bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinical Considerations and Outcomes for Spine Surgery Patients with a History of Transplant: A Systematic Scoping Review Protocol
Authors: Kalagara Roshini , Asfaw Zerubabbel K. , Carr Matthew T. , Quinones Addison , Genadry Lisa , Nakadar Zaid , Haris Anzila , Schupper Alexander J. , Gal Jonathan S. , Choudhri Tanvir F.
Published: June 2022

Spine surgery patients with a history of organ transplantation are a complex population due to their unique anesthetic considerations, immunologic profiles, drug interactions, and potential organ dysfunction. It is common for these patients to develop neck/back pain and pathology that warrants surgical intervention. However, there is a relative dearth of literature examining their outcomes and clinical considerations. The purpose of this protocol is to investigate their clinical outcomes following spine surgery and medical management. We perform a systematic literature search using PRISMA-ScR guidelines to include case reports, cohort studies, and retrospective analyses. The search terms include kidney, liver, heart, pancreas, lung, and bone marrow for transplants of interest and contain an extensive list of terms covering spine surgery. The search is conducted using Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. A thorough examination of titles and abstracts is performed followed by data extraction. The data points include patient demographics, past medical history, spine procedural information, and clinical outcomes. This systematic review will aid clinicians in identifying demographics, medical management, and clinical outcomes for spine surgery patients with a previous organ transplant. These findings will highlight the gaps in the knowledge of this complex population and stimulate further research.
Strain-Modulated Magnetism in MoS2
Authors: Ren Hongtao , Xiang Gang
Published: June 2022

Since the experiments found that two-dimensional (2D) materials such as single-layer MoS2 can withstand up to 20% strain, strain-modulated magnetism has gradually become an emerging research field. However, applying strain alone is difficult to modulate the magnetism of single-layer pristine MoS2, but applying strain combined with other tuning techniques such as introducing defects makes it easier to produce and alter the magnetism in MoS2. Here, we summarize the recent progress of strain-dependent magnetism in MoS2. First, we review the progress in theoretical study. Then, we compare the experimental methods of applying strain and their effects on magnetism. Specifically, we emphasize the roles played by web buckles, which induce biaxial tensile strain conveniently. Despite some progress, the study of strain-dependent MoS2 magnetism is still in its infancy, and a few potential directions for future research are discussed at the end. Overall, a broad and in-depth understanding of strain-tunable magnetism is very necessary, which will further drive the development of spintronics, straintronics, and flexible electronics.
Differential Effects of Obesity, Hyperlipidaemia, Dietary Intake and Physical Inactivity on Type I versus Type IV Allergies
Authors: Rohmann Nathalie , Munthe Liasita , Schlicht Kristina , Geisler Corinna , Demetrowitsch Tobias J. , Bang Corinna , Jensen-Kroll Julia , Türk Kathrin , Bacher Petra , Franke Andre , Schwarz Karin , Schulte Dominik M. , Laudes Matthias
Published: June 2022

Background: Alongside metabolic diseases (esp. obesity), allergic disorders are becoming increasingly prevalent. Since both obesity and allergies are highly impacted by environmental determinants, with this study we assessed the potential link between metabolic implications and two distinct types of allergies. Methods: Using cross-sectional data from the German FoCus cohort, n = 385 allergy cases, either hay fever (=type I allergy, n = 183) or contact allergy (=type IV allergy, n = 202) were compared to age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects (1:1 ratio, in total n = 770) regarding their metabolic phenotype, diet, physical activity, sleep, gut microbial composition, and serum metabolite profile using suitable BMI-adjusted models. Results: Obesity and metabolic alterations were found significantly more prevalent in subjects with allergies. In fact, this relation was more pronounced in contact allergy than hay fever. Subsequent BMI-adjusted analysis reveals particular importance of co-occurring hyperlipidaemia for both allergy types. For contact allergy, we revealed a strong association to the dietary intake of poly-unsaturated fatty acids, particularly α-linolenic acid, as well as the enrichment of the corresponding metabolic pathway. For hay fever, there were no major associations to the diet but to a lower physical activity level, shorter duration of sleep, and an altered gut microbial composition. Finally, genetic predisposition for hyperlipidaemia was associated to both contact allergy and hay fever. Conclusions: Reflected by higher allergy prevalence, our findings indicate an impaired immune response in obesity and hyperlipidaemia, which is differentially regulated in type I and type IV allergies by an unfavourable lifestyle constellation and subsequent microbial and metabolic dysfunctions.
Sarcopenia and Mortality in Older Hemodialysis Patients
Authors: Sánchez-Tocino M. , Miranda-Serrano Blanca , López-González Antonio , Villoria-González Silvia , Pereira-García Mónica , Gracia-Iguacel Carolina , González-Ibarguren Isabel , Ortíz-Arduan Alberto , Mas-Fontao Sebastian , González-Parra Emilio
Published: June 2022

