bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chitosan/Gelatin Scaffolds Loaded with Jatropha mollissima Extract as Potential Skin Tissue Engineering Materials
Authors: de Souza Matheus Ferreira , da Silva Henrique Nunes , Rodrigues José Filipe Bacalhau , Macêdo Maria Dennise Medeiros , de Sousa Wladymyr Jefferson Bacalhau , Barbosa Rossemberg Cardoso , Fook Marcus Vinícius Lia
Published: January 2023

This work aimed to develop chitosan/gelatin scaffolds loaded with ethanolic extract of Jatropha mollissima (EEJM) to evaluate the influence of its content on the properties of these structures. The scaffolds were prepared by freeze-drying, with different EEJM contents (0–10% (w/w)) and crosslinked with genipin (0.5% (w/w)). The EEJM were characterized through High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to a Diode Array Detector (HPLC-DAD), and the determination of three secondary metabolites contents was accomplished. The physical, chemical and biological properties of the scaffolds were investigated. From the HPLC-DAD, six main substances were evidenced, and from the quantification of the total concentration, the condensed tannins were the highest (431.68 ± 33.43 mg·g−1). Spectroscopy showed good mixing between the scaffolds’ components. Adding and increasing the EEJM content did not significantly influence the properties of swelling and porosity, but did affect the biodegradation and average pore size. The enzymatic biodegradation test showed a maximum weight loss of 42.89 within 28 days and reinforced the efficiency of genipin in crosslinking chitosan-based materials. The addition of the extract promoted the average pore sizes at a range of 138.44–227.67 µm, which is compatible with those reported for skin regeneration. All of the scaffolds proved to be biocompatible for L929 cells, supporting their potential application as skin tissue engineering materials.
On Hair Care Physicochemistry: From Structure and Degradation to Novel Biobased Conditioning Agents
Authors: Fernandes Catarina , Medronho Bruno , Alves Luís , Rasteiro Maria Graça
Published: January 2023

Hair is constantly exposed to various adverse external stimuli, such as mechanical or thermal factors, that may cause damage or cause it to lose its shine and smooth appearance. These undesirable effects can be minimized by using hair conditioners, which repair the hair and restore the smooth effect desired by the consumer. Some of the currently used conditioning agents present low biodegradability and high toxicity to aquatic organisms. Consumers are also becoming more aware of environmental issues and shifting their preferences toward natural-based products. Therefore, developing novel, sustainable, natural-based derivatives that can act as conditioning agents in hair care products and thus compete with the traditional systems obtained from non-renewable sources is highly appealing. This paper presents the key physicochemical aspects of the hair conditioning process, including hair structure and degradation, and reviews some of the new alternative conditioning agents obtained from natural resources.
Smart Polymer Surfaces with Complex Wrinkled Patterns: Reversible, Non-Planar, Gradient, and Hierarchical Structures
Authors: Sarabia-Vallejos Mauricio A. , Cerda-Iglesias Felipe E. , Pérez-Monje Dan A. , Acuña-Ruiz Nicolas F. , Terraza-Inostroza Claudio A. , Rodríguez-Hernández Juan , González-Henríquez Carmen M.
Published: January 2023

This review summarizes the relevant developments in preparing wrinkled structures with variable characteristics. These include the formation of smart interfaces with reversible wrinkle formation, the construction of wrinkles in non-planar supports, or, more interestingly, the development of complex hierarchically structured wrinkled patterns. Smart wrinkled surfaces obtained using light-responsive, pH-responsive, temperature-responsive, and electromagnetic-responsive polymers are thoroughly described. These systems control the formation of wrinkles in particular surface positions and the reversible construction of planar-wrinkled surfaces. This know-how of non-planar substrates has been recently extended to other structures, thus forming wrinkled patterns on solid, hollow spheres, cylinders, and cylindrical tubes. Finally, this bibliographic analysis also presents some illustrative examples of the potential of wrinkle formation to create more complex patterns, including gradient structures and hierarchically multiscale-ordered wrinkles. The orientation and the wrinkle characteristics (amplitude and period) can also be modulated according to the requested application.
Optimization of an Indoor DWC Hydroponic Lettuce Production System to Generate a Low N and P Content Wastewater
Authors: Aires Luis M. I. , Ispolnov Kirill , Luz Tomás R. , Pala Helena , Vieira Judite S.
Published: January 2023

