bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rating of Stability of Russian Companies in Oil and Gas and Electric Power Industries Based on Interval Volatility
Authors: Borodin Alex , Vygodchikova Irina , Panaedova Galina , Mityushina Irina
Published: July 2023

The authors propose an instrumental apparatus for calculating the ratings of Russian companies in the oil and gas and electric power industries based on a weighting method, risk assessment using the minimax criterion and an intellectual tree structure. The relevance of the developed system is justified by the need to create Russian rating systems for companies that will represent their actual state and place in the analyzed group. The problem of data redundancy has been solved by using the hierarchical principle for the isolated indexing of absolute and relative indicators from the financial statements of the companies in question into sub-indexes, with further integral indexing and correction for the volatility of changes over the past three years. The authors used a financial analytics apparatus based on the regular financial (accounting) statements of companies according to accepted forms, and balance sheets and reports on financial results were applied. The authors developed and tested a methodology for sub-indexing important indicators of financial statements: capital structure—equity, debt capital, highly liquid assets (cash and settlement accounts in reliable banks, short-term financial investments) and net profit. Based on the results of the analysis, recommendations are provided for the long-term development of the energy business.
Prospective PCM–Desiccant Combination with Solar-Assisted Regeneration for the Indoor Comfort Control of an Office in a Warm and Humid Climate—A Numerical Study
Authors: Manyumbu Edson , Martin Viktoria , Chiu Justin Ningwei
Published: July 2023

Favorable thermal conditions within buildings are a necessity. Mechanical air conditioning, although effective, contributes a significant percentage of the world’s total energy use, which contributes to global warming. In addition, the refrigerants used in air conditioning also contribute to global warming. Passive means to provide thermal comfort have therefore been considered as alternative solutions. Phase-change materials (PCMs) have been considered as one passive cooling option. Although this option achieves a certain degree of effectiveness, especially in warm and dry climatic conditions, its effectiveness in warm humid climates is subdued due to its inability to handle humidity. In the present study, the suitability of a novel passive comfort provision strategy that combines a PCM and a desiccant is assessed. The passive system operates in a cycle of two phases: the moderating phase and the regenerating phase. For the proposed strategy, the regeneration process first involves the external desiccant bed, then night air drying using the regenerated external bed; the dried air subsequently regenerates the internal wall surface. The study involves the modeling of the proposed strategy and simulation of its performance. The simulation results indicate the significant potential for providing satisfactory comfort and health conditions through application of a combination of a desiccant and a PCM.
Implementation of an Adaptive Method for Changing the Frequency Division of the Counter Clock Signal in a Frequency-to-Code Converter
Authors: Świsulski Dariusz , Warda Piotr
Published: July 2023

Processing physical quantities into an indirect signal is a standard method of transferring information about the measured quantity to the master system, which analyzes the data obtained from the acquisition system. The intermediate signal is very often the voltage, but another transmission medium can be the frequency of the output signal of the “physical quantity-to-frequency” converter. The article presents the implementation of the adaptive method of selecting the clock signal frequency of the counter working in the converter. The issue of selecting the clock signal frequency for the required processing range of the transducer is discussed in detail. The application of the method using the STM32L476RG microcontroller is presented. The principle of checking the processing range of the developed transducer model is discussed. The algorithms of transducer operation in basic and adaptive modes of measuring the period of the variable frequency signal are proposed. The results of operation, in both modes, of the transducer model of frequency processing are presented, along with the metrological analysis of the results. The influence of selected approximations used to reconstruct the measured quantity on the final presentation of the measurement result is discussed.
Research on the Coordinated Recovery Strategy Based on Centralized Electric Vehicle Charging Station
Authors: Wen Menghao , Shi Huabo , Li Baohong , Jiang Qin , Liu Tianqi , Ding Chaofan
Published: July 2023

Electric vehicles have become a crucial component of modern power systems, possessing substantial energy reserves that can be important power supplies in blackouts where the power grid has weak reserves or limited connections to other grids. In order to clarify the technical conditions and control methods of the centralized electric vehicle charging station as the black-start power source of the power grid, assuming that the centralized electric vehicle charging station can be considered a single, large-scale energy storage system, this paper proposes a three-stage coordinated recovery strategy based on the centralized electric vehicle charging station. The strategy involves three distinct stages, beginning with the establishment of AC frequency and voltage by the electric vehicle charging station to initiate the auxiliary load of the power plant. In the middle stage, considering the traditional generator has been connected, the charging station’s control mode is set to provide constant active and reactive power output, providing extra voltage and frequency support to the grid-connected generating units and crucial loads. Finally, in the later stage, control strategies are tailored to the charging power stations’ capacities, with one group of additional oscillation damping controllers, while the other group adopts additional frequency control to decrease power disturbances, ensuring a smooth recovery of the power grid. A PSCAD/EMTDC-based model was constructed to verify the proposed coordinated grid recovery strategies. The results demonstrated that the centralized station successfully established the voltage and frequency of the AC system, and the designed additional controller also made the recovery process much more stable.
Enhancing Electricity Theft Detection through K-Nearest Neighbors and Logistic Regression Algorithms with Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique: A Case Study on State Electricity Company (PLN) Customer Data
Authors: Maraden Yan , Wibisono Gunawan , Nugraha I Gde Dharma , Sudiarto Budi , Jufri Fauzan Hanif , Kazutaka Kazutaka , Prabuwono Anton Satria
Published: July 2023

