bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Combination of VSLAM and a Magnetic Fingerprint Map to Improve Accuracy of Indoor Positioning
Authors: Ning Fang-Shii , Chen Mei-Hsin , Lee Shan-Gjie , Chen Yao-Chung
Published: November 2022

With the continual advancement of positioning technology, people′s use of mobile devices has increased substantially. The global navigation satellite system (GNSS) has improved outdoor positioning performance. However, it cannot effectively locate indoor users owing to signal masking effects. Common indoor positioning technologies include radio frequencies, image visions, and pedestrian dead reckoning. However, the advantages and disadvantages of each technology prevent a single indoor positioning technology from solving problems related to various environmental factors. In this study, a hybrid method was proposed to improve the accuracy of indoor positioning by combining visual simultaneous localization and mapping (VSLAM) with a magnetic fingerprint map. A smartphone was used as an experimental device, and a built-in camera and magnetic sensor were used to collect data on the characteristics of the indoor environment and to determine the effect of the magnetic field on the building structure. First, through the use of a preestablished indoor magnetic fingerprint map, the initial position was obtained using the weighted k-nearest neighbor matching method. Subsequently, combined with the VSLAM, the Oriented FAST and Rotated BRIEF (ORB) feature was used to calculate the indoor coordinates of a user. Finally, the optimal user’s position was determined by employing loose coupling and coordinate constraints from a magnetic fingerprint map. The findings indicated that the indoor positioning accuracy could reach 0.5 to 0.7 m and that different brands and models of mobile devices could achieve the same accuracy.
Accurate Low Complex Modulation Format and Symbol Rate Identification for Autonomous Lightpath Operation
Authors: Sequeira Diogo , Ruiz Marc , Costa Nelson , Napoli Antonio , Pedro João , Velasco Luis
Published: November 2022

Network automation promises to reduce costs while guaranteeing the required performance; this is paramount when dealing with the forecasted highly dynamic traffic that will be generated by new 5G/6G applications. In optical networks, autonomous lightpath operation entails that the optical receiver can identify the configuration of a received optical signal without necessarily being configured from the network controller. This provides relief for the network controller from real-time operation, and it can simplify the operation in multi-domain scenarios, where an optical connection spans across more than one domain. Consequently, in this work, we propose a blind and low complex modulation format (MF) and symbol rate (SR) identification algorithm. The algorithm is based on studying the effects of decoding an optical signal with different MFs and SRs. Extensive MATLAB-based simulations have been carried out which consider a coherent wavelength division multiplexed system based on 32 and 64 quadrature amplitude modulated signals at up to 96 GBd, thus enabling bit rates of up to 800 Gb/s/channel. The results show remarkable identification accuracy in the presence of linear and nonlinear noise for a wide range of feasible configurations.
Methods for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Quantification: A Focus on Hands and Fingers Kinematics
Authors: Otero-González Iván , Caeiro-Rodríguez Manuel , Rodriguez-D’Jesus Antonio
Published: November 2022

Gastrointestinal endoscopy is a complex procedure requiring the mastery of several competencies and skills. This procedure is in increasing demand, but there exist important management and ethical issues regarding the training of new endoscopists. Nowadays, this requires the direct involvement of real patients and a high chance of the endoscopists themselves suffering from musculoskeletal conditions. Colonoscopy quantification can be useful for improving these two issues. This paper reviews the literature regarding efforts to quantify gastrointestinal procedures and focuses on the capture of hand and finger kinematics. Current technologies to support the capture of data from hand and finger movements are analyzed and tested, considering smart gloves and vision-based solutions. Manus VR Prime II and Stretch Sense MoCap reveal the main problems with smart gloves related to the adaptation of the gloves to different hand sizes and comfortability. Regarding vision-based solutions, Vero Vicon cameras show the main problem in gastrointestinal procedure scenarios: occlusion. In both cases, calibration and data interoperability are also key issues that limit possible applications. In conclusion, new advances are needed to quantify hand and finger kinematics in an appropriate way to support further developments.
Provoking Artificial Slips and Trips towards Perturbation-Based Balance Training: A Narrative Review
Authors: Ferreira Rafael N. , Ribeiro Nuno Ferrete , Figueiredo Joana , Santos Cristina P.
Published: November 2022

Humans’ balance recovery responses to gait perturbations are negatively impacted with ageing. Slip and trip events, the main causes preceding falls during walking, are likely to produce severe injuries in older adults. While traditional exercise-based interventions produce inconsistent results in reducing patients’ fall rates, perturbation-based balance training (PBT) emerges as a promising task-specific solution towards fall prevention. PBT improves patients’ reactive stability and fall-resisting skills through the delivery of unexpected balance perturbations. The adopted perturbation conditions play an important role towards PBT’s effectiveness and the acquisition of meaningful sensor data for studying human biomechanical reactions to loss of balance (LOB) events. Hence, this narrative review aims to survey the different methods employed in the scientific literature to provoke artificial slips and trips in healthy adults during treadmill and overground walking. For each type of perturbation, a comprehensive analysis was conducted to identify trends regarding the most adopted perturbation methods, gait phase perturbed, gait speed, perturbed leg, and sensor systems used for data collection. The reliable application of artificial perturbations to mimic real-life LOB events may reduce the gap between laboratory and real-life falls and potentially lead to fall-rate reduction among the elderly community.
A Modularized IoT Monitoring System with Edge-Computing for Aquaponics
Authors: Wan Shiqi , Zhao Kexin , Lu Zhongling , Li Jianke , Lu Tiangang , Wang Haihua
Published: November 2022