Hydroponic production raises economic and environmental issues related to the treatment, recovery or disposal of hydroponic wastewater, which can be rich in eutrophication-related nutrients, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Little focus has been put on the influence of the growth conditions on the N and P content in hydroponic wastewater, which is of uttermost importance when it is intended to reuse the wastewater for irrigation or other purposes with reduced impact on the environment. This study aimed to optimize an indoor non-recirculating deep-water culture (DWC) hydroponic system for lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. crispa) production, in terms of daily light integral (DLI) and volume of nutrient solution (NS) per plant, to maximize both the biomass production and the N and P removal, allowing for the wastewater to meet the criteria established for reusing in irrigation and minimizing the eutrophication impacts. A small-scale DWC hydroponic system with a fluorescent light fixture was built to study lettuce growth indoors for 35 days after transplanting (DAT). A first experiment was conducted under 14, 20 or 23 mol m−2 d−1 DLI and with 1.5 or 2 L of NS per plant. A pronounced inner leaf tip burn was observed, regardless of the volume of NS solution used, related to the unventilated conditions under high radiation. Total biomass was similar in all treatments and N and P removal was higher than 95% and 94%, respectively, at 35 DAT. Lettuces grown in 2 L of NS per plant exhibited higher average biomass. A second experiment was performed under 8, 10 or 12 mol m−2 d−1 DLI and with 2 or 3 L of NS per plant, making it possible to achieve healthy biomass at 35 DAT with higher water and light-use efficiency when compared to the first experiment. A DLI of 10 or 12 mol m−2 d−1 with 2 L of NS per plant and a DLI of 12 mol m−2 d−1 with 3 L of NS per plant made it possible to achieve both the best total biomass production and the highest N and P removal from water. Under those conditions, hydroponic wastewater complied with N and P criteria for reuse in irrigation, showing potential to be used as an alternative resource for agriculture and to minimize negative impacts on the environment.
Assessment of GCOM-C Satellite Imagery in Bloom Detection: A Case Study in the East China Sea
Authors: Feng Chi , Zhu Yuanli , Shen Anglu , Li Changpeng , Song Qingjun , Tao Bangyi , Zeng Jiangning
Published: January 2023

The coast of the East China Sea (ECS) is one of the regions most frequently affected by harmful algal blooms in China. Remote sensing monitoring could assist in understanding the mechanism of blooms and their associated environmental changes. Based on imagery from the Second-Generation Global Imager (SGLI) conducted by Global Change Observation Mission-Climate (GCOM-C) (Japan), the accuracy of satellite measurements was initially validated using matched pairs of satellite and ground data relating to the ECS. Additionally, using SGLI data from the coast of the ECS, we compared the applicability of three bloom extraction methods: spectral shape, red tide index, and algal bloom ratio. With an RMSE of less than 25%, satellite data at 490 nm, 565 nm, and 670 nm showed good consistency with locally measured remote sensing reflectance data. However, there was unexpected overestimation at 443 nm of SGLI data. By using a linear correction method, the RMSE at 443 nm was decreased from 27% to 17%. Based on the linear corrected SGLI data, the spectral shape at 490 nm was found to provide the most satisfactory results in separating bloom and non-bloom waters among the three bloom detection methods. In addition, the capability in harmful algae distinguished using SGLI data was discussed. Both of the Bloom Index method and the green-red Spectral Slope method were found to be applicable for phytoplankton classification using SGLI data. Overall, the SGLI data provided by GCOM-C are consistent with local data and can be used to identify bloom water bodies in the ECS, thereby providing new satellite data to support monitoring of bloom changes in the ECS.
An Improved Approach to Monitoring Wheat Stripe Rust with Sun-Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence
Authors: Du Kaiqi , Jing Xia , Zeng Yelu , Ye Qixing , Li Bingyu , Huang Jianxi
Published: January 2023

Sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) has shown potential in quantifying plant responses to environmental changes by which abiotic drivers are dominated. However, SIF is a mixed signal influenced by factors such as leaf physiology, canopy structure, and sun-sensor geometry. Whether the physiological information contained in SIF can better quantify crop disease stresses dominated by biological drivers, and clearly explain the physiological variability of stressed crops, has not yet been sufficiently explored. On this basis, we took winter wheat naturally infected with stripe rust as the research object and conducted a study on the responses of physiological signals and reflectivity spectrum signals to crop disease stress dominated by biological drivers, based on in situ canopy-scale and leaf-scale data. Physiological signals include SIF, SIFyield (normalized by absorbed photosynthetically active radiation), fluorescence yield (ΦF) retrieved by NIRvP (non-physiological components of canopy SIF) and relative fluorescence yield (ΦF-r) retrieved by near-infrared radiance of vegetation (NIRvR). Reflectance spectrum signals include normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and near-infrared reflectance of vegetation (NIRv). At the canopy scale, six signals reached extremely significant correlations (P < 0.001) with disease severity levels (SL) under comprehensive experimental conditions (SL without dividing the experimental samples) and light disease conditions (SL < 20%). The strongest correlation between NDVI and SL (R = 0.69) was observed under the comprehensive experimental conditions, followed by NIRv (R = 0.56), ΦF-r (R = 0.53) and SIF (R = 0.51), and the response of ΦF (R = 0.45) and SIFyield (R = 0.34) to SL was weak. Under lightly diseased conditions, ΦF-r (R = 0.62) showed the strongest response to disease, followed by SIFyield (R = 0.60), SIF (R = 0.56) and NIRv (R = 0.54). The weakest correlation was observed between ΦF and SL (R = 0.51), which also showed a result approximating NDVI (R = 0.52). In the case of a high level of crop disease severity, NDVI showed advantages in disease monitoring. In the early stage of crop diseases, which we pay more attention to, compared with SIF and reflectivity spectrum signals, ΦF-r estimated by the newly proposed ‘NIRvR approach’ (which uses SIF together with NIRvR (i.e., SIF/ NIRvR) as a substitute for ΦF) showed superior ability to monitor crop physiological stress, and was more sensitive to plant physiological variation. At the leaf scale, the response of SIF to SL was stronger than that of NDVI. These results validate the potential of ΦF-r estimated by the NIRvR approach to monitoring disease stress dominated by biological drivers, thus providing a new research avenue for quantifying crop responses to disease stress.
Using UAV-Based Photogrammetry Coupled with In Situ Fieldwork and U-Pb Geochronology to Decipher Multi-Phase Deformation Processes: A Case Study from Sarclet, Inner Moray Firth Basin, UK
Authors: Tamas Alexandra , Holdsworth Robert E. , Tamas Dan M. , Dempsey Edward D. , Hardman Kit , Bird Anna , Underhill John R. , McCarthy Dave , McCaffrey Ken J. W. , Selby David
Published: January 2023

