bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Calibration and Validation of a Cone Crusher Model with Industrial Data
Authors: Duarte Robson A. , Yamashita André S. , da Silva Moisés T. , Cota Luciano P. , Euzébio Thiago A. M.
Published: November 2021

This paper reports the calibration and validation of a cone crusher model using industrial data. Usually, there are three calibration parameters in the condensed breakage function; by contrast, in this work, every entry of the lower triangular breakage function matrix is considered a calibration parameter. The calibration problem is cast as an optimization problem based on the least squares method. The results show that the calibrated model is able to fit the validation datasets closely, as seen from the low values of the objective function. Another significant advantage of the proposed approach is that the model can be calibrated on data that are usually available from industrial operation; no additional laboratory tests are required. Calibration and validation tests on datasets collected from two different mines show that the calibrated model is a strong candidate for use in various dynamic simulation applications, such as control system design, equipment sizing, operator training, and optimization of crushing circuits.
Applications of Pristine and Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes, Graphene, and Graphene Nanoribbons in Biomedicine
Authors: Burdanova Maria G. , Kharlamova Marianna V. , Kramberger Christian , Nikitin Maxim P.
Published: November 2021

This review is dedicated to a comprehensive description of the latest achievements in the chemical functionalization routes and applications of carbon nanomaterials (CNMs), such as carbon nanotubes, graphene, and graphene nanoribbons. The review starts from the description of noncovalent and covalent exohedral modification approaches, as well as an endohedral functionalization method. After that, the methods to improve the functionalities of CNMs are highlighted. These methods include the functionalization for improving the hydrophilicity, biocompatibility, blood circulation time and tumor accumulation, and the cellular uptake and selectivity. The main part of this review includes the description of the applications of functionalized CNMs in bioimaging, drug delivery, and biosensors. Then, the toxicity studies of CNMs are highlighted. Finally, the further directions of the development of the field are presented.
Recent Progress in Technetium-99m-Labeled Nanoparticles for Molecular Imaging and Cancer Therapy
Authors: Mushtaq Sajid , Bibi Asia , Park Jung Eun , Jeon Jongho
Published: November 2021

Nanotechnology has played a tremendous role in molecular imaging and cancer therapy. Over the last decade, scientists have worked exceptionally to translate nanomedicine into clinical practice. However, although several nanoparticle-based drugs are now clinically available, there is still a vast difference between preclinical products and clinically approved drugs. An efficient translation of preclinical results to clinical settings requires several critical studies, including a detailed, highly sensitive, pharmacokinetics and biodistribution study, and selective and efficient drug delivery to the target organ or tissue. In this context, technetium-99m (99mTc)-based radiolabeling of nanoparticles allows easy, economical, non-invasive, and whole-body in vivo tracking by the sensitive clinical imaging technique single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Hence, a critical analysis of the radiolabeling strategies of potential drug delivery and therapeutic systems used to monitor results and therapeutic outcomes at the preclinical and clinical levels remains indispensable to provide maximum benefit to the patient. This review discusses up-to-date 99mTc radiolabeling strategies of a variety of important inorganic and organic nanoparticles and their application to preclinical imaging studies.
Late Na+ Current Is [Ca2+]i-Dependent in Canine Ventricular Myocytes
Authors: Kiss Dénes , Horváth Balázs , Hézső Tamás , Dienes Csaba , Kovács Zsigmond , Topal Leila , Szentandrássy Norbert , Almássy János , Prorok János , Virág László , Bányász Tamás , Varró András , Nánási Péter P. , Magyar János
Published: November 2021

Enhancement of the late sodium current (INaL) increases arrhythmia propensity in the heart, whereas suppression of the current is antiarrhythmic. In the present study, we investigated INaL in canine ventricular cardiomyocytes under action potential voltage-clamp conditions using the selective Na+ channel inhibitors GS967 and tetrodotoxin. Both 1 µM GS967 and 10 µM tetrodotoxin dissected largely similar inward currents. The amplitude and integral of the GS967-sensitive current was significantly smaller after the reduction of intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) either by superfusion of the cells with 1 µM nisoldipine or by intracellular application of 10 mM BAPTA. Inhibiting calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) by KN-93 or the autocamtide-2-related inhibitor peptide similarly reduced the amplitude and integral of INaL. Action potential duration was shortened in a reverse rate-dependent manner and the plateau potential was depressed by GS967. This GS967-induced depression of plateau was reduced by pretreatment of the cells with BAPTA-AM. We conclude that (1) INaL depends on the magnitude of [Ca2+]i in canine ventricular cells, (2) this [Ca2+]i-dependence of INaL is mediated by the Ca2+-dependent activation of CaMKII, and (3) INaL is augmented by the baseline CaMKII activity.
An Update on the Anticancer Activity of Xanthone Derivatives: A Review
Authors: Kurniawan Yehezkiel Steven , Priyangga Krisfian Tata Aneka , Jumina  , Pranowo Harno Dwi , Sholikhah Eti Nurwening , Zulkarnain Abdul Karim , Fatimi Hana Anisa , Julianus Jeffry
Published: November 2021

