bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A novel alkali-surfactant for optimization of filtercake removal in oil–gas well
Authors: Lichinga Kevin Nsolloh , Luanda Amos , Sahini Mtabazi Geofrey 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThe main objective of this study is to improve the oil-based filtercake removal at the wellbore second interface through chemical method. The reductions in near-well permeability, bonding strength at wellbore second interface and acidizing treatment are the critical problems in oilfield upstream operations. One of the major causes has been identified as drilling fluid filtrate invasion during the drilling operations. This as result leads to near-well reduction in-flow capacity due to high drawdown pressure and wellbore instability. A number of chemical methods such as enzymes, acids, oxidizers, or their hybrids, have been used, however, due to the presence of a number of factors prior to its removal, there are still many challenges in cleaning oil-based filtercake from the wellbore surface. There is a need for development an effective method for improving oil-based filtercake removal. This study presents a novel Alkali-Surfactant (KV-MA) solution developed in the laboratory to optimize the filtercake removal of oil–gas wellbore. The Reynold number for KV-MA solution was found to be 9,068 indicating that turbulent flow regime will dominate in the annulus which enhances the cleaning efficiency. The wettability test established that, contact angle of 14° was a proper wetting agent. The calculated cleaning efficiency was 86.9%, indicating that it can effectively remove the oil-based filtercake. NaOH reacts with the polar components in the oil phase of the oil-based filtercake to produce ionized surface-active species; hence reducing the Interfacial Tension. Surfactant quickens the diffusion of ionized species from the interface to the bulk phase.
Genomic Perspectives on the Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant
Authors: Ma Wentai , Yang Jing , Fu Haoyi , Su Chao , Yu Caixia , Wang Qihui , de Vasconcelos Ana Tereza Ribeiro , Bazykin Georgii A. , Bao Yiming , Li Mingkun 
Published: January 2022

Abstract
A new variant of concern for SARS-CoV-2, Omicron (B.1.1.529), was designated by the World Health Organization on November 26, 2021. This study analyzed the viral genome sequencing data of 108 samples collected from patients infected with Omicron. First, we found that the enrichment efficiency of viral nucleic acids was reduced due to mutations in the region where the primers anneal to. Second, the Omicron variant possesses an excessive number of mutations compared to other variants circulating at the same time (median: 62 vs. 45), especially in the Spike gene. Mutations in the Spike gene confer alterations in 32 amino acid residues, more than those observed in other SARS-CoV-2 variants. Moreover, a large number of nonsynonymous mutations occur in the codons for the amino acid residues located on the surface of the Spike protein, which could potentially affect the replication, infectivity, and antigenicity of SARS-CoV-2. Third, there are 53 mutations between the Omicron variant and its closest sequences available in public databases. Many of these mutations were rarely observed in public databases and had a low mutation rate. In addition, the linkage disequilibrium between these mutations was low, with a limited number of mutations concurrently observed in the same genome, suggesting that the Omicron variant would be in a different evolutionary branch from the currently prevalent variants. To improve our ability to detect and track the source of new variants rapidly, it is imperative to further strengthen genomic surveillance and data sharing globally in a timely manner.
Exploring culturally acceptable, nutritious, affordable and low climatic impact diet for Japanese diets: proof of concept of applying a new modelling approach using data envelopment analysis
Authors: Sugimoto Minami , Temme Elisabeth H. M. , Biesbroek Sander , Kanellopoulos Argyris , Okubo Hitomi , Fujiwara Aya , Asakura Keiko , Masayasu Shizuko , Sasaki Satoshi , van’t Veer Pieter 
Published: January 2022

