bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Horticulture in Kenya: Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic
Authors: Thorpe Jodie , Odame Hannington , Kangai Elosy
Published: June 2023

The horticulture sector is fundamental to Kenya’s economy and its citizens’ livelihoods. However, global connectivity and high perishability make the sector vulnerable to shocks. The Covid-19 pandemic and related policy measures impacted the sector in multiple ways, with an estimated US$3m lost per day during lockdowns. In response, the state and business worked together to analyse issues and develop solutions, facilitated by digital technologies. This Policy Briefing identifies lessons from this experience, focused on the French bean and avocado subsectors. The aim is to build knowledge that can be applied to new opportunities and risks affecting the resilience of the horticulture sector.
Population Projections for Russia
Authors: Kashepov Alexey
Published: June 2023

The subject of the work is population forecasting against the background of changes in the demographic situation in Russia. The topic is an overview of the country’s population projections. Special attention is paid to the forecasts of the size and composition of the population of the Russian Federation in the period from 1991 to 2022. The source data are statistical collections and databases of Rosstat and the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The purpose and objectives of the work are to overcome the attitude to previously developed forecasts as to the material that “does not matter” in comparison with current forecasts. The retrospective of forecasts not only provides grounds for reasoning about the demographic losses of the country in certain historical periods, but also allows us to anticipate possible prospects for the development of the population and to improve the conceptual basis of its forecasting. Verification of officially published forecasts, comparison of prognostic developments from different sources, allows us to develop their methodology and clarify the requirements for them on the part of users– government agencies, science, the expert community, the education system. The paper describes the process of compiling a “library” of predictive sources, suggests tabular and graphical methods of its formalization and subsequent analysis. The article provides conclusions that may be useful for developers and users of demographic forecasts.
Labor Migration Between Myanmar and Thailand: Approaches to the Legalization and Integration of Migrants
Authors: Phyo Aung Hlayn , Kuznetsov Nikita
Published: June 2023

Migrant work abroad is seen by Myanmar authorities as a way to help achieve the country’s national development goals, reduce poverty and reduce pressure on the domestic labor market. In Thailand’s developing economy, the majority of migrant workers are unskilled workers from neighboring countries, most of whom are irregular (or) undocumented. The Thai government still controls the migration and repatriation of irregular Burmese workers through a carrot and stick policy. But controlling the flow from Myanmar is particularly difficult given the long and leaky borders between the two countries, which facilitate informal migration within the entire system of brokers and fees. The article examines the current aspects of the state policy of the two countries aimed at respecting human rights and freedoms during migration between Myanmar and Thailand, normalizing the situation with illegal migration. The main attention is paid to the study of the process of documentation of migrants.
Demographic and Socio-Political Aspects of the International Project “Dialogue Partnership”
Authors: Ryazantsev Sergey
Published: June 2023

The review of selected works by Larisa S. Ruban in five volumes presents an analysis of the research within the framework of the project “Dialogue partnership as a factor of stability and integration”. The 1st volume “Migration and Demography” focuses on the study of forced migration in the post-Soviet space, its causes and consequences, the directions and composition of migration flows that have largely changed the host regions. The 2nd volume “Sociology and Conflictology” presents the results of a longitudinal study in 12 regions, characterizing the formation of civic consciousness of three generations of young people: the last Soviet, transitional period and the first post-Soviet generation. Also, the 2nd volume outlines the author’s theory of the triad of political deviation. The 3rd volume “International Relations, Geopolitics and Globalistics” is based on the results of international expert surveys on the situation in 16 countries of the Asia-Pacific region in the political sphere, economy and security in order to determine effective areas for cooperation between the Russian Federation and Asian countries in the new conditions. The topic of the 4th volume “Energy, innovation and digitalization” reflects the decisive influence of energy on the development of production and social spheres, and the turn of Russia’s energy policy to the East. The 5th volume “Security and Counter-Terrorism” presents the research by Professor L. S. Ruban on global and regional security and counter-terrorism, a hot topic of our time, when the Russian Federation has to resist the sanctions of the collective West, while close interaction with China generally strengthens the position of Russia.
Demographic Security in the Context of International Migration
Authors: Akramov Sharif , Blinichkina Nadezhda
Published: June 2023

