bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Efficient Nitrogen Recovery from Agro-Energy Effluents for Cyanobacteria Cultivation (Spirulina)
Authors: Attene Luca , Deiana Andrea , Carucci Alessandra , De Gioannis Giorgia , Asunis Fabiano , Ledda Claudio
Published: January 2023

The present study aimed to obtain an efficient liquid nitrogen fertilizer from the by-product of anaerobic digestion for its subsequent use in the production of cyanobacteria (Spirulina). A simple recovery technology was tested based on the stripping and acid absorption, modifying temperature (50 and 70 °C) and pH (10 and 12), of the ammonia nitrogen contained in the digestate produced in a large-scale plant treating livestock manure and grass silage. The results demonstrated how, at a relatively low temperature (50 °C), using sulfuric and citric acid solution, it is possible to recover nitrogen from a digestate in the form of ammonium sulfate and ammonium citrate with yields of 70% and 72.1% respectively. By carrying out Spirulina growth tests, promising results were obtained under semicontinuous production, with a maximum dry biomass daily productivity of 0.344 g L−1 day−1 with ammonium sulfate and 0.246 gDW L−1 day−1 with ammonium citrate. The results showed that nitrogen can be efficiently recovered on site by using the organic acid, digestate and waste heat from anaerobic digestion for Spirulina biomass production.
Study on the Spatio-Temporal Evolution and Influential Factors of Green Innovation Efficiency in Urban Agglomerations of China
Authors: Feng Shan , Kong Yawen , Liu Shuguang , Zhou Hongwei
Published: January 2023

Promoting green innovation efficiency in urban agglomerations (UAs) can help to ensure the sustainability of China in a competitive but fragile post-industrialization era. This paper applies the Super Slacks-Based Measure model (Super-SBM) to measure the green innovation efficiency in 19 UAs of China from 2006 to 2018. Then, it examines the spatial-temporal evolution characteristics from the perspectives of geography and economics. Furthermore, the spatial econometric model is also established to explore the influential factors of green innovation efficiency, as well as its regional differences. The results reveal the following: (1) From the perspective of temporal differentiation, the green innovation efficiency of most UAs in China presents a fluctuated increase during the study period, and UAs located in the east are more ideal. (2) As for spatial differentiation, the number of UAs of a high value level is relatively stable, and the southeast coastal UAs performs as the core and a stepped pattern of “east > center > west” is clear. (3) A significant positive spatial spillover effect of green innovation efficiency does exist in UAs of China, and the effects of relative factors vary across regions. Differentiated measures should be taken to improve the green innovation efficiency in the UAs of China. This study provides significant guidance for realizing the goal of high-quality development in China, as well as fulfilling the international commitment of carbon peak and carbon neutrality.
How Important Are the Relations between Vegetation Diversity and Bacterial Functional Diversity for the Functioning of Novel Ecosystems?
Authors: Woźniak Gabriela , Malicka Monika , Kasztowski Jacek , Radosz Łukasz , Czarnecka Joanna , Vangronsveld Jaco , Prostański Dariusz
Published: January 2023

Understanding ecosystem development of post-mining areas requires observing the development of the plant and microbial communities. It is widely known that mutual interaction is important for both of these groups, and both benefit significantly. The aim of this study was to broaden the knowledge about the relation between the vegetation and functional diversity of bacterial communities in novel ecosystems of post-mining areas and to discuss the potential applicability of methods of studies of bacterial functional diversity in these ecosystems with special attention paid to the BIOLOG method. The functional diversity of microbial communities of five types of microhabitats of post-coal mining heap (Upper Silesia, Poland) was studied using the BIOLOG method. Four of them were covered by spontaneously developed vegetation (two dominated by grasses Calamagrostis epigejos and Poa compressa and two others by dicotyledonous species Daucus carota and Tussilago farfara). The results obtained for vegetated microhabitats were compared with the diversity of microbial communities from non-vegetated types of microhabitat. Our study confirmed that microbial functional diversity measured by the summed area under the curve for all substrates, the richness index, the Shannon-Wiener index and the evenness index mirrors aboveground vegetation diversity. All of these measures differ, especially between non-vegetated patches and grassland patches dominated by C. epigejos and P. compressa.
Does Product Eco-design Promote Remanufacturing: Application of a Stylized Game-theoretic Model
Authors: Wang Qixiang , Wang Xiaobo
Published: January 2023

