bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pyrocarbon Coating on Granular Al2O3 for HTGR-Type Power Reactor
Authors: Sklabinskyi Vsevolod , Pitel Jan , Skydanenko Maksym , Simeiko Kostiantyn , Liaposhchenko Oleksandr , Pavlenko Ivan , Ostroha Ruslan , Yukhymenko Mykola , Mandryka Oleksandr , Storozhenko Vitalii
Published: August 2023

Fourth-generation nuclear power systems are based on high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, in which the pebble fuel is the primary energy carrier. In this regard, applying protective pyrocarbon coatings on granulated fuel is an essential problem in ensuring the reliability of nuclear power plants. The article’s main idea is to research rational technological parameters of forming a pyrocarbon protective coating on the granules of a nuclear fuel model. For this purpose, granulated Al2O3 with the protective pyrocarbone coating was applied as a fuel model. The article’s aim is to study the effect of thermophysical parameters on applying a protective pyrocarbon coating on granulated Al2O3. During the experimental studies, thermal imaging of the pyrolysis process was used. The scientific novelty of the work is the equilibrium curves for the systems Al2O3:CH4, Al2O3:CH4:N2, and Al2O3:CH4:Ar. Their analysis allowed for evaluating rational thermochemical parameters of the pyrolysis process. As a result, rational thermophysical parameters of coating granulated Al2O3 with a pyrocarbon layer were evaluated, and the practical possibility of applying the pyrocarbon coating to granulated Al2O3 in the electrothermal fluidized bed was experimentally proven. It was shown that nitrogen does not significantly affect the target reaction product under a temperature of less than 1500 K. Also, the rational conditions for the pyrocarbon coating at a pressure of 0.1 MPa were realized at a temperature of 900–1500 K and using argon. Moreover, pyrocarbon was precipitated from hydrocarbon at 1073–1273 K. Overall, the need to add an inert gas for reducing the carbon black formation was proven to prevent a reduction of natural gas efficiency.
Potential Applications of Microencapsulated Essential Oil Components in Mosquito Repellent Textile Finishes
Authors: Murtaza Maida , Hussain Abdullah Ijaz , Kamal Ghulam Mustafa , Nazir Saima , Chatha Shahzad Ali Shahid , Asmari Mufarreh , Uddin Jalal , Murtaza Shahzad
Published: August 2023

This study aimed to develop a cost-effective and eco-friendly mosquito-repellent textile finish based on microcapsules incorporated with limonene, camphor, linalool, menthol, and 1-octanol individually. Essential oil-based microcapsules were prepared by the emulsion extrusion microencapsulation method. The concentration of active components was determined by the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique at different time intervals. The prepared microcapsules were incorporated into the textile finish to prepare an insect-repellent finish and applied to polyester: cotton (40:60) fabric using a conventional pad-dry cure method. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses were performed to ensure the presence and stability of essential oil components on the fabric. FT-IR spectra showed that peaks observed in the range of (3400–3200 cm−1) and (1720–1600 cm−1) correspond to –OH stretching and bending vibrations in both untreated and microencapsulated essential oil-treated fabric. Mosquito-repellent activity was assessed by exposing treated and untreated fabric to mosquitoes. To study the long-lasting impact of microencapsulation of essential oil components on fabric, mosquito repellency was repeated every 10 to 50 days. Fabrics treated with microencapsulated essential oil components presented higher and longer-lasting protection from mosquitoes than untreated fabrics. Menthol (97%), linalool (93%), and limonene (93%) encapsulated finishes showed significantly higher repellency (>90%) as compared with octanol finishes. The studied mosquito repellent finishes could be ideal candidates for textile finishing industries.
New Triple Metallic Carbonated Hydroxyapatite for Stone Surface Preservation
Authors: Iancu Lorena , Grigorescu Ramona , Ion Rodica-Mariana , David Madalina , Predoana Luminita , Gheboianu Anca , Alexandrescu Elvira
Published: August 2023

This paper presents the synthesis of the triple substituted carbonated hydroxyapatite with magnesium, strontium and zinc (Mg-Sr-Zn-CHAp), as well as its structural, morphological and compositional characterization. The analytical techniques used (WDXRF, XRD and FTIR) highlighted, on the one hand, the B form for the apatite structure, as well as the presence of the three metal ions in the apatite structure, on the other hand (small shifts of 1120–900 cm−1 and 500–600 cm−1 absorption peaks due to the metals incorporated into the CHAp structure). The ratio between the metallic ions that substitute calcium and Ca2+, and phosphorus is increased, the value being 2.11 in comparison with CHAp and pure hydroxyapatite. Also, by using imaging techniques such as optical microscopy and SEM, spherical nanometric particles (between 150 and 250 nm) with a large surface area and large pores (6 m2/g surface area, pores with 6.903 nm diameters and 0.01035 cm3/g medium volume, determined by nitrogen adsorption/desorption analysis) and a pronounced tendency of agglomeration was highlighted. Also, the triple substituted carbonated hydroxyapatite was tested as an inorganic consolidant by using stone specimens prepared in the laboratory. The efficiency of Mg-Sr-Zn-CHAp in the consolidation processes was demonstrated by specific tests in the field: water absorption, peeling, freeze–thaw behavior, chromatic parameters as well as mechanical strength. All these tests presented conclusive values for the use of this consolidant in the consolidation procedures of stone surfaces (lower water absorption, increased mechanical strength, higher consolidation percent, decreased degradation rate by freeze–thaw, no significant color changes).
Effect of Electrode Spacing on the Detection of Coating Defects in Buried Pipelines Using Direct Current Voltage Gradient Method
Authors: Choi Seung-Heon , Yoo Young-Ran , Kim Young-Sik
Published: August 2023