Aquaponics is a green and efficient agricultural production model that combines aquaculture and vegetable cultivation. It is worth looking into optimizing the proportion of fish and plants to improve the quality and yield. However, there is little non-destructive monitoring of plant growth in aquaponics monitoring systems currently. In this paper, based on the Internet of Things technologies, a monitoring system is designed with miniaturization, modularization, and low-cost features for cultivation-breeding ratio research. The system can realize remote monitoring and intelligent control of parameters needed to keep fish and plants under optimal conditions. First, a 32-bit chip is used as the Microcontroller Unit to develop the intelligent sensing unit, which can realize 16 different data acquisitions as stand-alone extensible modules. Second, to achieve plant data acquisition and upload, the Raspberry Pi embedded with image processing algorithms is introduced to realize edge-computing. Finally, all the collected data is stored in the Ali-cloud through Wi-Fi and a WeChat Mini Program is designed to display data and control devices. The results show that there is no packet loss within 90 m for wireless transmission, and the error rate of environment parameters is limited to 5%. It was proven that the system is intelligent, flexible, low-cost, and stable which is suitable for small-scale aquaponics well.
Fiber Optic Sensing Textile for Strain Monitoring in Composite Substrates
Authors: Biondi Andres , Wu Rui , Cao Lidan , Gopalan Balaji , Ivey Jackson , Garces Camila , Mitchell Michael , Williams John D. , Wang Xingwei
Published: November 2022

Composite polymers have become widely used in industries such as the aerospace, automobile, and civil construction industries. Continuous monitoring is essential to optimize the composite components’ performance and durability. This paper describes the concept of a distributed fiber optic smart textile (DFOST) embedded into a composite panel that can be implemented during the fabrication process of bridges, planes, or vehicles without damaging the integrity of the composite. The smart textile used an embroidery method to create DFOST for easy installation between composite laminates. It also allows different layout patterns to provide two- or three-dimensional measurements. The DFOST system can then measure strain, temperature, and displacement changes, providing critical information for structural assessment. The DFOST was interrogated by using an optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR). It could measure strain variation during the dynamic and static test with a spatial resolution of 2 mm and a minimum strain resolution of 10 μϵ. This paper focuses on the study of strain measurement.
Enhanced Vertical Navigation Using Barometric Measurements
Authors: Narayanan Shrivathsan , Osechas Okuary
Published: November 2022

This paper introduces a technique to transform between geometric and barometric estimates of altitude and vice-versa. Leveraging forecast numerical weather models, the method is unbiased and has a vertical error with a standard deviation of around 30 m (100 ft), regardless of aircraft altitude, which makes it significantly more precise than established comparable conversion functions. This result may find application in various domains of civil aviation, including vertical RNP, systemized airspace, and automatic landing systems.
D2D Social Selection Relay Algorithm Combined with Auction Principle
Authors: Wang Hairui , Wang Yijun , Tang Luping , Xia Yongqiang
Published: November 2022

In a D2D (device-to-device) communication system, this paper proposes a relay selection strategy based on social perception. Firstly, the social threshold is introduced into the D2D relay network to screen and filter the potential relay users, thus effectively reducing the detection cost. Then, an auction algorithm is used to motivate the relay users to increase their transmission power. The simulation results show that the algorithm not only improves the throughput but also reduces the probability of a system outage.
Effect of Aqueous Extracts of Quercus resinosa on the Mechanical Behavior of Bigels
Authors: Gallegos-Infante José Alberto , Galindo-Galindo María del Pilar , Moreno-Jiménez Martha Rocío , Rocha-Guzmán Nuria Elizabeth , González-Laredo Rubén Francisco
Published: November 2022