As an effective approach to reduce resource waste and production costs, remanufacturing has elicited extensive attention from the industry and academia. Many electronic original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have increasingly begun to incorporate product eco-design (PED) into their remanufacturing processes since take-back regulations that hold OEMs responsible for handling their own end-of-life products have gradually become more stringent. The investment costs for the PED implementation vary across different PED effort levels (i.e., high, medium, and low) chosen by the OEM, and different PED effort levels may yield different remanufacturing strategies. In this paper, we develop a stylized game-theoretic model to investigate the impact of PED effort levels on the OEM’s equilibrium decisions (which include production quantities of new and remanufactured products) and supply chain performance in the context of take-back legislation. Our results demonstrate that high PED effort levels do not imply more remanufacturing and that the OEM’s choice of remanufacturing strategies depends on the trade-off between cost savings from remanufacturing and deterministic risks. Interestingly, we find that new products should have a certain level of profitability to ensure the validity of take-back legislation. Due to the substitution and complementary effects between new and remanufactured products, the optimal decisions exhibit different characteristics in remanufacturing strategies. Through a numerical study, we observe that the economic performance decreases with increases in the PED effort level under take-back legislation, but the change in the total environmental impact depends on the PED effort level and the production cost of new products.
Structural and Environmental Performance of Evolving Industrial Symbiosis: A Multidimensional Analysis
Authors: Barrau Enora , Glaus Mathias
Published: January 2023

Industrial symbiosis (IS) involves networks of organizations collaborating through flow exchanges. Scientific research has shown that such systems are able to provide benefits at the environmental level. Structural organization and stability were also studied, as they are linked to resilience (maintenance of activity over time), especially with ecological network analysis (ENA), which considers several dimensions in the assessment of a network organization. Studies combining ENA and environmental assessment are lacking in the literature; therefore, the links between the two dimensions are not well documented. The intention of this study was to fill this gap by analyzing structural and environmental performance simultaneously using ENA and a life-cycle-analysis-based approach focusing on the structural topology of IS. The results show that the two dimensions do not strictly influence each other. Structural performance was found to vary depending on the network structure topology, whereas environmental performance was influenced by the network complexity. To ensure the continuation of IS benefits, the two dimensions should be considered in the decision-making process in IS planification, even if they are independent evaluation criteria. Tradeoffs should be based on IS development possibilities and territorial needs.
The Industrial Potential of Fique Cultivated in Colombia
Authors: Rendón-Castrillón Leidy , Ramírez-Carmona Margarita , Ocampo-López Carlos , Pinedo-Rangel Valentina , Muñoz-Blandón Oscar , Trujillo-Aramburo Eduardo
Published: January 2023

The fique plant (Furcraea sp.) is a native plant of the Andean region with a great capacity to adapt to different environmental conditions, of which only 4% of the plant is used for developing natural fibers. The comprehensive use of fique and its by-products represents a source of opportunities for the industry and can play an important role in achieving sustainable development. The available literature suggests that fique fiber, juice, and bagasse could boost sectors such as agriculture, construction, the pharmaceutical industry, power generation, and the development of environmental solutions, among others. This review article could help researchers to understand the fique production system, introduces research experiences, and analyze the potential of recent developments for the industry.
The Effect of Consumer Sentiment on Manufacturers’ Green Technology Innovation: A RDEU Evolutionary Game Model
Authors: Guo Hongbo , Lu Mengtong , Ding Lili
Published: January 2023

In the information era, the fluctuation of consumer sentiments plays a key role in the green technology innovation of manufacturers. This paper introduces RDEU theory to the evolutionary game model to analyze the existence of equilibrium under different sentiment states. Then, the model is numerically simulated to study the influence of sentiments on the participants’ strategies. The results indicate that under different sentiment states green technology innovation and green purchasing behavior present different evolutionary trajectories. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) When both parties have no sentiments, there is a stable equilibrium point, suggesting customers are willing to purchase green products and manufacturers choose green technology innovation strategies. (2) When both parties have sentiments, the rising consumer boycott sentiment will hinder optimistic manufacturers from choosing green technology innovation strategies. Furthermore, the rising support sentiment of the consumer promotes optimistic manufacturers’ green technology innovations, and the more manufacturers deviate from the rational state, the more likely they are to maintain the current production mode. (3) When only one party has a sentiment, the manufacturer’s rationality plays a more important role in promoting green technology innovation than the consumer’s rationality. Based on the above conclusions, this paper proposes some sentiment guidance strategies that are conducive to green production and consumption. This study provides a new perspective and theoretical guidance for studying the behavior of green supply chain members to promote the development of green economy circulation.
Method of Vertiport Capacity Assessment Based on Queuing Theory of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Authors: Zhang Honghai , Fei Yuhan , Li Jingyu , Li Bowen , Liu Hao
Published: January 2023