(1) Sarcopenia is a progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength. The aim of this study was to determine the association of sarcopenia, defined according to the Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP2) diagnostic criteria, with mortality at 24 months in very elderly hemodialysis patients. (2) A prospective study was conducted in 60 patients on chronic hemodialysis who were older than 75 years. Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to EWGSOP2 criteria. Additionally, clinical, anthropometric and analytical variables and body composition by bioimpedance were assessed. The date and cause of death were recorded during 2 years of follow-up. (3) Among study participants, 41 (68%) were men, the mean age 81.85 ± 5.58 years and the dialysis vintage was 49.88 ± 40.29 months. The prevalence of probable sarcopenia was 75% to 97%, depending on the criteria employed: confirmed sarcopenia ranged from 37 to 40%, and severe sarcopenia ranged from 18 to 37%. A total of 30 (50%) patients died over 24 months. Sarcopenia probability variables were not related to mortality. In contrast, sarcopenia confirmation (appendicular skeletal muscle mass, ASM) and severity (gait speed, GS) variables were associated with mortality. In multivariate analysis, the hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) for all-cause death was 3.03 (1.14–8.08, p = 0.028) for patients fulfilling ASM sarcopenia criteria and 3.29 (1.04–10.39, p = 0.042) for patients fulfilling GS sarcopenia criteria. (4) The diagnosis of sarcopenia by EWGSOP2 criteria is associated with an increased risk of all-cause death in elderly dialysis patients. Specifically, ASM and GS criteria could be used as mortality risk markers in elderly hemodialysis patients. Future studies should address whether the early diagnosis and treatment of sarcopenia improve outcomes.
Flavonoids Enhance Lipofection Efficiency and Ameliorate Cytotoxicity in Colon26 and HepG2 Cells via Oxidative Stress Regulation
Authors: Hu Die , Fumoto Shintaro , Miyamoto Hirotaka , Tanaka Masakazu , Nishida Koyo
Published: June 2022

The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) can affect cationic liposome-mediated transfection. In this study, we focused on a specific class of antioxidants, flavonoids, to investigate the transfection efficiency using cationic liposome/plasmid DNA complexes (lipoplexes) in 2D and 3D cultures of Colon26 and HepG2 cells, respectively. All tested flavonoids enhanced the transfection efficiency in 2D Colon26 and HepG2 cells. Among the tested flavonoids, 25 µM quercetin showed the highest promotion effect of 8.4- and 7.6-folds in 2D Colon26 and HepG2 cells, respectively. Transfection was also performed in 3D cultures of Colon26 and HepG2 cells using lipoplexes with quercetin. Quercetin (12.5 µM) showed the highest transfection efficiency at all transfection timings in 3D Colon26 and HepG2 cells with increased cell viability. Flow cytometry revealed that quercetin treatment reduced the population of gene expression-negative cells with high ROS levels and increased the number of gene expression-positive cells with low ROS levels in HepG2 cells. Information from this study can be valuable to develop strategies to promote transfection efficiency and attenuate cytotoxicity using lipoplexes.
Single-Mode Input Fiber Combined with Multimode Sensing Fiber Used in Brillouin Optical Time-Domain Reflectometry
Authors: Li Yongqian , Fan Haijun , Zhang Lixin , Liu Zijuan , Wang Lei , Wu Jiaqi , Wang Shaokang
Published: June 2022

Conventional single-mode fiber (SMF) Brillouin optical time-domain reflectometry (BOTDR) suffers from a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and severe sensing reliability due to the influence of the stimulated Brillouin scattering threshold and bend loss. In this study, a simple and low-cost distributed sensing structure, with a single-mode input fiber alignment fusion and a 50 μm diameter graded index multimode sensing fiber, is designed, and the SNR characteristic is investigated. Through theoretical derivation and experimental verification, a higher SNR and excellent bending resistance are realized in BOTDR. The experimentally measured improvements in the SNR of the proposed sensing structure over the SMF at the beginning and end of a 5 km fiber are 2.5 dB and 1.3 dB, respectively. The minimum bending radius of the sensing structure is 2.25 mm, which is much better than that of the SMFs. The bidirectional optical losses between the SMF and the 50 μm graded index multimode fiber are measured by a simple experiment system and are 0.106 dB and 1.35 dB, respectively. The temperature-sensing characteristics of the sensing structure are measured by the self-built frequency-shift local heterodyne BOTDR sensor, and the measured temperature sensitivity and accuracy are 0.946 MHz/℃ and 1 ℃, respectively. The design provides a reference for BOTDR with a high SNR and has great potential for structural safety and health monitoring of infrastructures.
Interplay between Proline Metabolism and ROS in the Fine Tuning of Root-Meristem Size in Arabidopsis
Authors: Bauduin Sara , Latini Martina , Belleggia Irene , Migliore Marta , Biancucci Marco , Mattioli Roberto , Francioso Antonio , Mosca Luciana , Funck Dietmar , Trovato Maurizio
Published: June 2022