The demographic situation in Russia today remains extremely tense. The period of implementation of the Concept of the demographic policy of the Russian Federation is coming to an end and it is necessary to sum up the results, as well as to identify the remaining problems and determine possible prospects for the country’s demographic security. The article considers the issue of ensuring the demographic security of Russia in the framework of modern realities, when demographic problems are solved by attracting migrants from Eastern European and Asian states. The purpose of the study was to determine the prospects and possible consequences of attracting international migrants to the country, since the flows of international migration are not stable and depend on the socio-economic and political situation both in migrant-sending countries and migrant-receiving countries. An analysis of the dynamics of migration flows to Russia from abroad is carried out. It is revealed that in the future we can talk about the stability of migration flows only from the countries of Central Asia (Uzbekistan and Tajikistan) considering the demographic situation in these donor countries. It is determined that the quality of human capital and the standard of living of the population in the most promising donor countries are significantly lower than in Russia. An assumption was made about the growing problem of not only maintaining the population, but also maintaining the necessary quality of human resources to ensure the implementation of strategic programs and projects in the field of socio-economic development, as well as addressing issues of social support for migrants to prevent the threat of increasing poverty in the country. It is concluded that there is a need for a new approach to the management of migration flows aimed at ensuring the quality of the labor resources. It is proposed to provide conditions for training or retraining of labor migrants, as well as to solve the issue of financial affordability of such training, since most of the migrants are representatives of the poorest segments of the population.
New Migration Trends in Zambia
Authors: Ryazantsev Sergey , Chuma Greis Chimbaza
Published: June 2023

The purpose of the study is a comprehensive analysis of key migration flows in the Republic of Zambia in recent decades. The methodological basis is an integrated approach to the study of migration processes in the context of the socio-economic development of the Republic on the basis of international and national statistics. The main research method is statistical analysis. The primary research tasks were the following: tracing general migration trends in the country; identifying trends and patterns of labor and forced migration in Zambia; establishing the features and structure of emigration; analyzing approaches to working with the diaspora in the context of the country’s development in the medium term. International migration is also widespread in Zambia. On the one hand, highly qualified specialists are emigrating from the country. On the other hand, Zambia attracts refugees and labor migrants from neighboring countries. Thus, the Republic of Zambia acts as a country of origin, transit and destination for migrants from neighboring states and other regions. Migration is an integral part of the country's economy and contributes to its sustainable socio-economic development. As a result, migration should be considered not as a problem, but as an opportunity for the development of the state, society and households.
COVID-19 and Vietnam-Laos Cross-Border Migration: Impacts and Solutions
Authors: Tran Thi Thanh Huyen
Published: June 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused great harm and difficulties to workers, especially migrant laborers. The COVID-19 crisis has shown that migrants, particularly those employed through informal agencies, lost their jobs, and were not entitled to social protection policies, including labor migration from Vietnam across the Laos border to the DPR or other countries. The article is based on a survey of over 300 quantitative samples and in-depth interviews with 28 experts in order to focus on case studies of Vietnamese migrants crossing the Vietnam-Laos border in Nghe An, Ha Tinh. Thereby the study assesses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on migrant workers across the Vietnam-Laos border in terms of employment, income, etc. From that, some solutions are proposed to restore livelihoods and stabilize the lives of migrant workers.
Freelance — Freedom “from” or “for”? Book Review: Shevchuk A.V. Chto my znaem o frilanserakh? Sotsiologiya svobodnoi zanyatosti. [What do we know about Freelancers? Sociology of Free Employment]. Moscow: Izd. dom “Vysshei shkoly ekonomiki” publ., 2022
Authors: Poplavskaya Anita
Published: June 2023

The new book by Denis Strebkov and Andrey Shevchuk “What do we know about freelancers? The Sociology of Free Employment” (2022) is a summation of a unique, large-scale, more than a decade-long research project dedicated to understanding the phenomenon of online freelancing. The authors are at the forefront of surveying free employment agents in the country. They describe the history of the formation of the Russian-speaking remote work market, its main participants and the laws by which it functions, while also conducting deep analysis of the origin, spread and transformation of remote self-employment practices and the composition of workers in this realm of labor. Freelancers are defined by the authors of the monograph as people who partake in intellectual and creative work, and freelancing itself is characterized as a sort of embodiment of freedom in the labor market. The title of the book suggests a new area of research — sociology of free employment. The review considers the merits of the monograph, while posing the question of whether we can even assert that independent professionals are truly free, or if there are certain caveats to it.
L'Azobé et ses utilisations
Authors: Méniaud J.
Published: June 2023

L'Azobe (Bongossi) est l'un des bois durs les plus importants et peut être obtenu en grandes quantités et dans de nombreuses dimensions. On le trouve dans les zones côtières des grandes forêts d'Afrique de l'Ouest, principalement au Cameroun. Sa résistance mécanique est généralement incomparable et, surtout, l'Azobe ne pourrit pas et n'est pas attaqué par les insectes xylophages, comme c'est le cas dans les terroirs de nos climats tempérés.
Ces qualités, auxquelles il faut ajouter sa réaction lente à la sécheresse et à l'humidité, et sa résistance à l'usure, font que l'Azobe est de plus en plus recherché pour les ouvrages portuaires - échafaudages, quais, palissades, écluses, coques des calanques - ainsi que pour tous les ouvrages exposés aux intempéries ou nécessitant des bois robustes à tous points de vue. L'azobe fournit notamment d'excellentes traverses de chemin de fer.
Promoting health education through mobile apps
Authors: Medina Aguerrebere Pablo , Medina Eva , Gonzalez Pacanowski Toni
Published: June 2023