Quercus resinosa leaves are rich in polyphenol compounds, however, they are unstable to several chemical and physical factors that limit their activity. Several methods have been developed to solve such problems, among which bigels can be mentioned and obtained using hydrogels and oleogels. The mechanical characterization of this type of materials is by using rheological methods. Although the use of these methods is well documented, the Carreau-Yasuda model has been little used to evaluate the effect of polyphenols on the mechanical behavior of bigels. Therefore, bigels were obtained from hydrogels (guar gum/xanthan gum, 0.5/0.5% w/v) and oleogels (sesame oil/sorbitan monostearate 10% w/w). Micrographs, linear viscoelasticity range, frequency sweep, and single shear tests were performed. The data were analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey test (p < 0.05); micrographs showed linear relationship between polyphenols concentration and droplet size. Liquid fraction of bigels showed a pseudoplastic behavior, while the parameters of Carreau-Yasuda model showed that the highest value of the complex viscosity at zero shear was at the lowest concentration of extract; the relaxation time presented the lowest value at higher concentrations of extracts. These results indicate that the presence of polyphenols modifyes the mechanical behavior of bigels.
In-Tube Solid-Phase Microextraction Directly Coupled to Mass Spectrometric Systems: A Review
Authors: Grecco Caroline Fernandes , de Souza Israel Donizeti , Oliveira Igor Gustavo Carvalho , Queiroz Maria Eugênia Costa
Published: November 2022

Since it was introduced in 1997, in-tube solid-phase microextraction (in-tube SPME), which uses a capillary column as extraction device, has been continuously developed as online microextraction coupled to LC systems (in-tube SPME-LC). In the last decade, new couplings have been evaluated on the basis of state-of-the-art LC instruments, including direct coupling of in-tube SPME to MS/MS systems, without chromatographic separation, for high-throughput analysis. In-tube SPME coupling to MS/MS has been possible thanks to the selectivity of capillary column coatings and MS/MS systems (SRM mode). Different types of capillary columns (wall-coated open-tubular, porous-layer open-tubular, sorbent-packed, porous monolithic rods, or fiber-packed) with selective stationary phases have been developed to increase the sorption capacity and selectivity of in-tube SPME. This review focuses on the in-tube SPME principle, extraction configurations, current advances in direct coupling to MS/MS systems, experimental parameters, coatings, and applications in different areas (food, biological, clinical, and environmental areas) over the last years.
Bioactive Phytochemical Composition of Grape Pomace Resulted from Different White and Red Grape Cultivars
Authors: Onache Petronela Anca , Geana Elisabeta-Irina , Ciucure Corina Teodora , Florea Alina , Sumedrea Dorin Ioan , Ionete Roxana Elena , Tița Ovidiu
Published: November 2022

Grapes are rich in phenolic compounds, being important for human health with anti-inflammatory, antiatherosclerotic, antimutagenic, anticarcinogenic, antibacterial, antiviral, and antimicrobial activity. The winemaking of the grapes generates significant amounts of waste. These wastes contain bioactive compounds in their biomass that can be used as a source of food improvement or as a source of nutrition supplementation. This study looks at the content of bioactive compounds, the polyphenolic profile, and the antioxidant activity in different white and red grape pomaces. The investigation of bioactive characteristics (total polyphenols, total flavonoids, catechins, tannins, and antioxidant activity) was carried out by UV-Vis spectrophotometric methods, while the individual polyphenolic composition was investigated by target and screening UHPLC-HRMS/MS analysis. Principal components (PCA) and the heat maps analysis allows the discrimination between the grape pomace resulted from white grape cultivars (Muscat Ottonel and Tamaioasa Romaneasca) and red grape pomaces (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Feteasca Neagra, Burgund Mare, Pinot Nore), with the identification of the specific phenolic compounds for each grape pomace type.
Comparison of Different Extraction Techniques and Conditions for Optimizing an HPLC-DAD Method for the Routine Determination of the Content of Chlorogenic Acids in Green Coffee Beans
Authors: Oteef Mohammed D. Y.
Published: November 2022

Chlorogenic acids (CGAs) are the main phenolic compounds found in green coffee beans. They are receiving more attention recently due to the proven health and nutrition benefits they offer, in addition to their role as markers for coffee quality. A relatively large number of studies are reported in the literature that are based on the analysis of these compounds. However, very limited research is dedicated to the evaluation of the performance of the analytical methods used, particularly the extraction procedures. Therefore, this work was dedicated to the comparison of different extraction techniques and conditions in order to evaluate their influence on the measured content of the three main CGAs in green coffee beans, namely, chlorogenic acid (5-CQA), neochlorogenic acid (3-CQA) and cryptochlorogenic acid (4-CQA). Five simple extraction techniques with affordable equipment were compared in order to develop a routine method suitable for most analytical and food analysis laboratories. The compared extraction techniques provided relatively similar extraction efficiency for the three compounds. However, due to the merits of ultrasonic-assisted extraction as a fast, effective, green, and economical technique, this was selected for comparing the extraction variables and developing an optimized routine method. The extraction solvent, temperature, time, solid-to-solvent ratio, and grinding treatments were the variables that were investigated. The extraction solvent and the solid-to-solvent ratio were found to be the most influencing variables that may improve the extraction efficiency to up to 50%. Based on this thorough investigation, an optimized method for the routine determination of the content of chlorogenic acids in green coffee beans was developed. The developed method is simple, fast, and efficient in the extraction of the three main CGAs.
Enforcing and Resisting Hindutva: Popular Culture, the COVID-19 Crisis and Fantasy Narratives of Motherhood and Pseudoscience in India
Authors: Kinnvall Catarina , Singh Amit
Published: November 2022

