bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling in Neonates: Current Status and Future Perspectives
Authors: Zhang Wei , Zhang Qian , Cao Zhihai , Zheng Liang , Hu Wei
Published: December 2023

Rational drug use in special populations is a clinical problem that doctors and pharma-cists must consider seriously. Neonates are the most physiologically immature and vulnerable to drug dosing. There is a pronounced difference in the anatomical and physiological profiles be-tween neonates and older people, affecting the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drugs in vivo, ultimately leading to changes in drug concentration. Thus, dose adjustments in neonates are necessary to achieve adequate therapeutic concentrations and avoid drug toxicity. Over the past few decades, modeling and simulation techniques, especially physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling, have been increasingly used in pediatric drug development and clinical therapy. This rigorously designed and verified model can effectively compensate for the deficiencies of clinical trials in neonates, provide a valuable reference for clinical research design, and even replace some clinical trials to predict drug plasma concentrations in newborns. This review introduces previous findings regarding age-dependent physiological changes and pathological factors affecting neonatal pharmacokinetics, along with their research means. The application of PBPK modeling in neonatal pharmacokinetic studies of various medications is also reviewed. Based on this, we propose future perspectives on neonatal PBPK modeling and hope for its broader application.
Effect of Plant Essential Oil Formulations on Bemisia tabaci MEAM1 (Gennadius) and Its Parasitoid Eretmocerus hayati (Zolnerowich and Rose)
Authors: Hassan Errol , Obaidoon Yasir , Mostafiz Md Munir , Senior Lara
Published: December 2023

Silverleaf whitefly (SLW), Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), consists of genetically diverse species known to cause significant destruction in many crops around the world. Nowadays, synthetic insecticides are a key component in the management of this pest. However, they also come with disadvantages, such as environmental pollution, pest resistance and recurrence, and toxicity to pollinators and natural enemies. Essential oils from aromatic plants and biocontrol agents may provide a new and safe alternative to synthetic chemicals. In this study, we assessed the lethal impact of three new plant essential oil formulations (referred to as F1, F2, and F3) against the developmental stages of B. tabaci and its parasitoid Eretmocerus hayati (Zolnerowich and Rose) (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae). The tested formulations consisted of combinations of mustard oil and different surfactants. The formulations were effective against the eggs and nymphal stages of B. tabaci. At the highest concentration assessed (1.23%), F1 was the most effective formulation against the eggs, resulting in 85% mortality, whereas F2 was most effective against the nymphs (92.5% and 88.3% mortality for the young and old nymphs, respectively). However, adult mortality rates were below 40% for all the tested formulations. The range of median lethal concentration (LC50) values was between 0.65 and 1.05% for B. tabaci. The side effects of the three formulations were assessed against E. hayati, treated as parasitized nymphs of B. tabaci. At the highest tested concentration (1.23%), F2 and F3 resulted in 80% and 70% mortality of the parasitoids, respectively (classified as moderately or slightly harmful according to the IOBC), whereas F1 resulted in 17.5% mortality. As F1 was effective against SLW with minimal effects on the parasitoid, it is the most suitable formulation of those tested for use in an integrated pest management (IPM) program targeting the younger life stages of B. tabaci.
Analysis of Nitrogen Dynamics and Transcriptomic Activity Revealed a Pivotal Role of Some Amino Acid Transporters in Nitrogen Remobilization in Poplar Senescing Leaves
Authors: Zhou Min , Zhang Yuanlan , Yang Jiading
Published: December 2023

Leaf senescence is an important developmental process for deciduous trees during which part of leaf nitrogen is remobilized to branches, thus being beneficial for nitrogen conservation. However, the associated regulatory mechanism remains largely unknown in deciduous trees. In this study, nitrogen dynamics and transcriptomic activity in senescing leaves were measured during autumnal senescence in hybrid poplar. Both concentrations of leaf total nitrogen (N) and amine compounds were found to decline from the pre-senescence (PRE) to the middle-senescence (MS) stage. Although the total N concentration decreased further from MS to the late-senescence (LS) and leveled off to abscission (ABS) stage, amine compound concentration increased continuously from MS to ABS, suggesting that translocation of amine compounds underperformed production of amine compounds in leaves during this period. L-glutamate, L-glutamine and α-aminoadipic acid were the top three amine compounds accumulated in senescent leaves. RNA-Seq profiling identified thousands of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with functional association with a metabolic transition towards disassimilation. Many genes encoding amino acid metabolism enzymes and amino acid transporters (AATs) were up-regulated. Comparison of expression trend with leaf N dynamics and phylogenetic analysis identified several PtAATs which exhibited down-regulation from MS to LS stage and putatively limited leaf N remobilization. This study can serve as a primary basis to further elucidate the molecular mechanisms of nitrogen remobilization in poplar senescing leaves.
Can Grapevine Leaf Water Potential Be Modelled from Physiological and Meteorological Variables? A Machine Learning Approach
Authors: Damásio Miguel , Barbosa Miguel , Deus João , Fernandes Eduardo , Leitão André , Albino Luís , Fonseca Filipe , Silvestre José
Published: December 2023