Introduction: Promoting health education through different platforms (patient portals, social media, websites) has become a common practice in many countries. Recently, many hospitals have prioritized mobile apps as a health education tool. Objectives: This paper aims to analyze how hospitals should use mobile apps to promote health education efficiently and this way improve their relations with patients. Methodology: To answer this question, we carried out a literature review about health education, mobile apps, patients’ empowerment, and noncommunicable diseases; and then, we resorted to 38 indicators to analyze how the top 150 hospitals in the world manage these platforms to promote health education. Conclusion: We concluded that the three main criteria that hospitals should consider when using mobile apps for health education purposes are: 1) respecting patients’ needs in terms of information and emotional support; 2) evaluating health professionals’ and patients’ skills in mobile literacy; and 3) considering public health priorities.
COMPARISON OF OPTIMIZATION STRATEGIES AND ESTIMATION TECHNIQUES FOR RADIO NETWORK PLANNING AND OPTIMIZATION PROBLEMS
Authors: Prokopets Volodymyr , Globa Larysa
Published: June 2023

Background. Radio network planning is one of the main phases of the cellular network lifecycle, as it determines capital and operating costs and allows system performance evaluation at any given time. An accurate and comprehensive analysis of existing network statistics is necessary for proper cell planning during network expansion. These statistics are collected throughout the life cycle of the cellular network and usually have certain imperfections (heterogeneity of statistics, which have different densities in different parts of the search space, up to the presence of significant voids, etc.) The system describing the functioning of the radio network can be represented as a black box because its internal processes are too complex to be defined by mathematical functions. This determines the need to use appropriate tools.

Objective. The purpose of the paper is to create a toolkit that allows finding the proper relationships between network parameters to define target values that will help to build an effective network plan in terms of performance and costs for its creation and operation. The tools should be able to work efficiently using the minimum set of available statistical data, as well as taking into account their imperfections.

Methods. Mathematical estimation and optimization methods are used, namely Ordinary Least Squares, Ridge Regression, Lasso, Elastic-net, LARS lasso, Bayesian Ridge Regression, Automatic Relevance Determination, Stochastic gradient descent, Theil-Sen estimator, Huber Regression, Quantile regression, Polynomial regression. We consider 12 estimation methods in combination with two optimization strategies. Additionally, the method of partial analysis of the search space with different number of configurations is considered.

Results. A software package using the Python programming language has been created, which contains a practical implementation of all the considered estimation and optimization methods, as well as tools for evaluating arbitrary configurations of the software package (benchmark) and visualizing the results. The best estimation method is Ordinary Least Squares for finding the optimal configuration of the statistical parameters of the 4G radio network to maximize the download speed. To obtain satisfactory results, it is enough to consider 25 initial and 250 estimated points - a larger number of points will not significantly increase prediction accuracy.

Conclusions. The results indicate the possibility of using the created software package for radio network planning tasks. Further research is aimed at expanding the created software package's functionality and considering additional estimation methods and optimization strategies.

Keywords: radio network planning; radio network optimization; cellular networks; estimation techniques; optimization strategies; big data; 2G; 3G; 4G; CQI; capacity.
THE PROGRAM FOR ASSESSING THE CONNECTIVITY OF NODES OF WIRELESS EPISODIC NETWORKS UNDER THE CONDITION OF USING UAVS
Authors: Sushin Ihor , Lysenko Olexandr , Valuiskyi Stanislav
Published: June 2023

Background. Based on analytical mathematical models, the duration of connectivity of mobile subscribers (nodes) (MS) of a wireless episodic network (WEN, consisting of MS and UAV) was investigated in conditions of direct radio visibility and considering the relaying.

Objective. The purpose of the work is to find methodological approaches to ensure the connectivity of WSN nodes, which is a necessary condition for obtaining information from WSN in the absence of communication infrastructure.Methods. Simulation modelling based on MAPLE 14 software package and analytical calculation methods are used.

Results. It is shown that the duration of connectivity is directly proportional to the size of the coverage area and inversely proportional to the movement speed of nodes. The mobility nature (scenario) of nodes also affects the duration of connectivity. The simulation of the nodes' movement was carried out under 4 scenarios: "march", "incoherent", "random wandering in the field" and "random wandering in the city". The largest values of the connectivity duration correspond to the third scenario, and the smallest - to the second (with a fixed radius of the coverage area and the movement speed of nodes). Thus, the average connectivity duration of the UAV-pedestrian connection in the event of an "incoherent" will be about 36 minutes, and the UAV-car connection - about 5 minutes.

