bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Faint Echo Extraction from ALB Waveforms Using a Point Cloud Semantic Segmentation Model
Authors: Huang Yifan , He Yan , Zhu Xiaolei , Yu Jiayong , Chen Yongqiang
Published: April 2023

As an active remote sensing technology, airborne LIDAR can work at all times while emitting specific wavelengths of laser light that can penetrate seawater. Airborne LIDAR bathymetry (ALB) records an object’s full return waveform, including the water surface, water column, seafloor, and the objects on it. Due to the seawater’s absorption and scattering and the seafloor’s reflectivity effect, the seafloor’s amplitude of seafloor echoes varies greatly. Seafloor echoes with low signal-to-noise ratios are not easily detected using waveform processing methods, which can lead to insufficient seafloor topography depth and incomplete seafloor topography coverage. To extract faint seafloor echoes, we proposed a depth extraction method based on the PointConv deep learning model, called FWConv. The method assumed that spatially adjacent echoes were correlated. We converted all the spatially adjacent multi-frame waveforms into a point cloud. Each point represented a bin value in the waveform, and the points’ properties contained spatial coordinates and the amplitude in the waveform. In the semantic segmentation of these point clouds using deep learning models, we considered not only each centroid’s amplitude, but also its neighboring points’ distance and amplitude. This enriched the centroids’ features and allowed the model to better discriminate between background noise and seafloor echoes. The results showed that FWConv could extract faint seafloor echoes in the experimental area and was not easily affected by noise, and that the correctness reached 99.82%. The number of point clouds increased by 158%, and the seafloor elevation accuracy reached 0.20 m concerning the multibeam echo sounder data.
Remote Sensing Perspectives on Geomorphology and Tectonic Processes
Authors: Ren Zhikun , Zhang Peizhen , Oguchi Takashi , He Zhongtai
Published: April 2023

The quantity and quality of remote sensing measurements of tectonic deformation have increased dramatically over the past two decades, improving our ability to observe active geomorphological tectonic processes. High-precision and high-resolution topography is the basis for the quantitative study of active geomorphological and tectonic processes. Recently, with the rapid development of computer visual science and the growing application of light detection and ranging (LiDAR), small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and structure from motion (SfM) photogrammetry have shown great potential in providing high-resolution and high-precision topographic information. In this Special Issue, we focus on the tectonic activity of active faults and the geomorphic processes in various global tectonic regimes that are related to remote sensing measurements. This Special Issue covers major earthquake hazards and seismogenic structures, new methods in seismological studies using high-resolution data sets, and the tectonic and geomorphic application of high-resolution data sets worldwide and, in particular, in the Eastern Tibetan Plateau and Tian Shan. These contributions will provide new insights into the remote sensing perspectives of geomorphological and tectonic processes.
A Novel ST-ViBe Algorithm for Satellite Fog Detection at Dawn and Dusk
Authors: Ma Huiyun , Liu Zengwei , Jiang Kun , Jiang Bingbo , Feng Huihui , Hu Shuaifeng
Published: April 2023

Satellite remote sensing provides a potential technology for detecting fog at dawn and dusk on a large scale. However, the spectral characteristics of fog at dawn and dusk are similar to those of the ground surface, which makes satellite-based fog detection difficult. With the aid of time-series datasets from the Himawari-8 (H8)/AHI, this study proposed a novel algorithm of the self-adaptive threshold of visual background extractor (ST-ViBe) model for satellite fog detection at dawn and dusk. Methodologically, the background model was first built using the difference between MIR and TIR (BTD) and the local binary similarity patterns (LBSP) operator. Second, BTD and scale invariant local ternary pattern (SILTP) texture features were coupled to form scene factors, and the detection threshold of each pixel was determined adaptively to eliminate the influence of the solar zenith angles. The background model was updated rapidly by accelerating the updating rate and increasing the updating quantity. Finally, the residual clouds were removed with the traditional cloud removal method to achieve accurate detection of fog at dawn and dusk over a large area. The validation results demonstrated that the ST-ViBe algorithm could detect fog at dawn and dusk precisely, and on a large scale. The probability of detection, false alarm ratio, and critical success index were 72.5%, 18.5%, 62.4% at dawn (8:00) and 70.6%, 33.6%, 52.3% at dusk (17:00), respectively. Meanwhile, the algorithm mitigated the limitations of the traditional algorithms, such as illumination mutation, missing detection, and residual shadow. The results of this study could guide satellite fog detection at dawn and dusk and improve the detection of similar targets.
Infrared Cirrus Detection Using Non-Convex Rank Surrogates for Spatial-Temporal Tensor
Authors: Xiao Shengyuan , Peng Zhenming , Li Fusong
Published: April 2023