Constraining the age of formation and repeated movements along fault arrays in superimposed rift basins helps us to better unravel the kinematic history as well as the role of inherited structures in basin evolution. The Inner Moray Firth Basin (IMFB, western North Sea) overlies rocks of the Caledonian basement, the pre-existing Devonian–Carboniferous Orcadian Basin, and a regionally developed Permo–Triassic North Sea basin system. IMFB rifting occurred mainly in the Upper Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous. The rift basin then experienced further regional tilting, uplift and fault reactivation during the Cenozoic. The Devonian successions exposed onshore along the northwestern coast of IMFB and the southeastern onshore exposures of the Orcadian Basin at Sarclet preserve a variety of fault orientations and structures. Their timing and relationship to the structural development of the wider Orcadian and IMFB are poorly understood. In this study, drone airborne optical images are used to create high-resolution 3D digital outcrops. Analyses of these images are then coupled with detailed field observations and U-Pb geochronology of syn-faulting mineralised veins in order to constrain the orientations and absolute timing of fault populations and decipher the kinematic history of the area. In addition, the findings help to better identify deformation structures associated with earlier basin-forming events. This holistic approach helped identify and characterise multiple deformation events, including the Late Carboniferous inversion of Devonian rifting structures, Permian minor fracturing, Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous rifting and Cenozoic reactivation and local inversion. We were also able to isolate characteristic structures, fault kinematics, fault rock developments and associated mineralisation types related to these events
Measuring Understory Fire Effects from Space: Canopy Change in Response to Tropical Understory Fire and What This Means for Applications of GEDI to Tropical Forest Fire
Authors: East Alyson , Hansen Andrew , Armenteras Dolors , Jantz Patrick , Roberts David W.
Published: January 2023

The ability to measure the ecological effects of understory fire in the Amazon on a landscape scale remains a frontier in remote sensing. The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation’s (GEDI) LiDAR data have been widely suggested as a critical new tool in this field. In this paper, we use the GEDI Simulator to quantify the nuanced effects of understory fire in the Amazon, and assess the ability of on-orbit GEDI data to do the same. While numerous ecological studies have used simulated GEDI data, on-orbit constraint may limit ecological inference. This is the first study that we are aware of that directly compares methods using simulated and on-orbit GEDI data. Simulated GEDI data showed that fire effects varied nonlinearly through the canopy and then moved upward with time since burn. Given that fire effects peaked in the mid-canopy and were often on the scale of 2 to 3 m in height difference, it is unlikely that on-orbit GEDI data will have the sensitivity to detect these same changes.
Insights for Estimating and Predicting Reservoir Sedimentation Using the RUSLE-SDR Approach: A Case of Darbandikhan Lake Basin, Iraq–Iran
Authors: Othman Arsalan Ahmed , Ali Salahalddin S. , Salar Sarkawt G. , Obaid Ahmed K. , Al-Kakey Omeed , Liesenberg Veraldo
Published: January 2023

Soil loss (SL) and its related sedimentation in mountainous areas affect the lifetime and functionality of dams. Darbandikhan Lake is one example of a dam lake in the Zagros region that was filled in late 1961. Since then, the lake has received a considerable amount of sediments from the upstream area of the basin. Interestingly, a series of dams have been constructed (13 dams), leading to a change in the sedimentation rate arriving at the main reservoir. This motivated us to evaluate a different combination of equations to estimate the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), Sediment Delivery Ratio (SDR), and Reservoir Sedimentation (RSed). Sets of Digital Elevation Model (DEM) gathered by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), Harmonized World Soil Database (HWSD), AQUA eMODIS NDVI V6 data, in situ surveys by echo-sounding bathymetry, and other ancillary data were employed for this purpose. In this research, to estimate the RSed, five models of the SDR and the two most sensitive factors affecting soil-loss estimation were tested (i.e., rainfall erosivity (R) and cover management factor (C)) to propose a proper RUSLE-SDR model suitable for RSed modeling in mountainous areas. Thereafter, the proper RSed using field measurement of the bathymetric survey in Darbandikhan Lake Basin (DLB) was validated. The results show that six of the ninety scenarios tested have errors <20%. The best scenario out of the ninety is Scenario #18, which has an error of <1%, and its RSed is 0.46458 km3·yr−1. Moreover, this study advises using the Modified Fournier index (MIF) equations to estimate the R factor. Avoiding the combination of the Index of Connectivity (IC) model for calculating SDR and land cover for calculating the C factor to obtain better estimates is highly recommended.
Improved Global Gross Primary Productivity Estimation by Considering Canopy Nitrogen Concentrations and Multiple Environmental Factors
Authors: Zhang Helin , Bai Jia , Sun Rui , Wang Yan , Pan Yuhao , McGuire Patrick C. , Xiao Zhiqiang
Published: January 2023