Buried piping is subject to soil corrosion, which can be prevented by combining coatings and cathodic protection to maximize corrosion control. However, even with both methods, coatings are subject to damage from external factors and various causes. Buried piping may expose the metal and alter the current flow, which in turn causes corrosion. Therefore, this study analyzed the effect of detection electrode spacing on the direct current voltage gradient (DCVG) magnitude formed for coated pipelines buried in the soil. The DCVG was measured using a real-time coating defect detection system. FEM model simulations were carried out, and then the result was compared to the measured DCVG magnitude. When the spacing of the detection electrodes increased, the detected signal and signal location changed. The detection reliability increased as the noise signal is eliminated at the optimum detection electrode spacing. However, the detection reliability decreased at higher selection electrode spacing as the noise signal and detected signals together were eliminated. The location of the detected signal shifted as the spacing of the detection electrodes increased due to the change in the detection reference point and signal magnitude.
Research Progress in Electrospark Deposition Coatings on Titanium Alloy Surfaces: A Short Review
Authors: Wang Jinfang , Zhang Meng , Dai Sheng , Zhu Liu
Published: August 2023

The development process of electrospark deposition (ESD) technology is reviewed, and the principles and differences of ESD technology are discussed in this review. Based on the research status regarding the ESD of titanium alloys, the promotion effect of ESD technology on wear resistance, corrosion resistance, oxidation resistance at high temperatures, and the biocompatibility of titanium alloys was elaborated on. For example, with the use of ESD technology to prepare Ti–Al, TiN, Ni–Cr, and other hardening coatings with high hardness, the maximum hardness of the deposited layer is six times higher than that of the substrate material, which greatly reduces the loss of the material surface in the process of friction in service, and has a high wear–resistance effect. The preparation of a single–phase lamellar coating is more beneficial for improving the oxidation resistance of the substrate. Carbide and a nano–porous coating can effectively enhance the bone integration ability of implants and promote biocompatibility. The application of ESD technology in the surface modification of titanium alloys is reviewed in detail. Finally, the development direction of ESD technology for titanium alloys is proposed.
Flexible Optically Rewritable Electronic Paper
Authors: Chigrinov Vladimir , Kudreyko Aleksey , Sun Jiatong
Published: August 2023

In this article, we present the procedure of preparation of flexible electronic paper with a photosensitive azo dye layer as the key element for changing the orientation of the polarization plane. The main steps of the technology for the fabrication of flexible e-paper are reported. The possible production of Digital Mirror Devices and the roll-to-roll process is discussed. Images on flexible e-paper are demonstrated, including bank card options. The advantages of optically rewritable e-paper technology in comparison with the e-ink usually used for this purpose are highlighted. Potential applications of flexible optically rewritable e-paper include price tags for supermarkets, indoor and outdoor advertisements, smart card labels, etc.
A Nonlinear Gradient-Coiling Metamaterial for Enhanced Acoustic Signal Sensing
Authors: Hao Guodong , Zhao Xinsa , Han Jianning
Published: August 2023

Acoustic sensing systems play a critical role in identifying and determining weak sound sources in various fields. In many fault warning and environmental monitoring processes, sound-based sensing techniques are highly valued for their information-rich and non-contact advantages. However, noise signals from the environment reduce the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of conventional acoustic sensing systems. Therefore, we proposed novel nonlinear gradient-coiling metamaterials (NGCMs) to sense weak effective signals from complex environments using the strong wave compression effect coupled with the equivalent medium mechanism. Theoretical derivations and finite element simulations of NGCMs were executed to verify the properties of the designed metamaterials. Compared with nonlinear gradient acoustic metamaterials (Nonlinear-GAMs) without coiling structures, NGCMs exhibit far superior performance in terms of acoustic enhancement, and the structures capture lower frequencies and possess a wider angle acoustic response. Additionally, experiments were constructed and conducted using set Gaussian pulse and harmonic acoustic signals as emission sources to simulate real application scenarios. It is unanimously shown that NGCMs have unique advantages and broad application prospects in the application of weak acoustic signal sensing, enhancement and localization.
Cytology and Histology of Thyroid Nodules: Exploring Novel Insights in the Molecular Era for Enhanced Patient Management
Authors: Cochand-Priollet Beatrix , Maleki Zahra
Published: August 2023