Conclusions. The system and functional parameters of the networks, which were obtained as a result of the research, will form the basis of the initial data and limitations of the mathematical model, and will also make it possible to determine the initial placement of the UAV network at the planning stage.
ESTIMATION OF POTENTIAL PARAMETERS FOR 5G MOBILE NETWORKS RADIOCHANNELS
Authors: Berezovsky Igor , Noskov Vyacheslav
Published: June 2023

Background. Deploying of 5G mobile networks opens up wide opportunities for the development of IoT, high-speed access to Internet services, industrial automation, telemedicine and other modern services. Peak transmission rate, latency, and spectral efficiency are important indicators for network performance. These indicators are primarily determined by the 5G-NR radio subsystem, which is built using modern technologies such as OFDM, interference-resistant LDPC coding and massive MIMO antenna systems. In addition, frames and time-frequency resource distribution in 5G-NR are improved for both Downlink and Uplink. All of these are described in various 3GPPP documents, but to evaluate these indicators, it is necessary to create an appropriate methodology and perform calculations.

Objective. The purpose of the research is to create a methodology and estimate the potential values of peak transmission rate, latency and spectral efficiency of 5G-NR radio channels.

Method. Analytical calculation methods based on recommendations and source data of 3GPP documents are used.

Results. Analytical studies show that 5G-NR radio channels can potentially provide a peak transmission up to 37 Gbps, latency less than 0.5ms, and spectral efficiency up to 46 bps/Hz rate in the Downlink direction using 50 MHz FR1 frequency band, QAM256 modulation and MIMO 8 x 8-antenna system.

Conclusions. The researched 5G-NR radio channels efficiency indicators meet current and future services requirements.
BUILDING MINIMUM SPANNING TREES BY LIMITED NUMBER OF NODES OVER TRIANGULATED SET OF INITIAL NODES
Authors: Romanuke Vadim
Published: June 2023

Background. The common purpose of modelling and using minimum spanning trees is to ensure efficient coverage. In many tasks of designing efficient telecommunication networks, the number of network nodes is usually limited. In terms of rational allocation, there are more possible locations than factually active tools to be settled to those locations.

Objective. Given an initial set of planar nodes, the problem is to build a minimum spanning tree connecting a given number of the nodes, which can be less than the cardinality of the initial set. The root node is primarily assigned, but it can be changed if needed.

Methods. To obtain a set of edges, a Delaunay triangulation is performed over the initial set of nodes. Distances between every pair of the nodes in respective edges are calculated. These distances being the lengths of the respective edges are used as graph weights, and a minimum spanning tree is built over this graph.

Results. The problem always has a solution if the desired number of nodes (the number of available recipient nodes) is equal to the number of initially given nodes. If the desired number is lesser, the maximal edge length is found and the edges of the maximal length are excluded while the number of minimum spanning tree nodes is greater than the desired number of nodes.

Conclusions. To build a minimum spanning tree by a limited number of nodes it is suggested to use the Delaunay triangulation and an iterative procedure in order to meet the desired number of nodes. Planar nodes of an initial set are triangulated, whereupon the edge lengths are used as weights of a graph. The iterations to reduce nodes are done only if there are redundant nodes. When failed, the root node must be changed before the desired number of nodes is changed.
Modified SEIRD model for describing the COVID-19 epidemic
Authors: Klymenko Anastasiia , Podkolzin Gleb
Published: June 2023

This article is devoted to mathematical models in epidemiology, in particular SIR, SEIR, and SEIRD models. It explores the importance of these models in predicting the spread of infectious diseases and evaluating the effectiveness of control measures. These models allow for assessing important epidemic parameters such as the speed of infection transmission, the number of people infected, and the number of deaths. This data can help in making decisions regarding the imposition and lifting of quarantine restrictions, opening and closing of schools and other institutions, as well as in developing vaccination strategies and other control measures. In summary, mathematical models such as SIR, SEIR, and SEIRD are important tools in the fight against epidemics. They enable epidemiologists and medical professionals to predict and control the spread of diseases, thus preserving the health and lives of people.
Integral representations of positive definite kernels
Authors: Bokhonov Yurii
Published: June 2023

