bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
La planificación urbana en el comportamiento de los espacios públicos en la Ciudad de Arequipa
Authors:   , La Torre Durand Jhonattan Erick
Published: January 2023

La presente investigación tiene el objetivo de conocer la influencia de la planificación urbana en el comportamiento de los espacios públicos de la ciudad de Arequipa, llámese (Plazas, Parque y Calles), los cuales en los últimos tiempos vienen siendo vulnerados de manera sistemática, situación que atenta contra el bienestar social de sus habitantes. La población como la muestra fue considerada para el presente estudio no fue considerada de forma probabilística, sino censal, la que estaba conformada 100 personas de los sectores sociales B, C, y D. en el rango etario de 18 a 60 años, así mismo para el logro de los objetivos establecidos se consideró como muestra los registros fotográficos y las fichas técnicas del estado situacional relacionado a los servicios, infraestructura y estado de conservación de las principales plazas, parques y espacios públicos del Cercado de Arequipa, siendo este, el espacio más representativo de la ciudad elegidos por su importancia y su diverso volumen poblacional que convergen diariamente para realizar diversas actividades, con el propósito de establecer una relación de percepción que tenían ellos frente a la situación actual que viene desarrollándose en los mismos. El estudio nos ha permitido comprobar la Hipótesis de que una adecuada planificación urbana determinara el buen uso de los espacios públicos, permitiendo resolver los actuales problemas del distrito de Cercado de Arequipa, ya que según el estadígrafo de la Rho de Spearman manifestó que si existe influencia entre las variables analizadas con un valor de Rho= 0.617 la cual es una influencia positiva fuerte entre las variables analizadas.
Petroleum++: Listening to Our Members
Authors: Kamal Medhat M.
Published: January 2023

As we return to a full schedule of meetings in person and I get a chance to visit with a large number of our members and discuss the various services and programs SPE offers, it became clear that more communication is needed to make all of us aware of the benefits and value of SPE membership. I plan to describe these services in detail and discuss developments in the SPE Strategic Plan, this month and in future columns.

Let me start with mentioning two services of interest to all members. For more than a year now, the SPE Board of Directors has communicated the highlights and major decisions of its quarterly meetings with all the Society’s section chairs and asked them to share the information with the membership at-large at section meetings and newsletters. Probably, a more direct method of sharing this material is needed. The information from the most recent Board of Directors meeting (October 2022 in Houston) and highlights from all 2022 meetings are posted here. Information from future meetings will be posted regularly after each meeting. This practice is important to share the work and decisions the Board is continually making with our members, and it offers an invitation for them to provide any feedback they may consider helpful to continue advancing the mission of our Society.

The other point I’d like to mention is that despite the financial challenges we have experienced recently, the contribution of our members to the technical content has never decreased. The number of papers presented at our conferences continued at the same pace. A good example is that during the month of October 2022, a total of 1,382 papers were presented at six SPE events in North America, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific. Attendance at technical sessions at SPE-managed conferences are continuously increasing to reach the pre-pandemic levels. I recently participated in the SPE Middle East Artificial Lift Conference in Bahrain, ADIPEC in Abu Dhabi, and the Earth Energy and Environment (E3) Conference at Marietta College, where attendance was higher than expected.

Other programs and services available to our members will be highlighted in future columns.
Integrated Approach Determines Formation-Water Salinity
Authors: Carpenter Chris
Published: January 2023

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This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper IPTC 22548, “Integrated Approach for Formation-Water-Salinity Determination,” by Tariq Alshaikhmubarak, SPE, and Laila Mira, SPE, Saudi Aramco, and Sherif Ghadiry, Schlumberger, et al. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Copyright 2022 International Petroleum Technology Conference. Reproduced by permission.

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In the complete paper, two methodologies are tested to achieve measurement of formation-water salinity. First, a novel dry-weight chlorine (DWCL) measurement from an advanced spectroscopy tool is used to estimate the formation salinity at the depth of investigation of the device. The second methodology uses a new downhole induction resistivity cell in the formation-tester tool. The chlorine measurement, along with the flowline-induction-resistivity measurement, helps enhance the quality of saturation evaluation for quick decision making during logging operations and acceleration of evaluation studies instead of waiting on laboratory results.

Chlorine Work Flow

The ability to quantify chlorine concentration can help derive formation salinity as a continuous curve. Because chlorine has a large capture cross section, it is possible to extract it from capture gamma ray spectra with acceptable uncertainty, but the real challenge is to split the total chlorine signal seen by the tool into formation chlorine signal and borehole contribution. The chlorine signal split is a fundamental step in this work flow, outlined in Fig. 1.

Once the chlorine concentration in the formation is obtained—expressed as DWCL—several petrophysical applications are enabled. The first is computation of water volume assuming a known formation-water salinity. The second is computation of the sodium chloride (NaCl) equivalent salinity from an independent volume of water and DWCL. Finally, one can solve for the NaCl equivalent water salinity. Equations to achieve these steps are provided in the complete paper.

