bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mechanism of Mepiquat Chloride Regulating Soybean Response to Drought Stress Revealed by Proteomics
Authors: Dong Shoukun , Wang Xin , Li Xiaomei , Tian Yumei , Zhou Xinyu , Qu Zhipeng , Wang Xiyue , Liu Lijun
Published: May 2023

Soybeans are the main sources of oil and protein for most of the global population. As the population grows, so does the demand for soybeans. However, drought is a major factor that limits soybean production. Regulating soybean response to drought stress using mepiquat chloride (MC) is a feasible method; however, its mechanism is still unclear. This study used PEG-6000 to simulate drought stress and quantitative proteomic techniques to reveal changes in Heinong44 (HN44) and Heinong65 (HN65) subjected to drought following the application of 100 mg/L of MC. The results showed that SOD in HN44 did not change significantly but decreased by 22.61% in HN65 after MC pretreatment, and MDA content decreased by 22.75% and 21.54% in HN44 and HN65, respectively. Furthermore, MC improved the GSH–ASA cycle and simultaneously promoted the Calvin cycle process to enable the plant to maintain a certain carbon assimilation rate under osmotic stress. In addition, MC upregulated some proteins during gluconeogenesis and starch metabolism and increased soluble sugar content by 8.41% in HN44. MC also reduced ribosomal protein abundance, affecting translation and amino acid metabolism. In summary, MC improved GSH–ASA cycle and Calvin cycle under stress to alleviate oxidative damage and maintain crop growth. Our study is the first to report the mechanism of MC regulation in soybean under osmotic stress, providing new insights for the rational application of MC in soybean.
Leguminous Seedborne Pathogens: Seed Health and Sustainable Crop Management
Authors: Dell’Olmo Eliana , Tiberini Antonio , Sigillo Loredana
Published: May 2023

Pulses have gained popularity over the past few decades due to their use as a source of protein in food and their favorable impact on soil fertility. Despite being essential to modern agriculture, these species face a number of challenges, such as agronomic crop management and threats from plant seed pathogens. This review’s goal is to gather information on the distribution, symptomatology, biology, and host range of seedborne pathogens. Important diagnostic techniques are also discussed as a part of a successful process of seed health certification. Additionally, strategies for sustainable control are provided. Altogether, the data collected are suggested as basic criteria to set up a conscious laboratory approach.
Synthesis and Characterization of a One-Dimensional Malleable Spin-Crossover Polymer Complex Modified by Methoxy Polyethylene Glycol
Authors: Wang Di , Zhang Ren , Liu Jin , Ji Bibi , Wang Wenping , Peng Mengyuan , Huang Chen , Cheng Lizhuoran , Ding Yi
Published: May 2023

A novel one-dimensional malleable spin-crossover (SCO) complex {[Fe(MPEG-trz)3](BF4)2} has been successfully synthesized by molecular self-assembly between 4-amino-1,2,4-triazoles (MPEG-trz) grafted with a long flexible chain methoxy polyethylene glycol (MPEG) and metallic complex Fe(BF4)2•6H2O. The detailed structure information was illustrated by using FT-IR and 1H NMR measurements, while the physical behaviors of the malleable SCO complexes were systematically investigated by using magnetic susceptibility measurements using superconductivity quantum interference device (SQUID) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). This new metallopolymer exhibits a remarkable spin crossover transition behavior, between two spin quantum states (Fe2+ ions): high spin (HS) state (quintet state) and low spin (LS) state (singlet state), at a specific critical temperature with a slender hysteresis loop of 1 K. DFT computations revealed the partial rules of HOMO-LUMO energy levels and spin density distributions of different four-position substituted [Fe(1,2,4-triazole)3]2+ derivatives with different length of repeat units in polymer complexes. This can go a step further to depict the spin and magnetic transition behaviors of SCO polymer complexes. Furthermore, the coordination polymers possess an excellent processability due to an outstanding malleability, which can be easily shaped into a polymer film with spin magnetic switching properties.
One-Step Accelerated Synthesis of Conducting Polymer/Silver Composites and Their Catalytic Reduction of Cr(VI) Ions and p-Nitrophenol
Authors: Minisy Islam M. , Taboubi Oumayma , Hromádková Jiřina
Published: May 2023

In this paper, silver nitrate was used as an oxidant to prepare polyaniline, polypyrrole, and poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene)/silver composites through a simultaneous oxidation/reduction process. In addition, p-phenylenediamine was added with 1 mole% relative to the concentrations of the monomers to accelerate the polymerization reaction. The prepared conducting polymer/silver composites were characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopies to study their morphologies; Fourier-transform infrared and Raman spectroscopies to confirm their molecular structures; and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to study their thermal stabilities. The silver content in the composites was estimated by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, ash analysis, and TGA. The conducting polymer/silver composites were utilized for the remediation of water pollutants through catalytic reduction. Hexavalent chromium ions (Cr(VI)) were photocatalytically reduced to trivalent chromium ions, and p-nitrophenol was catalytically reduced to p-aminophenol. The catalytic reduction reactions were found to follow the first-order kinetic model. Among the prepared composites, polyaniline/silver composite has shown the highest activity for the photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) ions with an apparent rate constant of 0.226 min–1 and efficiency of 100% within 20 min. Additionally, poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene)/silver composite showed the highest catalytic activity towards the reduction of p-nitrophenol with an apparent rate constant of 0.445 min–1 and efficiency of 99.8% within 12 min.
Thermoplastic Pultrusion Process of Polypropylene/Glass Tapes
Authors: Tucci Fausto , Rubino Felice , Pasquino Germana , Carlone Pierpaolo
Published: May 2023

