Rough Estimate Research Articles

A new approach to estimate soil organic carbon content targets in European croplands topsoils

Adopting land management practices that increase the stock of soil organic carbon (SOC) in croplands is widely promoted as a win-win strategy to enhance soil health and mitigate climate change. In this context, the definition of reference SOC content and stock values is needed to provide reliable targets to farmers, policymakers, and stakeholders. In this study, we used the LUCAS dataset to compare different methods for evaluating reference SOC content and stock values in European croplands topsoils (0–20 cm depth). Methods gave generally similar estimates although being built on very different assumptions. In the absence of an objective criterion to establish which approach is the most suitable to determine SOC reference values, we propose an ensemble modelling approach that consists in extracting the estimates using different relevant methods and retaining the median value among them. Interestingly, this approach led us to select values from the three different approaches with similar frequencies. Using estimated bulk density values, we obtained a first rough estimate of 3.5 Gt C of SOC storage potential in the cropland topsoils that we interpret as a long-term aspirational target that would be reachable only under extreme changes in agricultural practices. The use of additional methods in the ensemble modelling approach and more valid statistical spatial estimates may further refine our approach designed for the estimation of SOC reference values for croplands.

Quantitative image analysis of microplastics in bottled water using artificial intelligence

The ubiquitous occurrence of microplastics (MPs) in the environment and the use of plastics in packaging materials result in the presence of MPs in the food chain and exposure of consumers. Yet, no fully validated analytical method is available for microplastic (MP) quantification, thereby preventing the reliable estimation of the level of exposure and, ultimately, the assessment of the food safety risks associated with MP contamination. In this study, a novel approach is presented that exploits interactive artificial intelligence tools to enable automation of MP analysis. An integrated method for the analysis of MPs in bottled water based on Nile Red staining and fluorescent microscopy was developed and validated, featuring a partial interrogation of the filter and a fully automated image processing workflow based on a Random Forest classifier, thereby boosting the analysis speed. The image analysis provided particle count, size and size distribution of the MPs. From these data, a rough estimation of the mass of the individual MPs, and consequently of the MP mass concentration in the sample, could be obtained as well. Critical materials, method performance characteristics, and final applicability were studied in detail. The method showed to be highly sensitive in sizing MPs down to 10 μm, with a particle count limit of detection and quantification of 28 and 85 items/500 mL, respectively. Linearity of mass concentration determined between 10 ppb and 1.5 ppm showed a regression coefficient (R2) of 0.99. Method precision was demonstrated by a repeatability of 9–16% RSD (n = 7) and within-laboratory reproducibility of 15–27% RSD (n = 21). Accuracy based on recovery was 92 ± 15% and 98 ± 23% at a level of 0.1 and 1.0 ppm, respectively. The quantitative performance characteristics thus obtained complied with regulatory requirements. Finally, the method was successfully applied to the analysis of twenty commercial samples of bottled water, with and without gas and flavor additives, yielding results ranging from values below the limit of detection to 7237 (95% CI [6456, 8088]) items/500 mL.

Modeling and estimation of thrust force, torque, and surface roughness in indexable drilling of AA6061-T651 with Taguchi, ANN, and ANFIS

Modeling and estimation of thrust force, torque, and surface roughness in indexable drilling of AA6061-T651 with Taguchi, ANN, and ANFIS

