High-quality Performance Research Articles

Research on Performance Assessment of High Quality Development in Urban Green and Low Carbon Transformation

<p>In order to study the effective methods of green and low-carbon transformation in Chinese cities, this paper takes Rizhao City, Shandong Province, China, as the object of study. Based on the analysis of the research background and the literature review, and taking into account the characteristics of Rizhao City, the following five categories with a total of 25 indicators were selected to construct the assessment indicator system: the environmental quality of green and low-carbon transformation, the quality of the planning and construction of green and low-carbon transformation, the quality of the life and work in the green and low-carbon transformation, the quality of the process of the green transformation empowering the development of high-quality, and the quality of the results of the green transformation empowering high-quality development. Based on this, the two-level fuzzy comprehensive assessment model is reconstructed, and the relevant statistical data provided by the government is used to comprehensively assess the high-quality development performance of the green transformation and empowerment cities in Rizhao City from 2012 to 2022. It is found that the performance of high-quality development empowered by green transformation in Rizhao City, China, has shown a continuous upward trend, having risen from Level Ⅳ in 2012, to Level II by 2022, and remained at Level II during 2018-2022, with its assessment results and showing an upward trend. Finally, based on the specific research results, the policy suggestions to improve the high-quality development performance of cities empowered by the green and low-carbon transformation of Rizhao City, China are discussed.</p>

Content-functional model of formation of military-applied shooting skills from automatic small arms of future officers of the National Guard of Ukraine

The analysis of the combat experience of the units of the National Guard of Ukraine requires changes to the professional training programs of representatives of various categories of institutions of the security and defense sector of Ukraine, in particular - the programs of the "combat training" block, which will in the future ensure their high-quality performance of assigned tasks in extreme service-combat conditions activity.
 The article is devoted to the topical issues of the formation of military-applied shooting skills from automatic small arms of future officers in the system of professional education with an emphasis on the use of modern technical training tools. According to the results of the analysis of scientific-methodical, special and reference literature by the members of the research group, it was established that the actual issue of forming military applied skills (professional competences) in shooting with automatic small arms of future officers of the National Guard of Ukraine with an emphasis on the use of modern technical means of training in the system of professional education - an insufficient number of scientific and methodical works are devoted, which, taking into account the realities of today, emphasizes the timeliness and relevance, as well as the practical component of the chosen direction of scientific research.
 In the process of research and analytical work, the following research methods were used (at the empirical level):
 abstraction, analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, modeling, mathematical and statistical (correlation analysis, factor analysis, scaling), etc. In the process of research and analytical work, the experience of combat operations was also used, as well as the experience of organizing the system of fire and special physical training of future officers of institutions of the security and defense sector of Ukraine.
 In the process of research and analytical work, a content-functional model of the formation of military-applied skills of shooting with automatic small arms of future officers of the National Guard of Ukraine was developed and tested using the "Katsumoto" video computer system of biomechanical analysis (VCSBA «Katsumoto»). For the first time, using VCSBA "Katsumoto", model characteristics of the general center of mass and individual biolinks of representatives of the studied category were obtained during shooting exercises with automatic small arms.

On-demand electrically controlled melatonin release from PEDOT/SNP composite improves quality of chronic neural recording.

Long-time and high-quality signal acquisition performance from implantable electrodes is the key to establish stable and efficient brain-computer interface (BCI) connections. The chronic performance of implantable electrodes is hindered by the inflammatory response of brain tissue. In order to solve the material limitation of biological interface electrodes, we designed sulfonated silica nanoparticles (SNPs) as the dopant of Poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) to modify the implantable electrodes. In this work, melatonin (MT) loaded SNPs were incorporated in PEDOT via electrochemical deposition on nickel-chromium (Ni-Cr) alloy electrode and carbon nanotube (CNT) fiber electrodes, without affecting the acute neural signal recording capacity. After coating with PEDOT/SNP-MT, the charge storage capacity of both electrodes was significantly increased, and the electrochemical impedance at 1kHz of the Ni-Cr alloy electrodes was significantly reduced, while that of the CNT electrodes was significantly increased. In addition, this study inspected the effect of electrically triggered MT release every other day on the quality and longevity of neural recording from implanted neural electrodes in rat hippocampus for 1 month. Both MT modified Ni-Cr alloy electrodes and CNT electrodes showed significantly higher spike amplitude after 26-day recording. Significantly, the histological studies showed that the number of astrocytes around the implanted Ni-Cr alloy electrodes was significantly reduced after MT release. These results demonstrate the potent outcome of PEDOT/SNP-MT treatment in improving the chronic neural recording quality possibly through its anti-inflammatory property.