The present work focuses on the pultrusion of pre-impregnated glass-reinforced polypropylene tapes. An appositely designed laboratory-scale pultrusion line, consisting of a heating/forming die and a cooling die, was used. The temperature of the advancing materials and the pulling force resistance were measured by using thermocouples embedded in the pre-preg tapes and a load cell. From the analysis of the experimental outcomes, we gained insight into the nature of the material–machinery interaction and the transitions of the polypropylene matrix. The cross-section of the pultruded part was analyzed by microscope observation to evaluate the distribution of the reinforcement inside the profile and the presence of internal defects. Three-point bending and tensile testing were conducted to assess the mechanical properties of the thermoplastic composite. The pultruded product showed good quality, with an average fiber volume fraction of 23% and a limited presence of internal defects. A non-homogenous distribution of fibers in the cross-section of the profile was observed, probably due to the low number of tapes used in the present experimentation and their limited compaction. A tensile modulus and a flexural modulus of 21.5 GPa and 15.0 GPa, respectively, were measured.
Pilot-Scale Production of Hemicellulose Ethers from Softwood Hemicelluloses Obtained from Compression Screw Pressate of a Thermo-Mechanical Pulping Plant
Authors: Widsten Petri , Murton Karl , Bowers Tracey , Bridson Jamie , Thumm Armin , Hill Stefan , Tutt Keryn , West Mark , Weinberg Garth , Durbin Gavin , Collet Christophe
Published: May 2023

Bio-derived materials are becoming increasingly sought-after as a sustainable alternative to petrochemical-derived polymers. In the present pilot-scale study, a hemicellulose-rich compression screw pressate, obtained from the pre-heating stage of thermo-mechanical pulping (TMP) of radiata pine, was purified by treatment with adsorbent resin (XAD7), then ultrafiltered and diafiltered at 10 kDa to isolate the high-molecular weight (MW) hemicellulose fraction (yield 18.4% on pressate solids), and, finally, reacted with butyl glycidyl ether to plasticise the hemicelluloses. The resulting light brown hemicellulose ethers (yield 102% on the isolated hemicelluloses) contained ca. 0.5 butoxy-hydroxypropyl side chains per pyranose unit and had weight- and number-average MWs of 13,000 Da and 7200 Da, respectively. The hemicellulose ethers may serve as raw material for bio-based products such as barrier films.
The Influence of the Layer Height and the Filament Color on the Dimensional Accuracy and the Tensile Strength of FDM-Printed PLA Specimens
Authors: Frunzaverde Doina , Cojocaru Vasile , Bacescu Nicoleta , Ciubotariu Costel-Relu , Miclosina Calin-Octavian , Turiac Raul Rusalin , Marginean Gabriela
Published: May 2023

Among the FDM process variables, one of the less addressed in previous research is the filament color. Moreover, if not explicitly targeted, the filament color is usually not even mentioned. Aiming to point out if, and to what extent, the color of the PLA filaments influences the dimensional precision and the mechanical strength of FDM prints, the authors of the present research carried out experiments on tensile specimens. The variable parameters were the layer height (0.05 mm, 0.10 mm, 0.15 mm, 0.20 mm) and the material color (natural, black, red, grey). The experimental results clearly showed that the filament color is an influential factor for the dimensional accuracy as well as for the tensile strength of the FDM printed PLA parts. Moreover, the two way ANOVA test performed revealed that the strongest effect on the tensile strength was exerted by the PLA color (η2 = 97.3%), followed by the layer height (η2 = 85.5%) and the interaction between the PLA color and the layer height (η2 = 80.0%). Under the same printing conditions, the best dimensional accuracy was ensured by the black PLA (0.17% width deviations, respectively 5.48% height deviations), whilst the grey PLA showed the highest ultimate tensile strength values (between 57.10 MPa and 59.82 MPa).
Parameter Optimization and Control Strategy of Hybrid Electric Vehicle Transmission System based on Improved GA Algorithm
Authors: Luo Daobao , Ji Wujun , Hu Xin
Published: May 2023

