Desired Rate Research Articles

Optimal number of supercapacitors per submodule in the energy storage system based on a modular multilevel converter with embedded balance control

As renewable energy sources interconnected to the electric grid increase, deploying distributed energy storage systems along the grid is a viable solution to sustain grid stability. One of the critical aspects of any energy storage system is its efficiency in transferring power to the grid. Another important aspect is managing high power levels in a short time and being easily expandable in terms of energy capacity and power handling. For this reason, supercapacitors are suitable energy storage devices to fulfill these requisites. This article focuses on analyzing the losses and improving the efficiency of a supercapacitor energy storage system based on a modular multilevel converter, which accomplishes all the abovementioned functions and capabilities. The analyzed energy storage system is based on submodules, including the power electronic interface and the supercapacitors. Hence, the system can be easily expanded because the submodule provides the functions of balancing the energy storage devices, the DC/AC, and the DC/DC conversions by using the modular multilevel converter topology approach. Therefore, any number of submodules can be connected, and the operator can make an array of the desired power, energy, and voltage ratings. This study details a probabilistic loss analysis for the proposed supercapacitor energy storage system and presents a case study using 3000F supercapacitor cells for a 6.6 kW single-phase system. The improved submodule version is validated through simulations and experimentally with a lab-scale prototype. The results show how the proposed methodology increases the system's overall efficiency with a 95 % confidence level.

EquiCity game: a mathematical serious game for participatory design of spatial configurations

We propose a mathematical framework for developing social-choice games that are designed to mediate decision-making processes for city planning, urban area redevelopment, and architectural configuration of urban housing complexes. The proposed framework features a digital serious gaming approach for participatory design to support transparency and inclusion in the process of decision-making and ensure an equitable balance of sustainable development goals in spatial design outcomes. The mathematical process consists of a Markovian design machine for balancing the design decisions of actors, a massing configurator equipped with fuzzy logic and multi-criteria decision analysis, algebraic graph-theoretical accessibility evaluators, and automated solar-climatic evaluators using geospatial computational geometry. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the framework by implementing a multi-player online game that facilitates a participatory decision-making workshop for forming multi-functional building complexes by providing a generative configurator equipped with automated appraisal/scoring mechanisms for revealing the aggregate impact of alternatives. The EquiCity game empowers a group of decision-makers to reach a fair consensual spatial design by mathematically simulating many rounds of reasonable trade-offs between their decisions, with different levels of interest or control over various types of investments. The novelty of the framework is in its capability to encompass decision-making about the most idiosyncratic aspects of a site related to its heritage status and cultural significance to the most generic aspects such as balancing access to sunlight for the site while respecting ‘the right to sunlight’ of the neighbours of the site, ensuring coherence of the entire configuration with regards to a network of desired closeness ratings, the satisfaction of a programme of requirements, and intricately balancing individual development goals in conjunction with communal goals and environmental design codes.

Length effect of short base resin on thermomechanical properties of crosslinked epoxy resin via molecular dynamics simulation

Epoxy resin is commonly used as the matrix in carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP), fabricated through the curing reaction of the base resin and curing agent, whose properties have a deep relationship with the crosslinking degree of the polymer. However, under certain circumstances, the desired conversion rate cannot be achieved in the experiments. To shed light on this phenomenon and the underlying mechanisms, the curing process of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) with different chain lengths and 4,4′-diamino diphenyl sulfone (4,4′-DDS) was simulated as per our previously developed crosslinking algorithm. The longer chain length postpones but does not change the reaction progress (like the gel point), leading to a lower conversion rate, and ultimately a decrease in the diffusion coefficient. In addition, the influence on the glass transition temperature is the result of the competing effects of the conversion rate and monomer diffusivity. Moreover, the negligible effect on thermal conductivity is closely linked with a slight change in the monomeric degree index (MDI), reflecting the whole internal intrinsic structure. Furthermore, the effect on Young's modulus and yield stress has a deep relationship with the ring degree index (RDI), i.e., higher RDI demands more non-bonded energy for the collective movement of monomer chains. Our systematic investigation unifies the mechanism of the impact of chain length on various thermomechanical properties, which is instructive for the improved performance of epoxy resins.