This article analyzes how Hindu nationalists employ fantasy narratives to counteract resistance, with a particular focus on narratives of ‘motherhood’ and ‘pseudoscience’. It does so by first introducing a conceptual discussion of the relationship between fantasy narratives, ontological insecurity, gender, and anti-science as a more general interrelationship characterizing pre- and post-COVID-19 far-right societies and leaders, such as India. It then moves on to discuss such fantasy narratives in the case of India by highlighting how this has played out in two cases of Hindu nationalist imaginings: that of popular culture, with a specific focus on the town Varanasi and the film Water (produced in 2000), and that of the COVID-19 pandemic and the emerging crisis and resistance that it has entailed. Extracts of interviews are included to illustrate this resistance.
Assessing Regional Entrepreneurship: A Bootstrapping Approach in Data Envelopment Analysis
Authors: Tsolas Ioannis E.
Published: November 2022

The aim of the present paper is to demonstrate the viability of using data envelopment analysis (DEA) in a regional context to evaluate entrepreneurial activities. DEA was used to assess regional entrepreneurship in Greece using individual measures of entrepreneurship as inputs and employment rates as outputs. In addition to point estimates, a bootstrap algorithm was used to produce bias-corrected metrics. In the light of the results of the study, the Greek regions perform differently in terms of converting entrepreneurial activity into job creation. Moreover, there is some evidence that unemployment may be a driver of entrepreneurship and thus negatively affects DEA-based inefficiency. The derived indicators can serve as diagnostic tools and can also be used for the design of various interventions at the regional level.
Classification of Corrosion Severity in Concrete Structures Using Ultrasonic Imaging and Linear Discriminant Analysis
Authors: Mayakuntla Prasanna Kumar , Ghosh Debdutta , Ganguli Abhijit
Published: November 2022

The deterioration of concrete structures due to rebar corrosion is a key issue affecting the safety and service life of civil infrastructure. Reinforced concrete (RC) structures in coastal areas are subjected to harsh environmental conditions that cause rebar corrosion. From the perspective of safety, repair, and structural rehabilitation, it is essential to ascertain the level of corrosion severity and associated damage in RC structures through non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques. In this study, the potential of pattern recognition techniques for ascertaining the severity damage at various stages of rebar corrosion in concrete samples was explored. A contact ultrasonic compressional wave transducer pair with 250 kHz centre frequency was used as source and reflected signals from the rebar were acquired using a tied-together scanning approach. To expedite the corrosion process in the laboratory, accelerated corrosion of the embedded rebar was employed. The synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT) was applied to reconstruct the image of the concrete subsurface from the acquired B-scans. Two approaches, i.e., the Mahalanobis distance (MD) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA), were adopted; both methods correctly classified the level of corrosion severity and damage to the concrete. The developed pattern recognition techniques can, therefore, be potential tools for generating important information towards economical and timely repair of damaged concrete structures affected by rebar corrosion.
Distribution Pattern and Structure of Vascular Plant Communities in Riparian Areas and Their Response to Soil Factors: A Case Study of Baoan Lake, Hubei Province, China
Authors: Zu Jiayi , Xia Jihong , Zeng Zhuo , Liu Xiujun , Cai Wangwei , Li Jingjiang , Wang Qihua , Wang Yue , Dou Chuanbin
Published: November 2022

The vascular plant community in a riparian area is the main substrate and vehicle of many ecological functions for the lakeshores of grass-type shallow lakes. However, there is still a lack of knowledge regarding the responses of vascular plants to soil factors of the habitat in riparian areas, which restricts the ecological adaptation management for riparian vegetation. In this work, a typical grass-type shallow lake (Baoan Lake) in the Yangtze Basin in Central China was taken as the study area. We describe the plant species distribution and community structure in riparian areas under two habitat types (lake and tributary) and their responses to soil factors. The results showed that (1) the soil chemical factors have a significant effect on the distribution and community structure of vascular plants, even though there was a significant interaction among three group factors of soil habitats; (2) compared with other factors, the total nitrogen (TN) and available phosphorus (AP) have the most significant correlations with the distribution of vascular plants; (3) the rate of soil nutrient sorption determines the distribution of vascular species, closely related to the biological characteristics of plants and the microbial enzymatic activity in soil; and (4) vascular plant diversity and the proportion of perennial plants were generally higher in the lakeshore areas than in the tributaries and showed a low-high-low “hump-shaped” species richness and diversity distribution. The Shannon-Wiener index value increased with the increasing soil-available phosphorus in the surface soil layer. Therefore, this study advanced our knowledge of the species distribution and diversity patterns of lakeshores and tributaries, providing scientific and theoretical guidance for the biodiversity conservation and sustainable ecosystem management of grass-type shallow lakes.
What Is Holding Back The Use of Drones for Medication Delivery in Rural Australia?
Authors: Hogan William , Harris Matthew , Brock Alexander , Rodwell John
Published: November 2022