Significant advancements have been made over the past decade in our understanding of thyroid cancers, encompassing histomorphology, cytology, and ancillary techniques, particularly molecular tests. As a result, it is now feasible to put forth a comprehensive histo/cytomolecular approach to treating these tumors, thereby offering patients treatments that are precisely tailored to their unique circumstances.
Changes in Composition of Mollusks within Corallina officinalis Turfs in South Istria, Adriatic Sea, as a Response to Anthropogenic Impact
Authors: Buršić Moira , Iveša Ljiljana , Jaklin Andrej , Arko Pijevac Milvana , Bruvo Mađarić Branka , Neal Lucija , Pustijanac Emina , Burić Petra , Iveša Neven , Paliaga Paolo
Published: August 2023

A very common intertidal alga, Corallina officinalis, serves as a refuge for numerous invertebrates within its settlements. The composition and structure of invertebrates may differ in relation to different natural or human-induced stress, and this study examined the effects of anthropogenic impact on the abundance and diversity of mollusks residing within C. officinalis settlements. Sampling was conducted during two seasons (Season 1 = algae’s maximum vegetation growth and Season 2 = algae’s minimum vegetation growth). Gastropods and bivalves made up 50% of all invertebrates identified, with a total of 47 species of gastropods, 25 species of bivalves, and one polyplacophoran species recorded. Considering the overall count of individuals, 4562 gastropods, 21,738 bivalves, and 260 polyplacophorans were collected from all available Corallina samples. The results indicated that locations under human impact showed a reduced number of the most abundant gastropod and bivalve species and a reduced average number of individuals.
Bill Shape Variation in African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) Held Captive in Two Zoos
Authors: Szara Tomasz , Günay Ebuderda , Boz İlayda , Batmankaya Berke , Gencer Hilal , Gün Gökhan , Vatansever Çelik Ezgi Can , Gündemir Ozan
Published: August 2023

Penguins, like most birds, are considered monomorphic species. Cloacal endoscopy, laparoscopy, or molecular sex verification are used to determine sex in such animals. Our aim in this study was to investigate whether sex recognition can be performed in penguins by a non-invasive method using the shape of the bill. For this purpose, sex and population differences in penguins were investigated by geometric morphometric methods using photos of the bill in the dorsal and lateral views. Fifty-four African penguins (Spheniscus demersus) were taken for the study. Principal component analysis was applied to reveal the shape variations of the bill. Principal components were extracted for each bill projection. PC1 explained 37.06% of the total variation in the dorsal view, while PC1 for the lateral view explained 31.4% of the total variation. Canonical variance analysis was performed to reveal the differences between groups. The lateral view was more effective in revealing the differences between the groups and between the sexes. For the dorsal view, Procrustes distances values between any group were not statistically significant. The maxillary rostrum in female penguins was higher, while, in males, the mandibular rostrum was higher. The females’ bills were narrower than in males. Centroid size in males was on average larger than in females. Significant differences in bill shape between populations were also found. Using geometric morphometric methods, sex analysis can be conducted with less equipment and less stress on the birds. However, the environmental factors that cause bill variation in birds should be examined in more detail. Better knowledge of the effects of environmental factors on bill variation is important for geometric morphometric methods to give more accurate results in sex and population analyses.
The Fast Growth and Quick Spread of Synchronous Tumors
Authors: Chen Li-Yu , Chen Yu-Hung , Chen Yen-Kung
Published: August 2023

A 47-year-old man was diagnosed with left buccal squamous cell carcinoma using FDG PET/CT, by which focal lesions in the left buccal and left neck lymph node were found. Three months after the operation, CT images revealed a left lower lung lesion. Pathology indicated a left lower lung adenocarcinoma. Second FDG PET/CT was performed more than 11 days later, and lesions with intense FDG uptake were found in the left lower lung, metastatic to the lymph nodes, lungs, bones, and liver. The prior FDG PET/CT scan showed negative findings in the lungs. However, lung cancer with multiple metastases appeared 4 months later.
Screening and Management of Coronary Artery Disease in Kidney Transplant Candidates
Authors: Vadalà Giuseppe , Alaimo Chiara , Buccheri Giancarlo , Di Fazio Luca , Di Caccamo Leandro , Sucato Vincenzo , Cipriani Manlio , Galassi Alfredo Ruggero
Published: August 2023

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), especially in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients and during the first year after transplantation. For these reasons, and due to the shortage of organs available for transplant, it is of utmost importance to identify patients with a good life expectancy after transplant and minimize the transplant peri-operative risk. Various conditions, such as severe pulmonary diseases, recent myocardial infarction or stroke, and severe aorto-iliac atherosclerosis, need to be ruled out before adding a patient to the transplant waiting list. The effectiveness of systematic coronary artery disease (CAD) treatment before kidney transplant is still debated, and there is no universal screening protocol, not to mention that a nontailored screening could lead to unnecessary invasive procedures and delay or exclude some patients from transplantation. Despite the different clinical guidelines on CAD screening in kidney transplant candidates that exist, up to today, there is no worldwide universal protocol. This review summarizes the key points of cardiovascular risk assessment in renal transplant candidates and faces the role of noninvasive cardiovascular imaging tools and the impact of coronary revascularization versus best medical therapy before kidney transplant on a patient’s cardiovascular outcome.
Identification of Intestinal Microbial Community in Gallstone Patients with Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing
Authors: Ding Li , Wang Su , Jiang Wenrong , Miao Yingxin , Liu Wenjian , Yang Feng , Zhang Jinghao , Chi Wenjing , Liu Tao , Liu Yue , Wang Shiwen , Zhang Yanmei , Zhao Hu
Published: August 2023