The terrestrial gross primary productivity (GPP) plays a crucial role in regional or global ecological environment monitoring and carbon cycle research. Many previous studies have produced multiple products using different models, but there are still significant differences between these products. This study generated a global GPP dataset (NI-LUE GPP) with 0.05° spatial resolution and at 8 day-intervals from 2001 to 2018 based on an improved light use efficiency (LUE) model that simultaneously considered temperature, water, atmospheric CO2 concentrations, radiation components, and nitrogen (N) index. To simulate the global GPP, we mapped the global optimal ecosystem temperatures (Topteco) using satellite-retrieved solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) and applied it to calculate temperature stress. In addition, green chlorophyll index (CIgreen), which had a strong correlation with the measured canopy N concentrations (r = 0.82), was selected as the vegetation index to characterize the canopy N concentrations to calculate the spatiotemporal dynamic maximum light use efficiency (εmax). Multiple existing global GPP datasets were used for comparison. Verified by FLUXNET GPP, our product performed well on daily and yearly scales. NI-LUE GPP indicated that the mean global annual GPP is 129.69 ± 3.11 Pg C with an increasing trend of 0.53 Pg C/yr from 2001 to 2018. By calculating the SPAtial Efficiency (SPAEF) with other products, we found that NI-LUE GPP has good spatial consistency, which indicated that our product has a reasonable spatial pattern. This product provides a reliable and alternative dataset for large-scale carbon cycle research and monitoring long-term GPP variations.
A Study of Tropospheric and Ionospheric Propagation Conditions during Differential Interferometric SAR Measurements Applied on Zagreb 22 March 2020 Earthquake
Authors: Viher Mladen , Vuković Josip , Racetin Ivan
Published: January 2023

The differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar (DInSAR) method is based on phase variation between the complex value of pixels of timely separated scenes in interferometric SAR pairs. This phase variation has five components: surface topography, curvature of planet’s surface, terrain displacement, volume scatterers, and atmospheric propagation effects. The terrain displacement is the main product of the DInSAR method, while the last two effects are unpredictable and bring inaccuracy into the terrain displacement measurements. In this work, the propagation conditions in the troposphere and ionosphere were studied during two DInSAR measurements examining the Zagreb 22 March 2020 earthquake, with terrain raising of up to +3 cm at the epicenter. For the troposphere, the vertical profile of the modified refraction index, which incorporates local curvature change with height, was reconstructed using aerological balloon probing data. Ionospheric conditions were determined based on total electron content (TEC) calculated from the Croatian positioning system (CROPOS) and global navigation satellite system (GNSS) reference stations’ measurements. One of the DInSAR measurements was conducted in unfavorable tropospheric refractive conditions, which resulted in an overall bias of −2 cm. The variability of propagation conditions indicates the need for examining the atmospheric propagation effects when calculating terrain displacements using the DInSAR method. The results of DInSAR indicate slight displacements, comparable with the amplitude of atmospheric variations, and should therefore be approached with caution.
Caspian Sea Level Change Observed by Satellite Altimetry
Authors: Chen Jianli , Cazenave Anny , Wang Song-Yun , Li Jin
Published: January 2023

We analyze satellite altimeter observed Caspian Sea level (CSL) changes over the period January 1993 to December 2021 using the lake level series from the Hydroweb project and global sea level anomalies (SLA) grids provided by the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS). The two altimeter-based CSL series agree well at interannual and longer time scales, but show significantly large discrepancies at seasonal and shorter time scales. The large discrepancies are found to be introduced by the approximately inverted barometer (IB) correction applied to the CMEMS SLA over the Caspian Sea. The IB correction over the Caspian Sea or any enclosed lakes needs to be treated separately from the ocean by using the correct reference mean pressure. The actual IB effects over the Caspian Sea are significantly smaller than those applied in the CMEMS SLA grids. After applying an improved IB correction using the global mean sea level pressure fields from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) ERA5 reanalysis atmospheric model, the two CSL series agree remarkably well. Altimeter observed CSL series show a significant decreasing trend on top of strong seasonal variations. The estimated linear trends for the Hydroweb and CMEMS CSL series are −5.37 ± 0.11 and −5.40 ± 0.11 cm/yr, respectively. Annual amplitudes are 17.03 ± 1.33 vs. 15.79 ± 1.30 cm, with nearly the same phases. The CSL change shows notable acceleration in the decreasing trend since around 2005, and the estimated trends have increased to −8.86 ± 0.10 and −8.81 ± 0.10 cm/yr, respectively for the two-altimeter CSL series.
Screening the Efficacy of a Microbial Consortium of Bacteria and Fungi Isolated from Different Environmental Samples for the Degradation of LDPE/TPS Films
Authors: Kučić Grgić Dajana , Miloloža Martina , Ocelić Bulatović Vesna , Ukić Šime , Slouf Miroslav , Gajdosova Veronika
Published: January 2023