Sensing the heavy water concentration in an H2O–D2O mixture by solid–solid phononic crystals

A new method based on phononic crystals is presented to detect the concentration of heavy water (D2O) in an H2O–D2O mixture. Results have been obtained and analyzed in the concentration range of 0%–10% and 90%–100% D2O. A proposed structure of tungsten scatterers in an aluminum host is studied. In order to detect the target material, a cavity region is considered as a sound wave resonator in which the target material with different concentrations of D2O is embedded. By changing the concentration of D2O in the H2O–D2O mixture, the resonance frequency undergoes a frequency shift. Each 1% change in D2O concentration in the H2O–D2O mixture causes a frequency change of about 120 Hz. The finite element method is used as the numerical method to calculate and analyze the natural frequencies and transmission spectra of the proposed sensor. The performance evaluation index shows a high Q factor up to 1475758 and a high sensitivity up to 13075, which are acceptable values for sensing purposes. The other figures of merit related to the detection performance also indicate high-quality performance of the designed sensor.

Role of professional activity in the development of emotional burnout syndrome in nurses

Introduction. The emotional burnout of nurses is an urgent problem of the modern healthcare system. Emotional burnout of nurses entails a decrease in their mental and physical health.
 The aim of the study was to evaluate the role of professional activity in the development of emotional burnout syndrome in nurses.
 Materials and methods. The nurses (109 persons) at the age from 19 to 63 years were the objects of the study. The nurses were divided into 4 probation categories: experience less than 10 years, 10–20 years, 21–30 years and more than 30 years. Physiological, questionnaire, and statistical methods were used.
 Results. 77.8±0.62% examined nurses had a manifestation of emotional burnout syndrome (EBS), formed at least in one of the phases. The most significant EBS manifestations were in the form of professional achievements reduction (more than 60% surveyed), emotional exhaustion (from 45.4 to 22.3%) and low values of depersonalization (11.2÷16.8%). According to the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), more than 50% participants suffered from moderate burnout in all its subscales. The percentage of nurses with high burnout level was 37.2±0.004% for the work-related subscale, 36.2±0.005% for the personal burnout-related subscale and only 26.4±0.003% for the patient-related subscale. The results of the assessment of the working capacity level according to the WAI questionnaire registered that nurses in the probationary dynamics had a significant decrease from the «good working capacity» level (38.2±0.79 points) in the first probationary group to «unsatisfactory working capacity» level in the third and fourth groups (34.6±1.36 and 29.8±2.09 points, respectively, p<0.05). The adaptation process was accompanied by the regulation mechanisms tension and was characterized by a decrease in the degree of predominance link of the parasympathetic over the sympathetic link of the autonomic nervous system and an increase in the degree of centralization of heart rate control.
 Limitations. This study is limited to a sampling of nurses of Karaganda hospitals who acquired emotional burnout syndrome during their industrial activity. Emotional burnout was diagnosed by the questionnaires of Maslach, Jackson and Copenhagen Burnout Inventory.
 Conclusion. Nurses are exposed to adverse the complex of production factors during their professional activities. And stress is the most frequent factor. Prolonged exposure to occupational stress is the cause of the emotional burnout development, the increase of which leads to a decrease in efficiency and in high-quality performance of their professional duties. At the same time, compliance with the norms of professional ethics among nurses remains a priority.
 Ethics. Since non-invasive research methods were used in the work, submission of the conclusion of the Biomedical Ethics Committee or other documents is not required.

Examining the Impact of Audit Quality and Financial Performance on Corporate Tax Avoidance: Empirical Evidence from Public Listed Companies in Malaysia

The global financial crises, including the one experienced in Malaysia, have raised concerns about the reliability of accounting reports prepared by Malaysian listed companies. In response, regulatory and professional institutions have advocated for reforms aimed at promoting transparency in accounting reports. To this end, this study provides empirical evidence on the direct impact of audit quality and financial performance on corporate tax avoidance among companies listed on Bursa Malaysia. The panel data approach was used to collect data from 276 listed companies on Bursa Malaysia, with 1,656 observations covering a six-year period from 2013 to 2018. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between audit quality, financial performance, and tax avoidance. The findings of this study indicate that audit quality and financial performance have a significant negative association with tax avoidance among Malaysian listed companies. These results suggest that firms with high audit quality and strong financial performance are less likely to engage in tax avoidance practices. The study has implications for policymakers and regulators, as it highlights the need for continued efforts to improve audit quality and financial reporting practices. Additionally, the findings suggest that measures aimed at improving financial performance among Malaysian listed companies may help reduce the prevalence of tax avoidance practices. Therefore, this study contributes to the ongoing debate on the effectiveness of regulatory and professional reforms aimed at promoting transparency and accountability in the financial reporting practices of Malaysian listed companies.

