Source Characteristics Research Articles

CoFFEE: a codec-based forensic feature extraction and evaluation software for H.264 videos

The forensic analysis of digital videos is becoming increasingly relevant to deal with forensic cases, propaganda, and fake news. The research community has developed numerous forensic tools to address various challenges, such as integrity verification, manipulation detection, and source characterization. Each tool exploits characteristic traces to reconstruct the video life-cycle. Among these traces, a significant source of information is provided by the specific way in which the video has been encoded. While several tools are available to analyze codec-related information for images, a similar approach has been overlooked for videos, since video codecs are extremely complex and involve the analysis of a huge amount of data. In this paper, we present a new tool designed for extracting and parsing a plethora of video compression information from H.264 encoded files, including macroblocks structure, prediction residuals, and motion vectors. We demonstrate how the extracted features can be effectively exploited to address various forensic tasks, such as social network identification, source characterization, and double compression detection. We provide a detailed description of the developed software, which is released free of charge to enable its use by the research community to create new tools for forensic analysis of video files.

Quantifying Pleistocene loess provenance in midcontinental North America using a mixing model: Implications for glacial lobe evolution along the southern Laurentide ice sheet

Quaternary glaciations have significantly impacted the midcontinental North American landscape, leaving behind a proglacial sediment record of glacial lake deposits, glacio-fluvial sand and gravel, and windblown loess. This paper aims to expand upon a previous study using detrital zircon provenance analysis to investigate midcontinental North American loess provenance in relation to the glacial history of the southern Laurentide ice sheet during the middle to late Pleistocene. The study incorporates previously published detrital zircon data from last glacial tills (representing the Huron-Erie Lobe, Lake Michigan Lobe, Green Bay Lobe, Superior Lobe, Des Moines Lobe, and James Lobe), middle to late Pleistocene loess from several sites along the Illinois and Mississippi River valleys, and suspended sediment load inputs from the Missouri River and Arkansas River. A statistical mixing model (DzMix version 2.2) was used to estimate the relative proportions of glacial and nonglacial sources to Wisconsin Episode, Illinois Episode, and pre–Illinois Episode age loess. We show that mixing models that include the modern suspended sediment loads of the Missouri and Arkansas Rivers significantly improve (up to 23% increase in cross-correlation value) the source characterization of Wisconsin Episode (last glacial) and Illinois Episode (penultimate glacial) loess deposits within the Mississippi River drainage basin. These river sources are dominant inputs for certain loess sites (as much as 51%), but their relative contributions are not static across time and space, which has implications for temporal and spatial differences in relative sediment source estimates and glacial and fluvial sediment transport evolution. Specifically, differences in relative sediment proportion estimates among Wisconsin, Illinois, and pre–Illinois Episode loess support previous evidence for the persistence of a Quebec-Labrador ice dome source through multiple glacial cycles, even with the inclusion of river sources in updated mixing models. Illinois and pre–Illinois Episode loess in the southern portion of our study area received ~20% detrital zircon input from sources similar to the present-day Missouri and Arkansas Rivers, suggesting that these river systems were contributing a significant amount of detritus to the lower Mississippi River valley region during the middle Pleistocene.

What Makes a Social Media User an Opinion Leader? Source Characteristics and Consumers’ Behavioral Intentions

Instagram as a social media platform has gained prominence as the medium of influencer marketing practices targeting consumers of beauty products, yet little is known about source characteristics affecting Instagram opinion leadership resulting in consumers’ purchasing behavior. Thus, this work examines effects of Instagram influencers’ attributes (credibility, attractiveness, innovativeness, and sense of humor) on their perceived opinion leadership and its subsequent impacts on consumers’ behavioral intentions. The research also analyzes complementary moderating effects of parasocial relationship and social identity reinforcing behavioral implications of social media opinion leadership. Empirical results from 202 Instagram followers reveal that credibility, innovativeness, and sense of humor exert positive influence on perceived opinion leadership which subsequently enhances levels of positive word-of-mouth, purchase, and loyalty intentions. Besides, social identity strengthens positive impacts of opinion leadership on consumers’ word-of-mouth and purchase intentions. Thus, the findings not only contribute to the theory of opinion leadership, but have beneficial implications enabling beauty brands to develop effectual social media marketing communication strategies.

