bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigation of Low Cycle Fatigue Behaviors of Inertia-Friction-Welded Joints of the TC21 Titanium Alloy
Authors: Wang Hongying , Li Zihao , Zhao Shengsheng , Tang Weijie , Li Zhijun , Wu Fayu
Published: November 2022

As a new highly damage-tolerant structural material, the TC21 titanium alloy has been widely used in aerospace applications. Inertial friction welding (IFW) is a form of pressure welding technology with less welding parameters and high welding joint performance, which is especially suitable for the connection of rotors of aero-compressors and engines. In this paper, inertia friction welding of TC21 titanium alloys was successfully carried out, and the microhardness, tensile properties and low cycle fatigue (LCF) behaviors of IFW joints were studied. Based on the mechanical parametric results of the tensile test, the true stress–strain curves of the IFW joint of TC21 titanium alloys are obtained by further calculation. Based on the LCF test results under different strain amplitudes, life prediction of IFW joints was investigated. The results of the LCF test show that there is no obvious cyclic hardening and cyclic softening of the IFW joints. Moreover, the fracture morphology of LCF samples under high strain amplitude (0.9%) and low strain amplitude (0.6%) was observed. The results show that the fatigue cracks initiate and propagate at multiple points in the LCF samples, and the transient fracture zone is larger under high strain amplitude. However, under low strain amplitude, a fatigue crack nucleates and propagates at a single point, and the crack propagation zone is larger.
A Lightweight Model for Ship Detection and Recognition in Complex-Scene SAR Images
Authors: Xiong Boli , Sun Zhongzhen , Wang Jin , Leng Xiangguang , Ji Kefeng
Published: November 2022

SAR ship detection and recognition are important components of the application of SAR data interpretation, allowing for the continuous, reliable, and efficient monitoring of maritime ship targets, in view of the present situation of SAR interpretation applications. On the one hand, because of the lack of high-quality datasets, most existing research on SAR ships is focused on target detection. Additionally, there have been few studies on integrated ship detection and recognition in complex SAR images. On the other hand, the development of deep learning technology promotes research on the SAR image intelligent interpretation algorithm to some extent. However, most existing algorithms only focus on target recognition performance and ignore the model’s size and computational efficiency. Aiming to solve the above problems, a lightweight model for ship detection and recognition in complex-scene SAR images is proposed in this paper. Firstly, in order to comprehensively improve the detection performance and deployment capability, this paper applies the YOLOv5-n lightweight model as the baseline algorithm. Secondly, we redesign and optimize the pyramid pooling structure to effectively enhance the target feature extraction efficiency and improve the algorithm’s operation speed. Meanwhile, to suppress the influence of complex background interference and ships’ distribution, we integrate different attention mechanism into the target feature extraction layer. In addition, to improve the detection and recognition performance of densely parallel ships, we optimize the structure of the model’s prediction layer by adding an angular classification module. Finally, we conducted extensive experiments on the newly released complex-scene SAR image ship detection and recognition dataset, named the SRSDDv1.0 dataset. The experimental results show that the minimum size of the model proposed in this paper is only 1.92 M parameters and 4.52 MB of model memory, which can achieve an excellent F1-Score performance of 61.26 and an FPS performance of 68.02 on the SRSDDv1.0 dataset.
Data-Driven Calibration Algorithm and Pre-Launch Performance Simulations for the SWOT Mission
Authors: Dibarboure Gérald , Ubelmann Clément , Flamant Benjamin , Briol Frédéric , Peral Eva , Bracher Geoffroy , Vergara Oscar , Faugère Yannice , Soulat François , Picot Nicolas
Published: November 2022

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission will be affected by various sources of systematic errors, which are correlated in space and in time. Their amplitude before calibration might be as large as tens of centimeters, i.e., able to dominate the mission error budget. To reduce their magnitude, we developed so-called data-driven (or empirical) calibration algorithms. This paper provided a summary of the overall problem, and then presented the calibration framework used for SWOT, as well as the pre-launch performance simulations. We presented two complete algorithm sequences that use ocean measurements to calibrate KaRIN globally. The simple and robust Level-2 algorithm was implemented in the ground segment to control the main source of error of SWOT’s hydrology products. In contrast, the more sophisticated Level-3 (multi-mission) algorithm was developed to improve the accuracy of ocean products, as well as the one-day orbit of the SWOT mission. The Level-2 algorithm yielded a mean inland error of 3–6 cm, i.e., a margin of 25–80% (of the signal variance) with respect to the error budget requirements. The Level-3 algorithm yielded ocean residuals of 1 cm, i.e., a variance reduction of 60–80% with respect to the Level-2 algorithm.
UAV LiDAR Based Approach for the Detection and Interpretation of Archaeological Micro Topography under Canopy—The Rediscovery of Perticara (Basilicata, Italy)
Authors: Masini Nicola , Abate Nicodemo , Gizzi Fabrizio , Vitale Valentino , Minervino Amodio Antonio , Sileo Maria , Biscione Marilisa , Lasaponara Rosa , Bentivenga Mario , Cavalcante Francesco
Published: November 2022