Infrared small target detection (ISTD) plays a significant role in earth observation infrared systems. However, some high reflection areas have a grayscale similar to the target, which will cause a false alarm in the earth observation infrared system. For the sake of raising the detection accuracy, we proposed a cirrus detection measure based on low-rank sparse decomposition as a supplementary method. To better detect cirrus that may be sparsely insufficient in a single frame image, the method treats the cirrus sequence image with time continuity as a tensor, then uses the visual saliency of the image to divide the image into a cirrus region and a cirrus-free region. Considering that the classical tensor rank surrogate cannot approximate the tensor rank very well, we used a non-convex tensor rank surrogate based on the Laplace function for the spatial-temporal tensor (Lap-NRSSTT) to surrogate the tensor rank. In an effort to compute the proposed model, we used a high-efficiency optimization approach on the basis of alternating the direction method of multipliers (ADMM). Finally, final detection results were obtained by the reconstructed cirrus images with a set threshold segmentation. Results indicate that the proposed scheme achieves better detection capabilities and higher accuracy than other measures based on optimization in some complex scenarios.
Ionospheric Response to the 6 February 2023 Turkey–Syria Earthquake
Authors: Vesnin Artem , Yasyukevich Yury , Perevalova Natalia , Şentürk Erman
Published: April 2023

Two strong earthquakes occurred in Turkey on 6 February 2023, at 01:17:34 (nighttime, Mw = 7.8) and at 10:24:50 UT (daytime, Mw = 7.5). The seismo-ionospheric impact is an important part of the near-Earth environment state. This paper provides the first results on the ionospheric effects associated with the aforementioned earthquakes. We used data from global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers and ionosondes. We found that both earthquakes generated circle disturbance in the ionosphere, detected by GNSS data. The amplitude of the ionospheric response caused by daytime M7.5 earthquake exceeded by five times that caused by nighttime M7.8 earthquake: 0.5 TECU/min and 0.1 TECU/min, respectively, according to the ROTI data. The velocities of the earthquake-related ionospheric waves were ~2000 m/s, as measured by ROTI, for the M7.5 earthquake. TEC variations with 2–10 min periods showed velocities from 1500 to 900 m/s as disturbances evolved. Ionospheric disturbances occurred around epicenters and propagated to the south by means of 2–10 min TEC variations. ROTI data showed a more symmetric distribution with irregularities observed both to the South and to the North from 10:24:50 UT epicenter. The ionospheric effects were recorded over 750 km from the epicenters. Ionosonde located 420/490 km from the epicenters did not catch ionospheric effects. The results show significant asymmetry in the propagation of coseismic ionospheric disturbances. We observed coseismic ionospheric disturbances associated with Rayleigh mode and acoustic modes, but we did not observe disturbances associated with acoustic gravity mode.
In-Cylinder Pressure Estimation from Rotational Speed Measurements via Extended Kalman Filter
Authors: Quartullo Renato , Garulli Andrea , Giannitrapani Antonio , Minamino Ryota , Vichi Giovanni
Published: April 2023

Real-time estimation of the in-cylinder pressure of combustion engines is crucial to detect failures and improve the performance of the engine control system. A new estimation scheme is proposed based on the Extended Kalman Filter, which exploits measurements of the engine rotational speed provided by a standard phonic wheel sensor. The main novelty lies in a parameterization of the combustion pressure, which is generated by averaging experimental data collected in different operating points. The proposed approach is validated on real data from a turbocharged compression ignition engine, including both nominal and off-nominal working conditions. The experimental results show that the proposed technique accurately reconstructs the pressure profile, featuring a fit performance index exceeding 90% most of the time. Moreover, it can track changes in the engine operating conditions as well as detect the presence of cylinder-to-cylinder variations.
Implicit IAT Measures and Neurophysiological fNIRS Markers in Response to High-Engagement Advertising
Authors: Balconi Michela , Sansone Martina , Acconito Carlotta
Published: April 2023

Self-report measures partially explain consumers’ purchasing choices, which are inextricably linked to cognitive, affective processes and implicit drives. These aspects, which occur outside of awareness and tacitly affect the way consumers make decisions, could be explored by exploiting neuroscientific technology. The study investigates implicit behavioural and neurovascular responses to emotionally arousing and high-engagement advertisements (COVID-19 content). High-engagement advertisements and control stimuli were shown in two experimental sessions that were counterbalanced across participants. During each session, hemodynamic variations were recorded with functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), a neurophysiological marker for emotional processing. The implicit association task (IAT) was administered to investigate the implicit attitude. An increase in the concentration of oxygenated haemoglobin (O2Hb) was found for the high-engagement advertising when this category of stimuli was seen first. Specular results were found for deoxygenated haemoglobin (HHb) data. The IAT reported higher values for highly engaging stimuli. Increased activity within the PFC suggests that highly engaging content may be effective in generating emotional arousal and increasing attention when presented before other stimuli, which is consistent with the higher IAT scores, indicating more favourable implicit attitudes. This evidence suggests that the effectiveness of highly engaging advertising-related messages may be constrained by the order of advertisement administration.
Eddy Current Sensors Optimization for Defect Detection in Parts Fabricated by Laser Powder Bed Fusion
Authors: Saddoud Romain , Sergeeva-Chollet Natalia , Darmon Michel
Published: April 2023

