bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Three-Dimensional Change of Lip after Two-Jaw Surgery in Facial Asymmetry Using Facial Scanner
Authors: Kim Young-Jae , Choi Sung-Hwan , Choi Yoon Jeong , Lee Kee-Joon , Lee Sang-Hwy , Yu Hyung-Seog
Published: September 2022

A facial scanner and three-dimensional computed tomography (CT) were used to evaluate the three-dimensional change in lip asymmetry before and after two-jaw surgery for 22 patients with facial asymmetry (menton deviation > 3 mm). We used the labrale superius (Ls), deviated/non-deviated-side cheilions (Ch-D/Ch-ND), and labrale inferius (Li) to construct the upper and lower lip planes to evaluate the lip asymmetry. A correlation analysis was performed to determine the factors related to the vertical change in the cheilions (ΔChZ-D/ND). In the transverse axis, Ch-D and Li moved to improve the asymmetry after surgery. All landmarks, except the Ls, moved backward in the anteroposterior axis. In the vertical axis, significant upward movement was observed in all hard tissue landmarks; however, there were no significant changes in the soft tissue. In the lip plane, the difference in the height of Ch-D and Ch-ND was significantly reduced (1.38 mm vs. 0.72 mm). In the anteroposterior axis, the ΔChZ-D/ND showed significant correlations with the mandibular setback. In the vertical axis, the ΔCh-ND showed significant correlations with the maxillary impaction of the non-deviated side. The improvement in lip asymmetry post-surgery was mainly achieved by the movement of the lower lip and Ch-D rather than the upper lip and Ch-ND.
Study on Spray Characteristics and Breakup Mechanism of an SCR Injector
Authors: Bai Chuanxin , Liu Kai , Zhao Tong , Liu Jinjin
Published: September 2022

Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) is currently one of the most efficient denitration technologies to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions of diesel engines. AdBlue (urea water solution, UWS) is the carrier of the reducing agent of SCR, and the spray process of UWS is one of the critical factors affecting denitration efficiency. In this paper, a non-air-assisted pressure-driven full process spray (NPFPS) model is proposed to illustrate the breakup mechanism and the spray distribution properties of UWS through computational fluid dynamics (CFD). In the NPFPS model, the mechanism of the primary breakup is described by the volume of fluid (VOF) approach, which realizes the quantitative study of the critical parameters determining spray characteristics such as the breakup length, inclination angle, droplet size of the primary breakup, and primary velocity. The distribution of the spray after the primary breakup is depicted by the discrete phase model (DPM) coupled with the Taylor analogy breakup (TAB) model, through which the degree of secondary breakup can be obtained including quantitative studies of the droplet size distribution and velocity distribution in the different cross-sections. To verify the accuracy and feasibility of the NPFPS model, the experimental data are employed to compare with the simulation data. The results are in good agreement, which indicate the practical value of the model.
Anonymous Identity Based Broadcast Encryption against Continual Side Channel Attacks in the State Partition Model
Authors: Yu Qihong , Li Jiguo , Ji Sai
Published: September 2022

In the past 10 years, many side-channel attacks have been discovered and exploited one after another by attackers, which have greatly damaged the security of cryptographic systems. Since no existing anonymous broadcast encryption scheme can resist the side-channel attack, the paper presents an anonymous identity-based broadcast encryption against continual side-channel attacks in the state partition model (CLR-SS-AIBBE). Based on split-state technology, the proposed scheme divides the private key into two states, and the decryption operations are correspondingly divided into two steps. Based on the three static hypotheses for a bilinear group with composite order, the proposed scheme can be proved to be fully secure by the dual system encryption technology in the standard model. The leakage ratio about the private key can reach 1/3.
Zeolites as Carriers of Nano-Fertilizers: From Structures and Principles to Prospects and Challenges
Authors: Sharma Vinayak , Javed Bilal , Byrne Hugh , Curtin James , Tian Furong
Published: September 2022

The world is facing immense challenges in terms of food security, due to the combined impacts of the ever-increasing population and the adversity of climate change. In an attempt to counteract these factors, smart nutrient delivery systems, including nano-fertilizers, additives, and material coatings, have been introduced to increase food productivity to meet the growing food demand. Use of nanocarriers in agro-practices for sustainable farming contributes to achieving up to 75% nutrient delivery for a prolonged period to maintain nutrient availability in soil for plants in adverse soil conditions. In this context, sieve-like zeolites and the diversity in their structural morphologies have attracted increasing interest over recent years. Engineered nano-porous zeolites, also called aluminosilicates, are defined based on the presence of micro- (<2 nm), meso- (2–50 nm), and macropores (>50 nm), which can be employed as carriers of fertilizers due to their enhanced ion-exchange properties and adsorption capabilities. In this study, we provide a detailed overview of the production and optimization of hierarchical zeolite structures within the size range from micro- to nanometers, as well as the various top-down and bottom-up approaches which have been used to synthesize zeolites with a large surface area, tunable pore size, and high thermal stability, which make them an excellent candidate to be used in agronomy. The delivery of pesticides, insecticides, and fertilizers by loading them into nano-zeolites to manage the crop production without disrupting the soil health is discussed, as well as future perspectives of zeolites in the perpetual maintenance of soil productivity.
Assessing Graph Robustness through Modified Zagreb Index
Authors: Chen Rui , Li Jianping , He Weihua
Published: September 2022