The paper proposes proof of the possibility of an integral representation of a positive definite kernel of two pairs of variables. Using this kernel, we use the technique of constructing a new Hilbert space in which symmetric differential operators formally commute. In this case, the kernel satisfies a system of differential equations with partial derivatives. It is known that a kernel given in a subdomain of the real plane, generally speaking, does not always imply an extension to the entire plane. This possibility is related to the problem of the existence of a commuting self-adjoint extension of symmetric operators. The author applies his own results related to a commuting self-adjoint extension in a wider Hilbert space. The resulting representation in the form of an integral of elementary positive-definite kernels with respect to the spectral measure generated by the resolution of the identity of the operators allows us to extend the positive-definite kernel to the entire plane.
Can the Pandemic Build a Bridge Spanning the Theory-Practice Divide in Comparative and International Education?
Authors: Wolhuter Charl
Published: June 2023

Humanity has come to look up to education to take on any challenge encountered on its way. Consequently, a massive education expansion project commenced some seventy years ago. By 2020, however, this project had still been far from complete and far from being perfect. Deficiencies and shortcomings are salient on all three fronts of access to education, equality of education, and quality education. The ravages caused by the Covid-19 pandemic have also aggravated deficiencies in education worldwide and made it urgent to address shortcomings in education. The task’s urgency to rebuild education to its rightful place in the post-pandemic world means there is no room for experimentation. Nations should be learning from one another regarding their experience with education. The thesis of this study is that the scholarly field of comparative and international education is ideally suited to guide this exercise, but in order to live up to its potential, one major challenge that has beset the field for most of its history, namely the theoretical-practical divide, needs to be overcome. If the pandemic can succeed in effecting such a change, it will be to the benefit of both the field and education. In using comparative and international education to guide the post-pandemic education project, education in the BRICS countries has a pivotal role. If the articles in this volume can assist in developing a vision for a post-pandemic global education project, it will be, also as a starting point to get comparativists to enter the realm of education praxis, worth the endeavour.
Towards Higher Education for Sustainable Development in BRICS: Focus on Brazil and South Africa
Authors: Daniels Carlo , Niemczyk Ewelina
Published: June 2023

Scholarly literature informs that education for sustainable development (ESD) has become a significant educational initiative to address global challenges in the past decades. However, academic attention was mainly devoted to primary and secondary education. Some scholars report that the main focus on these two levels of education has averted scholarly attention from research exploring the relationship between higher education and sustainable development (SD). Academic dialogue about ESD in higher education has only recently gained momentum. Although all levels of education have an essential role to play in sustainability, the role of higher education is critical as higher education institutions (HEIs) are responsible for ensuring that future leaders understand the needs of the present and future. This responsibility is delegated to HEIs since they educate professionals who will take up leadership positions within society and incorporate sustainability into their organisations’ operations. In addition, the commitment of HEIs to sustainability serves as an example to other institutions. It is evident from the findings that maximising the implementation of ESD in higher education first calls for thorough identification of challenges limiting such implementation. Driven by the need to fill the gap in the existing literature, this study, based on systematic document analysis, brings attention to challenges associated with implementing ESD in institutions under investigation in the two BRICS countries, namely Brazil and South Africa. The two-folded research purpose was to (a) systematically examine relevant documents to explore the effectiveness of HEIs in South Africa and Brazil in implementing ESD and (b) provide recommendations for how HEIs in both contexts can enhance the implementation of ESD.
On the Constant Terms of Certain Laurent Series
Authors: Brent Barry
Published: June 2023

We study the divisibility properties of the constant terms of certain meromorphic modular forms for Hecke groups. We relate those properties to those of some sequences that have already appeared in the literature. For possible use in later drafts, we show how to invert the map taking a Laurent series $f(x) = 1/x + \sum_{n=0}^{\infty}a_{n+1} x^n$ to the sequence of constant terms of its positive powers. At the end of the article, we construct from elementary arithmetic functions some meromorphic but not necessarily modular functions and study their constant terms.
Modeling Social Equity in Energy Consumption Using Digital Twins
Authors: Kishore Aparna , Li Beatrice , Atweh Jad
Published: June 2023

This research examines the impact of social equity on energy consumption. We constructed a digital twin for residential energy consumption by enriching the synthetic population with real-world surveys and feeding them with other environmental and appliance data to the energy modeling framework. We analyzed household hourly energy consumption data from Albemarle County and Charlottesville City in Virginia, USA, for the year 2019. We used clustering analysis to identify patterns in social equity and energy consumption. The results demonstrated the impact of different residential attributes on energy poverty. Statistical analyses, including ANOVA and Chi-Squared tests, were conducted to test for significant differences between racial groups in quantitative and categorical variables. The study found that race is significant in determining the location and quality of housing. People of color often live in areas with higher pollution and less access to green spaces. Additionally, income levels and the age of the house are influential factors in determining energy efficiency. Future work should focus on collecting and analyzing data at the country level and using qualitative data collection methods to gain a more comprehensive understanding of social equity issues concerning energy consumption. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the relationship between different residential attributes and energy consumption, which can inform policy development to promote more equitable and sustainable communities.
Pollution and Health Risk Assessment of Hazardous Elements in Surface dust along an Urbanization Gradient
Authors: Kavsar Nargiza , Eziz Mamattursun , Sidikjan Nazupar
Published: June 2023