This paper deals with a UAV LiDAR methodological approach for the identification and extraction of archaeological features under canopy in hilly Mediterranean environments, characterized by complex topography and strong erosion. The presence of trees and undergrowth makes the reconnaissance of archaeological features and remains very difficult, while the erosion, increased by slope, tends to adversely affect the microtopographical features of potential archaeological interest, thus making them hardly identifiable. For the purpose of our investigations, a UAV LiDAR survey has been carried out at Perticara (located in Basilicata southern Italy), an abandoned medieval village located in a geologically fragile area, characterized by complex topography, strong erosion, and a dense forest cover. All of these characteristics pose serious challenge issues and make this site particularly significant and attractive for the setting and testing of an optimal LiDAR-based approach to analyze hilly forested regions searching for subtle archaeological features. The LiDAR based investigations were based on three steps: (i) field data acquisition and data pre-processing, (ii) data post-processing, and (iii) semi-automatic feature extraction method based on machine learning and local statistics. The results obtained from the LiDAR based analyses (successfully confirmed by the field survey) made it possible to identify the lost medieval village that represents an emblematic case of settlement abandoned during the crisis of the late Middle Ages that affected most regions in southern Italy.
Sleep Pattern Analysis in Unconstrained and Unconscious State
Authors: Jun Won-Ho , Kim Hyung-Ju , Hong Youn-Sik
Published: November 2022

Sleep accounts for one-third of an individual’s life and is a measure of health. Both sleep time and quality are essential, and a person requires sound sleep to stay healthy. Generally, sleep patterns are influenced by genetic factors and differ among people. Therefore, analyzing whether individual sleep patterns guarantee sufficient sleep is necessary. Here, we aimed to acquire information regarding the sleep status of individuals in an unconstrained and unconscious state to consequently classify the sleep state. Accordingly, we collected data associated with the sleep status of individuals, such as frequency of tosses and turns, snoring, and body temperature, as well as environmental data, such as room temperature, humidity, illuminance, carbon dioxide concentration, and ambient noise. The sleep state was classified into two stages: nonrapid eye movement and rapid eye movement sleep, rather than the general four stages. Furthermore, to verify the validity of the sleep state classifications, we compared them with heart rate.
Visual SLAM: What Are the Current Trends and What to Expect?
Authors: Tourani Ali , Bavle Hriday , Sanchez-Lopez Jose Luis , Voos Holger
Published: November 2022

In recent years, Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) systems have shown significant performance, accuracy, and efficiency gain. In this regard, Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (VSLAM) methods refer to the SLAM approaches that employ cameras for pose estimation and map reconstruction and are preferred over Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR)-based methods due to their lighter weight, lower acquisition costs, and richer environment representation. Hence, several VSLAM approaches have evolved using different camera types (e.g., monocular or stereo), and have been tested on various datasets (e.g., Technische Universität München (TUM) RGB-D or European Robotics Challenge (EuRoC)) and in different conditions (i.e., indoors and outdoors), and employ multiple methodologies to have a better understanding of their surroundings. The mentioned variations have made this topic popular for researchers and have resulted in various methods. In this regard, the primary intent of this paper is to assimilate the wide range of works in VSLAM and present their recent advances, along with discussing the existing challenges and trends. This survey is worthwhile to give a big picture of the current focuses in robotics and VSLAM fields based on the concentrated resolutions and objectives of the state-of-the-art. This paper provides an in-depth literature survey of fifty impactful articles published in the VSLAMs domain. The mentioned manuscripts have been classified by different characteristics, including the novelty domain, objectives, employed algorithms, and semantic level. The paper also discusses the current trends and contemporary directions of VSLAM techniques that may help researchers investigate them.
Feasibility Study of a Piezo Actuator as a Potential Standard in Calibration for Roundness Instruments
Authors: Trych-Wildner Anna , Wildner Krzysztof , Sosinowski Piotr
Published: November 2022

The paper presents experimental data that show the possible application of a piezo actuator in the role of calibration standard that can serve as an alternative route to currently available methods like gauge blocks or flick standards. First, the experimental setups for interferometric and roundness instruments measurements were described. Next, the experiments using an interferometer for calibration of the piezo actuator were shown. Finally, the application of a piezo actuator to calibrate the roundness instrument, to state the correction factor for the roundness probe, and to relate it to the unit of metre, assuring the traceability of future measurements was performed. Detailed procedures of simulating grooves and then processing the data were described and the calibration curve was obtained using regression analysis. The estimation of uncertainty provided by different factors during the measurements was given to fulfil as closely as possible real calibration procedures taken up in the measurement laboratories. Finally, the limitations of the presented procedures were presented and discussed.
Monitoring of Measuring Devices Using a Programmable Logic Controller and a Dedicated Desktop Application
Authors: Kwapisz Bartosz , Doligalski Michał , Ochowiak Marek , Mrugalski Marcin , Włodarczak Sylwia , Krupińska Andżelika , Matuszak Magdalena , Woziwodzki Szymon
Published: November 2022