We previously reported that proline modulates root meristem size in Arabidopsis by controlling the ratio between cell division and cell differentiation. Here, we show that proline metabolism affects the levels of superoxide anion (O2•−) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which, in turn, modulate root meristem size and root elongation. We found that hydrogen peroxide plays a major role in proline-mediated root elongation, and its effects largely overlap those induced by proline, influencing root meristem size, root elongation, and cell cycle. Though a combination of genetic and pharmacological evidence, we showed that the short-root phenotype of the proline-deficient p5cs1 p5cs2/P5CS2, an Arabidopsis mutant homozygous for p5cs1 and heterozygous for p5cs2, is caused by H2O2 accumulation and is fully rescued by an effective H2O2 scavenger. Furthermore, by studying Arabidopsis mutants devoid of ProDH activity, we disclosed the essential role of this enzyme in the modulation of root meristem size as the main enzyme responsible for H2O2 production during proline degradation. Proline itself, on the contrary, may not be able to directly control the levels of H2O2, although it seems able to enhance the enzymatic activity of catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), the two most effective scavengers of H2O2 in plant cells. We propose a model in which proline metabolism participates in a delicate antioxidant network to balance H2O2 formation and degradation and fine-tune root meristem size in Arabidopsis.
Effects of Maturity and Thermal Treatment on Phenolic Profiles and In Vitro Health-Related Properties of Sacha Inchi Leaves
Authors: Kittibunchakul Suwapat , Hudthagosol Chatrapa , Sanporkha Promluck , Sapwarobol Suwimol , Suttisansanee Uthaiwan , Sahasakul Yuraporn
Published: June 2022

Sacha inchi (Plukenetia volubilis L.) has been adopted as a novel economic crop with well-studied nutritional and bioactive benefits for human health. Sacha inchi seeds and oil have high commercial value but scant research has focused on its leaves. This study investigated and compared phenolic compositions, antioxidant potentials and in vitro health-related properties of both young and mature sacha inchi leaves after freeze-drying and oven-drying processes. Results showed that p-coumaric acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, ferulic acid and gallic acid were predominantly detected in both young and mature leaves that also exhibited similar total phenolic contents (TPCs), while higher TPCs were detected in freeze-dried than in oven-dried leaves. Mature leaves exhibited higher antioxidant potential than young leaves after freeze-drying, while the opposite results were observed for oven-drying. Overall in vitro health-related activities were higher in mature leaves compared to young leaves regardless of the drying process. Knowledge gained from this study can be used to encourage prospective utilization of sacha inchi leaves as a source of health-promoting compounds. This, in turn, will increase the commercial value of the leaves and provide a wider market variety of sacha inchi products.
Facile Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Graphene/Polystyrene Foams for Efficient and Continuous Separation of Immiscible and Emulsified Oil/Water Mixtures
Authors: Zhao Chunxia , Huang Haoran , Li Jiaxin , Li Yuntao , Xiang Dong , Wu Yuanpeng , Wang Ge , Qin Mingwang
Published: June 2022

Three-dimensional superhydrophobic/superlipophilic porous materials have attracted widespread attention for use in the separation of oil/water mixtures. However, a simple strategy to prepare superhydrophobic porous materials capable of efficient and continuous separation of immiscible and emulsified oil/water mixtures has not yet been realized. Herein, a superhydrophobic graphene/polystyrene composite material with a micro-nanopore structure was prepared by a single-step reaction through high internal phase emulsion polymerization. Graphene was introduced into the polystyrene-based porous materials to not only enhance the flexibility of the matrix, but also increase the overall hydrophobicity of the composite materials. The resulting as-prepared monoliths had excellent mechanical properties, were superhydrophobic/superoleophilic (water/oil contact angles were 151° and 0°, respectively), and could be used to continuously separate immiscible oil/water mixtures with a separation efficiency that exceeded 99.6%. Due to the size-dependent filtration and the tortuous and lengthy micro-nano permeation paths, our foams were also able to separate surfactant-stabilized water-in-oil microemulsions. This work demonstrates a facile strategy for preparing superhydrophobic foams for the efficient and continuous separation of immiscible and emulsified oil/water mixtures, and the resulting materials have highly promising application potentials in large-scale oily wastewater treatment.
Synthesis and Characterization of Porous Chitosan/Saccharomycetes Adsorption Microspheres
Authors: Song Wei , Zhang Qingzhu , Guan Yuxin , Li Wanyan , Xie Siyu , Tong Jin , Li Mo , Ren Lili
Published: June 2022