Pollution of urban surface dust with hazardous elements (HEs) is a serious environmental issue due to its toxicity and potential hazardous effects. Surface dust samples were collected from core urban, urban, and suburban gradients in the Urumqi city of the arid NW China, and the concentrations of six HEs, such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and chromium (Cr), were determined. The pollution load index (PLI) and the US EPA health risk assessment model were applied to analyze and compare the pollution levels and potential health risk of HEs in surface dusts in different urbanization gradients. The obtained results indicate that the average concentrations of Hg, Cd, and Ni in surface dust decrease in the order of core urban > urban > suburban, whereas the average concentrations of As, Cr, and Pb decrease in the order of urban > core urban > suburban. The PLI of HEs in surface dust decreased in the order of core urban > urban > suburban. The concentrations of HEs in the core urban and urban gradients are relatively higher than in the suburban gradient. Furthermore, the total non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk index of investigated HEs in surface dust decrease in order of urban > core urban > suburban, for both adults and children. In addition, the pollution of surface dust with HEs in all urbanization gradients is more harmful to the children's health than to the adults. Overall, the potential non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks of the investigated HEs, instigated primarily by oral ingestion of surface dust, are found to be within the acceptable range. However, urbanization can effects the accumulation of HEs in surface dust, and Cr is the main non-carcinogenic risk factor, whereas Cd is the main carcinogenic risk factor among the analyzed HEs in surface dust in all urbanization gradients.
Simulation and Comprehensive Evaluation of the Multidimensional Environmental Benefits of Sponge Cities
Authors: Wang Jingyu , Zhou Xuehui , Wang Shuai , Chen Lei , Shen Zhenyao
Published: June 2023

The implementation of grey and green infrastructure is an effective mean to address urban flooding and nonpoint source pollution, but due to the complexity of the process and the diver-sity of benefits, there is a lack of measurement for their comprehensive benefits. Adopting a typ-ical university in Beijing as an example, this paper simulated the multidimensional benefits of the water quantity, water quality, and ecology of grey and green facility renovation by coupling the storm water management model (SWMM) and InfoWorks Integrated Catchment Manage-ment (ICM). Monetization methods and economical means were employed to characterize the comprehensive benefits. The results showed that grey and green infrastructure retrofitting re-duces the number of severe overflow nodes in the study area by 54.35%, the total overflow vol-ume by 22.17%, and the nonpoint source pollution level by approximately 80% under the heavy rain scenario and 60% under the rainstorm scenario. The annual benefits of grey and green infra-structure renovation reached ¥765,600/year, of this amount, ¥83,100/year is from hydrological regulation, ¥454,100/year is from nonpoint source pollution reduction, and ¥228,300/year is from ecological improvement. The benefits of green facilities were higher than those of grey facilities, and the combined benefits were negatively correlated with the rainfall level, with a total bene-fit–cost ratio of 1.19. The results provide methodological and data support for grey and green in-frastructure retrofitting within the context of sponge cities.
Geomicrobiological Control on Arsenic Heterogeneity – The Taciturn Factor Controlled by Rural Sanitation System
Authors: Ghosh Pinaki , Mandal Debjani , Aghababaei Mina , Adhikari Jishnu , Saha Indranil , Biswas Jayanta Kumar , Chatterjee Debashis , Basu Abhishek , Majumder Santanu
Published: June 2023

Arsenic (As) contamination of groundwater is a common problem in BDP. The alkaline pH of the groundwater provides favourable condition for geomicrobiochemical processes, where organic matter also plays an important role in mobilization of As. The total arsenic content (AsT) of the groundwater is in the range of 69-178 µgL-1 with mean value of 118.58 µgL-1. The groundwater quality of monitored drinking water wells are related to local land–use pattern and rural sanitation installation and practices (which can have a strong influence on microbial contamination). The study indicates that As heterogeneity, probably a consequence of microbial heterogeneity is a feature of the study area. The excessive total and fecal coliform (TC and FC) count of the ponds possibly suggest uncontrolled surface run offs and sewage leakage, notably from nearby pit-latrine, which increased the microbial contamination in these water sources. The tube wells located in close proximity (~ 2-3 m) of the surveyed ponds are also contaminated with high TC and FC values, due to faulty water supply system, pond water infiltration and cracked tube well platforms. Coliforms may influence geomicrobiological processes in groundwater and thereby, contribute in As release and mobilization. The TC and FC values of monitored tube wells and ponds show seasonal variation, with high TC and FC values during wet season. Attempt has been made to focus on sanitation risk of the monitored wells (based on sanitation and fecal coliform scores) which is usually less explored. The sanitary risk score reveal the need of immediate attention to all the sites, as 25.0 %, 58.3 %, 11.1 % and 5 % of tube wells of the six sites fell under very high risk (sanitary risk score ≥ 9), high risk (sanitary risk score 6-8), intermediate risk (sanitary risk score 3-5) and low risk category (sanitary risk score 0-2), respectively. Fecal coliform score classified all the sites under intermediate risk category (FC count 10-100 per 100 ml of water). The predominance of As heterogeneity particularly in areas under high risk category (showing high TC and FC contamination) is observed along with the similar sinusoidal pattern of TC, FC and AsT content. Finally, this study shed light on the factors responsible for unsafe nature of monitored tube wells and the influence of anthropogenic activities on the microenvironment of the groundwater, which could be a probable reason behind the As heterogeneity in the groundwater of the study area.
Voltage regulation using three phase electric spring by fuzzy logic controller
Authors: Ikhe A. , Pahariya Y.
Published: June 2023