Designing air-stable vanadium tetrasulfides anode materials via C[sbnd]O[sbnd]S bonding for potassium-ion and sodium-ion batteries

Sodium-ion (SIBs) and potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) have attracted intensive attention as promising alternatives to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to abundant natural resources and similar electrochemical characteristics. However, the progress of developing appropriate host materials for both Na+ and K+ ions storage still remains great challenges. Herein, we rationally designed and synthesized nano-spiral structured VS4 wrapped with reduced graphene oxide via COS bonding and served as the anode materials for SIBs and PIBs. Thanks to the air-stability, enhanced electronic conductivity, and enrich active sites, VS4@RGO composite presents an excellent discharge capacity of 475 mA h g−1 in SIBs and 225 mA h g−1 in PIBs at a current density of 5 A g−1, as well as capacity retention of almost 100% after 500 cycles. Particularly, the desirable rate capability could relevant to the rapid kinetic and interfacial storage suggested by quantitative study. Moreover, the intercalation and conversion reaction mechanism during K+ ions storage processes is fundamentally exposed via ex-situ X-ray diffraction, which could collaborative deliver high specific capacity and superior electrochemical reversibility.

Determinants of Fraud Prevention PT Perkebunan Nusantara XIV Takalar

The following are the research objectives in accordance with the goals of this study: Examining the following four topics will help us better understand how fraud is prevented: 1) the impact of internal audit; 2) the impact of audit quality; 3) the impact of good corporate governance; and 4) the combined impact of internal audit, internal control, audit quality, and good corporate governance. The effect of Audit Quality, Internal Audit, Good Corporate Governance has a positive and significant effect on Fraud Prevention at PT Perkebunan Nusantara XIV Takalar. PT Perkebunan Nusantara XIV Takalar has the desired rate with good financial quality, therefore with these criteria it can convince stakeholders in making all decisions, one of which is investing in the company.

Innovations in Antibody-Drug Conjugate (ADC) in the Treatment of Lymphoma.

Chemoimmunotherapy and cellular therapy are the mainstay of the treatment of relapsed/refractory (R/R) lymphomas. Development of resistance and commonly encountered toxicities of these treatments limit their role in achieving desired response rates and durable remissions. The Antibody-Drug Conjugate (ADC) is a novel class of targeted therapy that has demonstrated significant efficacy in treating various cancers, including lymphomas. To date, three ADC agents have been approved for different lymphomas, marking a significant advancement in the field. In this article, we aim to review the concept of ADCs and their application in lymphoma treatment, provide an analysis of currently approved agents, and discuss the ongoing advancements of ADC development.

Inert salt-assisted solvent-free synthesis of high-entropy oxide towards high-performance lithium-ion batteries

High-entropy oxide (HEO) is a promising anode material for lithium-ion battery (LIB) due to the synergistic effect of various metal species. Conventional HEO preparations typically involve a solid-state route or liquid-phase mixing followed by high-temperature calcination, leading to either a small surface area or environmental contamination. Herein, a novel, facile solvent-free preparation of HEOs is introduced, applying inert salt, NaCl, as an easily removable, eco-friendly and recyclable template. This approach realizes high-purity porous HEO (NPHEO) with specific surface area (28.1 m2 g−1) for high-performance lithium-ion batteries. With the enhanced electrochemical kinetics, the NPHEO anodes deliver a high reversible specific capacities of 1143.6 at 0.2 A/g. In addition, the NPHEO-based cells exhibit a desirable rate capability of 315.7 mAh/g at 5 A/g. At 1 A/g the cell delivers a good cyclability of 71.8 % capacity retention over 600 cycles, corresponding to an average coulombic efficiency of above 99.94 % per cycle. Ex-situ X-ray diffraction and in-situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy experiments further probe the structural evolution and electrochemical behavior during lithiation/delithiation, confirming the structural stability and fast electrochemical kinetics of NPHEO. The proposed advanced synthesis approach offers a new platform for the preparation of HEOs with high quality.