Porous chitosan/saccharomycetes adsorption microspheres were successfully prepared by using silica gel as porogen. The morphology of porous chitosan/saccharomycetes microspheres was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, the interaction between molecules was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and the crystallization property of the microspheres was characterized by X-ray diffraction. The results showed that the adsorption sites of amino and hydroxyl groups had been provided by the porous chitosan/saccharomycetes microspheres for the removal of preservatives, pigments, and other additives in food. The surface roughness of microspheres could be improved by increasing the mass ratio of saccharomycetes. The increase in silica gels could make the microsphere structure more compact. The porous chitosan/saccharomycetes microspheres could be used as adsorbents to adsorb doxycycline in wastewater.
Systematic Experimental Assessment of POFA Concrete Incorporating Waste Tire Rubber Aggregate
Authors: Mhaya Akram M. , Baharom S. , Baghban Mohammad Hajmohammadian , Nehdi Moncef L. , Faridmehr Iman , Huseien Ghasan Fahim , Algaifi Hassan Amer , Ismail Mohammad
Published: June 2022

Several researchers devoted considerable efforts to partially replace natural aggregates in concrete with recycled materials such as recycled tire rubber. However, this often led to a significant reduction in the compressive strength of rubberized concrete due to the weaker interfacial transition zone between the cementitious matrix and rubber particles and the softness of rubber granules. Thereafter, significant research has explored the effects of supplementary cementitious materials such as zeolite, fly ash, silica fume, and slag used as partial replacement for cement on rubberized concrete properties. In this study, systematic experimental work was carried out to assess the mechanical properties of palm oil fuel ash (POFA)-based concrete incorporating tire rubber aggregates (TRAs) using the response surface methodology (RSM). Based on the findings, reasonable compressive, flexure, and tensile strengths were recorded or up to 10% replacement of sand with recycled tire fibre and fine TRAs. In particular, the reduction in compressive, tensile, and flexural strengths of POFA concrete incorporating fibre rubber decreased by 16.3%, 9.8%, and 10.1% at 365 days compared to normal concrete without POFA and rubber. It can be concluded that utilization of a combination of POFA and fine or fibre rubber could act as a beneficial strategy to solve the weakness of current rubberized concrete’s strength as well as to tackle the environmental issues of the enormous stockpiles of waste tires worldwide.
The Properties of Poly(ester amide)s Based on Dimethyl 2,5-Furanedicarboxylate as a Function of Methylene Sequence Length in Polymer Backbone
Authors: Walkowiak Konrad , Irska Izabela , Zubkiewicz Agata , Dryzek Jerzy , Paszkiewicz Sandra
Published: June 2022

A series of poly(ester amide)s based on dimethyl furan 2,5-dicarboxylate (DMFDC), 1,3-propanediol (PDO), 1,6-hexylene glycol (HDO), and 1,3-diaminopropane (DAP) were synthesized via two-step melt polycondensation. The phase transition temperatures and structure of the polymers were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) measurement was carried out to investigate the free volume. In addition, the mechanical properties of two series of poly(ester amide)s were analyzed. The increase in the number of methylene groups in the polymer backbone resulted in a decrease in the values of the transition temperatures. Depending on the number of methylene groups and the content of the poly(propylene furanamide) (PPAF), both semi-crystalline and amorphous copolymers were obtained. The free volume value increased with a greater number of methylene groups in the polymer backbone. Moreover, with a lower number of methylene groups, the value of the Young modulus and stress at break increased.
Flexural and Viscoelastic Properties of FRP Composite Laminates under Higher Temperatures: Experiments and Model Assessment
Authors: Tefera Getahun , Adali Sarp , Bright Glen
Published: June 2022

This study investigates an experimental and analytical study on the flexural, failure, and viscoelastic properties of hybrid and non-hybrid composite laminates at increasing temperatures and frequencies. Carbon, glass, and hybrids of the two fibre materials with stacking sequences of [0/90]s were considered, and specimens were prepared via the resin transfer moulding method. Three-point bending and dynamic mechanical analysis tools were used. The failure surfaces of the laminates were examined using a scanning electron microscope. The results indicated that the flexural strength, modulus, and strain at failure of all groups of laminates decreased as the temperature increased. In particular, the storage modulus, damping factor, flexural strength, and flexural modulus properties of all groups of laminates increased as the hybrid ratio decreased on each targeted temperature and frequency test. However, the strain at failure increased as the hybrid ratio increased. Additionally, results obtained from the scanning electron microscope images confirmed that combinations of delamination and debonding failure modes were observed on the stacking sequences of [0]s and [90]s layers of bidirectional laminates. Finally, a comparison between the storage modulus results of all groups of laminates was conducted with three empirical models. The empirical model developed by Gibson et al. provided the most accurate prediction for all groups of laminates in the targeted temperature and frequency range. The predictions using the remaining empirical models were broadly similar. Further work is needed to optimise the empirical parameters and minimise the errors.
Research on Improving the Partial Discharge Initial Voltage of SiC/EP Composites by Utilizing Filler Surface Modification and Nanointerface Interaction
Authors: Song Xupeng , Yang Wei , Huo Shouchao , Wang Kun , Wu Yuanyuan , Chen Yun , Qiao Jian , Shen Boyang , Bian Xingming
Published: June 2022