An appropriate control and measurement system is one of the elements that allows for the safe and effective operation of a technological installation. Such a system may have a diverse structure that corresponds to the expectations and needs of its user. The devices of various manufacturers, including PLC (programmable logic controllers), can be used as a source of measurement data. This enables flexible measurement–control installations, which are adapted to the technological installations, to be built. This paper presents a system, which was created by the authors, for monitoring the temperature, pressure and flow rate of fluids. It uses the operational and IT properties of the PLC and is adapted to an existing installation on the test stand for multiphase spraying processes. In addition, as a part of the research, an application written in Python language, which allows collected data to be displayed, stored and exported, was implemented.
Case Study: Improving the Quality of Dairy Cow Reconstruction with a Deep Learning-Based Framework
Authors: Dang Changgwon , Choi Taejeong , Lee Seungsoo , Lee Soohyun , Alam Mahboob , Lee Sangmin , Han Seungkyu , Hoang Duy Tang , Lee Jaegu , Nguyen Duc Toan
Published: November 2022

Three-dimensional point cloud generation systems from scanning data of a moving camera provide extra information about an object in addition to color. They give access to various prospective study fields for researchers. With applications in animal husbandry, we can analyze the characteristics of the body parts of a dairy cow to improve its fertility and milk production efficiency. However, in the depth image generation from stereo data, previous solutions using traditional stereo matching algorithms have several drawbacks, such as poor-quality depth images and missing information in overexposed regions. Additionally, the use of one camera to reconstruct a comprehensive 3D point cloud of the dairy cow has several challenges. One of these issues is point cloud misalignment when combining two adjacent point clouds with the small overlapping area between them. In addition, another drawback is the difficulty of point cloud generation from objects which have little motion. Therefore, we proposed an integrated system using two cameras to overcome the above disadvantages. Specifically, our framework includes two main parts: data recording part applies state-of-the-art convolutional neural networks to improve the depth image quality, and dairy cow 3D reconstruction part utilizes the simultaneous localization and calibration framework in order to reduce drift and provide a better-quality reconstruction. The experimental results showed that our approach improved the quality of the generated point cloud to some extent. This work provides the input data for dairy cow characteristics analysis with a deep learning approach.
Azimuth Full-Aperture Processing of Spaceborne Squint SAR Data with Block Varying PRF
Authors: Zhang Zhuo , Xu Wei , Huang Pingping , Tan Weixian , Gao Zhiqi , Qi Yaolong
Published: November 2022

The block varying pulse repetition frequency (BV-PRF) scheme applied to spaceborne squint sliding-spotlight synthetic aperture radar (SAR) can resolve large-range cell migration (RCM) and reduce azimuth signal non-uniformity. However, in the BV-PRF scheme, different raw data blocks have different PRFs, and the raw data in each block are insufficiently sampled. To resolve the two problems, a novel azimuth full-aperture pre-processing method is proposed to handle the SAR raw data formed by the BV-PRF scheme. The key point of the approach is the resampling of block data with different PRFs and the continuous splicing of azimuth data. The method mainly consists of four parts: de-skewing, resampling, azimuth continuous combination, and Doppler history recovery. After de-skewing, the raw data with different PRFs can be resampled individually to obtain a uniform azimuth sampling interval, and an appropriate azimuth time shift is introduced to ensure the continuous combination of the azimuth signal. Consequently, the resulting raw data are sufficiently and uniformly sampled in azimuth, which could be well handled by classical SAR-focusing algorithms. Simulation results on point targets validate the proposed azimuth pre-processing approach. Furthermore, compared with methods to process SAR data with continuous PRF, the proposed method is more effective.
Highly Sensitive and Selective Formaldehyde Gas Sensors Based on Polyvinylpyrrolidone/Nitrogen-Doped Double-Walled Carbon Nanotubes
Authors: Chobsilp Thanattha , Threrujirapapong Thotsaphon , Yordsri Visittapong , Treetong Alongkot , Inpaeng Saowaluk , Tedsree Karaked , Ayala Paola , Pichler Thomas , Shi Lei , Muangrat Worawut
Published: November 2022

A highly sensitive and selective formaldehyde sensor was successfully fabricated using hybrid materials of nitrogen-doped double-walled carbon nanotubes (N-DWCNTs) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). Double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) and N-DWCNTs were produced by high-vacuum chemical vapor deposition using ethanol and benzylamine, respectively. Purified DWCNTs and N-DWCNTs were dropped separately onto the sensing substrate. PVP was then dropped onto pre-dropped DWCNT and N-DWCNTs (hereafter referred to as PVP/DWCNTs and PVP/N-DWCNTs, respectively). As-fabricated sensors were used to find 1,2-dichloroethane, dichloromethane, formaldehyde and toluene vapors in parts per million (ppm) at room temperature for detection measurement. The sensor response of N-DWCNTs, PVP/DWCNTs and PVP/N-DWCNTs sensors show a high response to formaldehyde but a low response to 1,2-dichloroethane, dichloromethane and toluene. Remarkably, PVP/N-DWCNTs sensors respond sensitively and selectively towards formaldehyde vapor, which is 15 times higher than when using DWCNTs sensors. This improvement could be attributed to the synergistic effect of the polymer swelling and nitrogen-sites in the N-DWCNTs. The limit of detection (LOD) of PVP/N-DWCNTs was 15 ppm, which is 34-fold higher than when using DWCNTs with a LOD of 506 ppm. This study demonstrated the high sensitivity and selectivity for formaldehyde-sensing applications of high-performance PVP/N-DWCNTs hybrid materials.
In-Situ Monitoring of Reciprocal Charge Transfer and Losses in Graphene-Silicon CCD Pixels
Authors: Ali Munir , Dong Yunfan , Lv Jianhang , Guo Hongwei , Abid Anwar Muhammad , Tian Feng , Shahzad Khurram , Liu Wei , Yu Bin , Bodepudi Srikrishna Chanakya , Xu Yang
Published: November 2022