AbstractA future sustainable dietary pattern for Japanese is yet undefined. This study aimed to explore more sustainable Japanese diets that are nutritious, affordable and with low greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) and particular emphasis on cultural acceptability. A newly developed data envelopment analysis (DEA) diet model was applied to 4-d dietary record data among 184 healthy Japanese men and 185 women volunteers aged 21–69 years. Alternative diets were calculated as the linear combinations of observed diets. Firstly, for each individual, four modelled diets were calculated that maximised cultural acceptability (i.e. minimise dietary change from observed diet), maximised nutritional quality assessed by the Nutrient-Rich Food Index (NRF), minimised monetary diet costs or minimised diet-related GHGE. The final modelled diet combined all four indicators. In the first four models, the largest improvement was obtained for each targeted indicator separately, while relatively small improvements or unwanted changes were observed for other indicator. When all indicators were aimed to optimise, the NRF score and diet-related GHGE were improved by 8–13 % with the lower monetary cost than observed diets, although the percentage improvement was a bit smaller than the separate models. The final modelled diets demanded increased intakes for whole grains, fruits, milk/cream/yogurt, legumes/nuts, and decreased intakes for red and processed meat, sugar/confectioneries, alcoholic and sweetened beverages, and seasonings in both sexes. In conclusion, more sustainable dietary patterns considering several indicators are possible for Japanese, while total improvement is moderate due to trade-offs between indicators and methodological limitation of DEA diet model.
Welfare Sanctions and Deprivation in Germany: Do First Sanctions Lead to Higher Levels of Deprivation Among the Long-Term Unemployed and Recipients of Basic Income Support?
Authors: LÖWE PAUL SEVERIN , UNGER STEFANIE ALEXANDRA 
Published: January 2022

AbstractIn Germany, as in many other European countries, vast changes in the welfare regime – towards workfare – have taken place. As a central activating element of workfare, sanctions were introduced to take effect by temporarily increasing deprivation through benefit cuts. This paper provides first quantitative insights on the effect of first sanctions on deprivation and contributes to the recent debate on the (un)constitutionality of sanctions, which re-emerged after a verdict of the Federal Constitutional Court, criticizing the lack of knowledge about the effects of sanctions on those affected. We implement a difference-in-differences propensity score matching approach that addresses selection on observables and individual time constant unobserved differences. High data accuracy is ensured by combining the “Panel Labour Market and Social Security” (PASS) with administrative data from the Federal Employment Agency. The results illustrate a slightly higher yet statistically insignificant level of deprivation for first-sanctioned unemployment/basic income recipients compared to non-sanctioned recipients. The results hint in the direction that higher levels of deprivation are not what activates the sanctioned beneficiaries to reintegrate into the labour market. We discuss whether the results imply a significant deviation from the socio-cultural subsistence minimum of sanctioned recipients and a failure of the welfare state.
A survey on the application of path-planning algorithms for multi-rotor UAVs in precision agriculture
Authors: Basiri Amin , Mariani Valerio , Silano Giuseppe , Aatif Muhammad , Iannelli Luigi , Glielmo Luigi 
Published: January 2022

AbstractMulti-rotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), although originally designed and developed for defence and military purposes, in the last ten years have gained momentum, especially for civilian applications, such as search and rescue, surveying and mapping, and agricultural crops and monitoring. Thanks to their hovering and Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) capabilities and the capacity to carry out tasks with complete autonomy, they are now a standard platform for both research and industrial uses. However, while the flight control architecture is well established in the literature, there are still many challenges in designing autonomous guidance and navigation systems to make the UAV able to work in constrained and cluttered environments or also indoors. Therefore, the main motivation of this work is to provide a comprehensive and exhaustive literature review on the numerous methods and approaches to address path-planning problems for multi-rotor UAVs. In particular, the inclusion of a review of the related research in the context of Precision Agriculture (PA) provides a unified and accessible presentation for researchers who are initiating their endeavours in this subject.
Obstacle type recognition in visual images via dilated convolutional neural network for unmanned surface vehicles
Authors: Shi Binghua , Su Yixin , Lian Cheng , Xiong Chang , Long Yang , Gong Chenglong 
Published: January 2022