Phase equilibria in iron-rich Sm–Fe–Ti and Sm–(Fe,Co)–Ti alloys at 1100–1200 °C

Iron-rich corners of ternary Sm–Fe–Ti phase diagram at 1100 °C and quasi-ternary Sm–Fe0.8Co0.2–Ti phase diagrams at 1100 and 1200 °C are constructed based on experimental investigation of equilibrated alloys with electron probe microanalysis, X-ray diffraction and thermomagnetic analysis. In addition, the upper boundaries of the temperature ranges of Sm(Fe,[Co,]Ti)12 and Sm3(Fe,[Co,]Ti)29 phases are determined with differential thermal analysis to update earlier rough estimates. The existence of a high-temperature phase of the Th2Ni17 type, originally reported by Ivanova et al. [J. Alloys Compd. 224 (1995) 29], is confirmed. In the Sm–Fe0.8Co0.2–Ti system, the composition and equilibria of this hexagonal phase are established for 1200 °C; it is Sm-depleted (≈9.8 at% Sm) compared to the 2:17 stoichiometry and it coexists with the rhombohedral 2:17 phase. The magnetic anisotropy of the cobalt-substituted Th2Ni17-type phase is planar, with the easy magnetization direction parallel to [100]. Equilibrium between a Sm-rich liquid phase and the 1:12 phase, which is important for the development of new high-performance permanent magnets, is absent up to 1000 °C, but does exist at 1100 °C (for the 1:12 phase with at least 8.7–8.9 at% Ti) and at 1200 °C (for the 1:12 phase with as little as 7.4 at% Ti). The development of magnets may be complicated, however, by an observed tendency of the high-temperature liquid to solidify into ferromagnetic phases including the Th2Ni17-type phase. The Curie temperatures of the α-(Fe,Ti), Sm(Fe,Ti)12, Sm3(Fe,Ti)29 and rhombohedral Sm2(Fe,Ti)17 phases are not only increased by the partial Co substitution for Fe, but their dependence on the Ti concentration is changed by this Co substitution from positive (or, for the 1:12 phase, zero) to negative values.

A Simple Analytical Model to Predict the Freeze Plug Opening Time in Molten Salt Reactors

Abstract The Freeze plug is an important passive safety system used in molten salt reactor (MSR). It enables automatic drainage of the liquid fuel from the core to the storage tanks in an emergency to stop the nuclear fission chain reaction without any operator's action or electric power supply. The opening time, that is the time taken for the freeze plug to open, is therefore of considerable importance to ensure passive safety of MSR. In our previous studies, systematic numerical simulations were carried out to understand how the fundamental design parameters such as the tube diameter and wall thickness of the freeze plug affected the opening time. In this work, a simple analytical model was developed for rough estimation of the opening time. It was shown that the opening time calculated by the present simple model was in fairly good agreement with that by the full simulation using the mass, momentum, and energy conservation equations for the salt and the heat conduction equation within the wall material. The present simple model was hence shown to be useful particularly for the schematic design of the improved MSR freeze plugs.

Pragmatic Considerations When Extracting DNA for Metagenomics Analyses of Clinical Samples.

Microbiome analyses are essential for understanding microorganism composition and diversity, but interpretation is often challenging due to biological and technical variables. DNA extraction is a critical step that can significantly bias results, particularly in samples containing a high abundance of challenging-to-lyse microorganisms. Taking into consideration the distinctive microenvironments observed in different bodily locations, our study sought to assess the extent of bias introduced by suboptimal bead-beating during DNA extraction across diverse clinical sample types. The question was whether complex targeted extraction methods are always necessary for reliable taxonomic abundance estimation through amplicon sequencing or if simpler alternatives are effective for some sample types. Hence, for four different clinical sample types (stool, cervical swab, skin swab, and hospital surface swab samples), we compared the results achieved from extracting targeted manual protocols routinely used in our research lab for each sample type with automated protocols specifically not designed for that purpose. Unsurprisingly, we found that for the stool samples, manual extraction protocols with vigorous bead-beating were necessary in order to avoid erroneous taxa proportions on all investigated taxonomic levels and, in particular, false under- or overrepresentation of important genera such as Blautia, Faecalibacterium, and Parabacteroides. However, interestingly, we found that the skin and cervical swab samples had similar results with all tested protocols. Our results suggest that the level of practical automation largely depends on the expected microenvironment, with skin and cervical swabs being much easier to process than stool samples. Prudent consideration is necessary when extending the conclusions of this study to applications beyond rough estimations of taxonomic abundance.

