esa-sceva/satcom-chunk-collection huggingface dataset:
# Microbial and Enzymatic Biodegradation of Plastic Waste for a Circular Economy
## 2 Microbial and Enzyme-Based Degradation of Plastic
### Microbial Degradation of Plastics
#### 2.1.2 Fungal Biodegradation  
Fungi play a significant role in biodegradation due to their ability to produce extracellular enzymes [56]. These enzymes include cellulases, ligninases, and cutinases which are effective in degrading various polymers [57]. The biological degradation of polyurethane, polystyrene, and polyethylene samples by filamentous fungi isolated from Antarctica was also reported. Here, plastic films were incubated with different fungal isolates at 18 \({}^{\circ}\)C for 90 days. Among them, _Penicillium_ sp. demonstrated the highest degradation efficiency, achieving 28.3% degradation of polyurethane, 8.39% degradation of polystyrene, and 3.53% degradation of low-density polyethylene. This finding highlights that cold-adapted fungi can potentially degrade a range of plastics under low-temperature conditions, which could be beneficial for biodegradation in extreme environments [58]. Furthermore, out of 18 screened fungal strains--based on their ability to degrade polyurethane polyethylene, and tyre rubber--_Fusarium_, _Penicillium_, _Botryotina cinerea_ EN41, and _Trichoderma_ showed the highest potential to degrade these plastics without any pretreatment [59]. Another ascomycete, _Penicillium_, which is involved in PU degradation, was found to be particularly effective when compared with other ascomycete such as _Aspergillus_ and _Alterninia_, as reported by [PERSON] at el. These fungal strains can use the polyester PU as their sole carbon source [60].
# Early Risk Prediction in Acute Aortic Syndrome on Clinical Data Using Machine Learning
## 4 Clinical Dataset
### Missing Data
#### 4.3.1 Missing-Data Mechanisms  
Various factors can result in missing data, and it is crucial to acknowledge them. The choice of methods to address missing data in statistical analysis relies on assumptions about the underlying mechanisms, emphasizing the importance of understanding the reasons behind missing data [31; 32]. Table 7 categorizes missing-data mechanisms for predictors into three types: MCAR (missing completely at random), MAR (missing at random), and MNAR (missing not at random). It outlines the scenarios associated with each mechanism, providing a foundational understanding for selecting suitable methods to address missing data in statistical analyses.  
Based on the characteristics and relationships among our dataset values, the choice between imputation methods is determined. In the case of a dataset where variables are neither continuous nor correlated, the selection of an appropriate imputation technique becomes crucial. Specifically, when dealing with non-continuous variables that exhibit no discernible relationships, Multiple Imputation by Chained Equations (MICE) emerges as a suitable option. It is particularly well-suited for handling missing values in categorical variables, allowing for the estimation of probabilities associated with certain events.
# Post-Earthquake Damage Inspection of Wood-Frame Buildings by a Polarimetric GB-SAR System
## 2 Materials and Methods  
### Wall Specim of Damaged Wooden Structure  
In most wood-frame structures, wood shear walls are the primary structural element that resists lateral earthquake loads. Therefore, we test two types of wooden walls, which are commonly used to construct private residential houses in Japan. Their designs are shown in Figure 1. We manufactured two specimens for each type, one of which was damaged by pressing a jack until the inner wood structure lost its bearing capacity.  
Type II walls were designed in Japan after 1981, when an improved regulation for wood-frame residential buildings was issued. This design features a diagonal brace, which joints the post and beam with metal clamps and plates. This brace is mainly used to resist the horizontal earthquake vibration, as shown in Figure 1b. A decorating plywood board covers on the interior side of the wall and a corrugated steel sheet covers the exterior side. Glass wool is filled inside the wall for heat-isolation.  
The Hanshin-Awaji earthquake occurred in 1995 and then the regulation was again renewed. Figure 1a shows another design of wooden wall, namely type I, which have been commonly used in Japan after 1995. This design consists of vertical posts and horizontal beams. Metal bolts inside the wood members are used to join the posts and beams. A 12.5 mm thick gypsum board is mounted on the interior side of the wall. On the exterior side, a 14 mm thick ceramic board and a 9 mm thick structural plywood board are mounted. The resistance to earthquake shaking is mainly provided by the plywood board, which is fixed on the wood structure using a number of small steal nails, as illustrated in Figure 1a. The size of the nails is about 3 mm in diameter and less than 2 cm in length. Inside the wall, styrofoam is filled for heat-isolation.