Interpretation Considerations

Capture spectroscopy measurements have a shallow depth of investigation (DOI) in the range of 8–10 in., which means sensitivity to mud-filtrate invasion in the volume of rock probed by the tool. The mud-filtrate invasion is controlled by several factors, including mud overbalance, formation exposure time to mud, formation porosity and permeability, and mudcake-formation process and efficiency. These factors must be considered when using the chlorine work flow to assess the effect of the invading water-based-mud (WBM) filtrate, which normally has a different salinity than the formation water. The main effect of oil-based-mud (OBM) filtrate invasion, assuming that only the oil phase is invading the formation, is a reduction of water volume at the measurement DOI, degrading the statistical precision of the DWCL and increasing the uncertainty in the computed salinity.
Investment Slowdown in India: Role of Monetary policy, Financial Sector and Economic Uncertainty
Authors: Sahoo Pravakar , Bishnoi Ashwani
Published: January 2023

Investment slowdown during the post-GFC period in India has affected the growth potential and productivity-led growth in India. We study the underlying factors for investment slowdown in India at disaggregate level - private investment, private corporate investment and household sector investment - using quarterly data from 2004-05 to 2019-20. The study finds that aggregate investment gets affected by aggregate demand, fiscal-monetary policy measures, financial sector development, exchange rate and economic uncertainty. We find similar results for private investment along with other essential determinants such as public investment, cost of capital, business confidence and uncertainty. Finally, private corporate investment is found responsive to bonds market development, real exchange rate, debt service ratio, business confidence and economic uncertainty, besides the conventional variables. Thus, to counter the current investment slowdown, there is a need to develop capital markets, strengthen monetary transmission, implement appropriate fiscal policies and reduce uncertainty in the economy.
JEL Classification: E22, E52, E62, E32.
Combined Acetaminophen and L-carnosine Treatment Prevented Anxiety-like Behaviour in Chronic Constriction Injury-induced Peripheral Neuropathy
Authors: Owoyele Victor Bamidele , Bakare Ahmed Olalekan , Olaseinde Folajimi , Ochu MuhammedJelil , Yussuf Akorede , Ekebafe Favour , Treister Roi
Published: January 2023

Background
Emotional derangement contributes to the worsening quality of life in a patient suffering from neuropathic pain (NP). Here, we report the therapeutic beneficial effects of combined acetaminophen and L-carnosine treatment in chronic constriction injury (CCI)-induced NP and associated comorbidities in male Wistar rats.
Methods
Seven experimental groups of male wistar rats were treated with normal saline, acetaminophen or acetaminophen and L-carnosine. Tail-immersion, Elevated Zero-maze, and light/dark box were used to assess pain and anxiety-like behaviours in rats. The kidney and liver were subjected to histotoxicological assessment after twenty-one days of treatments.
Results
Thermal hyperalgesia as well as pronounced anxiety-like behaviours were evident in CCI-induced rats. Ligated Wistar showed a significant (p < 0.001) increase in time spent in the close arms and decreased time duration in open arms compared with the unligated control in zero-maze. There was a significant decrease (p > 0.05) in time duration in the lightened compartment and an increase in time duration in the dark compartment of the light and dark box in ligated rats compared with unligated rats. Treatment with acetaminophen or its combination with L-carnosine improved the anxiolytic-like comorbid and pain behaviours in ligated rats. Combined acetaminophen and L-carnosine therapy prevented hepato-and-nephrotoxicity that is characterized in rats treated with acetaminophen alone.
Conclusion
Hence, combined acetaminophen and L-carnosine treatment is a potential treatment for CCI pain and its comorbidities.
Evaluation of the clinical efficacy of oxycodone PCIA in patients with postherpetic neuralgia complicated with breakthrough pain: protocol for a prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled trial
Authors: Yin QingHua , Zou TianHao , Sun ShuJun , Yang Dong
Published: January 2023

Background: Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is pain that persists for 1 month or more after the shingles rash has healed, the incidence of which increases with age. Some patients with PHN will experience breakthrough pain (BTP), which is unpredictable and severe in intensity, and seriously affects patients' life quality and treatment compliance. The current clinical rescue programs are lagging behind and the effect is poor. Therefore, it has become an urgent clinical problem and research hotspot to explore timely and efficient treatment options for PHN patients with breakthrough pain. Oxycodone is widely used in the treatment of moderate to severe acute and chronic pain and cancer pain. In previous studies of cancer pain, oxycodone was found to have similar efficacy as morphine, with fewer adverse effects than morphine. The efficacy and adverse reactions of oxycodone in PHN with breakthrough pain have not been reported before. This trial intends to set up a study, using morphine as a reference, to explore the efficacy and safety of oxycodone in PHN patients with breakthrough pain, with the aim of exploring the best treatment option for patients with refractory PHN episodic pain.
Methods: This study is a prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial involving 84 PHN patients with breakthrough pain (number of outbreaks ≥ 3 times/day, NRS score ≥ 7) hospitalized in the Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. At the onset of painful outbreaks, rescue medication such as morphine patient controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) and equal amount of oxycodone PCIA will be given. The change in NRS score before and after the administration of the drugs and the effective rate of pain control will be evaluated to assess the efficacy and safety of the different regimens.
Discussion: We innovatively use oxycodone PCIA for the control of PHN episode pain, in order to shorten the duration of hospitalization and accelerate the recovery of patients. We hope to contribute our wisdom to the clinical problems that the current recue treatment of PHN breakthrough pain has significant lag and poor effect.
Trial registration number ChiCTR2200065358
Iron phosphide nanocrystals for highly active and stable heterogeneous catalysis of liquid-phase hydrogenation of nitrile
Authors: Tsuda Tomohiro , Sheng Min , Ishikawa Hiroya , Yamazoe Seiji , Yamasaki Jun , Yamaguchi Sho , Mizugaki Tomoo , Mitsudome Takato
Published: January 2023