SiC/EP composites are promising insulating materials due to their high thermal conductivity, stable chemical properties, and nonlinear electrical conductivity. However, the compatibility of micron-sized SiC particles with the organic polymer matrix is poor, and defects such as air gaps may be introduced at the interface, which reduces the partial discharge resistance of the composite materials. In order to improve the partial discharge initial voltage (PDIV) of SiC/EP composites, in this paper, SiC/EP composites with different proportions were prepared by surface modification of filler and compound of micro/nano particles. Firstly, a method of secondary modification of SiC particles was proposed, which was first modified by alkali washing and then silane coupling agent KH560, and the effectiveness of the modification was verified. Therefore, the interface bonding ability between the filler and the matrix was improved, the air gap defects at the interface were reduced, and the PDIV of the composite material was improved. When the filling ratio is 10 wt%, the PDIV was enhanced by 13.75%, and when the filling ratio was further increased, the improvement was reduced. In contrast, the introduction of nanoparticles into the composites can effectively improve the PDIV of composite materials. In this study, nanoparticles were used to form a shell-core structure in epoxy resins to exert their huge specific surface area and active surface properties, thereby changing the overall crosslinking properties of the composites. Through experimental research, the optimal micro-nano particle compounding ratio was explored. Under the optimal mixing ratio, the PDIV of the composite material can be increased by more than 90%.
Mechanical Properties of Nano-SiO2 Reinforced Geopolymer Concrete under the Coupling Effect of a Wet–Thermal and Chloride Salt Environment
Authors: Jin Qingqing , Zhang Peng , Wu Jingjiang , Sha Dehao
Published: June 2022

In this study, the mechanical behaviors of nano-SiO2 reinforced geopolymer concrete (NS-GPC) under the coupling effect of a wet–thermal and chloride salt environment were investigated through a series of basic experiments, and a simulation on the coupling effect of a wet–thermal and chloride salt environment and SEM test were also included. During the experiments for the coupling effect of the wet–thermal and chloride salt environment, an environment simulation test chamber was utilized to simulate the wet–thermal and chloride salt environment, in which the parameters of relative humidity, temperature, mass fraction of NaCl solution and action time were set as 100%, 45 °C, 5% and 60 d, respectively. The content of nano-SiO2 (NS) particles added in geopolymer concrete (GPC) were 0, 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5% and 2.0%. The result indicated that the mechanical properties of NS reinforced GPC decreased under the coupling effect of the wet–thermal and chloride salt environment compared to the control group in the natural environment. When the NS content was 1.5%, the cube and splitting tensile strength, elastic modulus and impact toughness of GPC under the coupling environment of wet–thermal and chloride salt were decreased by 9.7%, 9.8%, 19.2% and 44.4%, respectively, relative to that of the GPC under the natural environment. The addition of NS improved the mechanical properties of GPC under the coupling effect of the wet–thermal and chloride salt environment. Compared to the control group without NS, the maximum increment in cube compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and elastic modulus of NS–GPC under the coupling effect of the wet–thermal and chloride salt environment due to the incorporation of NS reached 25.8%, 9.6% and 17.2%, respectively. Specifically, 1.5% content of NS increased the impact toughness, impact numbers of initial crack and the ultimate failure of GPC by 122.3%, 109% and 109.5%, respectively.
Implementation of the Non-Associated Elastoplastic MSDPu Model in FLAC3D and Application for Stress Analysis of Backfilled Stopes
Authors: Zeng Feitao , Li Li , Aubertin Michel , Simon Richard
Published: June 2022

The multiaxial Mises-Schleicher and Drucker-Prager unified (MSDPu) criterion has been shown to exhibit several specific features compared to other yield and failure criteria, including a nonlinear mean stress dependency, influence of the Lode angle, use of independent uniaxial compressive and tensile strength values and absence of an apex (singularity) on the envelope surface in the negative stress quadrant. However, MSDPu has been seldom used in practice to solve geotechnical and geomechanical engineering problems mainly because it had not yet been fully implemented into three-dimensional (3D) numerical codes. To fill this gap, a 3D elastoplastic MSDPu formulation is developed and implemented into FLAC3D. The proposed MSDPu elastic-perfectly plastic (EPP) constitutive model is then validated against existing analytical solutions developed for calculating the stress and displacement distributions around cylindrical openings. The FLAC3D MSDPu-EPP model is then applied to evaluate the vertical and horizontal stress distributions in a three-dimensional vertical backfilled stope. The numerical results obtained with the MSDPu-EPP model are compared with those obtained with the Mohr-Coulomb EPP model, to highlight key features of the new formulation.
Diurnal Variation in Cloud and Precipitation Characteristics in Summer over the Tibetan Plateau and Sichuan Basin
Authors: Cao Bangjun , Yang Xianyu , Li Boliang , Lu Yaqiong , Wen Jun
Published: June 2022