# Wavelength Conversion Enhancement Achieved by Using Resonance in an Array of Nanocylinders
## 2 Upconversion Material Nanocylinder
### UC Nanocylinder on a Gold Substrate and an Absorption Enhancement at 980 nm  
In order to increase the optical path length of the absorbed NIR (near-infrared) light and have uni-directional emission of the converted visible light, we introduce a gold substrate just below the array of nanocylinders, as shown in Figure 4a. The optimized structure has an absorption peak with a wavelength of 980 nm, \(h=300\) nm, \(d=500\) nm, and a period of 520 nm. In order to match the absorption peak of the nanocylinder array at the absorption wavelength of UC material, 980 nm, we adjust the period to 520 nm, because the peak wavelength depends on this period. As a reference structure, a thin UC film with a thickness of 130 nm on a gold substrate is assumed in Figure 4b, which has the same volume as the proposed structure. In the absorbance curve of Figure 4c, the reference structure is almost a constant value of 10% in the wavelength range of interest, 800 nm-1100 nm. In contrast, the proposed nanocylinder structure has a sharp absorption peak of 980 nm with an absorbance of 67.1%, which is 7.3 times larger than that (9.2%) of the reference structure. According to the mode profile at 980 nm, as shown in Figure 4d, a strong electric field intensity is observed at the bottom of the nanocylinder on a gold substrate and at the air slots between the nanocylinders. One field enhancement originates from the surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs), as indicated by the field intensity and the field direction normal to the gold substrate. The other enhancements are caused by the electric hotspots due to the coupling of MDs in the nanocylinders. The coupling of two resonances, SPP and electric hotspot, made a sharp absorption peak at 980 nm, which is the absorption wavelength of the UC material.  
Figure 3: (**a**) Array of UC nanocylinders arranged in a square lattice with a period of 420 nm. The cylinder has a height of 400 nm and a diameter of 400 nm; (**b**) Reflection (black), transmission (red), and absorption curves (blue) as a function of wavelength; (**c**) Electric field intensity profile with a vector field plot in the side view.
## 2 Materials and Methods
### Fixture Design
#### 2.1.2 Identification of the Thickness of the Top Plate
To assess the effects of distance between the anti-buckling columns on the deformation and impact behavior, three different distances, measured as the distance between the central axes of the supports, were investigated: 50, 65, and 80 mm. A 50 mm gap between the supports led to multiple local bucklings, possibly because the specimen became overconstrained in the center, whilst an 80 mm gap led to damage from the top, as seen in Figure 5. A large unsupported area on the top when the distance was 80 mm led to damage initiating from the top until the impact wave reached the bottom, causing the specimen to start crushing progressively. A 65 mm gap neither caused damage on the top nor multiple bucklings and was, therefore, selected as the final design distance. Additionally, provision was left in the final design to allow for a third anti-buckling column in case the buckling in the center was too high for some materials. It has been reported in the literature that different unsupported heights lead to different impact behavior [11; 14; 24]; therefore, a provision to modify the unsupported height was added. Upon investigation, it was discovered, through simulations, that a 10 mm unsupported height led to a stable crush. A 5 mm unsupported height resulted in the fronds interacting with the supports as there was not enough distance for fronds to propagate away from the specimen, which led to a higher force. The 20 and 35 mm heights led to significant buckling as the unsupported height was too great, resulting in a lower force being registered as shown in Figure 6. Force registered for 30 mm unsupported height was generally lower than that for 20 mm unsupported height, showing a greater influence of buckling. The heights were modified by translating the supports in the y-direction. Figure 4: Effect of change in anti-buckling column thickness at end of impact. From left to right: 5, 10, and 20 mm. Finally, the thickness of the CFRP specimen was increased to 15.36 mm (24 ply thick CFRP laminate) to determine whether an 1850 J impact using a 145 kg impactor falling at 5 m/s would be able to initiate failure using the designed fixture. As shown in Figure 7, fronding was observed at 2 ms, which was followed by fragmentation. Owing to the greater thickness of the specimen, all the impact energy was absorbed within 15 mm of displacement. This suggested that laminates as thick as 16 mm with energy absorption capabilities lower than CFRP, for example GFRP, could also be tested using the designed fixture as the maximum allowable stroke distance was 50 mm. After a displacement of 50 mm, rubber inserts caused the impactor to bounce back and avoid possible damage to the entire fixture due to high unabsorbed energies. After considering all these aspects, the fixture was designed and manufactured; the manufactured fixture is shown in Figure 8.  