Performance of ‘Gala Select’ and ‘Fuji Suprema’ grafted on Geneva series rootstocks under fallow land and replanting conditions in southern Brazil

BackgroundRootstocks less vigorous are among the most crucial management techniques to modernize fruit cultivation. Replanting with fallow land has become necessary due to a lack of land to establish new orchards. ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to determine the effect of various rootstocks of the American Geneva® series on the yield performance of the apple (Malus domestica Borkh) cultivars ‘Gala Select’ and ‘Fuji Suprema’ under replanting conditions in southern Brazil. Methods: After two years of fallow land, the experiments were initiated in 2017 and conducted during the 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 growing seasons in Painel and Caxias do Sul municipalities at the Santa Catarina and the Rio Grande do Sul State, respectively. The ‘Gala Select’ and ‘Fuji Suprema’ were grafted onto the G.202, G.814, G.210, and G.213 Geneva series rootstocks in a tall spindle training system using a randomized complete block design with four replicates. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to assess the interrelationship among the variable's vigor, productivity, and fruit quality. ResultsThe PCA result showed significant differences in vigor, productivity, and fruit quality when the G.210 and G.213 and G.814 and G.213 Geneva series rootstocks were used in combination with Gala Select and Fuji Suprema cultivars, respectively. The PCA analysis clustered all cultivar/rootstock combinations into two groups, based on their vigor and productivity and the yield performance and fruit quality data, that differed significantly among combinations and regions. The ‘Gala Select’/G.202 and ‘Fuji Suprema’/G.213 combinations were less vigorous than the ‘Gala Select’/G.210 and ‘Fuji Suprema’/G.814 combinations. However, ‘Gala Select’/G.210 (semi-dwarfing) and G.213 (dwarfing) are the combinations with high yield performance, productive efficiency and fruit quality, being more reliable to the producer, and less vigorous, resulting in lower labor costs under replating conditions, with two years of fallow land, from 2018 until 2021 growing seasons.

Parameter Calibration of Wind Farm With Error Tracing Technique and Correlated Parameter Identification

With the increasing penetrations of wind power in power systems, periodical calibration of the large-scale Wind Farm (WF) model is crucial to maintaining high-quality model performance for stability investigations. However, the existing calibration methods mainly focus on correcting synchronous generators, not the more dynamical WF model. Challenges in tracing errors of inaccurate models and identifying the correlated parameters would further restrain the calibrating performance. To address such limitations, a novel parameter calibration approach for the WF model is developed explicitly in this article. With the development of a trajectory sensitivity based dominant parameters selection strategy, the parameters which significantly impact the model responses can be precisely located. Then, for discriminating the ill-conditioned parameters (deviating from their actual values), an improved error tracing method incorporating Hybrid Dynamic Simulation (HDS) and Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT) is proposed. Lastly, to enhance the model performance, the ill-conditioned parameters are iteratively tuned by a well-designed multistage identification approach, with the consideration of parameter correlations. Additionally, theoretical proof of the error tracing technique is provided to guarantee the proposed method's validity mathematically. With realistic WF and a modified IEEE 39-bus system, the proposed method demonstrated its excellent performance in tracing and tuning inaccurate parameters.

Industrial Visual Inspection with TinyML for High-Performance Quality Control

Industrial Visual Inspection with TinyML for High-Performance Quality Control

Unveiling Internet Network Quality: A Wireshark Analysis at SMKN 2 Rejang Lebong

Quality of Service (QoS) analysis is crucial for ensuring high-quality network performance. This study, conducted at SMKN 2 Rejang Lebong, utilizes Wireshark version 2.0.4 to analyze QoS parameters such as throughput, delay, jitter, and packet loss. The research employs a quantitative methodology, collecting data through questionnaires and employing descriptive statistics using SPSS version 20. The findings reveal that the QoS index for the Office Building and Teachers' Room falls within the 'Satisfactory' category with values of 3.06 and 3.26, respectively. However, the LAB Room scores a lower QoS index of 2.45, categorized as 'Unsatisfactory.' Overall, the internet network quality at SMKN 2 Rejang Lebong aligns with TIPHON standards, classifying as 'Less Satisfactory' with an average score of 2.92.