Graph robustness or network robustness is the ability that a graph or a network preserves its connectivity or other properties after the loss of vertices and edges, which has been a central problem in the research of complex networks. In this paper, we introduce the Modified Zagreb index and Modified Zagreb index centrality as novel measures to study graph robustness. We theoretically find some relationships between these novel measures and some other graph measures. Then, we use Modified Zagreb index centrality to analyze the robustness of BA scale-free networks, ER random graphs and WS small world networks under deliberate or random vertex attacks. We also study the correlations between this new measure and some other existed measures. Finally, we use Modified Zagreb index centrality to study the robustness of two real world networks. All these results demonstrate the efficiency of Modified Zagreb index centrality for assessing the graph robustness.
Interval Type-2 Fuzzy Approach for Dynamic Parameter Adaptation in the Bird Swarm Algorithm for the Optimization of Fuzzy Medical Classifier
Authors: Miramontes Ivette , Melin Patricia
Published: September 2022

Optimization is essential for applications since it can improve the results provided in different areas; for this task, it is beneficial to use soft computing techniques, such as bio-inspired algorithms. In addition, it has been shown that if dynamic parameter adaptation is applied to these algorithms, they can provide a better result. For this work, the main contribution is to carry out the dynamic parameter adaptation to the bird swarm algorithm using interval type-2 fuzzy systems to realize a new fuzzy bio-inspired algorithm. The design of the proposed fuzzy system consists of two inputs corresponding to the iterations and diversity. As outputs, it takes the values of C and S, which are parameters to be adjusted by the algorithm. Once the design and the experimentation are realized, they are divided into two study cases. The first consists of a set of complex functions of the Congress of Evolutionary Competition 2017. The second case study consists of optimizing the membership functions in a fuzzy system designed to provide the nocturnal blood pressure profile, which corresponds to a neuro-fuzzy hybrid model to obtain the risk of hypertension. Analyzing the 30 experiments performed in both case studies, we can observe that the results obtained are improved when compared with the original method and other proposed methodologies, achieving good results in the complex functions. In addition, the optimized fuzzy system will reach an average of 97% correct classification. Statistically, it can be concluded that there is significant evidence to affirm that the proposed method provides good results.
Myocarditis-like Episodes in Patients with Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy: A Systematic Review on the So-Called Hot-Phase of the Disease
Authors: Bariani Riccardo , Rigato Ilaria , Cipriani Alberto , Bueno Marinas Maria , Celeghin Rudy , Basso Cristina , Corrado Domenico , Pilichou Kalliopi , Bauce Barbara
Published: September 2022

Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is a genetically determined myocardial disease, characterized by myocytes necrosis with fibrofatty substitution and ventricular arrhythmias that can even lead to sudden cardiac death. The presence of inflammatory cell infiltrates in endomyocardial biopsies or in autoptic specimens of ACM patients has been reported, suggesting a possible role of inflammation in the pathophysiology of the disease. Furthermore, chest pain episodes accompanied by electrocardiographic changes and troponin release have been observed and defined as the “hot-phase” phenomenon. The aim of this critical systematic review was to assess the clinical features of ACM patients presenting with “hot-phase” episodes. According to PRISMA guidelines, a search was run in the PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science electronic databases using the following keywords: “arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy”; “myocarditis” or “arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy”; “troponin” or “arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy”; and “hot-phase”. A total of 1433 titles were retrieved, of which 65 studies were potentially relevant to the topic. Through the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 9 papers reporting 103 ACM patients who had experienced hot-phase episodes were selected for this review. Age at time of episodes was available in 76% of cases, with the mean age reported being 26 years ± 14 years (min 2–max 71 years). Overall, 86% of patients showed left ventricular epicardial LGE. At the time of hot-phase episodes, 49% received a diagnosis of ACM (Arrhythmogenic left ventricular cardiomyopathy in the majority of cases), 19% of dilated cardiomyopathy and 26% of acute myocarditis. At the genetic study, Desmoplakin (DSP) was the more represented disease-gene (69%), followed by Plakophillin-2 (9%) and Desmoglein-2 (6%). In conclusion, ACM patients showing hot-phase episodes are usually young, and DSP is the most common disease gene, accounting for 69% of cases. Currently, the role of “hot-phase” episodes in disease progression and arrhythmic risk stratification remains to be clarified.
Small Molecules as Toll-like Receptor 4 Modulators Drug and In-House Computational Repurposing
Authors: Pérez-Regidor Lucía , Guzmán-Caldentey Joan , Oberhauser Nils , Punzón Carmen , Balogh Balázs , Pedro José R. , Falomir Eva , Nurisso Alessandra , Mátyus Péter , Menéndez J. Carlos , de Andrés Belén , Fresno Manuel , Martín-Santamaría Sonsoles
Published: September 2022