A MoS2 nanosheet-based CRISPR/Cas12a biosensor for efficient miRNA quantification for acute myocardial infarction

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) represents the leading cause of cardiovascular death worldwide, and it is thus pivotal to develop effective approaches for the timely detection of AMI markers, especially possessing the characteristics of antibody-free, signal amplification, and manipulation convenience. We herein construct a MoS2 nanosheet-powered CRISPR/Cas12a sensing strategy for sensitive determination of miR-499, a superior AMI biomarker to protein markers. The presence of miR-499 at a trace level is able to induce a significantly enhanced fluorescence signal in a DNA-based molecular engineering platform, which consists of CRISPR/Cas12a enzymatic reactions and MoS2 nanosheet-controllable signal reporting components. The MoS2 nanosheets were characterized by using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The detection feasibility was verified by using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) analysis and fluorescence measurements. The detection limit is determined as 381.78 pM with the linear range from 0.1 ⅹ 10−9 to 13.33 ⅹ 10−9 M in a fast manner (about 30 min). Furthermore, miRNA detection in real human serum is also conducted with desirable recovery rates (89.5 %–97.6 %), which may find potential application for the clinic diagnosis. We describe herein the first example of MoS2 nanosheet-based signal amplified fluorescence sensor for effective detection of AMI-related miRNA.

Enabling Delay-Guaranteed Congestion Control With One-Bit Feedback in Cellular Networks

Unexpected large packet delays are often observed in cellular networks due to huge network queuing caused by excessive traffic coming into the network. To deal with the large queue problem, many congestion control algorithms try to find out how much traffic the network can accommodate, either by measuring network performance or by directly providing explicit information. However, due to the nature of the control in which queue growth should be observed or the necessity to modify the overall network architecture, existing algorithms are experiencing difficulties in keeping queues within a strict bound. In this paper, we propose a novel congestion control algorithm based on simple feedback, ECLAT which can provide bounded queuing delay using only one-bit signaling already available in traditional network architecture. To do so, a base station or a router running ECLAT 1) calculates how many packets each flow should transmit and 2) analyzes when congestion feedback needs to be forwarded to adjust the flow’s packet transmission to the desired rate. Our extensive experiments in our testbed demonstrate that ECLAT achieves strict queuing delay bounds, even in the dynamic cellular network environment.

Quality of inter-facility transfer for Type A aortic dissection patients in a medical center in Taiwan: a retrospective observational study

Inter-facility transfer of patients with type A aortic dissection (AD) requires timely and efficient medical care. However, the quality of care provided during the transfer remains largely unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of care of patients with type A AD who underwent inter-facility transfer at a single medical center in Taiwan. This retrospective cohort study enrolled all patients with type A AD who underwent inter-facility transfer between January 2017 and December 2019. Patients with complete transfer records and electronic medical charts in the emergency department (ED) were included. Patients who experienced a cardiac arrest episode before transfer were excluded due to poor outcomes. Patients were divided into two groups based on their hemodynamic status: the ideal group with values within the desirable range heart rate (HR) <60 bpm and systolic blood pressure (SBP): 100–120 mmHg and the control group with values out of range (HR >60 bpm or SBP <100 or >120 mmHg) before the transfer. We conducted an analysis of variations of hemodynamic status after the transfer. Among the 378 patients transferred with type A AD, 36 (31.9%) in the ideal group and 255 (96.2%) in the control group experienced hemodynamic deterioration after the transfer. In the ideal group and control group, the presence of nurses and emergency physicians assisting in the transfer accounted for only 6.2% and 7.95%, respectively. The ideal group had a significantly better survival outcome (adjusted OR (aOR): 1.25, 95%confidence interval (CI): 1.12–2.45) compared to the control group. The quality of inter-facility transfer in patients with type A AD is inadequate. Hemodynamic deterioration should be managed by ambulance crews during the transfer.

