bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimization of the Multi-Level Spring Restrainer for Bridges by Hybrid Particle Swarm and Gravitational Search Algorithm
Authors: Hamzah Mustafa Kareem , Hejazi Farzad , Ayyash Najad
Published: April 2023

This paper proposes a new multi-level spring restrainer (MLSR) that exhibits multi stiffness performance in different levels of movement of bridge superstructure to prevent unseating during applied dynamic loads. The analytical model of the proposed MLSR was formulated and the fabricated prototype was tested using dynamic actuator. Based on the developed analytical mode, the function of MLSR device relied on 12 parameters that further complicated the design process to achieve the best performance. However, the conventional optimization techniques utilized only one or a few factors for simple systems. Therefore, a multi-objective optimization method is proposed in this study by introducing the hybridization of Particle Swarm Optimization and Gravitational Search algorithm (PSOGSA) to optimize the restrainer parameters, as well as to improve the seismic performance of bridges using the optimum design. The optimized MLSR was implemented in the bridge subjected to multi-directional ground motion and its multi-level action to prevent unseating of bridge deck when the applied excitation was evaluated. The optimization process revealed girder displacement in three directions and the number of plastic hinges decreased from 44 to 99% for the optimized design. The time history analysis disclosed that the use of optimized MLSR device decreased the structural seismic response, such as the 3D deck movements, from 79 to 90%. Next, the base shear and drift ratio of bridge bent reduced to 75 and 85% in longitudinal direction and to 72 and 90% in transverse direction, correspondingly. The outcomes signify that the proposed MLSR device and the optimization algorithm have successfully improved the bridge structure resistance against severe ground motions.
Neonicotinoid seed treatment on sugar beet in England: a qualitative analysis of the controversy, existing policy and viability of alternatives
Authors: Romanowski Hannah , Blake Lauren
Published: April 2023

In 2021, the United Kingdom Government granted the possibility of an emergency derogation for the use of the neonicotinoid seed treatment, thiamethoxam, on sugar beet in England. This was met with heavy criticism and controversy due to the body of evidence demonstrating toxicity of the insecticide to non-target species, particularly pollinators. However, many viewed this decision to be reasonable in this system, as sugar beet is a non-flowering crop, and derogations were only implemented if a set of conditions, including viral risk, were met. This research aims to understand the policy and the perspective of stakeholders in this debate, and identify key problems associated with thiamethoxam use on sugar beet. Semi-structured interviews combined with a modified policy analysis were used, incorporating framework analysis and comparative analysis. Political polarisation, whereby respondents felt that the debate had become anti-pesticide or pro-pesticide and lacked nuance, and the monopsony of British Sugar (a UK company that buys and processes sugar beet), were found to be the most prevalent issues currently impeding political progress and the enhancement of sustainable agriculture in this system. Virus forecasting was considered a successful strategy at the time of writing, although limitations to the model are also discussed. Non-chemical alternatives were found to be limited in this system due to the specificity of the pest system and the low threshold of virus yellows, while forecasting was considered to have the lowest net-environmental impact. Additional policy strategies to work alongside forecasting, such as public education and intergroup contact are also discussed. This study reflects a more general tug-of-war that often sets up a false dichotomy between food security and environmental sustainability. It highlights the importance of addressing the complexity of sustainable food production by opening up the discussion and taking a more nuanced and adaptive approach to policy.
Development of control strategies for bacteria and fungi associated with a micropropagated new cultivar of orange-fleshed sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas cv. Agrosavia–Aurora)
Authors: Pérez-Pazos Jazmín , Rosero Amparo , Cardinale Massimiliano , Gámez Rocío
Published: April 2023

Vegetative propagation of sweet potato lead to the accumulation of diseases from generation to generation, which represents a threat to both productivity and conservation of genetic resources. In vitro techniques can help to overcome phytosanitary problems by applying plant material cleaning strategies. The objective of this study was to develop in vitro micropropagation strategies for the production of high-quality plant material of an orange-fleshed variety of sweet potato recently released in Colombia. Molecular identification of contaminating microorganisms was performed by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene for bacteria and ITS for fungi. Five disinfection protocols were evaluated, three of which were previously developed for sweet potato and included disinfection with 0.5, 1, and 2% sodium hypochlorite respectively, while two protocols are proposed in this work and included washing with povidone-iodine, disinfection with sodium hypochlorite 2%; one of these two new protocols also contains acetic acid and quaternary ammonium. For the evaluation of the viability of in vitro plants after disinfection, they were acclimatized in a greenhouse, reintroduced, and a molecular testing by PCR of 16S rRNA gene and ITS was carried out to verify the phytosanitary status of the material. The contaminating microorganisms found were filamentous fungi of the genera Fusarium, Sarocladium, Cladosporium and Aspergillus, yeasts of the genera Pseudozyma and Moesziomyces, and the actinobacterium Curtobacterium sp. The results indicated that washing with povidone-iodine and disinfection with 2% sodium hypochlorite, acetic acid and quaternary ammonium was the most efficient disinfection protocol, reducing the number of contaminated cultures by up to 10% and eradicating 70% of contaminants. The in vitro plants established in the greenhouse remained healthy and, after reintroduction, the molecular test for bacteria and fungi was negative. These results allowed the generation of an optimized protocol that can be incorporated into the in vitro micropropagation process to generate contamination-free sweet potato seeds.
Evaluation of the environmental impact of a plastic sprayer through life cycle assessment: an industrial case study
Authors: Valentini F. , Dorigato A.
Published: April 2023