Most of the traditional hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) choose to optimize the transmission ratio parameters, and the parameter changes of the whole vehicle and other components are only calculated as fixed values. It is difficult to give consideration to the optimization of the economy and power of hybrid vehicles. Therefore, the research proposes to build the transmission ratio, the required power of the vehicle’s working mode, and other models through the dynamic analysis. The parameters of the whole vehicle are optimized on the basis of parameter matching. At the same time, this paper chooses to adopt a hybrid optimization algorithm, combining particle swarm optimization (PSO) and genetic algorithm (GA). The weighted average method and constraint method are used to design the fitness function. The simulation experiment is carried out by Cruise software and MATLAB. Compare the iterative fitness of the PSO-GA algorithm with the traditional PSO and GA algorithm. It can be concluded that PSO-GA converges at the 12th iteration, with an average optimal fitness of 0.5239, which is higher than the traditional algorithm. At the same time, the parameter optimization of PSO-GA and the simulated annealing algorithm is compared. It is found that in the same task, the gasoline consumption after SA algorithm optimization is 0.561 L, while the fuel consumption under PSO-GA algorithm optimization is 0.475 L. The method proposed in this study has improved the power and economy of the HEV model and is effective.
In Vitro Effect of Molasses Concentration, pH, and Time on Chromium Removal by Trichoderma spp. from the Effluents of a Peruvian Tannery
Authors: Tello-Galarreta Fabricio A. , Durand-Paz Juan H. , Rojas-Villacorta Walter , Cabanillas-Chirinos Luis , De La Cruz-Noriega Magaly , Nazario-Naveda Renny , Benites Santiago M. , Rojas-Flores Segundo
Published: May 2023

The effluents generated by the tannery industry have a high content of chromium and other toxic elements, representing a potential threat to ecosystems. An eco-friendly alternative to treat these effluents is the use of microorganisms, such as fungi, with the capacity to biosorb heavy metals. The present work aims to determine the effect of the molasses concentration, pH variation, and time on the removal of total chromium using the filamentous fungus Trichoderma spp. An experimental design was adopted using pH (4 and 6), concentrations of molasses (0.5 and 1%), and time (8 and 12 days) as independent variables. The Trichoderma inoculum was constant in all the treatments. The different treatments were evaluated after 0, 8, and 12 days by taking 50 mL of sample from each bioreactor. The chromium concentration was subsequently determined in each sample. The results show that treatment 3 (1% molasses and pH 4) showed higher chromium removal after both 8 and 12 days. The concentrations of total chromium decreased from 665 mg/mL to values of 568 mg/mL by day 8 and 486 mg/mL by day 12. These values are, however, still above the maximum threshold imposed by Peruvian law regarding the discharge of non-domestic effluents into the sewage system. The results show that Trichoderma spp. can increasingly remove chromium from the effluent with longer incubation periods. However, future studies are necessary to determine the mechanisms of chromium biosorption by the fungus and the influence of other physicochemical parameters.
Energy Storage Charging Pile Management Based on Internet of Things Technology for Electric Vehicles
Authors: Li Zhaiyan , Wu Xuliang , Zhang Shen , Min Long , Feng Yan , Hang Zhouming , Shi Liqiu
Published: May 2023

The traditional charging pile management system usually only focuses on the basic charging function, which has problems such as single system function, poor user experience, and inconvenient management. In this paper, the battery energy storage technology is applied to the traditional EV (electric vehicle) charging piles to build a new EV charging pile with integrated charging, discharging, and storage; Multisim software is used to build an EV charging model in order to simulate the charge control guidance module. On this basis, combined with the research of new technologies such as the Internet of Things, cloud computing, embedded systems, mobile Internet, and big data, new design and construction methods of the energy storage charging pile management system for EV are explored. Moreover, K-Means clustering analysis method is used to analyze the charging habit. The functions such as energy storage, user management, equipment management, transaction management, and big data analysis can be implemented in this system. The simulation results of this paper show that: (1) Enough output power can be provided to meet the design and use requirements of the energy-storage charging pile; (2) the control guidance circuit can meet the requirements of the charging pile; (3) during the switching process of charging pile connection state, the voltage state changes smoothly. It can provide a new method and technical path for the design of electric vehicle charging pile management system, which can effectively reduce the system’s operation and maintenance costs and provide more friendly and convenient charging services.
Chinese Chan Buddhism and the Agrarian Aesthetic in the Garden
Authors: Wang Yun , Xiao Yaoxuanzi
Published: May 2023

As the most important Buddhist school in the history of Chinese Buddhism, the philosophy of Chan Buddhism and its agricultural Chan practice have had a profound influence on the lives of the literati and scholars. Both historically and logically, the term “Chan Dharma 禪法” is extremely rich in connotations. The so-called “agricultural Chan 農禪” is a transformation of Chinese farming culture into the “Chan practice” by practising meditation through farming activities. The “garden farming 園耕” refers to the farming activities of the literati and scholars in the gardens, which were driven by the style of agricultural Chan. Under the influence of agricultural Chan, “garden farming” took on a new spiritual attitude towards crops and created a natural aesthetic realm of life in the act of farming. This article consists of three main sections. I start with an introduction to the religious thoughts and practices of Chan Buddhism, pointing out that the underlying colour of Chan Buddhism is the aesthetics of life, while gradually evoking its special practice of Chan. The second section discusses the concept of agricultural Chan and farming activities in gardens, to figure out the characteristics of agricultural Chan and how farming activities in gardens are carried out. In the third section, I argue for the beauty of farming in gardens, pointing out the essence of the beauty in garden farming and what aesthetic possibilities the act of farming in gardens may embody.
Development and Experimental Studies of a Method Based on a Reference Control Signal Generating System for Redundant Serial Manipulators
Authors: Filaretov Vladimir , Gubankov Anton , Gornostaev Igor
Published: May 2023