Charge-coupled devices (CCD) allow imaging by photodetection, charge integration, and serial transfer of the stored charge packets from multiple pixels to the readout node. The functionality of CCD can be extended to the non-destructive and in-situ readout of the integrated charges by replacing metallic electrodes with graphene in the metal-oxide-semiconductors (MOS) structure of a CCD pixel. The electrostatic capacitive coupling of graphene with the substrate allows the Fermi level tuning that reflects the integrated charge density in the depletion well. This work demonstrates the in-situ monitoring of the serial charge transfer and interpixel transfer losses in a reciprocating manner between two adjacent Gr-Si CCD pixels by benefitting the electrostatic and gate-to-gate couplings. We achieved the maximum charge transfer efficiency (CTE) of 92.4%, which is mainly decided by the inter-pixel distance, phase clock amplitudes, switching slopes, and density of surface defects. The discussion on overcoming transfer losses and improving CTE by realizing a graphene-electron multiplication CCD is also presented. The proof of the concept of the in-situ readout of the out-of-plane avalanche in a single Gr-Si CCD pixel is also demonstrated, which can amplify the photo packet in a pre-transfer manner.
Serum Amyloid Beta Precursor Protein, Neurofilament Light, and Visinin-like Protein-1 in Rugby Players: An Exploratory Study
Authors: Morgan Jessica E. , Gaynor-Metzinger Sarean A. , Beck Steven D. , Scobercea Iustin C. , Austin India J. , Blankenship Hannah E. , Baker Julien S. , Knox Allan , Serrador Jorge M. , Rogatzki Matthew J.
Published: November 2022

Concussion diagnosis is difficult and may be improved with the addition of a blood-based biomarker that indicates concussion. The purpose of this research was to investigate the capability of serum amyloid beta precursor protein (APP), neurofilament light (NfL), and visinin-like protein-1 (VILIP-1) to distinguish athletes who were diagnosed with a concussion pitch-side. An observational cross-sectional study design was used to replicate sideline concussion diagnosis. Subjects included mutually exclusive pre-match (n = 9), post-match (n = 15), and SRC (n = 7) groups. Six paired pre-and post-match subjects were analyzed for APP. APP increased significantly from pre-match (mean = 57.98 pg·mL−1, SD = 63.21 pg·mL−1) to post-match (mean = 111.37 pg·mL−1, SD = 106.89 pg·mL−1, p = 0.048) in the paired subjects. NfL was lower in the SRC group (median = 8.71 pg·mL−1, IQR = 6.09 pg·mL−1) compared to the post-match group (median = 29.60 pg·mL−1, IQR = 57.45 pg·mL−1, p < 0.001). VILIP-1 was higher in the post-match group (median = 212.18 pg·mL−1, IQR = 345.00 pg·mL−1) compared to both the pre-match (median = 32.63 pg·mL−1, IQR = 52.24 pg·mL−1), p = 0.001) and SRC (median = 30.21 pg·mL−1, IQR = 47.20 pg·mL−1), p = 0.003) groups. APP, NfL, and VILIP-1 were all able to distinguish between pre-match and post-match groups (AUROC > 0.700) but not from the SRC group (AUROC < 0.660). Our results show that APP, NfL, and VILIP-1 were not helpful in differentiating concussed from non-concussed athletes pitch-side in this study.
Hukou Reform and the “Luohu” of Rural Migrants in Urban China
Authors: Tian Ming , Xu Qingwen , Li Zhigang , Yu Yang
Published: November 2022

Along with a series of reforms of the household registration, or the hukou system, there has been a sustained call for its reforms to further integrate rural migrants into cities and sustain the national strategy of urbanization. Nevertheless, does hukou still matter? Is it still a major obstacle to the inclusive development of post-reform urban China? Recently, the effect of the hukou system and its reforms has become a debatable topic. To address the question, in this article, we examine the “luohu” of rural migrants, i.e., rural people who work and/or live in the city obtaining urban hukou, to evaluate the effects of hukou reforms. We argue, along with the improvement of China’s social security system in both urban and rural areas, as well as the increased rights of rural migrants in cities, that the gap between the “value” of urban and rural hukou is decreasing: the boundaries set between urban and rural territories have been diminished; meanwhile, the intentions of rural migrants to luohu in the city have declined. This dilemma indicates that the impact of hukou system per se is fading, which is closely linked to the reforms of other social policies such as welfare and pension systems. As such, to promote the integration of rural migrants in Chinese cities, the focus of China’s hukou reforms should shift from the registration system to more inclusive social policies.
Resentment Barriers to Innovation Development of Small and Medium Enterprises in Upper Silesia
Authors: Weryński Piotr
Published: November 2022