AbstractRecognition of obstacle type based on visual sensors is important for navigation by unmanned surface vehicles (USV), including path planning, obstacle avoidance, and reactive control. Conventional detection techniques may fail to distinguish obstacles that are similar in visual appearance in a cluttered environment. This work proposes a novel obstacle type recognition approach that combines a dilated operator with the deep-level features map of ResNet50 for autonomous navigation. First, visual images are collected and annotated from various different scenarios for USV test navigation. Second, the deep learning model, based on a dilated convolutional neural network, is set and trained. Dilated convolution allows the whole network to learn deep features with increased receptive field and further improves the performance of obstacle type recognition. Third, a series of evaluation parameters are utilised to evaluate the obtained model, such as the mean average precision (mAP), missing rate and detection speed. Finally, some experiments are designed to verify the accuracy of the proposed approach using visual images in a cluttered environment. Experimental results demonstrate that the dilated convolutional neural network obtains better recognition performance than the other methods, with an mAP of 88%.
Inland waterway network mapping of AIS data for freight transportation planning
Authors: Asborno Magdalena I. , Hernandez Sarah , Mitchell Kenneth N. , Yves Manzi 
Published: January 2022

AbstractTravel demand models (TDMs) with freight forecasts estimate performance metrics for competing infrastructure investments and potential policy changes. Unfortunately, freight TDMs fail to represent non-truck modes with levels of detail adequate for multi-modal infrastructure and policy evaluation. Recent expansions in the availability of maritime movement data, i.e. Automatic Identification System (AIS), make it possible to expand and improve representation of maritime modes within freight TDMs. AIS may be used to track vessel locations as timestamped latitude–longitude points. For estimation, calibration and validation of freight TDMs, this work identifies vessel trips by applying network mapping (map-matching) heuristics to AIS data. The automated methods are evaluated on a 747-mile inland waterway network, with AIS data representing 88% of vessel activity. Inspection of 3820 AIS trajectories was used to train the heuristic parameters including stop time, duration and location. Validation shows 84⋅0% accuracy in detecting stops at ports and 83⋅5% accuracy in identifying trips crossing locks. The resulting map-matched vessel trips may be applied to generate origin–destination matrices, calculate time impedances, etc. The proposed methods are transferable to waterways or maritime port systems, as AIS continues to grow.
Corporate responsibility and biodiversity conservation: challenges and opportunities for companies participating in China’s Belt and Road Initiative
Authors: Bohnett Eve , Coulibaly Abdoulaye , Hulse Dave , Hoctor Thomas , Ahmad Bilal , An Li , Lewison Rebecca 
Published: January 2022

SummaryChina’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), designed to build critical infrastructure and coordinate economic growth, is the most significant development initiative in modern history. The BRI has a documented vision for sustainability, including environmental impact assessments and responsibility tenets. Despite this, a growing body of literature has found adverse effects of BRI projects on protected land and species. To understand corporate responsibility and regulations for companies participating in the BRI, we gathered information on 260 BRI companies using the Refinitiv Eikon BRI Connect database and the China Global Investment Tracker. The results revealed a significant gap in corporate responsibility reporting for biodiversity impacts, environmental restoration, environmental project financing and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 14 ‘Life below Water’ and 15 ‘Life on Land’. The modest fraction of companies that we found to report biodiversity accountability highlights the need to restructure and incentivize the reporting of environmental and biodiversity risks. The current evidence of limited adherence to responsibility measures highlights a clear opportunity to align BRI development with the BRI’s vision for sustainability, and to strengthen links for policy engagement within Chinese regulatory frameworks and international obligations at the United Nations within its SDG framework.
Transplacental treatment of foetal supraventricular tachycardia with triple antiarrhythmic combination to avoid intra-foetal intervention
Authors: Babaoglu Kadir , Dogan Yasemin , Uzun Orhan 
Published: January 2022

AbstractAlthough a high percentage of foetuses with supraventricular tachycardia respond to single or dual antiarrhythmic therapy, on occasion when there is no response to these combination regimens, direct intra-foetal therapy remains the only choice, albeit such an approach carries a potential risk to the foetus.Data with regard to the safety and efficacy of triple antiarrhythmic combination have not been reported before. Here, we present a foetus with intractable tachycardia in whom arrhythmia termination was successfully achieved with triple oral antiarrhythmic therapy.
Norwegian Open Fracture Management System: Outcomes After 10 Years Working in Low-Resource Settings in Cambodian Hospitals
Authors: Tajsic Nenad B. , Sørbye Sigrunn H. , Nguon Sophy , Sokh Vannara , Lim Aymeric 
Published: January 2022

