riemann–Liouville fractional integral under Dirichlet type boundary conditions. We study the existence and asymptotic behavior of the real eigenvalues and show that for certain values of the fractional differentiation parameter α, 0<α<1, there is a finite set of real eigenvalues and that, for α near 1/2, there may be none at all. As α→1− we show that their number becomes infinite and that the problem then approaches a standard Dirichlet Sturm–Liouville problem with the composition of the operators becoming the operator of second order differentiation.
Phase Transition of Gels—A Review of Toyoich Tanaka’s Research
Authors: Tokita Masayuki
Published: August 2022

In 70’s, the extensive studies about the gel science has begun with the discovery of the volume phase transition of gel at the physics department of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After the discovery of the volume phase transition of gel, the phenomenon was extensively studied and advanced by the discoverer, the late Professor Toyoichi Tanaka, who deceased on 20 May 2000 in the halfway of his research. In this paper, we would like to review his research to clarify his deep insight into the science of gels.
Geomorphological and Morphometric Analyses of the Catanzaro Trough (Central Calabrian Arc, Southern Italy): Seismotectonic Implications
Authors: Pirrotta Claudia , Parrino Nicolò , Pepe Fabrizio , Tansi Carlo , Monaco Carmelo
Published: August 2022

In this work, we investigated the landscape response to the recent activity of the faults affecting the Catanzaro Trough, a seismically active structural basin that developed transversally to the Calabrian Arc (Southern Italy) during the Neogene–Quaternary. We carried out a geomorphological and morphometric study of the drainage networks and basins intercepted by the Quaternary faults that were previously mapped through remote and field analyses. The study confirms the occurrence north of the Catanzaro Trough of a WNW–ESE-oriented left-lateral strike-slip fault system (here named the South Sila Piccola Fault System), which accommodates the differential SE-ward migration of the upper crustal sectors of the Calabrian Arc, and of a south-dipping WNW–ESE-oriented oblique fault system (the Lamezia-Catanzaro Fault System), characterized by a predominant normal component of movement. The latter delimits the Catanzaro Trough and accommodates the transition from a strike-slip regime to an extensional regime in the south. Inside the Catanzaro Trough, we detected for the first time a NNE–SSW-trending, WNW-dipping fault system (here named the Caraffa Fault System). This system contributes to accommodate the extension that occurs orthogonally to the southern sector of the Calabrian Arc. The geomorphological and morphometric analysis revealed the recent activity of these fault systems. In particular, the activity of the Caraffa Fault System is evidenced by the differential uplift and tilting of discrete areas inside the basin. Given its location, geometry, and kinematics, the Caraffa Fault System could be responsible for the occurrence of large historical earthquakes.
A Digital Analysis of an Early Medieval Cultic and Ritual Change in Hampi: The Mula Virupaksha Temple in the Hemakuta Hill Sacred Space
Authors: Haak Candis
Published: August 2022

This paper examines a 12th-century Virupaksha temple through the reconstruction and exploration of space, movement, devotee corporeal experiences, and the use of natural landscape microtopographic features in monument design. The Mula Virupaksha Temple presents a dramatic change in the previously non-imperial sacred landscape in the Hemakuta Hill area at Hampi (Bellary District, Karnataka). With its construction, Hampi transitioned from a local Shaiva pilgrimage center dedicated to the river goddess Pampa and her counterpart Bhairava to a popular Shaiva pilgrimage and cult center of the newly imported god, Virupaksha. The Mula Virupaksha Temple presents a design thoroughly novel to the area that ushered in a period of sophisticated and unprecedented architectural planning at the site which incorporated natural landscape features for the management and cultivation of devotee ritual corporeal experiences. Virupaksha, his patrons, and associated artisans brought significant cultic change and architectural innovation that took root and persisted into the imperial Vijayanagara period, from the mid-14th to late 16th centuries. The present paper relies on a digital methodology developed to identify ritual changes in early medieval South Asian sacred spaces, focusing on time-sensitive maps created through a geographic information system (GIS), and coupled with the immersive panoramic capabilities of Google Street View (GSV) for a ground-based investigation of the non-ephemeral pilgrimage landscape features.
Validation of the Spanish Versions of FACIT-PAL and FACIT-PAL-14 in Palliative Patients
Authors: Moldón-Ballesteros Estefanía , Llamas-Ramos Inés , Calvo-Arenillas Jose Ignacio , Cusi-Idigoras Olaia , Llamas-Ramos Rocío
Published: August 2022

Palliative patients require several types of care to improve their quality of life as much as possible, and valid and reliable assessment instruments are essential. The objective of this study is the Spanish validation of the Functional Assessment Chronic Illness Therapy-Palliative Care (FACIT-PAL) and its abbreviated version, FACIT-PAL-14, in palliative care patients. FACIT-PAL and FACIT-PAL-14 were translated into Spanish and administered to 131 terminal oncology patients in home palliative care units, hospital palliative care units, health center teams, and social health centers. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer questionnaire, EORTC-QLQ-C15-PAL version, was used to evaluate the criterion validity. The EORTC-QLQ-C15-PAL was employed as a “gold standard”, and it obtained significant results with FACIT scales. FACIT-PAL-14, FACIT-PAL, and its subscales reported high internal consistency, from 0.640 to 0.816. The exploratory factor analysis for FACIT-PAL-14 found a structure in three factors that explained the 70.10% variance, and the FACIT-PAL scale found a structure of five factors. Physical wellbeing from FACIT-PAL highly correlated to the EORTC-QLQ-C15-PAL (r = 0.700), but social and family wellbeing was correlated to a lesser extent (r = −0.323). FACIT-PAL and the TOI (Toi Outcome Index) were also highly correlated with the EORTC-QLQ-C15-PAL, with values of r = −0.708 and r = −0.709, respectively. The Spanish versions of FACIT-PAL and FACIT-PAL-14 were demonstrated to be valid and reliable scales in palliative care patients.