In this study, a screening of the efficacy of a microbial consortium of bacteria and fungi isolated from activated sludge, river sediment, and compost for the degradation of LDPE/TPS was performed. According to the morphological and biochemical characterization, eight bacteria, Bacillus sonorensis, Bacillus subtilis, Lysinibacillus massiliensis, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus indicus, Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus cereus, and Pseudomonas alcaligenes, five molds, Aspergillus sp. 1, Aspergillus sp. 2, Trichoderma sp., Rhizopus sp., Penicillium sp., and Alternaria sp., and a yeast, Candida parapsilosis, were identified. The first experiment E1 was inoculated with microorganisms isolated from activated sludge and river sediment, and E2 with microorganisms isolated from compost. In both experiments, different types of polymeric materials, low density polyethylene (E1-1 and E2-1), thermoplastic starch (E1-2 and E2-2), low density polyethylene + thermoplastic starch (E1-3 and E2-3), low density polyethylene + thermoplastic starch + styrene-ethylene-styrene (E1-4 and E2-4) were added. The obtained results, weight loss, SEM, and FTIR analysis showed that the microorganisms in both experiments were able to degrade polymeric materials. The mixed culture of microorganisms in experiments E1-2 and E2-2 completely degraded TPS (thermoplastic starch). The percent weight losses of LDPE, LDPE+20% TPS, and LDPE+20% TPS+SEBS in experiment E1 were 3.3184%, 14.1152%, and 16.0062% and in experiment E2 were 3.9625%, 20.4520% and 21.9277%, respectively. SEM microscopy shows that the samples with a LDPE matrix exhibited moderate surface degradation and negligible oxidative degradation under the given conditions. FTIR/ATR data demonstrate that degradation was more intense in E2 than in E1.
Management of Persistent Erectile Dysfunction after COVID-19 Infection: An 18-Month Follow-Up Case Report
Authors: Iuliano Stefano , Seminara Giuseppe , Zagari Maria Carmela , Di Luigi Luigi , Aversa Antonio
Published: January 2023

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging pandemic caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Since December 2019 the new virus has spread all over the world and has become a major health problem also because of the public measures that could affect people’s sexual activity. We report a case of a 35-year-old married male admitted to the andrology outpatient clinic in July 2021 because of sudden onset erectile dysfunction (ED). The diagnostic workup showed no risk factor for ED, normal levels of testosterone, increased levels of endothelial dysfunction markers, such as CRP (C-Reactive Protein) and Endothelin-1, and reduced Vitamin D (VD) levels. Dynamic penile duplex ultrasound (D-PDU) revealed dysfunctional penile arterial flow. The five-item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) and the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) showed a reduction in all domain scores. The patient, initially unresponsive to the high dose oral phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors (PDE-5is), was treated with vitamin-D and then submitted to LI-SWT (low intensity shockwave treatment), with a progressive clinical benefit at the 12-month follow-up. After 18 months, hormone levels persisted in normal ranges, with a consistent reduction in CRP and Endothelin-1. Additionally, IIEF-5, SF-36 and arterial flow significantly improved over the follow-up period. Thus far, the erectile function was restored and the patient is no more treated with PDE-5i.
From Potential “Nini” to “Drop Out”: Undocumented Young People’s Perceptions on the Transnational Continuity of Stigmatizing Scripts
Authors: Macias Eric
Published: January 2023

Based on two years of ethnographic data gathered, including 81 h of life-history interviews and 70 h of participant observation with 10 youth who migrated to the United States from Central America, this paper argues that negative labels that often stereotypically depict immigrant youth experiences are often socially imposed on immigrant youth prior to migration. More specifically, this article examines youths’ understanding and perceptions of the ways in which family members employ socially available “stigmatizing scripts.” Stigmatizing scripts, as described by study participants, are often used by family members in an attempt to protect youth. Analysis of the data suggests that the youth experienced stigmatizing scripts as a way to describe their lives “at-risk” and in need of protection, while simultaneously criminalizing many of their experiences. Furthermore, the article details youth description of the transnational continuity of stigmatizing scripts by describing family members ‘usage of scripts but in the US context. The article expands on immigrant families’ scholarship, highlighting family dynamics and their impacts on youths’ wellbeing and families’ unintentional contribution in youths’ stigmatization and criminalization.
Integrating Safety-I and Safety-II Approaches in Near Miss Management: A Critical Analysis
Authors: De Leo Federica , Elia Valerio , Gnoni Maria Grazia , Tornese Fabiana
Published: January 2023