Unraveling the Slurry/Substrate Interfacial Reaction Mechanism for Wide Band Gap (WBG) Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP)

Wide band gap (WBG) semiconductors have become of great interest to extend Moore’s Law beyond the limitations of current Si IC technology. More specifically, WBG materials (i.e., Silicon Carbide and Gallium Nitride) have been shown to increase performance due to their intrinsic properties (i.e., high capacitance, thermal stability, and wear resistance) associated with these materials. Current CMP processing of these WBG materials utilizes aggressive chemical conditions (i.e., abrasive nanoparticles and harsh oxidizers) and increasing shear forces to obtain the desired material removal rates (MRR) and surface planarity. Unfortunately, these processing conditions can cause defectivity (i.e., organic residue, pad debris, scratches, etc.) during the polishing process, leading to increasingly complex post-CMP cleaning steps. This work focuses on the strategic design of chemically activated, peroxide-based CMP slurries for emergent materials that target redox activation at the slurry-substrate surface interface to achieve improved CMP performance (i.e., enhanced material removal rates, superior surface quality, and low defects). More specifically, the catalytic generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) (i.e., hydroxyl radical (*OH) and singlet oxygen (1O2)) at the substrate interface via surface complexation during the polishing process is exploited. The generated ROS can weaken the Si-C bonds within the surface of the substrate, allowing the particles to remove the surface more readily. This work explored organometallic complexes and non-metal catalysts, such as boron-based additives, as surface-active redox modulators. Initial results show that lower-stability complexes result in equally low MRR ranges below 400 nm/hr, while highly stable complexes increase the MRR as high as 1600 nm/hr. This complex stability/MRR trend has been further correlated to changes in the electron-poor areas of the complexes and ROS generation via radical trapping. The surface roughness analysis has shown improved surface quality between 0.8-1.0 nm across the substrate; however, organic residues from the complexes remain. Transitioning to non-metal boron electrophiles has shown similar MRR results (1000-1400 nm/hr) but can alleviate surface contamination. This implementation of Araca. Inc.’s patent-pending Flucto-CMP® technology employs megasonic energy to promote enhanced ROS generation, thus accelerating removal and significantly improving surface defectivity.

Using the thiomolybdate-loaded D201 resin derived from the W and Mo separation process as the scavenger of Cr(VI), Cu(II), and Pb(II)

Heavy metals (HMs) are recalcitrant and persistent in the environment, posing long-term detrimental effects to ecosystems and public health. Adsorption is an available method to sequester HMs from environmental media. Expensive tetrathiomolybdate (MoS42-) salts have been widely used to modify materials, showing favorable performance in removing HMs. Instead of using such a costly reagent, applying the W and Mo separation process to load thiomolybdate (MoOxS4-x2-) on a strong basic resin D201 as the scavenger of Cr(VI), Cu(II), and Pb(II) was proposed in this study. Assisted by the orthogonal experiment, the optimal separation conditions, i.e., pH = 7, ns/nMo = 8, [Mo]0 = 2 g/L, and solid/liquid ratio of 30, with desirable removal rates for Cr(VI) and Cu(II) were achieved. Compared with the control group (MoS42--loaded D021, MSD201), the resin (WMD201) collected from the optimized W and Mo separation conditions showed a comparable capacity and similar mechanism for the adsorption of the three HMs. The adsorption kinetics and isotherm results of metals on WMD201 were well fitted by the pseudo-second order and Langmuir modes, respectively. Increasing the initial pH from 1 to 4 resulted in a significant rise for the uptake of Cr(VI) and Pb(II). Different from Cu(II) and Pb(II), which were sequestered mainly by forming complexes with MoOxS4-x2- and/or S2-, the removal of Cr(VI) was partially attributed to ion exchange and reduction. These results suggest that using W and Mo separation processes to functionalize materials as the efficient scavengers of HMs is feasible.