The annual number of cancer deaths continues increasing every day; thus, it is urgent to search for and find active, selective, and efficient anticancer drugs as soon as possible. Among the available anticancer drugs, almost all of them contain heterocyclic moiety in their chemical structure. Xanthone is a heterocyclic compound with a dibenzo-γ-pyrone framework and well-known to have “privileged structures” for anticancer activities against several cancer cell lines. The wide anticancer activity of xanthones is produced by caspase activation, RNA binding, DNA cross-linking, as well as P-gp, kinase, aromatase, and topoisomerase inhibition. This anticancer activity depends on the type, number, and position of the attached functional groups in the xanthone skeleton. This review discusses the recent advances in the anticancer activity of xanthone derivatives, both from natural products isolation and synthesis methods, as the anticancer agent through in vitro, in vivo, and clinical assays.
Pharmacology and Phytochemistry of Ecuadorian Medicinal Plants: An Update and Perspectives
Authors: Armijos Chabaco , Ramírez Jorge , Salinas Melissa , Vidari Giovanni , Suárez Alírica
Published: November 2021

The use of plants as therapeutic agents is part of the traditional medicine that is practiced by many indigenous communities in Ecuador. The aim of this study was to update a review published in 2016 by including the studies that were carried out in the period 2016–July 2021 on about 120 Ecuadorian medicinal plants. Relevant data on raw extracts and isolated secondary metabolites were retrieved from different databases, resulting in 104 references. They included phytochemical and pharmacological studies on several non-volatile compounds, as well as the chemical composition of essential oils (EOs). The tested biological activities are also reported. The potential of Ecuadorian plants as sources of products for practical applications in different fields, as well the perspectives of future investigations, are discussed in the last part of the review.
Replacement of Chalcone-Ethers with Chalcone-Thioethers as Potent and Highly Selective Monoamine Oxidase-B Inhibitors and Their Protein-Ligand Interactions
Authors: Mathew Bijo , Oh Jong Min , Khames Ahmed , Abdelgawad Mohamed A. , Rangarajan T. M. , Nath Lekshmi R. , Agoni Clement , Soliman Mahmoud E. S. , Mathew Githa Elizabeth , Kim Hoon
Published: November 2021

To develop new potent and highly selective MAO-B inhibitors from chalcone-thioethers, eleven chalcones-thioethers were synthesized and their monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibition, kinetics, reversibility, and cytotoxicity of lead compounds were analyzed. Molecular dynamics were carried out to investigate the interactions. Compound TM8 showed potent inhibitory activity against MAO-B, with an IC50 value of 0.010 µM, followed by TM1, TM2, TM7, and TM10 (IC50 = 0.017, 0.021, 0.023, and 0.026 µM, respectively). Interestingly, TM8 had an extremely high selectivity index (SI; 4860) for MAO-B. Reversibility and kinetic experiments showed that TM8 and TM1 were reversible and competitive inhibitors of MAO-B with Ki values of 0.0031 ± 0.0013 and 0.011± 0.001 µM, respectively. Both TM1 and TM8 were non-toxic to Vero cells with IC50 values of 241.8 and 116.3 µg/mL (i.e., 947.7 and 402.4 µM), respectively, and at these IC50 values, both significantly reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. TM1 and TM8 showed high blood-brain barrier permeabilities in the parallel artificial membrane permeability assay. Molecular dynamics studies were conducted to investigate interactions between TM1 and TM8 and the active site of MAO-B. Conclusively, TM8 and TM1 are potent and highly selective MAO-B inhibitors with little toxicity and good ROS scavenging abilities and it is suggested that both are attractive prospective candidates for the treatment of neurological disorders.
Ocular Application of Oleuropein in Dry Eye Treatment: Formulation Studies and Biological Evaluation
Authors: Burgalassi Susi , Zucchetti Erica , Birindelli Elena , Tampucci Silvia , Chetoni Patrizia , Monti Daniela
Published: November 2021

Background. Oleuropein is already known for its numerous pharmacological properties, but its activity in the ocular field has not yet been investigated. The study aims to verify a possible use of oleuropein (OLE)-based eye drops both in terms of efficacy in dry eye syndrome and stability in aqueous solution. Methods. OLE was co-precipitated with HP-β-cyclodextrin, and the obtained complex was encapsulated into liposomes prepared by hydration of a lipid film composed of Lipoid S100 and cholesterol with different pH buffer solutions. The hydrated vesicles were shrunk by ultrasonication or extrusion. The preparations were characterized from the physicochemical point of view by subjecting them to differential scanning calorimetry, ATR-FTIR, dynamic light scattering analysis, and microscopy. Subsequently, OLE protective activity against hyperosmotic and oxidative stress on rabbit corneal epithelial cells (RCE) was evaluated. Results. The liposomal vesicles obtained after extrusion showed a tendency towards greater encapsulation efficiency (up to 80.77%) compared to that obtained by sonication, and the liposomes hydrated in pH 5.5 solution tended to incapsulate more than the neutral ones. Ultrasonication produced two-dimensional populations of liposomes, the largest of which reached 2149 nm. On the contrary, the extruded liposomes showed homogeneous diameters of about 250 nm. Complexation with cyclodextrin and subsequent encapsulation in liposomes greatly increased the OLE stability in aqueous solution, especially at 4 °C and for the extruded formulations. OLE aqueous solution (OLE7.4-sol, reference) and neutral extruded liposomes (F7.4-e) were well tolerated on RCE cells. Moreover, OLE was able to control the effects of hyperosmolarity on ocular surface cells and to prevent oxidative stress-induced loss of cell viability.
Chronopharmacology in Therapeutic Drug Monitoring—Dependencies between the Rhythmics of Pharmacokinetic Processes and Drug Concentration in Blood
Authors: Dobrek Lukasz
Published: November 2021