Urban air traffic has gradually attracted attention in recent years, which will bring endless vitality to future urban development. An objective and accurate method of assessing vertiport capacity is the basis for the air traffic flow management of UAVs, which plays an important role in improving the efficiency of urban airspace resources. First of all, this paper establishes a theoretical capacity calculation model for ground facilities such as takeoff and landing platforms, taxiways and aprons, respectively. Next, this paper analyzes the service characteristics of each ground facility and establishes different types of UAV queuing systems to obtain UAV delay curves based on a UAV Poisson flow arrival model. Subsequently, a suitable acceptable delay level is selected to obtain the corresponding UAV flow, which means the actual capacity of UAV operations. Eventually, the validity of the model is verified through actual drone data arithmetic examples. The calculation results show that the combination of “1 landing + 2 takeoffs” can achieve better capacity results and that the landing platform is more prone to congestion than the takeoff platform. Change in average service time has the greatest impact on the apron capacity, and the takeoff platform is the most sensitive to changes in the acceptable delay level.
Life Cycle Assessment Tool for Food Supply Chain Environmental Evaluation
Authors: Costa Tamíris Pacheco da , Gillespie James , Pelc Katarzyna , Adefisan Abi , Adefisan Michael , Ramanathan Ramakrishnan , Murphy Fionnuala
Published: January 2023

Food is at the centre of efforts to combat climate change, reduce water stress, pollution, and conserve the world’s wildlife. Assessing the environmental performance of food companies is essential to provide a comprehensive view of the production processes and gain insight into improvement options, but such a tool is currently non-existent in the literature. This study proposed a tool based on the life cycle assessment methodology focused on six stages of the food chain, raw materials acquisition, supplier, manufacturing, distribution, retail and wastes. The user can also evaluate the implementation of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to reduce food waste applied in the real-world problems. The tool was validated through a case study of a food manufacturing company that prepares frozen meals via vending machines. The LCA results provided by the tool showed that food raw materials production is the main hotspot of nine impact categories. The IoT technologies’ contribution increased the company’s impact by around 0.4%. However, it is expected that employing these monitoring technologies would prevent food waste generation and the associated environmental impacts. Therefore, the results of this paper provide evidence that the proposed tool is suitable for determining environmental impacts and savings of food supply chain companies.
Effect of Supplementation of Freshly Pressed Carrot Juice with Rhus coriaria L. on Changes in Juice Quality
Authors: Osmólska Emilia , Stoma Monika , Sagan Agnieszka , Chudzik Barbara , Starek-Wójcicka Agnieszka
Published: January 2023

The creation of an environmentally friendly food system involves, e.g., the production of safe and healthy food and the reduction of its waste. Therefore, the main aim of this research was to determine the effect of the addition of ground sumac powder (in the amount of 0.5, 1.5, and 3.0 g/100 mL) on the physicochemical properties of freshly pressed carrot (Daucus carota L.) juice and to obtain a product with extended shelf life. The analyses revealed the multiplication of microorganisms in the control juice samples during storage and the inhibition of the multiplication in the sumac-enriched samples. After 72 h, the addition of sumac in the amount of 0.5, 1.5, and 3 g reduced the total number of microorganisms by 1.7, 2.9, and 3.1 log10 CFU/g, respectively, compared to the control. The supplementation of carrot juice with sumac in the amount of 3% increased the content of carotenoids and polyphenolic compounds on the first day of storage by 23% and 40%, respectively, compared to the control sample. The addition of sumac to the carrot juice extended the shelf life of the product with a simultaneous significant increase in polyphenols classified as health-promoting substances.
Asian Elephant Evolutionary Relationships: New Perspectives from Mitochondrial D-Loop Haplotype Diversity
Authors: Srikulnath Kornsorn , Ariyaraphong Nattakan , Singchat Worapong , Panthum Thitipong , Lisachov Artem , Ahmad Syed Farhan , Han Kyudong , Muangmai Narongrit , Duengkae Prateep
Published: January 2023

Mitochondrial displacement loop (mt D-loop) sequence analyses have greatly improved assessments of genetic diversity, structure, and population dynamics of endangered species threatened by climate change and habitat loss. Tracking population haplotypes of these species using mitochondrial-based markers has opened new avenues for conservation genomics and biodiversity research. Recent studies have used mt D-loop sequences to assess the genetic diversity of the largest land mammal in Asia, the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), whose populations are rapidly declining. Here, we review haplotype data from mt D-loop sequencing studies and highlight previous population-scale hypotheses pertaining to the origin and diverse genetic profiles of Asian elephants. Retrieving haplotype information from elephant populations can substantially improve estimations of different parameters relevant to their conservation and allow introgression/hybridization dissection of genetic variation to shed light on ongoing evolutionary processes.
Economic Sustainability of High–Speed and High–Capacity Railways
Authors: Praticò Filippo Giammaria , Fedele Rosario
Published: January 2023

