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Industrial development can bring huge economic benefits to the country and society. However, it has also caused serious environmental pollution, leading to serious health problems and medical burdens for people, and is often accompanied by the emission of polluting gases. Many companies specify that masks must be worn at work to prevent the inhalation of harmful gases. Quickly detecting whether workers are wearing masks has emerged as a topic of some importance. However, existing face detection networks have limited detection accuracy and considerably reduced performance for masked faces. Hence, most state-of-the-art face mask detection technologies are based on deep learning. In this study, we developed a new feature extraction module called Attention Residual Ghost Module based on attention mechanisms and residual structure. To improve performance, we construct CSP-ARG and ARG-PANert. We then fused attention between the two to obtain a new type of lightweight face mask detection model. The results of an experimental evaluation of the performance of our proposed approach on the public AIZOO and FMDD datasets showed that it achieved accuracy values of 93.4% and 89.3%, respectively, in terms of mAP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The history of planning development in various countries shows that the core logic of planning is the spiral interweaving of control and development, and constantly makes corresponding adjustments to respond to changes and challenges in social and economic development. Most of the planning in western countries originated from control-oriented paradigm, then integrated development-oriented elements, and finally has evolved into comprehensive coordination-oriented planning paradigm. China's planning, which originated from development-oriented paradigm, has shifted towards control-oriented planning as represented by territorial spatial planning to tackle issues such as excessive consumption of resources. In the face of economic, social and environmental challenges, China's urban planning in the future should also move towards a comprehensive balance between control and development. The common thread of control is the sustainable development of economy, society, and environment. The common thread of development is to achieve the Chinese path to modernization. The content of control and development will vary with different spatial scales and time stages. Take Hubei's practice as an example, planning control is driven by the integrated management of watershed and planning development is led by the synchronization of new industrialization, IT application, new urbanization, and agricultural modernization. Hubei Province seeks to promote high-quality, sustainable development through comprehensive coordination-oriented planning that combines control and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pulp and paper industry is critical to global industrial and economic development. Recently, India's pulp and paper industries have been facing severe competitive challenges. The challenges have impaired the environmental performance and resulted in the closure of several operations. Assessment and prediction of the performance of the Indian pulp and paper industry using various parameters is a critical task for researchers. This study proposes a framework for performance assessment and prediction based on Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), Artificial Neural Networks, and Deep Learning (DL) to assist industry administration and decision-making. We presented a case study based on eight industries to demonstrate the methodology's applicability. This study analyses and predicts industry performance based on sample data observations over 30 years. The result suggests the DEA-DL-based efficiency prediction has an overall MSE of 0.08 compared with the actual efficiency. Furthermore, the efficiency rankings are compared between the three techniques. The results suggest that the integrated DEA-DL method is primarily accurate in most scenarios with the actual values. The findings of this study provide a comprehensive analysis of environmental performance for policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The realization of coupling coordination between digitalization and traditional industrial upgrading in the Yellow River Basin holds significant practical value for promoting high-quality industrial development in the region. In order to assess this coupling coordination, we utilized inter-provincial panel data from nine provinces in the Yellow River Basin, covering the period from 2011 to 2020. Through the application of a coupling coordination degree model, we calculated the degree of coupling coordination and relative development between digitalization and traditional industrial upgrading. Additionally, we conducted a spatial–temporal analysis to identify the characteristics and trends of digitalization and traditional industrial upgrading. Furthermore, we constructed a panel VAR model to examine the interactive relationship between these two factors. The findings are as follows: (1) overall, over the study period, the degree of coupling coordination between digitalization and traditional industrial upgrading in the Yellow River Basin transitioned from a disordered state to a run-in stage. The corresponding development type changed from a low steady state to a co-existence of low and medium steady states. Notably, the levels of digitalization, traditional industrial upgrading, and coupling coordination all exhibited a gradual increase, while the relative development degree declined. (2) The coupling coordination degree between digitalization and traditional industrial upgrading in the Yellow River Basin demonstrated significant regional variation. Provinces displaying a "high–high" agglomeration distribution and "low–low" agglomeration distribution were concentrated in the middle and lower reaches, as well as the upper reaches, of the Yellow River. Furthermore, there was a positive spatial autocorrelation between these regions. (3) Both digitalization and traditional industrial upgrading exhibit self-reinforcing mechanisms, and a long-term dynamic correlation exists between them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: Alkyl-tailored Y-SMAs named YR-SeNF series with near-infrared absorption, different molecular crystallinity and self-assembly abilities are developed. The related organic solar cells (OSCs) with an active layer processed from halogen-free solvents and spin-coating-free technologies achieve a ~ 19% efficiency. Ternary OSCs offer a robust operating stability under MPP tracking and well-keep > 80% of the initial efficiency for even over 400 h. Power-conversion-efficiencies (PCEs) of organic solar cells (OSCs) in laboratory, normally processed by spin-coating technology with toxic halogenated solvents, have reached over 19%. However, there is usually a marked PCE drop when the blade-coating and/or green-solvents toward large-scale printing are used instead, which hampers the practical development of OSCs. Here, a new series of N-alkyl-tailored small molecule acceptors named YR-SeNF with a same molecular main backbone are developed by combining selenium-fused central-core and naphthalene-fused end-group. Thanks to the N-alkyl engineering, NIR-absorbing YR-SeNF series show different crystallinity, packing patterns, and miscibility with polymeric donor. The studies exhibit that the molecular packing, crystallinity, and vertical distribution of active layer morphologies are well optimized by introducing newly designed guest acceptor associated with tailored N-alkyl chains, providing the improved charge transfer dynamics and stability for the PM6:L8-BO:YR-SeNF-based OSCs. As a result, a record-high PCE approaching 19% is achieved in the blade-coating OSCs fabricated from a green-solvent o-xylene with high-boiling point. Notably, ternary OSCs offer robust operating stability under maximum-power-point tracking and well-keep > 80% of the initial PCEs for even over 400 h. Our alkyl-tailored guest acceptor strategy provides a unique approach to develop green-solvent and blade-coating processed high-efficiency and operating stable OSCs, which paves a way for industrial development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The realization of coupling coordination between digitalization and traditional industrial upgrading in the Yellow River Basin holds significant practical value for promoting high-quality industrial development in the region. In order to assess this coupling coordination, we utilized inter-provincial panel data from nine provinces in the Yellow River Basin, covering the period from 2011 to 2020. Through the