Electricity theft has caused massive losses and damage to electricity utilities. The damage affects the electricity supply’s quality and increases the generation load. The losses happen not only for the electricity utilities but also affect the legitimate users who have to pay excessive electricity bills. That is why the method to detect electricity theft is indispensable. Recently, machine learning algorithms have been used to develop a model for detecting electricity theft. However, most algorithms have problems due to imbalanced data, overfitting issues, and lack of data. Therefore, this paper proposes a solution that implements the oversampling technique to address the problems and increase the developed model’s accuracy. It is used to perform oversampling on the imbalanced dataset. Our proposed method consists of a pre-processing step to remove empty values and extract several parameters. After that, the oversampling technique is performed on the result of the pre-processing step. The logistic regression model combined with the oversampling techniques shows the best performance results on the developed model of electricity theft detection based on the state electricity company customers. The experiment shows that the proposed method, logistic regression combined with the synthetic minority oversampling technique, shows superior performance in terms of the accuracy of the training data and data testing, precision, recall, and F1-scores of 98.97%, 98.7%, 95%, 99%, and 97%, respectively. Moreover, the experiment also shows that the proposed solution outperforms existing methods.
Preparation and Characterization of Shell-Based CaO Catalysts for Ultrasonication-Assisted Production of Biodiesel to Reduce Toxicants in Diesel Generator Emissions
Authors: Chong Ngee S. , Nwobodo Ifeanyi , Strait Madison , Cook Dakota , Abdulramoni Saidi , Ooi Beng G.
Published: July 2023

The environmentally sustainable production of biodiesel is important for providing both a renewable alternative transportation fuel as well as a fuel for power generation using diesel engines. This research evaluates the use of inexpensive catalysts derived from waste materials for converting triglycerides in seed oils into biodiesel composed of fatty acid methyl esters. The performance of CaO catalysts derived from the shells of oysters, mussels, lobsters, and chicken eggs was investigated. The shell-derived powders were calcined with and without the addition of zinc nitrate at 700–1000 °C for 4 h to yield CaO whereas the CaO-ZnO mixed catalyst were prepared by wet impregnation followed by calcination at 700 °C. The catalysts were characterized by XRF, XRD, TGA, SEM, FTIR and GC-MS. The CaO-ZnO catalysts showed slightly better conversion efficiency compared to CaO catalysts for the transesterification of canola oil. The mixed CaO-ZnO catalysts derived mainly from oyster shells showed the highest catalytic activity with >90% biodiesel yield at a 9:1 methanol-to-oil mole ratio within 10 min of ultrasonication. The reduction of toxicant emission from the generator is 43% and 60% for SO2, 11% and 26% for CO, were observed for the biodiesel blending levels of B20 and B40, respectively.
Assessment of Technical and Economic Potential of Urban Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Systems in Lithuania
Authors: Kozlovas Paulius , Gudzius Saulius , Ciurlionis Jokubas , Jonaitis Audrius , Konstantinaviciute Inga , Bobinaite Viktorija
Published: July 2023

This paper aimed at assessing the technical and economic potential of using rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in Lithuanian urban areas to support energy and climate policy formation and its implementation in the country. A bottom-up approach was applied. A number of apartment (AP), commercial (COM) and public (PUB) buildings, electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructures and solar PV systems in the largest Lithuanian cities were analyzed, and the results were tailored to national-wide estimates. LiDAR and photogrammetry data of building topologies, geographical information systems (GIS), digital maps for rooftop measurements, factual solar photovoltaic (PV) performance modeling, average profiles of solar PV systems, statistical data of energy consumption in buildings, levelized cost of energy (LCOE) models and the literature review method were used. The results of the assessment of selected buildings and their categories reveal that the rooftop area per installed PV unit was 14.1–18.3 m2/kW in AP buildings, followed by 18.0–18.6 m2/kW in COM and 6.1–18.3 m2/kW in PUB buildings; the factor of rooftop suitability for solar PV system installation varied in ranges of 31.5–85.4%, 48.9–99.4% and 50.1–88.2%, respectively. Corrected by expert judgement, these estimates served as inputs for the assessment of technical and economic potentials. Furthermore, energy generated by solar PV could be consumed locally with little supplied to the distribution grid, resulting in no or a limited need for expensive investments in infrastructure. In addition, locating an EV charger on the premises of COM or PUB buildings could improve the localized consumption of solar energy. Thus, rooftop solar PV systems in urban Lithuanian areas are preferable. The results of the technical potential analysis show that, on the rooftops of AP buildings, 272 MW could be installed, followed by 78 MW on roofs of PUB and 67 MW on COM buildings. If technical potential is extracted, EUR 332.7 million can be invested. The cost of energy produced by solar PV systems was estimated at 2.34–5.25 EURct/kWh, which is significantly lower than the prices of market and retail electricity, standing at 23 EURct/kWh and 24 EURct/kWh (with support from the government) in 2022, respectively. The research’s limitations are defined by the fact that average values were applied to estimate the technical and economic potential of rooftop solar PV systems; a limited number of building categories were analyzed; the category of private houses, which is minor in cities, was missed, and rural areas with a great number of private houses were not covered by this study.
A Joint Clearing Model of Energy-Frequency Modulation Based on Flexible Block Order
Authors: Wu Qunli , Qu Kaiyue
Published: July 2023