Safety-II is a recently theorized approach, considering safety as the ability of a system to reach a positive outcome under variable conditions: analyzing “what goes right” can help to understand the dynamics of the analyzed system and improve its inherent safety level. On the contrary, a more traditional perspective, defined as Safety-I, aims at analyzing “what goes wrong”, thereby relating the safety level of a system to the number of adverse events that occurred. This study explores the potentialities of integrating these two approaches in near-miss management. Through a Safety-I approach, near-miss events are analyzed to identify the root causes generating the event chain, in order to delete them and prevent future accidents. Applying a Safety-II approach, the analysis can include elements that contributed to limiting the consequences and blocking the event chain, revealing the resilience level of the systems. This study presents a critical analysis of the two approaches and proposes a practical framework to integrate them into near-miss management systems. A test case shows the potential benefits of this integration. This work provides a tool to support the implementation of Safety-II on the operative level while suggesting a new perspective for near-miss management.
Modeling Based on the Analysis of Interval Data of Atmospheric Air Pollution Processes with Nitrogen Dioxide due to the Spread of Vehicle Exhaust Gases
Authors: Dyvak Mykola , Spivak Iryna , Melnyk Andriy , Manzhula Volodymyr , Dyvak Taras , Rot Artur , Hernes Marcin
Published: January 2023

The article deals with the issue of modeling taking into consideration nitrogen dioxide pollution of the atmospheric surface layer caused by vehicle exhaust gases. The interval data analysis methods were suggested. The method of identifying the mathematical model of the distribution of nitrogen dioxide as an atmospheric air pollutant based on the analysis of data with known measurement errors was proposed and grounded for the first time. The obtained mathematical model in the form of a difference equation is characterized by the guaranteed accuracy of forecasting nitrogen dioxide concentrations in a specified area of the city. It also adequately takes into account traffic changes which significantly reduces the costs of environmental control and monitoring. The proposed new model identification method is more effective in terms of computational time complexity compared to the known method and it is based on taking into account measurement errors which in the final case provides predictive properties of the model with guaranteed accuracy.
Coordination Analysis of the Recycling and Remanufacturing Closed-Loop Supply Chain Considering Consumers’ Low Carbon Preference and Government Subsidy
Authors: Chen Yan , Wang Zhuying , Liu Yan , Mou Zongchao
Published: January 2023

Guided by the goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, in order to coordinate the recycling and remanufacturing closed-loop supply chain (CLSC), considering the strengthened low-carbon awareness of consumers and the high cost of carbon emission reduction(CER), realizing that the demand of remanufactured product is affected by both market price and manufacturer’s CER effort and that the manufacturer is responsible for CER, this study focuses on the hybrid recycling between the manufacturer and retailer. Based on Stackelberg game theory, it constructs the profit models for various interested parties under centralized and decentralized decision-making models to study consumer low carbon preference coefficient and government CER subsidy coefficient, in order to work out the optimal pricing strategy and the level of manufacturer’s CER effort under two decision models, and designs a cost-and-benefit-sharing contract to coordinate the supply chain. The results show that: (1) total recycling amount and total profit under CLSC are negatively correlated with recycling channel competition coefficient; (2) government CER subsidy and consumers’ low carbon preference help enhance both total profit under CLSC and the zeal of manufacturers for CER; and (3) the parameters of contracts in some circumstances contribute to alleviating the competition between manufacturer and retailer cycling channels and increasing the total recycling amount under CLSC. Meanwhile, the profit for various interested parties and total profit under CLSC, and the level of a manufacturer’s CER effort, can be simultaneously improved. Consequently, the Pareto improvement and sustainable development for the CLSC can be achieved.
Effect of Financial Technology on SMEs Performance in Cameroon amid COVID-19 Recovery: The Mediating Effect of Financial Literacy
Authors: Lontchi Claude Bernard , Yang Baochen , Shuaib Kabir Musa
Published: January 2023

The paper examines the mediating effect of financial literacy on fintech and SMEs’ performance during COVID-19 recovery in Cameroon. The study collects 381 survey data from SMEs in Yaoundé and Douala, the country’s business hub, to determine how these financial technology innovations affect SMEs’ business performance. Similarly, the PLS-SEM model was used to test the proposed hypotheses. The study results show that the relationship between fintech and financial literacy was positive and significant. The findings also reveal that fintech has a positive and significant effect on SMEs performance. In addition, the results further indicate that financial literacy positively and significantly mediates the relationship between fintech services and the performance of SMEs. Therefore, the study concludes that financial literacy is an essential mechanism through which fintech services influence SMEs’ operational and financial performance in Cameroon. The study has provided a better understanding of how SMEs can improve their performance by leveraging fintech solutions through financial literacy.
Analysis of Runoff Variation and Future Trends in a Changing Environment: Case Study for Shiyanghe River Basin, Northwest China
Authors: Shao Yiqing , Dong Zengchuan , Meng Jinyu , Wu Shujun , Li Yao , Zhu Shengnan , Zhang Qiang , Zheng Ziqin
Published: January 2023