application of a coupling coordination degree model, we calculated the degree of coupling coordination and relative development between digitalization and traditional industrial upgrading. Additionally, we conducted a spatial–temporal analysis to identify the characteristics and trends of digitalization and traditional industrial upgrading. Furthermore, we constructed a panel VAR model to examine the interactive relationship between these two factors. The findings are as follows: (1) overall, over the study period, the degree of coupling coordination between digitalization and traditional industrial upgrading in the Yellow River Basin transitioned from a disordered state to a run-in stage. The corresponding development type changed from a low steady state to a co-existence of low and medium steady states. Notably, the levels of digitalization, traditional industrial upgrading, and coupling coordination all exhibited a gradual increase, while the relative development degree declined. (2) The coupling coordination degree between digitalization and traditional industrial upgrading in the Yellow River Basin demonstrated significant regional variation. Provinces displaying a "high–high" agglomeration distribution and "low–low" agglomeration distribution were concentrated in the middle and lower reaches, as well as the upper reaches, of the Yellow River. Furthermore, there was a positive spatial autocorrelation between these regions. (3) Both digitalization and traditional industrial upgrading exhibit self-reinforcing mechanisms, and a long-term dynamic correlation exists between them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ICT service industry has become a burgeoning industry at a high and stable speed. Their equitable distribution can improve national and global positive peace. This paper aimed to verify the characteristics of spatio-temporal evolution and its influencing factors in the ICT service industry. Based on the data from 31 Provinces in China from 2015 to 2019, this paper uses location quotient, spatial autocorrelation methods and spatial econometric analysis to explore the development characteristics, evolution and influencing factors of the ICT service industry, respectively. The main results are shown as follows: (1) China's ICT service industry is mainly concentrated in Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Tibet, and Guangdong, with a trend of specialisation development. They are not only distributed in cities with relatively superior overall development but also those with superior industrial and development carrier elements. Technological relevance, aggregation, and political difference might have an impact on promoting the emergence and development of these industries. (2) ICT service industry is characterised by stable and highly concentrated development. Numbers between three to five significant provinces and types with high-high (HH) and high-low (HL) clusters of local spatio-temporal association kept stable in the period. The HH was in eastern coastal areas, including Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Shandong, and the HL was in Guangdong in 2015. There is a definite spatial correlation in spatial distribution with constant strengthening. (3) TUR, NDN, MIAT and the area were shown to have a significant role in promoting the ICT service industry, while NW, GDP and ICT Employment were shown to have a significant negative impact on this industry. Correspondingly, two strategies were put forward here: (1) accelerating the inter-provincial networking development of the ICT service industry, and (2) strengthening government policy guidance for the ICT service industry. These outcomes can not only provide a scientific basis and theoretical support for the distribution of strategies and resources for these industries at the theoretical level but also improve resource integration from the national perspective and the efficiency of resource use at the practical level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of our study was to explore the effect of living conditions on the odd of major and minor ECG abnormalities on a large region scale in Russia. For the analysis, cross-sectional data of the Russian study, ESSE-RF 2013–2014, were used. They were collected on a sample of 16,400 subjects from 10 regions of the Russia. ECG abnormalities were grouped into two categories: Major and Minor (sensu the 2009 version of the Minnesota Code Classification System). Regional living conditions were considered comprehensively via five indices combining 33 characteristics of the regions. The estimates were presented as odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals. The prevalence values of major abnormalities in the sample were 8.4% among women and 9.4% among men (p = 0.021). The prevalence of minor abnormalities constituted 34.1% and 45.9%, respectively (p < 0.001). In men, the odd of major ECG abnormalities increased with the demographic depression growth (1.08: 1.04–1.12) and with industrial development growth in the region (1.12: 1.07–1.17). In women, an increase in the odd of major ECG abnormalities was directly associated with industrial development (1.12: 1.07–1.16) and inversely related to the economic development in the region (0.94: 0.89–0.99). The odd of minor ECG abnormalities in men and women declined with the growth of the regional economic development: OR of 0.95: 0.93–0.98, and OR of 0.92: 0.87–0.99, respectively. The study demonstrated an effect of regional living conditions of the Russian population on the odd of major and minor ECG abnormalities. The most stable and logically explainable relationships were obtained for industrial and economic characteristics of living conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The industrialization of additive manufacturing strongly relies on the robustness of the process. In particular, the more complex Directed Energy Deposition (DED) processes offer great flexibility and higher build-up rates on the one hand, but on the other hand they pose challenges until a part can be printed with the desired properties. This paper adopts and compares different approaches, i.e. linear, sliding mode and model-based controller, for online process regulation of track height and width using a novel industrial sensor setup. Based on single track experiments, control parameters are determined and results of the closed loop analyzed. As a result, the linear controller shows the best performance and robustness. The performance for the track width can even be improved by a Linear Quadratic Gaussian (LQG) controller. Finally, the performance of the linear control strategy is tested with a complex motor cover part. Additionally, a digital twin representation shows the spatial representation of the process parameters and region of interests where thresholds or predefined process rules are violated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a need to classify and standardize graphene-related materials giving the growing use of this materials industrially. One of the most used and more difficult to classify is graphene oxide (GO). Inconsistent definitions of GO, closely relating it to graphene, are found in the literature and industrial brochures. Hence, although they have very different physicochemical properties and industrial applications, commonly used classifications of graphene and GO definitions are not substantial. Consequently, the lack of regulation and standardization create trust issues among sellers and buyers that impede industrial development and progress. With that in mind, this study offers a critical assessment of 34 commercially available GOs, characterized using a systematic and reliable protocol for accessing their quality. We establish correlations between GO physicochemical properties and its applications leading to rationale for its classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Korean economist Ha-Joon Chang proposed the theory of "kicking away the ladder", in reference to how the world's great powers managed to establish themselves as such after a prolonged period of robust measures to protect their development. Once they achieved that, they entered the free global market, demanding that small countries eschew any protectionist measures and immediately enter the 'free trade' in a highly unprotected manner. According to this approach, Cybernetics in Latin America can be interpreted in different ways: it can be a confirmation of the disappearance of technological, social, and industrial development defended by the already non-existent Latin American developmental states that had a utopian view of technology as a tool for self-determination, but, on the other, it can also be a provocation for those in the region who still believe