The innate immunity toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) system is a receptor of paramount importance as a therapeutic target. Virtual screening following a “computer-aided drug repurposing” approach was applied to the discovery of novel TLR4 modulators with a non-lipopolysaccharide-like structure. We screened almost 29,000 approved drugs and drug-like molecules from commercial, public, and in-house academia chemical libraries and, after biological assays, identified several compounds with TLR4 antagonist activity. Our computational protocol showed to be a robust approach for the identification of hits with drug-like scaffolds as possible inhibitors of the TLR4 innate immune pathways. Our collaborative work broadens the chemical diversity for inspiration of new classes of TLR4 modulators.
A Study of Design Change Management for Infrastructure Development Projects in New Zealand
Authors: Wang Rong , Samarasinghe Don Amila Sajeevan , Skelton Lorraine , Rotimi James Olabode Bamidele
Published: September 2022

Design changes seem to be an inevitable part of engineering, procurement and construction EPC projects. Such changes create a need for a proactive approach to adjusting project scope, cost and time (the triple constraints) for efficiency and effectiveness in overall delivery. This study investigates the causes and implications of design changes in order to improve design change management practices. Data for the study were obtained through online interviews with New Zealand industry practitioners. Thematic analysis was used to collate the results into meaningful data. The study found that design changes were predominantly caused by clients’ inadequate strategic planning, insufficient attention to design, EPC contractors’ inadequate design ability, and on-site variations. There were three categories of such design changes: direct impact on the project, the reciprocal and complementary effect on stakeholders, and the far-reaching impact on the community. The study concludes by suggesting improvements, such as strengthening the integration of project teams to enhance design quality, strategic alignment of stakeholders at the planning stage, early contractor involvement (ECI) between the planning and design phases, and improving collaboration between design and construction teams. Further, a combination of high technical skills (e.g., design ability) and soft skills (can-do attitude, interpersonal skills, problem-solving skills, documentation skills, etc.) are needed to generate the desired improvement in design change management.
Constitutive Material Model for the Compressive Behaviour of Engineered Bamboo
Authors: Goonewardena Janeshka , Ashraf Mahmud , Reiner Johannes , Kafle Bidur , Subhani Mahbube
Published: September 2022

The mechanical properties of the structural components (i.e., columns and beams produced from engineered bamboo products), such as, bamboo scrimber (also known as parallel bamboo strand lumber, PBSL) and Laminated Bamboo Lumber (LBL), have attracted considerable attention from researchers in recent years. In previous studies, researchers reported on the stress-strain behaviour of bamboo scrimber, LBL and glue laminated bamboo under compression and proposed some empirical and semi-empirical models, based on their individual studies. However, a generic constitutive model for engineered bamboo products is still not available. The compressive stress-strain curves of bamboo scrimber and LBL are reported to show a similar behaviour with three distinct stages i.e., a linear elastic stage followed by a nonlinear plastic stage and a plateau. As part of the current study, the previously proposed models for bamboo scrimber were carefully studied and all available material test results on engineered bamboo were used to develop a generic constitutive model, based on the Ramberg-Osgood (RO) formulation considering its suitability to capture its material nonlinearity. Based on the test results, it was observed that 1% proof stress can be used in a compound RO model to predict an accurate material response for bamboo scrimber. The proposed modelling technique has also been applied to predict the compressive behaviour of LBL. This paper proposes the RO coefficients for both bamboo scrimber and LBL that can be used to develop accurate nonlinear models for engineered bamboo products.
Reshaping Publicness: Research on Correlation between Public Participation and Spatial Form in Urban Space Based on Space Syntax—A Case Study on Nanjing Xinjiekou
Authors: Pan Mengyao , Shen Yangfan , Jiang Qiaochu , Zhou Qi , Li Yinghan
Published: September 2022