Changes in the hydrological cycle and water resources are inevitable consequences of environmental change, and runoff is an important element of the hydrological cycle. Therefore, the assessment of runoff changes is crucial for water resources management and socio-economic development. As an inland river basin in the arid zone of northwest China, the Shiyang River Basin is very vulnerable to environmental changes. Consequently, this study evaluated the past runoff evolution of the Shiyang River basin using a variety of statistical tools. In addition, the improved Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to predict runoff trends from 2019 to 2050 under potential future climate change and land use projection scenarios in the future for the Shiyang River Basin. In the inland river basins, water resources mainly come from headwaters of the rivers in the upper mountainous regions, where they are more sensitive. Therefore, this study not only examined the mainstream of the Shiyang River, but also the six tributaries in the upper stream. The results indicate that the mainstream of the Shiyang River Basin and its six upstream tributaries all showed declining trends from the 1950s to 2019, and most of the rivers will continue to insignificantly decrease until 2050. Furthermore, there are two main timescales for runoff in the past as well as future: one is around 40 years and another is 20–30 years. In the meantime, the Shiyang River and its tributaries have relatively consistent change characteristics. The results of this study will provide assistance to basin management agencies in developing more appropriate water resource management plans.
Green Fiscal Stimulus in Indonesia and Vietnam: A Reality Check of Two Emerging Economies
Authors: Abdullah Imaduddin , Warviyan Dallih , Safrina Rika , Utama Nuki Agya , Tirta Andy , Veza Ibham , Irianto Irianto
Published: January 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused economic and social upheaval across countries. The global economy suffered its biggest slump in four decades while the decades of progress in poverty reduction are now in reverse. However, the pandemic presents a window of opportunity for a greener world. In contrast to fossil fuel, renewable energy showed resilience throughout the pandemic, where the demand and investment in this sector continued to increase. The opportunity for a post-COVID-19 green recovery also comes from billions of government fiscal measures in response to COVID-19. Using the case of two emerging economies, Indonesia and Vietnam, this paper investigates whether the stimulus plans align with a country’s sustainable energy and climate targets. This study finds that despite ambitious country targets for green energy transition, these countries may miss opportunities for a green future due to limited fiscal measures directed to green recovery. The pandemic has exacerbated public fiscal budgets that may further limit the capacity to fund green projects. Amidst the uncertainty and challenges brought by the pandemic, it is critical to balance between promoting economic recovery and achieving sustainable energy and climate targets. To this end, the authors suggest several policy recommendations to achieve these targets amid uncertainty brought by the COVID-19 pandemic for emerging economies.
The Positive Effects of Growth Mindset on Students’ Intention toward Self-Regulated Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A PLS-SEM Approach
Authors: Jiang Yujun , Liu Huying , Yao Yuna , Li Qiang , Li Yingji
Published: January 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges to students’ learning processes in higher education. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a growth mindset on university students’ intention toward self-regulated learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The theoretical model was proposed based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, along with two additional dimensions: growth mindset and perceived teacher support. The developed model was validated by adopting a partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach based on the data collected from 486 students in universities that have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in China. The results show that students’ growth mindset is positively associated with their intention toward self-regulated learning directly, and indirectly through the main constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior: perceived behavioral control and behavior attitude. Additionally, the mediating and moderating roles of students’ growth mindset are manifest in the relationship between students’ perception of teacher support and their intention toward self-regulated learning. These findings offer implications for teachers, researchers, and higher education administrators in developing students’ growth mindset by considering the relevant factors explored in this research, thereby enhancing students’ self-regulated learning in challenging settings such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Framework for Using UAVs to Detect Pavement Damage Based on Optimal Path Planning and Image Splicing
Authors: Zhao Runmin , Huang Yi , Luo Haoyuan , Huang Xiaoming , Zheng Yangzezhi
Published: January 2023

In order to investigate the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for future application in road damage detection and to provide a theoretical and technical basis for UAV road damage detection, this paper determined the recommended flight and camera parameters based on the needs of continuous road image capture and pavement disease recognition. Furthermore, to realize automatic route planning and control, continuous photography control, and image stitching and smoothing tasks, a UAV control framework for road damage detection, based on the Dijkstra algorithm, the speeded-up robust features (SURF) algorithm, the random sampling consistency (RANSAC) algorithm, and the gradual in and out weight fusion method, was also proposed in this paper. With the Canny operator, it was verified that the road stitched long image obtained by the UAV control method proposed in this paper is applicable to machine learning pavement disease identification.
Metaverse as a Learning Environment: Some Considerations
Authors: Sá Maria José , Serpa Sandro
Published: January 2023

The metaverse is unavoidable in an increasingly digitalized society and will potentially have a profound influence on what is understood as teaching and learning in its formal and informal dimensions, both in initial and continuing education. This research, carried out through document analysis, aims to reflect on several challenges and opportunities that the metaverse poses to education as a source of opportunities for a more relevant and effective teaching process, which necessarily involves the development of both the implementation and monitoring of research studies in the follow-up of education in the metaverse environment.
Guarantee Mechanism in Accounts Receivable Financing with Demand Uncertainty
Authors: Zhao Shengying , Lu Xiangyuan
Published: January 2023