The paper presents the design and experimental study of a synthesis method based on reference signal generation systems. The method can be used for all actuators of redundant manipulators. The aforementioned systems aim to save the dynamic control accuracy of the working tools of serial manipulators when they move along arbitrary spatial trajectories, taking into account restrictions in all degrees of freedom and special cases of their link positions. The maintenance of the control accuracy could be ensured by eliminating the reach of all degrees of freedom of manipulators to their limits and to indicated special positions, characterized by an ambiguity when solving the inverse kinematic problems of various serial manipulators. This is in addition to preventing the reach of their working tools to the boundaries of the working area due to the use of a redundant degree of freedom when approaching the indicated undesirable positions. The experimental studies performed in this paper confirm the efficiency of the proposed method and allow accurate characteristics to be obtained.
Orthomosaicking Thermal Drone Images of Forests via Simultaneously Acquired RGB Images
Authors: Kapil Rudraksh , Castilla Guillermo , Marvasti-Zadeh Seyed Mojtaba , Goodsman Devin , Erbilgin Nadir , Ray Nilanjan
Published: May 2023

Operational forest monitoring often requires fine-detail information in the form of an orthomosaic, created by stitching overlapping nadir images captured by aerial platforms such as drones. RGB drone sensors are commonly used for low-cost, high-resolution imaging that is conducive to effective orthomosaicking, but only capture visible light. Thermal sensors, on the other hand, capture long-wave infrared radiation, which is useful for early pest detection among other applications. However, these lower-resolution images suffer from reduced contrast and lack of descriptive features for successful orthomosaicking, leading to gaps or swirling artifacts in the orthomosaic. To tackle this, we propose a thermal orthomosaicking workflow that leverages simultaneously acquired RGB images. The latter are used for producing a surface mesh via structure from motion, while thermal images are only used to texture this mesh and yield a thermal orthomosaic. Prior to texturing, RGB-thermal image pairs are co-registered using an affine transformation derived from a machine learning technique. On average, the individual RGB and thermal images achieve a mutual information of 0.2787 after co-registration using our technique, compared to 0.0591 before co-registration, and 0.1934 using manual co-registration. We show that the thermal orthomosaic generated from our workflow (1) is of better quality than other existing methods, (2) is geometrically aligned with the RGB orthomosaic, (3) preserves radiometric information (i.e., surface temperatures) from the original thermal imagery, and (4) enables easy transfer of downstream tasks—such as tree crown detection from the RGB to the thermal orthomosaic. We also provide an open-source tool that implements our workflow to facilitate usage and further development.
Automatic Point Cloud Colorization of Ground-Based LiDAR Data Using Video Imagery without Position and Orientation System
Authors: Xu Junhao , Yao Chunjing , Ma Hongchao , Qian Chen , Wang Jie
Published: May 2023

With the continuous development of three-dimensional city modeling, traditional close-range photogrammetry is limited by complex processing procedures and incomplete 3D depth information, making it unable to meet high-precision modeling requirements. In contrast, the integration of light detection and ranging and cameras in mobile measurement systems provides a new and highly effective solution. Currently, integrated mobile measurement systems commonly require cameras, lasers, position and orientation system and inertial measurement units; thus, the hardware cost is relatively expensive, and the system integration is complex. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a ground mobile measurement system only composed of a LiDAR and a GoPro camera, providing a more convenient and reliable way to automatically obtain 3D point cloud data with spectral information. The automatic point cloud coloring based on video images mainly includes four aspects: (1) Establishing models for radial distortion and tangential distortion to correct video images. (2) Establishing a registration method based on normalized Zernike moments to obtain the exterior orientation elements. The error of the result is only 0.5–1 pixel, which is far higher than registration based on a collinearity equation. (3) Establishing relative orientation based on essential matrix decomposition and nonlinear optimization. This involves uniformly using the speeded-up robust features algorithm with distance restriction and random sample consensus to select corresponding points. The vertical parallax of the stereo image pair model is less than one pixel, indicating that the accuracy is high. (4) A point cloud coloring method based on Gaussian distribution with central region restriction is adopted. Only pixels within the central region are considered valid for coloring. Then, the point cloud is colored based on the mean of the Gaussian distribution of the color set. In the colored point cloud, the textures of the buildings are clear, and targets such as windows, grass, trees, and vehicles can be clearly distinguished. Overall, the result meets the accuracy requirements of applications such as tunnel detection, street-view modeling and 3D urban modeling.
Multi-Satellite Detection of Long-Range Transport and Transformation of Atmospheric Emissions from the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai Volcano
Authors: Liu Qinqin , Gui Lu , Liu Jianqiang , Ventura Guido , Yang Qingzhou , Wang Zhongting , Tang Ziyue , Tao Minghui , Shen Xuhui
Published: May 2023