The objective of the optimization of pharmacotherapy compliant with the basic rules of clinical pharmacology is its maximum individualization, ensuring paramount effectiveness and security of the patient’s therapy. Thus, multiple factors that are decisive in terms of uniqueness of treatment of the given patient must be taken into consideration, including, but not limited to, the patient’s age, sex, concomitant diseases, special physiological conditions (e.g., pregnancy, lactation, extreme age groups), polypharmacotherapy and polypragmasia (particularly related to increased risk of drug interactions), and patient’s phenotypic response to the administered drug with possible genotyping. Conducting therapy while monitoring the concentration of certain drugs in blood (Therapeutic Drug Monitoring; TDM procedure) is also one of the factors enabling treatment individualization. Furthermore, another material, and yet still a marginalized pharmacotherapeutic factor, is chronopharmacology, which indirectly determines the values of drug concentrations evaluated in the TDM procedure. This paper is a brief overview of chronopharmacology, especially chronopharmacokinetics, and its connection with the clinical interpretation of the meaning of the drug concentrations determined in the TDM procedure.
Ultrafast High-Voltage Kicker System for Ion-Clearing Gaps
Authors: Smirnov Alexander Yu. , Agustsson Ronald , Benson Stephen V. , Gavryushkin Dmitry , Guo Jiquan , Kutsaev Sergey V. , Moro Adam , Park Gunn Tae , Smirnov Alexei V. , Wang Haipeng , Zhang Shukui
Published: November 2021

Ionization scattering of electron beams with residual gas molecules causes ion trapping in electron rings, both in a collider and electron cooling system. These trapped ions may cause emittance growth, tune shift, halo formation, and coherent coupled bunch instabilities. In order to clear the ions and prevent them from accumulating turn after turn, the gaps in a temporal structure of the beam are typically used. Typically, the gap in the bunch train has a length of a few percent of the ring circumference. In those regions, the extraction electrodes with high pulsed voltages are introduced. In this paper, we present the design consideration and initial test results of the high-voltage pulsed kicker hardware that includes vacuum device and pulsed voltage driver, capable of achieving over 3 kV of deflecting voltage amplitude, rise and fall times of less than 10 ns, 100 ns flat-top duration at 1.4 MHz repetition rate.
Theoretical and Empirical Analysis of the Influence of Technology Gap on Carbon Emission: The Case of China
Authors: Ye Qin , Wen Weiwei , Zhang Chenglei
Published: November 2021

Numerous studies have examined the relationship between technological development and pollution. From a global economic perspective, the narrowing of one country’s technological gap relative to the world technology frontier (due to the technological progress) may affect its environmental pollution. However, few studies have focused on this issue. This study examined the relationship between technology gap and air pollution both theoretically and empirically. The theoretical model shows that narrowing the technology gap may help reduce pollution. Using patent data from USPTO, as well as industrial level pollution and socio-economic data in China, this paper found that the narrowing of technology gap plays a role in reducing air pollution emissions in China, which confirms the theoretical model. This study provides a new perspective on the relationship between technology progress and pollution.
Influence of the Preliminary Storage on Methane Yield of Anaerobic Digestion of the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste
Authors: Pangallo Domenica , Pedullà Altea , Zema Demetrio Antonio , Calabrò Paolo S.
Published: November 2021

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a suitable management option for the energy valorization of many wastes, including the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW). However, in some cases, long storage after the separate collection of this waste is required for management reasons, especially when the amount of waste to be treated temporarily exceeds the capacity of available AD plants. This study evaluates the biochemical methane potential (BMP) of the OFMSW after preliminary storage of 2, 6, and 10 days, in order to assess whether they are still suitable for AD or not. Moreover, the accuracy of three kinetic models (first order, Gompertz, and logistic models) in estimating the methane yield of stored OFMSW is tested. The resulting methane yield was between about 500 and 650 NmL·gVS−1 and slightly increased with the increase of the storage time after collection. Overall, this study has demonstrated that storage of OFMSW, when the collected amount of solid waste exceeds the treatment capacity of AD plants, a storage time up to 10 days does not impact the methane yield of the process.
Synthesis of New 1-Aryl-2-(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)ethanone Oxime Ether Derivatives and Investigation of Their Cytotoxic Effects
Authors: Alagöz Mehmet Abdullah , Karakurt Arzu , Hepokur Ceylan , Şalva Emine , Önkol Tijen , Ghoneim Mohammed M. , Abdelgawad Mohamed A. , Khames Ahmed , Kim Hoon , Mathew Bijo
Published: November 2021