The use of plastics for the production of household objects represents a considerable fraction of the global plastic market. In this study, an environmental impact assessment was performed to identify the environmental burdens associated with the production of plastic trigger sprayers. The environmental impact of the analysed trigger sprayer is mainly determined by the extraction of raw materials, electricity consumption in the production stage and end-of-life treatment of wastes. The application of three improvements to the traditional process leads to a significant decrease in the environmental impact across all the considered impact categories: the benefits mainly arise from the use of renewable electricity and partly from the substitution of virgin material with recycled one. The carbon footprint related to a single plastic sprayer is decreased of around 23% upon the modifications applied to the traditional process, i.e., from 0.099 kg CO2 eq down to 0.077 kg CO2 eq that reported to the annual production of 15 million pieces, would lead to a reduction of around 339 ton CO2 eq released to the atmosphere. The obtained results indicate that to further improve the environmental performance of plastic dispensers (and of plastic objects in general), technologies suitable for the processing and manufacturing of recycled materials should be implemented. This will be achieved only through the improvement of a collection, sorting and recycling system able to provide high-quality secondary materials. Finally, the industrial process should be optimized decreasing the production scrap, using renewable energy sources and promoting its reuse for multiple times.
Stability of a flexible missile and asymptotics of the eigenvalues of fourth order boundary value problems
Authors: Zinsou Bertin
Published: April 2023

Fourth order problems with the differential equation $$y^{(4)}-(gy')'=\lambda ^2y$$

y

(
4
)

-

(
g

y
′

)

′

=

λ
2

y

, where $$g\in C^1[0,a]$$

g
∈

C
1

[
0
,
a
]

and $$a>0$$

a
>
0

, occur in engineering on stability of elastic rods. They occur as well in aeronautics to describe the stability of a flexible missile. Fourth order Birkhoff regular problems with the differential equation $$y^{(4)}-(gy')'=\lambda ^2y$$

y

(
4
)

-

(
g

y
′

)

′

=

λ
2

y

and eigenvalue dependent boundary conditions are considered. These problems have quadratic operator representations with non-self-adjoint operators. The first four terms of the asymptotics of the eigenvalues of the problems as well as those of the eigenvalues of the problem describing the stability of a flexible missile are evaluated explicitly.
The Effect of Gut-Training and Feeding-Challenge on Markers of Gastrointestinal Status in Response to Endurance Exercise: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Martinez Isabel G. , Mika Alice S. , Biesiekierski Jessica R. , Costa Ricardo J. S.
Published: April 2023

Background

Nutrition during exercise is vital in sustaining prolonged activity and enhancing athletic performance; however, exercise-induced gastrointestinal syndrome (EIGS) and exercise-associated gastrointestinal symptoms (Ex-GIS) are common issues among endurance athletes. Despite this, there has been no systematic assessment of existing trials that examine the impact of repetitive exposure of the gastrointestinal tract to nutrients before and/or during exercise on gastrointestinal integrity, function, and/or symptoms.

Objective

This systematic literature review aimed to identify and synthesize research that has investigated the impact of ‘gut-training’ or ‘feeding-challenge’ before and/or during exercise on markers of gastrointestinal integrity, function, and symptoms.

Methods

Five databases (Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL Plus, Web of Science Core Collection, and SPORTDiscus) were searched for literature that focused on gut-training or feeding-challenge before and/or during exercise that included EIGS and Ex-GIS variables. Quality assessment was conducted in duplicate and independently using the Cochrane Collaboration’s risk-of-bias (RoB 2) tool.

Results

Overall, 304 studies were identified, and eight studies were included after screening. Gut-training or feeding-challenge interventions included provision of carbohydrates only (n = 7) in various forms (e.g., gels or liquid solutions) during cycling or running, or carbohydrate with protein (n = 1) during intermittent exercise, over a varied duration (4–28 days). Gut discomfort decreased by an average of 47% and 26% with a 2-week repetitive carbohydrate feeding protocol (n = 2) and through repeated fluid ingestion over five trials (n = 1), respectively. Repetitive carbohydrate feeding during exercise for 2 weeks resulted in the reduction of carbohydrate malabsorption by 45–54% (n = 2), but also led to no significant change (n = 1). The effect of gut-training and feeding-challenges on the incidence and severity of Ex-GIS were assessed using different tools (n = 6). Significant improvements in total, upper, and lower gastrointestinal symptoms were observed (n = 2), as well as unclear results (n = 4). No significant changes in gastric emptying rate (n = 2), or markers of intestinal injury and permeability were found (n = 3). Inconclusive results were found in studies that investigated plasma inflammatory cytokine concentration in response to exercise with increased carbohydrate feeding (n = 2).