This paper focuses on urban regeneration practices in central urban areas, aiming to find key points for reshaping the publicness of urban spaces by exploring the morphological features of public spaces and the spatial distribution patterns of public activities. Now that China’s urbanization process has stabilized, large-scale regeneration is no longer applicable to the current urban environment, and urban morphology has proved to be significantly useful in understanding and designing the built environment. However, current research lacks quantitative studies on morphology and public activities, and thus is hardly instructive for the cognition and design of spatial morphology in specific locations. Therefore, this paper attempts to subdivide spatial morphology at the level of “micro-renewal” or “micro-renovation” in order to explore the impact of spatial morphology on public participation in cities. The site chosen for this study is Xinjiekou in Nanjing. As a key area of two important arteries in the center of Nanjing, Xinjiekou has been a gathering place for a variety of commercial forms, such as finance, retail department stores, restaurants, and entertainment, and has been the commercial and financial center of Nanjing since the 1940s. In an on-site observation of urban development and pedestrian flow in the Xinjiekou area, the study found that despite its status as the area with the highest degree of spatial accessibility and public participation, its public space has gradually lost its attractiveness to residents, who lack a sense of participation and place identity. Based on the study of urban public spaces, both accessibility and choice play an important role in increasing public participation. Therefore, this study combined observation and quantitative analysis of Space Syntax to obtain the distribution of accessibility, choice, and public activity. Based on the results of the analysis, this research uses GWR as the statistical method to clarify the correlation between different variables. The final conclusion is that when the space type is a path with high choice value and the paths are connected, the enhancement of accessibility and choice plays an important role in promoting public participation. This statistically based empirical study of testable correlations is very helpful for the perception of location-specific spaces with high levels of interpretability and confidence. Thus, it further guides the design and has a high reference value for future spatial planning.
Theoretical and Numerical Study on the Pile Barrier in Attenuating Seismic Surface Waves
Authors: Zhao Chunfeng , Zeng Chao , Wang Yinzhi , Bai Wen , Dai Junwu
Published: September 2022

The purpose of this study is to investigate the attenuation effect of the pile barrier in blocking seismic surface waves by using theoretical and numerical methods. First, we derive the dispersion characteristics of pile barriers embedded in soil from the perspective of periodicity theory to explain that such periodic barriers can attenuate seismic surface waves when the main frequencies fall into the band gaps of the pile barrier. Second, the dispersion characteristics of periodic barriers composed of different inclusions are discussed, and it is suggested preliminarily that scatters with low stiffness and low density are more conductive to mitigate low-frequency surface waves. Third, a three-dimensional transmission calculation model is also developed to illustrate that the attenuation zone of a finite number of piles is consistent with the surface wave band gap. Finally, transient analysis of the periodic pile barriers is performed to validate the block effects on seismic surface waves. The numerical results show that the frequency band gaps of multi-row pile barriers are in accordance with the frequency band gaps of the surface wave in theory, which can greatly mitigate surface ground vibration. The pile spacing, number of piles, and pile length are the key parameters that can affect the width of attenuation zones of the periodic barriers by an appropriate design.
Structural Evolution of Polyimide-Derived Carbon during Phosphoric Acid Activation
Authors: Puziy Alexander M. , Poddubnaya Olga I. , Gawdzik Barbara , Sobiesiak Magdalena , Sprynskyy Myroslav
Published: September 2022

Carbon adsorbents were obtained by carbonization of polyimide polymer with and without the presence of phosphoric acid at temperatures in the range of 400–1000 °C. Carbons produced in the presence of phosphoric acid have been demonstrated to contain up to 13.2% phosphorus. The structure of phosphorus-containing compounds was investigated by XPS and 31P MAS NMR methods. Deconvolution of the P 2p peak with variable binding energy showed the presence of only phosphates/polyphosphates. However, a low value of the O/P ratio is an indirect indication of the possible presence of phosphonates. A 31P MAS NMR study revealed the existence of several kinds of phosphates as well as a minor quantity (1–9%) of phosphonates. All discovered phosphorus-containing compounds are acidic and therefore give carbon the ability to absorb metal cations. The study of copper ion adsorption demonstrated that phosphorus-containing carbon shows a significant adsorption capability even in extremely acidic conditions. At pH 3–6, phosphorus-containing carbon may completely remove copper from the aqueous solution. Phosphorus-containing carbon has a higher adsorption capacity for copper ions than ion exchange resins with carboxyl or sulfo groups.
Value-Added Products from Catalytic Pyrolysis of Lignocellulosic Biomass and Waste Plastics over Biochar-Based Catalyst: A State-of-the-Art Review
Authors: Li Peng , Wan Kun , Chen Huan , Zheng Fangjuan , Zhang Zhuo , Niu Bo , Zhang Yayun , Long Donghui
Published: September 2022

As the only renewable carbon resource on Earth, lignocellulosic biomass is abundant in reserves and has the advantages of environmental friendliness, low price, and easy availability. The pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass can generate solid biochar with a large specific surface area, well-developed pores, and plentiful surface functional groups. Therefore, it can be considered as a catalyst for upgrading the other two products, syngas and liquid bio-oil, from lignocellulosic biomass pyrolysis, which has the potential to be an alternative to some non-renewable and expensive conventional catalysts. In addition, as another carbon resource, waste plastics can also use biochar-based catalysts for catalytic pyrolysis to solve the problem of accumulation and produce fuels simultaneously. This review systematically introduces the formation mechanism of biochar from lignocellulosic biomass pyrolysis. Subsequently, the activation and modification methods of biochar catalysts, including physical activation, chemical activation, metal modification, and nonmetallic modification, are summarized. Finally, the application of biochar-based catalysts for lignocellulosic biomass and waste plastics pyrolysis is discussed in detail and the catalytic mechanism of biochar-based catalysts is also investigated.
Spatio-Temporal Assessment of Satellite Estimates and Gauge-Based Rainfall Products in Northern Part of Egypt
Authors: Roushdi Mahmoud
Published: September 2022