High–speed railways (HSRs or AV) and high–capacity railways (HCRs or AC, herein in the sense of open to freight trains) are crucial for the social and economic development of regions and nations. Their design, construction, and maintenance should comply with many requirements, including environment–, finance–, and policy–related ones. To this end, it is noted that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (UN–SDGs, United Nations Member States, 2015) lists 17 targets, including decent work and economic growth (number 8), industry, innovation and culture (n. 9), and take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (n. 13). Despite the above, when analysing costs, many uncertainties arise. In light of the foregoing, the main objectives of the study presented in this paper have been confined to the definition of a model for the estimation of HSR and HSR/HCR infrastructure cost. Theoretical considerations and data derived from Italian (both HSR and HSR/HCR), Spanish, and French HSR projects were used to set up and validate the proposed model. Results demonstrate that, under given conditions, it is possible to explain cost variability in terms of four main factors, namely high capacity (ACF), speed (SF), national (NF), and freight train factor (K), where this latter mainly refers to the need for longer tracks when freight trains are the main type of traffic.
Deliverable Wellhead Temperature—A Feasibility Study of Converting Abandoned Oil/Gas Wells to Geothermal Energy Wells
Authors: Wei Na , Guo Boyun
Published: January 2023

Many oil/gas wells are abandoned or approaching their end-of-life. Converting them into geothermal wells can significantly improve the economics of oil/gas field operations and reduce carbon emissions. While such conversion has proven viable in some areas, this technology has not yet been considered in many other areas. It is highly desirable to investigate the feasibility of converting abandoned oil/gas wells into geothermal energy production wells in local geological conditions. A new mathematical model was developed in this study for analyzing the feasibility of converting oil/gas wells into geothermal wells. This model predicts the deliverable fluid temperature of a well by simulating the heat transfer from the geothermal zone through the wellbore to the surface wellhead, considering pipe and wellbore insulation. Factors affecting heat transfer efficiency were investigated with the model for a generic data set. Results indicate that without pipe insulation, the temperature of the returning fluid is very close to that of the injected fluid. The use of pipe insulation can significantly increase the temperature of the returning fluid. For a system with a thermal conductivity of insulation pipe Kp = 0.03 W/m-C, the deliverable fluid temperature can be increased from 30 °C to 124 °C. Adding an insulation cement sheath can efficiently further increase the temperature of the returning fluid. For a system with a cement thermal conductivity of 0.20 W/m-C, the deliverable fluid temperature can be further increased from 124 °C to 148 °C. Increasing the length of the horizontal wellbore in the geothermal zone from 2000 m to 8000 m can further increase the temperature of the returning fluid from 148 °C to 159 °C. Merely by increasing the vertical depth of the well from 7000 m to 7800 m, the deliverable fluid temperature can be enhanced from 148 °C to 161 °C. However, vertical depth is limited by the temperature-sensitivity of drilling technologies, such as the thermal stability of drilling fluids and downhole drilling instruments.
Does Industrial Policy Reduce Corporate Investment Efficiency? Evidence from China
Authors: Wang Ting , Wang Rujun , Zhang Hua
Published: January 2023

We investigate the impact and mechanism of industrial policy on corporate investment and investment efficiency. Using the micro-level data of A-share listed firms on China’s stock market from 2001–2020, we examine whether industrial policies have different effects on China’s state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and non-state-owned enterprises (non-SOEs). Moreover, we identify specific policy followers to further illustrate the impact of industrial policy on investment efficiency. The empirical results show that industrial policies promote investments among non-SOEs at the cost of reducing their investment efficiency, but have no effect on the investment and efficiency of SOEs. Government subsidy and inter-industry competition are the main mechanisms for the negative impact of industrial policy on investment efficiency. Moreover, target industrial policies reduce the investment efficiency of both SOE and non-SOE policy followers. Therefore, to achieve the goal of improving corporate investment efficiency and promoting sustainable economic development, policy-makers should pay more attention to the consequence of unnecessary government subsidy and excessive inter-industry competition.
A Novel Edge-Computing-Based Framework for an Intelligent Smart Healthcare System in Smart Cities
Authors: Tripathy Subhranshu Sekhar , Imoize Agbotiname Lucky , Rath Mamata , Tripathy Niva , Bebortta Sujit , Lee Cheng-Chi , Chen Te-Yu , Ojo Stephen , Isabona Joseph , Pani Subhendu Kumar
Published: January 2023

The wide use of internet-enabled devices has not left the healthcare sector untouched. The health status of each individual is being monitored irrespective of his/her medical conditions. The advent of such medical devices is beneficial not only for patients but also for physicians, hospitals, and insurance companies. It makes healthcare fast, reliable, and hassle-free. People can keep an eye on their blood pressure, pulse rate, etc., and thus take preventive measures on their own. In hospitals, too, the Internet of Things (IoT) is being deployed for various tasks such as monitoring oxygen and blood sugar levels, electrocardiograms (ECGs), etc. The IoT in healthcare also reduces the cost of various ailments through fast and rigorous data analysis. The prediction of diseases through machine-learning techniques based on symptoms has become a promising concept. There may also be a situation where real-time analysis is required. In such a latency-sensitive situation, fog computing plays a vital role. Establishing communication every time with the cloud is not required with the introduction of fog and thus the latency is reduced. Healthcare is a latency-sensitive application area. So, the deployment of fog computing in this area is of vital importance. Our work focuses on improving the efficiency of the system for the precise diagnosis of and recommendations for heart disease. It evaluates the system using a machine-learning module.
Asymmetric Damage Mechanisms and Prevention Technology in Large-Section Gob-Side Entry Retaining
Authors: Yang Hongzhi , Wang Dongpan , Ju Wenjun , Yuan Weiming , Su Chao
Published: January 2023