The diurnal variation in precipitation and cloud parameters and their influencing factors during summer over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and Sichuan Basin (SB) were investigated using the Hydro-Estimator satellite rainfall estimates, ground observations, and ERA5 dataset. The precipitation and cloud parameters show diurnal propagation over the SB during the mei-yu period in contrast to such parameters over the TP. The diurnal maximum precipitation from the Hydro-Estimator satellite and cloud ice and liquid water content (cloud LWC and IWC) from the ERA5 dataset are concentrated in the early evening, while their diurnal minimums manifest in the morning. Cloud LWC accounts for more than 60% of the total water during almost the entire diurnal cycle over the inner TP and SB during the mei-yu period. The IWC accounts for more than 60% of the total water in the late afternoon over the edge of the SB and TP. The cloud base height (CBH) above ground level (AGL), the lifting condensation level (LCL) AGL, and the zero degree level AGL are almost equal over the TP during the summer period. The zero degree level AGL over the SB is higher than that over the TP because the air temperature lapse rate over the TP is larger. The thickness of liquid water cloud over the SB is larger than that over the TP. The correlation analysis shows that the CBH AGL and LCL AGL over the TP are related to the dewpoint spread, but less so over the SB because of the stronger turbulence and lower air density over the TP than the SB. Convective available potential energy has a larger impact on precipitation over the TP than the SB. The cloud LWC makes a larger contribution to the precipitation over the SB than over the TP, which is related to the mean zonal wind and diurnal cycle of low-level winds. The precipitation at the edge of the TP and SB (i.e., the steep downstream slope) is largely influenced by the ice water contained within clouds owing to the convergence rising motion over the slopes.
Designing Multimodal Interactive Dashboard of Disaster Management Systems
Authors: AlAbdulaali Abeer , Asif Amna , Khatoon Shaheen , Alshamari Majed
Published: June 2022

Disasters and crises are inevitable in this world. In the aftermath of a disaster, a society’s overall growth, resources, and economy are greatly affected as they cause damages from minor to huge proportions. Around the world, countries are interested in improving their emergency decision-making. The institutions are paying attention to collecting different types of data related to crisis information from various resources, including social media, to improve their emergency response. Previous efforts have focused on collecting, extracting, and classifying crisis data from text, audio, video, or files; however, the development of user-friendly multimodal disaster data dashboards to support human-to-system interactions during an emergency response has received little attention. Our paper seeks to fill this gap by proposing usable designs of interactive dashboards to present multimodal disaster information. For this purpose, we first investigated social media data and metadata for the required elicitation and analysis purposes. These requirements are then used to develop interactive multimodal dashboards to present complex disaster information in a usable manner. To validate our multimodal dashboard designs, we have conducted a heuristic evaluation. Experts have evaluated the interactive disaster dashboards using a customized set of heuristics. The overall assessment showed positive feedback from the evaluators. The proposed interactive multimodal dashboards complement the existing techniques of collecting textual, image, audio, and video emergency information and their classifications for usable presentation. The contribution will help the emergency response personnel in terms of useful information and observations for prompt responses to avoid significant damage.
Micro-Expression Recognition Based on Optical Flow and PCANet+
Authors: Wang Shiqi , Guan Suen , Lin Hui , Huang Jianming , Long Fei , Yao Junfeng
Published: June 2022

Micro-expressions are rapid and subtle facial movements. Different from ordinary facial expressions in our daily life, micro-expressions are very difficult to detect and recognize. In recent years, due to a wide range of potential applications in many domains, micro-expression recognition has aroused extensive attention from computer vision. Because available micro-expression datasets are very small, deep neural network models with a huge number of parameters are prone to over-fitting. In this article, we propose an OF-PCANet+ method for micro-expression recognition, in which we design a spatiotemporal feature learning strategy based on shallow PCANet+ model, and we incorporate optical flow sequence stacking with the PCANet+ network to learn discriminative spatiotemporal features. We conduct comprehensive experiments on publicly available SMIC and CASME2 datasets. The results show that our lightweight model obviously outperforms popular hand-crafted methods and also achieves comparable performances with deep learning based methods, such as 3D-FCNN and ELRCN.
The Impact of Social Media Information Sharing on the Green Purchase Intention among Generation Z
Authors: Sun Yongbo , Xing Jiayuan
Published: June 2022

With the growing influence of sustainable development in recent years, there has been an increasing focus on green consumption. Little previous research has highlighted the important influential role that social media information sharing plays in overall green consumption. This study aims to explore how social media information sharing influences green purchasing intentions of Generation Z. We constructed a theoretical framework for Generation Z’s green purchase intention based on SOR theory and elucidated the relationship between social media information sharing, perceived green value, subjective norms, and green purchase intention. This study discusses the dual mediating role of perceived green value and subjective norms and explores the moderating role of consumer occupation. Through a self-administered questionnaire survey of 274 members of Generation Z in China, we found that (1) social media information sharing has a positive effect on green purchase intention; (2) perceived green value and subjective norms are considered to play a partially mediating role in consumers’ green purchase intention relationship; (3) occupation mediates the moderating role of subjective norms in social media information sharing and green purchase intention, such that the mediating role of subjective norms is stronger for non-student consumers and insignificant for student consumers. Our findings not only enrich the empirical research on Generation Z’s green consumption, but may also help practitioners develop strategies to influence the intention and behavior of Generation Z consumers toward green products.
Weed Communities in Winter Wheat: Responses to Cropping Systems under Different Climatic Conditions
Authors: Seipel Tim , Ishaq Suzanne L. , Larson Christian , Menalled Fabian D.
Published: June 2022