Egypt’s climate is generally dry all over the country except for the Northern Mediterranean Coast. The Egyptian Meteorological Authority (EMA) uses few meteorological stations to monitor weather events in the entire country within the area of one million square kilometers, which makes it scarce with respect to spatial distribution. The EMA data are relatively expensive to obtain. Open access rainfall products (RP) are commonly used to monitor rainfall as good alternatives, especially for data-scarce countries such as Egypt. This paper aims to evaluate the performance of 12 open access rainfall products for 8 locations in the northern part of Egypt, in order to map the rainfall spatial distribution over the northern part of Egypt based on the best RP. The evaluation process is conducted for the period 2000–2018 for seven locations (Marsa-Matrouh, Abu-Qeir, Rasheed, Port-Said, Tanta, Mansoura, and Cairo-Airport), while it is conducted for the period 1996–2008 for the Damanhour location. The selected open access rainfall products are compared with the ground stations data using annual and monthly timescales. The point-to-pixel approach is applied using four statistical indices (Pearson correlation coefficient (r), Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), root mean square error (RMSE) and bias ratio (Pbias)). Overall, the results indicate that both the African Rainfall Estimation Algorithm (RFE) product and the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) product could be the best rainfall data sources for the Marsa-Matrouh location, with relatively higher r (0.99–0.93 for RFE and 0.99–0.89 for CPC) and NSE (0.98–0.79 for RFE and 0.98–0.75 for CPC), in addition to lower RMSE (0.94–7.78 for RFE and 0.92–12.01 for CPC) and Pbias (0.01–11.95% for RFE and −2.22–−12.15% for CPC) for annual and monthly timescales. In addition, the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) and CPC give the best rainfall products for the Abu-Qier and Port-Said locations. GPCC is more suitable for the Rasheed location. The most appropriate rainfall product for the Tanta location is CHIRPS. The current research confirms the benefits of using rainfall products after conducting the recommended performance assessment for each location.
Dynamic Brain Connectivity in Resting-State FMRI Using Spectral ICA and Graph Approach: Application to Healthy Controls and Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Riazi Amir Hosein , Rabbani Hossein , Kafieh Rahele
Published: September 2022

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neuroinflammatory disease that involves structural and functional damage to the brain. It changes the functional connectivity of the brain between and within networks. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) enables us to measure functional correlation and independence between different brain regions. In recent years, statistical methods, including independent component analysis (ICA) and graph-based analysis, have been widely used in fMRI studies. Furthermore, topological properties of the brain have been appeared as significant features of neuroscience studies. Most studies are focused on graph analysis and ICA methods, rather than considering spectral approaches. Here, we developed a new framework to measure brain connectivity (in static and dynamic formats) and incorporate it to study fMRI data from MS patients and healthy controls (HCs). For this purpose, a spectral ICA method is proposed to extract the nodes of the brain graph. Spectral ICA extracts more reliable components and decreases the processing time in calculation of the static brain connectivity. Compared to Infomax ICA, dynamic range and low-frequency to high-frequency power ratio (fALFF) show better results using the proposed ICA. It is also helpful in selection of the states for dynamic connectivity. Furthermore, the dynamic connectivity-based extracted components from spectral ICA are estimated using a mutual information method and based on correlation of sliding time-windowed on selected IC time courses. First-level and second-level connectivity states are calculated using correlations of connectivity strength between graph nodes (spectral ICA components). Finally, static and dynamic connectivity are analyzed based on correlation nodes percolated by an anatomical automatic labeling (AAL) atlas. Despite static and dynamic connectivity results of AAL correlations not showing any significant changes between MS and HC, our results based on spectral ICA in static and dynamic connectivity showed significantly decreased connectivity in MS patients in the anterior cingulate cortex, whereas it was significantly weaker in the core but stronger at the periphery of the posterior cingulate cortex.
Global Warming by Geothermal Heat from Fracking: Energy Industry’s Enthalpy Footprints
Authors: Woodcock Leslie V.
Published: September 2022