Based on the deformation and damage characteristics of the surrounding rock in a large-section gob-side entry retaining and combined with field observations and an analysis of the dominant factors, an overall deformation control plan is formulated. The plan mainly includes a structure of high strength, high stiffness and high ductility for roadside support; the reinforcement of the roadway-in support; and the setup entry hydraulic fracturing pressure release mechanism and advanced long, horizontal borehole “fracturing-jet” pressure relief technology. Industrial field tests were completed taking Tangan coal mine as the engineering background. The research shows that the large-section gob-side entry retaining has the typical “asymmetric” overall deformation and damage characteristics, including top coal sinking along the inner side of the roadside support, the whole roadside support structure skewing, and even splitting damage; floor heaving; and the coal-side bolt support structure basically losing support ability and bulging out from the coal side. The dominant factors of deformation damage are disintegration of the floor mudstone by water and deflection deformation under horizontal stress, splitting damage in the concrete roadside support under asymmetric load, damage and expansion due to the insufficient strength of the coal side support, strong dynamic pressure on the roof, and the mutual influence of support and pressure relief. The industrial test shows that the deformation control scheme optimizes the stress environment of the gob-side entry retaining space, the deformation control effect is remarkable, and the roadside fully meets the reuse requirements.
Local Proximity Cheeses: Choices That Guiding Consumers and Orienting Producers—Case Studies
Authors: Di Gregorio Donatella , Bognanno Matteo , Laganà Valentina Rosa , Nicolosi Agata
Published: January 2023

In Italy, in ten years, the national production of sheep’s cheese has gone from 60 thousand tons to almost 80 thousand tons at present, a sign of a lively dynamism of the sector mainly due to a growth in demand. The significant leap in production is accompanied by that of consumption and is mainly due to pecorino (fresh and seasoned), which, together with fresh ricotta, is gaining acceptance in the national and international markets. The objective of the paper is to examine, in a study area of southern Italy, consumer preferences for locally produced pecorino cheese near kilometer zero and the profit margins of the dairy companies producing pecorino. The interviews with consumers made it possible to explore purchasing preferences based on the reasons for choosing and the points of sale where consumers buy the cheese. The interviews with the manufacturing companies highlighted a different business organization of the single production units whose economic results show, despite the difficulties, the resilience of the companies. The company’s net margins per quintal of processed milk are more or less satisfactory and supported by the positive interest of consumers. As for the latter, they show increasingly pushed trends towards the purchase of niche products at Km0, made with more sustainable production systems.
A Generic Internet of Things (IoT) Middleware for Smart City Applications
Authors: Ali Zulfiqar , Mahmood Azhar , Khatoon Shaheen , Alhakami Wajdi , Ullah Syed Sajid , Iqbal Jawaid , Hussain Saddam
Published: January 2023

The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the key components of the ICT infrastructure of smart cities due to its great potential for intelligent management of infrastructures and facilities and the enhanced delivery of services in support of sustainable cities. Smart cities typically rely on IoT, where a wide variety of devices communicate with each other and collaborate across heterogeneous and distributed computing environments to provide information and services to urban entities and urbanites. However, leveraging the IoT within software applications raises tremendous challenges, such as data acquisition, device heterogeneity, service management, security and privacy, interoperability, scalability, flexibility, data processing, and visualization. Middleware for IoT has been recognized as the system that can provide the necessary infrastructure of services and has become increasingly important for IoT over the last few years. This study aims to review and synthesize the relevant literature to identify and discuss the core challenges of existing IoT middleware. Furthermore, it augments the information landscape of IoT middleware with big data applications to achieve the required level of services supporting sustainable cities. In doing so, it proposes a novel IoT middleware for smart city applications, namely Generic Middleware for Smart City Applications (GMSCA), which brings together many studies to further capture and invigorate the application demand for sustainable solutions which IoT and big data can offer. The proposed middleware is implemented, and its feasibility is assessed by developing three applications addressing various scenarios. Finally, the GMSCA is tested by conducting load balance and performance tests. The results prove the excellent functioning and usability of the GMSCA.
Conceptual Model for Determining the Statistical Significance of Predictive Indicators for Bus Transit Demand Forecasting
Authors: Jovanović Bojan , Shabanaj Kamer , Ševrović Marko
Published: January 2023