Gallstone disease (GD) is one of the most common gastrointestinal diseases worldwide. Nowadays, intestinal microbiota are thought to play important roles in the formation of gallstones. In our study, human fecal samples were extracted for metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) on the Illumina HiSeq platform, followed by bioinformatics analyses. Our results showed that there was a particular intestinal micro-ecosystem in GD patients. In contrast to healthy people, the sequences of Bacteroidetes, Bacteroides and Thetaiotaomicron were obviously more abundant in GD patients at phylum, genus and species levels, respectively. On the other hand, the glycan metabolism and drug resistance, especially for the β-lactams, were the most profound functions of gut microbes in GD patients compared to those in normal subjects. Furthermore, a correlation analysis drew out that there existed a significant relationship between the serum levels of biochemical indicators and abundances of intestinal microbes in GD patients. Our results illuminate both the composition and functions of intestinal microbiota in GD patients. All in all, our study can broaden the insight into the potential mechanism of how gut microbes affect the progression of gallstones to some extent, which may provide potential targets for the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of GD.
Comparative Study of Variations in Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithms for the Traveling Salesman Problem
Authors: Qian Wenyang , Basili Robert A. M. , Eshaghian-Wilner Mary Mehrnoosh , Khokhar Ashfaq , Luecke Glenn , Vary James P.
Published: August 2023

The traveling salesman problem (TSP) is one of the most often-used NP-hard problems in computer science to study the effectiveness of computing models and hardware platforms. In this regard, it is also heavily used as a vehicle to study the feasibility of the quantum computing paradigm for this class of problems. In this paper, we tackle the TSP using the quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA) approach by formulating it as an optimization problem. By adopting an improved qubit encoding strategy and a layer-wise learning optimization protocol, we present numerical results obtained from the gate-based digital quantum simulator, specifically targeting TSP instances with 3, 4, and 5 cities. We focus on the evaluations of three distinctive QAOA mixer designs, considering their performances in terms of numerical accuracy and optimization cost. Notably, we find that a well-balanced QAOA mixer design exhibits more promising potential for gate-based simulators and realistic quantum devices in the long run, an observation further supported by our noise model simulations. Furthermore, we investigate the sensitivity of the simulations to the TSP graph. Overall, our simulation results show that the digital quantum simulation of problem-inspired ansatz is a successful candidate for finding optimal TSP solutions.
Quantifying Entropy in Response Times (RT) Distributions Using the Cumulative Residual Entropy (CRE) Function
Authors: Fitousi Daniel
Published: August 2023

Response times (RT) distributions are routinely used by psychologists and neuroscientists in the assessment and modeling of human behavior and cognition. The statistical properties of RT distributions are valuable in uncovering unobservable psychological mechanisms. A potentially important statistical aspect of RT distributions is their entropy. However, to date, no valid measure of entropy on RT distributions has been developed, mainly because available extensions of discrete entropy measures to continuous distributions were fraught with problems and inconsistencies. The present work takes advantage of the cumulative residual entropy (CRE) function—a well-known differential entropy measure that can circumvent those problems. Applications of the CRE to RT distributions are presented along with concrete examples and simulations. In addition, a novel measure of instantaneous CRE is developed that captures the rate of entropy reduction (or information gain) from a stimulus as a function of processing time. Taken together, the new measures of entropy in RT distributions proposed here allow for stronger statistical inferences, as well as motivated theoretical interpretations of psychological constructs such as mental effort and processing efficiency.
Quality of Security Guarantees for and with Physical Unclonable Functions and Biometric Secrecy Systems
Authors: Günlü Onur , Schaefer Rafael F. , Poor H. Vincent
Published: August 2023

Unique digital circuit outputs, considered as physical unclonable function (PUF) circuit outputs, can facilitate a secure and reliable secret key agreement. To tackle noise and high correlations between the PUF circuit outputs, transform coding methods combined with scalar quantizers are typically applied to extract the uncorrelated bit sequences reliably. In this paper, we create realistic models for these transformed outputs by fitting truncated distributions to them. We also show that the state-of-the-art models are inadequate to guarantee a target reliability level for all PUF outputs, which also means that secrecy cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, we introduce a quality of security parameter to control the percentage of the PUF circuit outputs for which a target security level can be guaranteed. By applying the finite-length information theory results to a public ring oscillator output dataset, we illustrate that security guarantees can be provided for each bit extracted from any PUF device by eliminating only a small subset of PUF circuit outputs. Furthermore, we conversely show that it is not possible to provide reliability or security guarantees without eliminating any PUF circuit output. Our holistic methods and analyses can be applied to any PUF type, as well as any biometric secrecy system, with continuous-valued outputs to extract secret keys with low hardware complexity.
Fatigue Strength Analysis of a Prototype Francis Turbine in a Multilevel Lifetime Assessment Procedure Part III: Instrumentation and Prototype Site Measurement
Authors: Doujak Eduard , Maly Anton , Unterluggauer Julian , Haller Franz , Maier Michael , Blasbichler Christian , Stadler Simon
Published: August 2023