The production of parts by additive manufacturing is an important issue for the reduction in manufacturing costs and the creation of complex geometries. Optical inspection is often implemented in the machines during the manufacturing process in order to monitor the possible generated defects. However, it is also crucial to test the quality of the manufactured parts after their fabrication and monitor their health throughout their industrial lifetime. Therefore structural health monitoring (SHM) methods need to be studied or designed. In this paper, the eddy current method is used to control fabricated parts, as this technique is adapted to detect surface and shallow defects in conductive materials. Using simulations with the CIVA non-destructive testing software package, several sensors and their parameters were tested in order to determine the most optimal ones: a separate transmitter/receiver sensor and an isotropic sensor were finally designed. The comparison of these sensors’ efficiency was made on the detection of notches and engraved letters based on simulation and experimental tests on parts fabricated by laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) in order to determine the optimal sensor. The various tests showed that the isotropic sensor is the optimal one for the detection and characterization of defects.
Method to Change the Through-Hole Structure to Broaden Grounded Coplanar Waveguide Bandwidth
Authors: Zhu Jiangmiao , Wan Zhaotong , Zhao Kejia
Published: April 2023

A grounded coplanar waveguide (GCPW), as a millimeter wave special transmission line, can be used to calibrate broadband oscilloscope probes. A method to change the through-hole structure to widen the GCPW is investigated in this paper. The effect of the through-hole array on the band-width of the GCPW is investigated and verified using COMSOL Multiphysics simulation software. Finally, the S-parameters of the fabricated GCPWs are measured by a vector network analyzer, and the results show that they have an insertion loss > −3 dB and return loss < −10 dB in the frequency range of DC to 60 GHz, which satisfies the design requirements.
Broadband Electrical Spectroscopy to Distinguish Single-Cell Ca2+ Changes Due to Ionomycin Treatment in a Skeletal Muscle Cell Line
Authors: Ferguson Caroline A. , Santangelo Carmen , Marramiero Lorenzo , Farina Marco , Pietrangelo Tiziana , Cheng Xuanhong
Published: April 2023

Many skeletal muscle diseases such as muscular dystrophy, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and sarcopenia share the dysregulation of calcium (Ca2+) as a key mechanism of disease at a cellular level. Cytosolic concentrations of Ca2+ can signal dysregulation in organelles including the mitochondria, nucleus, and sarcoplasmic reticulum in skeletal muscle. In this work, a treatment is applied to mimic the Ca2+ increase associated with these atrophy-related disease states, and broadband impedance measurements are taken for single cells with and without this treatment using a microfluidic device. The resulting impedance measurements are fitted using a single-shell circuit simulation to show calculated electrical dielectric property contributions based on these Ca2+ changes. From this, similar distributions were seen in the Ca2+ from fluorescence measurements and the distribution of the S-parameter at a single frequency, identifying Ca2+ as the main contributor to the electrical differences being identified. Extracted dielectric parameters also showed different distribution patterns between the untreated and ionomycin-treated groups; however, the overall electrical parameters suggest the impact of Ca2+-induced changes at a wider range of frequencies.
A Literature Survey on AI-Aided Beamforming and Beam Management for 5G and 6G Systems
Authors: Brilhante Davi da Silva , Manjarres Joanna Carolina , Moreira Rodrigo , de Oliveira Veiga Lucas , de Rezende José F. , Müller Francisco , Klautau Aldebaro , Leonel Mendes Luciano , P. de Figueiredo Felipe A.
Published: April 2023

Modern wireless communication systems rely heavily on multiple antennas and their corresponding signal processing to achieve optimal performance. As 5G and 6G networks emerge, beamforming and beam management become increasingly complex due to factors such as user mobility, a higher number of antennas, and the adoption of elevated frequencies. Artificial intelligence, specifically machine learning, offers a valuable solution to mitigate this complexity and minimize the overhead associated with beam management and selection, all while maintaining system performance. Despite growing interest in AI-assisted beamforming, beam management, and selection, a comprehensive collection of datasets and benchmarks remains scarce. Furthermore, identifying the most-suitable algorithm for a given scenario remains an open question. This article aimed to provide an exhaustive survey of the subject, highlighting unresolved issues and potential directions for future developments. The discussion encompasses the architectural and signal processing aspects of contemporary beamforming, beam management, and selection. In addition, the article examines various communication challenges and their respective solutions, considering approaches such as centralized/decentralized, supervised/unsupervised, semi-supervised, active, federated, and reinforcement learning.
Performance Analysis of Orthogonal Multiplexing Techniques for PLC Systems with Low Cyclic Prefix Length and Symbol Timing Offset
Authors: Moreira Túlio Fernandes , Camponogara Ândrei , Baig Sobia , Ribeiro Moisés Vidal
Published: April 2023