Conclusions

Overall, gut-training or feeding-challenge around exercise may provide advantages in reducing gut discomfort, and potentially improve carbohydrate malabsorption and Ex-GIS, which may have exercise performance implications.
Inconsistent effect of dynamic load waveform on macro- and micro-scale responses of ballast bed characterized in individual cycle: a numerical study
Authors: Fu Longlong , Zheng Yuexiao , Qiu Yongjia , Zhou Shunhua
Published: April 2023

Cyclic load is widely adopted in laboratory to simulate the effect of train load on ballast bed. The effectiveness of such load equivalence is usually testified by having similar results of key concerns of ballast bed, such as deformation or stiffness, while the consistency of particle scale characteristics under two loading patterns is rarely examined, which is insufficient to well-understand and use the load simplification. In this study, a previous laboratory model test of ballast bed under cyclic load is rebuilt using 3D discrete element method (DEM), which is validated by dynamic responses monitored by high-resolution sensors. Then, train load having the same magnitude and amplitude as the cyclic load is applied in the numerical model to obtain the statistical characteristics of inter-particle contact force and particle movements in ballast bed. The results show that particle scale responses under two loading patterns could have quite deviation, even when macro-scale responses of ballast bed under two loading patterns are very close. This inconsistency indicates that the application scale of the DEM model should not exceed the validation scale. Moreover, it is important to examine multiscale responses to validate the effectiveness of load simplification.
Study of the link between hemotopoietic and skeletal systems in patients attending a referral center for osteoporosis
Authors: Pepe J. , Colangelo L. , De Martino V. , Occhiuto M. , Iervolino D. , Pasqualetti P. , Minisola S. , Cipriani C.
Published: April 2023

Purpose

To investigate the link between hematopoietic and skeletal tissues in patients with fragility fractures.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of women older than 40 years who attended the Bone Disease Unit of “Sapienza” University of Rome for their first visit for osteoporosis from January 2020 to June 2022.

Results

Fragility fractures were found in 61.8% of the sample. In particular, vertebral fractures in 35.5%, femoral fractures in 6.3%, Colles fractures in 16.5% and non-vertebral non-hip in 42.5%. Fractured patients were significantly older compared to non-fractured, had lower mean values of lumbar spine (p = 0.01), and femoral neck BMD (p = 0.007). A red blood cell distribution width (RDW) value higher than 15% was observed four times more in those with fractures compared to non-fractured patients (8.9% vs 2%, p = 0.01) and was associated with vertebral fracture after adjusting for age, BMI, menopause, nutritional status, smoking, osteoporosis and anemia (OR = 4.1, 95% CI 1.6–11.4, p = 0.003). Hematocrit was negatively associated with hip fracture also adjusting for age, BMI, menopause, nutritional status, smoking, osteoporosis (p = 0.025).

Conclusion

Our study demonstrates that RDW values were significantly associated with vertebral fracture and hematocrit with hip fracture. Since both parameters are included in the initial evaluation of patients with suspected bone fragility, our results should push doctors to look at these values with no incremental cost for national health services.
Engineering Smart Composite Hydrogels for Wearable Disease Monitoring
Authors: Li Jianye , Ding Qiongling , Wang Hao , Wu Zixuan , Gui Xuchun , Li Chunwei , Hu Ning , Tao Kai , Wu Jin
Published: April 2023

Growing health awareness triggers the public’s concern about health problems. People want a timely and comprehensive picture of their condition without frequent trips to the hospital for costly and cumbersome general check-ups. The wearable technique provides a continuous measurement method for health monitoring by tracking a person’s physiological data and analyzing it locally or remotely. During the health monitoring process, different kinds of sensors convert physiological signals into electrical or optical signals that can be recorded and transmitted, consequently playing a crucial role in wearable techniques. Wearable application scenarios usually require sensors to possess excellent flexibility and stretchability. Thus, designing flexible and stretchable sensors with reliable performance is the key to wearable technology. Smart composite hydrogels, which have tunable electrical properties, mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and multi-stimulus sensitivity, are one of the best sensitive materials for wearable health monitoring. This review summarizes the common synthetic and performance optimization strategies of smart composite hydrogels and focuses on the current application of smart composite hydrogels in the field of wearable health monitoring.
Tiritiria: Understanding Māori children as inherently and inherited-ly literate—Towards a conceptual position
Authors: Hetaraka Maia , Meiklejohn-Whiu Selena , Webber Melinda , Jesson Rebecca
Published: April 2023

Many theories support the idea that children’s literacy learning develops as they learn to make meaning through interactions with others. These assertions are premised on the understanding that childhood literacy serves various social purposes and that these literacies are learned through participating in social contexts. In this position paper, we seek to reframe current, widely accepted understandings and definitions of literacy. We draw upon mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge/wisdom) concepts to illustrate Māori philosophical views about the nature of knowledge production. These concepts clearly delineate the link between knowledge, literacies, and power, a link often actively overlooked by western framing of literacy. We use a Māori whakataukī (proverbial saying) to re-conceptualise current understandings of literacy, positing varied literacies and literacy practices. Within this conceptual framework Māori children are re-positioned as maurea – treasures of the highest order, born of and with mana, an integral part of generations of whakapapa (genealogy), and an essential element in an intricate web linking all things (human and non-human). This paper proposes that children are inherently and inherited-ly literate; they are born literate—inheritors of multiple and cumulative genealogies of multimodal communication and knowledge sharing.
Historical institutionalism and policy coordination: origins of the European semester
Authors: Pan Wen , Hosli Madeleine O. , Lantmeeters Michaël
Published: April 2023