In Australia, there is a significant health gap between rural and urban populations. One set of tools that could help lessen that gap is drones used for pharmaceutical delivery. There are extensive regulations surrounding the dispensing of prescription and controlled drugs, as well as strict requirements from aviation regulations for drone operators to meet. To assess and analyse the issues associated with operating at the intersection of pharmaceutical and aviation regulations in Australia, institutional theories can be applied. To inductively shed light on the key issues associated with the use of drones for the delivery of pharmaceuticals, a series of interviews were conducted using a truncated convergent interviewing approach. The common issues raised amongst experts highlight the complex challenge when developing drone networks for the delivery of pharmaceuticals. The main constraints appear to be due to aviation, not medication regulation. Legal grey areas, regulator inflexibility and other regulatory concerns stemming from strong institutional forces have created an environment limiting the use of drone delivery. Until drone regulations are changed, the potential of this innovative and developing sector is substantially restrained and those living in regional and rural areas will continue to have limited access to healthcare.
A Polygeneration System Based on Desiccant Air Conditioning Coupled with an Electrical Storage
Authors: Gesteira Luis Gabriel , Uche Javier , Dejo-Oricain Natalia
Published: November 2022

This study presents an extension of a previous paper recently published by the authors. In particular, the current paper focuses on adding electrical storage to a polygeneration system developed for residential applications. Different from the previous work, it aims to design an off-grid facility. The polygeneration plant provides electricity, space heating and cooling, domestic hot water, and freshwater for a single-family dwelling in Almería, Spain. The main system technologies are photovoltaic/thermal collectors, reverse osmosis, and desiccant air conditioning. Lead-acid battery storage was added as a backup for the electrical system. The system was performed in the TRNSYS simulation environment for one year with a 5-min time step. A parametric study was carried out to investigate the grid dependence according to the number of batteries installed. Design optimization was also performed to provide the optimal system configuration for the off-grid case. A solar collector efficiency of 0.55 and a desiccant air-conditioning coefficient of performance of 0.42 were obtained. All demands were fully supplied, and the primary energy saving and CO2 saving achieved 100%. A minimum battery state of charge of 30% was reached for a few hours all year long.
Home Literacy Environment and Chinese-Canadian First Graders’ Bilingual Vocabulary Profiles: A Mixed Methods Analysis
Authors: Li Guofang , Sun Zhuo , Zhen Fubiao , Ji Xuejun Ryan , Gunderson Lee
Published: November 2022

Bilingual children in the North American context significantly improve in English language proficiency, but their heritage language learning varies between different linguistic groups. This mixed methods study was designed to explore the developmental patterns in bilingual vocabulary among Chinese-Canadian first-graders’ (N = 75) and to identify home factors that may have contributed to divergent bilingual developmental trajectories. Cluster analyses were conducted to identify underlying discrepancy profiles in bilingual oral lexicon. Four children with contrasting bilingual profiles were selected for qualitative analysis to explore home factors that may have contributed to the discrepancies. Thematic analyses of parental interviews revealed several family factors such as beliefs and attitudes toward bilingualism, quality literacy engagement, and sibling dynamics, that all appearing to contribute to the discrepancies.
Establishment of an Ecological Security Pattern under Arid Conditions Based on Ecological Carrying Capacity: A Case Study of Arid Area in Northwest China
Authors: Cao Xiaoyan , Jiao Jizong , Liu Xiuli , Zhu Wanyang , Wang Haoran , Hao Huiqing , Lu Jingtao
Published: November 2022

With the expansion of the social economy and adjustment of environmental policies, particularly with the onset of development policies for the western region, ecosystems in the arid areas of Northwest China have undergone profound changes. This study collected soil, topographical, climate, and nighttime light data to develop a set of ecological vulnerability assessment indexes based on the background ecological characteristics of the arid areas of Northwest China. The spatiotemporal evolution of ecological carrying capacity was analyzed by our team using Spatial Principal Component Analysis (SPCA) in 2000, 2007, 2012, and 2018 to construct an ecological security pattern. The results revealed that the ecological carrying capacities of the arid areas in the northwest were primarily weak, albeit decreasing, while those areas with strong carrying capacities were increasing. In terms of spatial distribution, the ecological carrying capacities of the Hexi, Northern Xinjiang, and Western Inner Mongolia regions were on the rise, while those of the Southern Xinjiang region were declining. The Minimum Cumulative Resistance (MCR) model was used to extract 51 road-type, river-type, and green corridors with a total length of 7285.43 km. A total of 71 nodes representing important patches, wet rivers, and ecologically fragile areas were extracted. According to the calculated results, the arid region of the northwest was divided into 16 ecological security patterns, which were optimized according to changes in their ecological carrying capacities.
Neoliberal Environmentalism, Climate Interventionism and the Trade-Climate Nexus
Authors: Dent Christopher M.
Published: November 2022