Climate change is affecting global viticulture, increasing heatwaves and drought. Precision irrigation, supported by robust water status indicators (WSIs), is inevitable in most of the Mediterranean basin. One of the most reliable WSIs is the leaf water potential (Ψleaf), which is determined via an intrusive and time-consuming method. The aim of this work is to discern the most effective variables that are correlated with plants’ water status and identify the variables that better predict Ψleaf. Five grapevine varieties grown in the Alentejo region (Portugal) were selected and subjected to three irrigation treatments, starting in 2018: full irrigation (FI), deficit irrigation (DI), and no irrigation (NI). Plant monitoring was performed in 2023. Measurements included stomatal conductance (gs), predawn water potential Ψpd, stem water potential (Ψstem), thermal imaging, and meteorological data. The WSIs, namely Ψpd and gs, responded differently according to the irrigation treatment. Ψstem measured at mid-morning (MM) and mid-day (MD) proved unable to discern between treatments. MM measurements presented the best correlations between WSIs. gs showed the best correlations between the other WSIs, and consequently the best predictive capability to estimate Ψpd. Machine learning regression models were trained on meteorological, thermal, and gs data to predict Ψpd, with ensemble models showing a great performance (ExtraTrees: R2=0.833, MAE=0.072; Gradient Boosting: R2=0.830; MAE=0.073).
Thermoresponsive Property of Poly(N,N-bis(2-methoxyethyl)acrylamide) and Its Copolymers with Water-Soluble Poly(N,N-disubstituted acrylamide) Prepared Using Hydrosilylation-Promoted Group Transfer Polymerization
Authors: Fu Xiangming , Wang Yanqiu , Xu Liang , Narumi Atsushi , Sato Shin-ichiro , Yang Xiaoran , Shen Xiande , Kakuchi Toyoji
Published: December 2023

The group-transfer polymerization (GTP) of N,N-bis(2-methoxyethyl)acrylamide (MOEAm) initiated by Me2EtSiH in the hydrosilylation-promoted method and by silylketene acetal (SKA) in the conventional method proceeded in a controlled/living manner to provide poly(N,N-bis(2-methoxyethyl)acrylamide) (PMOEAm) and PMOEAm with the SKA residue at the α-chain end (MCIP-PMOEAm), respectively. PMOEAm-b-poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) (PDMAm) and PMOEAm-s-PDMAm and PMOEAm-b-poly(N,N-bis(2-ethoxyethyl)acrylamide) (PEOEAm) and PMOEAm-s-PEOEAm were synthesized by the block and random group-transfer copolymerization of MOEAm and N,N-dimethylacrylamide or N,N-bis(2-ethoxyethyl)acrylamide. The homo- and copolymer structures affected the thermoresponsive properties; the cloud point temperature (Tcp) increasing by decreasing the degree of polymerization (x). The chain-end group in PMOEAm affected the Tcp with PMOEAmx > MCIP-PMOEAmx. The Tcp of statistical copolymers was higher than that of block copolymers, with PMOEAmx-s-PDMAmy > PMOEAmx-b-PDMAmy and PMOEAmx-s-PEOEAmy > PMOEAmx-b-PEOEAmy.
Synergistic Stabilization of Nanoemulsion Using Nonionic Surfactants and Salt-Sensitive Cellulose Nanocrystals
Authors: Liu Lingling , Abiol Kyle A. E. , Friest Mason A. , Fisher Kaleb D.
Published: December 2023

Soybean stover is a lignocellulose biomass that is rich in cellulose. In the present study, soybean cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were prepared from soybean stover by alkaline treatment, bleaching treatment, acid hydrolysis, dialysis and ultrasonication. The as-prepared soybean CNC was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), zetasizer and rheometer. The effects of NaCl on the particle size, zeta potential, and viscosity of soybean CNC was studied. Soybean CNC was explored as an emulsion stabilizer for lemongrass-essential-oil-loaded emulsions. Soybean CNCs could stabilize the oil-in-water emulsion against coalescence but not flocculation. The addition of NaCl reduced the creaming index and enhanced the encapsulation efficiency and freeze–thaw stability of the CNC-stabilized emulsion. Salted CNC (i.e., CNC in the presence of NaCl) enhanced the thermodynamic stability (i.e., heating–cooling and freeze–thaw stability) of Tween 80 stabilized emulsion, while unsalted CNC did not. Synergistic effects existed between Tween 80 and salted CNC in stabilizing oil-in-water emulsions. The nanoemulsion stabilized with Tween 80 and salted CNC had a mean particle size of ~70 nm, and it was stable against all thermodynamic stability tests. This is the first study to report the synergistic interaction between salted CNC and small molecular weight surfactants (e.g., Tween 80) to improve the thermodynamic stability of nanoemulsion.
Electron-Beam-Initiated Crosslinking of Methacrylated Alginate and Diacrylated Poly(ethylene glycol) Hydrogels
Authors: Mignon Arn , Zimmer Joanne , Gutierrez Cisneros Carolina , Kühnert Mathias , Derveaux Elien , Daikos Olesya , Scherzer Tom , Adriaensens Peter , Schulze Agnes
Published: December 2023