Introduction. The renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power have increased significantly in recent years. However, as the generation of renewable energy has become more integrated, its intermission and instability have a major impact on the power system’s stability, such as voltage instability and frequency flicker. Purpose. In order to address the different power quality issues brought on by intermittent and unreliable renewable energy sources, electric spring offers a novel solution. It was proposed as a technique for regulating load and adjusting output power. For the integration of electric springs with noncritical loads, a contemporary control mechanism is described in this paper. Novelty. The suggested work is innovative in that it presents an improved control technique that efficiently maintains voltage stability as voltage changes. Method. The proposed technique is based on an analysis of the initial conditions and input data for developing fuzzy rules for calculating compensating voltages in relation to the difficulties. Results. This suggested fuzzy controller will be able to maintain the regular operation of the electric spring of power output control stability as well as continuing to provide power factor improvement and voltage control for significant loads, including the home’s protection system. Practical value. A detailed study of typical voltage regulation is undertaken, supported by simulation results, to demonstrate the effectiveness of the applied control scheme in cancelling the corresponding issues with power quality.
Experimental study of electromagnetic disturbances in common and differential modes in a circuit based on two DC/DC boost static converter in parallel
Authors: Benazza B. , Bendaoud A. , Slimani H. , Benaissa M. , Flitti M. , Zeghoudi A.
Published: June 2023

Introduction. An electronic control and closing control at the switch (MOSFET) will allow a parallel connection of two DC/DC boost converters. The reason for paralleling converters is to increase the efficiency of the power conversion process. This means that the overall power loss on the main switches is half the power loss on the main switch of a converter. It has been proven that DC-DC converters operating in parallel have different dynamics than a single converter. In this paper, the study is based on a system of two boost converters operating in parallel under current mode control. Although two converters operating in parallel increase the efficiency of the system, if the control parameters are not chosen correctly, the system becomes unstable and starts to oscillate. Purpose of this work is to present the analysis of high frequency electromagnetic disturbances caused by the switching of power switches in DC/DC boost static converters mounted in parallel in the presence of cables. We will study the improvement of the electromagnetic compatibility performances which can be brought by the choice of a static converters for industrial use. Methods. For the study of the path of the currents in common mode and in differential mode, it was possible to evaluate experimentally the electromagnetic compatibility impact in common mode and in differential mode of two boost converters connected in parallel in an electric circuit in connection with the source through a printed circuit board of connection between the source and the load, while using the two basic methods, namely the prediction of the conducted electromagnetic interference, the temporal simulation and the frequency simulation. Results. All the obtained results are validated by experimental measurements carried out at the Djillali Liabes University Sidi-Bel-Abbes in Laboratory of Applications of Plasma, Electrostatics and Electromagnetic Compatibility (APELEC). The experimental results obtained in common mode and in differential mode at low, medium and high frequencies are compared between the parallel boost test with and without electromagnetic compatibility filter.
A Novel 2.5D Deep Network Inversion of Gravity Anomalies to Estimate Basement Topography
Authors: Ashena Zahra , Kabirzadeh Hojjat , Kim Jeong Woo , Wang Xin , Ali Mohammed
Published: June 2023