The large-scale integration of renewable energy into the grid has led to a gradual diversification of power generation trading units on the power-side, with varying operational characteristics, costs, and trading needs among diverse power generation trading units. Traditional power system clearing models face challenges. Block order is a bidding type that allows for multiple volume–price combinations. At the same time, the randomness and volatility of renewable energy poses challenges to the safe and stable operation of the system. Building a power system clearing model that meets the diverse and flexible needs of the power system has become an important consideration. Therefore, this paper considers the design of three flexible energy blocks: a sustaining block, flux block, and adjustment block to meet the differential needs of diverse trading units and establishes a flexible block order clearing model. Secondly, it establishes a joint clearing model of electrical energy and frequency modulation (FM) to ensure the stable and reliable operation of the system, and solves the model based on relevant constraints to determine the winning electrical energy price and FM price. The CPLEX and Yalmip algorithms are used to solve the model. Finally, a case study was conducted based on an improved IEEE 14-bus system. The results showed that the model proposed in this paper can satisfy the differential needs of diverse trading units, effectively improve the renewable energy consumption capacity, and reduce the prices of the energy market and frequency modulation market. Also, the standard deviation of the net load of the system is relatively low, which improves the reliability of the power system’s operation.
Applicability of Rice Husk Residue Generated by the Silica Extraction Process to Anaerobic Digestion for Methane Production
Authors: Park Seon Young , Jeon Byoung Seung , Gu Yang Mo , Park Ji Yeon , Kim Hyunook , Sang Byoung-In , Kan Eunsung , Choi Okkyoung , Lee Jin Hyung
Published: July 2023

Rice husks are a feedstock of biogenic silica because of their high silica content. After silica extraction, a solid residue comprising mostly carbohydrates is present. Solid residue valorization is important for closed-loop systems using rice husk and has minimal negative environmental impacts. In this study, we used solid rice husk that was generated by silica extractionto anaerobic digestion for producing biomethane. The rice husk residue was characterized in terms of total solids, volatile solids, pH, composition, and particle size. Changing the characteristics increased biogas production by 2.48-fold compared to that of raw rice husk. The residue produced 166.4 mL-biogas g−1 vs. and 100.4 mL CH 4 g−1 VS, much more than previously reported. Microbial community analysis, which was conducted to investigate the biological reasons for increased biogas and methane, found increased Bacteroidetes levels in the rice husk samples. Among archaeal communities, Bathyarchaeota was more abundant in all rice husk samples than in the inoculum. The rice husk residue contained more operational taxonomic units than other samples. These changes in the microbial community significantly influenced the anaerobic digestion of the rice husk residue and improved methane production. Our findings provide a basis for the cleaner utilization of rice husk residue to produce renewable energy.
Redesign of a Failed Hoisting Shaft of a Vertical Transfer Device
Authors: da Silva Filipe Alexandre Couto , de Castro Paulo M. S. T.
Published: July 2023

The redesign of a failed hoisting shaft belonging to a 10 m stroke vertical transfer device (VTD) is presented. Firstly, the operation of the VTD is thoroughly analysed, the variation of loads and moments along the operating cycle is characterised, and transients such as emergency stop loads are calculated. The selection of safety factors and duty cycle factors was followed by the shaft sizing. After an initial rough sizing, the high-cycle fatigue (HCF) design for cyclic bending moments was performed, first considering constant torque and then considering cyclic torque. The number of bending and torsion cycles performed by the hoisting shaft over 10 years was shown to exceed 106, and an infinite life design is mandatory. The analyses showed that the initial shaft diameter was insufficient, thus justifying the failures observed before the present redesign. A classical fatigue model combining torsional shear stresses with bending stresses was used to take into account reversed torsional loading and ensure infinite fatigue life. This work highlights the need to thoroughly understand a machine’s operating cycle so that the wrong premises for fatigue design calculations are not assumed.
The New Report of Root Rot on Fatsia japonica Caused by Phytophthora nicotianae in China
Authors: Zhou Jing , Xu Tingyan , Xu Xiaoqiao , Dai Tingting , Liu Tingli
Published: July 2023