Figure 5: Effect of change in distance between the anti-buckling columns at end of impact. From left to right: 50 mm, 65 mm, and 80 mm. Figure 6: Effect of different unsupported heights: 5, 10, 20 and 35 mm.
# Research on Construction Sequencing and Deformation Control for Foundation Pit Groups
###### Abstract  
With the rapid urbanization and increasing development of underground spaces, foundation pit groups in complex geological environments encounter considerable challenges in deformation control. These challenges are especially prominent in cases of adjacent constructions, complex geology, and environmentally sensitive areas. Nevertheless, existing research is lacking in systematic analysis of construction sequencing and the interaction mechanisms between foundation pit groups. This results in gaps in comprehending stress redistribution and optimal excavation strategies for such configurations. To address these gaps, this study integrates physical model tests and PLAXIS 3D numerical simulations to explore the Nanjing Jiangbei New District Phase II pit groups. It concentrates on deformations in segmented and adjacent configurations under varying excavation sequences and spacing conditions. Key findings reveal that simultaneous excavation in segmented pit groups optimizes deformation control through symmetrical stress relief via bilateral unloading, reducing shared diaphragm wall displacement by 18-25% compared to sequential methods. Sequential excavations induce complex soil stress redistribution from asymmetric unloading, with deep-to-shallow sequencing minimizing exterior wall deformation (\(\leq\)0.12%He). For adjacent foundation pit groups, simultaneous excavation achieves minimum displacement interference, while phased construction requires prioritizing large-section excavation first to mitigate cumulative deformations through optimized stress transfer. When the spacing-to-depth ratio (B/He) is below 1, horizontal displacements of retaining structures increase by 43% due to spacing effects. This study quantifies the effects of excavation sequences and spacing configurations on pit group deformation, establishing a theoretical framework for optimizing construction strategies and enhancing retaining structure stability. The findings are highly significant for underground engineering design and construction in complex urban geological settings, especially in high-density areas with spatial and geotechnical constraints.  
geotechnical engineering; urban infrastructure; foundation pit groups; indoor physical experiments; numerical simulation +
Footnote †: journal: Applied sciences  
Article
## 2 Method
### Theoretical Basis of EFSDAF
#### 2.2.3 Spatial Prediction (\(F^{sp}\)) for Land Cover Change at \(T_{p}\)  
* Analysis and calculation of the residual The temporal prediction from Section 2.2.2 is not an accurate prediction when there are land cover changes. Specifically, there is a certain deviation between the true values (\(F_{p}\)) and the temporal prediction values (\(F^{TP}\)). This study introduces a residual \(R\) between the \(F_{P}\) and the \(F^{TP}\) as follows:  
\[\frac{1}{S^{2}}\sum\limits_{s=1}^{S^{2}}F_{p}\Big{(}x_{ij},y_{ij},b\Big{)}= \frac{1}{S^{2}}\sum\limits_{s=1}^{S^{2}}F^{TP}\Big{(}x_{ij},y_{ij},b\Big{)}+R( x_{i},y_{i},b) \tag{11}\]  
Furthermore, the value of one MODIS pixel is equal to the average of all of Landsat pixels within one MODIS pixels and a system deviation \(\varphi\)[7]. Hence, the values of MODIS pixels at \(T_{B}\) and \(T_{P}\) can be expressed as:  
\[C_{B}(x_{i},y_{i},b)=\frac{1}{S^{2}}\sum\limits_{s=1}^{S^{2}}F_{B}\Big{(}x_{ ij},y_{ij},b\Big{)}+\varphi \tag{12}\]  
\[C_{P}(x_{i},y_{i},b)=\frac{1}{S^{2}}\sum\limits_{s=1}^{S^{2}}F_{P}\Big{(}x_{ ij},y_{ij},b\Big{)}+\varphi \tag{13}\]  
From Equations (11)-(13), we have:  
\[R(x_{i},y_{i},b)=\Delta C(x_{i},y_{i},b)-\frac{1}{S^{2}}\Bigg{[}\sum\limits_{ s=1}^{S^{2}}F^{TP}\Big{[}x_{ij},y_{ij},b\Big{]}-\sum\limits_{s=1}^{S^{2}}F_{B} \Big{[}x_{ij},y_{ij},b\Big{]}\Bigg{]} \tag{14}\]  
As can be seen from the above Equations (11)-(14), the calculation and distribution of the residual \(R\) is a key step for obtaining the final prediction at \(T_{P}\).  