Copper sulfides agglomeration using a novel lab-scale granulator: Integrated evaluation of bonding, leaching and mechanical behavior

The ore agglomerations could ameliorate intra-particle pore network, homogenize flow paths, and improve leaching efficiency of heap leaching. This paper innovatively develops a novel ore granulator with adjustable inclined angle and rolling speed. To comprehensively evaluate granulation procedure, the effects of physical (crushed feeds particle size distribution, rolling speed, inclined angle), chemical (binder type, curing time) and biological factors (bacterial concentration) on bonding performance of crushed feeds are analyzed. The objective of this paper is to obtain the optimal granulation conditions by studying the influence of various factors on the bonding ability, strength, and stability of granulated ores, in order to improve the pore structure of the heap leaching system, and increase the leaching rate of the ore. The results show that well-shaped agglomeration (WAs) does improve minerals leaching efficiency, and the uniaxial compressive strength of WAs is positively related to curing time, binder concentration, inclined angle, and rolling speed. The excessive lower or higher rolling speed is not suitable to get a higher extraction rate due to undesirable disintegration or compaction. The higher concentration (0.5–10 %) sulfuric acid solution could obviously increase WAs strength from 32.6 KPa to 48.3 KPa. The organic binders such as polyacrylamide are benefit for powders bonding and increase the compressive strength, but does not good for the desirable leaching reaction rate. The bacterial pre-adding has no significant positive influence on bonding and leaching efficiency. Relied on the 3D response surface, the preferred preparing condition is: 78.9 rpm rolling speed, 30° inclined angle, 7-days curing time and 9.3 % H2SO4 solution. Future studies should focus on exploring the intrinsic correlation between the various factors and evaluating the granulating and leaching effects from the perspective of chemical detection and leaching bacteria.

Microwave-assisted cleaner extraction of tannin from Terminalia chebula: A promising green method for sustainable leather dyeing

Natural dyes have gained significant attention in recent years due to their environmentally friendly characteristics. This research paper focuses on the dyeing of leather using a natural dye extracted from hulela zard (Terminalia chebula). The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of microwave-assisted extraction in isolating tannin from hulela zard and its subsequent application in leather dyeing. The research involved optimizing various dyeing parameters, such as temperature, time, pH, salt concentration, and extract volume, using a central composite design and response surface methodology. The results showed that microwave treatment significantly improved the extraction yield of tannin from hulela zard, while also enhancing the sorption behavior of leather. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis confirmed the surface modification of leather without affecting its chemical structure. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed no significant changes in the functional groups of dyed and undyed leather samples, indicating the preservation of the leather's chemical integrity. The colorfastness properties of the dyed leather were evaluated, and it was found that the combination of specific chemical mordants and bio mordants resulted in desirable colorfastness ratings. Overall, this research demonstrates the effectiveness of microwave-assisted extraction for obtaining tannin from hulela zard and its successful application in leather dyeing, offering a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic dyes.