With respect to a two-echelon supply chain comprised of a retailer and a capital-constrained supplier, this paper investigates the effect of guarantee on accounts receivable financing with the consideration of retailer’s default risk and three guarantee scenarios: no guarantee, third-party offers partial credit guarantee (PCG), and supply chain management company (SCMC) offers repurchase guarantee. By a Stackelberg game model, the study finds that: when the third-party offer PCG, the retailer that bears the guarantee fee is more beneficial than when the supplier bears the guarantee fee. The supplier’s profit still increases with the PCG coefficient even when the supplier bears the guarantee fee. In addition, when SCMC offers a repurchase guarantee, the optimal interest with which the bank provides financing to SCMC is unaffected by the retailer’s default and can reduce the optimal interest with which SCMC provides financing to the supplier. From the perspective of the capital-constrained supplier, the study finds that the optimal guarantee mechanism in accounts receivable financing could switch from SCMC offers repurchase guarantee to retailer offers PCG or third-party offers PCG where the retailer bears the guarantee fee with the increase in the PCG coefficient. Finally, some numerical experiments are conducted to verify the results of this research. The findings in this paper can offer financing insights into the guarantee mechanism in accounts receivable financing.
Risks in Major Cryptocurrency Markets: Modeling the Dual Long Memory Property and Structural Breaks
Authors: Jiang Zhuhua , Mensi Walid , Yoon Seong-Min
Published: January 2023

This study estimates the effects of the dual long memory property and structural breaks on the persistence level of six major cryptocurrency markets. We apply the Bai and Perron structural break test, Inclán and Tiao’s iterated cumulative sum of squares (ICSS) algorithm, and the fractionally integrated generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (FIGARCH) model, with different distributions. The results show that long memory and structural breaks characterize the conditional volatility of cryptocurrency markets, confirming our hypothesis that ignoring structural breaks leads to an underestimation of the persistence of volatility modeling. The ARFIMA-FIGARCH model, with structural breaks and a skewed Student-t distribution, fits the cryptocurrency market’s price dynamics well.
Impact of Digital Financial Inclusion on Residents’ Income and Income Structure
Authors: Li Qianqian , Liu Qilin
Published: January 2023

Digital financial inclusion (DFI) plays an increasingly important role in raising residents’ income levels and optimizing income structures. Using data from the 2015–2019 China Household Finance Survey (CHFS), this paper examines the impact of DFI on residents’ income and income structure from a microeconomic perspective using OLS fixed effects models and panel Tobit models. It was found that (1) DFI significantly raises residents’ income, increasing their total annual per capita household income by CNY4200, and increasing their annual per capita household wage income, business income and property income by CNY2430, CNY1030, and CNY450, respectively. In terms of different functions of DFI, the use of digital payment, digital lending and digital financing can raise the annual per capita household income of residents by CNY4250, CNY10,360 and CNY3050, respectively. (2) DFI increases wage income by enhancing residents’ household employment level, increases business income by promoting residents’ entrepreneurship, and increases property income by improving the financial market participation. (3) DFI has a more significant effect on increasing income for higher income groups as well as rural residents. The findings of this paper provide theoretical and practical support for optimizing the design of financial inclusion policies and exploring new drivers of income growth for residents.
China’s Embodied Copper Flow from the Demand-Side and Production-Side Perspectives
Authors: Ma Shaoqiang , Fang Min , Zhou Xin
Published: January 2023

Copper is a critical mineral resource and plays a crucial role in social and economic development. In China, the world’s largest copper consumer, copper footprints and embodied copper transfers among sectors have not been studied sufficiently. Combing an environmentally extended input-output model and complex network method, this paper systematically analyzes China’s copper consumption embodied in the final demand and the production process. The research shows that (1) from the perspective of the final demand, the Construction sector is the largest driver of copper consumption, contributing 3.27 Mt in 2020, followed by the Manufacture of General Purpose Machinery sector (1.31 Mt). (2) Structural path analysis (SPA) shows that mainly the Construction sector drives copper consumption from the Production and Distribution of Electric Power and Heat Power sector, followed by the Manufacture of Non-metallic Mineral Products sector, and so on. Conversely, the Production and Distribution of Electric Power and Heat Power sector is the main initial sector in the supply chain, driven by the Construction sector, the Manufacture of Non-metallic Mineral Products sector, the Smelting and Processing of Metals sector, and so on. (3) From the perspective of production, the Transport, Storage, and Postal Services sector is an important transfer station transforming resources from the upstream sectors to the downstream sectors along with the transfers of embodied copper. The Production and Distribution of Electric Power and Heat Power sector is an important supplier for the downstream sectors. The Construction sector is an important consumer for the upstream sectors. The sectors including the Smelting and Processing of Metals sector, the Manufacture of Chemical Products sector and the Manufacture of Non-metallic Mineral Products sector function well as transformers, suppliers and consumers in the process of embodied copper transfers. (4) From the perspective of production, the embodied copper flow system can be divided into four groups that are closely linked. E & C community is the core member of the whole embodied copper flow network. C and S community is the main consumer of embodied copper resources in the network, exporting a great deal of embodied resources from other communities. Finally, some policy proposals on the rational utilization of copper resources are put forward.