A novel 2.5D intelligent gravity inversion technique has been developed to estimate basement topography. A deep neural network (DNN) is used to address the fundamental nonuniqueness and nonlinearity flaws of geophysical inversions. The training data set is simulated by adopting a new technique. Using parallel computing algorithms, thousands of forward models of the subsurface with their corresponding gravity anomalies are simulated in a few minutes. Each forward model randomly selects the values of its parameter from a set of predefined ranges based on the geological and structural characteristics of the target area. A DNN model is trained based on the simulated data set to conduct the nonlinear inverse mapping of gravity anomalies to basement topography in offshore Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The performance of the trained model is assessed by making predictions on noise-free and noise-contaminated gravity data. Eventually, the DNN inversion model is used to estimate the basement topography using pseudogravity anomalies. The results show the depth of the basement is between 7.4 km and 9.3 km over the Ghasha hydrocarbon reservoir. This paper is the 2.5D and improved version of the research (SPE-211800-MS) recently presented and published in the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference (31 October–3 November 2022) proceedings.
Impaired bioenergetic response mediates the antifungal effect of lipopeptides from Bacillus tequilensis EA-CB0015 and cinnamon extract against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense
Authors: Ramírez-Mejía Julieta , Villegas-Escobar Valeska , Gómez Luis A
Published: June 2023

Lipopeptides (LPs) from B. tequilensis EA-CB0015 have antifungal activity against Fusarium species. Specifically, against F. oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc), the cause of the Fusarium wilt of banana. In addition, cinnamon (CN) extract is also known for its inhibitory activity against the Fusarium genus. The main goal of this research was to determine if the effect of LPs, CN extract or their combination against Foc is related to an impairment of mitochondrial function. Our results show that biomass decreased by 74% (p < 0.0001) and 84% (p < 0.0001) when cultures were treated with 128 ppm LPs and 152.5 ppm CN extract, respectively. In parallel, we found a pronounced impairment of the bioenergetic response. That is, the routine oxygen consumption rate diminished by 55% (p = 0.0148) and 38% (p < 0.0001), respectively. Moreover, the ATP-linked respiratory rate decreased by 63% (p = 0.0461) and 44% (p = 0.0005), while the FCCP-simulated respiratory rate by 63% (p = 0.0255) and 45% (p = 0.0002). Therefore, our data suggest that the altered bioenergetic response observed in cultures of Foc treated with LPs or CN is mainly caused by an impairment of the activity of the ETC components. On the other hand, biomass production was reduced by 80% (p < 0.0001) when cultures were treated with a mixture comprising only 10% LPs and 40% CN extract. Furthermore, ATP-linked and FCCP-stimulated respiratory rates decreased by 62% (p = 0.0024) and 68% (p < 0.0001), respectively under the same conditions. A potentially synergistic antifungal effect of cyclic LPs with a CN extract is suggested.
Effects of low-dose intravenous heparin therapy in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: a randomized controlled clinical trial protocol
Authors: Zhang Yifan , Hu Jiangang
Published: June 2023

Background
Heparin anticoagulation therapy is a widely used method to prevent cerebral vasospasm (CV) and venous thrombosis in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage caused by ruptured cerebral aneurysms. Subcutaneous heparin injection is considered safe and effective, whereas continuous intravenous heparin infusion is still being debated due to the risk of bleeding. Although most retrospective studies have confirmed the safety and effectiveness of unfractionated heparin (UFH) after aneurysm embolization therapy and its ability to reduce CV, there is still no randomized clinical trial comparing UFH and subcutaneous low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) injection in this population. This study aims to Therefore, this study aims to compare the clinical outcomes associated with these two treatment approaches.
Methods
The study is an open-label, single-center, randomized controlled trial and aims to recruit 456 patients, with 228 patients in each group. The primary outcome was CV, the second outcomes measures are occurrence of bleeding events, ischemic events, heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, deep vein thrombosis, cerebral venous circulation time, brain edema score, and hydrocephalus incidence.
Ethics and dissemination:
This study protocol obtained ethical approval from the Ethics Committee of Baoan People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong (approval number: BYL20220805). This work will be published in peer-reviewed international medical journals and presented at medical conferences.
ClinicalTrails ID:
NCT05696639. Registered on March 30, 2023.
Analysis of factors influencing IVF-ET treatment outcome in infertile women and construction of a predictive model
Authors: Zhang Pan , Pan Congcong , Chen Yao , Zhong Ni , Zhang Ao , Chen Shengjia , Pan Haiyan , Lin Bing
Published: June 2023

Objective
To construct a predictive model for cumulative live birth rates(CLBRs) in patients treated with IVF-ET,develop a nomogram for individual prediction of CLBRs.
Methods
Patients who underwent embryo transfer in our hospital from 2017–2021 were selected for retrospective analysis, and the data were randomly divided into modelling group and validation group according to 7:3. The CLBRs nomogram was constructed using the modelling group, and the data of the validation group for internal verification. The discrimination and calibration of the predictive model is assessed by calculating the C-index and plotting the calibration curve of the model.
Results
A total of 2037 cases were included in the sample data, of which 1425 cases were in the modelling group and 612 cases in the validation group.Multi-factor logistic regression analysis was carried out on the characteristic indicators screened by the univariate analysis.The