An ideal wound dressing not only needs to absorb excess exudate but should also allow for a moist wound-healing environment as well as being mechanically strong. Such a dressing can be achieved by combining both a natural (alginate) and synthetic (poly(ethylene glycol) polymer. Interestingly, using an electron beam on (meth)acrylated polymers allows their covalent crosslinking without the use of toxic photo-initiators. The goal of this work was to crosslink alginate at different methacrylation degrees (26.1 and 53.5% of the repeating units) with diacrylated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEGDA) using electron-beam irradiation at different doses to create strong, transparent hydrogels. Infrared spectroscopy showed that both polymers were homogeneously distributed within the irradiated hydrogel. Rheology showed that the addition of PEGDA into alginate with a high degree of methacrylation and a polymer concentration of 6 wt/v% improved the storage modulus up to 15,867 ± 1102 Pa. Gel fractions > 90% and swelling ratios ranging from 10 to 250 times its own weight were obtained. It was observed that the higher the storage modulus, the more limited the swelling ratio due to a more crosslinked network. Finally, all species were highly transparent, with transmittance values > 80%. This may be beneficial for the visual inspection of healing progression. Furthermore, these polymers may eventually be used as carriers of photosensitizers, which is favorable in applications such as photodynamic therapy.
Recommended Values for the Hydrophobicity and Mechanical Properties of Coating Materials Usable for Preparing Controlled-Release Fertilizers
Authors: Wang Yajing , Li Juan , Lin Ru , Gu Dianrun , Zhou Yuanfang , Li Han , Yang Xiangdong
Published: December 2023

The hydrophobicity and mechanical properties of coating materials and the nitrogen (N) release rates of 11 kinds of controlled-release fertilizers (CRFs) were determined in this study. The results show that the N release periods of the CRFs had negative correlations with the water absorption (WA) of the coating materials (y = 166.06x−1.24, r = 0.986), while they were positively correlated with the water contact angle (WCA) and elongation at break (EB) (y = 37.28x0.18, r = 0.701; y = −19.42 + 2.57x, r = 0.737). According to the fitted functional equation, CRFs that could fulfil the N release period of 30 days had a coating material WA < 2.4%, WCA > 68.8°, and EB > 57.7%. The recommended values for a CRF that can fulfil the N release period of 30 days are WA < 3.0%, WCA > 60.0°, and EB > 30.0% in the coating materials. CRFs with different nutrient release periods can be designed according to the recommended values to meet the needs of different crops. Furthermore, our experiments have illustrated that the N release period target of 30 days can be reached for modified sulfur-coated fertilizers (MSCFs) by improving their mechanical properties.
Microemulsions Based on Diverse Surfactant Molecular Structure: Comparative Analysis and Mechanistic Study
Authors: Qu Jiepeng , Wan Yinhua , Tian Maozhang , Lv Weifeng
Published: December 2023

Microemulsion flooding technology, known for significantly reducing interfacial tension, improving rock wettability, and providing strong driving forces at the microscopic level, has been widely applied in enhancing oil recovery in oil fields. This article summarizes the relevant literature and introduces the classification, formation mechanisms, research models, and factors affecting the performance of microemulsions. Particularly, it conducts a comparative analysis of microemulsion systems formed by surfactant molecules of different structures, aiming to provide new perspectives for the study of surfactant molecular structures and to further optimize the performance of microemulsion systems. The study finds that modifying surfactant molecules by adding benzene rings, increasing the length of hydrophobic tails, and enlarging hydrophilic heads can significantly increase the volume of the middle phase, exceeding 30%. These findings provide important guidance for optimizing microemulsion systems.
Experimental and Numerical Simulations of Pore Structures and Seepage Characteristics of Deep Sandstones
Authors: Zhu Yinge , Wu Yue , Zhang Lei , Zhang Shuai
Published: December 2023

Previously conducted studies have established that deep underground rock masses have complex pore structures and face complex geological conditions. Therefore, the seepage problem of such rock masses seriously affects engineering safety. To better explore the seepage law of deep rock masses and ensure engineering safety, indoor experimental methods such as casting thin sections, scanning electron microscopy, and mercury intrusion testing were utilized in this study. The microscopic pore shape, size, distribution, and other structural characteristics of sandstone in coal bearing strata were analyzed. The tortuosity calculation formula was obtained by the theoretical derivation method. And a numerical model was established for seepage numerical simulation research through microscopic digital image methods. The seepage law of surrounding rocks in the Tangkou Coal Mine roadway under different conditions is discussed. The research results indicate that the complexity of the pore structure in porous media leads to an uneven distribution of flow velocity and pressure within the medium. Meanwhile, with the change of physical properties, the fluid flow characteristics also undergo significant changes. The research results can effectively guide micropore water blocking, reduce the impact of groundwater on the environment, ensure the environment and safety of the project, and provide guidance for other geological projects.
Sustainable Decision Model for Circular Economy towards Net Zero Emissions under Industry 4.0
Authors: Hsieh Chu-Lun , Tsai Wen-Hsien
Published: December 2023