Using historical institutionalism as a theoretical foundation, this paper explores whether multilateral surveillance and policy coordination under the European Semester (ES), introduced in the aftermath of the global financial crisis of 2007–2008, was based on a path-changing or a path-dependent mechanism. Following a legal-historical analysis going back to the Maastricht Treaty, we demonstrate that the ES in its institutional form was not the result of a crisis-induced critical juncture, but rather of a gradual, path-dependent historical evolution which kept the balance of power relations in the European Union (EU) broadly unchanged. With this, we offer a critique of literature on the post-crisis European economic governance framework, which sees an increase in the influence of supranational actors, notably the European Commission. Focusing on the ES, our paper puts forward an alternative view, grounded in the theory of historical institutionalism, arguing that the balance of power relations has broadly stayed the same. The conclusion is based on a legal-historical analysis of 12 indicators, which help to understand the evolution of the ES.
Improving Gender-Related Fairness in Sentence Encoders: A Semantics-Based Approach
Authors: Dolci Tommaso , Azzalini Fabio , Tanelli Mara
Published: April 2023

The ever-increasing number of systems based on semantic text analysis is making natural language understanding a fundamental task: embedding-based language models are used for a variety of applications, such as resume parsing or improving web search results. At the same time, despite their popularity and widespread use, concern is rapidly growing due to their display of social bias and lack of transparency. In particular, they exhibit a large amount of gender bias, favouring the consolidation of social stereotypes. Recently, sentence embeddings have been introduced as a novel and powerful technique to represent entire sentences as vectors. We propose a new metric to estimate gender bias in sentence embeddings, named bias score. Our solution leverages semantic importance of words and previous research on bias in word embeddings, and it is able to discern between neutral and biased gender information at sentence level. Experiments on a real-world dataset demonstrate that our novel metric can identify gender stereotyped sentences. Furthermore, we employ bias score to detect and then remove or compensate for the more stereotyped entries in text corpora used to train sentence encoders, improving their degree of fairness. Finally, we prove that models retrained on fairer corpora are less prone to make stereotypical associations compared to their original counterpart, while preserving accuracy in natural language understanding tasks. Additionally, we compare our experiments with traditional methods for reducing bias in embedding-based language models.
Integrating systems thinking and flexibility in infrastructure management
Authors: Acuña-Coll Nayled , Sánchez-Silva Mauricio
Published: April 2023

Infrastructure systems are subjected to demands imposed by extreme natural events and increasing socioeconomic pressures. The latter are derived, for example, from a rise in the export of goods and services, and population growth, which is also associated with problems such as access to housing and basic sanitation. According to the World Risk Report 2016, inadequate infrastructure increases the frequency of losses to life and property, as well as the risk that an extreme natural event might become a disaster. Thus, frequently, traditional infrastructure systems design and management have fail to meet the stakeholders’ expectations. The main problems emerge from decisions based on the assumption that systems are static, instead of changing continuously, and on uncertainty management. This paper presents, first, a conceptual proposal that combinessystems thinkingandflexibilityas the main pillars to facilitate systems to respond and change over time. Systems thinking recognizes the dynamic evolution of systems and helps understand how processes and subprocesses interact at different levels (i.e., hierarchical arrangement of processes). Flexibility, which is the ability of a system to respond or change, is crucial to managing better risks and varying demands, thus fostering resilience to disasters and climate change. Incorporating flexibility in the development of infrastructure contributes to enhancing the management of planned or unplanned events, taking advantage of investment/business opportunities, reducing possible cost overruns, and handling the perceptions and interests of stakeholders. Based on the conceptual framework, the second part of the paper presents a proposal to integrate these concepts into a physical and financial infrastructure model. The outcome of this model is a set of management policies that render the actions that best reflect the interest of stakeholders. The conceptual ideas and the proposed model are illustrated with two examples showing the value of integrating systems thinking and flexibility in infrastructure management over time.
Brassica juncea as a Feasible Hyperaccumulator of Chosen Potentially Toxic Metals Under Extreme Environmental Conditions
Authors: Sut-Lohmann Magdalena , Grimm Mark , Kästner Friederike , Raab Thomas , Heinrich Martina , Fischer Thomas
Published: April 2023