Large volumes of atmospheric pollutants injected into the troposphere and stratosphere from volcanic eruptions can exert significant influence on global climate. Through utilizing multi-satellite observations, we present a large-scale insight into the long-range transport and transformation of sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption on 15 January 2022. We found that the transport of volcanic emissions, along with the transformation from SO2 to sulfate aerosols, lasted for two months after the Tongan eruption. The emitted volume of SO2 from the volcano eruption was approximately 183 kilotons (kt). Both satellite observation and numerical simulation results show that the SO2 and volcanic ash plumes moved westward at a rate of one thousand kilometers per day across the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean regions and that SO2 transformation in the atmosphere lasted for half a month. The transport and enhancement of aerosols is related to the conversion of SO2 to sulfate. CALIPSO lidar observations show that SO2 reached an altitude of 25–30 km and transformed into sulfate in the stratosphere after 29 January. Sulfate aerosols in the stratosphere deceased gradually with transport and fell back to the background level after two months. Our study shows that satellite observations give a good characterization of volcanic emissions, transport, and SO2-sulfate conversion, which can provide an essential constraint for climate modeling.
Spatiotemporal Variations in Fractional Vegetation Cover and Their Responses to Climatic Changes on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau
Authors: Han Haoshuang , Yin Yunhe , Zhao Yan , Qin Feng
Published: May 2023

The alpine vegetation of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) is extremely vulnerable and sensitive to climatic fluctuations, making it an ideal area to study the potential impacts of climate on vegetation dynamics. Fractional vegetation cover (FVC) is regarded as one of the key indicators in monitoring semiarid and arid ecosystems due to its sensitive responses to vegetation behavior under climatic changes. Although many studies have analyzed the responses of vegetation on the QTP to climatic change, limited information is available on the influence of climatic variables on FVC changes in this area. In this study, we used satellite images and meteorological data to investigate the spatiotemporal variations of FVC during the growing season (FVCGS) during 1998–2018 and evaluated the responses to changes in climatic variables. Results showed that FVCGS displayed an overall fluctuating rise of 0.01/10 a (p < 0.01) over the study period. The FVCGS variation was spatially heterogeneous, with a general trend of greening in the northern and browning in the southern QTP. Obvious correlations were observed between the average FVC, average temperature, and total precipitation of the growing season, with precipitation being the primary controlling factor for vegetation growth. Some regions in the northwestern and northeastern QTP showed greening trends due to the positive influence of precipitation. Some areas in the southwestern QTP experienced browning trends due to water shortages caused, probably, by the weakening of the Indian monsoon. Browning in the southeastern parts was likely caused by drought and permafrost degradation resulting from high temperature. The inconsistent trend of vegetation change on the QTP is relatively high considering the continuous warming and changing atmospheric circulation patterns. FVC in most regions of the QTP has 0–1 month temporal responses to precipitation and temperature. Moreover, the one-month lagged effects of temperature and precipitation had a greater influence on steppe and desert vegetation than on other vegetation types. This research provides new perspectives for understanding the QTP vegetation response to climatic changes and a basis for making reasonable vegetation conservation and management policies.
Sensor Fusion for the Robust Detection of Facial Regions of Neonates Using Neural Networks
Authors: Gleichauf Johanna , Hennemann Lukas , Fahlbusch Fabian B. , Hofmann Oliver , Niebler Christine , Koelpin Alexander
Published: May 2023

The monitoring of vital signs and increasing patient comfort are cornerstones of modern neonatal intensive care. Commonly used monitoring methods are based on skin contact which can cause irritations and discomfort in preterm neonates. Therefore, non-contact approaches are the subject of current research aiming to resolve this dichotomy. Robust neonatal face detection is essential for the reliable detection of heart rate, respiratory rate and body temperature. While solutions for adult face detection are established, the unique neonatal proportions require a tailored approach. Additionally, sufficient open-source data of neonates on the NICU is lacking. We set out to train neural networks with the thermal-RGB-fusion data of neonates. We propose a novel indirect fusion approach including the sensor fusion of a thermal and RGB camera based on a 3D time-of-flight (ToF) camera. Unlike other approaches, this method is tailored for close distances encountered in neonatal incubators. Two neural networks were used with the fusion data and compared to RGB and thermal networks. For the class “head” we reached average precision values of 0.9958 (RetinaNet) and 0.9455 (YOLOv3) for the fusion data. Compared with the literature, similar precision was achieved, but we are the first to train a neural network with fusion data of neonates. The advantage of this approach is in calculating the detection area directly from the fusion image for the RGB and thermal modality. This increases data efficiency by 66%. Our results will facilitate the future development of non-contact monitoring to further improve the standard of care for preterm neonates.
Improving the Output Efficiency of Triboelectric Nanogenerator by a Power Regulation Circuit
Authors: Li Wenbo , Leng Baichuan , Hu Shengyu , Cheng Xiaojun
Published: May 2023