in the possibilities of Cybernetics to develop and support its proposals. There is a fundamental difference between using technology and producing it, while the ways of using it are also techniques or technologies in themselves. This paper outlines the meaning of first-order cybernetics and then interprets what second-order cybernetics has represented in Latin America, its Viable System Model, and how its components have evolved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pineapple is the most important economic plant in the family Bromeliaceae and the third-most economically important tropical fruit in the world. It has become an important tropical fruit in Guangdong, Hainan, and Guangxi, which are suitable areas for its cultivation. However, modern and well-organized breeding systems have not yet been established for pineapple. In this review, we describe the current status of the geographical distribution, industrial development, and breeding of pineapple in China. The current status of pineapple breeding is introduced, including traditional breeding methods, such as crossbreeding, mutagenesis breeding, and biotechnology breeding, combining cell engineering and gene engineering. In addition, the research progress on assisted breeding technology based on genetic map construction and molecular marker development is presented. New challenges and perspectives for obtaining high fruit quality are discussed in the context of breeding programs for pineapple. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the liquid nitrogen cooling in aluminium extrusion is a widely adopted industrial practice to increase the process productivity as well as to improve the extruded profile surface quality by reducing the profile exit temperatures. The cooling channels are commonly designed on the basis of die maker experience only, usually obtaining modest performances in terms of cooling efficiency. Trial-and-error approach is time and cost consuming, thus providing a relevant industrial interest in the development of reliable numerical simulations able to foresee and optimize the nitrogen cooling effect during the die design stage. In this work, an extensive experimental campaign was performed during the extrusion process of an AA6060 industrial hollow profile, in different conditions of nitrogen flow rate and ram speed. The monitored data (die and profile temperatures and extrusion load) were compared with the outputs of a fast and efficient numerical model proposed by the authors, and developed in the COMSOL Multiphysics code, able to compute not only the effect of nitrogen liquid flow but also the gaseous condition. The results of the simulations showed a good agreement with experimental data, and evidenced how far the experimental cooling channel design from an optimized condition was. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electricity availability and affordability have been the bane of the global industrial growth, especially in the third world countries. Studies have shown that poor maintenance/upgrade of transmission conductors (TCs) is one of the major causes of epileptic power supply. Irregular supply of electricity hampers economic growth and industrial development. Epileptic power supply as a function of dilapidated electricity grids, its causes, effects and remedies have formed the objective of this study. This work was focused on analysing the transmission conductors available in the world market with the aim of identifying limitations experienced in them and proffering solutions to these, dwelling on how to improve on them and subsequently revolutionize the sector. Special interest was put on the comparative analysis of the available transmission conductors, performance evaluation of the available TCs, characteristic properties of the TCs, prospective new and advanced materials for future TCs, recommendations for the improvement of existing TCs and conclusion. With the result of this study, it will be easy to determine which conductor performs more effectively in a given area such as temperate, industrial, tropical, hill or oceanic region. The study equally showcased the area that needs further research in order to boost electricity transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design for poverty alleviation (DPA) is becoming an active promoter and effective practice form of rural social innovation. This study aims to explore the sustainable, collaborative design path of rural poverty alleviation. Based on actor network theory, this study analyzes the poverty alleviation process of rural actor network construction and participatory translation through the perspective of design integration. The case study chooses the traditional Chinese handicraft, Shengzhou bamboo weaving, to discuss the key links and elements of sustainability such as the role, benefits, and interaction of multiple actors. The staged effectiveness and social impact of the design integration are evaluated by questionnaire surveys, in-depth interviews, qualitative and quantitative data collections, a logistic regression model was used to test for significant effects while adjusting for multiple factors simultaneously. The analysis shows that although DPA is difficult to realize the fundamental adjustment of the rights and interests of rural craftsmen, it plays a key role in guiding the development of industrial goals, expected economic and social benefits, brings huge driving force and implementation effect to rural social innovation. The actor network theory solves the problem of separation between the individual and network attributes of DPA among stakeholders, and provides an innovative basis for rural social innovation to choose effective design intervention and mechanisms to balance the rights and interests of various stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of a Quality by Design (QbD) approach in the development of pharmaceutical products is known to bring many advantages to the table, such as increased product and process knowledge, robust manufacturing processes, and regulatory flexibility regarding changes during the commercial phase. However, many companies still adhere to a more traditional pharmaceutical process development—in some cases due to the difficulty of going from a theoretical view of QbD to its actual application. This article presents a real-world case study for the development of an industrial pharmaceutical drug product (oral solid dosage form) using the QbD methodology, demonstrating the activities involved and the gains in obtaining systematic process and product knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What are the circumstances under which latecomer firms can develop indigenous innovative capacity and compete globally? China's construction of a vast domestic security apparatus has contributed to it becoming the world's largest supplier and consumer of video surveillance products and services. It has also produced several globally competitive companies, including those engaged in digital surveillance. Although security equipment producers initially emerged in Guangdong province, China's leading technology companies are concentrated in Zhejiang province. This comparative study is motivated by the puzzle of why Guangdong, which has a larger security equipment industry with more local investment and earlier introduction of foreign technology, has lagged behind Zhejiang in technological upgrading. We trace this provincial variation to the policy choices of local state bureaucracies and the business strategies of local enterprises. While macro-level variables such as market demand and establishing national industry standards are important for industrial development, this study demonstrates the critical role of local technocrats and entrepreneurs in facilitating technological innovation in a rapidly evolving surveillance regime. Our analysis also reveals how latecomers to a technology-intensive industry were able to adapt their products strategically to meet the technical demands of a major segment of the domestic market, China's public security sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital twin has become essential to modern industrial developments and production paradigms. Digital twin provides support to users and processes in decision-making creating high-fidelity virtual models from physical objects in order to simulate their behaviors, predict their states, provide feedbacks, and if possible be optimized by themselves. The literature indicates an urgent need to develop digital twin applications. These applications require a digital platform that complies with DT requirements and allows all physical objects, virtual models, and industrial systems to communicate and integrate with each other. The