The world produces more than 20 billion pairs of shoes every year, and the greenhouse gas emissions of the shoe industry account for 1.4% of the world. This research, taking the knitted footwear industry as an example, combines the concepts of mathematical programming and carbon emissions to discuss the impact of a circular economy sustainable decision-making model (including four carbon tax functions) to achieve net zero emissions under Industry 4.0 on company profits and product structure. The findings suggest that using activity-based costing to measure the attribution of various costs during process improvement allows companies to more accurately capture the carbon cost of producing each pair of shoes. In addition, under the trend of global efforts to reduce carbon emissions, if the price of carbon taxes or carbon rights is not enough to affect companies’ profits, companies will not pay attention to the impact of carbon emissions. To ensure a sustainable production model, the shoe industry should work with brand customers to reduce the effects of products on the environment, coordinate with brand customers’ sustainable development milestones, and formulate a carbon reduction path to achieve zero carbon emission growth goals. Future research can apply these research models, incorporating the carbon tax and carbon rights proposed by this paper to the other industries. In addition, the research also can be extended to explore the consumer behavior for the newly developed knitted footwear.
Housing Choices of Young Adults in Sweden
Authors: Wilhelmsson Mats
Published: December 2023

This study investigates why young adults live with their parents in Sweden. As young adults’ living arrangements affect decisions about marriage, education, childbirth, and participation in the workforce, more knowledge for policymakers is crucial to implementing effective policies to support young adults and promote financial independence and well-being. Using a data set from 1998 to 2021 at the municipal level in Sweden, we used a spatial autoregressive panel data model to examine the proportion of young adults living at home and the regional disparities. The study uncovered intraregional variations that illustrate how different municipalities in Sweden exhibit different patterns of young adults living at home. Our findings reveal that economic factors such as unemployment significantly impact this pattern. Housing market dynamics, demographic factors, cultural differences, and location-specific characteristics also play an essential role in explaining this pattern. These findings suggest that the key drivers are the lack of rental housing, high unemployment rates, a high degree of urbanisation, interregional migration, and social capital (such as social cohesion and inclusion).
Preparation of Adsorbent Materials from Rice Husk via Hydrothermal Carbonization: Optimization of Operating Conditions and Alkali Activation
Authors: Naranjo Jhosué , Juiña Evelyn , Loyo Carlos , Romero Michelle , Vizuete Karla , Debut Alexis , Ponce Sebastian , Murillo Herman A.
Published: December 2023

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of rice husk was optimized in terms of the adsorption capacity at equilibrium (qe) and hydrochar mass yield (MY). The studied variables were reaction temperature, residence time, and biomass-to-water ratio by means of response surface methodology. In both cases, reaction temperature resulted the most significant parameter promoting high qe values at higher temperatures when treating methylene blue (MB) as the target pollutant. Nevertheless, MY was low (~40%) when focusing on a possible industrial application. Hence, maximizing qe and MY simultaneously by optimization of multiple responses emerges as a promising solution to improve MY values (>60%) with no significant differences regarding the qe response. Furthermore, additional activation was conducted on optimal hydrochars to further investigate the enhancement of qe. As a result, no statistical differences between non-modified and activated hydrochars were observed for qe; however, the pseudo-second-order constant (k2) seemed to be increased after alkali activation, mainly due to a larger surface area. Non-modified and activated hydrochars were characterized via SEM, FTIR, XRD, and BET, resulting in two significant effects contributing to MB adsorption: increased surface area and functionalized hydrochar surface. Consequently, this work provides valuable insights on subsequent application of this HTC optimization scheme at an industrial scale.
Beyond Pixel-Wise Unmixing: Spatial–Spectral Attention Fully Convolutional Networks for Abundance Estimation
Authors: Huang Jiaxiang , Zhang Puzhao
Published: December 2023

Spectral unmixing poses a significant challenge within hyperspectral image processing, traditionally addressed by supervised convolutional neural network (CNN)-based approaches employing patch-to-pixel (pixel-wise) methods. However, such pixel-wise methodologies often necessitate image splitting into overlapping patches, resulting in redundant computations and potential information leakage between training and test samples, consequently yielding overoptimistic outcomes. To overcome these challenges, this paper introduces a novel patch-to-patch (patch-wise) framework with nonoverlapping splitting, mitigating the need for repetitive calculations and preventing information leakage. The proposed framework incorporates a novel neural network structure inspired by the fully convolutional network (FCN), tailored for patch-wise unmixing. A highly efficient band reduction layer is incorporated to reduce the spectral dimension, and a specialized abundance constraint module is crafted to enforce both the Abundance Nonnegativity Constraint and the Abundance Sum-to-One Constraint for unmixing tasks. Furthermore, to enhance the performance of abundance estimation, a spatial–spectral attention module is introduced to activate the most informative spatial areas and feature maps. Extensive quantitative experiments and visual assessments conducted on two synthetic datasets and three real datasets substantiate the superior performance of the proposed algorithm. Significantly, the method achieves an impressive RMSE loss of 0.007, which is at least 4.5 times lower than that of other baselines on Urban hyperspectral images. This outcome demonstrates the effectiveness of our approach in addressing the challenges of spectral unmixing.
Inter-Comparison of Satellite-Based Sea Ice Concentration in the Amundsen Sea, Antarctica
Authors: Li Xueqi , He Hailun
Published: December 2023