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is a promising technology for harvesting energy from various sources, such as human motion, wind and vibration. At the same time, a matching backend management circuit is essential to improve the energy utilization efficiency of TENG. Therefore, this work proposes a power regulation circuit (PRC) suitable for TENG, which is composed of a valley-filling circuit and a switching step-down circuit. The experimental results indicate that after incorporating a PRC, the conduction time of each cycle of the rectifier circuit doubles, increasing the number of current pulses in the TENG output and resulting in an output charge that is 1.6 fold that of the original circuit. Compared with the initial output signal, the charging rate of the output capacitor increased significantly by 75% with a PRC at a rotational speed of 120 rpm, significantly improving the utilization efficiency of the TENG’s output energy. At the same time, when the TENG powers LEDs, the flickering frequency of LEDs is reduced after adding a PRC, and the light emission is more stable, which further verifies the test results. The PRC proposed in this study can enable the energy harvested by the TENG to be utilized more efficiently, which has a certain promoting effect on the development and application of TENG technology.
Rare Earth Tungstate: One Competitive Proton Conducting Material Used for Hydrogen Separation: A Review
Authors: Cheng Hongda
Published: May 2023

Membrane technology is an advanced hydrogen separation method that is of great significance in achieving hydrogen economy. Rare earth tungstate membranes have both high hydrogen permeability and remarkable mechanical/chemical stability, exhibiting good application prospects in hydrogen separation. This review provides the basic aspects and research progress on rare earth tungstate hydrogen separation membranes. The crystal structure, proton transport properties, and membrane stability under a chemical atmosphere are introduced. Different membrane construction designs, such as single-phase, dual-phase, and asymmetric rare earth tungstate membranes, are summarized. Lastly, the existing problems and development suggestions for tungstate membranes are discussed.
Distribution of Soil Nutrients and Ancient Agriculture on Young Volcanic Soils of Ta‘ū, American Samoa
Authors: Autufuga Dolly , Quintus Seth , Yoo Kyungsoo , Day Stephanie , Huebert Jennifer , Deenik Jonathan , Lincoln Noa Kekuewa
Published: May 2023

Soils and agriculture are inextricably linked, in the past as well as today. The Pacific islands, which often represent organized gradients of the essential soil-forming factors of substrate age and rainfall, represent excellent study systems to understand interactions between people and soils. The relationship between soil characteristics and indigenous agricultural practices are well documented for some locations, but there is a paucity of data for much of the region. Given the extent of ecological adaptation that has been documented, specifically for Hawai‘i, new Pacific datasets are expected to provide important insights into indigenous agricultural practices. To contribute to this discussion, we analyzed patterns in soil chemistry and vegetation in the Manu‘a islands of American Samoa. Soils were sampled along transects that crossed through precontact settlement zones in the upland of Fiti‘uta on Ta‘ū island, a location characterized by young (<100 ky) volcanic substrates and very high (>3800 mm y−1) annual rainfall. Soils were analyzed for several soil fertility properties that have been proposed as predictors of intensive rainfed tuber production in Hawai‘i and Rapa Nui. Surveys of remnant economic plants were conducted to assess patterns of past land use. Soils demonstrated moderate values of soil fertility as measured by pH, base saturation, exchangeable calcium, and total and exchangeable phosphorus, despite the high rainfall. Previously identified soil fertility indicators had some application to the distribution of traditional agriculture, but they also differed in important ways. In particular, low exchangeable calcium in the soils may have limited the agricultural form, especially the cultivation of tubers. Significant shifts in both soil parameters and remnant economic crops were documented, and alignment suggests cropping system adaptation to soil biochemistry. Archaeological samples combined with surveys of relict vegetation suggest that agroforestry and arboriculture were key components of past agricultural practices.
The Students’ Intrinsic Motivation for Learning Non-Financial Information Matters from Their Self-Identification as Global Citizens
Authors: Albuquerque Fábio , Dias Ana Isabel , Domingos Alexandra
Published: May 2023

Recent developments related to non-financial information (NFI) reporting encourage the adoption of a long-term vision approach to sustainable development, which is also behind the definition of global citizens. In turn, the self-determination theory (SDT) describes which elements explain the students’ motivation. Using NFI as the subject and the SDT as the theoretical framework, this paper aims to identify the elements that can explain accounting students’ intrinsic motivation to learn topics related to NFI. Those elements include the different aspects that integrate the concept of a global citizen as well as sociodemographic variables. Data were gathered from a questionnaire to accounting students in Portugal. Through factorial analysis and linear regression, the findings indicate that all the elements underlying the concept of a global citizen, except empathy, are relevant in explaining students’ intrinsic motivation. Conversely, sociodemographic variables were not relevant for this purpose, which may indicate a more integrated perspective of the learning usefulness of topics related to NFI by self-identified students as global citizens. This paper provides insights into how students of an accounting course are intrinsically motivated to acquire skills in NFI reporting, which is particularly relevant to higher education institutions (HEIs), professors, students, and organizations related to accountancy education.
Resistive Switching Property of Raw Organic Cow Milk for Memory Application
Authors: Dlamini Zolile Wiseman , Vallabhapurapu Sreedevi , Vallabhapurapu Vijaya Srinivasu
Published: May 2023