Understanding the impact of biological and environmental stressors on cropping systems is essential to secure the long-term sustainability of agricultural production in the face of unprecedented climatic conditions. This study evaluated the effect of increased soil temperature and reduced moisture across three contrasting cropping systems: a no-till chemically managed system, a tilled organic system, and an organic system that used grazing to reduce tillage intensity. Results showed that while cropping system characteristics represent a major driver in structuring weed communities, the short-term impact of changes in temperature and moisture conditions appear to be more subtle. Weed community responses to temperature and moisture manipulations differed across variables: while biomass, species richness, and Simpson’s diversity estimates were not affected by temperature and moisture conditions, we observed a minor but significant shift in weed community composition. Higher weed biomass was recorded in the grazed/reduced-till organic system compared with the tilled-organic and no-till chemically managed systems. Weed communities in the two organic systems were more diverse than in the no-till conventional system, but an increased abundance in perennial species such as Cirsium arvense and Taraxacum officinale in the grazed/reduced-till organic system could hinder the adoption of integrated crop-livestock production tactics. Species composition of the no-till conventional weed communities showed low species richness and diversity, and was encompassed in the grazed/reduced-till organic communities. The weed communities of the no-till conventional and grazed/reduced-till organic systems were distinct from the tilled organic community, underscoring the effect that tillage has on the assembly of weed communities. Results highlight the importance of understanding the ecological mechanisms structuring weed communities, and integrating multiple tactics to reduce off-farm inputs while managing weeds.
Environmental Regulations, Green Technology Innovation, and High-Quality Economic Development in China: Application of Mediation and Threshold Effects
Authors: Lin Tao , Wang Lijun , Wu Jingbo
Published: June 2022

In this article, we consider sample data from 30 regions in China from 2004 to 2020. We use the entropy method to measure the high-quality development level, then examine the intermediary and threshold effects to verify the main paths by which green technology innovation mediates the relationship between environmental regulation intensity and the quality of economic development. Our conclusions are as follows: (1) There is a “U”-shaped relationship between environmental regulation intensity and high-quality economic development. When the environmental regulation intensity is low, there is a negative (inhibitory) relationship between the two, while there is a positive (promoting) relationship when the intensity is high. Furthermore, a high proportion of secondary industries inhibit high-quality development, perfect infrastructure and information access can promote high-quality development, and excessive population density hinders high-quality development. (2) There also exists a “U”-shaped relationship between environmental regulation intensity and green technology innovation, which forms a co-directional change relationship. Green technology innovation has a significant mediating effect on the impact of environmental regulation intensity on high-quality economic development. (3) The threshold effect test confirms the existence of double thresholds. When the green technology innovation level is not high, environmental regulations inhibit high-quality economic development. However, when green technology innovation reaches a certain level, environmental regulations will promote high-quality economic development. This paper has certain theoretical reference for achieving high-quality development goals; thus, our results are expected to provide theoretical support for China’s high-quality development.
Sustainable Safety Management: A Safety Competencies Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Rahman Fazil A. , Arifin Kadir , Abas Azlan , Mahfudz Mahfudz , Basir Cyio Muhammad , Khairil Muhammad , Ali Muhammad Nur , Lampe Ilyas , Samad Muhammad Ahsan
Published: June 2022

Title: Safety competencies: A systematic literature review. Background: Safety competency is believed to be a pillar of an organization’s safety culture and one of the safety climate dimensions. Safety competencies can be a vital point to controlling and maintaining the sustainability of safety and health in a society and organization. The sustainability of the industries’ and society’s safety relationship can be driven by the controlled hierarchy in the society and the competencies of its members. Failure to identify social sustainability indicators such as a leading competency in safety will cause a failure in the safety development program. Hence, a systematic literature review of published studies is essential for easing the dissemination of useful research findings and gaining access to future trends in safety competencies research. The review aimed to identify studies about safety competency and identified the basic safety competencies for the workforce to maintain a sustainable safety climate. Methods: This review provided a five-step approach guided by The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 statement and published systematic review framework. The studies from the past 20 years were retrieved from electronic databases such as Scopus, Science Direct, and Web of Science. The review only involved article papers, research papers, and review papers which are written in English. The quality of the review was assessed using a standard PRISMA 2020 checklist. This review is registered on the International Platform of Registered Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (INPLASY) with registration number INPLASY202230246 and DOI number 10.37766/inplasy2022.3.0146. Findings: The unbiased and wide review produces a new, feasible alternative to a social sustainability safety index. The number of studies on safety competencies study has expanded in recent years which shows the importance of the item to sustain the safety climate. This review suggests teamwork, communication skills, and a foundation of safety knowledge as the basic safety competencies for workers based on the competencies being most discussed. The review process suggests the possibility of future research regarding safety competencies after a catastrophic event such as the COVID-19 pandemic and sustainability of industrial safety regarding human-machine integration through 4.0 Industrial Revolution era.
Land Use/Cover Change and Its Relationship with Regional Development in Xixian New Area, China
Authors: Zhang Siliang , Guan Zilong , Liu Yan , Zheng Feimin
Published: June 2022