* Spatial prediction of the MODIS image at \(T_{P}\)  
As described above, the source of the residual \(R\) is in the area of land cover change. However, the information of land cover change can only be obtained from the MODIS image at \(T_{P}\). Therefore, downscaling the MODIS image to Landsat image level is the vital step to obtain the information of the land cover change at \(T_{P}\). In EFSDAF, a Thin Plate Spline (TPS) interpolation method is applied to downscale the MODIS image at \(T_{P}\). TPS is a spatial interpolation technique for point data based on spatial dependence [42], which was used to the spatiotemporal fusion method because it has high interpolation accuracy [32; 43]. The interpolation result of the MODIS image at \(T_{P}\) will be marked as \(F_{P}^{SP}(x_{ij},y_{ij},b)\), which is another prediction of the Landsat image at \(T_{P}\). Unlike FSDAF, the MODIS image at \(T_{B}\) is also interpolated using the TPS method to calculate the residual index (\(RI\)) in Section 2.2.4 for EFSDAF, and its result will be marked as \(F_{B}^{SP}\Big{(}x_{ij},y_{ij},b\Big{)}\). Because the spatial information is obtained from MODIS images using the TPS interpolator method, we call Section 2.2.3 spatial prediction.
# Oil Press-Cakes and Meals Valorization through Circular Economy Approaches: A Review
## 5 Possible Ways to Capitalize the by-Products Obtained from the Oil Industry
### Substrate for Functional Ingredient Production
#### 5.2.3 Antibiotics  
Antibiotics are defined as substances produced by microorganisms with the ability at low concentration to inhibit/kill other microorganisms. Oilseeds cakes can be used as a substrate for various antimicrobial agents and antibiotics production, doing so also reduces the cost [22; 160].  
Sunflower, soybean, and sesame meal were used for the production of clavulanic acid and ephamycin C and by SSF with _Bacillus licheniformis_ for endotoxin and bacitracin. The maximum synthesis of the latter was found in soybean meal [22; 160; 161; 162].  
Neomycin is a low toxic antibiotic used in tuberculosis, wound injury, and skin diseases. It was extracted by SSF process from _Streptomyces fradiae_ NCIM 2418, grown on coconut cake [163].  
Rifamycin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic with the ability to inhibit RNA- dependent DNA polymerase, commercial fermentation process with industrial strain generates only rifamycinin B (modest activity) that can be chemically converted to rifamycinin SV (a direct derivate product of rifamycin, it is also more efficient). The latter was isolated in SSF from _Amycolatopsis mediterranei OVA5-E7_. The maximum production was observed on the de-oiled cotton cake, followed by mustard, sunflower, groundnut, coconut, and sesame de-oiled cake [164]. [PERSON], et al. [165; 163] also extracted rifamycinin B (it is very powerful, easily biodegradable, and less toxic) from _Nocardiia mediterranei_ MTCC14 growth on sunflower oil cake and _Amycolatopsis mediterranei_ MTCC14 growth on coconut and groundnut cake.  
Sunflower meal can act as a substrate in the production of two antibiotics. Clavulanic acid with broad-spectrum antibacterial activity and potent \(\beta\)-lactamases inhibitor could be obtained in a solid-state fermentation process by _Streptomyces clavuligerus_. Cephamycin C was successfully achieved in both submerged culture medium and solid-state fermentation (SSF), the meal served also as pH regulator and foam controller [10]. From _Bacillus subtilis_ grown by SSF with rapeseed meal, 5.3 g/Kg of iturin A, and 51.3 g/Kg of poly-\(\gamma\)-glutamic acid were obtained in about 90 h of fermentation [166].