Iron-based heterogeneous catalysts are ideal metal catalysts owing to their abundance and low toxicity. However, conventional iron nanoparticle (Fe NP) catalysts exhibit extremely low activity for liquid-phase reactions and lack air stability. Previous attempts to encapsulate Fe NPs in shell materials toward air stability improvement were offset by the low activity of the Fe NPs. To overcome the trade-off between activity and stability in conventional Fe NP catalysts, we developed novel air-stable iron phosphide single nanocrystal (Fe2P NC) catalysts. The Fe2P NC exhibited high activity for liquid-phase nitrile hydrogenation, whereas the conventional Fe NPs demonstrated no activity. Furthermore, the air stability of the Fe2P NC allowed facile immobilization on supports; TiO2 enhanced the Fe2P NC activity. The resulting TiO2-supported Fe2P NC successfully converted various nitriles to primary amines and demonstrated high reusability. The development of air-stable and active Fe2P NC catalysts significantly expands the application scope of iron catalysts.
Quantum Simulation of Preferred Tautomeric State Prediction
Authors: Shee Yu , Yeh Tzu-Lan , Hsiao Jen-Yueh , Yang Ann , Lin Yen-Chu , Hsieh Min-Hsiu
Published: January 2023

Prediction of tautomers plays an essential role in computer-aided drug discovery. However, it
remains a challenging task nowadays to accurately predict the canonical tautomeric form of a given
drug-like molecule. Lack of extensive tautomer databases, most likely due to the difficulty in experimental
studies, hampers the development of effective empirical methods for tautomer predictions.
A more accurate estimation of the stable tautomeric form can be achieved by quantum chemistry
calculations. Yet, the computational cost required prevents quantum chemistry calculation as a
standard tool for tautomer prediction in computer-aided drug discovery. In this paper we propose
a hybrid quantum chemistry-quantum computation workflow to efficiently predict the dominant
tautomeric form. Specifically, we select active-space molecular orbitals based on quantum chemistry
methods. Then we utilize efficient encoding methods to map the Hamiltonian onto quantum
devices to reduce the qubit resources and circuit depth. Finally, variational quantum eigensolver
(VQE) algorithms are employed for ground state estimation where hardware-efficient ansatz circuits
are used. To demonstrate the applicability of our methodology, we perform experiments on two
tautomeric systems: acetone and Edaravone, each having 52 and 150 spin-orbitals in the STO-3G
basis set, respectively. Our numerical results show that their tautomeric state prediction agrees with
the CCSD benchmarks. Moreover, the required quantum resources are efficient: in the example of
Edaravone, we could achieve chemical accuracy with only eight qubits and 80 two-qubit gates.
Modelling Asymetries Among Consumer Price Index, Currency Price, Gross Domestic Output and Aggregate Import Demand in an Emerging Economy: The Case of Nigeria
Authors: Iormom Bruce , Usman Ojonugwa , Bature Bitrus Naka , Ogba Likita J.
Published: January 2023

This study investigates to determine whether the sensitivity of import demand to negative partial sum processes of consumer price index, currency price and national income merely mirror the elasticities corresponding to positive partial sums of these same determinants in Nigeria. The test of the recently developed nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag model provided strong proof for asymmetry over the short- and long-run. From the long-run non-linear Autoregressive Distributed Lag estimates, import demand was found to be positve, inelastic and significant in response to positive shocks to Consumer Price Index, and positve, significant but elastic in response to negative shocks. The short-term response of import demand to Consumer Price Index is revealed to be biased towards negative shocks. Import demand is indicated to be more responsive to currency appreciation than depreciation. Further, we found higher coefficients of income elasticity of import demand associated with negative changes in Gross Domestic Product than with positive changes. In the light of these findings, we recommend macroeconomic and microeconomic policies that can drive down domestic inflation and improve internal competitiveness.
JEL Codes: F4; F10; F13; F31
Gender is a non-negligible risk factor affecting the overall survival time of NSCLC patients: a nationwide population-based study
Authors: liang long , Wang Bingbing , Wang Changhui , Xie Shuanshuan
Published: January 2023