Hypothetical dry adiabatic lapse rate (DALR) air expansion processes in atmosphere climate models that predict global warming cannot be the causal explanation of the experimentally observed mean lapse rate (approx.−6.5 K/km) in the troposphere. The DALR hypothesis violates the 2nd law of thermodynamics. A corollary of the heat balance revision of climate model predictions is that increasing the atmospheric concentration of a weak molecular transducer, CO2, could only have a net cooling effect, if any, on the biosphere interface temperatures between the lithosphere and atmosphere. The greenhouse-gas hypothesis, moreover, does not withstand scientific scrutiny against the experimental data. The global map of temperature difference contours is heterogeneous with various hotspots localized within specific land areas. There are regional patches of significant increases in time-average temperature differences, (∆) = 3 K+, in a ring around the arctic circle, with similar hotspots in Brazil, South Africa and Madagascar, a 2–3 K band across central Australia, SE Europe centred in Poland, southern China and the Philippines. These global-warming map hotspots coincide with the locations of the most intensive fracking operational regions of the shale gas industry. Regional global warming is caused by an increase in geothermal conductivity following hydraulic fracture operations. The mean lapse rate (d/dz)z at the surface of the lithosphere will decrease slightly in the regions where these operations have enhanced heat transfer. Geothermal heat from induced seismic activity has caused an irreversible increase in enthalpy (H) input into the overall energy balance at these locations. Investigating global warming further, we report the energy industry’s enthalpy outputs from the heat generated by all fuel consumption. We also calculate a global electricity usage enthalpy output. The global warming index, <∆T-biosphere> since 1950, presently +0.875 K, first became non-zero in the early 1970’s around the same time as natural gas usage began and has increased linearly by 0.0175 K/year ever since. Le Chatelier’s principle, applied to the dissipation processes of the biosphere’s ΔH-contours and [CO2] concentrations, helps to explain the global warming statistics.
The Cryptocurrency Market in Transition before and after COVID-19: An Opportunity for Investors?
Authors: Nguyen An Pham Ngoc , Mai Tai Tan , Bezbradica Marija , Crane Martin
Published: September 2022

We analyze the correlation between different assets in the cryptocurrency market throughout different phases, specifically bearish and bullish periods. Taking advantage of a fine-grained dataset comprising 34 historical cryptocurrency price time series collected tick-by-tick on the HitBTC exchange, we observe the changes in interactions among these cryptocurrencies from two aspects: time and level of granularity. Moreover, the investment decisions of investors during turbulent times caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are assessed by looking at the cryptocurrency community structure using various community detection algorithms. We found that finer-grain time series describes clearer the correlations between cryptocurrencies. Notably, a noise and trend removal scheme is applied to the original correlations thanks to the theory of random matrices and the concept of Market Component, which has never been considered in existing studies in quantitative finance. To this end, we recognized that investment decisions of cryptocurrency traders vary between bearish and bullish markets. The results of our work can help scholars, especially investors, better understand the operation of the cryptocurrency market, thereby building up an appropriate investment strategy suitable to the prevailing certain economic situation.
Multi-Graph Convolutional Network for Fine-Grained and Personalized POI Recommendation
Authors: Zhang Suzhi , Bai Zijian , Li Pu , Chang Yuanyuan
Published: September 2022

With the advent of the era of rapid information expansion, the massive data backlog that exists on the Internet has led to a serious information overload problem, which makes recommendation systems a crucial part of human life. In particular, the Point-Of-Interest (POI) recommendation system has been applied to many real-life scenarios, such as life services and autonomous driving. Specifically, the goal of POI recommendation is to recommend locations that match their personalized preferences to users. In existing POI recommendation methods, people tend to pay more attention to the impact of temporal and spatial factors of POI on users, which will alleviate the problems of data sparsity and cold start in POI recommendation. However, this tends to ignore the differences among individual users, and considering only temporal and spatial attributes does not support fine-grained POI recommendations. To solve this problem, we propose a new Fine-grained POI Recommendation With Multi-Graph Convolutional Network (FP-MGCN). This model focuses on the content representation of POIs, captures users’ personalized preferences using semantic information from user comments, and learns fine-grained representations of users and POIs through the relationships between content–content, content–POI, and POI–user. FP-MGCN employs multiple embedded propagation layers and adopts information propagation mechanisms to model the higher-order connections of different POI-related relations for enhanced representation. Fine-grained POI is finally recommended to users through the three types of propagation we designed: content–content information propagation, content–POI information propagation, and POI–user information propagation. We have conducted detailed experiments on two datasets, and the results show that FP-MGCN has advanced performance and can alleviate the data sparsity problem in POI recommendation tasks.
Design of Radiation-Tolerant High-Speed Signal Processing Circuit for Detecting Prompt Gamma Rays by Nuclear Explosion
Authors: Lee Minwoong , Lee Namho , Gwon Huijeong , Kim Jongyeol , Hwang Younggwan , Cho Seongik
Published: September 2022