Exploring the relationship between lignin structure and antioxidant property using lignin model compounds

Lignin has a natural polyphenol structure that is expected to replace chemically synthesized antioxidants as a native antioxidant with biodegradable and convenient source characteristics. However, the improvement of the antioxidant property of lignin and its application as an antioxidant are still somewhat limited due to the lack of understanding of the relationship between specific lignin structures and antioxidant property. Therefore, the study of the relationship between lignin structure and antioxidant property is crucial to realize the high-quality application of lignin. In this experiment, the scavenging ability of free 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH·) radicals was determined for different grades of acetylated tannins, typical lignin model compounds and different structural units of milled wood lignin to investigate the relationship between lignin structure and antioxidant property. Based on the experimental results, some structure-activity relationships were proposed and the mechanism of the antioxidant property of lignin was discussed. The number of phenolic hydroxyl groups was linearly and positively correlated with antioxidant property, and the scavenging of DPPH radicals increased significantly with the increase in the number of methoxy groups in the model compounds. Moreover, aldehyde and carboxyl groups had a negative effect on the antioxidant property of lignin, while methoxy, alkyl and alcohol hydroxyl groups played a positive role. The guaiacyl (G) and syringyl (S) units favored the antioxidant property, so the difference in the content of structural units in lignin under certain conditions of phenolic hydroxyl content also affected the antioxidant property. Therefore, the antioxidant property of aspen milled lignin was higher than that of other milled lignin from different wood species. Finally, the mechanism of DPPH free radical scavenging by lignin was revealed to better understand the relationship between lignin structure and antioxidant property.

Characteristics of Vibration Sources and Their Propagation Properties in Shield Construction

The vibration generated during the shield construction process may have an impact on the surrounding environment and structures, so it is particularly important to study the characteristics of its vibration sources and propagation properties. This paper analyzes the characteristics of the main vibration sources of the shield machine during the construction process, including the vibration frequency, amplitude distribution and so on. Through the literature research of various experts and scholars, the change rule of vibration sources under different working conditions is explored, and the propagation characteristics of vibration in the soil body are studied. This study can provide reference basis for vibration control and environmental protection during shield construction. The main conclusions are as follows: 1) the vibration during shield construction is mainly generated by the interaction between the cutter plate and the surrounding rock; 2) the frequency of vibration caused by shield construction is mainly in the range of 0~80Hz, and the amplitude is related to the nature of the excavated soil and the construction parameters; 3) the vibration tends to decrease with the increase of the distance, and the high-frequency vibration propagates faster than the low-frequency attenuation in the soil body.

Evaluation and pollution analysis of water environment of state-controlled river in Zaozhuang City from 2016 to 2022

The quality of water environment is closely linked to the survival and development of human beings. Thanks to the Water Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan, the quality of the water environment has improved significantly. However, challenges remain in the surface water environment due to human activities in the basin. We analyze the surface water quality of the six state-controlled rivers in Zaozhuang City, which are key tributaries to the Nansi Lake and the water storage and distribution area of the South-to-North Water Diversion East Project. Physical-chemical parameters and metal pollutants were detected from 2016 to 2022. The Various indices were used for evaluating the surface water environmental quality and pollution issue. Although there were significant inter-year differences in each river, the results of Water quality index and Nemerow composite index analysis indicated that the water quality of the six rivers has continuously improved over the years. Nevertheless, as this research reports, such as considerable annual fluctuations in pollution factors, obvious pollution characteristics in river basins, and difficulty in controlling non-point source pollution, which still restrict the further improvement of the water environment. Each river presents various water environment problems due to differences in industrial structures within its basin. Through the analysis of production and lifestyle in each basin, the main pollution sources of each river were evaluated and determined. Based on the type and characteristics of pollution sources, control measures and optimization strategies are proposed for the improvement of the water environment.