The first aim of the article is to diagnose the barriers of agency (including resentment ones) that occur during the implementation of innovations in the selected Silesian small and medium-sized enterprises. The second goal is to explain how the structural and cultural resentment contexts and the type of reflexivity undertaken by the employees determine an innovative activity in the state of morphostasis (contextual continuity) and morphogenesis (contextual discontinuity) at selected companies. The theoretical basis of the research is Margaret Archer’s morphogenetic theory of structure and agency and her scheme of causal analysis. Based on this and using the qualitative analysis of data obtained during focus group interviews (FGI), a diagnosis is made regarding the presence of agency barriers in the innovation processes. A morphogenetic causal analysis of the emergence of agency barriers limiting the course of innovation processes in a business reality burdened with resentment contexts has been presented. On the theoretical and empirical level, the usefulness of the morphogenetic schema in the study of organizational behavior in small and medium enterprises was verified. Conducting diachronic causal analyzes among employees of selected SMEs made it possible to show the conditions between the scope of the existing resentment barriers (structural and cultural), the type of dominant reflexivity among their members, and the possibilities of innovation in these organizations. It has been shown that in organizational contexts burdened with group resentments, the agency of staff is mainly morphostatic. The dominant type of reflexivity (communicative, not autonomous) is focused on maintaining the existing contextual continuity and not on changing it. The results obtained from the research will allow the implementation of educational and implementation projects (research in action) in the future, adequate to the needs of the small and medium enterprise sector in terms of eliminating resentments in the structure and organizational culture. These aims will be implemented through the participation of external expert groups in the following areas of innovation of a given company: pro-innovative attitudes, competencies, processes, and strategies, perception of the environment, customer orientation, or branding.
A Product Evolution Rules Based Method for Retired Mechanical Product Demand Acquisition
Authors: Zhou Wenbin , Xia Xuhui , Wang Lei , Zhang Zelin , Chen Baotong
Published: November 2022

Accurate acquisition of retired mechanical products demand (RMPD) is the basis for realizing effective utilization of remanufacturing service data and improving the feasibility of remanufacturing schemes. Some studies have explored product demands, making product demands an important support for product design and development. However, these studies are obtained through the transformation of customer and market demand information, and few studies are studied from a product perspective. However, remanufacturing services for retired mechanical products (RMP) must consider the impact of the failure characteristics. Consequently, based on the generalized growth of RMP driven by the failure characteristics, the concept of RMPD is proposed in this paper. Then, the improved ant colony algorithm is proposed to mine the generalized growth evolution law of RMP from the empirical data of remanufacturing services, and the RMPD is deduced based on the mapping relationship between the product and its attributes. Finally, the feasibility and applicability of the proposed method are verified by obtaining the demand for retired rolls. In detail, the results show that the proposed method can obtain the RMPD accurately and efficiently, and the performance of the method can be continuously optimized with the accumulation of empirical data.
Sustainable and Safe Consumer Experience NFTs and Raffles in the Cosmetics Market after COVID-19
Authors: Lee Jinkyung , Kwon Ki Han
Published: November 2022

Due to the endless epidemic, the world has moved to the metaverse world. To keep pace with the changes in the cosmetic market, research on customer experience using non-fungible tokens (NFTs) was conducted. This review study is an empirical analysis that focuses on introducing the safety of the metaverse world into cosmetics in the absence of customer experience in the cosmetic market due to the rapid transition to a non-face-to-face society in the COVID-19 pandemic. This review of consumer experience is a critical literature review. In this study, a technical review approach was used. Using the PRISMA flow chart, a total of 453 references were selected using representative journal search sites such as PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, RISS, and ResearchGate. Accordingly, a total of 28 papers were selected in the final stage from 2013 to 2022. This literature review focuses on the NFT cosmetics market, which expands the consumer experience into a fun experience by focusing on the sustainable safety of new consumer changes in the metaverse beauty market. This is an empirical analysis focused on the cosmetic consumer experience for the new launch of cosmetic brands using NFTs in the future beauty and cosmetology market. This narrative review article focuses on sustainable and safe experiences for beauty and cosmetics consumer experiences in the post-COVID-19 metaverse, NFTs in the metaverse, FUN for the MZ generation, and new consumer experiences. NFTs, which are a leading novel cultural and social phenomenon and utilize fun raffles in the sustainable and safe metaverse of the MZ generation that embodies the digital world, are a new era in the beauty market. Accordingly, by confirming the change, they are expected to be used as an important marketing material and strategy in the global metaverse cosmetological market for sustainable and safe spaces and consumer experiences.
Research on Optimization Technology of Cross-Regional Synergistic Deployment of Fire Stations Based on Fire Risk
Authors: Guo Kai , Wang Wei , Tian Shixiang , Yang Juntao , Jiang Zebiao , Dai Zhangyin
Published: November 2022