Large-Scale Automatic Identification of Industrial Vacant Land

Many cities worldwide have large amounts of industrial vacant land (IVL) due to development and transformation, posing a growing problem. However, the large-scale identification of IVL is hindered by obstacles such as high cost, high variability, and closed-source data. Moreover, it is difficult to distinguish industrial vacant land from operational industrial land based solely upon image features. To address these issues, we propose a method for the large-scale automatic identification of IVL. The framework uses deep learning to train remote-sensing images of potential industrial vacant land to generate a semantic segmentation model and further use population density and surface temperature data to filter model predictions. The feasibility of the proposed methodology was validated through a case study in Tangshan City, Hebei Province, China. The study indicates two major conclusions: (1) The proposed IVL identification framework can efficiently generate industrial vacant land mapping. (2) HRNet exhibits the highest accuracy and strongest robustness after training compared with other semantic segmentation backbone networks, ensuring high-quality performance and stability, as evidenced by a model accuracy of 97.84%. Based on the above advantages, the identification framework provides a reference method for various countries and regions to identify industrial vacant land on a large scale, which is of great significance for advancing the research and transformation of industrial vacant land worldwide.

A Wireless and Wearable Body-Pressure-Monitoring System for the Prevention of Pressure-Induced Skin Injuries.

This article presents a wireless and wearable body-pressure-monitoring system for the on-site, real-time prevention of pressure injuries for immobilized patients. For the prevention of pressure-induced skin injuries, a wearable pressure sensor system is designed to monitor the pressure at multiple sites on the skin and to alert the danger of prolonged application of pressure on the skin with a pressure-time integral (PTI) algorithm. The wearable sensor unit is developed using a pressure sensor based on a liquid metal microchannel and integrated with a flexible printed circuit board that includes a thermistor-type temperature sensor. The wearable sensor unit array is connected to the readout system board for the transmission of measured signals to a mobile device or PC via Bluetooth communication. We evaluate the pressure-sensing performances of the sensor unit and the feasibility of the wireless and wearable body-pressure-monitoring system through an indoor test and a preliminary clinical test at the hospital. It is shown that the presented pressure sensor has high-quality performance with excellent sensitivity to detect both high and low pressure. The proposed system measures the pressure at bony sites on the skin for about six hours continuously without any disconnection or failure, and the PTI-based alarming system operates successfully in the clinical setup. The system measures the pressure applied to the patient and provides meaningful information from the measured data for early diagnosis and prevention of bedsores to doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers.

A model for public-private partnership during the COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons from Biolab and public laboratories working in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

The global COVID-19 pandemic overwhelmed national public health and laboratory capacity in Jordan and globally. In response, Biolab, a private laboratory group with 27 branches across Jordan, assisted with testing. Biolab was equipped to quickly increase molecular testing capacity without compromising quality or turnaround time, allowing them to contribute to national COVID-19 surveillance efforts. Biolab expanded testing in Jordan by operationalizing automated testing platforms at various locations, including 16 branches, 2 drive-through and 2 walk-through centres, and entry points for airports and marine passenger arrivals. Genomic and molecular testing were implemented to track variants. Information technology platforms were introduced for sample management, registration, and commercial sample payments. Data were directly provided to the Ministry of Health through these platforms to support public health decision-making and responses. Biolab prioritized staff well-being by providing mental, financial, and physical health support during the pandemic. Biolab processed more than two million samples, with a turnaround time of ~1.5h. Results were transmitted directly to key stakeholders in near real time. Biolab conducted variant evaluations on >1.4 million samples using molecular variant testing and >1000 samples using whole genome sequencing. Biolab prioritized staff well-being, improving staff satisfaction from 74% to 91%, a remarkable achievement when many laboratory systems experienced staff burnout and dissatisfaction. The collaboration between public and private laboratories during COVID-19 established a model for future joint efforts to prevent outbreaks from becoming pandemics. Biolab's focus on efficiency, quality, and staff well-being enabled consistent, high-quality performance. The introduction of innovative information technology platforms ensured swift information dissemination. Biolab plans to continue investing in these platforms and expand pathogen testing, creating a top-tier testing infrastructure in Jordan with a demonstrated ability to cooperate with the government for public benefit.