There is a close relationship between land use/cover change and regional development in new urban areas. In this paper, based on the land-use data before (2010, 2013) and after (2015, 2018) the establishment of Xixian New Area and the economic development data of the corresponding period, with the help of indexes such as the land use transfer matrix, relative change rate/net change rate and the composite index of land use degree, the temporal and spatial differences of land-use change and land use degree in the ten years before and after the establishment of Xixian New Area were analyzed, and the driving factors of land-use change and their relationship with the level of social and economic development were discussed. The results indicate that cultivated land and construction land are the main land-use types in Xixian New Area in the whole studying period. From 2010 to 2018, the area of cultivated land and forest land in the region decreased over time, but the construction land area continuously increased dramatically (increased by 36.5% from 2010 to 2018) and the land-use change corresponds basically to the construction and development process of the New Area. In the spatial transfer of land use, the transformation of cultivated land to construction land was the most evident, and the urbanization construction in the New Area occupied the most cultivated land. The composite index of land use degree in the New Area was generally high and increased with time. Geographical location and policy guidance are the main reasons for the spatial difference of land use degree. The land use benefits in the New Area increased significantly, and the land use degree was positively correlated with the level of regional, social and economic development. The main driving factor of land-use change was human activities guided by policy.
Analysis and Valuation of the Energy-Efficient Residential Building with Innovative Modular Green Wall Systems
Authors: Korol Elena , Shushunova Natalia
Published: June 2022

The installation of green wall systems on the residential buildings is a complex technological process, the parameters of which vary depending on design solutions, methods of performing work, instrumental and technical support, professional skills of the work performers and many other factors. The authors used the life cycle approach for the assessment of the energy-efficient residential building with integrated greening systems. The aim of the study was to evaluate an energy-efficient residential building with an innovative modular green wall system and to compare it with existing technological solutions. We show that the life cycle approach provides the choice of a decision that is also optimal in conditions of risk, which indicates the effective use of the green wall system. The results of the work are presented by the development of technology with modular green systems, which will expand the practice of technological design, experimental construction and the renovation of buildings, to improve the quality of the urban environment by implementing rational construction and technological solutions and appropriate work methods. This study will be helpful for researchers in green construction to develop their future research studies and for various residential green building owners.
The Significance of Energy Factors, Green Economic Indicators, Blue Economic Aspects towards Carbon Intensity: A Study of Saudi Vision 2030
Authors: Waheed Rida
Published: June 2022

The current study explores the nexus between energy factors, blue factors, green factors, and carbon intensity in Saudi Arabia. The non-linear ARDL technique is applied to data from 1991 to 2020. The results suggest that the overall impact of energy factors on carbon emission is insignificant, except the adverse shocks in energy intensity, which increase carbon intensity in the long run. Green factors are also irrelevant for carbon emissions in the post-Vision 2030 period. Nevertheless, blue factors are significant for minimizing carbon intensity for post-Vision 2030. Policymakers should invest in efforts to concentrate on energy and blue factors. Investment in the renewable energy and marine sectors is also essential to cater to carbon-related environmental issues.
Effect of Teflon-Coated PVDF Membrane on the Performance of a Solar-Powered Direct Contact Membrane Distillation System
Authors: C. K. Pon Pavithiran , Kumaresan Govindaraj , Abraham Raju , Santosh Ravichandran , Velraj Ramalingam
Published: June 2022

The present study dealt with the generation of freshwater through the direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) technique, powered by an evacuated tube solar collector (ETSC). The major objective of the present work was to determine the optimum conditions of fluid flow rate and temperature for maximum freshwater productivity across both the feed and permeate sides of the membrane module. A flat hydrophobic membrane composed of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) coated with Teflon was utilized for the DCMD process. The rate of freshwater production was examined with the variation in the feed/permeate flow rates (from 3 to 7 LPM) and feed temperature (from 45 °C to 75 °C) for a constant permeate-side temperature of 30 °C. The experimental results indicated that a maximum freshwater productivity of 45.18 kg/m2h was achievable from the proposed system during its operation with a high solar heated inlet feed temperature of 75 °C and mass flow rates of 7 LPM across both sides of the membrane. Further, a detailed assessment of the performance parameters indicated that the present solar-powered DCMD system exhibited a maximum evaporative efficiency of about 80% and temperature polarization coefficient (TPC) of 0.62 respectively.