AbstractIntroduction:The treatment of open lower limb fractures represents a major challenge for any trauma surgeon, and this even more so in resource-limited areas. The aim of the study is to describe the intervention, report the treatment plan, and observe the effectiveness of the Norwegian Open Fracture Management System in saving lower limbs in rural settings.Materials and Methods:A retrospective and prospective interventional study was carried out in the period 2011 through 2017 in six rural hospitals in Cambodia. The fractures were managed with locally produced external fixators and orthosis developed in 2007. Based on skills and living locations, two local surgeons and one paramedic without reconstructive surgery experience were selected to reach the top of the reconstructive ladder and perform limb salvage surgeries. This study evaluated 56 fractures using the Ganga Hospital Open Injury Score (GHOIS) for Gustilo-Anderson Type IIIA and Type IIIB open fracture classification groups.Results:The primary success rate in open tibia fractures was 64.3% (95% CI, 50.3 - 76.3). The average treatment time to complete healing for all of the patients was 39.6 weeks (95% CI, 34.8 - 44.4). A percentage of 23.2% (95% CI, 13.4 - 36.7) experienced a deep infection. Fifteen of the patients had to undergo soft tissue reconstruction and 22 flaps were performed. Due to non-union, a total of 15 bone grafts were performed. All of the 56 patients in the study gained limb salvage and went back to work.Conclusion:The given fracture management program proves that low-resource countries are able to produce essential surgical tools at high quality and low price. Treatment with external fixation and functional bracing, combined with high-level training of local surgeons, demonstrates that a skilled surgical team can perform advanced limb salvage surgery in low-resource settings.
Coordinating nominations: how to deal with an incumbent surplus after electoral reform
Authors: Rehmert Jochen 
Published: January 2022

AbstractHow do parties and candidates react to electoral system reform? While the literature on causes and consequences of electoral reforms is receiving increasing attention, we lack a systematic micro-level account on how parties and candidates adopt to changes in electoral rules and district boundaries. This paper examines the case of the Japanese Liberal Democrats to explore how the party has managed to accommodate a surplus of incumbents to a reduced number of nominal tier seats following the 1994 electoral reform. By using micro-level data, I examine how the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has matched candidates based on their expected electoral strength and ideological positioning to new districts. Moreover, I investigate how the newly instituted party-list allowed the LDP to avoid its disintegration at the local level by systematically defusing local stand-offs through the handing out of promising list positions. My findings help to understand how the LDP could avoid its disintegration and could continue to dominate Japanese politics until today.
Protestant Missionary Education and the Diffusion of Women’s Education in Ottoman Turkey: A Historical GIS Analysis
Authors: Amasyalı Emre 
Published: January 2022

AbstractA significant literature demonstrates that the presence of historic missionary societies—especially Protestant societies—during the colonial period is significantly and positively associated with increased educational attainment and economic outcomes. However, we know less about the mechanisms underlying the long-run consequences of institutions, as it is commonly very hard to disentangle direct effects from indirect effects. One clear way to do so, however, is to explore the long-term impact of missionary influence in places in which the direct beneficiaries of missionary education are no longer present. The present article considers one such region, the Anatolian region of the Ottoman Empire. Due to the ethnic violence and population movements at the start of the twentieth century, the newfound Turkish nation-state was largely religiously homogenous. This provides us with a unique situation to empirically assess the long-run indirect effects of Christian missionary societies on local human capital. For this purpose, I present an original dataset that provides the locations of Protestant mission stations and schools, Ottoman state-run schools, and Armenian community schools contained within Ottoman Anatolia between 1820 and 1914. Contrary to the common association found in the literature, this study does not find missionary presence to be correlated with modern-day schooling. Rather, I find that regions with a heightened missionary presence and an active Christian educational market perform better on the gender parity index for pretertiary schooling during both the Ottoman and Turkish periods.
The Working Week in the Long Nineteenth Century: Evidence from the Timings of Political Events in Britain
Authors: Tiratelli Matteo 
Published: January 2022