We conducted a comparison of sea ice concentration (SIC) in the Amundsen Sea using three satellite datasets: Hadley Centre’s sea ice and sea surface temperature (HadISST1), Operational Sea Surface Temperature and Ice Analysis (OSTIA), and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2). HadISST1 has the longest time period, while AMSR2 has the shortest. In terms of grid resolution, HadISST1 has the coarsest resolution, while AMSR2 has the finest. The sea ice areas (SIAs) observed in HadISST1, OSTIA, and AMSR2 are similar. We studied the decadal variations in SICs by dividing the study period into four temporal segments. We investigated the differences between HadISST1 and OSTIA for each temporal segment. HadISST1 exhibited a more pronounced positive trend compared to OSTIA between 2005 and 2010. Additionally, we compared the interannual and seasonal variations in SICs between HadISST1 and OSTIA. Lastly, it should be noted that the Amundsen Sea polynya area varies across all three datasets.
Multiple Greenness Indexes Revealed the Vegetation Greening during the Growing Season and Winter on the Tibetan Plateau despite Regional Variations
Authors: Lv Jinxia , Zhao Wenwu , Hua Ting , Zhang Lihao , Pereira Paulo
Published: December 2023

Vegetation is an essential component of terrestrial ecosystems and supplies multiple ecosystem benefits and services. Several indices have been used to monitor changes in vegetation communities using remotely-sensed data. However, only a few studies have conducted a comparative analysis of different indices concerning vegetation greenness variation. Additionally, there have been oversights in assessing the change in greenness of evergreen woody species. In this study, we used the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), the enhanced vegetation index (EVI), the near-infrared reflectance of terrestrial vegetation (NIRv), and the leaf area index (LAI) data derived from MODIS data to examine spatial and temporal change in vegetation greenness in the growing season (May–September) and then evaluated the evergreen vegetation greenness change using winter (December–February) greenness using trend analysis and consistency assessment methods between 2000 and 2022 on the Tibetan Plateau, China. The results found that vegetation greenness increased in 80% of pixels during the growing season (northeastern, central-eastern, and northwestern regions). Nevertheless, a decline in the southwestern and central-southern areas was identified. Similar trends in greenness were also observed in winter in about 80% of pixels. Consistency analyses based on the four indexes showed that vegetation growth was enhanced by 29% and 30% of pixels in the growing season and winter, respectively. Further, there was relatively strong consistency among the different vegetation indexes, particularly between the NIRv and EVI. The LAI was less consistent with the other indexes. These findings emphasize the importance of selecting an appropriate index when monitoring long-term temporal trends over large spatial scales.
Vehicle Detection in UAV Images via Background Suppression Pyramid Network and Multi-Scale Task Adaptive Decoupled Head
Authors: Pan Mian , Xia Weijie , Yu Haibin , Hu Xinzhi , Cai Wenyu , Shi Jianguang
Published: December 2023

Vehicle detection based on unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) aerial images plays a significant role in areas such as traffic monitoring and management, disaster relief, and more, garnering extensive attention from researchers in recent years. However, datasets acquired from UAV platforms inevitably suffer from issues such as imbalanced class distribution, severe background interference, numerous small objects, and significant target scale variance, presenting substantial challenges to practical vehicle detection applications based on this platform. Addressing these challenges, this paper proposes an object detection model grounded in a background suppression pyramid network and multi-scale task adaptive decoupled head. Firstly, the model implements a long-tail feature resampling algorithm (LFRA) to solve the problem of imbalanced class distribution in the dataset. Next, a background suppression pyramid network (BSPN) is integrated into the Neck segment of the model. This network not only reduces the interference of redundant background information but also skillfully extracts features of small target vehicles, enhancing the ability of the model to detect small objects. Lastly, a multi-scale task adaptive decoupled head (MTAD) with varied receptive fields is introduced, enhancing detection accuracy by leveraging multi-scale features and adaptively generating relevant features for classification and detection. Experimental results indicate that the proposed model achieves state-of-the-art performance on lightweight object detection networks. Compared to the baseline model PP-YOLOE-s, our model improves the AP50:95 on the VisDrone-Vehicle dataset by 1.9%.
InSAR Monitoring Using Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) and Small Baseline Subset (SBAS) Techniques for Ground Deformation Measurement in Metropolitan Area of Concepción, Chile
Authors: Giorgini Eugenia , Orellana Felipe , Arratia Camila , Tavasci Luca , Montalva Gonzalo , Moreno Marcos , Gandolfi Stefano
Published: December 2023

InSAR capabilities allow us to understand ground deformations in large metropolitan areas, this is key to assessing site conditions in areas in an inherently expanding context. The multi-temporal interferometry of SAR data records ground surface displacement velocities over large metropolitan areas, identifying anomalous and potential geological hazards. The metropolitan city of Concepción, Chile, is an alluvial basin in one of the world’s most seismically active subduction zones, where many subduction earthquakes have occurred throughout history. In this study, we monitored the deformations of the ground surface in the metropolitan area of Concepción using two interferometric techniques, the first being Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) and the second, the Small Baseline Subset (SBAS) technique. To do this, we have used the same Sentinel-1 dataset, obtaining ground movement rates between 2019 and 2021. The velocities were aligned with the GNSS station available in the area. Ground deformation patterns show local deformations depending on factors such as soil type and heterogeneity, and regional deformations due to geographical location in the subduction area. Our results highlight the similarity of the deformation rates obtained with different processing techniques and have also allowed us to identify areas of deformation and compare them to site conditions. These results are essential to evaluate ground conditions and contribute to urban planning and risk management in highly seismic areas.
Artisanal Mining River Dredge Detection Using SAR: A Method Comparison
Authors: Alessi Marissa A. , Chirico Peter G. , Millones Marco
Published: December 2023