Crustal stress near the Yakutat microplate collision from probabilistic earthquake focal mechanisms

Earthquake source characteristics provide a valuable constraint on crustal stress and regional plate tectonics. Earthquake source studies in Yukon and northern British Columbia have been limited by sparse seismic network coverage. In this work, we leverage recent seismic network improvements to estimate focal mechanisms for small and moderate-magnitude (M>2.0) earthquakes from P-wave first-motion polarity data. We invert these data within a probabilistic framework to rigorously quantify mechanism uncertainties. Subsequently, probabilistic earthquake focal mechanisms are used as input for inversions for the orientation of principal stress axes, and stress shape ratio, for spatial windows throughout the region. We implement a novel, data-driven approach to propagate focal mechanism uncertainty in stress inversion. Our results improve the spatial coverage of existing earthquake focal mechanisms and enable an orogenic-scale study of crustal stress near the Yakutat-North America collision. Overall, the region is characterized by a transpressive stress regime. Maximum horizontal compressive stress orientations exhibit a pattern orthogonal to the Yakutat collision syntaxis. Stress inversion results also reveal an abrupt change in orientation east-to-west, which we interpret as a change in stress regime across the Fairweather-Connector-Totschunda fault system that is likely related to coupling between the subducting Yakutat slab and North America. This work improves our understanding of potential earthquake hazards in southwestern Yukon and the surrounding region.

Integrated detrital rutile and detrital zircon ages: a new perspective on the tectonic evolution of South China

Abstract Paleogeographic reconstructions are of key importance for understanding the history of continental breakups and amalgamations during the whole history of the Earth. A special case is the history of the Asian continent, which, compared to other continents, consists of several large cratons and numerous smaller continental blocks. The history of the assembly of South China remains controversial in terms of the timing, Late Neoproterozoic or Early Paleozoic, and the participating continental blocks, e.g., Yangtze, Cathaysia, India and/or Australia. Detrital rutile U-Pb dating possesses a significant potential for deciphering tectonic settings as rutile frequently crystallizes during orogenic events associated with the processes of collision and subduction. Detrital zircon U-Pb dating is a perfect instrument for identifying provenance characteristics and age characteristics of sedimentary sources. An integration of these two methods of dating offers better opportunities for reconstructing tectonic settings. This paper presents a first attempt to reconstruct the Neoproterozoic to Early Palaeozoic tectonic history and paleogeography of the whole South China Block based on U-Pb geochronology of rutile and zircon and Hf-in-zircon isotopes from Lower Jurassic Baitianba Formation sedimentary rocks of the western margin of the Yangtze Block, a major part of South China. Our obtained integrated U-Pb rutile and zircon age data show three main age populations of 960-940 Ma, 630-610 Ma and 530-520 Ma. The new U-Pb detrital rutile and zircon ages, compared with former data from Gondwana and Australia, suggest that Yangtze amalgamated with Cathaysia to form South China during the Sibao orogeny at 960-940 Ma. The detrital rutile and zircons of the new 630-610 Ma age group could have been delivered from western Australia during Late Neoproterozoic to Cambrian Paterson-Petermann orogeny. The abundant 530-520 Ma detrital rutile and zircon ages fit well the coeval zircon age populations recorded in Gondwana-derived terranes, like India and Indochina.