Purpose: The aim of this study is to explore the effect of gender on overall survival (OS) in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.
Methods: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Database (SEER) was queried for NSCLC cases from 2004 to 2015. A total of 129,864 NSCLC patients were identified to enroll in our study, including 78,460 males and 51,404 females. We compared and analyzed the demographics, socioeconomics, regional differences, tumor characteristics, treatment, and survival time in both groups of patients.
Results: Kaplan-Meier analysis showed improved OS in the female group compared to the male group throughout all stages (P<0.001). Median OS for males were 33.00 (95%CI: 31.88-34.12), 23.00 (95%CI: 21.93-24.07), 11.00 (95%CI: 10.77-11.23), and 4.00 (95%CI: 3.90-4.10) months from stage IB to IV, respectively. Median OS for females were 52.00 (95%CI: 49.53-54.47), 30.00 (95%CI: 27.95-32.05), 13.00 (95%CI: 12.63-13.37), 5.00 (95%CI: 4.85-5.15) months respectively as counterparts. A multivariable Cox regression model was constructed and analyzed on survival for each clinical stage. Being in the female cohort could significantly reduce risks for mortality compared with male cohort at all stages (hazard ratios [HR] of 0.766, 0.797, 0.846, and 0.857 for stages IB through IV respectively, [all P< 0.001]).
Conclusions: For various stages of patients older than 45 years, the OS of female NSCLC patients with or without chemotherapy is greater than that for male counterparts. Gender is a non-negligible risk factor affecting the overall survival time of NSCLC patients.
Ganoderma Lucidum Ameliorated Depression-Like Behavior in an Unpredictable Chronic Mild Stress Rat Model Via Regulation of Monoamines
Authors: Cheng Hao Yuan
Published: January 2023

Purpose This study investigated antidepressant-like effect of Gl-E on rats exposed to UCMS and elucidated its potential mechanism of antidepressant action of Gl-E by detecting the levels of monoamines and their metabolites in the rats’ brains. Methods Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to UCMS and treated with extract ofG. lucidum(Gl-E) and fluoxetine (FLU) for 28 consecutive days. The sucrose preference test (SPT) and open field test (OFT) were applied to assess the antidepressant effects. The levels of monoamines including serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT), norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) and their metabolites in the brain of rats were measured by HPLC. Results The results revealed that 4 weeks of UCMS exposure induced significant depression-like behavior, with low 5-HT, NE and DA levels in the rats’ brains. The treatment of Gl-E (0.1 and 0.5 g/kg) or FLU significantly alleviated the behavior deficiency and body weight reduction in UCMS rats. In addition, the levels of 5-HT, NE and DA in the brain of UCMS rats were increased after the Gl-E treatment. Conclusion The present study demonstrated that Gl-E could ameliorate depression-like behaviors in UCMS rats. Monoamines played an important role in the antidepressant action of Gl-E.
Swarm intelligence and evolutionary algorithms on an introduced novel type of time-cost trade-off problem
Authors: Naseri Hamed , Golroo Amir , Fani Amirhossein , Gandomi Amir H.
Published: January 2023

Time and cost are essential criteria for analyzing project feasibility. Project managers analyze the cost and duration of projects and make trade-offs between them before project initiation. During the implementation phase of a given project, a delay exists, making the initial plan impractical. Additionally, the contractor must pay a certain amount of money as delay fine based on the contract or spends extra money in order to reduce the duration of the project. This study proposes a new method to consider a trade-off between these two alternatives as a way to minimize the total time and the total extra money that should be paid. To this end, four strategies–minimizing costs, omitting delay under a minimum budget, minimizing cost and delay of the project simultaneously, and reducing the delay up to a particular level under a minimum budget–are taken into account to help decision-makers make the best decision. A case study is presented in this work, and 13 swarm intelligence and evolutionary algorithms are applied to find optimal solutions. A new index is developed and is used to compare various strategies and different algorithms. Based on the results, the introduced approach can reduce project costs and project delays by 28.8% and 85.7%, respectively. Moreover, the cuckoo search algorithm, invasive weed optimization, coyote optimization algorithm, and differential evolutionary algorithm outperform the other algorithms based on outcomes and the Tukey pairwise comparison results. Furthermore, the firefly algorithm is recognized as being the fastest algorithm for solving a delay time-cost trade-off problem.
Effects of Pu-erh and Dian Hong tea polyphenols on the gut-liver axis in mice
Authors: Wang Ning , Lan Chaohua , Mehmood Muhammad Aamer , He Manli , Xiao Xiongjun , Li Linman , Liao Dalong , Xu Kewei , Mo Shan , Zhang Puyu , Zhou Xiaoli , Gu Baoxiang , Zhu Hui , Wu Tao
Published: January 2023

The relationship among microbiota, intestine, and liver is an essential factor affecting the health of the host, and diet modifies the type of gut microbes. This experimental study evaluated the chemical constituents of polyphenols in Pu-erh (PTP) and Dian Hong tea (DHTP). It also examined the co-regulatory effects of PTP and DHTP on the intestinal flora and liver tissues in mice based on the sequence analysis of 16S rRNA genes and transcriptome. The results showed that higher concentrations of EGC (epigallocatechin), C (catechin), EC (epicatechin) and EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) were observed in DHTP, and higher contents of GA (gallic acid), ECG (epicatechin-3-gallate), TF (theaflavin) and TB (theabrownin) were found in PTP. The intake of PTP and DHTP significantly reduced the rates of weight gain in mice. Microbial community diversity was significantly higher in mice treated with PTP and DHTP than the control group. Notable, the beneficial microbes, such as Lactobacillus was significantly increased in PTP-treated mice, while Lachnospiraceae was significantly increased in DHTP -treated mice. Both PTP and DHTP improved the activity of the antioxidant enzymes (SOD) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in liver. The transcriptome analysis revealed that the positive effect of PTP and DHTP could be attributed to changes in different metabolic pathways, most related to antioxidant and lipid metabolism. This study revealed that PTP and DHTP played the benefical effects through the gut-liver axis in mice.
Chemokine expression predicts T cell-inflammation and improved survival with checkpoint inhibition across solid cancers
Authors: Zogopoulos George , Romero Joan Miguel , Titmuss Emma , Wang Yifan , Vafiadis James , Pacis Alain , Jang Gun Ho , Zhang Amy , Golesworthy Bryn , Lenko Tatiana , Williamson Laura , Grünwald Barbara , O'Kane Grainne , Jones Steven , Marra Marco , Wilson Julie , Gallinger Steven , Laskin Janessa
Published: January 2023