Challenges exist in monitoring artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) activities, given their dynamic and often informal nature. ASM takes form through various techniques and scales, including riverine dredging, which often targets the abundant alluvial gold deposits in South America. Remote sensing offers a solution to improve data collection, regulation, and monitoring of the more mobile and elusive ASM activities and their impacts. Mapping ASM riverine dredges using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is one of the application areas least explored. Three semi-automated detection approaches using Sentinel-1 SAR are compared on their ability to identify dredges with minimal false positives. The methods are: (i) Search for Unidentified Maritime Objects (SUMO), an established method for large ocean ship detection; and two techniques specifically developed for riverine environments that are introduced in this paper: (ii) a local detection method; and (iii) a global threshold method. A visual interpretation of SAR data with the inclusion of optical high-resolution data are used to generate a validation dataset. Results show it is possible to semi-automatically detect riverine dredge using SAR and that a local detection method provides the best balance between sensitivity and precision and has the lowest risk of error. Future improvements may consider further automation, more discriminatory variables, and analyzing the methods in different environments and at higher spatial resolutions.
Evaluating Predictive Models of Tree Foliar Moisture Content for Application to Multispectral UAS Data: A Laboratory Study
Authors: Lad Lauren E. , Tinkham Wade T. , Sparks Aaron M. , Smith Alistair M. S.
Published: December 2023

Water supply is a critical component of tree physiological health, influencing a tree’s photosynthetic activity and resilience to disturbances. The climatic regions of the western United States are particularly at risk from increasing drought, fire, and pest interactions. Existing methods for quantifying drought stress and a tree’s relative resilience against disturbances mostly use moderate-scale (20–30 m) multispectral satellite sensor data. However, tree water status (i.e., water stress) quantification using sensors like Landsat and Sentinel are error-prone given that the spectral reflectance of pixels are a mixture of the dominant tree canopy, surface vegetation, and soil. Uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) equipped with multispectral sensors could potentially provide individual tree water status. In this study, we assess whether the simulated band equivalent reflectance (BER) of a common UAS optical multispectral sensor can accurately quantify the foliar moisture content and water stress status of individual trees. To achieve this, water was withheld from groups of Douglas-fir and western white pine saplings. Then, measurements of each sapling’s foliar moisture content (FMC) and spectral reflectance were converted to BER of a consumer-grade multispectral camera commonly used on UAS. These bands were used in two classification models and three regression models to develop a best-performing FMC model for predicting either the water status (i.e., drought-stressed or healthy) or the foliar moisture content of each sapling, respectively. Our top-performing models were a logistic regression classification and a multiple linear regression which achieved a classification accuracy of 96.55% and an r2 of 82.62, respectively. These FMC models could provide an important tool for investigating tree crown level water stress, as well as drought interactions with other disturbances, and provide land managers with a vital indicator of tree resilience.
Spatial Distribution of Multiple Atmospheric Pollutants in China from 2015 to 2020
Authors: Chi Yufeng , Zhan Yu , Wang Kai , Ye Hong
Published: December 2023

The pursuit of higher-resolution and more reliable spatial distribution simulation results for air pollutants is important to human health and environmental safety. However, the lack of high-resolution remote sensing retrieval parameters for gaseous pollutants (sulfur dioxide and ozone) limits the simulation effect to a 1 km resolution. To address this issue, we sequentially generated and optimized the spatial distributions of near-surface PM2.5, SO2, and ozone at a 1 km resolution in China through two approaches. First, we employed spatial sampling, random ID, and parameter convolution methods to jointly optimize a tree-based machine-learning gradient-boosting framework, LightGBM, and improve the performance of spatial air pollutant simulations. Second, we simulated PM2.5, used the simulated PM2.5 result to simulate SO2, and then used the simulated SO2 to simulate ozone. We improved the stability of 1 km-resolution SO2 and ozone products through the proposed sequence of multiple-pollutant simulations. The cross-validation (CV) of the random sample yielded an R2 of 0.90 and an RMSE of 9.62 µg∙m−3 for PM2.5, an R2 of 0.92 and an RMSE of 3.9 µg∙m−3 for SO2, and an R2 of 0.94 and an RMSE of 5.9 µg∙m−3 for ozone, which are values better than those in previous related studies. In addition, we tested the reliability of PM2.5, SO2, and ozone products in China through spatial distribution reliability analysis and parameter importance reliability analysis. The PM2.5, SO2, and ozone simulation models and multiple-air-pollutant (MuAP) products generated by the two optimization methods proposed in this study are of great value for long-term, large-scale, and regional-scale air pollution monitoring and predictions, as well as population health assessments.
Analyzing Near-Miss Incidents and Risky Riding Behavior in Thailand: A Comparative Study of Urban and Rural Areas
Authors: Jomnonkwao Sajjakaj , Hantanong Natthaporn , Champahom Thanapong , Se Chamroeun , Ratanavaraha Vatanavongs
Published: December 2023