Trade has become an increasingly core part and defining feature of our globalising world economy, and so by default has become integrally linked to climate change and action. Trade has not only rapidly expanded over recent decades but also driven contemporary economic development and growth, especially in countries where carbon and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have too risen sharply. Increasing attention has consequently been afforded to the nexus between trade and climate change. Trade is now a key front for climate action. For some time, neoliberal environmentalism has been viewed as the dominant discourse on climate policy and other aspects of environmental governance. However, it has been very rarely applied to, or its relevance tested against the trade-climate nexus specifically. The paper presents a study on this relationship based on new original empirical research and the investigation of the following hypotheses or research questions. To what extent has neoliberal environmentalism thus far dominated mainstream international and global discourses on trade-linked efforts on climate action? What have been the principal features of neoliberal environmentalism within these discourses? Do the results of the study’s empirical research suggest the need to include other relevant analytical approaches to develop a better comprehension of how trade-climate nexus issues are being addressed? In addressing the above the paper develops an analytical framework comprises modelled normative elements of neoliberal environmentalism as well as relevant concepts of state-market relations. This frames the discursive evaluation of the study’s research that is based on a multi-stage, in-depth text analysis of 37 key publications produced by global economic institutions (GEIs) on the trade-climate nexus from 2007 to 2022. Market-based instruments (MBIs) were found to be by far the strongest normative element in this text corpus. This subsequently provided scope for exploring whether different forms of ‘climate interventionism’ were evident in the trade-climate nexus, and thus more nuanced and alternative understandings of the subject. The paper’s main contribution to the literature on this subject is to open up ideas and debate concerning how important aspects of neoliberal environmentalism overlap with, and can be better understood in the context of state-market relations. Evidence from this study’s research suggests that in the trade-climate nexus discourse there exists considerable space for states and international institutions to adopt, promote and innovate different forms of climate interventionism through various trade policy and governance actions. It is further argued that MBI-based trade related policies can only take us so far in climate action efforts. More ardent forms of state and other institutional interventions, from the local to the global-international levels, are required to ultimately achieve increasingly urgent climate goals.
Sustainable Transportation for Events: A Systematic Review
Authors: Ballarano Dario , Patella Sergio Maria , Asdrubali Francesco
Published: November 2022

Event business is constantly growing in frequency and size, attracting people from nearby areas and different countries as well. Transportation plays a key role in a successful event, especially for major ones, where the large number of participants requires ad hoc designing of event mobility and might include implementation of new infrastructures. In recent decades, environmental issues have emphasized event negative externalities, leading to the design of green events. This paper presents a comprehensive systematic literature review on studies investigating the sustainable practices related to event mobility. The methodology showcases a selection of 32 articles, which were classified according to their main contributions into five categories, for which gaps and trends were shown. Our findings indicate that there are not enough studies to draw conclusions about good practices that can be generalized to each kind of event. Additionally, strong limitations in the reviewed papers are the different contexts of the analysis and the lack of a validation through empirical data. The research presented in this paper adds a contribution to the sustainable event transportation literature reporting the most established models, methods, and interventions. In detail, the most promising interventions involve mass transit and demand-oriented services that rely on intelligent transportation systems and user information.
Can the Carbon Emission Trading Scheme Influence Industrial Green Production in China?
Authors: Chen Guang , Hibiki Akira
Published: November 2022

Emission trading schemes are effective methods to realize the sustainable development of society by coordinating economic development and environmental protection. While green total factor productivity (GTFP), an effective evaluation index of green production, involves both economic and environmental factors, which corresponds to the political and market-driven nature of ETS. This study investigated whether ETS policy could affect industrial GTFP and how it works. First, based on panel data of 278 cities from 2003 to 2017, this article first introduces industrial GTFP calculated by the SBM-GML model and EBM-GML model separately. Second, this study realizes that the implementation of ETS policy has significant and positive effects on industrial GTFP by establishing a difference-in-differences model. Third, this study reveals that the implementation of ETS policy may increase the industrial GTFP by affecting the amount of industrial labor, industrial added value, CO2 emission, and industrial wastewater discharge. Fourth, by constructing a TFP index, this study shows that the implementation of ETS policy has no significant impact on the production efficiency of industrial enterprises. Finally, there is regional heterogeneity when studying the effect of ETS policy on industrial GTFP.
The 3D Printing Potential for Heat Flow Optimization: Influence of Block Geometries on Heat Transfer Processes
Authors: de Rubeis Tullio , Ciccozzi Annamaria , Giusti Letizia , Ambrosini Dario
Published: November 2022