This paper investigates the degradation caused by interference resulting from cyclic prefix violation and symbol timing offset in narrowband power line communication systems. In this sense, it presents a unified formulation from which Hermitian symmetric orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (HS-OFDM), orthogonal chirp division multiplexing (OCDM), single-carrier cyclic prefix (SCCP), and orthogonal time–frequency division multiplexing (OTFDM) can be easily derived. The paper then provides closed-form expressions for quantifying the aforementioned interference in the presence of a frequency domain equalizer. The numerical analyses exhibit the performances of these schemes under various data communication conditions, such as the availability of channel state information, the presence or absence of interference, modeling of additive noise as a white or colored Gaussian random process, frequency domain equalizer type, and the use of bit and power allocation techniques. The closed-form expressions and performance analyses regarding achievable data rate and bit error probability provide guidance for dealing with distinct constraints in narrowband power line communication (PLC) systems using the HS-OFDM, OCDM, SCCP, or OTFDM scheme. Lastly, the unified formulation and results obtained motivate the design of multi-scheme transceivers.
DOPESLAM: High-Precision ROS-Based Semantic 3D SLAM in a Dynamic Environment
Authors: Roch Jesse , Fayyad Jamil , Najjaran Homayoun
Published: April 2023

Recent advancements in deep learning techniques have accelerated the growth of robotic vision systems. One way this technology can be applied is to use a mobile robot to automatically generate a 3D map and identify objects within it. This paper addresses the important challenge of labeling objects and generating 3D maps in a dynamic environment. It explores a solution to this problem by combining Deep Object Pose Estimation (DOPE) with Real-Time Appearance-Based Mapping (RTAB-Map) through means of loose-coupled parallel fusion. DOPE’s abilities are enhanced by leveraging its belief map system to filter uncertain key points, which increases precision to ensure that only the best object labels end up on the map. Additionally, DOPE’s pipeline is modified to enable shape-based object recognition using depth maps, allowing it to identify objects in complete darkness. Three experiments are performed to find the ideal training dataset, quantify the increased precision, and evaluate the overall performance of the system. The results show that the proposed solution outperforms existing methods in most intended scenarios, such as in unilluminated scenes. The proposed key point filtering technique has demonstrated an improvement in the average inference speed, achieving a speedup of 2.6× and improving the average distance to the ground truth compared to the original DOPE algorithm.
UWB-Modulated Microwave Imaging for Human Brain Functional Monitoring
Authors: Akazzim Youness , Jofre Marc , El Mrabet Otman , Romeu Jordi , Jofre-Roca Luis
Published: April 2023

Morphological microwave imaging has shown interesting results on reconstructing biological objects inside the human body, and these parameters represent their actual biological condition, but not their biological activity. In this paper, we propose a novel microwave technique to locate the low-frequency (f≃1 kHz) -modulated signals produced by a microtag mimicking an action potential and proved it in a cylindrical phantom of the brain region. A set of two combined UWB microwave applicators, operating in the 0.5 to 2.5 GHz frequency band and producing a nsec interrogation pulse, is able to focus its radiated field into a small region of the brain containing the microtag with a modulated photodiode. The illuminating UWB microwave field was first modulated by the low-frequency (f≃1 kHz) electrical signal produced by the photodiode, inducing modulated microwave currents into the microtag that reradiating back towards the focusing applicators. At the receiving end, the low-frequency (f≃1 kHz) -modulated signal was first extracted from the full set of the backscattered signals, then focused into the region of interest and spatially represented in the corresponding region of the brain, resulting in a spatial resolution of the images in the order of 10 mm.
A Bibliometric Review of Nature-Based Solutions on Urban Stormwater Management
Authors: Su Jin , Wang Mo , Razi Mohd Adib Mohammad , Dom Norlida Mohd , Sulaiman Noralfishah , Tan Lai-Wai
Published: April 2023

Urban stormwater management is a critical challenge facing cities globally, with natural-based solutions (NBS) emerging as a promising approach for mitigating the impacts of urban stormwater runoff. This bibliometric review examined the research trends and hot topics related to NBS for urban stormwater management. The study utilized a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze 176 articles from the Web of Science database, covering the period from 2016 to 2022. Results showed that NBS is a widely researched topic with a growing trend in publications in recent years, led by the United States, China, and several European countries. The majority of NBS articles were research papers (82%) with a focus on environmental performance rather than social and economic dimensions. Quantitative methods were more frequently used in research articles, particularly statistical analysis/modeling. Interviews and discussions were the most common qualitative method used. The review identified the most relevant countries, affiliations, authors, and journals in the field. Furthermore, hot topics in NBS research were highlighted, including ecosystem services, climate change, and sustainability. The study also emphasized that future research perspective should focus on interdisciplinary and collaborative research, scaling up and mainstreaming NBS, and exploring new ways of integrating different disciplines and stakeholders in the research process. The findings of this review provided insights into the current state of NBS research and offer valuable information for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in the field of urban stormwater management.
Understanding the Environmental Attitude-Behaviour Gap: The Moderating Role of Dispositional Mindfulness
Authors: Colombo Serena Lidia , Chiarella Salvatore Gaetano , Raffone Antonino , Simione Luca
Published: April 2023