Regional planning and development of urban agglomerations such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region, the Yangtze River Delta, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Chengdu-Chongqing Twin Cities provide a good opportunity for fire rescue across administrative regions. This study is aimed at investigating the optimization technology of cross-regional synergistic deployment of fire stations. To achieve this aim, with the Yangtze River Delta integrated demonstration zone taken as the research object, urban fire risk was assessed by means of range standardization, iterative equations and expert scoring and weighting on the basis of population density, road density, water source distribution and urban POI data and urban remote sensing images. Besides, different fire response times were set with reference to the classified regional fire risk levels. Furthermore, the status of fire stations was evaluated based on the coverage-maximized model, and the cross-regional synergistic deployment of fire stations was optimized based on the facility point-minimized model. Finally, the deployment was tested using the maximized coverage rate. The following results were obtained: High-risk regions are mainly distributed in areas with dense population and high-rise buildings. The fire station coverage rates of single administrative regions are all lower than 80%; in contrast, 31 more regions are covered under cross-regional synergistic deployment. Based on the facility point minimization model and the maximum coverage model, on the basis of retaining the existing fire stations, when 17 new fire stations are built, 90% of the high-risk fire areas in the study area can be covered within 3 min, and the coverage of medium-risk areas and low-risk areas can be increased to 70%, which can better meet the fire risk prevention and control needs of the Yangtze River Delta integrated demonstration area.
Evaluating the Causal Effects of Emissions Trading Policy on Emission Reductions Based on Nonlinear Difference-In-Difference Model
Authors: Fu Lianyan , Zhou Lin , Wu Peili , Zhu Zhichuan , Yu Zhuoxi , Wang Dehui
Published: November 2022

Based on panel data from 30 provinces, cities, and autonomous regions from 2001 to 2019, this paper uses the nonlinear difference-in-difference (DID) method to estimate the distribution of causal effects of emissions trading policy on emission reduction in Chinese industrial enterprises, and examines the heterogeneity of the effects. The empirical results show that (1) the emissions trading policy has a significant effect on industrial SO2 emissions reduction in China, where the reduction effect is larger in non-pilot areas than in pilot areas; (2) the policy effects are not proportional to the regional SO2 emissions intensity, and the emissions trading policy is not more effective in regions with higher industrial SO2 emissions intensities. One advantage of this paper is the use of nonlinear DID to estimate the emissions reduction effect, which eliminates the bias problem caused by the strict linearity assumption of the classical DID method. Another advantage is that the combination of the random forest method avoids the subjectivity in the selection of control variables and uses distribution effects for multilevel comparisons. This method improves the validity of estimating the effect of emissions trading policy and provides targeted policy suggestions for the effective promotion of system implementation, all of which have academic and application value.
Determining the Anti-Erosion Efficiency of Forest Stands Installed on Degraded Land
Authors: Moldovan Mircea , Tăut Ioan , Rebrean Florin Alexandru , Szilard Bartha , Arion Iulia Diana , Dîrja Marcel
Published: November 2022

Erosion caused by human activities is one of the reasons for forest soil degradation worldwide, with a direct impact on forest stands development, including reduced forest productivity. Therefore, in order to establish sustainable stand management practices, it is essential to assess soil losses in various forestry activities. Moreover, this phenomenon is studied little in stands, especially those established on degraded land. In Romanian geographical conditions, where sloping land is up to 67% of the territory and is influenced by natural factors as well as intense human activities, the soil and vegetation suffer serious ecological imbalances. In order to achieve the proposed objectives regarding the evaluation of stands in terms of anti-erosion effectiveness, we analyzed the consistency and the number of trees on the surface, the weight of the seedlings, and the surface runoff from the perspectives of rainfall and soil retention. In the two stands included in this study, the influence of rain intensity was 39% in compartment 49 and 38% in compartment 73, directly influencing surface runoff. The ground retention’s influence on surface runoff was 28% in both compartments. The indirect surface runoff was influenced by the consistency of the stands and by the degree of proximity of the crowns, which directly influenced the intensity of rain. In addition to analyzing these two parameters (rain intensity and ground retention), it was also observed that the degree of proximity to the crowns directly influenced the intensity of the rainfall within the forest, which, in turn, indirectly affected the runoff.
Review on Corrosion in Electronic Packaging Trends of Collaborative between Academia–Industry
Authors: Bakar Maria Abu , Atiqah A. , Jalar Azman
Published: November 2022