contribution of this paper is to provide an analysis about digital twin (meaning and modeling), and to present a platform that works as: (1) a modern distributed system that runs as a cluster and can elastically scale to handle and integrate all the business applications, systems, and production data even the most massive data volumes; (2) a storage system that keeps data as long as necessary and provides real guarantees in delivery, persistence, performance (real time), reliability, and processing; (3) a real-time event-based platform that supports the requirements of digital twin applications including the management and support of different digital twin versions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tremendous increase in industrial development and urbanization has become a severe threat to the Chinese climate and food security. The Agricultural Production System Simulator model was used to simulate soil nitrogen in black soil in Yangling Jilin Province for 20 years. The observed values are consistent with the simulated values. The predicted values of total soil NO3−–N and NH4+–N nitrogen are 10 kg ha−1 and 5 kg ha−1 higher than the observed values. The total soil NO3−–N loss has the same trend as the rainfall, and it increases with the number of rainfall days over the years. The average 20 years losses of NO3−–N and NH4+–N observed were 1375.91 kg ha−1, and 9.24 kg ha−1, while in the simulation increase was 1387.01 kg ha−1 and 9.28 kg ha−1, respectively. The difference between the observed and simulated values of NO3−–N and NH4+–N of mean loss was 11.15 kg ha−1 and 0.04 kg ha−1 respectively. Moreover, our findings highlight the opportunity further to improve management policies (especially for nitrogen) to maintain crop yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population growth, urbanization, and industrial development have significantly increased water demands in many countries, raising the concerns about water resources sustainability to meet the needs of humans and the environment. Furthermore, the economy-oriented allocation of water resources has caused many socio-environmental problems. The main goal of this study is to develop a system dynamics modeling framework that integrates economic, social, and environmental dimensions for the decision of water resources allocation. The Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) is used to rank modeling scenarios and identify the best strategy for water allocation. In the application to East Azerbaijan province of Iran, six industry groups (including chemical, food and beverage, non-metal, machinery and equipment, metal, and textile), thirteen water allocation scenarios, and five criteria (including profit index, employment index, return of surface water, groundwater sustainability index, and total allocated water) were considered. The TOPSIS results showed that in the best scenario most water was allocated to the non-metal industry with a relative distance of 0.63 to the ideal solution. On the other hand, the current water allocation scenario ranked seventh, indicating that significant improvements are required to take into account the social, economic, and environmental factors for optimal reallocation of water resources among different industry users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to urbanization and industrialization, there has been an increase in solid waste generation and has become a global concern and leakage of leachate from landfills contaminate the soil and groundwater and hence can have a severe impact on human health. The present study aimed to determine the composition of toxic metals (Cr, Mn, Cu, As) and heavy metals (Cd, Ba, Hg, Pb) in soil and water by an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES). To ensure accuracy during the analysis of Cr, Mn, Cu, As, Cd, Ba, Hg, and Pb in real samples, certified reference material (CRM, SRM 2709a) of San Joaquin soil and water (SRM 1640a) were analyzed and results were presented in terms of % recovery studies. The mean concentration of all the metals in soil and water did not exceed the limit set by the European Community (EU), WHO, and US EPA except Cu where the permissible limit defined by the EU is 50–140 mg/kg in soil. The soil is uncontaminated to moderately contaminated with respect to all metals except the Cu and Pb. Among the average daily dose (ADD) of soil, ADDing and ADDinh for children had the maximum dose for all metals than adults while ADDderm was higher in adults. Hazard quotient (HQ) trend in both adults and children was found in order HQing > HQderm > HQinh of soil for all metals except Ba which followed HQing > HQinh > HQderm. Hazard index (HI) values of soil for Cr and Pb in children were 7 and 7.5 times higher than adults respectively. Lifetime cancer risk (LCR) value for Cr by different exposure pathways of soil was 5.361 × 10−4 for children which are at the lower borderline of risk for cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid industrial development, high population growth, and rapid urbanization of Saudi Arabia have led to increased pollution and waste levels. Every day, solid waste disposal for governments and local authorities becomes a significant challenge. Saudi Arabia produces over 15 million tonnes of solid waste annually, with a population of around 29 million. The waste production per person is estimated at between 1.5 and 1.8 kg per day per person. About 75% of the population in urban areas is concentrated, making it imperative that government steps are taken to boost the country's waste recycling and management scenario. The production of solid waste in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam, three of the largest cities, exceeds seven million tonnes annually, which shows the enormity of the civic body problem. During this study, the design Expert software was involved in the optimization of process parameters during the collection of municipal solid waste (MSW) from Jeddah city. The use of design experiments and numerical optimization is quite effective in optimizing the different process parameters on the overall cost. Saudi Arabia has a critical need for a resilient waste system and agile waste management system to control its municipal solid waste quickly and environmentally friendly for achieve Saudi Vision 2030. For this study design of experiment, software was employed to optimize the cost per trip, thereby considering process parameters. It is therefore essential to examine the existing practices and future opportunities for solid waste collection, storage, and disposal. This study considered that MSW generated in Saudi Arabia which is having great potential to be converted into wealth. Hence, considering the current environment situation, energy prospective and future management strategies for MSW have also been reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SKD11 is widely used in manufacturing die. With the development of industrial level, the size of the die is further reduced, and the difficult processing problem of high aspect ratio (HAR) micro-structures is exposed. Micro-milling is a suitable method for machining HAR micro-structures; however, the inevitable generation of burrs deteriorates the machined surface. Previous studies have mostly focused on the burr formation process of shallow grooves but have ignored HAR grooves. This paper investigated the burr formation mechanism in HAR (2:1) grooves on harden steel (SKD11). Due to the fact that the burr formation process was difficult to be observed in the actual micro-milling process, a finite element model was established. A corresponding experimental research was conducted, which revealed a good consistency between simulation and experimental results. Moreover, a new burr type was formed on the sidewall of the HAR groove, which was transformed from top burrs and was named as side burr. The results demonstrated that the chip flow on the rake face of the micro-mill was hindered by the sidewall, which caused chip crumbling, chip accumulation, and surface scraping, seriously affecting the burr formation mechanism. This paper revealed the burr formation mechanism for HAR grooves on SKD11, which provides basic data for manufacturing die with complex structure and small size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With growing human culture and industrialization, many pollutants are being introduced into aquatic ecosystems. In recent years, dyes have become a major water pollutant used in the manufacture of paints and other production purposes. In this research, the potential of duckweed (Lemna gibba) plant was investigated spectrophotometrically as an obvious bioagent for the biological decolorization of the organic dye C.I. Basic Green 4 (Malachite Green, BG4). Photosynthetic efficiency analysis showed that the photosynthetic apparatus of L. gibba is very tolerant to BG4. Significant induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging enzymes was observed after 24h of biodecolorization process in L. gibba treated with 15 and 30 mg/l BG4. The experimental results showed that L. gibba has a strong ability to extract BG4 from contaminated water and the best results were obtained at 25–30°C and pH 8.0. We conclude that duckweed L. gibba can be used as a potent decolorization organism for BG4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a long-term task, which puts forward high requirements on the sustainability of related policies and actions. Using the text analysis method, we analyze the China National Sustainable Communities (CNSCs) policy implemented over 30 years and its effects on achieving SDGs. We find that the national government needs to understand the scope of sustainable development more comprehensively, the sustained actions can produce positive effects under the right goals. The SDGs selection of local governments is affected by local development levels and resource conditions, regions with better economic foundations tend to focus on SDGs on human well-being, regions with weaker foundations show priority to basic SDGs on the economic development, infrastructures and industrialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Picea mongolica, a native species with excellent industrial wood quality and strong sand-fixing capacity, may be utilized in construction of urban green spaces in arid areas in China. However, now the sustainability of the ecosystems where this species grows is at serious risk due to a lack of natural regeneration. In this study, we developed an efficient regeneration system and comprehensively analyzed various factors affecting somatic embryogenesis (SE) using zygotic embryos as explants. We identified the optimal plant growth regulators (PGRs) performance and the best donor trees (k81) for the generation of somatic embryos (SEMs). Additionally, we confirmed that the positive developmental window of SEMs initiation was at the end of July to early August, which is when zygotic embryos was at the late embryogeny. In this time period, specific transcripts associated with the regulation of epigenetic modifications, plant hormone-related genes, and embryonic development-related transcription factors play important roles for early SEMs initiation. These results may provide a valuable resource for vegetative propagation of Picea mongolica. Our results may help to establish a reliable protocol for plantlet regeneration, which may facilitate urban greening applications and industrialization in arid areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metals, including chromium, are associated with developed industrialization and technological processes, causing imbalanced ecosystems and severe health concerns. The current study is of supreme priority because there is no previous work that dealt with the modeling of the optimization of the biosorption process by the immobilized cells. The significant parameters (immobilized bacterial cells, contact time, and initial Cr6+ concentrations), affecting Cr6+ biosorption by immobilized Pseudomonas alcaliphila, was verified, using the Plackett–Burman matrix. For modeling the maximization of Cr6+ biosorption, a comparative approach was created between rotatable central composite design (RCCD) and artificial neural network (ANN) to choose the most fitted model that accurately predicts Cr6+ removal percent by immobilized cells. Experimental data of RCCD was employed to train a feed-forward multilayered perceptron ANN algorithm. The predictive competence of the ANN model was more precise than RCCD when forecasting the best appropriate wastewater treatment. After the biosorption, a new shiny large particle on the bead surface was noticed by the scanning electron microscopy, and an additional peak of Cr6+ was appeared by the energy dispersive X-ray analysis, confirming the role of the immobilized bacteria in the biosorption of Cr6+ ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the spatial and temporal patterns of human pressures provides a foundation for understanding interactions between human and environment and managing human activities for a sustainable development. This study is the first attempt focused within China at calculating the spatial–temporal human footprint and its driving forces in a highly urbanized area with intensive human activities. Population, land use, night-time lights, and road impacts were used to generate human footprint maps of Jiangsu Province for 2000, 2010 and 2015 with a resolution of 1 km * 1 km. Five natural drivers and four anthropogenic drivers were employed to construct generalized additive models for explaining the spatial variation of human footprint and its change. It shows that a large difference is between the human footprint in northern and southern Jiangsu, and the pattern of human pressures conforms to the "Matthew effect", with spatial aggregation of high human footprint areas accelerating. Slope, industrialization level are significant in explaining the spatial variation of human footprint in 2000, 2010 and 2015. The effect of natural drivers decreases for explaining the human footprint over time. Furthermore, annual precipitation, mean annual temperature and urban per capita disposable income are also significant drivers for human footprint in 2010 and 2015. And the increasing of human footprint slows with increasing of industrialization level. The difference of industrialization level and urban income between northern and southern Jiangsu mainly caused different driving pattern for human footprint and its change. Our study has generated new insights on the interaction pattern between human and nature in highly developed regions based on the human footprint concept, and can provide references for managing human activities in similar regions rapid socioeconomic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satellite observations of the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) for tropospheric sulfur dioxide (SO2) and formaldehyde (HCHO) column mass densities (CMD) are analyzed for the period 2005–2016 over the atmosphere of Kazakhstan. Regarding SO2 the major hot spots relate to regions with high population and large industrial facilities. Such an example is the city of Ekibastuz that hosts the biggest thermal power plants in the country and exhibits the higher SO2 CMD at national level. The annual average CMD in Ekibastuz reaches 2.5 × 10−5 kg/m2, whereas for the rest of the country respective values are 6 times lower. Other hotspots, mostly urban conglomerates such as Almaty and Nur-Sultan, experience high CMDs of SO2 in particular years, such as 2008. One of the main reasons for this behavior is the financial crisis of 2008, forcing the application of alternate heating sources based on cheap low-quality coal. Regarding HCHO, an oxygenated Volatile Organic Compound (VOC), the main hot spot is noticed over the city Atyrau, the oil capital of the country where two massive oil fields are located. The highest HCHO CMD (9 × 1015 molecules/cm2) appears in the summertime due to secondary production as a result of the photo-oxidation of VOCs emitted by industrial sectors, oil refinery plants and vehicles. Strongly elevated HCHO amounts are also observed in Nur-Sultan in 2012 that could be due to the residential coal combustion and vehicle exhaust under poor winter dispersion conditions. Significant reductions in HCHO observed between 2012 and 2015 can be attributed to two significant measures implemented in the country in 2013 that aimed at the improvement of air quality: the introduction of the emission trading system (ETS) for greenhouse gases and Euro-4 standards for new vehicles entering the national vehicle fleet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Artisanal mining of cassiterite is one tedious activity that is done daily. It involves daily extraction of economic mineral deposits through the use of primitive tools like shovel, digger, and spade. The continuous extractive act by these artisanal miners tends not to bother the Government of Nigeria and as such, there is no detailed record that collates the quantity of cassiterite mined and processed per day. For instance, tin, tantalite, columbite, zircon, ilmenite, and wolframite are buried in the bowels of Plateau, Nasarawa, Kaduna State, etc. This research aims at discussing the importance of cassiterite mining in Plateau and its benefit to Nigeria's economy Results: The obtained results from an interactive session with artisanal miners at Bisichi (Kara II) and Kuru-Jentar as well as