Application of batch reverse osmosis as an appropriate technology for inland desalination: Design, modeling, and operating strategies

Despite the recent development of desalination, water scarcity problems in rural areas with insufficient infrastructure cannot be easily resolved. Although batch reverse osmosis (BRO), with its compact design and high second-law efficiency, presents a promising solution for low-energy desalination, the implementation of BRO in rural or energy-deficient regions remains challenging. This study suggests a novel concept of BRO as an appropriate technology (BRO-AT) powered by alternative energy sources, particularly livestock, aiming to achieve high recovery and permeate flux without external electricity. To effectively utilize the BRO-AT, two operating strategies, center supply and village-sharing, are proposed according to local livestock availability. Livestock working schedules were considered to analyze the performance of BRO-AT practically. In high recovery and large permeate flux cases, maximum recovery and permeate flux reached 0.9165 and 3.72 m3/d, respectively. Average recoveries of 0.8296 and 0.6937, and water production rates of 1.15 m3/d and 0.96 m3/d, were achieved using the center supply and village-sharing methods, respectively. This analysis demonstrates the feasibility of BRO-AT for rural regions and highlights the importance of understanding the dynamic characteristics of alternative power sources. The findings provide design and operation guidelines for BRO-AT, offering insights for future utilization and application in energy-limited areas.

A Global Perspective on Renewable Energy Implementation: Commitment Requires Action

Meeting renewable energy targets is one of the most significant global challenges to achieving SDG 7—Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. This study focuses on the global energy transition to understand the factors that influence success or failure in achieving targets. First, the gap between the stated targets and our predictions was calculated. Next, the roles of economic, political, and environmental variables in determining this gap were analyzed. Data were collected from 63 countries from 2000 to 2022, ensuring the global representativeness and robustness of the results. Many countries may struggle to meet their renewable energy targets. Political stability, regulatory quality, and investment freedom play a remarkable role in helping countries get closer to achieving their targets. More industrialized countries with large populations face greater challenges due to high energy intensity. This paper aims to predict the propensity of countries to meet their energy targets by integrating the forecasting and analysis of the economic, political, and geographical factors that influence a green transition. The results provide new insights into how socioeconomic and geopolitical differences influence the energy transition, offering insights for more effective policies. It is argued that accelerated administrative procedures are needed to reduce investment uncertainty and improve energy systems’ flexibility. In addition, involving local communities in the decision-making process is important to ensure the acceptance of RE projects. Finally, introducing energy markets that reflect the characteristics of renewable sources is recommended to facilitate a more rapid and sustainable transition.

Energy management with adaptive moving average filter and deep deterministic policy gradient reinforcement learning for fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles

Fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles (FCHEV) with battery (BAT) and supercapacitor (SC) advance in flexible configuration and high energy efficiency. However, the complex coupling relationship among various power sources poses a severe challenge to the design of the energy management system (EMS), including multi-degrees of freedom power allocation, fuel economy, and power sources lifespan of the FCHEV. This paper proposes an EMS based on a dual-layer power distribution structure. In the upper layer, adaptive moving average filter (AMAF) is designed to separate different frequency power, where the energy supply of the SC is managed to attenuate fluctuating power and simplifies the optimization problem and reduces computational costs. The lower layer is constructed by the deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) algorithm, where fuel cell system (FCS) hydrogen consumption and degradation rewards are designed to simultaneously enhance fuel efficiency and degradation performance by regulating the FCS real-time power variation. The proposed strategy has been evaluated regarding FCHEV fuel economy and FCS durability under combined driving cycle simulation, which shows AMAF + DDPG strategy reduces fuel consumption by 7.24 % and 1.3 %, also the degradation reduces by 0.04 % and 0.02 % compared with different EMS. Simulation results demonstrate that AMAF + DDPG optimizes the output characteristics of power sources.

A Summary of the Research on Feedback-seeking Behavior

Feedback seeking behavior of employees plays an important role in the development and progress of an organization. Among the influencing factors of feedback seeking behavior, leadership style has attracted the attention of researchers. In this study, the connotation, motivation and related research of feedback seeking behavior are sorted out. It can be found that the characteristics of feedback seekers, the characteristics of feedback sources and organizational environment factors may affect feedback seeking behavior. In a working environment full of positive interpersonal relationships, employees will be more willing to seek feedback actively.