Great scientific effort has been devoted to understanding what drives pro-environmental behaviour, yet the question of the environmental attitude–behaviour gap remains unanswered. Studies have indicated that self-regulation and executive functions may reduce such a gap by increasing individuals’ ability to maintain attention on present actions and to resist goal-conflicting temptations. Given the inherent association of self-regulation and executive functions with dispositional mindfulness, we carried out a cross-sectional study to test the hypothesis of the role of dispositional mindfulness in explaining the phenomenon. Our results showed that higher levels of dispositional mindfulness, measured via the Five Facets Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), are related to a higher tendency to perform pro-environmental behaviour, and that the observing facet of the construct would predict higher pro-environmental behaviour scores. Interestingly, we also found the acting with awareness and nonjudging factors to be moderators of the relationship between pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours, suggesting that enhanced awareness of the present moment may favour higher congruence between attitudes and behaviours, and that higher acceptance may favour more adaptive coping strategies to the climate challenge. Our findings provide a novel contribution to the understanding of the relationship between mindfulness and pro-environmental behaviour and support the perspective that self-regulation skills would contribute to reducing the environmental attitude–behaviour gap.
Moringa oleifera Seed Addition Prior to Sludge Thickening for Supernatant Quality Improvement: Analyses of Clarification Performance and Toxicity
Authors: Batista Gabrielle Soares , Roledo Cely , Odjegba Enovwo Erere , Fiore Fabiana Alves , Moruzzi Rodrigo Braga , Reis Adriano Gonçalves dos
Published: April 2023

Low-cost and easily accessible sludge treatment technologies are necessary in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to evaluate the use of Moringa oleifera seed powder (MO) as a natural sludge conditioner for supernatant quality improvement prior to thickening as a result of gravity settling. The zone settling rate (ZSR) and sludge volume index (SVI) were used to evaluate the gravity settling capacity. Supernatant clarification was evaluated in terms of the capacity to remove turbidity, apparent colour, Escherichia coli, and organic matter associated with zeta potential evolution. The effects on the values of pH and electrical conductivity were also evaluated. Finally, the effects on the toxicity (chronic and acute) of the supernatant effluent were examined. A significant supernatant quality improvement was observed with the addition of MO. The ZSR (0.16 cm/min) and SVI (53 mL/g) results showed that the sludge had good sedimentability, and the addition of MO maintained these characteristics in a statistical manner. Increasing the MO dosage increased the zeta potential of the supernatant, resulting in an optimal dosage of 1.2 g/L, with a removal of 90% turbidity, 70% apparent colour, 99% E. coli, and 40% organic matter. The pH and electrical conductivity values did not change with increasing MO dosage, which is a competitive advantage of MO addition compared to iron and aluminium salt addition. A reduction in the ability to remove organic matter was observed at higher dosages of the natural coagulant due to the presence of residual MO in the final effluent. The optimal MO dosage of 1.2 g/L did not affect the acute or chronic toxicity of the supernatant. These results emphasized that M. oleifera seed powder can improve the supernatant quality and can potentially be a low-cost and easily accessible conditioner for wastewater sludge thickening.
Airline CSR and Quality Attributes as Driving Forces of Passengers’ Brand Love: Comparing Full-Service Carriers with Low-Cost Carriers
Authors: Kim Soojung , Hwang Jinsoo
Published: April 2023

Consumers’ increased awareness of social and environmental issues encourages airlines to implement corporate social responsibility (CSR); however, the effectiveness of CSR according to airline type remains unclear. This study examines the roles of CSR and service quality in enhancing passengers’ brand love in the airline industry and explores the moderating role of airline type on the CSR–brand love and service quality–brand love relationships. To test the theoretical model, we conducted a web-based survey with 426 participants who were knowledgeable about the CSR activities of the airline companies that they had recently used. Based on the survey responses, the structural equation modeling results revealed the salient roles of both CSR and service quality in creating passengers’ brand love, which, in turn, significantly contributed to positive word of mouth. Moreover, airline type significantly moderated the effect of airlines’ CSR on brand love. Based on these findings, we provide academic implications and practical strategies by airline type.
Difference in Surface Damage between Deep and Shallow Mining of Underground Coal Resources in China
Authors: Yan Weitao , Guo Junting , Yan Shaoge
Published: April 2023