Perspectives on the Applications of Radiative Cooling in Buildings and Electric Cars

Cooling energy consumption is a major contributor to various sectors in hot climates with a significant number of warm days throughout the year. Buildings account for 40% of total energy consumption, with approximately ∼30–40% of that used for cooling in geographical areas such as Iran. Energy demand for cooling is an important factor in the overall energy efficiency of electric mobility. Electric vehicles (EVs) consume ∼30–50% of energy for the air conditioning (AC) system. Therefore, the efficient management of the cooling demand is essential in implementing energy-saving strategies. Passive radiative cooling is capable of providing subambient cooling without consuming any energy. This article reviews potential applications of passive radiative cooling in reducing cooling energy for buildings. It also provides a rough estimate of the amount of energy saved when applying a radiative cool roof to a model building. It is shown that by using radiative cool materials on roofs, the share of electricity usage for cooling can be reduced to 10%, leading to a reduction in cooling load by 90%. Additionally, the potential use of radiative cool coats of various types for different EV components, such as shell/body, windows, and fabrics, is introduced. Although the prospects of the design and engineering of radiative cooling products appear promising for both buildings and EVs, further investigations are necessary to evaluate scalability, durability, and performance based on factors such as geography and meteorology.

Update and extension of the mesoscale model for fast fluidization: Toward type C choking, high-density fast-bed, and flow-regime map

As a supplementary paper for “Mesoscale analysis on clusters in conjunction with fast fluidized bed modeling” published recently, this article aims to update and further extend the model toward type C choking, high-density fast-bed (HDFF), and flow-regime map. Starting from an argument on mesoscale shear-layer formation, a more mechanistic expression for the energy recovery coefficient of in-cloud circulation was derived; and the effective velocity factor for gas flow in the dilute phase was also modified, with which the type C choking for Geldart Group B particles was correctly predicted. Two different mechanisms for “type C choking”, actually the transition at the upper limit of solids flux for traditional fast fluidization in the low velocity region, were identified, i.e. Choking C(I), defined by Gsmax at dMs+/dβ=dMs−/dβ; and Choking C(O), characterized by the cluster diameter reaching Dcl=dp. A rough estimation method for Choking C(I) or C(O) was obtained, thereby. Following the general strategy of extrapolation from its onset, the detailed procedures for modeling of the incipient stage of HDFF, and the classical case, were derived and demonstrated, respectively. The method to predict the upper limit of Gs for HDFF was also obtained, making the flow regime map for fast fluidization fully complete. Simple two parameter criteria, i.e. uf−ut/Dt0.29 and Gs/ρsuf−ut, for sketchy scale-up of fast-beds with the same gas-particle properties were proposed. From those, acceptable flow regime maps for enlarged risers were successfully estimated. Finally, the transition from dilute-transport to fast-bed was revisited, and the reasons for reduction of the solids-wall friction factor, from its direct regression result to the value used in the model, were discussed along with further outlook.

Prototyping an integrated IoT-based real-time sewer monitoring system using low-power sensors

Improper monitoring of sewage networks may raise various issues such as overflows, pipe blockages, theft of manhole covers, leading to flooding and pollution, infrastructure damage, vehicles accidents, injury, and even death from falling into open manholes. The key objective of this research was to examine different elements and create a prototype architecture for a real-time sewer monitoring system. Implementation of the architecture involved constructing a data gathering station and experimenting with various wireless sensing devices to assess the precision of the sensors. In addition, the study sought to design a geographic information system that integrates algorithms capable of identifying sewer overflow, blocked pipes, and the presence of manhole covers. The performance of Sharp GP2Y0A41SK0F infrared, TF-Luna Benewake LiDar, TOF400 VL53L1X laser, JSN-SR04T ultrasonic distance sensors was tested in terms of their ability to monitor water level and manhole cover. Tests revealed the most favorable results in TOF400 VL53L1X at distances between 0.2 and 1.0 m (presumed distance to the manhole cover) with a standard deviation of 0.13–0.24, and in TF-Luna Benewake at distances between 1.0 and 5.0 m (presumed distance to the chamber bottom) with a standard deviation of 0.44–1.15. The deviation analysis has yielded equations that can be utilized to provide rough estimates of the accuracy levels of the aforementioned sensors, based on the measured distance. Additionally, the FC-28 analog and YL-63 infrared sensors were evaluated for detecting pipe blockages, with the YL-63 being more suitable. The outcomes of this study furnish valuable insights that can aid in achieving sustainable resolutions for issues related to sewer monitoring