Part I of this series of publications addressed the background and fundamentals of the lifetime assessment of prototype Francis turbines. Part II concentrated on the developed methods of numerical calculation and assessment procedures. The present contribution (Part III) deals with the instrumentation and the metrological range of the assessment procedure. The most important sensors, measurement tools, and data acquisition units are presented (background). The instrumentation of the prototype Francis turbine is used, on the one hand, for machine unit monitoring and plant operating and, on the other hand, for generating measurement data to validate and adjust/correct the numerical simulations. Measurement data form the basis for further evaluations at various levels. A wide variety of measured variables are required to carry out the remaining lifetime of a component using fatigue analysis. Those variables include pressure and acceleration signals, vibration monitoring, and strain gauge applications for mechanical stress analysis. The available measurement signals are divided into groups based on the developed method. Thus, already-available data from the control room are compared with machine monitoring and temporarily measured data. The correlation of all available data is essential today to determine an exact idea of the occurring flow phenomena and their effects on the mechanical stresses on the component. This interaction of the different data sources and, subsequently, the use of selected quantities for the numerical calculation are part of the newly developed concept for fatigue strength analysis of mechanical components of a turbine unit (methods). The results of this journal article are divided into the discussion of the necessary instrumentation and mounting of the sensors and into the evaluation, presentation, and interpretation of the measurement data. In addition, a fatigue strength assessment is made at the position of the strain gauges. These results serve as a basis for validating the numerical stress calculation. It is worth mentioning that the validation of the numerical results and the discussion of the deviations and error consideration is carried out in Part IV of this publication series (results). This journal article of the series on condition assessment of prototype Francis turbines ends with a discussion of the results and conclusions for further data processing (conclusion).
Quantifying Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Human Deaths to Guide Energy Policy
Authors: Pearce Joshua M. , Parncutt Richard
Published: August 2023

When attempting to quantify future harms caused by carbon emissions and to set appropriate energy policies, it has been argued that the most important metric is the number of human deaths caused by climate change. Several studies have attempted to overcome the uncertainties associated with such forecasting. In this article, approaches to estimating future human death tolls from climate change relevant at any scale or location are compared and synthesized, and implications for energy policy are considered. Several studies are consistent with the “1000-ton rule,” according to which a future person is killed every time 1000 tons of fossil carbon are burned (order-of-magnitude estimate). If warming reaches or exceeds 2 °C this century, mainly richer humans will be responsible for killing roughly 1 billion mainly poorer humans through anthropogenic global warming, which is comparable with involuntary or negligent manslaughter. On this basis, relatively aggressive energy policies are summarized that would enable immediate and substantive decreases in carbon emissions. The limitations to such calculations are outlined and future work is recommended to accelerate the decarbonization of the global economy while minimizing the number of sacrificed human lives.
Platinum–Nickel Electrocatalysts for a Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Cathode: Their Synthesis, Acid Treatment, Microstructure and Electrochemical Behavior
Authors: Kozhokar Ekaterina , Pavlets Angelina , Pankov Ilya , Alekseenko Anastasia
Published: August 2023

Within this research, we studied the structural–morphological and electrochemical characteristics of the PtNi/C catalysts synthesized via the two-stage sequential reduction of precursors. We also carried out a comparative study of the obtained bimetallic catalysts and their commercial Pt/C analog. The use of triethylamine as a surfactant as well as the acid treatment as an additional synthesis stage, were shown to have a positive effect on the functional parameters of the bimetallic electrocatalysts. The resulting PtNi/C electrocatalyst demonstrates a mass activity value of 389 A gPt−1, which is 1.6 times higher than this parameter for a commercial analog.
Insights into the Fusion Correction Algorithm for On-Board NOx Sensor Measurement Results from Heavy-Duty Diesel Vehicles
Authors: Wu Chunling , Pei Yiqiang , Liu Chuntao , Bai Xiaoxin , Jing Xiaojun , Zhang Fan , Qin Jing
Published: August 2023

Over the last decade, Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions have garnered significantly greater attention due to the worldwide emphasis on sustainable development strategies. In response to the issues of dynamic measurement delay and low measurement accuracy in the NOx sensors of heavy-duty diesel vehicles, a novel Multilayer Perceptron (MLP)–Random Forest Regression (RFR) fusion algorithm was proposed and explored in this research. The algorithm could help perform post-correction processing on the measurement results of diesel vehicle NOx sensors, thereby improving the reliability of the measurement results. The results show that the measurement errors of the On-board Nitrogen oxide Sensors (OBNS) were reduced significantly after the MLP-RFR fusion algorithm was corrected. Within the concentration range of 0–90 ppm, the absolute measurement error of the sensor was reduced to ±4 ppm, representing a decrease of 73.3%. Within the 91–1000 ppm concentration range, the relative measurement error was optimised from 35% to 17%, providing a reliable solution to improve the accuracy of the OBNS. The findings of this research make a substantial contribution towards enhancing the efficacy of the remote monitoring of emissions from heavy-duty diesel vehicles.
Modelling and Performance Analysis of a Tidal Current Turbine Connected to the Grid Using an Inductance (LCL) Filter
Authors: Kangaji Ladislas Mutunda , Tartibu Lagouge , Bokoro Pitshou N.
Published: August 2023