Electronic equipment in nuclear power plants and nuclear warfare is damaged by transient effects that cause high-energy pulsed radiation. There is a concern that this type of damage can even cause enormous economic losses and human casualties by paralyzing control systems. To solve this problem, this study proposes a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) logic-based, switching detection circuit that can detect pulsed radiations at a fast rate. This circuit improved response speed and power consumption by using the switching operation of digital logic compared with conventional circuits. Furthermore, radiation tolerance to total ionizing dose (TID) effects was achieved even in a cumulative radiation environment because of the use of the design using p-metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (p-MOSFET). The proposed detection circuit was manufactured by a 0.18 µm CMOS bulk process for integration. Normal operation in the detection range of 2.0 × 107 rad(si)/s was verified by pulsed radiation test evaluations, and the tolerance properties to a radiation of 2 Mrad was verified based on cumulative radiation test evaluations.
Economic Conditions for the Development of Energy Cooperatives in Poland
Authors: Kostecka-Jurczyk Daria , Marak Katarzyna , Struś Mirosław
Published: September 2022

One of the important areas of the energy transformation is the citizens involvement in the energy production process. This is a prerequisite for maintaining the security of supply and price stabilization. In order for all citizens to have equal opportunities to use green energy, regardless of financial and housing opportunities, energy cooperatives are established in many countries. In Poland, the first renewable energy cooperatives emerged in 2021 but, unfortunately, their role in the energy transformation process will be rather limited in the near future. This is mainly due to the numerous legal, economic and social barriers that hinder their creation. This article adopts the hypothesis that there are too many barriers in Poland that discourage the creation of energy cooperatives or other forms of collective prosumption. The main obstacle is the limitations of installed power, coerced by the poor condition of the network infrastructure. The aim of the article is to answer the question of whether, given the current legal and economic conditions, a large-scale development of energy cooperatives is possible in Poland, or will the existing barriers make this development limited and not contribute to the country’s energy transformation? To answer this question, primary and secondary sources were used. Primary research relied on interviews in all cooperatives operating in Poland. Based on the literature on the subject, reference was made to the experiences of other EU countries. The research shows that there are strong economic, legal and mental barriers to the development of cooperatives in Poland. Overcoming them requires changes in the law, in the energy policy including decentralization of the energy market and increased public confidence in collective forms of prosumption.
Assessment of Cytochrome c and Chlorophyll a as Natural Redox Mediators for Enzymatic Biofuel Cells Powered by Glucose
Authors: Samukaite Bubniene Urte , Zukauskas Sarunas , Ratautaite Vilma , Vilkiene Monika , Mockeviciene Ieva , Liustrovaite Viktorija , Drobysh Maryia , Lisauskas Aurimas , Ramanavicius Simonas , Ramanavicius Arunas
Published: September 2022

The development of new high-power biofuel cells has been limited in the past by slow or indirect charge transfer. In this study, enzymatic biofuel cell (EBFC) systems were explored with different materials used to evaluate their applicability as redox mediators. Redox mediators of different natures have been selected for this research. Cytochrome c, Chlorophyll a, and supernatant of ultrasonically disrupted algae Chlorella vulgaris cells were examined as potential redox mediators. The effect of heparin on the EBFC was also evaluated under the same analytical conditions. The measurements of open circuit potential (OCP) and the evaluation of the current response in two modes of measurement were performed (i) during potential cycling in cyclic voltammetry measurements or (ii) at the constant potential value in chronoamperometry, and were applied for the evaluation of EBFC. Cytochrome c, Chlorophyll a, and the supernatant of ultrasonically disrupted algae Chlorella vulgaris cells-based redox mediators were efficient in the glucose oxidase (GOx) based EBFC. Electron transfer from GOx to the electrode was facilitated through the redox mediators adsorbed on the electrode. Electrodes modified with Chlorophyll a- and Cytochrome c-based redox mediators were suitable for the development of glucose biosensors. This was demonstrated by increasing the glucose concentration within 0 mM–100 mM in the system, the current density increased, and the system reached equilibrium rather faster regarding the electrochemical reaction. The power density is an important feature in revealing the action of biofuel cells. The highest power values were generated by the systems based on the application of redox-mediated Chlorophyll a and the supernatant of ultrasonically disrupted Chlorella vulgaris cells. The surface power density was about 2.5–4.0 µW/cm2. Control of a study was performed with a polished graphite electrode and the maximum surface power density was 0.02471 µW/cm2.
The Influence of Low Carbon Emission Engine on the Life Cycle of Automotive Products: A Case Study of Three-Cylinder Models in the Chinese Market
Authors: Pan Meixia , Chen Wanming , Wang Shengyuan , Wu Xiaolan
Published: September 2022