As an ornamental plant, Fatsia japonica has been widely used in gardens. From April 2021 to 2022, a disease that caused the wilting and root rot of F. japonica in a large area was observed, which eventually led to the plants wilting and dying, while the leaves did not fall off. This disease greatly reduced the landscape effect of plants. An oomycete species was isolated from the roots of the infected plants. This colony morphology was slightly radial to stellate, and the aerial mycelium was flocculent. Oval sporangia with papillae, apical chlamydospores and zoospores formed in sporangia were observed. The morphological characteristics were consistent with Phytophthora. For accurate identification, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), cytochrome oxidase subunit II (COXII) and large ribosomal subunit (LSU) genes were amplified and sequenced. The species was identified as Phytophthora nicotianae using phylogenetic analysis. Finally, the disease was reproduced by inoculating healthy F. japonica with a zoospore suspension; the symptoms were consistent with those of natural infections, and the isolate obtained from artificially infected plants had the same morphological characteristics as the inoculated isolate. The results demonstrated that P. nicotianae is the pathogenic factor of root rot. of F. japonica. This is the first report of root rot on F. japonica caused by P. nicotianae in China.
Dispersive Propagation of Terahertz Pulses in a Plasmonic Fiber
Authors: Petrov Nikolai I.
Published: July 2023

The dispersion properties of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) during propagation on metal wires with a dielectric coating in the terahertz frequency range were investigated theoretically. An analytical expression was obtained for a pulsed electric field using the solution of Maxwell equations taking into account high-order dispersion terms. The influence of the dielectric coating on the distortion of the pulse shape was investigated. Unlike uncoated wire, the propagation of surface plasmon pulses along a coated wire is highly dispersive. It was shown that the coating leads to the appearance of a long-chirped signal with a propagation of only a few millimeters, i.e., when a terahertz pulse propagates along a coated wire, it acquires a long oscillatory tail, the frequency of which depends on time.
Arsenic Contents, Speciation and Toxicity in Germinated Rice Alleviated by Selenium
Authors: Zheng Xin , Hong Jing , Zhang Jingyi , Gao Yulong , Li Peng , Yuan Jian , Li Guanglei , Xing Changrui
Published: July 2023

Rice can accumulate more organic and inorganic arsenic (iAs) than other crop plants. In this study, the localization of As in rice grains was investigated using High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS) based on 26 rice varieties collected from two provinces. In all the samples, the total As contents in polished rice were 0.03–0.37 mg/kg, with average values of 0.28 and 0.21 mg/kg for two sample sets. The results of the determination of arsenic speciation in different components of rice grain showed that in the polished and brown rice the mean value of arsenite (As(III)) was nearly twice than that of arsenate (As(V)). The regional difference was observed in both total As contents and As speciation. The reason may be that As(III) is more mobile than As(V) in a dissociated form and because of soil properties, rice varieties, and the growing environment. The proportion of iAs and the total As in rice bran was higher than that in polished rice, and this is because As tends accumulate between the husk and the endosperm. In our study, selenium could alleviate the risk of arsenic toxicity at the primary stage of rice growth. Co-exposure to As and Se in germinated rice indicated that the reduction in As accumulation in polished rice reached 73.8%, 76.8%, and 78.3% for total As, As(III), and As(V) when compared with rice treated with As alone. The addition of Se (0.3 mg/kg) along with As significantly reduced the As amount in different parts of germinated rice. Our results indicated that Se biofortification could alleviate the As accumulation and toxicity in rice crops.
Dynamic of Some Relapse in a Giving Up Smoking Model Described by Fractional Derivative
Authors: Alalhareth Fawaz K. , Boudaoui Ahmed , El hadj Moussa Yacine , Laksaci Noura , Alharbi Mohammed H.
Published: July 2023

Smoking is associated with various detrimental health conditions, including cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung illnesses, diabetes, and fatal diseases. Motivated by the application of fractional calculus in epidemiological modeling and the exploration of memory and nonlocal effects, this paper introduces a mathematical model that captures the dynamics of relapse in a smoking cessation context and presents the dynamic behavior of the proposed model utilizing Caputo fractional derivatives. The model incorporates four compartments representing potential, persistent (heavy), temporally recovered, and permanently recovered smokers. The basic reproduction number R0 is computed, and the local and global dynamic behaviors of the free equilibrium smoking point (Y0) and the smoking-present equilibrium point (Y*) are analyzed. It is demonstrated that the free equilibrium smoking point (Y0) exhibits global asymptotic stability when R0≤1, while the smoking-present equilibrium point (Y*) is globally asymptotically stable when R0>1. Additionally, analytical results are validated through a numerical simulation using the predictor–corrector PECE method for fractional differential equations in Matlab software.
Mn-XRN1 Has an Inhibitory Effect on Ovarian Reproduction in Macrobrachium nipponense
Authors: Chen Tianyong , Yuan Huwei , Qiao Hui , Jiang Sufei , Zhang Wenyi , Xiong Yiwei , Fu Hongtuo , Jin Shubo
Published: July 2023