SET: Sampling-Enhanced Exploration Tree for Mobile Robot in Restricted Environments

Mobile robots generally work in harsh and restricted environments, which poses challenges for mobile robots to find a feasible path efficiently. This article presents a planning method, namely sampling-enhanced exploration tree (SET), to improve computational efficiency in restricted environments while guaranteeing high-quality performance. The core of SET is sampling-enhanced exploration, which consists of critical areas identification, guiding-exploration, and rectifying-exploration. In the critical areas identification phase, the restricted areas are identified based on the distribution of the hybrid samples. Next, the critical samples in restricted areas are selected as the origins of the sampling-enhanced exploration. In the guiding-exploration phase, the sampling-enhanced exploration starts from the origins and marches quickly with the guidance of the leader-samples to capture the spatial feature and connectivity of the restricted areas. The spatial information provides essential guidance for efficient biased sampling. In the rectifying-exploration phase, the directions of sampling-enhanced exploration are rectified to transit the problematic areas and supplement samples. Theoretical analysis is provided to shed light on the properties of SET. Moreover, the generality and effectiveness of SET are verified through a series of mobile robot simulations and real-world experiments.

Proper selection of personnel for the Security Service of Ukraine as a prerequisite for the career growth of its employees

The current state of national legislation regarding the establishment of a list of requirements for candidates for service in bodies and units of the Security Service of Ukraine has been considered. The achievements of scholars on the essence of personnel selection, career, and labour legal personality of employees have been studied. The peculiarities of the legal personality of employees of the Security Service of Ukraine have been determined.
 The requirements established by national legislation for the candidates to serve in the Security Service of Ukraine and the proper professional selection of the best of them are an important factor in staffing this law enforcement agency with professional employees who will be able to perform their duties efficiently and achieve the results planned by the management. The high-quality performance of the tasks faced by the bodies of the Security Service of Ukraine by its employees directly depends on properly organized labor stimulation, in particular, the possibility of career growth. The latter should be supported by an effective career management system, which is based on ensuring fair career development of employees by assessing their business qualities, performance and authority among colleagues.
 The proposals and recommendations for improving national legislation in terms of establishing a list of requirements for candidates to serve in the bodies and units of the Security Service of Ukraine and career development of its employees have been provided. There is a need to amend Article 19 of the Law of Ukraine “On the Security Service of Ukraine” with the following provisions: first, on the need for candidates to be proficient in Ukrainian at the level determined in accordance with the Law of Ukraine “On ensuring the functioning of Ukrainian as the State language”, and second, on the need to test candidates for service using a polygraph, which will allow for more objective information about the candidate’s past, environment, positive and negative personal qualities. The Law of Ukraine “On the Security Service of Ukraine” should include a separate article entitled “Career in the Security Service of Ukraine”, which should define the term “career in the Security Service of Ukraine” and predict the specifics of a career in the Security Service of Ukraine.

Research Results of the Improved Coulter Group of the Planter

Introduction. The article substantiates the design schemes of coulters and, in general, coulter groups of potato planters based on the morphological features of the potato plant, its requirements for growing conditions and ensuring the high-quality performance of the planting process. The purpose of the coulter groups is to form a bed for placing seed tubers with a loose soil layer of 5–8 cm and to cover seed tubers with loose soil to a certain depth. Aim of the Article. The study is aimed at developing technological scheme and substantiating constructive parameters of coulter groups of potato planters, which meet most requirements for the conditions of potato plant growing. Materials and Methods. A comparative analysis of force estimation of furrow-opening working bodies is carried out and qualitative indicators of technological process of planting are determined. There is developed an experimental design of coulter groups of potato planters with the system for automatic maintenance of the depth of potato planting by correcting the angle of coulter attack if there are the field relief irregularities. Results. Experimental studies optimized the parameters of a coulter suspension providing automatic maintenance of the depth of potato planting while detecting field micro-relief irregularities up to 20 cm deep within the initial requirements for potato planters. Discussion and Conclusion. The coulters with an individual floating suspension and an acute angle of entry into the soil most fully meet the requirements for the growing conditions of a potato plant. Automatic maintenance of the specified coulter travel depth within the initial requirements (±2 cm) with field micro- relief irregularities up to 200 mm is provided by a coulter group with a suspension aspect ratio of 150:200:400:400 cm.