The building envelope is a crucial element in the regulation of thermal energy in the indoor environment, from which comfortable living inevitably depends. Designing a low-dispersion envelope represents a fundamental strategy to minimize the energy demand and HVAC systems’ consumption. To this end, the need to select suitable insulation has become increasingly important, and the search for new solutions is constantly evolving. This justifies the great interest in the study of energy-efficient and sustainable insulation materials that are able to provide the low thermal transmittance values of multilayer components. To date, 3D printing has experienced a growing popularity for the research of alternative building materials (e.g., concrete). Conversely, it still appears to be very uncommon for the research of purely energy-efficient solutions. The aim of this work is to compare the thermal performance of three 3D-printed PLA (polylactic acid) blocks, characterized by different internal geometries and air cavities: (i) a multi-row structure; (ii) a square structure; (iii) a honeycomb structure. The study was conducted theoretically, with two-dimensional heat transfer modeling, and experimentally, by means of a heat flow meter and infrared thermography. The results showed that the configurations of the 3D-printed blocks reduced the flow of heat exchange. In addition, as the complexity of the blocks’ internal structure increased, a heat flow reduction could be observed. In particular, the honeycomb structure showed a better behavior than the other two blocks did, with an experimental transmittance value that was equal to 1.22 ± 0.04 W/m2K. This behavior, which was mainly due to an attenuation of convective and radiative internal heat exchanges, suggests that the 3D printing has great potential in this field.
Tourism and Natural Hazards: River Landform Changes Due to Geohazards and Its Influence on the Economic Development of Ecotourism in Sabah, Malaysia
Authors: Jafar Adi , Dollah Ramli , Sakke Nordin , Mapa Mohammad Tahir , Joko Eko Prayitno , Radzi Marsitah Mohd , Imang Ubong , Ahmad Syahruddin Awang , Ab. Wahab Andika , Sipatau Jemmy Amanda
Published: November 2022

Geohazards are often portrayed as a calamity that has a detrimental effect on humans and the environment. It is usually uncommon to consider geohazards in the opposite context. Therefore, this study examines the positive effects of an earthquake event centered in Ranau, Sabah, especially from the aspect of ecotourism development. A total of 27 homestay entrepreneurs in Kampung Melangkap were interviewed in this study. The raw data collected during the interview were conceptually and descriptively analyzed using the ATLAS.ti 8 software. Observation techniques were used to supplement the interviews. This study found that the morphological changes of the Panataran Kedamaian River in Kampung Melangkap were a result of an earthquake centered in Ranau. This disaster has led to the development of more interesting physical attractions, attracting many tourists to Melangkap Village. The dramatic increase of tourists in Melangkap during the post-geohazard phase has become the starting point for the economic growth of ecotourism in the region. This is shown by the increase in the number of homestay entrepreneurs, the expansion in the size of their businesses, higher overall income of homestay entrepreneurs, and better job opportunities for the local population.
The Singularity of Four Kinds of Tricyclic Graphs
Authors: Ma Haicheng , Gao Shang , Zhang Bin
Published: November 2022

A singular graph G, defined when its adjacency matrix is singular, has important applications in mathematics, natural sciences and engineering. The chemical importance of singular graphs lies in the fact that if the molecular graph is singular, the nullity (the number of the zero eigenvalue) is greater than 0, then the corresponding chemical compound is highly reactive or unstable. By this reasoning, chemists have a great interest in this problem. Thus, the problem of characterization singular graphs was proposed and raised extensive studies on this challenging problem thereafter. The graph obtained by conglutinating the starting vertices of three paths Ps1, Ps2, Ps3 into a vertex, and three end vertices into a vertex on the cycle Ca1, Ca2, Ca3, respectively, is denoted as γ(a1,a2,a3,s1,s2,s3). Note that δ(a1,a2,a3,s1,s2)=γ(a1,a2,a3,s1,1,s2), ζ(a1,a2,a3,s)=γ(a1,a2,a3,1,1,s), φ(a1,a2,a3)=γ(a1,a2,a3,1,1,1). In this paper, we give the necessity and sufficiency that the γ−graph, δ−graph, ζ−graph and φ−graph are singular and prove that the probability that a randomly given γ−graph, δ−graph, ζ−graph or φ−graph being singular is equal to 325512,165256,4364, 2132, respectively. From our main results, we can conclude that such a γ−graph(δ−graph, ζ−graph, φ−graph) is singular if at least one cycle is a multiple of 4 in length, and surprisingly, the theoretical probability of these graphs being singular is more than half. This result promotes the understanding of a singular graph and may be promising to propel the solutions to relevant application problems.
Lateral Bias in Visual Working Memory
Authors: Grikšienė Ramunė , Gaizauskaite Rimante , Pretkelyte Indre , Hausmann Markus
Published: November 2022