Nowadays, integrating renewable energy sources, such as tidal power, into the existing power grids of turbines is crucial for sustainable energy generation. However, tidal turbine energy transforms the potential energy of moving water into electrical energy. When both nonlinear load and dynamic load harmonics are present, the tide speed variance causes serious power quality issues such as low power factor, unstable voltage, harmonic distortions, frequency fluctuations, and voltage sags. The integration of an LCL-filter-based connection scheme can address these challenges by improving power quality and the overall performance of the tidal current turbine grid system. This study shifts LCL filter research from its conventional wind energy emphasis to the emerging field of tidal stream generation systems. The LCL filter analysed in this paper is modelled to exhibit adequate mechanical, electrical, and hydrodynamic characteristics. This model accounts for tidal current variations, turbine speed control, and power extraction dynamics. The LCL filter is evaluated for its effectiveness in reducing harmonic distortions, voltage fluctuations, and reactive power fluctuations. This system is composed of a 1.5 MW/C, a 1.2 MW three-level inverter with a nominal voltage of 600 V, and an inductance (LCL) filter. The results show that the inverter produces a harmonic distortion of less than 0.5%, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the filter in improving total harmonic distortion, reactive power consumption, and voltage control.
Effects of Energy Economic Variables on the Economic Growth of the European Union (2010–2019)
Authors: Török László
Published: August 2023

The economic downturn caused by the financial crisis of 2008–2009 and the intensifying global climate policy trends forced changes in the energy management of the European Union. The study examined how the most relevant energy economic variables affected the economic growth of the E.U. between 2010–2019. The study used the PSL-PM methodology to explore the relationship between G.D.P. (dependent variable) and energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, the average energy price, and renewable energy use (independent variables). The main findings are: G.D.P. growth is negatively correlated with CO2 emissions, showing that the E.U. economy is still highly dependent on fossil fuels; the increase in the proportion of renewable energy consumption contributed to the growth of the E.U.’s G.D.P.; CO2 emissions, energy consumption, and the average energy price are more critical in E.U. member states with a lower G.D.P.; renewable energy use and energy balance are essential in countries where more emphasis is placed on replacing traditional energy sources and reducing energy dependence; there is a strong positive correlation between G.D.P. and renewable energy use, indicating that this type of energy use effectively supports E.U. economic growth. The results of the multicollinearity test show that there is also a strong linear dependence between the independent energy economic variables. One of the significances of the study is that the presented and analyzed variables and the relationships between them can contribute to optimizing the E.U.’s currently critical energy management and economic growth.
The Broken Chloroplast Gene Clusters in Gymnosperms Exhibit Elevated Substitution Rates
Authors: Ping Jingyao , Zhong Xiaona , Wang Ting , Su Yingjuan
Published: August 2023

Plant chloroplast (cp) gene clusters consist of genes arranged closely together on the cp genome. These genes are organized in operon structures and participate in cotranscription, typically exhibiting conservation. Broken gene clusters have been observed in gymnosperms. In order to investigate whether the substitution rates and selection pressure of associated genes are affected following the disruption of gene clusters, the cp genomes of 80 species (78 gymnosperms and 2 outgroups) were analyzed. A phylogenetic analysis was conducted using 58 shared genes to examine the evolutionary rates and selection pressure of genes associated with gene clusters and protein-coding genes in Sciadopitys verticillata. The results demonstrate that S. verticillata exhibited the highest number of rearrangements compared to the Cycas revoluta genome. Four gene clusters (rps2, psbB, rpoB, and petL clusters) in S. verticillata were disrupted, while rps2 in Callitris rhomboidea experienced disruption. Significantly increased evolutionary rates were observed in 12 out of 18 gene cluster-related genes in S. verticillata. Following disruption, S. verticillata and C. rhomboidea exhibited an increase in gene cluster-related genes, particularly rps2, and higher selection pressure on both rps2 and atpA genes compared to other species. Furthermore, among the 58 genes shared by S. verticillata, the evolutionary rates of 36 genes increased, and the selection pressure on 13 genes exceeded that of other species. These results indicate an increased substitution rate of gene clusters in S. verticillata and C. rhomboidea. The large-scale rearrangement and elevated substitution rates of the cp genome in S. verticillata were revealed. This study sheds light on the heterogeneity of cp genome evolution in gymnosperms.
Comparing the Impact of Urban Park Landscape Design Parameters on the Thermal Environment of Surrounding Low-Rise and High-Rise Neighborhoods
Authors: Xue Sihan , Yuan Liang , Wang Kun , Wang Jingxian , Pei Yuanfeng
Published: August 2023