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are highly effective in specific cancers where canonical markers of antitumor immunity are used for patient selection. Novel predictors of T cell-inflammation are needed to identify ICI-responsive tumor subsets in additional cancer types. We investigated associations of a 4-chemokine expression signature (c-Score: CCL4, CCL5, CXCL9, CXCL10) with metrics of antitumor immunity across tumor types. Across cancer entities from The Cancer Genome Atlas, subgroups of tumors displayed high expression of the c-Score (c-Scorehi) with increased transcriptional hallmarks of the cancer-immunity cycle, while high tumor mutation burden (TMB) was associated with only a subset of c-Scorehi tumors. Among 82 patients treated with ICIs, the c-Scorehi subgroup exhibited longer median time to progression (103 versus 72 days, P=0.012) and overall survival (382 versus 196 days, P=0.038), and the c-Score outperformed TMB for overall survival prediction. Taken together, the c-Score identifies patients with hallmarks of T cell-inflammation and response to ICI treatment across cancer types.
A Novel Edge-Inspired Depth Quality Evaluation Network for RGB-D Salient Object Detection
Authors: Xu Kun , Guo Jichang
Published: January 2023

Recently, the pair of RGB images and depth images, which is denoted as RGB-D images, are introduced to improve their performances of Salient Object Detection(SOD), because one of the pairs may stand out at least in one modality. However, most existing State-Of-The-Art(SOTA) methods still suffer from dilemma. Firstly, the edges of predicted salient object are blurry. Secondly, how to integrate RGB-D images effectively still needs be explored. Thirdly, the quality of depth images have a strong impact on the performance of SOD so that the selection of depth images is worthy of exploring. To address the problems, in this paper, we propose a Edge-Inspired Depth Quality Evaluation Network(EDQNet), which evaluates the quality of the depth images based on the edge of ground truth, the edge of depth images and the predicted edge. More specifically, the Depth Quality Evaluation Module(DQEM) includes two parts: the depth decider and the depth aggregator. The former judges the quality of the depth images while the latter produces the weighted depth features. Then, the edge Detection Module(EDM) is proposed to predict the edge of salient object, producing the edge features. In addition, features from VGG backbone, edge features and the depth features are integrated by our Multi-Modality Feature Fusion(MMF) by using a series of composition of Hybrid Dilated Convolution(HDC). Moreover, the integrated features are fused by the Three-feature Interactive Module(TIM), Double-feature Interactive Module(DIM) and deconvolution to predict the final salient map. Our experiments on four RGB-D datasets demonstrate that our proposed EDQNet outperforms previous SOTA RGB-D SOD.
Symplectic integration for Hamiltonian stochastic differential equations driven by additive L´evy noise
Authors: Zhan Qingyi , Duan Jinqiao , Li Xiaofan
Published: January 2023

This paper proposes a general symplectic Euler scheme for a class of Hamiltonian stochastic differential equations driven by L´evy noise in the sense of Marcus form. The convergence of the symplectic Euler scheme for this Hamiltonian stochastic differential equations is investigated. Realizable numerical implementation of this scheme is also provided in details. Numerical experiments are presented to illustrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method by the simulations of its orbits, symplectic structure and Hamiltonian.
Can carbon emission trading improve energy efficiency? Evidence from clean energy transition
Authors: Xie Yunyan , Guo Yifan , zhao xing
Published: January 2023

Improving energy efficiency is essential to achieving sustainable development and promoting energy transition. Using provincial panel data of 30 regions in China from 2011 to 2020, this paper analyzes the impact of carbon emission trading on energy efficiency from the perspective of clean energy transition. The results are as follows: Carbon trading policy has a significant improvement effect on energy efficiency, and it remains valid after a series of robustness tests. Mechanism test shows an effective intermediary way of clean energy transition, in which the carbon emission policy reduces coal consumption intensity, thus optimizing energy structure and ultimately raising energy efficiency. In regions with low level of economic development and high level of marketization, carbon emissions trading plays a more significant role in improving energy efficiency. This paper helps to provide a reference for governmental departments as they optimize their strategy for promoting the construction of a national carbon emissions trading market and improving energy efficiency.
Divergent patterns and assembly processes of soil fungal abundant and rare communities along an elevational gradient in subalpine areas of Southwest China
Authors: Yang Fan , Long Chunyan , Chen Qiong , Cheng Xiaoli
Published: January 2023