The mining of underground coal resources often results in extensive damage to the ground surface, particularly in China, which has a large amount of coal resources. However, the laws of surface damage caused by the mining of deep and shallow underground coal resources are relatively different. This study analyzes the difference in surface damage induced by deep and shallow mining and its mechanism by field measurement and similar material simulation experiments. Surface damage is mainly manifested in the form of cracks, which can be categorized as permanent and dynamic cracks. Permanent cracks occur above the mining boundary of shallow and deep coal mines. Dynamic cracks (including dynamic stretching cracks and stepped cracks) only appear above the goaf in shallow mining. This disparity is due to the fact that strata movement in deep mining occurs in a “three zones” mode, with the failure height of strata increasing with the mining degree in an “S” shape. However, rock strata movement in shallow mining follows a “two zones” mode, with the failure height of rock strata increasing exponentially with the mining degree. Thus, the rock strata are prone to slide and become unstable in the form of benched rock beams, producing dynamic cracks, such as stepped cracks on the surface. This research improves the existing mining subsidence theory and provides technical support for relevant mines to take targeted treatment measures.
A Dynamic Scheduling Model for Underground Metal Mines under Equipment Failure Conditions
Authors: Tu Siyu , Jia Mingtao , Wang Liguan , Feng Shuzhao , Huang Shuang
Published: April 2023

Equipment failure is a common problem in mining operations, resulting in significant delays and reductions in production efficiency. To address this problem, this paper proposes a dynamic scheduling model for underground metal mines under equipment failure conditions. The model aims to minimize the impact of equipment failures on production operations while avoiding extensive equipment changes. A case study of the southeastern mining area of the Chambishi Copper Mine is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model. The initial plan was generated using the multi-equipment task assignment model for the horizontal stripe pre-cut mining method. After equipment breakdown, the proposed model was used to reschedule the initial plan. Then, a comparative analysis was carried out. The results show that the proposed model effectively reduces the impact of equipment failures on production operations and improves overall mining execution at a low management cost. In general, the proposed model can assist schedulers in allocating equipment, coping with the disturbing effects of equipment failure, and improving mine production efficiency.
Heat vs. Health: Home Office under a Changing Climate
Authors: Schaffernicht Sophie Kathrin , Türk Andreas , Kogler Martha , Berger Andreas , Scharf Bernhard , Clementschitsch Lukas , Hammer Renate , Holzer Peter , Formayer Herbert , König Barbara , Haluza Daniela
Published: April 2023

Stressors are especially widespread in urban agglomerations. Common themes of built environment interventions that support health and well-being are blue and green infrastructure, indoor and outdoor air quality, thermal comfort, access to natural lighting, and acoustics. Given the current megatrends of increasing summer temperatures and the high popularity of home offices, we aimed at modeling thermal comfort changes of people working at home in three Austrian cities (Vienna, Innsbruck, and Graz) during the next decades until 2090. We present findings based on (I) an inter-disciplinary literature search and (II) indoor and outdoor climate simulations for actual and future climate scenarios. Based on the results, we discuss the potential impacts for work and human health and well-being, and we suggest a framework for the home office in “post-COVID-19 Austria” that integrates social, ecological, and economic aspects. The results of our study indicate that, in future climate scenarios, overheating of the interior can no longer be prevented without active cooling measures and nature-based solutions. Recommendations on the adjustment of behavior under climate change, including greening, adequate ventilation, and cooling techniques, are thus urgently needed for employees who are working from home in order to maintain physical and mental health and wellbeing.
Passive Exoskeletons to Enhance Workforce Sustainability: Literature Review and Future Research Agenda
Authors: Ashta Gjulio , Finco Serena , Battini Daria , Persona Alessandro
Published: April 2023

The human-centered workplace design philosophy and the operator 5.0 concepts are gaining ground in modern industries moving through the personalization of the operators’ workplace for improving workforce well being and capabilities. In such a context, new assistive technologies, such as passive exoskeletons, are good candidates to be wisely adopted in manufacturing and logistics systems. A growing interest in these devices has been detected over the last years, both from an academic and company perspective, with an increasing number of design solutions and tests according to their field of application. Aiming to investigate the current state of the art, we propose a literature review focused on passive exoskeletons for manufacturing and logistics (M&L) systems. We categorize the exoskeletons assessment in relation to the M&L tasks in which they are applied to give the reader an easy and direct insight into the exoskeleton performance in real settings. Further, the impact of the exoskeleton deployment from an efficiency perspective and its cost-effectiveness evaluation are provided. Finally, a maturity heat map is proposed to track the maturity level of different exoskeletons by focusing on a set of scientific and industrial domains. A discussion and a future research agenda are also provided by focusing on the managerial implications of investing in these devices.
Dynamic Evolutionary Analysis of the Impact of Outward Foreign Direct Investment on Green Innovation Heterogeneity—From the Perspective of Binary Innovation
Authors: Liu Luhao , Zhou Honglin , Xie Jiaping
Published: April 2023