Scientific and reasonable planning of urban forests is crucial to mitigate the UHI effect and create a comfortable local climate. This study focused on maximizing the synergistic effect of landscape design parameters (i.e., Landscape Shape Index (LSI), Percentage of Green Area (PGA), Park Area (PA), and Percentage of Water Area (PWA)) through orthogonal experimental design and numerical simulation to improve the regulation of the thermal environment of urban parks in the surrounding blocks. For the neighborhood of low-rise buildings, the influence of PGA was the most significant in the morning with a contribution rate of 50.43%, while PWA was the most influential during midday and evening, with contribution rates of 73.02% and 52.30%, respectively. In contrast, PA was the most influential in the morning with a contribution rate of 62.11% for the high-rise building neighborhood, while the impact of PWA was the most significant in the midday with a contribution rate of 43.99%. In addition, the contribution of PA and PWA played vital roles at night. This study proposed combinations of landscape design parameters for urban parks that met the requirements of two types of neighborhoods, which would help guide the planning and construction of urban forests.
The Construction of a High-Density Genetic Map for the Interspecific Cross of Castanea mollissima × C. henryi and the Identification of QTLs for Leaf Traits
Authors: Jiang Xibing , Wang Yanpeng , Lai Junsheng , Wu Jian , Wu Conglian , Hu Weiyun , Wu Xiaolong , Gong Bangchu
Published: August 2023

Chinese chestnut is an economically and ecologically valuable tree species that is extensively cultivated in China. Leaf traits play a vital role in the photosynthetic capacity, chestnut yield, and quality, making them important breeding objectives. However, there has been limited research on constructing high-density linkage maps of Chinese chestnut and conducting quantitative trait loci (QTL) analyses for these leaf traits. This knowledge gap has hindered the progress of selection in Chinese chestnut breeding. In this study, we selected a well-established interspecific F1 population, consisting of Castanea mollissima ‘Kuili’ × C. henryi ‘YLZ1’, to construct comprehensive genetic maps for chestnut. Through the use of a genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) technique, we successfully created a high-density linkage map based on single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from the F1 cross. The results showed that 4578 SNP markers were identified in the genetic linkage map, and the total length was 1812.46 cM, which was distributed throughout 12 linkage groups (LGs) with an average marker distance of 0.4 cM. Furthermore, we identified a total of 71 QTLs associated with nine chestnut leaf traits: chlorophyll b content (chlb), stomatal conductance (Gs), leaf area (LA), leaf dry weight (LDW), leaf fresh weight (LFW), leaf length (LL), leaf width (LW), petiole length (PL), and specific leaf weight (SLW). These QTLs were identified based on phenotypic data collected from 2017 to 2018. Notably, among the 71 QTLs, 29 major QTLs were found to control leaf area (LA), leaf dry weight (LDW), and leaf width (LW). The high-density genetic mapping and QTL identification related to leaf traits in this study will greatly facilitate marker-assisted selection (MAS) in chestnut breeding programs.
Habitat Suitability of Pine Wilt Disease in Northeast China under Climate Change Scenario
Authors: Wang Jue , Deng Jifeng , Yan Wenfeng , Zheng Yanan
Published: August 2023

Pine wilt disease (PWD), caused by Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, is one of the most severe forest diseases worldwide. PWD causes devastating disasters to Chinese pine trees, seriously threatening forestry production and the forest ecological environment, and causes economic losses of over ten billion yuan per year to China. Previous studies have shown that the spread of PWD is closely related to climate factors. Today, PWD is spreading rapidly owing to abnormal climate changes. In order to provide a reference for controlling the spread of PWD in China, in this study, we accurately assessed the risk of the continued spread of PWD in Northeast China; a correlative species distribution model (MaxEnt) (RM = 1, AUC = 0.9904) was used to evaluate China’s climate suitability for PWD. The effects of climate factors on the spread of PWD in Northeast China were studied using Liaoning Province as an example by analyzing the relationship between the changes in average precipitation, average temperature, average relative humidity, average vapor pressure deficit, average wind speed, average sunshine duration and the area of the PWD epidemic over the past five years. These results suggest that with the change in climate, the areas suitable for PWD have expanded, and certain previously unsuitable areas for its distribution have become suitable. Temperature and precipitation were found to play key roles in the occurrence and damage of PWD, and hot and arid conditions favored the spread of PWD. It is recommended that for areas within the suitable range of PWD but not yet epidemic areas, quarantine should be strengthened to prevent the further spread of PWD. In addition, special attention should be paid to epidemic areas with high temperatures and arid while the monitoring of PWD should be strengthened to achieve the early detection and timely treatment of infected epidemic trees. Our results indicate that PWD undoubtedly poses a major threat to Northeast Chinese pine species if climate change proceeds as projected. In the future, more attention should be paid to monitoring the northward spread of PWD, and further studies should consider meteorological data forecasts, which could facilitate timely control measures.
Comparison of Machine Learning Methods for Estimating Leaf Area Index and Aboveground Biomass of Cinnamomum camphora Based on UAV Multispectral Remote Sensing Data
Authors: Wang Qian , Lu Xianghui , Zhang Haina , Yang Baocheng , Gong Rongxin , Zhang Jie , Jin Zhinong , Xie Rongxiu , Xia Jinwen , Zhao Jianmin
Published: August 2023