Aim
Understanding the patterns and assembly processes of microbial communities along an elevational gradient remains largely debated.
Methods
We examined soil fungal abundant and rare communities and the underlying drives across a wide elevation from 2100-3950 m (a. s. l.) along the Yulong Mountain of Southwest China.
Results
We found the abundant and rare taxa were divergent in diversity, and only the α diversity of abundant taxa followed a humpback trend and peaked at 2900 m, despite the β diversity were significantly dependent on elevation gradients. Soil fungal abundant and rare taxa showed significant elevation-decay relationship, with more dispersal limitation to abundant taxa than that of rare taxa. Along the elevational gradients, the assembly of abundant fungal sub-communities were governed by combined effect of both environmental factors (soil nitrogen and potassium, soil temperature) and dispersal limitation, whereas the rare fungal sub-communities were merely dominated by stochastic processes (ecological drifts). Network modules analysis revealed higher functional redundancy in rare fungal sub-communities and this influence reinforced neutrality, and hence impelled rare fungal more susceptible to drift.
Conclusion
Our results suggested the divergent pattern and assembly process for soil fungal abundant and rare fungal taxa along an elevational gradient emphasized the stochastic process in fungal communities’ assembly, especially for low abundant taxa.
Integrated assessment of landslide susceptibility in the Kalaleh Basin, Golestan Province, Iran using novel SVR-GOA ensemble validated with BRT, ANN, and elastic net models
Authors: Zhu Quanpeng , Arabameri Alireza , santosh mum , Egbueri Johnbosco , Agbasi Johnson
Published: January 2023

Landslides cause severe environmental problems, such as severe damages to infrastructures (i.e., bridges, roads, network masts, and buildings) and agricultural lands, across many parts of the world. Unfortunately, a high degree of accuracy in landslide mapping and prediction is still challenging due to the complicated interactions of many factors. The goal of this study was to create and introduce a new ensemble model (support vector regression–grasshopper optimization algorithm (SVR–GOA)) validated alongside artificial neural network (ANN), boosted regression tree (BRT), and elastic net models for landslide susceptibility modeling taking the Kalaleh Basin in Iran as a case study. For this objective, a total of 140 landslides were considered and 16 conditioning factors used to construct a geographic database. Subsequently, variance inflation factor and tolerance indices were used to test the multicollinearity of the hazard conditioning variables. The relative significance of these factors and their connections to the locations of the landslides were determined using random forest. The development and validation of the four landslide models, SVR-GOA, ANN, BRT, and elastic net, were then performed. This study is the first to implement the SVR-GOA in landslide mapping. The effectiveness of the models was evaluated using area under the curve (AUC), kappa, and root mean squared error values. The outcome indicated that the lithology, slope degree, rainfall, topography position index, topography wetness index, surface area, and landuse/landcover were the most influential conditioning factors. All of the models provided predictions with good degree of fit, with the SVR-GOA performing better than others. The models performed in the order, at validation phase: SVR-GOA (AUC = 0.930) > ANN (AUC = 0.833) > BRT (AUC = 0.822) > elastic net (AUC = 0.726). Our novel approach employing the SVR-GOA ensemble in landslide mapping would help advance landslide research on regional, national, and global scales.
The protective effect of CD200 on hemorrhage/sepsis-associated acute kidney injury
Authors: Geng Yuanyuan , Sun Leilei , Tang Weiqing , Zhang Yunhe , Hu Baoji , Pan Mengzhi
Published: January 2023

Background Acute kidney injury is a serious complication of morbidity and mortality with critically ill patients in short and long-term. Severe trauma patients especially followed infection will induce acute kidney injury.
Methods C57BL and C57BL background CD200 deficiency mice were applied to undergoing the operation of cecal ligation and puncture following hemorrhage. The model was used to simulate the process of shock patients followed infection, which associated with acute kidney injury clinically. Blood and kidney tissues were harvested 24 h after hemorrhage/cecal ligation and puncture. CD200 expression on neutrophils and monocytes in blood was stained and measured via flow cytometry analysis. Serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen were measured according to the manufacturer’s instruction. Cytokines and counterpart RNA expression were detected via ELISA and RT-PCR, respectively. The severity of kidney injury was assessed by pathologists. The protein level of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and high mobility group 1 was measured via western blot.
Outcome CD200 expression was elevated on neutrophils and monocytes in blood. Furthermore, the severity of kidney injury of histology, assessed by pathologists, was much aggravated on acute kidney injury and even exacerbated on CD200 deficiency mice. The levels of serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen were all increased in CD200 deficiency mice. Cytokines of IL-6 and TNF-α increased in acute kidney injury and even aggravated in CD200 deficiency mice, but IL-10 was demonstrated the reversed trend. The consistent trend of RNA expression of cytokines including IL-6, TNF-α and IL-10 was corroborated via RT-PCR. As western blot demonstrated, the protein level of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin was increased and high mobility group 1 decreased in CD200 deficiency mice.
Conclusion CD200 may be involved in the development of hemorrhage/cecal ligation and puncture associated acute kidney injury. It may be speculated that CD200 plays a protective effect in acute kidney injury potentially through inhibiting neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and activating high mobility group 1 signaling pathway.
The impact of information quality of antimicrobial susceptibility test report on the rational antimicrobial use
Authors: Wei Ming , Wang Yanting , Zhang Xinping , Xu Xiaojun , Li Yan
Published: January 2023