Nowadays, many sites are considered waste, due to high potentially toxic metal (PTM) concentration. Recycling of globally critical metals requires development of environmentally friendly processes for metal recovery. To study plants response to elevated Zn and Cu concentration in soil, a greenhouse experiment was designed using hyperaccumulator Brassica juncea. Plants were irrigated daily with PTM solutions, with final mass of both Zn and Cu added to the soil reaching 104.5, 209, 313.5, and 330 mg. After 8 weeks, samples were harvested, dried, weighed, and elemental analysis was conducted using atomic emission spectrometry (Agilent Technologies 4210 MP-AES). Phytotoxicity was determined based on visual observation, biomass, and chlorophyll measurements. The highest accumulation of Zn and Cu was found in the stem and leaf material, with observed concentrations of Zn in the leaf being 16.750 mg kg−1 and 7.170 mg kg−1 of Cu in the stem. The highest allocated in the biomass mass of Zn and Cu was in T4 treatment reaching 25.8 mg and 9.5 mg, respectively. Treatment with 330 mg Zn and Cu application displayed a 62.3% decrease in stem mass, a 25% decrease in average root mass (LD30 reached), and a 59% decrease in leaf mass when compared with the control. With increasing PTM concentration, root, biomass (from about 0.4 to 0.1 g; from about 3.8 to 2.0 g, respectively) and chlorophyll “a” (from about 24 to 19 μg/cm2) decline was observed, which correlates with observed chlorosis. This study reaffirmed the capabilities of B. juncea to bioaccumulate Zn and Cu from an enriched soil and provided further understanding as to how Zn and Cu translocate within plant tissues.
Reconstructing the cruise-phase trajectory of deep-space probes in a general relativistic framework: An application to the Cassini gravitational wave experiment
Authors: O’Leary Joseph , Barriot Jean-Pierre
Published: April 2023

Einstein’s theory of general relativity is playing an increasingly important role in fields such as interplanetary navigation, astrometry, and metrology. Modern spacecraft and interplanetary probe prediction and estimation platforms employ a perturbed Newtonian framework, supplemented with the Einstein-Infeld-Hoffmann n-body equations of motion. While time in Newtonian mechanics is formally universal, the accuracy of modern radiometric tracking systems necessitate linear corrections via increasingly complex and error-prone post-Newtonian techniques—to account for light deflection due to the solar system bodies. With flagship projects such as the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission now operating at unprecedented levels of accuracy, we believe the standard corrected Newtonian paradigm is approaching its limits in terms of complexity. In this paper, we employ a novel prototype software, General Relativistic Accelerometer-based Propagation Environment, to reconstruct the Cassini cruise-phase trajectory during its first gravitational wave experiment in a fully relativistic framework. The results presented herein agree with post-processed trajectory information obtained from NASA’s SPICE kernels at the order of centimetres.
Self-regulated Learning from a Cultural Psychology Perspective: Shifting from Strategy to Process with the Trajectory Equifinality Approach
Authors: Masaki Fumiko
Published: April 2023

Self-regulated learning (SRL) is the act of self-regulation during learning. Achieving mastery in SRL can benefit students by helping them complete their work, obtain higher grades in school, and learn life skills to gain meaningful experiences to establish their identities. Most researchers have considered SRL a process of steps and conformed it to a type of experiment using quantitative methods in the interests of reproductivity. However, they failed to acknowledge crucial factors of the process (i.e., coaction with the environment and time) and lacked methodologies that analyze and depict the developmental process. This study aimed to argue that SRL is an act of self-influence in the sociocultural context and that the process differs for each individual. This study overviewed SRL and contrastingly reviewed Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory with signs, Bruner’s meaning-making, and Valsiner’s internalization/externalization model. It provided insights into the SRL process from a qualitative perspective and conceptualized SRL from a semiotic developmental perspective, with an adaptation of sociocultural dynamics. Finally, it demonstrated how the Trajectory Equifinality Approach (TEA), an alternative methodology, can visualize the developmental process of SRL.
Preparation and quality of okara protein gel gummies
Authors: Liu Zheng , Yang Juan , Fan Weijing , Jin Bei
Published: April 2023

Okara protein (OP) was extracted by alkali solution and acid-isolation method using bean dregs as raw materials. With OP as the main raw material, the mixed gelatin and modified starch as the gelling agent, xylitol as the sweetener, and buffered lactic acid as the sour agent, the elasticity, hardness, stickiness and chewiness of the texture analyzer were analyzed by the single-factor test and orthogonal test. Combined with sensory evaluation, the optimal formula for the preparation of OP gel gummies was comprehensively obtained as: the ratio of gelatin to modified starch was 9:1; the xylitol addition was 18 g; the addition of buffered lactic acid was 0.7mL, and the addition of OP solution was 16mL, respectively. The gel gummies prepared under this formula have the advantages of suitable sweetness and sourness, good taste, good stickiness and uniform color. It also has special physiological functions, such as immune regulation and antihypertensiveness.
Sensitivity Analysis of the Spatial Parameters in Modelling the Evolutionary Interaction Between Autonomous Vehicles and Other Road Users
Authors: Bitar Isam , Watling David , Romano Richard
Published: April 2023