XRN1 is an exoribonuclease that degrades mRNA in the cytoplasm along the 5′–3′ direction. A previous study indicated that it may be involved in the reproduction of Macrobrachium nipponense. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to detect the spatiotemporal expression pattern of Mn-XRN1. At the tissue level, Mn-XRN1 was significantly expressed in the ovary. During development, Mn-XRN1 was significantly expressed at the CS stage of the embryo, on the 10th day post-larval and in the O2 stage of ovarian reproduction. The in situ hybridization results showed the location of Mn-XRN1 in the ovary. The expression of Mn-VASA was significantly increased after in vivo injection of Mn-XRN1 dsRNA. This suggests that Mn-XRN1 negatively regulates the expression of Mn-VASA. Furthermore, we counted the number of M. nipponense at various stages of ovarian reproduction on different days after RNAi. The results showed that ovarian development was significantly accelerated. In general, the results of the present study indicate that Mn-XRN1 has an inhibitory effect on the ovarian maturation of M. nipponense. The inhibitory effect might be through negative regulation of Mn-VASA.
Review of Remote Sensing Approaches and Soft Computing for Infrastructure Monitoring
Authors: Kyriou Aggeliki , Mpelogianni Vassiliki , Nikolakopoulos Konstantinos , Groumpos Peter P.
Published: July 2023

During the past few decades, remote sensing has been established as an innovative, effective and cost-efficient option for the provision of high-quality information concerning infrastructure to governments or decision makers in order to update their plans and/or take actions towards the mitigation of the infrastructure risk. Meanwhile, climate change has emerged as a serious global challenge and hence there is an urgent need to develop reliable and cost-efficient infrastructure monitoring solutions. In this framework, the current study conducts a comprehensive review concerning the use of different remote-sensing sensors for the monitoring of multiple types of infrastructure including roads and railways, dams, bridges, archaeological sites and buildings. The aim of this contribution is to identify the best practices and processing methodologies for the comprehensive monitoring of critical national infrastructure falling under the research project named “PROION”. In light of this, the review summarizes the wide variety of approaches that have been utilized for the monitoring of infrastructure and are based on the collection of remote-sensing data, acquired using the global navigation satellite system (GNSS), synthetic aperture radar (SAR), light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) sensors. Moreover, great emphasis is given to the contribution of the state-of-the-art soft computing methods throughout infrastructure monitoring aiming to increase the automation of the procedure. The statistical analysis of the reviewing publications revealed that SARs and LiDARs are the prevalent remote-sensing sensors used in infrastructure monitoring concepts, while regarding the type of infrastructure, research is orientated onto transportation networks (road and railway) and bridges. Added to this, deep learning-, fuzzy logic- and expert-based approaches have gained ground in the field of infrastructure monitoring over the past few years.
Burnout Levels in Nurses and Associated Factors during the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Filipska-Blejder Karolina , Antczak-Komoterska Anna , Kostecka Magdalena , Haor Beata , Królikowska Agnieszka , Jabłońska Renata , Grzelak Lech , Wysokiński Mariusz , Fidecki Wiesław , Wiśniewski Adam , Ślusarz Robert
Published: July 2023

Previous studies have shown that sudden changes in the nature of nursing work and their work environment related to the COVID-19 pandemic have affected the professional experience of nurses, and consequently led to an increase in professional burnout in this professional group. Thus, the aim of the study was to measure occupational burnout among nurses working during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland. A cross-sectional study was conducted with pediatric and surgery female nurses (N = 110, mean age 51 ± 6.92) from the Provincial Specialist Hospital in Włocławek, Poland. The participants completed the Link Burnout Questionnaire (LBQ) and the Socio-Demographic Questionnaire (SDQ). The data were analyzed using Spearman’s rank correlation and Mann–Whitney U test. The study showed that high burnout affected 6.4% of nurses. The level of professional burnout for the subscales of psychophysical exhaustion, relationship deterioration, professional inefficacy and disappointment was 28.2%, 26.4%, 11.8% and 13%, respectively (mean score: 19.85 ± 6.51, 18.03 ± 5.15, 13.74 ± 4.07 and 17.61 ± 5.85, respectively). The results show that surgical nurses were statistically more likely to experience professional burnout. In sum, burnout among nurses has become a serious problem, especially considering the COVID-19 pandemic, which is why it is so important to continue research in this area. Hospital management needs to take urgent action to address the systemic and professional issues that contribute to the suboptimal mental health of nurses.
A Feasibility Study of AlzLife 40 Hz Sensory Therapy in Patients with MCI and Early AD
Authors: McNett Sienna D. , Vyshedskiy Andrey , Savchenko Andrei , Durakovic Danijel , Heredia George , Cahn Rael , Kogan Mikhail
Published: July 2023