Background
Antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) report was important for rational antimicrobial use. However, the reference value of AST report was sometimes limited due to poor information quality (IQ). This study aimed to measure the IQ of AST and evaluate the impact of IQ of AST report on rational antimicrobial use as a reference for antimicrobial therapy.
Methods
The retrospective study included data of AST report, antimicrobials prescribed after reporting AST results and related inpatient information. The inclusion criteria of the AST report included three conditions: 1. The AST reports were from inpatients with diagnosis of infection. 2. The bacteria were extracted from a sterile-site specimen. 3. The interpretive categories (ie. sensitive, intermediary or resistance) were firstly reported during one hospitalization. The IQ of AST report was measured by the total IQ and IQ of completeness, usefulness, accuracy and consistency. The rational antimicrobial use was measured by the antimicrobial adherence to the interpretive categories of AST report. Fractional logit regression model (FLRM) was chosen to evaluate the impact of IQ on the rational antimicrobial use.
Results
The median of the total IQ, completeness, usefulness, accuracy and consistency were 0.7345, 0.6082, 0.9167, 0.8966 and 1.0000, respectively. The results of FLRM showed that usefulness, accuracy and consistency had significant positive impacts on the rational antimicrobial use (β = 4.220, P < 0.01; β = 3.987, P < 0.01; β = 0.511, P < 0.05, respectively), while the total IQ and completeness had no statistically significant impacts on the rational antimicrobial use (β=-0.820, P > 0.1; β=-0.793, P > 0.1, respectively).
Conclusion
This study confirmed that usefulness, accuracy and consistency performed well and had positive impacts on the rational antimicrobial use, which indicated that improving IQ especially usefulness, accuracy and consistency would make AST report play a greater role in promoting the rational antimicrobial use.
A regional-scale hydrogeological study for identifying karstic aquifers with high water resource potential in Iran
Authors: Morsali Massoud
Published: January 2023

This study has been carried out with the aim of identification of areas of extensive karstification and consequently groundwater resource potential carbonate rocks in Iran considering the role of the chief factors affecting karst water potential. Accordingly, 25 different data layers where interrogated in a GIS platform. Subjective karst map was developed on the basis of what is considered to be a proper combination of these factors. The most important parameters are categorized to three driving factors include chemical, physical, and hydrogeological factors. Thematic map of each parameter was prepared using geographic information system (GIS). Measuring the rate and weight of the maps was performed using analytical hierarchical process (AHP), respectively. The final output map showed different zones of groundwater prospective potential, which was divided into five grades. According to the results, of the total area of 174049 km2 of carbonate outcrops in Iran, 10.5 % belongs to grade 1 (very high degree), 15 % to grade 2 (high degree), 24.5 % to grade 3 (medium degree), 29 % to grade 4 (low degree), and 21 % grade 5 (very low degree) of karst water potential. There is a significant karst water source in the southwest, north, and north east of Iran. The highest grade is belonging to the Kopet-Dagh zone in northeast of Iran.
A Novel MCGDM Model on Dynamic COVID-waves Analysis in Indiaunder Linguistic Neutrosophic Environment
Authors: BANIK BAISAKHI , GARAI PURNIMA , ALAM SHARIFUL , CHAKRABORTY AVISHEK
Published: January 2023

In this research study, a dynamic multi-criteria group decision-making (MCGDM) problem in linguisticneutrosophic frame has been executed with uncertain weights prescribed on the decision-makers. Here, thenotion of dynamic MCGDM problem is introduced to synchronize the different COVID wave attacks in theIndian scenario and selection of the best preventive measure advised by various experts. In different wave surges,the outcome of the waves changes along with the nature of the corona variant. Thus the adaptation of dynamicMCGDM problem is very much relevant in this concern. Exponential aggregation operator has been fabricatedin the linguistic neutrosophic frame and TODIM (TOmada de Decisao Interativa Multicriterio) technique is usedto compile the data. Our numerical simulation and sensitivity analysis reveal that the alternative “Masking”is the best preventive measure through out all the three COVID wave scenarios in India. Finally, the resultsobtained through our method are compared with other existing techniques and it is observed that our executedtechnique is compatible and coherent with other methods with some extra flexibility and features.
The Effects of Environmental Arsenic on the Photosynthesis, Antioxidants Systems, and Biosynthesis of Pistachio Oil
Authors: Yazdanpanah-Ravari Simin , Sharifabad Hossein Heidari , Abbaspour Hossein , Iranbakhsh Alireza
Published: January 2023