sampling active and inactive mine pits at the visited mine site prove that a maximum number of 4 bags of cassiterite is mined per day from each lotto pit which is equivalent to ₦660,000 (using the 2018 price of ₦165,000 per processed 50 kg of tin). Samples of cassiterite gotten from the study area show a high percentage of tin (Sn) after X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis was conducted on it. Also, the visited mine pit is 3 ft in diameter, the shaft is 30 ft and an adit of 25 ft. Conclusively, the Nigerian Government stands the chance of having financial stability if she seizes the opportunity by ensuring that the mining sector is improved and, also, by forming cooperatives that would be involved in collating the various products made. Taxes paid to these cooperatives will serve as another source of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for the nation. Financial grant can be disbursed through these cooperatives to encourage the use of mechanized mining, but if nothing is done, the economy of Nigeria will continue to dwindle leading to a financial crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the relation between mineral rents and development outcomes at the subnational level. The classical literature suggests that natural resource abundance has negative effects on well-being, a situation referred to as the resource curse. However, a novel strand of research emphasizes that rentier states worldwide exhibit contrasting outcomes. To account for such variation, this investigation aligns with approaches stressing the significance of contextual (place and institutional) factors to studying the resource curse. The main claim in this work is that both structural and institutional factors related to the extractive industry help account for variation in development outcomes. It contends that mineral rents are positively associated with human development and economic industrialization when the extractive sector is not geographically concentrated in enclave economies, and subnational fiscal institutions redistribute enough rents from producing to non-producing districts. It empirically tests this argument using a time series cross-sectional analysis, a difference-in-difference (DiD) estimation, and two case studies in Argentina, a country where subnational territorial units collect mineral royalties and have exogenously created their own rent-sharing regimes. It finally provides some comparative implications that may contribute to current debates on the socioeconomic impact of natural resource wealth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fibers obtained by centrifugal melt electrospinning exhibit high production efficiency, controllable morphology, and excellent mechanical properties. Therefore, centrifugal electrospinning technology is in alignment with the industrial development trend of superfine fiber preparation. However, during the rapid development of this new spin method, some fundamental understanding of the relationships between the fiber performance and centrifugal force, electric field force, and gravity is unclear. In this study, the effect of the spin factors on the fiber properties (diameter, yield, and molecular chain formation) is investigated by dissipative particle dynamics simulation. The results show that in an electrostatic field, if the rotating speed, temperature, and electric field intensity increases, the fiber diameter decreases, and fiber productivity and chain length increase. In a pulsed electric field, the fiber diameter is very small when the duty ratio is 70% and the chain length is long when the duty ratio is 100%. However, as the frequency increases, the fiber diameter decreases sharply, whereas the chain length increases gradually. When the fiber drops rapidly, the chain length generally becomes longer with increasing steps. The above knowledge of the fiber performance and spin factors will contribute significantly to obtain high-quality fibers using centrifugal melt electrospinning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Origami-based sheet metal (OSM) bending is an extension of rigid origami technique, where the final 3D structure is created from a single 2D flat pattern by bending. The key aspect of OSM is material discontinuity (MD), which helps achieve a unique dieless bending process. MD is a feature along bend line of blank sheet and it can be fabricated using laser or water jet cutting. Even though a number of successful implementations of OSM bending have been found, these cases are limited only to product development and industrial application. The mechanics of OSM bending with respect to parameters that define MD, blank sheet, as well as the bending process have not been studied. Thus, this study identifies parameters and investigates the effect of identified parameters associated with OSM bending. Parameters studied in this work include design parameters and process parameters. Design parameters are kerf-to-thickness (k/t) ratio, web-to-width (w/b) ratio, and thickness of sheet (t). These are associated with MD design. The process parameters are related to OSM bending process, and they include punch placement (t+g), offset distance (s), and punch radius (RP). Finite element analysis (FEA) is performed to investigate the effect of these parameters on the OSM bending process. The simulated OSM bending cases resulted in successful bending without using a die. The general recommendation is provided for selecting parameters of OSM bending based on results. In addition, the shape of MD is an important factor when designing the OSM bending process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking smart manufacturing as a strategy for industrial development, China has put forward a people-oriented policy and launched a series of plans for smart manufacturing talent education (SMTE). The demand for smart manufacturing talents in ten priority areas and the industrial applications in China is very huge. Therefore, in this paper, a reference system of SMTE in China is presented, which includes discipline system, training system, practice system, and assessment system. In order to further refine the architecture of smart manufacturing system, a reference course system was proposed; the system contains seven layers, which are basic layer, technique layer, implementation layer, management layer, platform layer, application layer, and industrialization layer. Finally, nine stakeholders of the common operation body were investigated, and a reference implementation of SMTE in China was put forward. In this paper, the smart manufacturing talent education reference system, reference model, and related reference subsystems can be a very useful guideline for Chinese industry and education to design, set, and carry out the smart manufacturing talent education system. At the same time, the system has its reference value for the improvement of China's smart manufacturing system architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural rubber latex (NRL) from Hevea brasiliensis can accelerate wound healing, but membranes made of NRL have shown low cellular interaction limiting their application as implants. By employing dipping layer-by-layer (LbL) technique, we were previously able to glow human fibroblast cells on NRL films. But this method is time consuming which hinders industrialization. Therefore, NRL films were produced using polyethyleneimine (PEI) by spraying (sp) LbL method, which proved to be 10 times faster than dipping techniques. Rinsed and non-rinsed sp films were produced by triggering the spray devices five times for each material. Both (PEI/NRL)5 and (PEI/NRL)15 spraying and dipping films were then analyzed by UV-vis, AFM, and contact angle measurements. In order to evaluate the cellular interaction, Vero cells were directly cultivated on the LbL films up to 24 h. Results showed that despite non-rinsed sp films having lower amount of material than dipping ones, Vero cells adhere similarly on both. Rinsed (PEI/NRL)5 sp films, on the other hand, presented higher amount of cellular attachment as well as smaller NRL particles on the films' surface. Thus, it was possible to increase cellular interaction of NRL and produce films 10 times faster by employing spraying LbL method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a two-country, three-sector model to quantify the effects of Korean trade policies for structural change from 1963 through 2000. The model features non-homothetic preferences, Armington trade, proportional import tariffs and export subsidies, and is calibrated to match sectoral value added data on Korean production and trade. Korea's tariff liberalization increased imports and trade, especially agricultural imports, accelerating