This article addresses the possibility of improving the traditional bus passenger demand forecasting models by leveraging additional data from relevant big data systems and proposes a conceptual framework for developing big data-based forecasting models. Based on the data extracted from available big data systems, the authors have developed a conceptual procedural framework for determining the significance of statistical indicators that can potentially be used as predictor variables for forecasting future passenger demand. At the first stage of the proposed framework, the statistical significance of partial linear correlations between observed statistical indicators and bus ridership demand are determined. All statistical indicators identified as potentially significant are further tested for multicollinearity, homoscedasticity, autocorrelation and multivariate normality to determine the suitability of their inclusion in the final equation of the prediction model. The final formulation of the predictive model was developed using stepwise regression. The R programming language was used to implement the proposed procedural framework to develop a model suitable for predicting passenger demand on the Prizren-Zagreb international bus route. Two predictor variables identified as the most statistically significant are the population of Kosovo and the annual number of Kosovo citizens crossing the Croatian border by bus.
A Novel WD-SARIMAX Model for Temperature Forecasting Using Daily Delhi Climate Dataset
Authors: Elshewey Ahmed M. , Shams Mahmoud Y. , Elhady Abdelghafar M. , Shohieb Samaa M. , Abdelhamid Abdelaziz A. , Ibrahim Abdelhameed , Tarek Zahraa
Published: January 2023

Forecasting is defined as the process of estimating the change in uncertain situations. One of the most vital aspects of many applications is temperature forecasting. Using the Daily Delhi Climate Dataset, we utilize time series forecasting techniques to examine the predictability of temperature. In this paper, a hybrid forecasting model based on the combination of Wavelet Decomposition (WD) and Seasonal Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average with Exogenous Variables (SARIMAX) was created to accomplish accurate forecasting for the temperature in Delhi, India. The range of the dataset is from 2013 to 2017. It consists of 1462 instances and four features, and 80% of the data is used for training and 20% for testing. First, the WD decomposes the non-stationary data time series into multi-dimensional components. That can reduce the original time series’ volatility and increase its predictability and stability. After that, the multi-dimensional components are used as inputs for the SARIMAX model to forecast the temperature in Delhi City. The SARIMAX model employed in this work has the following order: (4, 0, 1). (4, 0, [1], 12). The experimental results demonstrated that WD-SARIMAX performs better than other recent models for forecasting the temperature in Delhi city. The Mean Square Error (MSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Median Absolute Error (MedAE), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE), and determination coefficient (R2) of the proposed WD-SARIMAX model are 2.8, 1.13, 0.76, 1.67, 4.9, and 0.91, respectively. Furthermore, the WD-SARIMAX model utilized the proposed to forecast the temperature in Delhi over the next eight years, from 2017 to 2025.
Microplastics Release from Conventional Plastics during Real Open Windrow Composting
Authors: Sholokhova Anastasiia , Denafas Gintaras , Ceponkus Justinas , Kriukiene Rita
Published: January 2023

The recycling of bio-waste plays an important role in a circular economy as it transforms bio-waste into a valuable resource (organic fertilizer). However, even separately collected bio-waste can contain some plastic waste, which is usually separated after composting and not before it. Primary studies have confirmed the degradation of plastic during composting, but the release of microplastics from them has not been studied. This article presents a quantification and comparison of the release of microplastics from commonly used plastics during green waste composting. Microplastics were identified by Nile red staining and examination under a fluorescent microscope. Plastic degradation was assessed by weight loss calculation, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. On average, 17 to 52 microplastics’ are released from 5-by-5 cm pieces of conventional plastics during composting. The control polylactic acid sample showed the smallest amount of released microplastics: four particles on average. The number of released microplastics depended on the polymer type and thickness of the samples. The results of the current article can be further used for the prediction of microplastic generation and setting a limit on the plastic content in bio-waste
A Comparative Analysis of Environmental Impacts of Operational Phases of Three Selected Microalgal Cultivation Systems
Authors: Wimmerova Lenka , Keken Zdenek , Solcova Olga , Vavrova Kamila
Published: January 2023