The road user network is a dynamic, ever-evolving population in which road users interact to share and compete for road space. The advent of autonomous road vehicles (ARVs) will usher in numerous opportunities and challenges in road user dynamics. One of the challenges is whether an ARV population would be able to successfully enter the existing road user space. Previous work demonstrates that successful introduction of ARVs into the road network must consider the evolutionary dynamics of the existing population. This study examines the effect of different spatial parameters as starting conditions for the introduction of a small population of ARVs into a resident population of human-driven vehicles (HDV). The model utilises the concept of evolutionary game theory and uses a square lattice grid with a novel agent mobility approach. The results show that ARV success exhibits significant sensitivity to variations in initial cluster size, position, and travel range. ARVs seem to perform best in fewer, larger clusters with a shorter travel range. This suggests that the best form of early ARV introduction may take the shape of centralised, highly co-operative fleets of local passenger or freight transport.
Design and Development of Artificial Intelligence Knowledge Processing System for Optimizing Security of Software System
Authors: Althar Raghavendra Rao , Samanta Debabrata , Purushotham Sathvik , Sengar Sandeep Singh , Hewage Chaminda
Published: April 2023

Software security vulnerabilities are significant for the software development industry. Exploration is conducted for software development industry landscape, software development eco-system landscape, and software system customer landscape. The focus is to explore the data sources that can provide the software development team with insights to act upon the security vulnerabilities proactively. Across these modules of software landscape, customer landscape, and industry landscape, data sources are leveraged using artificial intelligence approaches to identify the security insights. The focus is also on building a smart knowledge management system that integrates the information processed across modules into a central system. This central intelligence system can be further leveraged to manage software development activities proactively. In this exploration, machine learning and deep learning approaches are devised to model the data and learn from across the modules. Architecture for all the modules and their integration is also proposed. Work helps to envision a smart system for Artificial Intelligence-based knowledge management for managing software security vulnerabilities.
Current Advances in Multiple Myeloma: A Post International Myeloma Society (IMS 2022) Round Table Debate by the International Academy for Clinical Hematology (IACH)
Authors: Bahlis Nizar J. , Costa Luciano J. , Facon Thierry , Harousseau Jean-Luc , Manier Salomon , Perrot Aurore , Touzeau Cyrille , Mohty Mohamad
Published: April 2023

This round table discussion organized by the International Academy for Clinical Hematology (IACH) was dedicated to the 19th annual meeting of the International Myeloma Society (IMS), which was held in Los Angeles between the 25th and 27th August 2022. After some key meetings of the discipline of the field of clinical hematology, the IACH organizes regular round table discussion in order to summarize the flow of information and get the opinion of a panel of experts and the key take-home messages. As part of this discussion, the panellists debated 6 key topics: disease monitoring, management of high-risk multiple myeloma (MM), induction for newly-diagnosed MM, management of relapsed MM, immune reconstitution, and vaccination and cellular therapy in MM.
Neural Clustering and Ranking Approach for Gas-Theft Suspect Detection
Authors: Pan Lusheng , Yi Xiuwen , Chen Shun , Huang Yanyong , Zheng Yu
Published: April 2023

Some boiler room users steal natural gas by refitting equipment without permission in winter, resulting in gas safety hazards and social problems. Instead of random manual on-site inspection, it is crucial to discover gas-theft suspects timely and automatically by analyzing the gas consumption data. Unfortunately, gas-theft behaviors are complex and various, while the caught gas thefts by gas companies are limited. In this paper, we propose a neural clustering and ranking approach to detect gas theft suspects under the positive-unlabeled learning framework. Our approach contains two modules: joint clustering for normal user identification and triplet ranking for suspicious user detection. The former module considers the regular behaviors to distinguish between normal and unstable users by integrating representation learning and clustering. Then, considering the identified normal samples and the labeled gas thefts, the later module excavates the behavior correlations to discover suspects among unstable users through triplet relation ranking. Thus, normal user identification and suspicious user detection are seamlessly connected to overcome the label scarcity problem. We conduct extensive experiments on three real-world datasets, and the results demonstrate the advantages of our approach over various baselines.
Land, Promise, and Peril
Authors: Coleman Mary D.
Published: April 2023

In Langston Hughes' 'Mother to Son,' (1922), written at a time of dramatic disruption in the American economy and continued tyranny in the lives of Black people, urban and rural, the Mother pleads with the child not to give up. She tells the child that she has been 'a climbing on, reaching landings and turning corners.' Not only did the seven families chronicled in this unique study not give up, while both losing and gaining ground, they managed to sponsor a generation of children, several of whom reached the middle and upper-middle classes. Land, Promise, and Peril chronicles the actions, actors, and events that propelled legal racism and quelled it, showing how leadership and political institutions play a crucial role in shaping the pace and quality of exits from poverty. Despite great odds, some domestics, sharecroppers, tenants, and farmers and their children navigated pathways toward the middle class and beyond.
Jeremy Harmer's 50 Communicative Activities
Authors: Harmer Jeremy
Published: April 2023