{{rho }} exchange contribution to neutrinoless double beta decay

We consider rho meson contributions to neutrinoless double beta decay amplitude stemming from the hadronization of the short distance quark-electron currents. These contributions are evaluated within vacuum dominance approximation. The one and two rho exchange contributions affect the Fermi transition nuclear matrix element in a way that lead to near cancellations in the same chirality, left–left and right–right, short range amplitudes when these new contributions are combined with the conventional short range amplitudes, while the left–right amplitude almost triples. A rough estimate comparing this contribution to the long range pion exchange contribution indicates that rho exchange contribution can easily be mathcal {O}(10%) of the pion contribution. When considering precision predictions, rho exchange amplitudes should be included in any phenomenological study, like in left–right theories.

The Influence of the Prestressing Level of the Fully Threaded Anchor Bar on the Corrosion Rate

The article presents experimental research on the corrosion of prestressing steel bars with denotation CKT (fully threaded anchor bars), which are composed of high-quality prestressing steel of the grade Y 1050 (1050 MPa). The experiment was performed using an electrochemical accelerated test. The aspects of the electric current value influence, time dependence on the degree of corrosion, and especially the influence of the prestressing level in the prestressing steel bars on the degree of corrosion were observed and examined. The results of the experiment showed that if the sample was in a stressed state, its degree of corrosion increased. Specifically, for the maximal stress equal to 90% of the tensile strength, the corrosion degree was increased by approximately 7.3%, in comparison to the unstressed specimen. In this case, a 7.3% corrosion degree corresponds to a weight loss of 350 g. The theoretical degree of corrosion was calculated using Faraday’s Law, which allowed the prediction of a rough estimate of the corrosion degree obtained with known input data. The experimental results showed that there was no apparent difference in the corrosion morphology of the sample during the same time-dependent corrosion influence at the same prestressing level in the sample with the same electric current value.

CALCULATION OF POVERTY RATE

This study highlights how the Transparency International Index can be used to estimate the prevalence of bribery in countries where data are not available and how the Corruption Perceptions Index can be used to estimate poverty rates. The text emphasizes that these estimations are not accurate and should be considered rough estimates and that other factors may also impact poverty rates. Overall, the text underscores the negative impact of bribery on economic growth and development as well as the need for transparency and accountability to combat corruption.

From Food (Bread) waste to Bioethnol Producation

A handful of studies and rough estimations confirm that roughly 1.3 billion tons of food get wasted. The staggering volume of food waste management has been shed light and constitutes a significant challenge because of -its environmental, social, and economic impacts. Recent estimates suggest that 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions are due to non-food conception, and the global economic costs of food waste have reached US$750 million per Annam. That is why Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 calls for the importance of food waste management. Wastes of bread represent an important fraction of retail food leftovers. If non-consumed food has been widely valorized in previous years, bread waste is nowadays increasingly of heightened attention. Bread waste can be a promising feedstock for producing bio-conversion value-added products. Recently, several technological methods have been reported for the possibility of transforming bread waste into eco-friendly materials such as ethanol, lactic acid, succinic acid, biohydrogen… etc. This study, based on recent research, sheds light on the possibility to convert food waste, especially bread leftovers into bioethanol by using waste bread as the sole source of nutrients for the growth of Aspergillus niger, which produces glucose, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which produces ethanol from glucose (i).