In the current era of increasingly frequent international exchanges and countries’ increasing emphasis on green development, exploring the complex relationship between outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) and green innovation has become an important research topic. Taking the binary innovation perspective as an entry point, this paper is devoted to exploring the heterogeneous impact and dynamic evolution of OFDI on green innovation since China’s accession to the WTO. The purpose is to form a more comprehensive and specific understanding of how OFDI affects green innovation. By sorting out the characteristics of economic development at the early stage of China’s WTO accession and implementation of the “going out” strategy, the period of counter-trend growth of OFDI after the financial crisis, and the “new normal” period of China’s transformation and development, this paper analyzes in detail the impact of OFDI on green innovation and green binary innovation in each stage. According to the study, the coefficients of the effects of OFDI on green innovation in the three stages are 0.214 (fully significant at the 1% level), −0.057 (insignificant), and 0.137 (significant at the 5% level), showing an overall effect of promoting–insignificant–promoting; In addition, the fact that the development orientation of OFDI is different at different stages leads to significant heterogeneity in its impact on green innovation and green binary innovation. The coefficients of OFDI on green exploratory innovation at the three stages are 0.064 (insignificant), −0.107 (significant at 10% level), and 0.099 (significant at 5% level), and the coefficients of OFDI on green exploitative innovation are 0.258 (fully significant at 1% level), −0.036 (insignificant) and 0.142 (significant at 5% level), respectively. The results reveal that OFDI on green binary innovation shifts from focusing on promoting green exploitative innovation to taking green binary innovation into account, and this heterogeneous performance effect matches the development characteristics of each stage. The results of the study show more clearly the association between OFDI and green innovation in China and provide new references for subsequent academic research and management practice.
Design and Control of Two-Stage DC-AC Solid-State Transformer for Remote Area and Microgrid Applications
Authors: Bineshaq Amer , Hossain Md Ismail , Binqadhi Hamed , Salem Aboubakr , Abido Mohammad A.
Published: April 2023

The critical challenges with integrating renewable energy into the grid are smooth power flow control, isolation between the high-voltage and low-voltage networks, voltage regulation, harmonic isolation, and power quality regulation. This paper considers the design and construction of a two-stage DC-AC solid-state transformer based on wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor technologies, an optimized medium-frequency transformer, and PI and dq controllers for supplying urban area electric drive systems and microgrid applications. The designed SST consists of a dual active bridge (DAB) DC-DC converter followed by a DC-AC three-phase inverter. Each stage of the SST was simulated with independent controllers. The proposed system was initially developed in MATLAB/Simulink and a laboratory prototype was constructed to verify the results experimentally. Resistive and inductive load were used to test the load disturbance to evaluate the voltage regulation performance. This work has comprehensively provided the performance of a double stage (DC-DC and DC-AC converter) by taking into consideration input voltage, load disturbance, and voltage tracking both in simulation and experiment. The dual active bridge with its controller is able to maintain the desired output reference voltage with minimal voltage ripples under input voltage fluctuations and load variations. Similarly, the three-phase DC-AC converter’s controller exhibits better performance in tracking the desired reference voltage and producing well-regulated AC voltage with low harmonic distortion.
Sustainability Reporting Ecosystem: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Overhaul during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Zdolšek Daniel , Beloglavec Sabina Taškar
Published: April 2023

The preparation of sustainability reports, which a negligible number of organisations had been doing until recently, will soon be the new reality for many more organisations. This research aims to present changes during the COVID-19 pandemic in the ecosystem of sustainability reporting pronouncements, especially those used by organisations. In our research, we compare important information about two different periods and the content demands in reporting on sustainability. Changes in the ecosystem are fundamental and unique. Based on the analysis of events and documents, the current research shows the changes in the ecosystem and the future dynamics in the ecosystem, including the principle standard setters (i.e., International Sustainability Standards Board and European Financial Reporting Advisory Group, EFRAG). The research shows that although the changes occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, they did not significantly impact the ecosystem’s development or slow down or stop their development. The COVID-19 pandemic did not affect the speed or dynamics of changes. In the last few years, EFRAG and the European Union established their position and gained a significant influence in sustainability reporting, with EFRAG at the forefront. The European Sustainability Reporting Standards will be mandatory for organisations doing business in the European Union. At the same time, we do not expect that the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards will be directly endorsed for use in the European Union. The paper presents a new perspective on examining sustainability via developing organisations’ reporting demands within the framework of the uncertain environment caused by COVID-19. In this context, our research also contributes to the literature. The study also has a potential practical impact on organisations and management since it illuminates a wide range of selected sustainability viewpoints and their reporting.
How Green Bankers Promote Behavioral Integration of Green Investment and Financing Teams—Evidence from Chinese Commercial Banks
Authors: Huang Siyuan , Huang Xiang
Published: April 2023