In this accessible book, Jeremy Harmer draws on his extensive experience of communicative language teaching to provide 50 tried and tested classroom activities to help you develop your learners' language and communicative confidence.. The book sets out the characteristics of good communicative activities, before outlining a range of clear, practical and fun examples that will help teachers in a wide range of contexts to effectively engage learners and develop their communicative skills. Topics covered include interacting with texts, delivering presentations and performances, and including communicative activities in a longer language and topic journey.
Spatial Discrepancy of Hydrodynamics‐Driven Impacts on Organic Biomarkers Deposition and ′ and TEX86 Temperature Proxies Applications
Authors: Xiao Rui , Xing Lei , Chen Junhui , Wang Yuning , Zhong Guoqiang , Zhou Yang , Huo Xuan , Ding Yang , Bao Rui
Published: April 2023

There is evidence that sedimentary organic matter is prone to lateral transport under hydrodynamic processes before its final deposition on the seafloor, restricting the applicability of molecular proxies. In this study, we examine the abundances of marine and terrestrial biomarkers in bulk and the grain‐size fractionated samples (<20, 20–63, and >63 μm fractions) from surface sediments in the South Yellow Sea to decipher the spatial influences of hydrodynamic processes on the biomarker distributions and molecule‐proxies' applications. Our results show that spatial deviations between proxies‐derived sea surface temperature (SST; the ′ and TEX86 indexes) and satellite‐derived annual mean SST may result from the lateral transportation of the alkenones and isoprenoid Glycerol Dialkyl Glycerol Tetraethers driven by dominated nearshore coastal currents. We propose a spatial‐SST correction approach to obtain more accurate SST information by removing the hydrodynamically introduced SST bias. Our investigations imply that hydrodynamic processes could be an important factor for controlling the spatial distribution of biomarkers in the ocean, further influencing the applications of biomarker‐based proxies for paleo‐environmental reconstruction. We suggest that this investigation would shed new light on the biogeochemical dynamics of sedimentary organic carbon pump in the shallow ocean, particularly in the passive continental marginal seas with strong hydrodynamic conditions.
Biogeochemical River Runoff Drives Intense Coastal Arctic Ocean CO2 Outgassing
Authors: Bertin C. , Carroll D. , Menemenlis D. , Dutkiewicz S. , Zhang H. , Matsuoka A. , Tank S. , Manizza M. , Miller C. E. , Babin M. , Mangin A. , Le Fouest V.
Published: April 2023

Arctic warming alters land‐to‐sea fluxes of nutrients and organic matter, which impact air‐sea carbon exchange. Here we use an ocean‐biogeochemical model of the southeastern Beaufort Sea (SBS) to investigate the role of Mackenzie River biogeochemical discharge in modulating air‐sea CO2 fluxes during 2000–2019. The contribution of six biogeochemical discharge constituents leads to a net CO2 outgassing of 0.13 TgC yr−1, with a decrease in the coastal SBS carbon sink of 0.23 and 0.4 TgC yr−1 due to riverine dissolved organic and inorganic carbon, respectively. Years with high (low) discharge promote more CO2 outgassing (uptake) from the river plume. These results demonstrate that the Mackenzie River modulates the capacity of the SBS to act as a sink or source of atmospheric CO2. Our work suggests that accurate model representation of land‐to‐sea biogeochemical coupling can be critical for assessing present‐day Arctic coastal ocean response to the rapidly changing environment.
How Are Tornadic Supercell Soundings Significantly Different From Nearby Baseline Environments?
Authors: Hua Zhanxiang , Anderson‐Frey Alexandra
Published: April 2023

This study explores how tornadic supercell soundings significantly differ from the same‐location and same‐hour baseline environment soundings, sampled from the days prior to or following the event. Permutation testing is used to identify whether sounding‐derived parameters mixed‐layer convective available potential energy and 0–1 km storm‐relative helicity are significantly different between the tornadic and baseline environment. Typically, in an environment with marginal values of certain key environmental parameters, anomalous values of those environmental parameters are more strongly associated with supercell tornadoes. Furthermore, many tornadic events already exhibit environmental conditions favorable for tornadic supercells a day prior to the event itself. Generally, supercell tornadoes that occur during typical peak tornadic activity time frames are easier to distinguish from baseline (non‐tornadic) environments compared to those occurring in other time frames. Spatiotemporal variations of distinguishability between tornadic and baseline environmental parameters add complexity to traditional parameter‐based fixed threshold forecasting.
The Effect of Mechanical Shaking on the Rising Velocity of Bubbles in High‐Viscosity Shear‐Thinning Fluids
Authors: Seropian Gilles , Higginbotham Kaylon , Kennedy Ben M. , Schaefer Lauren N. , Walter Thomas R. , Soldati Arianna
Published: April 2023