41 Genetic Selection for Improved Profit Conditioned on Enterprise-Specific Circumstances

Abstract Circumstances of producers relative to objectives, economic constraints, and production environments differ substantially. Consequently, the specific path of sustainability differs among beef enterprises. Such a path must take a supply-chain approach, contemplating market (consumer) demands, and firm-level economic costs and returns in both the short- and long- term. Long-term economic returns imply longer-term stewardship of natural resources. Genetic selection is uniquely poised to aid in the pursuit of greater economic and biological efficiency, given it represents a cumulative and permanent source of change. However, it is critical that such change be consistent with the producer-specific sustainability path. Given there are multiple traits that impact economic outcomes economic selection indexes are the appropriate tool. The general form of such indexes has been around for about 80 years, albeit with a less than desirable adoption rate in beef selection decisions. The process of index development can account for known sensitivities to differences in marketing endpoints and current levels of phenotypic performance. Moreover, the time horizon used to determine the economic consequences of a selection decision could differ among enterprises. The choice of planning horizon (PH) is an important, yet often overlooked component of breeding objective and index construction. Shorter PH inherently emphasizes traits that can be fully expressed in the near term whilst longer PH allow more substantial weighting of traits expressed later in life. Misalignment of breeding objectives and selection indexes, as might be the case in using a terminal index to choose sires in a self-replacing herd, or incorrect choice of PH could lead to less profitable genetic selection decisions by increasing mature cow weight and/or de-emphasizing reproductive longevity. Consequently, our objective was to provide examples of how trait emphasis might be altered under different assumptions during selection index development using the web-based tool iGENDEC. Indexes assumed replacement females were retained and terminal animals were retained through harvest. We then compared changes in PH, annual cow variable costs, and phenotypic means of hot carcass weight (HCW). The combined relative emphasis (RE) of mature cow weight (MWT) and stayability (STAY) in the breeding objective was 0, 10, and 22% when planning horizon was 2, 10, and 20 years, respectively. As HCW increased from 318 to 408 kg the RE of STAY increased from 10.9% to 18.7% while the RE of HCW decreased from 43.8% to 28.9%. When annual cow variable costs were $250, $500, and $750 the RE of MWT was 6, 14.9, and 22.5%, respectively, assuming the value of calves sold stayed the same. Collectively, these examples illustrate that incorrect definition of breeding objectives and parametrization of indexes can lead to inappropriate weighting of traits that are drivers of long-term resource use (i.e., MWT and STAY).

Impact of moisture content on microstructural, thermal, and techno-functional characteristics of extruded whole-grain-based breakfast cereal enriched with Indian horse chestnut flour

The use of non-conventional seed flour is of interest in obtaining healthy breakfast cereals. The research aimed to study the physico-functional, bioactive, microstructure, and thermal characteristics of breakfast cereals using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and differential scanning calorimeter. The increase in feed moisture content (16 %) enhanced the bulk density (5.24 g/mL), water absorption index (7.76 g/g), total phenolic content (9.03 mg GAE/g), and antioxidant activity (30.36 %) having desirable expansion rate (2.84 mm), water solubility index (48 %), and color attributes. The microstructure showed dense inner structures with closed air cells in extruded flours.Extrusion treatment rearranged the crystalline structure from A-type to V-type by disrupting the granular structure of starch, reducing its crystallinity, and promoting the formation of an amylose–lipid complex network. Increasing conditioning moisture enhanced the degree of gelatinization (%), peak gelatinization temperature (Tp), and starch crystallinity (%) and reduced the gelatinization enthalpy (ΔHG) and gelatinization temperature ranges. The results reported in this study will help industries to develop innovative and novel food products containing functional ingredients.

Facile synthesis of MoS2 confined in yolk-shell hollow mesoporous carbon spheres with enhanced polysulfide binding for high-rate Li-S batteries

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are one of the most potential energy storage systems because of their high theoretical density, environmental friendliness. However, the practical application of Li-S batteries is currently hampered by several intrinsic problems including the shuttle effects of polysulfides and sluggish electrode reaction kinetics. Herein, a flower-like MoS2 nanosheets confined and in situ grown inside yolk-shell hollow mesoporous carbon spheres (abbreviated as MoS2 @YHMCs) was fabricated as advanced sulfur immobilizer, which can effectively inhibit shuttle effect and conversion of polysulfides. The yolk-shell hollow mesoporous carbon spheres can restrain the volume variation during lithiation-delithiation processes, expose abundant active interfaces and furnish a shortened ion/electron transmission route for facilitated redox reactions. Furthermore, the few layered MoS2 nanosheets have strong LiPS adsorption and catalyzation, thereby achieving rapid redox conversion and enhanced reaction kinetics. Owing to these structural advantages, the delicately-designed MoS2 @S@YHMCs cathode shows good Li-S battery performance, i.e., high initial discharge capacity (1145 mAh g−1), desirable rate capability (770 mAh g−1 at 4 C), and superior cycling performance (583 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles at 1 C), suggesting great application prospects in the development of Li-S batteries.