Identification and characterization of potential sources of waterlogging tolerance in Vigna species as revealed by physiological, biochemical and gene expression profiling

Identification and characterization of potential sources of waterlogging tolerance in Vigna species as revealed by physiological, biochemical and gene expression profiling

Comparison of interfacial injected energy between simulated lightning return stroke experiment and common Joule heat & Arc heat model application

A previous study has shown that the thermal damage of the Joule thermal arc heat transfer model is lighter than that of a natural lightning strike. Therefore, this paper focuses on the return stroke current and proposes an improved experimental method of simulated return damage without using arc-inducing wire. Combining the data with the inversion model of injected energy, the energy transfer characteristics of the samples are characterized. Furthermore, a data dimensionality reduction method based on multiple correlation coefficients is used to discuss the impact of the current peak/rise rate/wave tail time on the injected energy discrepancy. The results indicate a positive correlation between the current peak and current rise rate with the injected energy discrepancy. When the tail time exceeds 15 microseconds, the injected energy discrepancy decreases as the tail time increases. The thermal source characteristics of energy transfer during the return stroke process are determined. During the initial phase of the return stroke current, interfacial energy transfer includes contributions from ion enthalpy flux, Joule heating, and electronic enthalpy flux. When the tail time exceeds 15 microseconds, the contribution of ion enthalpy flux to the injected energy diminishes with increasing tail time.

Marine Characteristic Changes Associated with Typhoon Soulik Observed Using Wave and Underwater Gliders

To assess the impact of Typhoon Soulik on the marine environment, unmanned platforms, specifically wave and underwater gliders, are used for surveys in the East Sea. From August 20 to 30, 2018, the wave glider collected meteorological data, while the underwater glider conducts CTD measurements within the typhoon’s impact zone. The data are compared with marine buoy data from the Korea Meteorological Administration and forecast model outputs using RMSE and correlation coefficients to evaluate the characteristics of each data source. The unmanned platform effectively capture the marine environmental changes during the typhoon passage, and the forecast model results show relatively lower RMSE and correlation with the observed data. The study also determines the time required for conditions to revert to pre-typhoon states. This research demonstrates the potential of unmanned platform data for enhancing marine surveys and forecast model accuracy.

Study on the Configuration and Fire-Resistant Property of Cable Tunnel Fireproof Clapboard Based on Equivalent Fire Condition Testing

At present, the selection criteria and configuration methods for fireproof clapboards in cable tunnels are not yet perfect, making it difficult to achieve effective fire protection. Therefore, an equivalent fire condition testing method is proposed to analyze the fire-resistant property of fireproof clapboards of different materials. Firstly, a tunnel fire experiment platform was built to carry out the combustion experiment of the high-voltage cable intermediate joint. The cable combustion equivalent fire source device is developed based on the temperature rise characteristics under different combustion conditions. However, the temperature rise characteristics of the equivalent fire source and the actual cable combustion error are within 10%. Then, four typical fireproof clapboards were tested under equivalent fire sources. The results indicate that the organic molded board has the best performance. In addition, factors such as the thickness, side panel height, and installation method of the fireproof clapboards were tested and analyzed. The results indicate that a minimum thickness of 5 mm for the fireproof clapboard and a height of 200 mm for the side panel of the clapboard are necessary to ensure effective protection. The installation method of hoisting fireproof clapboards can effectively extend the protection time by about 30% compared to the flat method.

Slag Inclusions in Iron Artifacts from Cemeteries at Kichigino I and Krasnaya Gorka, and the Metallurgy of the Early Iron Age Itkul Culture