de-agriculturalization and intensifying industrialization. Korean subsidy liberalization lowered exports and trade, especially industrial exports, attenuating industrialization. Thus, while individually powerful agents for structural change, Korea's tariff and subsidy reforms offset each other. Subsidy reform dominated quantitatively; lower trade, higher agricultural and lower industrial employment shares, and slower industrialization were observed than in a counterfactual economy with no post-1963 policy reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widespread use and continuous improvements of machine tools have had a significant impact on productivity in manufacturing industry ever since the Industrial Revolution. At the dawn of the new era of industrialization, the need to advance machine tools to a new level that accords to the concept of Industrie 4.0 has to be recognised and addressed. Muck like the different stages of industrialisation, machine tools have also gone through different stages of technological advancements, i.e., Machine Tool 1.0, Machine Tool 2.0 and Machine Tool 3.0. Industrie 4.0 pleads for a new generation of machines-Machine Tool 4.0. This paper describes some of the key and desired characteristics of Machine Tool 4.0 such as Cyber-physical Machine Tools, vertically and horizontally integrated machine tools and more intelligent, autonomous and safer machine tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inertia of the stacked multi-degree-of-freedom platform imposes limitation on the achievable motion speed. To overcome this barrier, the unstable design becomes very attractive. This research presents a novel single-deck dual-axis linear motor platform that is capable of fast long-range motion. The platform is equipped with air-bearing design to achieve backlash-free operation. As a result, the positioning rigidity depends entirely on the performance of the servo system. A force distribution control is used to decouple the difference axis dynamics. This research also proposes a chain scattering description (CSD) setup to allow a pseudo-derivative feedback (PDF) control framework that is commonly used in industrial motion control for achieving high servo rigidity. An interesting finding is that our experiments show that without the help of complex piggyback piezoelectric stage, the single-deck platform design, with a stroke as large as 20 mm, can already reach a servo accuracy of ±60 and ±80 nm in the x- and y-axis and 600 μarcsec in the yaw axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the impact of the treatment of slurry liquid fraction (LF) acidified to pH 5.5 (ALF) on nitrification and denitrification processes after soil application. The impact of such treatment was compared with that of untreated LF, LF treated with a nitrification inhibitor (3,4-Dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP)) (LF + DMPP). An incubation was conducted using the denitrification incubation system (DENIS/gas-flow-core technique) at a constant temperature of 20 °C and lasted for 32 days in order to follow nitrogen dynamics and gaseous emissions (NO, NO, CO) from soil. Inhibition of ammonium nitrification and nitrate accumulation was evident in both LF + DMPP and ALF at the top soil (0-3.75 cm) and those effects were stronger in the LF + DMPP. Denitrification was the main source of NO emissions from soils amended with treated and untreated LF. Compared to the untreated LF, the ALF significantly reduced the total N lost as NO from 0.10% to 0.05% of the applied N whereas the DMPP reduced the total N lost as NO from 0.10% to 0.07%. Relative to the untreated LF, the ALF reduced the total N lost as NO emissions from 0.03% to 0.02% of the applied N whereas DMPP addition led to a stronger decrease from 0.03% to 0.01%. Both, ALF and LF + DMPP had no impact on CO emissions relative to the untreated LF. The ALF reduced CO emissions by 19% relative to the LF + DMPP. Our results demonstrate that slurry acidification affect not only nitrification but also the denitrification process. This suggests that slurry acidification is a valid technique to minimize N emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper first presents a brief review of development courses of additive manufacturing technology and summarizes the development status and the application fields of additive manufacturing technology, then, according to the manufacturing methods, it focuses on the principles and characteristics of several main additive manufacturing technologies. This paper also analyzes the existing problems and challenges of additive manufacturing technology and its future development trend. This paper aims to provide references for the development direction of additive manufacturing technology in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses the development of a generic platform underlying the design of custom CNC systems for hi-tech production complexes, where either conventional CNC systems are inapplicable or control tasks cannot be fully accomplished. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of manufactured goods is one of the most important prerequisites that ensure industrial development of the countries, persistence, and the competitiveness of businesses in global market. For this reason, the lack of qualitative characteristics in the products of some manufacturing units causes the absence of their competition in the market. One of the major problems of the stone industry is lack of proper planning of management to produce high-quality stone and according to the international standards. Therefore, management techniques should be used to improve the quality of products and solve the existing problem. Despite multiple tools, failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) is an effective tool in quality management. Therefore, in this study, at first, by using FMEA technique, failures in the stone industry in Iran have been identified, and the causes of each failure, and their effects and preventive and control measures of any failure are investigated. Finally, to achieve real results, the imposed costs related to any failure in the system have been calculated, and to prioritize failures instead of the use of risk priority number (RPN) is performed by using FMEA and data envelopment analysis (DEA). Somehow, the three factors of severity, occurrence, and detection of failures as inputs and cost as undesirable output are considered in this approach. The results of FMEA-DEA approach based on the cost, at Travertine and Marble processing industry, show the abilities of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper focuses on a new concept of evaluation of a performance index of hot forging dies through the combination of a process behaviour model and a reliability approach analysis of the forging process. The process behaviour is modelled and simulated using the computer-aided engineering FORGE® tool that allowed optimizing the forging parameters and determining the stresses and strains together with temperatures during the forging process and also identifying the factors affecting the die life. The respective reliability mechanical model is developed and reliability simulations have been conducted using PHIMECASoft tool in order to evaluate the reliability index β and determine the sensitivity of the variations in the random values of the input parameters of the forging process. The concept of this contribution has been applied to real industrial dies used to forge automotive steering levers produced in the forging workshop of the Ferrovial Company of Annaba in Algeria. The performance index is given by the number of forged parts corresponding to the reliability index of the dies before failure occurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industry is the backbone of the European economy-producing 80% of Europe's exports, accounting for 80% of private Research, Technology Development and Innovation (RTDI) expenditures, and providing more than 30 million jobs with additional 70 million in related sectors. Thus, the manufacturing sector plays a vital role in fostering economic growth and social welfare across Europe, and it has the potential to provide innovative solutions for the grand societal challenges. However, European Industry's share of added value has substantially decreased during the last decades. Against this backdrop, the European ManuFuture platform was created in 2003 to provide visions, scenarios as well as RTDI strategies and roadmaps for the re-industrialization of Europe. This article recapitulates the successful Vision 2020 generation and implementation process of the ManuFuture community. Based on a systemic assessment of the multi-actor, multi-governance-level and multi-sector