In this study, 12 new 1-aryl-2-(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)ethanone oxime ether derivatives were designed and synthesized to investigate their cytotoxic effects. The in vitro cytotoxic activities of the compounds were evaluated against cervix, colon, breast, glioma, neuroblastoma, and lung cancer cell lines, as well as a healthy cell line using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazo-lium bromide (MTT) assays with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) as the reference compound. Compound 5f (IC50 = 5.13 µM) was found to be more effective than 5-FU (IC50 = 8.34 µM) in the C6 cancer cell line, and it had no cytotoxic effect on the L929 healthy cell line. Flow cytometry was used to investigate the mechanism of action of compound 5f on the cell cycle of the C6 cell line. The analysis showed that cell death was significantly due to apoptosis. These results indicate that compound 5f induces cell cycle arrest, and may be effective in treating glioma.
Evaluation of Conditioning Factors of Slope Instability and Continuous Change Maps in the Generation of Landslide Inventory Maps Using Machine Learning (ML) Algorithms
Authors: Ramos-Bernal Rocío N. , Vázquez-Jiménez René , Cantú-Ramírez Claudia A. , Alarcón-Paredes Antonio , Alonso-Silverio Gustavo A. , G. Bruzón Adrián , Arrogante-Funes Fátima , Martín-González Fidel , Novillo Carlos J. , Arrogante-Funes Patricia
Published: November 2021

Landslides are recognized as high-impact natural hazards in different regions around the world; therefore, they are extensively researched by experts. Landslide inventories are essential to identify areas that are likely to be affected in the future, thereby enabling interventions to prevent loss of life. Today, through combined approaches, such as remote sensing and machine learning techniques, it is possible to apply algorithms that use data derived from satellite images to produce landslide inventories. This work presents the performance of five machine learning methods—k-nearest neighbor (KNN), stochastic gradient descendent (SGD), support vector machine radial basis function (SVM RBF Kernel), support vector machine (SVM linear kernel), and AdaBoost—in landslide detection in a zone of the state of Guerrero in southern Mexico, using continuous change maps and primary landslide factors, such as slope angle, terrain orientation (aspect), and lithology, as inputs. The models were trained with 2/3 of ground truth samples of 671 slidden/non-slidden polygons. The obtained inventory maps were evaluated with the remaining 1/3 of ground truth samples by generating a confusion matrix and applying the Kappa concordance coefficient, accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score as evaluation metrics, as well as omission and commission errors. According to the results, the AdaBoost classifier reached greater spatial and statistical coherence than the other implemented methods. The best input layer combination for detection was the continuous change maps obtained by the linear regression and image differencing detection methods, together with the slope angle, aspect, and lithology conditioning factors.
Estimating Forest Stand Height in Savannakhet, Lao PDR Using InSAR and Backscatter Methods with L-Band SAR Data
Authors: Parache Helen Blue , Mayer Timothy , Herndon Kelsey E. , Flores-Anderson Africa Ixmucane , Lei Yang , Nguyen Quyen , Kunlamai Thannarot , Griffin Robert
Published: November 2021

Forest stand height (FSH), or average canopy height, serves as an important indicator for forest monitoring. The information provided about above-ground biomass for greenhouse gas emissions reporting and estimating carbon storage is relevant for reporting for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+). A novel forest height estimation method utilizing a fusion of backscatter and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) data from JAXA’s Advanced Land Observing Satellite Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (ALOS PALSAR) is applied to a use case in Savannakhet, Lao. Compared with LiDAR, the estimated height from the fusion method had an RMSE of 4.90 m and an R2 of 0.26. These results are comparable to previous studies using SAR estimation techniques. Despite limitations of data quality and quantity, the Savannakhet, Lao use case demonstrates the applicability of these techniques utilizing L-band SAR data for estimating FSH in tropical forests and can be used as a springboard for use of L-band data from the future NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) mission.
Analysis of GNSS Displacements in Europe and Their Comparison with Hydrological Loading Models
Authors: Michel Alexandre , Santamaría-Gómez Alvaro , Boy Jean-Paul , Perosanz Félix , Loyer Sylvain
Published: November 2021