Preventing near-miss incidents is considered a proactive measure, as it aims to prevent events that have a risk of resulting in accidents. This is regarded as a vital component of building a sustainable and secure society within communities. In the present day, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) often experience the highest fatality rates from motorcycle accidents, which frequently involve mixed traffic scenarios with other vehicles. The distinct physical characteristics and environmental conditions of roads in urban and rural areas significantly contribute to different riding behaviors. Therefore, the objective of this study is to develop a behavioral model related to near-miss incidents among motorcycle riders in both urban and rural regions using multi-group structural equation modeling (SEM). Data collected from six Thai regions via adapted MRBQ assessed control errors, violations, and safety equipment use in a sample of 2002 riders (1066 urban, 936 rural). Through parameter invariance testing, differences in factor loadings, intercepts, and structural paths were identified between urban and rural areas. All three of these factors significantly influenced near-miss incidents among motorcycle riders in both urban and rural areas. The policy recommendations resulting from this study can contribute to enhancing safety measures for motorcycle riders.
Unaccompanied or Separated Migrant Children and Adolescents at the Colombian–Venezuelan Border: Loss of the Social Moratorium and Its Implications
Authors: Ramírez-Martínez Carolina , Albornoz-Arias Neida , Martínez Becerra Leida Marcela , Tamayo Ramírez Karla Gabriela
Published: December 2023

This study explains the Venezuelan migration involving unaccompanied or separated adolescents (UASA) on the Colombian–Venezuelan border, specifically in Norte de Santander-Táchira. This explanation is framed within the concept of the social moratorium, highlighting three subcategories that contribute to the early abandonment of childhood: 1. the violation of rights, 2. working life, and 3. confrontation of dangers. These subcategories compel UASA to transition prematurely into youth, assuming social, labor, or family responsibilities. Methodologically, we adopt a narrative approach, conducting group interviews with 24 immigrant children and adolescents. Furthermore, 14 interviews are conducted in 2 local markets, and the remaining 10 on 2 central avenues in the city of Cúcuta, Colombia. We conduct a theoretical analysis drawing upon key concepts, including the social moratorium, social constructionism, interaction, and moral and cognitive development. This theoretical framework helps us understand the consequences for the life prospects of this generation. They arise from factors such as school dropout, exposure to health risks, and the absence of free leisure time. These indicators reflect socioeconomic problems, including poverty, abuse, and violence.
Investigating the Socio-Economic Sustainability within the Egyptian Museums over the Last Decade
Authors: Nassef Mazen , Mohammed Nadia , Ibrahim Maha
Published: December 2023

Over the last few decades, contemporary museums have undergone a radical change: they have become public places that promote socio-economic sustainability through recreation, commercial, and cultural activities. This shift has altered public perception of museums globally and had a profound impact on today’s museums, resulting in new prototypes that differ significantly from prior ones. This study tries to answer the following questions: How far have Egyptian museums evolved over the last decade? what degree can the radical transformation in museum design assist in fulfilling Egypt’s SDGs? To answer these questions, this study attempts to explore how far Egyptian museums have adapted to this fundamental change, by tracing the evolution of Egyptian museum design compared with the findings of the author’s previous thesis in 2012 and Egypt’s SDGs. This study used qualitative methods, which began with a thorough literature review, followed by a comparative analysis of the selected case studies. The findings revealed that the contemporary design of recent Egyptian museums, by including social and economic activities, significantly supports the national and global agenda in terms of SDG. This article provides architects, designers, and policy makers with clear design criteria to enhance the social and economic role of museums, towards fulfilling SDGs.
Traffic Circle—An Example of Sustainable Home Zone Design
Authors: Majer Stanisław , Sołowczuk Alicja
Published: December 2023

A significant number of new metered parking systems have been introduced in recent years by the local authorities of various spa towns in Poland in connection with home zone conversion projects. The traffic signs posted in these locations were limited to the beginning and end of the demarcated parking area. Traffic circle (TC) is an example of a traffic calming measure (TCM) used in home zones to slow down the traffic (case study—home zone in a small spa village). This article presents the results of a study investigating the speed reductions obtained within a home zone and a traffic circle used as traffic calming measure. The indispensable speed surveys were carried out in relation to this study in two periods: in summer when the streets are crowded with tourists and in September with little pedestrian traffic. Two research hypotheses were formulated as part of the speed data analysis to verify the slowing effect of the traffic circle and the relevance of the traffic circle’s design parameters and location, road function and the surrounding streetscape. For each hypothesis, statistical analyses were carried out using two nonparametric tests: two-sample Kolmogorov–Smirnov test and median test. The third research hypothesis formulated in this study was related to sustainable development factors related to fuel consumption and traffic-related air pollution, including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbons. This hypothesis was verified by estimating the amount of air pollution in the home zone under analysis in three different situations (scenarios): in summer with the travel speed reduced by pedestrian traffic to ca. 8–10 km/h, in September with a small number of pedestrians and 20–25 km/h resulting speed between traffic circles, reduced at the traffic circle, and in a theoretical 30 km/h zone with 25–30 km/h assumed speed between traffic circles, dropping at the traffic circle. These analyses confirmed the appropriateness of the traffic circle as a home zone traffic calming measure, as long as its design is based on a detailed analysis of the relevant factors, including location, road function and the surrounding streetscape.
Study of the Remediation Effect and Mechanism of Biochar-Loaded nZVI on Heavy Metal Contaminated Soil
Authors: Duan Cuiqing , Ren Jun , Tao Ling , Ren Hanru , Wang Miao , Wang Baoqiang
Published: December 2023