###### Abstract  
In this paper, two sector beam scanning approaches (BSAs) based on element position perturbations (EPPs) in the azimuth plane are introduced. In EPP-BSA, the elements' excitations are kept constant and the elements' positions in the direction normal to the array line are changed according to a predetermined EPP pattern. The magnitude and repetition rate of the selected EPP pattern determines the steering angle of the main beam. However, EPP-BSA results in a wide scanning range with a significant increase in the side lobe level (SLL). To mitigate this drawback, a reduction in the SLL of the array pattern is firstly performed using the single convolution/genetic algorithm (SC/GA) technique and then perturbing the elements' positions in the azimuth plane. This combination between SLL reduction and EPP-BSA (SLL/EPP-BSA) results in a smaller scanning range with a relatively constant half power beamwidth (HPBW) and a much lower SLL. In addition, keeping the synthesized excitation coefficients constant without adding progressive phase shifters facilitates the manufacturing process and reduces the cost of the feeding network. Furthermore, a planar antenna array thinning approach is proposed to realize the EPP-BSA. The results are realized using the computer simulation technology (CST) microwave studio software package, which provides users with an optimized modeling environment and results in realizable and realistic designs.  
array thinning; beam scanning approach (BSA); element position perturbations (EPP); linear antenna array (LAA); side lobe level (SLL); half power beamwidth (HPBW); genetic algorithm (GA); planar antenna array (PAA) Article
###### Abstract  
We investigate the problem of minimizing the total power consumption under the constraint of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) requirement for the physical layer multicasting system with large-scale antenna arrays. In contrast with existing work, we explicitly consider both the transmit power and the circuit power scaling with the number of antennas. The joint antenna selection and beamforming technique is proposed to minimize the total power consumption. The problem is a challenging one, which aims to minimize the linear combination of \(\ell_{0}\)-norm and \(\ell_{2}\)-norm. To our best knowledge, this minimization problem has not yet been well solved. A random decremental antenna selection algorithm is designed, which is further modified by an approximation of the minimal transmit power based on the asymptotic orthogonality of the channels. Then, a more efficient decremental antenna selection algorithm is proposed based on minimizing the \(\ell_{0}\) norm. Performance results show that the \(\ell_{0}\) norm minimization algorithm greatly outperforms the random selection algorithm in terms of the total power consumption and the average run time.  
a pacs: +
Footnote †: journal:  
_Article_  
Joint Antenna Selection and Beamforming Algorithms for Physical Layer Multicasting with Massive Antennas
# Traffic Noise Reduction Strategy in a Large City and an Analysis of Its Effect
## 2 Materials and Methods  
### Noise Pollution in Panyu District of Guangzhou City  
The noise pollution in Panyu District was firstly analyzed based on the noise map that was obtained from earlier work [36] (see Figures 12 and 13 in Appendix A). The constructed noise map was computed using a noise model integrated into commercial software on the basis of field traffic flow measurements. The numerical model was firstly calibrated and verified with field noise measurements before being implemented in the city-scale simulations. In order to evaluate the noise pollution conditions in Panyu District, the total land area was divided into four classes of acoustic environment functional areas (see Figure 14 in Appendix A) according to the Environmental Protection Bureau of Guangzhou. The coverage and noise limit of each class of functional area are defined in Table 12 in Appendix A. For example, medical service areas were categorized as class 1 (noise limits of 55 and 45 dBA for daytime and nighttime, respectively) due to the necessity of a quiet environment for patients. However, for warehouse and industry areas, which are not sensitive to noise levels, these functional areas were categorized as class 3, which can bear high noise limits. According to the developed noise map, the daytime and nighttime over-limit value maps of Panyu District were redrawn, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, respectively. In the present study, the over-limit value is defined as the traffic noise level (see Figures 12 and 13) minus the defined noise limit (see Table 12) in a specific area (see Figure 14).  
It can be seen in Figure 1 that, during the daytime, the areas with traffic noise levels exceeding the noise limit in Panyu District were mainly concentrated on the sides of traffic arteries. In particular, the areas along the expressways, highways, and railways suffered under high over-limit values (>9.1 dBA), and the over-limit values on both sides of the main roads with high traffic flows ranged from 6.1 to 9.0 dBA. By comparing Figures 1 and 2, it can be found that the over-limit values during the nighttime were much higher than those during the daytime. Among all four classes, the class 4 functional area had the highest over-limit value (>9.1 dBA) in the nighttime. In addition, the traffic noise levels of about 10% of the total traffic flow are 10% higher than those during the daytime.  
Figure 1: Daytime over-limit value map in Panyu District of Guangzhou City.  
Figure 2: Nighttime over-limit value map in Panyu District of Guangzhou City.  
266 km\({}^{2}\) of class 2 functional areas exceeded the noise limit during the nighttime, and most of these areas are residential areas with over-limit values greater than 6.1 dBA.