In recent years, microalgal biomass cultivation has been growing in importance, not only related to the production of alternative foods and nutritional supplements but also for its usage for energy purposes or as a natural solution for wastewater treatment. Regarding these cases, the practical potential associated with the circular economy is evident. However, this is not an option for microalgal food and supplements due to strict hygiene requirements for microalgae cultivation used for these purposes. Currently, the most common cultivation options for microalgae include phototrophic cascades, photobioreactors, and heterotrophic fermenters. Generally, the higher requirements for the purity of the resulting biomass, the higher the consumption of energy and nutrients needed. These are the main operational parameters that significantly shape the total environmental and economic performance of microalgae cultivation processes. The comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of environmental aspects in the operational phases of three selected cultivation systems, located in the Czech Republic and used for pure microalgae biomass production, confirmed that the impacts of these systems in the assessed categories are fundamentally dependent on the amount of electricity needed and nutrient consumption, as well as their sources. For this reason, the heterotrophic fermenter was evaluated as being the most damaging in the comparison of the three cultivation systems, while the phototrophic cascade showed a lower total environmental impact by 15% and the flat photobioreactor was lower still, by 95%, mainly due to energy production from biomass. The major impact categories observed were climate change, depletion of fossil fuels, human toxicity, and freshwater and marine ecotoxicity. The environmental impacts of microalgae cultivation systems could be further reduced if cycling practices, such as process water recycling and reprocessing of generated sewage sludge, were addressed.
Effect of Farm Size on Sustainability Dimensions: Case of Durum Wheat in Northern Tunisia
Authors: Rached Zouhair , Chebil Ali , Thabet Chokri
Published: January 2023

The sustainability analysis of wheat farms is increasingly becoming interesting for the scientific community in order to help propose a production model ensuring food security and sustainability of agricultural production. This work aims to assess cereal farms’ sustainability in Northern Tunisia via analyzing the effect of farm size on sustainability dimensions. Toward this aim, the Farm Sustainability Indicators (IDEA) method and statistical tests (ANOVA, LSD) were used for the analysis of the obtained data from a representative sample consisting of 200 farms—located in the governorates of Beja, Jendouba and Bizerte—with different sizes (<5 ha; 5–20 ha and more than 20 ha). The IDEA method is built from three indicators of sustainability (environmental, social and economic) in agriculture. The results showed a very high variability in the sustainability scores of durum wheat farms. In fact, the scores relating to each sustainability dimension vary according to the farm size. Overall, the results highlight that small farms are the most economically vulnerable despite being friendly to the environment. However, large farms were relatively more viable, but less environmentally friendly.
Sustainable Utilization Technology for Improving the Freshness of Oysters—Development of Alkaline Electrolysis Seawater Depuration System
Authors: Tsai Hsin-Shan , Hsiao Yu-Tien , Weng Yih-Ming , Liu Jen-Ming
Published: January 2023

The main purpose of this study is to study the effect of live oysters on various quality indicators after alkaline electrolytic seawater depuration. The depuration treatments were carried out for 12 h at temperatures of 5 °C, 10 °C, 15 °C, and 20 °C, pH = 9, 10, and 11, respectively. The total aerobic plate count (TAPC) of oyster meat was reduced from about 5.2 ± 0.4 log CFU/g to below detection limits when the oysters were depurated in pH = 11 alkaline electrolytic seawater for 9 h at 5 °C and 12 h at 10 °C. At the same pH value, the lower the seawater temperature, the lower the amount of TAPC, and it decreased with the increase in depuration time. After the oyster had been depurated, the chemical components contained in the oyster meat, such as protein, crude fat, and glycogen, did not change differentially. On the other hand, each group of live oysters (4 individuals) spat out an average of about 690–695 ± 0.4 mg of impurities and dirt. These are new achievements and discoveries. When the depurated oyster meat was stored at a low temperature, the freshness period could be extended to 21 days, which is much longer than the 5 days of the un-depurated oyster meat, and this is a significant difference. If coupled with vacuum packaging, the effect will be even better.
Pump Feature Construction and Electrical Energy Consumption Prediction Based on Feature Engineering and LightGBM Algorithm
Authors: Yin Zhiqiang , Shi Lin , Luo Junru , Xu Shoukun , Yuan Yang , Tan Xinxin , Zhu Jiaqun
Published: January 2023

In recent years, research on improving the energy consumption ratio of pumping equipment through control algorithms has improved. However, the actual behavior of pump equipment and pump characteristic information do not always correspond, resulting in deviations between the calculated energy consumption operating point and the actual operating point. This eventually results in wasted power. To solve this problem, the data from circulating pumping equipment in a large pumping facility are analyzed, and the necessary characteristics of pumping equipment electrical energy consumption are analyzed through a subset of mechanism expansion feature engineering using the Pearson correlation coefficient algorithm. Based on this, a pump energy consumption prediction method based on LightGBM is constructed and compared with other algorithm models. To improve the generalization ability of the model, rules applicable to pump power energy consumption prediction are proposed, and the model features and processes are reduced. Based on the mechanistic model, 18 features related to electric energy consumption are selected, and 6 necessary features of pump electric energy consumption are screened by feature engineering. The experimental results show that the LightGBM regression algorithm has a significant prediction effect with R2=0.94. After the importance analysis, three features that are strongly related to pump energy consumption are finally screened out. According to the prediction results, the feature engineering dataset was selected and the pump electrical energy consumption was predicted based on the LightGBM algorithm, which can significantly reduce the problem of deviation in the prediction of the electrical energy consumption of pumping equipment.
Effects of Government Innovation Support on the Innovation Ability of Universities: Evidence from the Quasi-Natural Experiment of China’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Pilot Demonstration Policy
Authors: Yao Yao , Zhao Wencheng , Zhang Shaopeng
Published: January 2023