A Genotyping Method for Detecting Foreign Buffalo Material in Mozzarella di Bufala Campana Cheese Using Allele-Specific- and Single-Tube Heminested-Polymerase Chain Reaction.

Mozzarella di Bufala Campana (MdBC) cheese is a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) product that is important for the economy and cultural heritage of the Campania region. Food fraud can undermine consumers' trust in this dairy product and harm the livelihood of local producers. The current methods for detecting adulteration in MdBC cheese due to the use of buffalo material from foreign countries could exhibit limitations associated with the required use of expensive equipment, time-consuming procedures, and specialized personnel. To address these limits here, we propose a rapid, reliable, and cost-effective genotyping method that can detect foreign buffalo milk in a counterpart from the PDO area and in MdBC cheese, ensuring the quality and authenticity of the latter dairy product. This method is based on dedicated allele-specific and single-tube heminested polymerase chain reaction procedures. By using allele-specific primers that are designed to detect the nucleotide g.472G>C mutation of the CSN1S1Bbt allele, we distinguished an amplicon of 330 bp in the amplification product of DNA when extracted from milk and cheese, which is specific to the material originating from foreign countries. By spiking foreign milk samples with known amounts of the counterpart from the PDO area, the sensitivity of this assay was determined to be 0.01% v/v foreign to PDO milk. Based on a rough estimate of its simplicity, reliability, and cost, this method could be a valuable tool for identifying adulterated buffalo PDO dairy products.

Environmental perspective of decarbonization actions in the Italian UNESCO site of the Vineyard landscape of Piedmont Region

ABSTRACT The current EU regulatory framework is forcing the need for a substantial and significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in all the main economic sectors since climate change effects have been more tangible in recent years. The adoption of actions and measures to reduce CO2 emissions are thus essential for preventing global warming. For this reason, a simplified bottom-up approach is presented here to estimate the potential environmental benefit achievable, in terms of CO2 emissions saving, when a set of proposed energy efficiency measures were adopted in relevant economic sectors of the UNESCO area of Vineyard Landscape in Piedmont Region in Italy. Specifically, representative case studies were assumed for each economic sector being studied to identify the energy efficiency measures to be adopted. Then, progressive scenarios with different territorial diffusion of the proposed measures were performed. The analysis shows that a CO2 emission reduction from 7.1% to 32.4% can be potentially obtained by considering different diffusion pathways of the identified energy efficiency measures in the residential, accommodation, private transport, and food industry sectors, so that the UNESCO area can effectively contribute to contrast global warming. The proposed simplified approach can be replicated in other similar context to obtain rough estimation of emission savings due to territorial diffusion of energy efficiency measures considering available regional and local databases.

Resolution-enhanced reflection ptychography with axial distance calibration

Reflection ptychography is a lens-free computational imaging technology that operates by a coherent beam illuminated to a specimen inclined to the optical axis, a set of distorted diffracted patterns is captured on the far-filed plane. This tilted distortion results from the tilt angle of illumination in a reflection mode as a non-coplanar scattering geometry, which mismatches the Fourier transformed distribution and blocks the operation of FFT (fast Fourier Transform) in standard ptychographic reconstruction algorithms. This distortion can be corrected by performing a coordinate transform from the tilted geometry combined with knowledge of the axial distance of diffraction and the radiation wavelength. However, practically the axial distance usually cannot be measured with accuracy instead of a rough estimate, which may disrupt the correction from distortion, and degrade the reconstructed quality significantly. Here, we propose and analyze for the first time a straightforward axial distance calibration approach to improve the reconstructed resolution in reflection ptychography. Firstly, a uniform Fraunhofer-shaped diffraction is transformed from the tilted distorted scatterings by a coordinate transform at a coarse estimate of axial distance. Then, the axial distance error can be precisely corrected from the periodic unwrapped phase of the retrieved probe by ptychography. Finally, a resolution-enhanced reconstruction is generated from the reflection ptychography with axial distance calibration. A group of proof-of-concept experiments was performed for verification. Results demonstrate that the axial distance can be precisely calibrated within a fraction of a millimeter. Moreover, the reconstructed resolution is remarkably improved (2 times improvement in our experimental tests) by utilizing the proposed approach in reflection ptychography.