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) are debilitating diseases that affect millions of individuals and have notoriously limited treatment options. One emerging therapy, non-invasive 40 Hz sensory therapy delivered through light and sound has previously shown promise in improving cognition in Alzheimer Disease (AD) rodent models. Small studies in humans have proven safe and tolerable, however exploration of feasibility and utility is limited. The purpose of this study is to examine the feasibility of this treatment in a human population through a smart tablet application that emits light and sound waves at 40 Hz to the user over the span of 1 h a day. Confirmation of entrainment of 40 Hz stimulation in the cerebral cortex was performed via EEG. 27 preliminary subjects with subjective cognitive complaints, Mild Cognitive Impairment, or AD were enrolled in the study; 11 participants completed 6 months of therapy. Of those that discontinued treatment, other health issues and difficulties with compliance were the most common causes. Participants were followed with Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) and Boston Cognitive Assessment (BOCA). For participants with subjective cognitive complaints, 2 of the 4 had improved MOCA score and 1 of 4 had improved BOCA score. For the participant with MCI, his MOCA score improved. For AD participants, 2 out of 6 had improved MOCA score and 3 of the 6 stayed stable, while 3 of 6 BOCA score improved. 4 of 11 participants specifically increased their MOCA scores in the Memory Index section. Of the 8 participants/caregivers able to speak to perceived usefulness of the study, 6 spoke to at least some level of benefit. Of these 6, 2 enrolled with subjective cognitive complaint, 1 had MCI, and 3 had AD. The therapy did not have reported side effects. However, those who did not finish the study experienced issues obtaining and operating a smart tablet independently as well as complying with the therapy. Overall, further exploration of this treatment modalities efficacy is warranted.
A Pilot Study to Examine the Effects of a Workplace Cyberbullying Cognitive Rehearsal Mobile Learning Program for Head Nurses: A Quasi-Experimental Study
Authors: Park Mijeong , Cho Ok Yeon , Choi Jeong Sil
Published: July 2023

This study aimed to (1) develop a version of the cognitive rehearsal program that is suitable for cyberbullying and (2) apply the m-learning method to evaluate its effectiveness among head nurses. This study was conducted in July 2021 and comprised 69 South Korean university hospital head nurses. It was evaluated using a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest and a quasi-experimental design. The program was developed using the Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation (ADDIE) step process, consisting of 10 scenarios. Variables with proven reliability were used in the program effect measurement. The differences between the experimental and control groups were examined using an independent t-test (perception) or the Mann–Whitney U test (symptom experience, knowledge, and turnover intention). The program positively affected and improved head nurses’ knowledge and perception of workplace cyberbullying; however, it elevated their symptom experience and had no immediate impact on turnover intention. The developed program could be applied as a valuable educational strategy in the nursing field. Head nurses act as intermediaries between individuals and the organization. Therefore, they must respond with in-depth knowledge and perceptions of cyberbullying to fulfill their responsibilities of identifying, mediating, and managing cyberbullying among hospital team members.
Intangible Heritage of the Dehesa: The Educational and Tourist Potential of Traditional Trades
Authors: Guillén-Peñafiel Rebeca , Hernández-Carretero Ana María , Sánchez-Martín José Manuel
Published: July 2023

Dehesas constitute one of the most relevant and traditional landscapes of the Extremadura region. However, the supremacy given to the economic–productive functionality of agricultural territories over environmental and cultural sustainability leads to the devaluation and neglect of the heritage manifestations of the rural world. Based on this premise, this study aimed to understand the current situation of some of the traditional trades of the Extremadura pasture, assessing the benefits of their conservation and determining the possible threats that hinder their preservation. In addition, it sought to articulate a proposal for solutions aimed at safeguarding them. To this end, the Delphi method was used, and 20 experts were interviewed in depth, mainly cork and charcoal extractors. The results corroborate the existence of various problems faced by the traditional trades, which compromise the conservation of the identity of the rural population and the sustainability of the dehesa. To mitigate these tensions, it was concluded that there is a need to disseminate the heritage of the dehesa through educational and agrotourism experiences to promote an increase in tourist awareness, revalue ancestral knowledge, and contribute to the conservation of intangible assets.
The Book of Uí Mhaine: An Interdisciplinary Analysis of the Materiality of the Gaelic Manuscript Tradition
Authors: Biolcati Veronica , Wilson Meghan , Fiddyment Sarah , Unitt Richard , Ryan Cynthia Connelly , Hoffmann Anna Grace , Gillis John , France Fenella , Ó Macháin Pádraig , Iacopino Daniela
Published: July 2023