UAV multispectral technology is used to obtain leaf area index (LAI) and aboveground biomass (AGB) information on Cinnamomum camphora (C. camphora) and to diagnose the growth condition of Cinnamomum camphora dwarf forests in a timely and rapid manner, which helps improve the precision management of Cinnamomum camphora dwarf forests. Multispectral remote sensing images provide large-area plant spectral information, which can provide a detailed quantitative assessment of LAI, AGB and other plant physicochemical parameters. They are very effective tools for assessing and analyzing plant health. In this study, the Cinnamomum camphora dwarf forest in the red soil area of south China is taken as the research object. Remote sensing images of Cinnamomum camphora dwarf forest canopy are obtained by the multispectral camera of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT), random forest (RF), radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) and support vector regression (SVR) algorithms are used to study the correlation and estimation accuracy between the original band reflectance, spectral indices and LAI and AGB of Cinnamomum camphora. The results of this study showed the following: (1) The accuracy of model estimation based on RF is significantly different for different model inputs, while the other four models have small differences. (2) The accuracy of the XGBoost-based LAI model was the highest; with original band reflectance as the model input, the R2 of the model test set was 0.862, and the RMSE was 0.390. (3) The accuracy of the XGBoost-based AGB model was the highest; with spectral indices as the model input, the R2 of the model test set was 0.929, and the RMSE was 587.746 kg·hm−2. (4) The XGBoost model was the best model for the LAI and AGB estimation of Cinnamomum camphora, which was followed by GBDT, RF, RFNN, and SVR. This research result can provide a theoretical basis for monitoring a Cinnamomum camphora dwarf forest based on UAV multispectral technology and a reference for rapidly estimating Cinnamomum camphora growth parameters.
Integrated Metagenomics and Network Analysis of Metabolic Functional Genes in the Microbial Community of Chinese Fermentation Pits
Authors: Guo Mingyi , Deng Yan , Huang Junqiu , Zeng Chuantao , Wu Huachang , Qin Hui , Zhang Suyi
Published: August 2023

Traditional Chinese strong-aroma baijiu (CSAB) fermentation technology has been used for thousands of years. Microbial communities that are enriched in continuous and uninterrupted fermentation pits (FPs) are important for fermentation. However, changes in the metabolic functional genes in microbial communities of FPs are still under-characterized. High-throughput sequencing technology was applied to comprehensively analyze the diversity, function, and dynamics of the metabolic genes among FPs of different ages, positions, and geographical regions. Approximately 1,375,660 microbial genes derived from 259 Gb metagenomic sequences of FPs were assembled and characterized to understand the impact of FP microorganisms on the quality of CSAB and to assess their genetic potential. The core functional gene catalog of FPs, consisting of 3379 ubiquitously known gene clusters, was established using Venn analysis. The functional profile confirmed that the flavor compounds in CSAB mainly originate from the metabolism of carbohydrates and amino acids. Approximately 17 key gene clusters that determine the yield and quality of CSAB were identified. The potential mechanism was associated with the biosynthesis of host compounds in CSAB, which relies on the abundance of species, such as Lactobacillus, Clostridium, Saccharomycetales, and the abundance of functional genes, such as CoA dehydrogenase, CoA transferase, and NAD dehydrogenase. Furthermore, the detailed metabolic pathways for the production of main flavor compounds of CSAB were revealed. This study provides a theoretical reference for a deeper understanding of substance metabolism during CSAB brewing and may help guide the future exploration of novel gene resources for biotechnological applications.
A Parametric Design Study of Natural-Convection-Cooled Heat Sinks
Authors: McCay Oisín , Nimmagadda Rajesh , Ali Syed Mughees , Persoons Tim
Published: August 2023

Effective natural-convection-cooled heat sinks are vital to the future of electronics cooling due to their low energy demand in the absence of an external pumping agency in comparison to other cooling methods. The present numerical study was carried out with ANSYS Fluent and aimed at identifying a more-effective fin design for enhancing heat transfer in natural convection applications for a fixed base-plate size of 100 mm × 100 mm under an applied heat flux of 4000 W/m2. The Rayleigh number used in the present study lied within the range of 2.6 × 106 to 4.5 × 106. Initially, a baseline case with rectangular fins was considered in the present study, and it was optimized with respect to fin spacing. This optimized baseline case was then validated against the semi-empirical correlation from the scientific literature. Upon good agreement, the validated model was used for comparative analysis of different heat sink configurations with rectangular, trapezoidal, curved, and angled fins by constraining the surface area of the heat transfer. The optimized fin spacing obtained for the baseline case was also used for the other heat sink configurations, and then, the fin designs were further optimized for better performance. However, for the angled fin case, the optimized configuration found in the scientific literature was adopted in the present study. The proposed novel curved fin design with a shroud showed a 4.1% decrease in the system’s thermal resistance with an increase in the heat transfer coefficient of 4.4% when compared to the optimized baseline fin case. The obtained results were further non-dimensionalized with the proposed scaling in terms of the baseline case for the two novel heat sink cases (trapezoidal, curved).