Soil heavy metal pollution has become an important environmental problem in the world. Therefore, it is particularly important to find effective remediation methods for heavy metal contaminated soil. Biochar (BC) is a kind of soil heavy metal passivator with a wide range of applications. It also has a good effect on the control of soil heavy metal pollution. However, BC does not have sufficient fixation capacity for para-anionic contaminants. Nano-zero-valent iron (nZVI) has a strong reducing ability, which can make up for this defect of BC. Therefore, to improve the passivation effect of heavy metals, nanomaterial modification is proposed to optimize biochar performance. Nanoparticles are used as carriers to impregnate biochar (BC). Biochar-supported nano-ferric zero-valent materials are prepared to repair soil contaminated by heavy metals. Results show that the physicochemical properties of modified biochar are significantly optimized. At 5%, the modified biochar (1:3) treatment group had the best remediation effect on Cd-contaminated soil, which significantly promoted soil catalase activity. The modified biochar (3:1) treatment group had the best remediation effect on As-contaminated soil, and significantly increased soil pH, Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), and available Fe content. Modified biochar (1:3) with 3% added content was used to repair actual composite heavy metal contaminated soil, and the relative percentage content of Cu, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb residue state increased by 10.28%, 7.81%, 7.44%, 9.26%, and 12.75%, respectively. The effects of nZVI@BC on the remediation effect and soil enzymes of Cd- and As-contaminated soil under different factors such as mass ratio of carbon and iron and dosage were studied. The remediation mechanism of Cd- and As-contaminated soil was clarified, and a good solidification and stabilization effect was obtained. This provides a theoretical basis for nZVI@BC remediation of soil contaminated by Cd and As. It has good application value in the treatment and remediation of complex heavy metal contaminated soil.
New Insight into the Performance and Self-Defensive Responses of the Algal–Bacterial Granular Sludge Process under Cr(VI)-Induced Stress
Authors: Zhang Yu , Wang Shulian , Pi Kewu , Gerson Andrea R.
Published: December 2023

Algal–bacterial granular sludge, a new biological technology, has been widely recognized due to its highly effective pollutant treatment and energy efficiency. This study investigated the effects of environmental concentrations of Cr(VI) (0.5–2.5 mg/L) on the performance of algal–bacterial granular sludge and self-defensive responses after 90 days of cultivation. The results showed that Cr(VI) affected chemical oxygen demand (COD) decrease, ammonia-N and phosphate removal, with different trends being apparent. A linear decline in COD decrease was observed, whereas an initial decrease and then increase in ammonia-N and phosphate removal took place. Algal–bacterial granular sludge effectively removed Cr(VI) from wastewater through biological adsorption and reduction, showing the potential to treat Cr(VI)-contaminated wastewater. Cr(VI) affected the community abundance of the algal–bacterial granular sludge, in which Chlorophyceae and cyanobacteria were vulnerable under Cr(VI)-induced stress. To reduce the toxicity of Cr(VI), over-produced EPS-PN and antioxidant enzymes (MDA, SOD and CAT) acted as self-defensive responses to resist oxidative damage. This study aimed to conduct a comprehensive environmental sustainability assessment of the algal–bacterial granular sludge process in treating municipal wastewater containing Cr(VI). It is hoped that this study can provide useful information for improved engineering feasibility of algal–bacterial granular sludge.
Investigation of Decentralized Wastewater Treatment System in Urban Wastewater Management: Case Study in Yangon, Myanmar
Authors: Swan Kaung Htet , Surinkul Nawatch , Visvanathan Chettiyappan
Published: December 2023

Urban wastewater management in rapidly growing cities presents a significant challenge. Traditional centralized systems are unable to keep pace with increasing urbanization and wastewater generation. This manuscript presents a case study conducted in Yangon, aimed at investigating the feasibility and potential benefits of approaching the decentralized wastewater treatment system (DEWATS) as an alternative solution. DEWATS and centralized wastewater treatment system (CWTS) cases were observed for performance, operational efficiency, and environmental benefits. Field studies, interviews with municipal personnel, and discussions with residents were also conducted. Residents using DEWATS in Yangon value its environmental advantages and are willing to invest in sustainability. Those who use centralized systems are concerned about high costs and unreliability. Results from sustainability assessments showed that DEWATS obtained higher total scores than CWTS. Based on Weighted Sum Methods in three sustainability scenarios, DEWATS ranked first and has been shown to be a sustainable solution for Yangon across environmental, social, economic, and technical aspects. This study provides an alternative strategy for urban planners and decision-makers to use DEWATS as an option for urban wastewater management. The evidence could support accelerating provision of wastewater treatment plants and encourage willingness to pay.