Although there have been many studies on the factors influencing university innovation, few studies have focused on the causal relationship between government innovative support and the innovation ability of universities (IAU). To fill this research gap, based on the quasi-natural experiment perspective of the pilot policy of innovation and entrepreneurship demonstration-bases (IEDB), this study uses the difference-in-differences spatial-autocorrelation model and the mediating-effect model to study the influence mechanism of the government innovation support on IAU, based on Project 211’s panel data consisting of 104 universities and provinces and ministries in China, from 2009 to 2018. The results showed that: (1) the pilot policy of IEDB has a significantly positive effect on IAU, and its robustness is verified; (2) the university–industry cooperation (UIC) intensity has a partial mediating effect on the relationship between the pilot policy of IEDB and IAU; and (3) the pilot policy of IEDB shows a more significant positive impact on the IAU of research-oriented than on non-research-oriented universities.
Analysis of the Relationship between the Low-Temperature Properties and Distillation Profiles of HEFA-Processed Bio-Jet Fuel
Authors: Jeon Hwayeon , Park Jo Yong , Ok Mirae , Han Gi Bo , Lee Jae Woo , Kim Jae-Kon
Published: January 2023

The greenhouse gas (GHG) emission mandate on jet fuel requires a gradual reduction in the fuel’s GHG emissions, up to 50%, by 2050. For this reason, the demand for bio-jet fuel blended with conventional petroleum-derived jet fuel will increase. In order to meet the quality requirement of blended fuels (ASTM D7566), modeling that can predict the correlation between properties is required. Our aim was to predict the low-temperature properties using the distillation profile results obtained from Simulated Distillation (SIMDIS) according to the carbon number and chemical compositions of bio-jet fuel through correlation and regression analysis. We used hydroprocessed ester and fatty acid (HEFA) bio-jet fuel and hydrocarbon reagents that included C8, C10, and C12 carbons and five main families of hydrocarbons for blended jet fuel. This study shows an overall trend for each component, indicating that the distilled volume fraction is more affected than the carbon number. In the case of the freezing point, by composition, n-paraffin and naphthene have regression coefficients of more than 0.85 for the 50% and 60% recovery temperatures, respectively. In terms of carbon number, the C8 sample has a significant regression coefficient for the 40% recovery temperature, and C10 has a significant regression coefficient for the initial boiling point (IBP) and 10% recovery temperature. In the case of kinematic viscosity, by composition, the regression coefficient is significant for the 20% to 40% recovery temperatures. For naphthene, the kinematic viscosity exhibited no relationship with carbon number. This information can be utilized to determine the blended ratio of bio-jet fuel and conventional jet fuel in newly certified or commercial applications.
Agile Development of Secure Software for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
Authors: Mihelič Anže , Vrhovec Simon , Hovelja Tomaž
Published: January 2023

Although agile methods gained popularity and became globally widespread, developing secure software with agile methods remains a challenge. Method elements (i.e., roles, activities, and artifacts) that aim to increase software security on one hand can reduce the characteristic agility of agile methods on the other. The overall aim of this paper is to provide small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with the means to improve the sustainability of their software development process in terms of software security despite their limitations, such as low capacity and/or financial resources. Although software engineering literature offers various security elements, there is one key research gap that hinders the ability to provide such means. It remains unclear not only how much individual security elements contribute to software security but also how they impact the agility and costs of software development. To address the gap, we identified security elements found in the literature and evaluated them for their impact on software security, agility, and costs in an international study among practitioners. Finally, we developed a novel lightweight approach for evaluating agile methods from a security perspective. The developed approach can help SMEs to adapt their software development to their needs.
CSR Influence on Brand Loyalty in Banking: The Role of Brand Credibility and Brand Identification
Authors: Fatma Mobin , Khan Imran
Published: January 2023

The present research study examines the influence of perceived corporate social responsibility (CSR) on consumer brand loyalty in the banking industry. The present research also examines the indirect relationship between CSR and brand loyalty via brand credibility and brand identification. The causal relationship is tested among perceived CSR, brand identification, brand credibility, and brand loyalty. Data were collected through a survey of banking customers (n = 315) in India. Structural equation modeling techniques (SEM) were employed further to analyze the data with AMOS version 24.0. This study expanded the traditional view of CSR effects on consumers and tried to fill the gap that exists in the literature by analyzing the effect of perceived CSR, brand credibility, and brand identification on consumer brand loyalty in banking services. The findings drawn from the study have significant implications for banking companies.