Organic material-based computer memory devices are critical for lowering the amount of electronic waste. Toward this end, we here present the resistive switching property of metal-insulator-metal type devices consisting of active layers made of raw organic cow milk. Our devices were made up of fat-free, medium cream, and full cream raw cow milk active layers sandwiched between indium-doped tin oxide and silver electrodes. These devices were created without the use of heat or electricity, and because they use cow milk as their active layers, they do not pollute the environment. The medium-fat milk film had a higher weight percentage of metallic ions than the fat-free and full-cream milk films, according to energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis of the active layers. As a result, electrical characterization and memory studies revealed that conductive filaments driven by a space-charge-limited conduction mechanism were responsible for the “S-type” memory characteristics of the medium-fat milk-based device, with switching at remarkably low VSET=+0.48V and VRESET=−0.25V. Furthermore, with over 30 write/erase cycles, this device demonstrated better non-volatile computer memory device prospects. Hoping conduction-driven conductive filaments, on the other hand, were linked to the behavior of devices that use fat-free and full-cream milk. Overall, our findings show that the fat and ion content of milk plays an important role in the morphology, transport, and switching of these devices.
The Impact of Online Anti-Counterfeiting on Channel Structure and Pricing Decisions
Authors: Wang Weiting , Liao Yi , Shen Wenjing
Published: May 2023

Counterfeiting is an important challenge in maintaining the security and sustainability of supply chains. This paper examines a supply chain consisting of a luxury goods manufacturer (and a retailer) in the presence of counterfeit goods. Inspired by the reality that both manufacturers and retailers have incentives to implement anti-counterfeiting, this paper combines the psychological impact of anti-counterfeiting efforts on consumers and discusses the impact of anti-counterfeiting efforts on pricing and profits. We find that: (1) anti-counterfeiting has a positive impact on the selling price of brand products and the firms’ profits. However, the impact on wholesale prices varies depending on who implements the anti-counterfeiting strategy. (2) Only when the quality of brand products is higher than the threshold, is the firm willing to input anti-counterfeiting efforts. Manufacturers in a reselling structure are more motivated to fight counterfeits. (3) Implementing anti-counterfeiting in a direct selling structure is the most effective strategy for manufacturers. Under a reselling structure, it is more beneficial for manufacturers to have the retailer input anti-counterfeiting efforts. Our study provides insights into the reasons why some manufacturers establish internal anti-counterfeiting teams under the direct selling structure, while others incentivize retailers to invest in anti-counterfeiting.
Peruvian Wetlands: National Survey, Diagnosis, and Further Steps toward Their Protection
Authors: Romero-Mariscal Giuliana , Garcia-Chevesich Pablo A. , Morales-Paredes Lino , Arenazas-Rodriguez Armando , Ticona-Quea Juana , Vanzin Gary , Sharp Jonathan O.
Published: May 2023

Wetlands are crucial hydrological features that provide benefits, including ecosystem services and habitat conservation, protection from flooding associated with sea level rise and extreme events, water storage and treatment, recreation, and aesthetics, among others. Peru is one of the few countries in Latin America that has not developed a national wetland inventory. While this can in part be attributed to the limited availability of peer-reviewed publications in the English literature, a larger quantity of Peruvian wetland-related publications are available in Spanish, and are less accessible to the global population. In this paper, we developed an extensive review and synthesis of the Spanish literature, including university theses, peer-reviewed articles, and government reports. Our report focuses on evaluating the state of the art of Peruvian wetlands in terms of temporal evolution, geographical distribution, vested institutions, research topics (e.g., water quality, fauna, flora, microorganisms, etc.), and advances toward the conservation of wetlands. The analysis identified 274 wetland-related publications in Spanish (188 theses, 83 peer-reviewed, and 6 government reports) and a temporal increase in dissemination over the past two decades. The reports encompassed 161 distinct wetlands distributed nationwide; however, most of the investigations focused on only a few wetland bodies with a disproportionate concentration in just three administrative regions. This reveals that wetland-related research is unevenly distributed in Peru, and highlights a need to extend this knowledge to underrepresented systems and regions. Although Peru ranks third in South America for protected (Ramsar) wetland areas, case studies have revealed that wetlands in the country are vulnerable to human activities. Recent national legislation established in 2021 should help to address this challenge, as before this time, there was a more decentralized approach, whereby each administrative region held responsibility for the protection of their own wetlands. Collective findings indicate that research activity should be increased nationally in order to better understand the function and benefits of wetlands throughout Peru, in addition to the continued development and enforcement of regulations designed to protect these valuable ecosystems. Finally, since a national Peruvian wetland inventory is urgently needed, this analysis provides a baseline for this development of, as well as identifying gaps in, knowledge needed for appropriate national representation.
Sustainable Irrigation Requirement Prediction Using Internet of Things and Transfer Learning
Authors: Blessy Angelin , Kumar Avneesh , Prabagaran A  , Quadir Md Abdul , Alharbi Abdullah I. , Almusharraf Ahlam , Khan Surbhi B.
Published: May 2023