Thanks to the increasing number of permanent GNSS stations in Europe and their long records, we computed position solutions for more than 1000 stations over the last two decades using the REPRO3 orbit and clock products from the IGS CNES-CLS (GRGS) Analysis Center. The velocities, which are mainly due to tectonics and glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA), and the annual solar cycle have been estimated using weighted least squares. The interannual variations have been accounted for in the stochastic model or in the deterministic model. We demonstrated that the velocity and annual cycle, in addition to their uncertainties, depend on the estimation method we used and that the estimation of GPS draconitic oscillations minimises biases in the estimation of annual solar cycle displacements. The annual solar cycle extracted from GPS has been compared with that from loading estimates of several hydrological models. If the annual amplitudes between GPS and hydrological models match, the phases of the loading models were typically in advance of about 1 month compared to GPS. Predictions of displacements modelled from GRACE observations did not show this phase shift. We also found important discrepancies at the interannual frequency band between GNSS, loading estimates derived from GRACE, and hydrological models using principal component analysis (PCA) decomposition. These discrepancies revealed that GNSS position variations in the interannual band cannot be systematically interpreted as a geophysical signal and should instead be interpreted in terms of autocorrelated noise.
Seamless Vehicle Positioning by Lidar-GNSS Integration: Standalone and Multi-Epoch Scenarios
Authors: Zhang Junjie , Khoshelham Kourosh , Khodabandeh Amir
Published: November 2021

Accurate and seamless vehicle positioning is fundamental for autonomous driving tasks in urban environments, requiring the provision of high-end measuring devices. Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) sensors, together with Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) receivers, are therefore commonly found onboard modern vehicles. In this paper, we propose an integration of lidar and GNSS code measurements at the observation level via a mixed measurement model. An Extended Kalman-Filter (EKF) is implemented to capture the dynamic of the vehicle movement, and thus, to incorporate the vehicle velocity parameters into the measurement model. The lidar positioning component is realized using point cloud registration through a deep neural network, which is aided by a high definition (HD) map comprising accurately georeferenced scans of the road environments. Experiments conducted in a densely built-up environment show that, by exploiting the abundant measurements of GNSS and high accuracy of lidar, the proposed vehicle positioning approach can maintain centimeter-to meter-level accuracy for the entirety of the driving duration in urban canyons.
Local Climate Zones and Thermal Characteristics in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Alghamdi Ali S. , Alzhrani Ahmed Ibrahim , Alanazi Humud Hadi
Published: November 2021

Using the local climate zone (LCZ) framework and multiple Earth observation input features, an LCZ classification was developed and established for Riyadh City in 2017. Four land-cover-type and four urban-type LCZs were identified in the city with an overall accuracy of 87%. The bare soil/sand (LCZ-F) class was found to be the largest LCZ class, which was within the nature of arid climate cities. Other land-cover LCZs had a lower coverage percentage (each class with <7%). The compact low-rise (LCZ-3) class was the largest urban type, as urban development in arid climate cities tends to extend horizontally. The daytime surface thermal characteristics of the developed LCZs were analyzed at seasonal timescales using land surface temperature (LST) estimated from multiple Landsat 8 satellite images (June 2017–May 2018). The highest daytime mean LST was found over large low-rise (LCZ-8) class areas throughout the year. This class was the only urban-type LCZ class that demonstrated a positive LST departure from the overall mean LST across seasons. Other urban-type LCZ classes showed lower LSTs and negative deviations from the overall mean LSTs. The overall thermal results suggested the presence of the surface urban heat island sink phenomenon as urban areas experienced lower LSTs than their surroundings. Thermal results demonstrated that the magnitudes of LST differences among LCZs were considerably dependent on the way the region of interest/analysis was defined. This was related to the types of LCZ classes presented in the study area and the spatial distribution and abundance of these LCZ classes. The developed LCZ classification and thermal results have several potential applications in different areas including planning and urban design strategies and urban health-related studies.
Developing a Method to Extract Building 3D Information from GF-7 Data
Authors: Wang Jingyuan , Hu Xinli , Meng Qingyan , Zhang Linlin , Wang Chengyi , Liu Xiangchen , Zhao Maofan
Published: November 2021

The three-dimensional (3D) information of buildings can describe the horizontal and vertical development of a city. The GaoFen-7 (GF-7) stereo-mapping satellite can provide multi-view and multi-spectral satellite images, which can clearly describe the fine spatial details within urban areas, while the feasibility of extracting building 3D information from GF-7 image remains understudied. This article establishes an automated method for extracting building footprints and height information from GF-7 satellite imagery. First, we propose a multi-stage attention U-Net (MSAU-Net) architecture for building footprint extraction from multi-spectral images. Then, we generate the point cloud from the multi-view image and construct normalized digital surface model (nDSM) to represent the height of off-terrain objects. Finally, the building height is extracted from the nDSM and combined with the results of building footprints to obtain building 3D information. We select Beijing as the study area to test the proposed method, and in order to verify the building extraction ability of MSAU-Net, we choose GF-7 self-annotated building dataset and a public dataset (WuHan University (WHU) Building Dataset) for model testing, while the accuracy is evaluated in detail through comparison with other models. The results are summarized as follows: (1) In terms of building footprint extraction, our method can achieve intersection-over-union indicators of 89.31% and 80.27% for the WHU Dataset and GF-7 self-annotated datasets, respectively; these values are higher than the results of other models. (2) The root mean square between the extracted building height and the reference building height is 5.41 m, and the mean absolute error is 3.39 m. In summary, our method could be useful for accurate and automatic 3D building information extraction from GF-7 satellite images, and have good application potential.
CDUNet: Cloud Detection UNet for Remote Sensing Imagery
Authors: Hu Kai , Zhang Dongsheng , Xia Min
Published: November 2021