This article reviews corrosion in electronic packaging mainly in the semiconductor industry over the world. The previous study was reviewed scientifically to highlight the significant work on corrosion in electronic packaging. A total of 467 and 762 studies were found in the IEEE Explore and Scopus databases from 2010 to 2020, respectively. After the search was limited to articles and proceedings, the databases showed only 319 from IEEE and 694 from Scopus. The keywords searching for this topic also emphasized corrosion wire bonding, corrosion leadframe, and corrosion solder. When searching for articles and proceedings were divided into three (3) categories such as academia, industry, and collaborative works, the database from collaborative works showed only 57 and 108 results in IEEE and Scopus, respectively. The studies were classified according to the process after some analysis using Microsoft Excel. Most of the previous studies were on corrosion in electronic packaging. From the study, we found that most of the journal articles were published by academia while the proceeding was published by industry. This information was extracted from IEEE Explore and Scopus databases. Since 2010, the trend of collaborative works among the industry and academia showed increased from 13 to 165 total publications in 2020. This review is significant to give an overview of the collaborative works between industry and academia on the corrosion issue in electronic packaging.
An Assessment of the Impact of Land Use and Land Cover Change on the Degradation of Ecosystem Service Values in Kathmandu Valley Using Remote Sensing and GIS
Authors: Shrestha Srijana , Poudyal Khem Narayan , Bhattarai Nawraj , Dangi Mohan B. , Boland John J.
Published: November 2022

Land use and land cover (LULC) robustly influence the delivery of the ecosystem services that humans rely on. This study used Kathmandu Valley as a study area which is a fast-growing and most vulnerable city to climate change. Remote sensing and GIS methods are the most significant methods for measuring the impact of LULC on the ecosystem service value (ESV). The satellite-based dataset was used for quantitative assessment of the LULC and ecosystem service value for 10-year intervals from the year 1989 to 2019. The result revealed that the area of forest cover, cropland, and waterbodies decreased by 28.33%, 4.35%, and 91.5%, respectively, whereas human settlement and shrubland increased by more than a hundred times and barren land by 21.14% at the end of the study period. This study found that Kathmandu valley lost 20.60% ESV over 30 years which dropped from USD 122.84 million to USD 97.54 million. The urban growth and extension of agricultural land to forest cover areas were found to be contributing factors for the reduction in ESV of Kathmandu valley. Cropland transformed into shrubland, bringing about an increase in ESV of some areas of the study region. In conclusion, the aggressive increase in population growth with inadequate urban planning and fragmentation of farmlands influenced the ESV of Kathmandu valley.
Factors Affecting Travel Mode Choice between High-Speed Railway and Road Passenger Transport—Evidence from China
Authors: Yang Wen , Chen Quanliang , Yang Jing
Published: November 2022

High-speed rail (HSR) is advancing at an unprecedented speed in China. However, its impact on the road passenger transport (RPT) is under-investigated. In this paper, a questionnaire survey of RPT and HSR passengers in Shaoguan, Wenzhou, and Shantou, China, was carried out to pursue the sustainable development of RPT and HSR from the aspect of passenger mode choice behavior. The travel mode in the three cities was further investigated using a binary logit model. The findings show that improving the safety and comfort of RPT, as well as the fares and convenience of HSR, are most likely to change passenger choice. For every one unit increase in passenger satisfaction with either the safety or comfort of RPT, the ratio of the probability of passengers choosing RPT to the probability of passengers choosing HSR will increase by 1.6 times and 4.8 times, respectively. Additionally, for every one unit increase in passenger satisfaction with either HSR fares or convenience, the ratio of probability of passengers choosing HSR to the probability of passengers choosing RPT will increase by 4.95 times and 7.011 times, respectively. This study’s results reveal the factors influencing passengers’ choice of HSR and RPT, providing crucial perspectives on sustainable developments for future HSR and RPT projects. Findings from this study may be used by transport planners to provide policy recommendations not just for China, but also for other countries that are building HSR systems.
Experimental Performance of Single-Slope Basin Solar Still Coupled with a Humidification–Dehumidification Cycle
Authors: Ghazy Ahmed , Alrowais Raid
Published: November 2022

Despite their low distillate yield, single-slope basin solar stills incorporate a simple and cheap technique to secure potable water in arid and rural areas away from fresh water resources and the power grid. Nevertheless, recovering a portion of the inevitable thermal losses from the still will significantly contribute to enhancing its daily distillate productivity and thermal performance. In this manuscript, the latent heat of condensation in single-slope basin solar still was partially recovered and utilized as the thermal energy source for an auxiliary humidification–dehumidification (HDH) distillation cycle. The thermal performance of the resultant SS-HDH distiller was experimentally tested side by side with a separate single-slope basin still of the same basin area. The results showed an increase of about 2 L/m2 in the daily distillate production of the SS-HDH distiller over that of the conventional single-slope basin still. In addition, the thermal efficiency of the SS-HDH distiller was 57% greater than that of the conventional single-slope basin still.
On a City Guide App Model
Authors: Voicu Mirela-Catrinel , Bărbulescu Adina , Abrudan Denisa
Published: November 2022