The present study aimed to evaluate functional cerebral asymmetries of visual working memory (VWM) in relation to language lateralization. The bilateral change detection paradigm with capital letters as stimuli and the translingual lexical decision task were used to assess VWM and language asymmetry, respectively, in a sample of 99 younger healthy participants (59 women). Participant attention was cued towards right or left visual half-field. For the VWM task, men and women were more accurate and faster when stimuli were presented in the right visual half-field compared to the left visual half-field. As expected, a significant right visual half-field advantage was demonstrated in the lexical decision task in performance accuracy (but not response time). The results also revealed no relationship between lateralization in VWM and lexical decision. VWM performance accuracy decreased significantly with increasing asymmetry. This relationship was significant for women, but not men. Taken together, the present study demonstrates that the lateral bias in visual working memory is independent from language lateralization, and less lateralized individuals perform better than individuals with larger asymmetries in both visual half-field tasks.
Study on Probabilistic Properties of Fluctuating Wind Pressure Distribution of Low-Rise Buildings Affected by Slope Gradient in Mountain Forms
Authors: Zhong Min , Huang Bin , Li Zhengnong , Zhou Zhanxue , Liu Zhongyang
Published: November 2022

This study presents the results of experimental observation of wind pressure on low-rise buildings in three typical mountain forms through wind tunnel experiments. This research focuses on the distribution change in fluctuating wind pressure coefficients with slope gradient. The variation of power spectra and wind pressure’s probability distribution at representative measuring points with the slope gradient were also included. No obvious variation trend for the fluctuating wind pressure coefficient was identified on the windward side. When the slope gradient was 90°, there was just a slight change in distribution or value of the fluctuating wind pressure coefficient on the left. However, the coefficient on the leeward decreased and then increased, while on the roof, it gradually decreased. Furthermore, the experiments showed that the fluctuating wind pressure’s distribution in the middle of windward eaves and at the leeward eaves was significantly affected by the slope gradient. At 0° wind angle, the wind pressure probability density distribution gradually changes from symmetric to asymmetric at the measuring points of windward eaves and side centers when the slope gradient increases, which shows that the wind pressure probability density distribution changes from non-Gaussian to Gaussian.
An Enhanced Localization Approach for Energy Conservation in Wireless Sensor Network with Q Deep Learning Algorithm
Authors: Balachandran Nair Premakumari Sreeja , Mohan Prakash , Subramanian Kannimuthu
Published: November 2022

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) have distributed a collection of tiny sensor nodes deployed randomly in the given symmetry environment to sense natural phenomena. The sensed data are disseminated symmetrically to the control station using multi-hop communication. In WSN, the energy conservation during node coverage plays a major role in detecting node failure and providing efficient and symmetrical data transmission to the nodes of WSN. Using the cluster method and efficient localization techniques, the nodes are grouped and the precise location of the nodes is identified to establish the connection with the nearby nodes in the case of node failure. The location accuracy is achieved using the localization estimation of the anchor nodes and the nearest hop node distance estimation using the received signal strength measurement. The node optimization can be performed efficiently by the accurate estimation of the localization of the node. To optimize the node coverage and provide energy efficient and symmetrical localization among the nodes, in this paper, a cluster-based routing protocol and a novel bio-inspired algorithm, namely, Modified Bat for Node Optimization (MB−NO), to localize and optimize the unknown nodes along with the reinforcement-based Q learning algorithm is proposed with the motive of increasing the accuracy estimation between anchor nodes and the other neighbor nodes, with the objective function to optimize and improve the nodes’ coverage among the network’s nodes in order to increase the nodes’ localization accuracy. The distance metrics between the anchor nodes and other neighbor nodes have an estimated symmetry with three node positions, namely C-shape, S-shape and H-shape, using the Q learning algorithm. The proposed algorithm is implemented using the NS3 simulator. The simulation results show that the accuracy and precision of the proposed algorithm are achieved at 98% in the node coverage optimization with reduced Mean Localization Error (MLE) and computational process time compared with other bio-inspired algorithms, such as Artificial Bee Colony optimization and Genetic Algorithms.
Sales Mode Selection Strategic Analysis for Manufacturers on E-Commerce Platforms under Multi-Channel Competition
Authors: Lin Guihua , Xiong Xiaoli , Li Yuwei , Zhu Xide
Published: November 2022

This paper considers a sales mode selection problem between resale and agency modes on e-commerce platforms for a manufacturer with traditional retail channel, direct selling channel, and e-commerce platform channel. By considering the factors price competition, market shares, and commission rate, we construct two leader-follower models with the manufacturer as a leader and traditional retailer and e-commerce platform as followers. To obtain optimal solutions, we discuss the conditions under which the upper and lower models are convex and then give optimal strategies for all members in the network. Through numerical experiments, we analyze the impact of price competition intensity, market shares, and commission rate on mode selection strategies and the changing trend of each member’s optimal pricing and profit under different sales modes. The numerical results reveal the following revelations: If the market share of the traditional retail channel is lower than the direct selling channel, the manufacturer should choose the agency mode when the market share of the direct selling channel and price competition are lower or when the market share of the direct selling channel together with the price competition and the commission rate is higher; otherwise, the manufacturer should choose the resale mode. If the market share of the direct selling channel is lower than the traditional retail channel, the manufacturer should choose the agency mode when the price competition is weak and choose the resale mode when the price competition is strong. Under certain conditions, a win–win situation can be achieved no matter how the manufacturer chooses.