Cloud detection is a key step in the preprocessing of optical satellite remote sensing images. In the existing literature, cloud detection methods are roughly divided into threshold methods and deep-learning methods. Most of the traditional threshold methods are based on the spectral characteristics of clouds, so it is easy to lose the spatial location information in the high-reflection area, resulting in misclassification. Besides, due to the lack of generalization, the traditional deep-learning network also easily loses the details and spatial information if it is directly applied to cloud detection. In order to solve these problems, we propose a deep-learning model, Cloud Detection UNet (CDUNet), for cloud detection. The characteristics of the network are that it can refine the division boundary of the cloud layer and capture its spatial position information. In the proposed model, we introduced a High-frequency Feature Extractor (HFE) and a Multiscale Convolution (MSC) to refine the cloud boundary and predict fragmented clouds. Moreover, in order to improve the accuracy of thin cloud detection, the Spatial Prior Self-Attention (SPSA) mechanism was introduced to establish the cloud spatial position information. Additionally, a dual-attention mechanism is proposed to reduce the proportion of redundant information in the model and improve the overall performance of the model. The experimental results showed that our model can cope with complex cloud cover scenes and has excellent performance on cloud datasets and SPARCS datasets. Its segmentation accuracy is better than the existing methods, which is of great significance for cloud-detection-related work.
An End-to-End Identification Algorithm for Smearing Star Image
Authors: Han Jinliang , Yang Xiubin , Xu Tingting , Fu Zongqiang , Chang Lin , Yang Chunlei , Jin Guang
Published: November 2021

In the previous study, there were a few direct star identification (star-ID) algorithms for smearing star image. An end-to-end star-ID algorithm is proposed in this article, to directly identify the smearing image from star sensors with fast attitude maneuvering. Combined with convolutional neural networks and the self-attention mechanism of transformer encoder, the algorithm can effectively classify the smearing image and identify the star. Through feature extraction and position encoding, neural networks learn the position of stars to generate semantic information and realize the end-to-end identification for the smearing star image. The algorithm can also solve the problem of low identification rate due to smearing of long exposure time for images. A dataset of dynamic stars is analyzed and constructed based on multiple angular velocities. Experiment results show that, compared with representative algorithms, the identification rate of the proposed algorithm is improved at high angular velocities. When the three-axis angular velocity is 10°/s, the rate is still 60.4%. At the same time, the proposed algorithm has good robustness to position noise and magnitude noise.
Exploring the Psychosocial Antecedents of Sustainable Behaviors through the Lens of the Positive Youth Development Approach: A Pioneer Study
Authors: Giancola Marco , Pino Maria Chiara , D’Amico Simonetta
Published: November 2021

The current study explored, in a sample of 219 young Italian adults (105 M; 114 F; mean age = 22.10 years; SD = 2.69; age range = 18–29), the contribution of the five psychosocial skills (Five Cs) identified by the Positive Youth Development approach (competence, confidence, character, connection, and caring) to sustainable behaviors, including pro-ecological, frugal, altruistic. and equitable actions. We performed four regression analyses, in which the Five Cs were the independent variables and pro-ecological, frugal, altruistic, and equitable behaviors were the dependent ones. Results reveal that character predicted pro-ecological and frugal behaviors, whereas competence was a significant antecedent of altruism. In addition, we found that caring predicted pro-ecological and altruistic actions while connection was a positive predictor of equity. These findings suggest that psychosocial resources could be crucial for sustainability, opening new possibilities for research and intervention in order to promote sustainable practices that could guarantee the well-being of the present and forthcoming generations. Limits and future research directions are also discussed.
Risk Perception, Risk Communication, and Mitigation Actions of Flash Floods: Results from a Survey in Three Types of Communities
Authors: Zhong Ming , Xiao Lu , Zhang Qian , Jiang Tao
Published: November 2021

In order to improve the decision-making of risk management and enhance community resilience to flash floods, the perception of risks, communication of warnings, and mitigation actions concerning flash floods were investigated in this study. The survey involves 280 participants from three types of communities in flash flood-prone areas. Results show that: (i) About 55.4% of community participants misperceived or underestimated the risk of flash floods, especially in the suburban communities, and people had misconceptions about the safety of crossing fast-flowing water, even though most of them had experienced flash flood hazards. (ii) In total, 67.9% of participants indicated that they had at some point received a flash flood warning. The perception of accuracy was related to trust in flash flood warnings, but they were different constructs for some individuals. Moreover, residents in the rural community and suburban community reported a closer social communication with neighbors, which would greatly influence inhabitants’ attitudes and behaviors towards the flash flood warnings and mitigation actions. (iii) Most of the participants indicated they would take some protective action when they received a warning. Risk perceptions and risk communications influence the mitigation actions in the community. Significant variables in the rural community and non-rural community were explored, and some important suggestions are highlighted. These findings suggest that risk perception and risk communication in neighborhoods help people to decide what action to take in the given scenarios, contribute to enhancing the community resilience, and contribute to coping with future flash floods in a more specific and effective way.
Health Risk Assessment, Pore Water Chemistry, and Assessment of Trace Metals Transfer from Two Untreated Sewage Sludge Types to Tomato Crop (Lycopersicon esculentum) at Different Application Levels
Authors: Murtaza Ghulam , Riaz Umair , Aziz Humera , Shaheen Nabila , Sohail Muhammad Irfan , Saleem Muhammad Hamzah , Abualreesh Muyassar H. , Alatawi Aishah , Ali Shafaqat
Published: November 2021