AbstractDebates about patterns of time use in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Britain go back to the seminal work of E. P. Thompson in the 1960s. But the lack of systematic evidence means that many of these questions remain unresolved. In an attempt to advance those debates, this essay uses three catalogs of political events to reconstruct the working week in Britain over the long nineteenth century. Three patterns emerge. First, observance of Saint Monday appears to have been widespread in the early nineteenth century before declining slowly in the mid-1800s, a process that happened faster in factory towns than elsewhere. This finding supports the orthodox narrative about Saint Monday against its recent challengers (in particular Hans-Joachim Voth). Second, I find that political organizers in the early nineteenth century were reluctant to profane the Sabbath by arranging public meetings on Sundays, but that this came to an end during the heyday of Chartism. Third, these catalogs also provide some, more speculative, evidence that the working day and the working week became more ordered as the nineteenth century wore on.
Upwelling and Downwelling Driven by the North Equatorial Countercurrent and Internal Waves at Hatohobei Island and Helen Reef, Palau
Authors: Johnston T.  M. Shaun , Colin Patrick L. 
Published: January 2022

AbstractUpwelling and downwelling at two near‐equatorial islands in the western Pacific, Hatohobei Island and Helen Reef, Palau, are investigated using time series from a temperature array in the upper 57 m from 2014 to 2019 and a ship survey from 3 to 5 July 2013. During the survey, on the upstream side, upwelling/downwelling is found above/below an eastward subsurface current maximum due to an unusual mesoscale eddy. This eddy detached from a meander in the eastward North Equatorial Countercurrent in May 2013 and translated southwestward to the islands over 2 months bringing among the strongest currents seen at these islands in altimetry from 1993 to 2020. Following a streamline, the flow satisfied the Bernoulli equation outside of the wake. In both the cyclonic and anticyclonic wakes from the south and north points of Helen Reef, elevated estimated diffusivities from a shear‐based parameterization were similar at 10−5 m2 s−1 and a factor of 10 above background values. In the time series, downwelling in the upper 57 m is associated with a broader, surface‐intensified NECC converging at topography. Also, the shallower thermocline in 2014 and during the El Niños of 2015–2016 and 2018–2019 led to increased stratification at this depth and permitted greater internal wave activity. Peaked semidiurnal internal waves with peak‐to‐peak amplitudes of 4°C were equal to interannual changes. The net downwelling/warming of 0.5°C at the temperature array when smoothed over 2 months is consistent with both current‐driven downwelling and internal‐wave driven mixing of warmer waters downwards.
The Effects of Truncating the Capillary Fringe on Water‐Table Dynamics During Periodic Forcing
Authors: Zheng Yihao , Yang Mingzhe , Liu Haijiang 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThe hydrodynamic response of the capillary zone is an important factor for understanding and predicting the propagation of groundwater head changes in unconfined aquifers. While the response can be predicted for a capillary fringe that is not bounded above by the ground surface, the influence of an upper boundary is poorly understood. In this study, we present laboratory sand column experiments for a range of water‐table depths below the ground surface, corresponding to truncation factors that represent the range of capillary‐zone truncation. Periodic forcing from below is related to observed amplitude attenuation and phase lag of the water‐table position. An abrupt decline of the water‐table occurs if the capillary fringe is truncated during the entire oscillation period, whereas a sudden increase is observed when the capillary fringe is truncated for only part of the period. Fluctuations during truncation are always larger than without, which is ascribed to meniscus behavior at the ground surface. Air entrapment will reduce the capillary fringe, which is confirmed through a watering test. Simulation using both Cartwright's “wetting and drying” model and Richards' model with dynamic effective porosity are used to evaluate experimental results, with the latter model providing a better match for large capillary‐fringe truncation.