policy approach, success factors are elaborated as guiding principles and framework for the upcoming Vision 2030 process. With reference to currently discussed issues in the European Research and Innovation area such as digitising industry and circular economy, this article concludes with some options to pursue the 'ManuFuture Road'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the Soviet Union's collapse, Russia implemented reforms aimed at transitioning to a market economy and devolving power to regional and municipal levels of government. Although it is well known that these reforms created significant uncertainty, economic crises, and protest, most existing studies do not explore the considerable variation in protest patterns across localities. This article asks why, despite similar pressures, some cities have experienced protests that are consistently larger and more intense than others. Focusing on the context of the many company towns that emerged during Soviet industrialization, I construct a paired comparison of two average-sized company towns using process tracing through interviews and archival documents. This article also employs an original protest database created through newspaper analysis that tracks not only the instances of protest but also protest size, demands, and targets. What emerges are two pathways that explain the divergent protest structures in the two company towns studied. In Cherepovets, a city that is less dependent on the central state, local elites pursued strategies of co-optation and suppression, limiting the opportunity structure for contentious politics to small-scale, local protests. In Komsomolsk-na-Amure, a city where the primary industry is in decline and dependent on support from the center, local elites converged with opposition groups to improve their bargaining position vis-à-vis the central government; this produced protests that were larger and more extreme and targeted the system as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy consumption is increasing along with the world's population and industrialization level; thus, energy and resource efficiency in manufacturing is of vital importance. In order to increase energy and resource efficiency, the amount of consumed energy must first be accurately quantified for each manufacturing process. Milling is one of the most common machining operations. In this study, a prediction model for estimating theoretical energy consumption involved in milling of prismatic parts is presented. The prediction model relies on the STEP Application Protocol 224 features for volumetric information and material properties of prismatic parts. Verification tests exemplify how engineers can utilize the presented prediction model and approach to measuring machine tool energy consumption. Test results show that the prediction model runs with 5 % accuracy. Also, effect of cutter path for prismatic milling is investigated for certain features. Furthermore, response surface methodology is utilized in order to determine optimal milling parameters of slot feature in order to minimize energy consumption when machining AISI 304 stainless steel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kashan Plain is located in an arid area on the west side of central desert of Iran in north of Isfahan province. In recent decades, increasing population, industrial and agricultural developments in the region that require water withdrawal have resulted in the decline of groundwater and the occurrence of subsidence in this plain. Since 1991, earth fissures that have caused many damages to buildings, farmlands and roads have been observed in many parts of Kashan Plain. The lengths of some of these fissures are more than 2 km long. In this study, after determining the location and direction of fissures, the probable influential causes of earth fissuring were investigated. The results indicated that the main causes of this phenomenon are basically the decline of groundwater head, variation in sediment thickness due to bedrock anomalies and differential vertical compaction. In order to investigate the rate of land subsidence in the Kashan Plain, the Envisat ASAR data from 2003 to 2008 were used. The displacement maps were generated by InSAR time series analysis. The maximum rate of subsidence in this period was determined to be about 3.5 cm/year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of abandoned mine subsidence on transportation facilities is a growing concern due to rapid urbanization and industrialization in China. Transportation infrastructures are being or will be developed in many areas with potential subsidence problems. Consequently, it is necessary to assess and mitigate the long-term and progressive residual subsidence effects on transportation facilities in such regions. This paper presents an integrated framework to identify and mitigate the risks of abandoned mine subsidence on highway infrastructures. The framework comprises four steps: comprehensive investigations of abandoned mine features; identification of subsidence mechanisms, conceptual model construction and risk assessment; optimization of remedial solutions and development of a management strategy. A case study that demonstrates a successful application of the framework is also presented in this paper. In this example, a technique that integrates remote-sensing analysis throughout surface features with conventional investigation methodologies is proved to be a potential tool to detect and understand areas that might be at risk of surface subsidence. Based on the analysis of the representative failure mechanisms observed in situ and the influencing factors, a methodology has been developed to assess the geohazards associated with mine subsidence. Moreover, the proposed criteria for stability classification allowed us to define three geohazard levels on a regional scale. Subsequently, based on a brief review of remedial works made in China, the paper gives some recommendations to identify the most appropriate solutions to mitigate residual subsidence risk on transportation infrastructures. Such integrated decision-making framework will assist practitioners and regulators in identifying the potential risks of residual subsidence on transportation routes, optimising the most appropriate alignments, and assessing risk management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in the timing of the seasonal cycle are important to natural ecosystems and human society, particularly agronomic activity. Urbanization effects (UEs) on surface air temperature changes at the local scale can be strong. Quantifying the observed changes in the timing of the seasonal cycle associated with UEs or large-scale background climatic warming is beneficial for the detection and attribution of regional climate change and for effective human adaptation, particularly in China, where rapid urbanization and industrialization are occurring. In this study, long-term changes in 24 particular timings of seasonal cycle, known as the Twenty-four Solar Terms (24STs), in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River in China are analyzed on the basis of homogenized daily temperature data over 1961-2010. UEs on these changes are further assessed by using a rural-station network selected from 2419 meteorological stations. In terms of area mean, half of the 24STs have significantly warmed, and UEs have contributed to 0.07-0.14 °C/decade or 25.7-64.0 % of the overall warming. The climatic solar terms from mid-February to early May (September and early October) have significantly advanced (delayed) by 5-17 days (approximately 5 days) over the last 50 years; 2-4 (2-3) of these days are attributed to UEs. The contribution of urbanization to the advancing or delaying trends is 21.7-69.5 %. The implications of these quantitative results differ for farmers, urban residents, and migrant workers in cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Companies link one with another through product flow in a supply chain, so pursuing an optimal integrated production and delivery policy can help them to win from the starting line. In this research, a single-producer multi-buyer integrated model is proposed, in which the producer and all buyers work collaboratively at minimizing their total operation cost. The model is based on the equal replenishments and production cycle assumption; several aspects, as ordering cost reduction, deteriorating, backorder (buyers side), remanufacturing, and raw materials cost (producer side), are considered. The solving algorithm is established and three numerical examples are presented. An analysis is also performed to discuss the sensitivity of some important system parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]