The application of untreated sewage sludge to cropland in water-deficient areas is common practice. A study was conducted to investigate the transfer of trace elements from sewage sludge to tomato crop and the potential health risk to humans. Two types of sewage sludge, ISS (I-9 Sector wastewater treatment plant, Islamabad) and WSS (Water and Sanitation Authority wastewater treatment plant, Faisalabad), were applied at 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5% w/w and compared with control (without any amendment). The test crop was tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum). Results revealed that the ECe of soil was increased by these treatments with respect to all application levels. The levels of Pb (lead) and Zn (Zinc) solubility in soil were increased about 46- and 28-fold by the application of ISS at 1.5% and 16- and 22-fold by the application of WSS at 1.5%, respectively. The highest shoot biomass was recorded with 0.5% level of WSS, while higher rates (1.0% and 1.5%) of both ISS and WSS showed significant (p < 0.001) decline in shoot biomass production, and the lowest SFW was recorded with the addition of ISS at 1.5% application rate (a significant reduction of 44%) compared to control. The pore water analysis and correlation depicted that dissolved organic carbon (DOC) controlled the release of Zn and Pb. The PLI (value < 1) indicated that the overall pollution of trace metals in the investigated samples was absent, but the Igeo and CF showed the contamination potential for Cd, Cu, and Ni was moderate to strong. DIM and HRI analysis suggested that the tomato was safe for human consumption. The HRI values for all trace metals were below the permissible limit (HRI = 1) described by USEPA-IRIS. It was concluded that a lower rate of both sewage sludge types produces more biomass and less accumulation of trace metals in the test crop.
A Cloud-Based with Microcontroller Platforms System Designed to Educate Students within Digitalization and the Industry 4.0 Paradigm
Authors: Mijailović Đorđe , Đorđević Aleksandar , Stefanovic Miladin , Vidojević Dejan , Gazizulina Albina , Projović Damir
Published: November 2021

The primary purpose of this paper is to present a system intended for student education based on a microcontroller platform and a cloud system where data will be stored. Obtained research results will be based on the application of The NodeMcu platform for data collection with sensor systems. MatLab, ThingSpeak cloud system, and the Virtuino platform will be used for data presentation. Quantitative data are applied to determine conditions for agriculture system performance management. By analyzing the literature and the current situation in monitoring and managing in the agriculture and ecology field, it can be concluded that there are no special education courses regarding these issues. This knowledge was a good starting point for the research presented in this paper. Accordingly, the findings include developing a monitoring and management system intended for student education in mentioned fields. In addition, the practical implications of this research includes the acquisition of information related to student satisfaction with this method of education in the courses of engineering, agriculture, and ecology. The presented system may enable benchmarking, simulation, and verification of different scenarios to improve students’ knowledge regarding sensors’ application in natural conditions. The originality of the research lies in the presented software solution that can be made available to educational institutions and other scientific institutions to serve as a basis in the overall monitoring and management of agricultural and ecology parameters.
R3SOLVE: A Serious Game to Support End-of-Life Rooftop Solar Panel Waste Management
Authors: Salim Hengky , Stewart Rodney Anthony , Sahin Oz , Sagstad Birthe , Dudley Michael
Published: November 2021

A complex systems model is necessary to holistically address the end-of-life (EoL) solar panel waste problem. However, there is a significant challenge in communicating such a model to stakeholders. Serious games can overcome this challenge by simplifying a complex model via a user-friendly interface. It enables stakeholders to experiment with different decisions and understand their long-term impacts in a safe environment. In this paper, a serious game called R3SOLVE was designed from a previously developed system dynamics (SD) model. The goal of the game is to achieve certain collection and recovery outcomes through a mix of decisions ranging from product stewardship strategies, landfill regulation, technological investment, promotional effort, reuse strategy, and infrastructure improvement. The game has a single player mode, where a player can access all decisions, and a multiplayer (turn-based) mode, where two players with different roles work collaboratively to achieve the desired outcome. Rewards and penalties also exist in the game to promote players’ extrinsic motivation to use critical thinking. Both game modes have been tested in separate workshops to identify bugs and issues regarding goal clarity and in-game information. Future directions to conduct stakeholder workshops and the evaluation approach are also suggested at the end of this paper.
Understanding Arab Students’ Behavioral Patterns in an Online Course: An Explanatory Study Based on Hofstede’s National Cultural Dimensions
Authors: Tlili Ahmed , Denden Mouna , Affouneh Saida , Salha Soheil Hussein , Cai Zhenyu , Jemni Mohamed , Bozkurt Aras , Huang Ronghuai , Zhu Lixin
Published: November 2021