An approach for the improved measurement of pyrolysis products

The composition of a fuel and the combustion environment are factors that impact pyrolysis processes. The pyrolysis of a natural polymer, timber, and the synthetic polymers, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and polystyrene (PS), was performed at a constant mass loss rate (MLR) using a feedback control loop utilising the Fire Propagation Apparatus (FPA) under inert and oxidative environments. The controlled MLR (2 g s−1 m−2) enabled a representative means of monitoring emissions via a combination of spectroscopic techniques. Reported yields were calculated utilising adapted Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) data based upon the species detected via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The speciation offered by the GC-MS was used to adjust recorded FT-IR yields, facilitating an insight into the composition of pyrolysis emissions. The presence of molecular oxygen was not found to drastically influence the decomposition behaviours of the investigated synthetic polymers with the yields of primary monomers being relatively unaffected by the atmospheric environment. However, a difference was noted when using timber, as the generated char was visually different under the oxidative atmospheres. The presence of char oxidation was confirmed as a lower applied heat flux was required to sustain the desired mass loss rate. We conclude that the proposed combined analytical approach shows great potential for tracking and quantifying effluent emissions.

Correlation Analysis between Tourism Industry and Exchange Rate: A Comparative Study of Korea and the UK during the COVID-19 Era

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the correlation analysis between the aviation industry and the exchange rate of South Korea and the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic Era by applying the Vector Autoregression (VAR) model. Theoretical Framework: Research examined the correlation between the aviation industry and exchange rates in South Korea and the UK. Vector Autoregression (VAR) model was developed and daily data from January 01, 2020, to July 05, 2023, were collected from the official website for the research. Design/Methodology/Approach: The paper analyzes relationships among time-series variables using the VAR model. This analysis consisted of four steps, step 1, collecting data; step 2, data preprocessing; step 3, developing VAR model; and step 4, investigation. Findings: The analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between exchange rate fluctuations and the Korean aviation industry. In contrast, the UK aviation industry exhibited a significant negative correlation with exchange rate fluctuations. Research, Practical & Social Implications: This study contributes to existing literature on tourism and exchange rates during the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the need for comparative analysis. According to the results, this study suggests Airlines can partner with financial institutions to offer financial products for passengers to book at desirable rates. Originality/Value: This paper successfully filled in the gaps in the research by providing a scientific and critical investigation of correlation analysis between the aviation industry and the exchange rate of South Korea and the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic Era.

PMVT: a lightweight vision transformer for plant disease identification on mobile devices.

Due to the constraints of agricultural computing resources and the diversity of plant diseases, it is challenging to achieve the desired accuracy rate while keeping the network lightweight. In this paper, we proposed a computationally efficient deep learning architecture based on the mobile vision transformer (MobileViT) for real-time detection of plant diseases, which we called plant-based MobileViT (PMVT). Our proposed model was designed to be highly accurate and low-cost, making it suitable for deployment on mobile devices with limited resources. Specifically, we replaced the convolution block in MobileViT with an inverted residual structure that employs a 7×7 convolution kernel to effectively model long-distance dependencies between different leaves in plant disease images. Furthermore, inspired by the concept of multi-level attention in computer vision tasks, we integrated a convolutional block attention module (CBAM) into the standard ViT encoder. This integration allows the network to effectively avoid irrelevant information and focus on essential features. The PMVT network achieves reduced parameter counts compared to alternative networks on various mobile devices while maintaining high accuracy across different vision tasks. Extensive experiments on multiple agricultural datasets, including wheat, coffee, and rice, demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms the current best lightweight and heavyweight models. On the wheat dataset, PMVT achieves the highest accuracy of 93.6% using approximately 0.98 million (M) parameters. This accuracy is 1.6% higher than that of MobileNetV3. Under the same parameters, PMVT achieved an accuracy of 85.4% on the coffee dataset, surpassing SqueezeNet by 2.3%. Furthermore, out method achieved an accuracy of 93.1% on the rice dataset, surpassing MobileNetV3 by 3.4%. Additionally, we developed a plant disease diagnosis app and successfully used the trained PMVT model to identify plant disease in different scenarios.