For the travel industry, technology, digitalization, and connectivity are factors of significant importance. We proposed a city guide app (CGA) model in this research. The general city tourist information is enormous, but it is essential to know the information of interest for travelers and useful for mobile applications. We used an online survey to detect this kind of information. The interviewees were young people aged 20 to 24 from Romania who used at least a CGA while travelling in different cities, especially abroad. We kept forty questions for the proposed model—sixteen from the previous research on app quality, user habits, travel agency app usage, behavioral intention, twenty-four questions on touristic information proposed by us. We used the partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) method. We concluded which touristic information influences mobile app quality and behavioral intention. Given the age and location of our interviewees, this information could be different, considering the respondent age, location, and habits. Whether we are talking about passionate information technology (IT) developers, city halls, or travel agencies, this study is helpful for those who want to develop a CGA.
A Review of Packaging Materials’ Consumption Regulation and Pollution Control
Authors: Wang Lun , Elahi Ehsan , Zhou Yuzhong , Wang Liming , Zhang Shihan
Published: November 2022

With the strong development of e-commerce driving the growth of the express delivery industry, the levels of consumption of packaging materials and the pollution of the environment are becoming increasingly severe, which means that coordinated measures need to be taken by the government, enterprises, and the market. To regulate the consumption of packaging materials and control environmental pollution, in this paper, we analyze the current situation regarding packaging pollution in online commodities sales, the urgency of control, the causes of the excessive consumption of packaging materials, and pollution based on the externality theory and combined with the actual situation. Based on international experience, we put forward innovative suggestions regarding system governance in terms of the definition of property rights, financial subsidies, tax incentives, the optimization of the logistics and transportation system, improvements in community waste classification, and other aspects.
Study on Influencing Factors and Spatial Effects of Carbon Emissions Based on Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index Model: A Case Study of Hunan Province
Authors: Yang Shan , Zhu Shangkai , Deng Gao , Li Huan
Published: November 2022

China has committed to peaking carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and has set a goal of working towards carbon neutrality by 2060. Hunan province is a vital undertaking place for national industrial transfer. It is of great significance for promoting energy conservation and emission reduction to investigate the influencing factors and spatial effects of carbon emissions in Hunan province. Firstly, based on the energy consumption data of Hunan province from 2005 to 2017, this paper uses the method recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to measure the carbon emissions of Hunan province and its economic zones. Secondly, the five-factor Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) model is constructed to analyze the influence degree of population size, economic development, industrial structure, energy intensity, and energy structure on carbon emissions. Finally, the spatial differences of the influencing factors in the four economic zones of Hunan province are analyzed. The research shows that: (1) An overall carbon emission reduction has been achieved in Hunan province since 2011. (2) Changsha–Zhuzhou–Xiangtan Economic Zone is the key area to achieve carbon emission reduction, while there is still the phenomenon of emission increase in the other three economic zones. (3) For all economic zones, economic development contributes the most to the increase in carbon emissions, while energy intensity shows the strongest inhibitory effect. Other factors have various effects on the four economic zones.
Social and Climate (In-)Equality Perspectives within the SDGs: Introducing the Inequality and Poverty Assessment Model for a Sustainable Transformation of Housing
Authors: Bukowski Meike , Kreissl Katharina
Published: November 2022

In this paper, we bring issues of inequality as a cross-cutting principle to all SDGs with a critical perspective on power relations, exemplified through the relevant social question of housing. For this purpose, we have developed the inequality and poverty assessment model (IPAM), a systematic approach for streamlining problems and solutions within the SDG-framework in an inequality-sensitive way, serving as a guideline to screen topics for five dimensions of social and environmental justice: (a) distribution, (b) procedure and participation, (c) fairness in climate and environmental adaptation, (d) legitimacy and (e) recognition. Following a mixed-methods research design with expert interviews, stakeholder workshops, document analysis and an extensive literature review, we identify areas of concern, such as the interlinkage of energy efficient, affordable and climate-friendly housing, and elaborate on strategies and policy recommendations to support affordable and sustainable housing, in the specific context of urban (in)equalities in Austria. We recommend three sets of measures on the (I) De-commodification of housing by remunicipalisation, (II) De-commodification by spatial and building planning and regulated land use and (III) Strategies for more inclusive housing.
Value Creation and Capture with Big Data in Smart Phones Companies
Authors: Amana Maniyassouwe , Liu Pingfeng , Alariqi Mona
Published: November 2022

With the advent of social media, the volume of data generated on the internet has exploded due to the growing number of social network users and their interactions on the internet. Given that, in the age of the digital economy, data has become raw material in terms of decision making, it is important and urgent to conduct a study to understand the effect of big data on value creation and value capture. The goal of the current research is to study the share of big data in value creation and capture in the companies Apple and Samsung. The main question addressed by this article is whether the increasing volumes of data in the digital age can improve the creation and capture of value. To achieve this goal, we considered active users of the three main social networks that Samsung and Apple companies use for their advertising to describe “big data”. We measure the “value creation” through the hardware component of the smartphone, such as the battery, camera, CPU speed, RAM (Random-Access Memory), screen size, and storage. Profit, satisfaction, and unit of phone sold are the three manifest variables considered to measure “Value capture”. As a methodology, we used partial least squares and structural equation modeling to obtain the results. The pattern enables us to measure the effect of big data on value creation and value capture. The results indicate that CPU speed, RAMs, and battery capacity are the principal variables that impact the “value creation” in terms of customer need and satisfaction.