Heavy metals adversely impact not only soil and water, but also the plants existing nearby. To investigate the impact of arsenic contamination on physiological properties, antioxidant activities, and synthesis of pistachio oil, an experiment was conducted in 2021 in a CRD. Findings proved that the amounts of arsenic in different organs, bioaccumulation coefficient (BCF), and transfer factor (TF) were different in different study areas. The amount of arsenic in roots was much higher than the leaves; the highest amount of arsenic in the leaves, roots, and fruits of the studied region was 1000 to 1200 mg/kg. The highest amounts of BCF found in the leaves and fruits were 0.11 and 0.015, respectively. The TF changes were found more frequent in pistachio leaves than its fruits. An increasing trend of changes was observed in ion losses, malondialdehyde, carotenoids and flavonoids, glutathione peroxidase activity, glutathione reductase, phenolalanine amoliase, pyrroline-5-carboxylase synthase, lipoxygenase, and linoleic fatty acid which was due to an increase in total concentrations of valretic acid. Chl a and b, protein content, reduced glutathione, ascarobate peroxidase, proline dihydrogenase, oil content, oleic acid, and palmitic acid decreased linearly. Changes to malondialdehyde, Chl a, flavonoids, and pyrroline-5-carboxylase synthase showed the highest correlations with changes in arsenic level. Generally, it was found that arsenic accumulation caused damage to the structure of proteins, cell membranes, and photosynthetic pigments of the plant. These damages, in turn, led to the activation of plant's defense mechanism and had deterrent impact on the biosynthesis of the plant's oil.
Comparison of Structured Residuals Design Techniques for actuator and sensor Fault Detection and Isolation in a Permanent Magnet DC Motor
Authors: Antic Sanja , Rosic Marko , Djurovic Zeljko , Bozic Milos
Published: January 2023

The reliability of actuators and sensors is an important topic in many electric motor drives. A comparison of structured residual synthesis methods for actuator and sensor fault detection and isolation (FDI) in a permanent magnet (PM) DC motor, applying two different approaches to the design of primary residuals, is presented in the paper. The first method involves a standard approach and is based on system transfer matrix synthesis. The second, more convenient approach involves the synthesis of primary residuals based on the analysis of subsystems that describe the observed system. Both methods are applicable for linear and stationary systems but were successfully applied to a laboratory system that shows nonlinear and non-stationary properties and is affected by a constant disturbance, thanks to the proposed technique of residual translation with the previous design of internal residuals. A real-time experiment performed on a laboratory setup, which consists of a DC motor, an amplifier designed in the form of a linear electronic circuit, and a Compact RIO 9075 real-time processor, is used to illustrate the drawbacks and advantages of the analyzed approaches.
Gender differences in the association of individual and contextual socioeconomic status with hypertension in 230 Latin American cities from the SALURBAL study: a multilevel analysis.
Authors: Coelho Débora Moraes , Andrade Amanda Cristina Souza , Silva Uriel Moreira , Lazo Mariana , Slesinski Claire , Quistberg Alex , Diez-Roux Ana V. , Friche Amélia Augusta Lima , Caiaffa Waleska Teixeira
Published: January 2023

Background:Despite global interest in gender disparities and social determinants of hypertension, research in urban areas and regions with a high prevalence of hypertension, such as Latin America, is very limited. The objective of this study was toexamine associations between the individual- and area-level socioeconomic status and hypertension in adults living in 230 cities in eight Latin America countries.Methods:In this cross-sectional study, we used harmonized data from 109,184 adults (aged 18-97 years) from the SALURBAL (Salud Urbana en America Latina/Urban Health in Latin America) project. Hypertension was assessed by self-report. The individual-, sub-city- and city-level education were used as proxies of socioeconomic status. All models were stratified by gender.Results:While individual-level education was positively associated with higher odds of hypertension among men (university education or higher versus less than primary: Odds Ratio [OR] = 1.63; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.45-1.83) the reverse was true among women (university education or higher versus lower than primary: OR = 0.66, 95%CI = 0.60-0.73), with both associations showing a dose-response pattern. For both genders, living in sub-city areas with higher educational achievement was associated with higher odds of hypertension (OR per standard deviation [SD] = 1.05, 95%CI = 1.01-1.10; OR = 1.09 per SD, 95%CI = 1.03-1.16, for women and men, respectively). The association of city-level education with hypertension varied across countries. In Peru, there was an inverse association (lower proportion of hypertension with a better education at the city level) in women and men, in other countries, no association was observed.Conclusion:The social patterning of hypertension differs by gender and by the level of analysis highlighting the importance of context- and gender-sensitive approaches and policies to reduce the prevalence of hypertension in Latin America.
CO2 flushing triggers large eruptions at open conduit volcanoes: the case of Stromboli (Italy)
Authors: Caricchi Luca , Montagna Chiara , Aiuppa Alessandro , Lages Joao Pedro Nogueira , Tamburello Giancarlo , Papale Paolo
Published: January 2023

Open conduit volcanoes, of which Stromboli is an emblematic example, erupt with the highest frequency on Earth1. The activity at Stromboli is characterised by frequent small explosions intercalated by larger events that pose a significant risk to locals, tourists, and scientists2,3. Thus, identifying the signs of an impending larger explosion is of outmost importance for the mitigation of volcanic hazard. Here we show that the interaction between CO2-rich fluids and magma spontaneously leads to the accumulation of volatile-rich, low density and gravitationally unstable magma at depth, without the requirement of a permeability barrier4. CO2-flushing forces the exsolution of water and the increase of magma viscosity5, which proceeds from the bottom of the magma column upward. This rheological configuration unavoidably leads to the progressive thickening of a gas-rich and low density (i.e. gravitationally unstable) layer at the bottom of feeding system. Our calculations account for gas monitoring data and provide a base to trace the approach to deeply triggered large or paroxysmal eruptions and estimate their size from continuous gas monitoring data. The model we propose for Stromboli can be applied to any other open conduit volcano globally and offers a framework to anticipate the occurrence of unexpectedly large eruptions.