The provision of online learning experiences has been implemented by many universities worldwide to overcome several challenges, including inequality in education. However, this experience is still not a common approach in public universities in the Arab region. Furthermore, several research studies have pointed out that a country’s culture should be considered in order to enhance online learning, as students may behave differently based on their cultural backgrounds. Nevertheless, little is known about how a given culture may affect the learning behavioral patterns of students. Therefore, to better understand the cultural phenomenon and to enhance the adoption of online learning in the Arab region, this study aims to understand how an Arab culture may affect the online learning behaviors of students. Specifically, this study applies a lag sequential analysis (LSA) approach to understand the behavioral patterns of 116 students from Tunisia in a six-week online course. The study then further discusses the different learning behavior patterns based on the theoretical framework of Hofstede’s national cultural dimensions. The findings highlight that culture can affect how students engage in online learning discussions and how they maintain their learning performance online. The findings further indicate that online learning experiences may be beneficial for female students who experience social pressures in Arab cultures.
Private Sector Engagement in the Self-Governance of Urban Sustainable Infrastructure: A Study on Alternative Fueling Infrastructure in the United States
Authors: Lee Heewon
Published: November 2021

Greenhouse gas emission reduction and decarbonization goals drive citizens’ interests in alternative fuel vehicles and have created fast-growing demands on alternative fuels. While governments are promoting the transition to alternative fuel vehicles, the lack of refueling and recharging infrastructure for the vehicles is a key barrier to the adoption. At the same time, the public sector cannot solely provide needed alternative fueling infrastructure due to limited financial resources. Consequently, governments in the U.S. have been working on facilitating the private sector’s investment in alternative fueling infrastructure. The most common approach was financial incentive programs and policies, but the U.S. also promotes self-organized collaborative governance of alternative fuels across sectors at the local level. This paper asks whether these two approaches stimulate the private sector’s engagement in providing alternative fueling infrastructure. This study uses the case of the Clean Cities program that targets the reduction in petroleum usage, adoption of alternative fuels and creation of self-governance at the local level. Local private businesses, local government agencies and non-profit organizations voluntarily participate in the local transition to alternative fuels. Therefore, this governance aims at facilitating more sustainable actions and business choices in the private sector. This paper tests the hypotheses of whether the local self-governance of Clean Cities increases privately-owned alternative fueling infrastructure using panel fixed-effects Poisson regression models. Based on the data of counties in 12 states from 2004 to 2015, the results of empirical analysis suggest that both self-governance and financial incentive programs are effective in increasing the engagement of private actors in providing alternative fueling infrastructure.
Road Weather Monitoring System Shows High Cost-Effectiveness in Mitigating Malfunction Losses
Authors: Wu Jingyan , Yang Saini , Yang Feng , Yin Xihui
Published: November 2021

Understanding the environmental impacts of road networks and the success of policy initiatives is crucial to a country’s socioeconomic development. In this study, we propose a comprehensive approach to quantitatively assessing whether a given response is effective in mitigating the impacts of environmental shocks on roads. Our approach includes factor analysis, direct and indirect loss quantification, and cost-benefit analysis. Using nationwide data on road malfunctions and weather service performance in China, we found that the macro-level indirect economic losses from road malfunctions were more than the direct losses in multiples ranging from 11 to 21, and that information provided by the weather service could reduce losses, with benefits exceeding costs by a ratio of 51. The results of our study provide a quantitative tool as well as evidence of the effectiveness of sustainability investment, which should provide guidance for future disaster mitigation, infrastructure system resilience, and sustainability-building policy-making.
Financial Analysis of Habitat Conservation Banking in California
Authors: Poudel Jagdish , Pokharel Raju
Published: November 2021

Habitat conservation banking is a policy instrument for conserving endangered species by providing financial incentives for the landowners in the United States. This policy instrument aims to protect habitat, but little or no thought has been given to its financial performance. A financial analysis of habitat conservation banks (HCB) informs policymakers and conservation biologists of the long-term success of this policy and the future of HCBs. This paper evaluates 26 habitat conservation banks (HCB) in California by calculating their Net Present Values (NPV). We do so by compiling the cost and revenue data for habitat conservation banks. The average annual cost of operating HCBs was $42.78/acre (median: $22.58/acre), and the average credit price or revenue from credit sale was $6014.72/acre (median: $553.65/acre). The average NPV for 26 HCBs was $4205.90/acre at a 4% rate of return, indicating an overall positive return from such an easement instrument. However, only 14 HCBs out of 26 produced a positive return. With the inclusion of land acquisition costs, three of eight HCBs performed financially well. On the brighter side, the number of HCBs has increased with time. But there is not enough evidence to ascertain financial certainty from their revenues. A right selection of space (land acquisition costs can make or break finances for HCB) and species could encourage landowners to establish HCBs. This could build confidence on those who may have been discouraged from lack of knowledge and fear of losing revenue due to regulatory compliance to conserve endangered species habitat in their land. The findings are helpful in identifying lands and prioritizing investments to generate conservation credits.