Assessment of health status and its correlation with lung function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a study from a tertiary care center in north India.

The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 2023 recommends a comprehensive multidimensional assessment for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and stresses the need for evaluation of their health status and quality of life (QOL). The COPD assessment test (CAT), clinical COPD questionnaire (CCQ), and St. George respiratory questionnaire (SGRQ) are recommended by GOLD for such assessments. However, their correlation with spirometry in the Indian population is not known. Other similar questionnaires like the COPD and sleep impact scale (CASIS), functional performance inventory-short form (FPI-SF), and COPD and asthma fatigue scale (CAFS), though used internationally as a research tool, are still in the offspring stage and have never been used in India. A cross-sectional study was hence conducted in the Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Government Medical College, Patiala, Punjab, India, on 100 COPD patients. Patients were assessed for health status and QOL by CAT, CCQ, SGRQ, CASIS, FPI-SF, and CAFS. The relationship between these questionnaires and airflow limitations was investigated. The majority of the patients were males (n=97), >50 years of age (n=83), illiterate (n=72), had moderate/severe COPD, and belonged to group B (n=66). The mean value of forced expiratory volume in one second (FeV1) decreased with a deterioration in CAT and CCQ score grouping (p<0.001). Patients with poorer CAT and CCQ scores belonged to higher GOLD grades (k=0.33, p<0.001). The correlation of health-related quality of life (HRQL) questionnaires among each other, with FEV1 predicted and with GOLD grade, was strong to very strong in most of the comparisons (p<0.01 in the majority). On comparison of GOLD grade with mean scores of HRQL questionnaires, it was seen that with the increase in GOLD grading from 1 to 4, the mean values of CAT, CCQ, SGRQ, CASIS, FPI-SF, and CAFS also deteriorated (p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.005, p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). Various easy-to-use HRQL scores should be routinely used in outpatient departments for a comprehensive assessment of COPD patients. These questionnaires, in combination with clinical features, can help in providing a rough estimate of the severity of the disease in places where lung function assessments are not readily available.

Sediment penetration performance of a portable underwater robot for core sampling

AbstractAs described in this paper, we investigate the sediment penetration performance of a portable underwater robot with a helical screw pipe using marine thrusters with limited force. First, we derive a mathematical model based on an empirical and simple method using the undrained shear strength of cohesive soil to provide a rough estimate of maximum penetration depths. Then, we perform numerical analysis for estimating the maximum depth of sediment penetration and for designing a sampling pipe. Additionally, we use experimentation to investigate the relation between the penetration depth of the helical screw pipe and the force of marine thrusters mounted on the portable underwater robot. After testing the penetration performance in a water tank, we conduct a field experiment at Lake Biwa and obtain results of the penetration depths. The maximum penetration into the lake sediment is at least 0.30 m. The results demonstrated the possibility of using the derived mathematical model to make a rough estimation of the maximum penetration depth for clay sediments. Additionally, we can use non‐powerful thrusters equipped with small autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) for sediment sampling. The proposed method is also applicable for the installation of underwater sensors using small AUVs and ROVs.

When the Stars Are Out: The Impact of Missed Games on NBA Television Audiences

Using the 2018–2019 NBA season, we examine the causes and effects of star players missing games. Focusing on 19 star players, we find that injury, proximity to the end of season, games on consecutive days, and opponent quality lead to missed games. We then estimate a model of NBA television audience size using granular data from nationally broadcast games. Doubling the proportion of star players missing games reduces TV audience by approximately 6.5 million household viewings per regular season. A rough estimate of the advertising revenue lost due to stars missing games is between $15 and $20 million per season.

Low-cost photoreactors for highly photon/energy-efficient solar-driven synthesis

Low-cost photoreactors for highly photon/energy-efficient solar-driven synthesis