There is a development trend for fuel vehicles to adopt low-carbon emission engines. The sales of cars with low-carbon three-cylinder engines in the Chinese market have declined. Is the life cycle of automotive products with three-cylinder engines entering a recession stage? In order to achieve this research objective, which is to investigate whether assembling a three-cylinder engine affects the life cycle of an automotive product, this paper constructs an ecological theory-based approach to measuring the life cycle of automotive products. First, the logistic model is used to measure the intrinsic growth rate, internal inhibition coefficient, and theoretical upper limit of product sales scale before and after the automotive products are equipped with three-cylinder engines. In the second stage, the Lotka–Volterra model is used to calculate the intrinsic growth rate, internal inhibition coefficient, theoretical upper limit, and symbiosis coefficient of the sales scale of the products before and after the three-cylinder engine, taking the Chinese automobile manufacturing enterprises as an example for empirical analysis. The research results show that the selection of three- cylinder engine for automotive products will not lead to the product life cycle entering the recession period ahead of time.
McCARD Criticality Benchmark Analyses with Various Evaluated Nuclear Data Libraries
Authors: Park Ho Jin , Alosaimi Mohammad , Yang Seong-Ah , Jeong Heejeong , Choi Sung Hoon
Published: September 2022

International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP) criticality analyses were conducted using the McCARD Monte Carlo code for 85 selected benchmark problems with 7 evaluated nuclear data libraries (ENDLs): ENDF/B-VII.1, ENDF/B-VIII.0, JENDL-4.0, JENDL-5.0, JEFF-3.3, TENDL-2021, and CENDL-3.2. Regarding the analyses, it was confirmed that the keff results are sensitive to the ENDL. It is noted that the new-version ENDLs show better performance in the fast benchmark cases, while on the other hand, there are no significant differences in keff among the different ENDLs in the thermal benchmark cases. The sensitivity of the keff results depending on the ENDL may impact nuclear core design parameters such as the shutdown margin, critical boron concentration, and power defects. This study and keff results will be a good reference in the development of new types of nuclear cores or new design codes.
Variability of Remotely Sensed Solar-Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence in Relation to Climate Indices
Authors: He Katherine , Li Wenhong , He Ruoying
Published: September 2022

Global remote sensing of solar-induced fluorescence (SIF), a proxy for plant photosynthetic activity, represents a breakthrough in the systematic observation of global-scale gross primary production and other ecosystem functions. Here, we hypothesize that all earth ecosystem variabilities, including SIF, are affected by climate variations. The main contribution of this study is to apply a global empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis of SIF to quantify the relations between the large-scale GPP variability and climate variations. We used 2007–2019 SIF data derived from the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 (GOME-2) satellite sensor observations and a rotated empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis to explore global SIF variability over years and decades. The first leading EOF mode captures the well-known ENSO pattern, with most of the variance over continents in the tropical Pacific and Indian Oceans. The second and third leading EOF modes in SIF variability are significantly related to the NAO and PDO climate indices, respectively. Our analysis also shows that the 2011 La Niña (2015 El Niño) elevated (decreased) global SIF.
Molecular Epidemiological Investigations of Localized SARS-CoV-2 Outbreaks-Utility of Public Algorithms
Authors: Bilal Mahmood Y. , Klutts James S.
Published: September 2022

The recent rapid expansion of targeted viral sequencing approaches in conjunction with available bioinformatics have provided an effective platform for studying severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (CoV-2) virions at the molecular level. These means can be adapted to the field of viral molecular epidemiology, wherein localized outbreak clusters can be evaluated and linked. To this end, we have integrated publicly available algorithms in conjunction with targeted RNASeq data in order to qualitatively evaluate similarity or dissimilarity between suspect outbreak strains from hospitals, or assisted living facilities. These tools include phylogenetic clustering and mutational analysis utilizing Nextclade and Ultrafast Sample placement on Existing tRee (UShER). We herein present these outbreak screening tools utilizing three case examples in the context of molecular epidemiology, along with limitations and potential future developments. We anticipate that these methods can be performed in clinical molecular laboratories equipped with CoV-2-sequencing technology.
Superior EVOO Quality Production: An RGB Sorting Machine for Olive Classification
Authors: Violino Simona , Moscovini Lavinia , Costa Corrado , Re Paolo Del , Giansante Lucia , Toscano Pietro , Tocci Francesco , Vasta Simone , Manganiello Rossella , Ortenzi Luciano , Pallottino Federico
Published: September 2022

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is a commercial product of high quality, thanks to its nutritional and organoleptic characteristics. The olives ripeness and the choice of harvest time according to their color and size, strongly influences the quality of the EVOO. The physical sorting of olives with machines performing rapid and objective optical selection, impossible by hand, can improve the quality of the final product. The aim of this study concerns the classification of olives into two qualitative classes, based on the maturity stage and the presence of external defects, through an industrial RGB optical sorting prototype, evaluating its performance and comparing the results with those obtained visually by trained operators. EVOOs obtained from classified olives were characterized through chemical, physical-chemical analysis and sensory profile. For the first time, the optoelectronic technologies in an industrial system was tested on olives to produce superior quality EVOO. The selection allows late harvest, obtaining oils with good characteristics from fully ripe and unripe fruits together, separating defective olives with appropriate calibration and training. Optoelectronic selection creates the opportunity to blend the obtained oils destined to different applications according to the needs of the consumer or producer, using a vanguard technology at low cost.