Silicate slag inclusions in iron artifacts from the Trans-Urals and in iron slags from sites of the Itkul culture were analyzed to assess the geochemical characteristics of iron ore sources exploited during the Early Iron Age. Slag inclusions were found in 19 out of 25 samples from Kichigino I and Krasnaya Gorka. For comparison, we used 12 iron slag samples from Early Iron Age and medieval sites near Lake Irtysh and from Zotino mine. Via statistical analysis, four geochemical groups were separated, each including one or more Kichigino artifacts, which suggests a variety of iron ore sources used by the nomads. Slags and artifacts of the first group are associated with infiltration-sedimentary ironstone ores of the Middle Trans-Urals. Smithing slag from the Itkul site of Shatanov V suggests that these ores were already smelted in the Early Iron Age. The fact that group 1 includes only one artifact from Kichigino I demonstrates that the nomads of the Southern Trans-Urals obtained iron mainly from other sources. Group 2 is characterized by a higher content of Mn and sometimes Ba and S in inclusions. This may attest to the use of Fe-Mn ironstone associated with barite-polymetallic deposits of Central Kazakhstan. Group 3 shows an elevated content of CaO and MgO, indicating the use of ironstone from platform carbonate strata. In the fourth group, the content of K2O is high, and that of MnO, low.

Precise Relocation and Source Characterization of Two Earthquake Sequences in Yellow Sea Using Regional Lg-Wave Observations

ABSTRACT Two significant earthquakes of magnitude ML 4.6 and 4.5 occurred on 18 January and 3 December 2021 in the central region of the Yellow Sea, respectively. The earthquakes occurred beneath the Gunsan sedimentary basin at about 10 km depth with a strike-slip faulting mechanism on nodal planes striking northwest–southeast (NW–SE) and north-northeast–south-southwest (NNE–SSW). Despite a lack of close-by seismographic stations, we successfully utilized regional Lg-wave observations on both coasts of the sea—the Korean peninsula on the east and eastern China on the west. For nine earthquakes in two event sequences, the Lg-wave differential travel times of the nearby event pairs at the common station are carefully measured using the waveform cross-correlation technique. The double-difference earthquake relocation method is employed to obtain precise relative epicentral locations using the Lg correlation measurements. Relocated epicenters align along the NW–SE direction, indicating that the nodal plane striking the same direction is the likely fault plane on which both sequences occurred. This is the first case reported in the literature in which the causative fault plane has been identified for earthquakes in the central Yellow Sea region. It has an important implication for current regional tectonics; it favors neither old tectonic features trending NE–SW (Qianliyan uplift) nor the north–south alignment of significant earthquakes in the region along the Amur plate boundary. The Lg waves from the earthquake sequences are dominant seismic signals on all three-component records at stations in 160–550 km and allowed us to analyze source properties of the two largest earthquakes using the empirical Green’s function approach. Azimuthal variations of the source corner frequencies suggest that earthquake rupture likely propagated toward southeast (125°) along the fault plane, supporting the aftershock relocation results.

Molecular Characterization of a New Bacterial Source of Naringinase as Paenibacillus stellifer RAMCM-44 and Fermentative Production of Naringinase at Shake-Flask Level

Molecular Characterization of a New Bacterial Source of Naringinase as Paenibacillus stellifer RAMCM-44 and Fermentative Production of Naringinase at Shake-Flask Level

Novel methods for the control of blast noise from explosive depth hardening

DNV Spadeadam undertakes crucial major hazards testing to improve safety across a wide range of industries, including energy and infrastructure. One common form of testing is Explosive Depth Hardening (EDH) in which plastic explosives up to 10 kg TNT are used to harden pre-cast railway crossings in order to support national transport infrastructure. The operations produce extremely high intensity noise and are carried out up to 10 times per day. The source characteristics of the explosion are not well understood and vary significantly with operational demands. This has implications on occupational and environmental blast noise impacts. Quantification of the source characteristics are important for the exposures of site personnel with regards to providing adequate hearing protection. Moreover, for the purpose of managing environmental noise impacts on local communities, the uncertainties around source directivity and strength make long-range blast noise prediction difficult. This paper presents the current research on novel blast noise mitigation undertaken in the laboratory, such as experimental water curtains, water sprays, and metamaterial designs. It is proposed to implement novel methods developed in the laboratory for use during EDH shots at full-scale, and the potential improvements to occupational and environmental noise impacts will be discussed.