The rising velocity of an air bubble in a non‐Newtonian shear‐thinning fluid at low Reynolds numbers is generally similar to the Newtonian case given by Stokes' law. However, when the shear‐thinning fluid is subject to mechanical oscillations, the rising velocity could significantly increase. Here, we present a series of experiments quantifying the rising velocity of single bubbles during shaking in very high‐viscosity (2,000–30,000 Pa·s) shear‐thinning silicone oils. Air bubbles (18–30 mm diameter) were injected in a tank mounted on a shaking table. The tank was horizontally oscillated, at accelerations between 0.4 and 2 g. We observed a small increase in the rising velocity of the shaking cases at our experimental conditions. The increase was larger when bubbles were large and accelerations were high. Larger accelerations experienced the largest observational errors and we emphasize the exploratory nature of our results. We also measured the change in bubble diameter during the oscillations and computed the shear rate at the bubble surface. Maximum shear rates were in the range of 0.04–0.08 s−1. At these shear rates, our analysis indicates that shear thinning behavior of our analog fluids is expected to be small and compete with elastic behavior. This transitional viscous/elastic regime helps explain the small and variable results of our experiments. Our results are relevant to the study of earthquake‐volcano interactions. Most crystal‐free silicate melts would exhibit a purely viscous, shear‐thinning behavior in a natural scenario. Seismically enhanced bubble rise could offer an explanation for the observed increased degassing and unrest following large earthquakes.
Multiple Timescale Variations in Water Transparency in the Eastern China Seas over the Period 1997–2019
Authors: Guo Junting , Pan Haidong , Cao Ruichen , Wang Jianfeng , Lv Xianqing
Published: April 2023

The detection of water transparency (Zsd) changes over multiple timescales is an important task that has wide implications from water quality to climate change research. However, to date, the understanding of Zsd variations and their driving factors in the Eastern China Seas is fairly limited. Using the Data Interpolating Empirical Orthogonal Functions (DINEOF) method and a semi‐analytic algorithm, monthly cloud‐free Zsd products over the period 1997–2019 are retrieved from the European Space Agency Ocean Color Climate Change Initiative datasets. Significant Zsd variations on seasonal, interannual, and long‐term timescales, as well as their spatial discrepancies, are quantified in the Eastern China Seas. The first EOF mode of Zsd accounts for 57.46% of the total variance, which is dominated by a seasonal cycle in response to seasonal changes in oceanic and atmospheric factors (e.g., surface winds, sea surface temperature and ocean stratification). The second and third EOF modes are likely associated with seasonal phytoplankton blooms and ocean circulations, respectively. Factors that affect the interannual variation in Zsd, including sea surface temperature, wind speed, river discharge, and the Oceanic Niño Index, are quantitatively evaluated. The long‐term trends suggest different potential driving forces for the Zsd patterns at a regional scale, such as climate‐driven increased sea surface temperatures, weakened surface winds, reduced sediment discharge, and eutrophication of coastal waters. Overall, this study presents the first comprehensive investigation of Zsd variations in the Eastern China Seas at multiple timescales and an analysis of their underlying physical and environmental drivers.
Changes in Moisture Sources of Atmospheric Rivers Landfalling the Iberian Peninsula With WRF‐FLEXPART
Authors: Fernández‐Alvarez J. C. , Pérez‐Alarcón A. , Eiras‐Barca J. , Ramos A. M. , Rahimi‐Esfarjani S. , Nieto R. , Gimeno L.
Published: April 2023

This paper makes use of a combination of FLEXPART‐WRF simulations forced with ERA5 and the CESM2 model—incorporated in the CMIP6 project—to infer a series of changes over the present century in the behavior of the landfalling atmospheric rivers (ARs) arriving to the Iberian Peninsula. In addition, future changes in the intensity and position of their main moisture sources are studied. In overall terms, there is a noticeable increase in the amount of moisture transported by ARs in the study region, particularly accentuated by the end of the century. However, no significant changes in the number of events are observed. A northward shift of both the mean position of the ARs as well as their main sources of moisture is also detected, particularly for the end of the century, and in the summer and fall months. In relation to the latter, an increase in the contribution of moisture contribution is also observed, quantitatively compatible with Clausius‐Clapeyron amplification.
Using Wind Dispersion Effects During the InSight Tether Burial Activities to Better Constrain the Regolith Grain Size Distribution
Authors: Verdier N. , Ansan V. , Delage P. , Ali K. S. , Beucler E. , Charalambous C. , Constant E. , Spiga A. , Golombek M. , Marteau E. , Lapeyre R. , Gaudin E. , Yana C. , Hurst K. , Lognonné P. , Banerdt B. W.
Published: April 2023

In an attempt to improve the quality of the seismic signals provided by the seismometer of the InSight mission (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) on Mars, part of the tether linking the seismometer to the InSight lander was buried by some regolith using the scoop of the articulated robotic arm. The regolith in a source area was scraped into piles, scooped and dumped by the scoop from a height of ∼50 cm above the surface onto the tether. Part of the regolith was carried away by the wind and dispersed 1–2 m downwind, as evidenced by the comparison between images taken from the lander before and after the regolith pouring. Using both ballistic trajectory and wind dispersion effects as a sorter, the grain size range was determined through numerical fluid mechanics simulations. The trajectory of the poured grains is determined by the Martian atmospheric and gravimetry conditions, the initial conditions of scoop pouring and grain lithology. The spatial grain distribution on the ground shows a downwind decrease in grain size from the pouring point, with a size ranging from 1 mm near the dump point to ∼100 μm at the farthest area observed on the images. We find that the deposit of grains coarser than 500 μm is controlled mainly by gravity. Grains finer than 100 μm are present in the regolith, but they are not quantifiable with this method because they are blown away by the wind.