This paper presents the findings of the first multi-analytical investigation of the Book of Uí Mhaine, one of the largest Gaelic Books surviving from the medieval vernacular period. A combination of protein analysis, point X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), multispectral imaging (MSI), point Fiber-Optic Reflectance Spectroscopy (FORS) and point Raman spectroscopy was used to perform a systematic investigation of the Book of Uí Mhaine’s constituent materials, including parchment, inks and pigments. The analysis revealed that the parchment was made of calfskin, both blunt tools and Pb-containing materials were used for ruling the pages throughout the manuscript, and iron-based inks were used to write the content of the book. The decoration was restricted to the initial letters and rubrication across the body text. The decoration color palette was limited to yellow and red, comprising arsenic-, mercury- and lead-based pigments. A copper-based green pigment was found only on one folio. The scientific knowledge acquired through this multi-analytical approach complemented a substantial corpus of knowledge already built by Gaelic scholars, paleographers, codicologists and conservators. This work not only allowed for the consolidation of existing information on methods and materials used for the production of medieval Gaelic manuscripts but also laid the basis for future comparative work with other contemporary traditions in Ireland and Europe.
Device for Controlled Production of Hydrogen
Authors: Pozio Alfonso
Published: July 2023

In this work, the production of hydrogen from the sodium borohydride (NaBH4) reaction was studied using an experimental bench test in a passive device operating with or without minimal external energy input. The system consists of a reactor in which a mixture based on sodium borohydride powders and an organic acid is confined. A flow of water feeds the area in which the solid mixture is confined, which undergoes a hydrolysis reaction and this generates gaseous hydrogen. The hydrogen thus produced, already saturated with water vapor, is particularly suitable for feeding polymer electrolyte fuel cells for the production of electricity because it does not require further humidification. The borohydride–organic acid coupling studied for this device, and its chemical process, provides high reaction and conversion kinetics, presenting remarkable chemical stability over time.
Assessing Barriers and Utilization of Sexual and Reproductive Health Services among Female Migrant Workers in Vietnam
Authors: Ha Toan , Givens David , Shi Hui , Nguyen Trang , Nguyen Nam , Shrestha Roman , Frank Linda , Schensul Stephen L.
Published: July 2023

Young migrant women workers frequently experience disparities in accessing health services, including sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, especially in urban settings. This study assesses the barriers and utilization of SRH services and explores factors associated with the utilization of these services among young female migrant workers working in the industrial zone (IZ) in Vietnam. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1061 young women migrant workers working in an IZ in Hanoi, Vietnam. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with utilization of SRH services. Nearly 35% of the participants reported using SRH services at least once since working in the IZ. Additionally, around 78% of the participants reported using a contraceptive method during their last sexual encounter. The study also found that older participants (25–29 years old) were nearly two times more likely to use SRH services than younger participants (18–24 years old) (OR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.19–3.06). Married participants had nearly six times higher odds of using SRH services compared to single participants (OR = 5.98, 95% CI: 3.71–9.63), and participants with higher incomes were more likely to use SRH services (OR = 1.02, 95% CI: 1.01–1.04). The most commonly reported barriers to access SRH services were inconvenient hours of service operation (26.2%), followed by long distance from the service location (9.2%) and high service cost (5.2%). This study found a low level of SRH service utilization and identified several barriers to accessing these services among the study participants. The study findings provide important evidence insights for policymakers and program managers to develop and implement policies that help reduce barriers and enhance the provision of SRH services tailored to the needs of IZ married and unmarried women migrant workers in the IZ in rapidly developing and urbanizing countries like Vietnam and other low- and middle-income countries with similar contexts.
Telemedicine in Sports under Extreme Conditions: Data Transmission, Remote Medical Consultations, and Diagnostic Imaging
Authors: Pegoraro Nicola , Rossini Benedetta , Giganti Melchiore , Brymer Eric , Monasterio Erik , Bouchat Pierre , Feletti Francesco
Published: July 2023

Telemedical technologies provide significant benefits in sports for performance monitoring and early recognition of many medical issues, especially when sports are practised outside a regulated playing field, where participants are exposed to rapidly changing environmental conditions or specialised medical assistance is unavailable. We provide a review of the medical literature on the use of telemedicine in adventure and extreme sports. Out of 2715 unique sport citations from 4 scientific databases 16 papers met the criteria, which included all research papers exploring the use of telemedicine for monitoring performance and health status in extreme environments. Their quality was assessed by a double-anonymised review with a specifically designed four-item scoring system. Telemedicine was used in high-mountain sports (37.5%; n = 6), winter sports (18.7%; n = 3), water sports (25%; n = 4), and long-distance land sports (18.7%; n = 3). Telemedicine was used for data transfer, teleconsulting, and the execution of remote-controlled procedures, including imaging diagnostics. Telemedical technologies were also used to diagnose and treat sport-related and environmentally impacted injuries, including emergencies in three extreme conditions: high mountains, ultraendurance activities, and in/under the water. By highlighting sport-specific movement patterns or physiological and pathological responses in extreme climatic conditions and environments, telemedicine may result in better preparation and development of strategies for an in-depth understanding of the stress of the metabolic, cardiorespiratory, biomechanical, or neuromuscular system, potentially resulting in performance improvement and injury prevention.
Evaluation of SMAP-Enhanced Products Using Upscaled Soil Moisture Data Based on Random Forest Regression: A Case Study of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, China
Authors: Chen Jia , Hu Fengmin , Li Junjie , Xie Yijia , Zhang Wen , Huang Changqing , Meng Lingkui
Published: July 2023