Irrigation systems are a crucial research area because it is essential to conserve fresh water and utilize it wisely. As a part of this study, the reliability of predicting the usage of water in the present and future is investigated in order to develop an effective prediction model to communicate demand. In order to improve prediction, we develop a prediction model and share the updated model with nearby farmers. In order to forecast the irrigation requirements, the recommended model utilizes the Internet of Things (IoT), k-nearest neighbours (KNN), cloud storage, long short-term memory (LSTM), and adaptive network fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) techniques. By collecting real-time environmental data, KNN identifies the closest water requirement from the roots and its surrounding. In order to predict short-term requirements, ANFIS is used. To transfer the new requirements for better prediction, transfer learning is used. Time-series-data updates are predicted using LSTM for future forecasting, and the integrated model is shared with other farmers using cloud environments to enhance forecasting and analysis. For implementation, a period of nine to ten months of data was collected from February to December 2021, and banana tree was used to implement the planned strategy. Four farms, with measurements, were considered at varying intervals to determine the minimum and maximum irrigation needs. The requirements of farms were collected over time and compared to the predictions. Future requirements at 8, 16, 24, 32, and 48 h were also anticipated. The results indicated were compared to manual water pouring, and, thus, the entire crop used less water, making our prediction model a real-world option for irrigation. The prediction model was evaluated using R2, MSLE and the average initial prediction value of R2 was 0.945. After using transfer learning, the prediction of the model of Farm-2, 3 and 4 were 0.951, 0.958 and 0.967, respectively.
Key Factors of Sustainable Development of Organization: Bibliometric Analysis of Organizational Citizenship Behavior
Authors: Yang Shuo , Zhang Lanxia , Wang Lele
Published: May 2023

Organizational citizenship behavior is the key factor to promote the sustainable development of an organization, and it is of great significance to explore the research status, hotspots, and trends of organizational citizenship behavior to promote the sustainable development of the organization. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the knowledge structure and dynamic evolution trend of organizational citizenship behavior more comprehensively and objectively by using bibliometrics, in order to promote the development of theoretical research on organizational citizenship behavior and the sustainable development of the organization. This study found the following: Scholars have studied the factors of individual organizational citizenship behavior and group organizational citizenship behavior from three aspects: individual factors, leadership styles, and organizational factors. The research on the outcome of individual organizational citizenship behavior and group organizational citizenship behavior focused on performance and employee psychological state, and behavior mainly. Among them, the definition, nature, and scale of organizational citizenship behavior and the influence of different leadership styles on organizational citizenship behavior are core topics in this field; the study of the influence of employees’ psychological state on organizational citizenship behavior from the psychological perspective is a hot topic in this field; the different manifestations and connotations of organizational citizenship behavior based on different motivations and the impact of organizational citizenship behavior based on different motivations on employees’ psychology and work status are research trends in the future. The research conclusion not only enables scholars in this field to better understand the knowledge structure and research trend of organizational citizenship behavior, but also helps organization managers to fully motivate employees’ organizational citizenship behavior and promote the sustainable development of the organization.
Optimal Design and Mathematical Modeling of Hybrid Solar PV–Biogas Generator with Energy Storage Power Generation System in Multi-Objective Function Cases
Authors: Agajie Takele Ferede , Fopah-Lele Armand , Amoussou Isaac , Ali Ahmed , Khan Baseem , Tanyi Emmanuel
Published: May 2023

This study demonstrates how to use grid-connected hybrid PV and biogas energy with a SMES-PHES storage system in a nation with frequent grid outages. The primary goal of this work is to enhance the HRES’s capacity to favorably influence the HRES’s economic viability, reliability, and environmental impact. The net present cost (NPC), greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and the likelihood of a power outage are among the variables that are examined. A mixed solution involves using a variety of methodologies to compromise aspects of the economy, reliability, and the environment. Metaheuristic optimization techniques such as non-dominated sorting whale optimization algorithm (NSWOA), multi-objective grey wolf optimization (MOGWO), and multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) are used to find the best size for hybrid systems based on evaluation parameters for financial stability, reliability, and GHG emissions and have been evaluated using MATLAB. A thorough comparison between NSWOA, MOGWO, and MOPSO and the system parameters at 150 iterations has been presented. The outcomes demonstrated NSWOA’s superiority in achieving the best optimum value of the predefined multi-objective function, with MOGWO and MOPSO coming in second and third, respectively. The comparison study has focused on NSWOA’s ability to produce the best NPC, LPSP, and GHG emissions values, which are EUR 6.997 × 106, 0.0085, and 7.3679 × 106 Kg reduced, respectively. Additionally, the simulation results demonstrated that the NSWOA technique outperforms other optimization techniques in its ability to solve the optimization problem. Furthermore, the outcomes show that the designed system has acceptable NPC, LPSP, and GHG emissions values under various operating conditions.