Facing the need for green investment and financing brought about by the process of “carbon neutrality”, more and more leaders of commercial banks have begun to initiate green transformation of their enterprises and become green bankers with green finance awareness and vision, while their subordinate green investment and financing teams, as executive units with complementary green finance knowledge, skills, information, and expertise, have become a key link in the bank’s green investment and financing management. Relying on structuration theory and using the multi-case study method, this research analyzes how green bankers promote the behavioral integration of green investment and financing teams from the perspective of team structure construction and deconstructs the process of transforming the development vision of green bankers into green investment and financing practices. Through a pairing study of eight commercial banks, it was found that green bankers can build a green investment and financing team structure to promote their behavioral integration through resources and rules. There are six effective strategies in the construction behavior, including: building a consensus on green finance strategy within the enterprise; guiding the green investment and financing team to exploratively learn green finance knowledge; facilitating collaboration across positions; implementing a fair “result-oriented” salary structure; granting rights to subordinate employees who are competent for green investment and financing tasks; and building a job division and operation mechanism with clear responsibilities. Finally, suggestions are put forward to improve the salary system of green bankers, optimize the training system of green financial talents, and use digital management to ensure the independent authority of green investment and financing positions.
Potential Effects of Methane Metabolic Microbial Communities on the Glacial Methane Budget in the Northwestern Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Guo Yuchan , Zhang Shuhong
Published: April 2023

With global warming, the dramatic retreat of glaciers in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) might accelerate release of stored methane (CH4) into the atmosphere; thus, this region might become a new source of CH4. CH4-metabolic microbial communities can produce or consume CH4 in the environment, which is critical for evaluating the CH4 budget of glaciers. However, studies on the influence of CH4-metabolic microbial communities on the CH4 budget during glacier retreat in the TP remain scarce. In this work, ice samples were collected at the terminus of the Guliya Ice Cap in the northwestern TP. The community composition of CH4-metabolic microorganisms, including methanogens and methanotrophs, was determined using genomic analysis, and the metabolic rates of the two microorganisms were further estimated. The abundance of methanotrophs in Guliya was one order of magnitude higher than that of methanogens. The CH4 consumption flux by the combined action of the two microorganisms was ca. 1.42 × 103 pmol·mL−1·d−1, suggesting that CH4 metabolic microbial communities in the glacier might be an important CH4 sink, and can reduce subglacial CH4 emission during glacier retreat. This is important for predicting the CH4 budget in glaciers on the TP and corresponding climate impacts during glacier retreat.
Residential Rooftop Photovoltaic Adoption Using a Sequential Mixed Methods Approach in Qatar
Authors: Alrawi Omar F. , Al-Ghamdi Sami G.
Published: April 2023

Global warming and climate degradation are critical global issues that influenced the rise of renewable energy sources adoption. Photovoltaic systems are the predominant sustainable and renewable energy source option, which can be deployed on top of residential rooftops on a large scale. However, the success of residential rooftop photovoltaic system adoption depends on multiple barriers, such as public acceptance and perception, market readiness, and supportive governmental policies. While most studies focus on either the customer perception or the market penetration aspects, this study aims to use a combinational approach. Through a mixed method approach, the goals of this study are to: (1) Complete a quantitative analysis on customer acceptance and perception of rooftop photovoltaic systems; (2) Perform a qualitative analysis on the potential of residential rooftop photovoltaic market penetration and the extent of supportive governmental policies; (3) Utilize the mix method approach results to answer adoption hypothesis. A few countries already have strong residential rooftop photovoltaic applications; however, many countries are still at an early stage of photovoltaic system adoption, where this study can be useful. This research uses Qatar as a prime case study in developing the study framework.
Fostering Sustainable LNG Bunkering Operations: Development of Regulatory Framework
Authors: Vuskovic Bernard , Rudan Igor , Sumner Matthew
Published: April 2023

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is a liquid form of natural gas, predominantly composed of methane, that has emerged as a promising alternative to traditional hydrocarbon fuels in the maritime transportation sector due to its lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As the world shifts towards renewable energy sources, LNG is increasingly recognized as a bridge fuel that can help mitigate global warming. However, the production and use of LNG can result in methane emissions, which have a higher global warming potential than carbon dioxide. To address this issue, competent authorities aim to develop regulatory frameworks to reduce the potential environmental impact of LNG and promote its use as a cleaner fuel in the maritime sector. We used a systematic approach to selecting and synthesizing the sources relevant to the LNG bunkering process to provide an overview of the current state of regulations, standards, guidance, and trends in LNG bunkering to minimize the potential adverse environmental impacts.