The evaluation of satellite soil moisture is a big challenge owing to the large spatial mismatch between pixel-based satellite soil moisture products and point-based in situ measurements. Upscaling in situ measurements to obtain the “true value” of soil moisture content at the satellite grid/footprint scale can make up for the scale difference and improve the validation. Many existing upscaling methods have strict requirements regarding the spatial distribution and quantity of soil moisture sensors. However, in reality, soil-moisture-monitoring networks are commonly sparse with low sensor density, which increases the difficulty of obtaining accurate upscaled soil moisture data and limits the validation of satellite products. For this reason, this paper proposes a scheme to upscale in situ measurements using five machine learning methods along with Landsat 8 datasets and DEM data to validate the accuracy of a SMAP-enhanced passive soil moisture product for a sparse network on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. The proposed scheme realizes the upscaling of in situ soil moisture data to the pixel scale (30 m × 30 m) and then to the coarse grid scale (9 km × 9 km) by using multi-source remote sensing data as the bridge of scale conversion. The long-time SMAP SM products since April 2015 on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau were validated based on upscaled soil moisture data. The results show that (1) random forest regression performs the best, and the upscaled soil moisture data reflect the region-average soil moisture conditions that can be used for evaluating SMAP data; (2) the SMAP product meets its scientific measurement requirements; and (3) the SMAP product generally underestimates the soil moisture in the study area.
Mobile Collaborative Heatmapping to Infer Self-Guided Walking Tourists’ Preferences for Geomedia
Authors: Sasaki Iori , Arikawa Masatoshi , Lu Min , Sato Ryo
Published: July 2023

This paper proposes a model-less feedback system driven by tourist tracking data that are automatically collected through mobile applications to visualize the gap between geomedia recommendations and the actual routes selected by tourists. High-frequency GPS data essentially make it difficult to interpret the semantic importance of hot spots and the presence of street-level features on a density map. Our mobile collaborative framework reorganizes tourist trajectories. This processing comprises (1) extracting the location of the user-generated content (UGC) recording, (2) abstracting the locations where tourists stay, (3) discarding locations where users remain stationary, and (4) simplifying the remaining points of location. Then, our heatmapping system visualizes heatmaps for hot streets, UGC-oriented hot spots, and indoor-oriented hot spots. According to our experimental study, this method can generate a trajectory that is more adaptable for hot street visualization than the raw trajectory and a simplified trajectory according to its geometry. This paper extends our previous work at the 2022 IEEE International Conference on Big Data, providing deeper discussions on application for local tourism. The framework allows us to derive insights for the development of guide content from mobile sensor data.
Mapping with ChatGPT
Authors: Tao Ran , Xu Jinwen
Published: July 2023

The emergence and rapid advancement of large language models (LLMs), represented by OpenAI’s Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT), has brought up new opportunities across various industries and disciplines. These cutting-edge technologies are transforming the way we interact with information, communicate, and solve complex problems. We conducted a pilot study exploring making maps with ChatGPT, a popular artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot. Specifically, we tested designing thematic maps using given or public geospatial data, as well as creating mental maps purely using textual descriptions of geographic space. We conclude that ChatGPT provides a useful alternative solution for mapping given its unique advantages, such as lowering the barrier to producing maps, boosting the efficiency of massive map production, and understanding geographical space with its spatial thinking capability. However, mapping with ChatGPT still has limitations at the current stage, such as its unequal benefits for different users and dependence on user intervention for quality control.
Crystal Design, Antitumor Activity and Molecular Docking of Novel Palladium(II) and Gold(III) Complexes with a Thiosemicarbazone Ligand
Authors: Gatto Claudia C. , Almeida Carolane M. , Nascimento Érica C. M. , Martins João B. L. , da Mota Tales H. A. , de Oliveira Diêgo M.
Published: July 2023

The current research describes the synthesis and characterization of 2-acetylpyridine N(4)-cyclohexyl-thiosemicarbazone ligand (HL) and their two metal complexes, [Au(L)Cl][AuCl2] (1) and [Pd(L)Cl]·DMF (2). The molecular structures of the compounds were determined by physicochemical and spectroscopic methods. Single crystal X-ray diffraction was employed in the structural elucidation of the new complexes. The complexes showed a square planar geometry to the metal center Au(III) and Pd(II), coordinated with a thiosemicarbazone molecule by the NNS-donor system and a chloride ion. Complex (1) also shows the [AuCl2]− counter-ion in the asymmetric unit, and complex (2) has one DMF solvent molecule. These molecules play a key role in the formation of supramolecular structures due to different interactions. Noncovalent interactions were investigated through the 3D Hirshfeld surface by the dnorm function and the 2D fingerprint plots. The biological activity of the compounds was evaluated in vitro against the human glioma U251 cells. The cytotoxicity results revealed great antitumor activity in complex (1) compared with complex (2) and the free ligand. Molecular docking simulations were used to predict interactions and properties with selected proteins and DNA of the synthesized compounds.