Capabilities of the Treadmill Test in Modern Cardiological Practice

Many publications in recent years have been dedicated to the search for the best preliminary method of diagnosing coronary artery disease (CAD), where the availability of technology and staff experience are the determining factors. According to the National Cardiovascular Data Registry of the American College of Cardiology, 58.4% of patients referred for coronary angiography after functional testing do not have significant coronary artery stenoses. European guidelines for the diagnosis and management of patients with chronic coronary syndrome recommend the use of imaging diagnostic tests instead of exercise electrocardiography for the diagnosis of obstructive CAD.
 The aim. To analyze the capabilities of the exercise electrocardiography test for patients in modern cardiological practice.
 Materials and methods. A treadmill test was performed on 406 patients, among whom 317 (78.07%) were men, 89 (21.9%) were women, the mean age was 44.7±17.3 years. The test was carried out according to the Bruce protocol on the Valiant Ergometric Treadmill.
 Results. The patients were divided into groups depending on the area of diagnostic search: verification of CAD in cardiac pain (n=184); evaluation of the long-term results of cardiac surgery (n=74); visualization of myocardial ischemia in borderline stenoses of coronary arteries (n=4); screening in the presence of additional CAD risk factors (n=49); in the case of heart rhythm disorders in order to decide on further treatment tactics and evaluation of the effectiveness of the antiarrhythmic treatment (n=34); evaluation of the coronary artery in patients with congenital heart defects (n=7); determination of tolerance to physical exertion (n=54). Among the examined patients, there were 48 (11.8%) with positive, 246 (60.5%) with negative, and 112 (27.5%) with doubtful treadmill test. Among 48 patients with a positive treadmill test, myocardial revascularization was performed in 41 (85.4%) cases.
 Conclusions. Exercise electrocardiography is an affordable tool for diagnostic research which, with its high-quality performance and interpretation, can be an alternative to modern imaging techniques.

Platformization and the Metaverse: Opportunities and Challenges for Urban Sustainability and Economic Development

In simpler terms, our day-to-day life, from various urban sectors to all deep corners of city life, is becoming hugely influenced by digital platforms' data systems, economic tactics, and ways of management. This is a trend that we call "platformization." It's taken us to a point where we now live in what's often described as a "platform society" because these platforms now largely control urban civilizations. What's fascinating is that this platformization trend has created something pretty striking: the Metaverse. The Metaverse is an impressive global platform project launched by Meta, the company we used to know as Facebook. This project brings to life a potential "virtual world" that mirrors our reality. The idea is that the Metaverse can serve as a virtual version of the future cities – not too different from what we think of as smart cities. Thanks to cutting-edge technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Internet of Things (IoT), and Digital Twins, we now have enough resources and understanding of human behavior to make a project like the Metaverse possible. The promise is that the Metaverse can revolutionize how we design cities and deliver public services, making cities more efficient, accountable, and with a higher quality performance. But of course, the arrival of the Metaverse isn't without its worries. There are many questions over the ethical, human, social, and cultural implications the Metaverse may have. Particularly, there are concerns about the kind of impact it may have on the quality of human social relationships and how it may reshape urban life. To unpack all of these, this research work aims to thoroughly examine available literature on this topic. The paper further looks into the new products and services coming into being because of the Metaverse, examining how they might help smart cities, especially those aiming for better environment, economy, and social sustainability. The insights gathered here could help city leaders understand the Metaverse's potential for technology-driven urban practices and future city plans. It also takes a critical stance, challenging whether the Metaverse might significantly change how reality is constructed in our increasingly platform-driven urban world. This discussion, hopefully, can fuel future research and critical conversation on this hot topic.

Long-term field evaluation of Pera sweet orange selections under the Brazilian humid subtropical climate

Currently, a low number of citrus varieties are commercially planted to supply the Brazilian citrus industry demand. The diversification of citrus scion and rootstock varieties is an important strategy to prevent disease outbreaks and to obtain higher off-season profits, as well as to extend fruit supply for the citrus processing industry. The aim of this study was to evaluate 16 Pera sweet orange selections (Citrus ×sinensis Osbeck) under a humid subtropical climate in the northwest region of the state of Paraná, Brazil regarding tree development, production, and disease incidence. The experimental orchard was planted in December 2012 in a randomized block design with three replications and five trees per plot. All scions were grafted on Rangpur lime rootstock (C. ×limonia Osbeck). The evaluations were performed from 2016 through 2022, and included vegetative growth, yield, fruit quality, estimated tree density and productivity for new plantings, and incidence of diseases as citrus canker, huanglongbing (HLB), and citrus tristeza virus (CTV). All data was submitted to ANOVA and means grouped by the Scott Knott’s test (p ≤ 0.05). Pera Perão was the most vigorous variety, with the heaviest and largest fruit, and was among the selections with the highest content of soluble solids (SS), titratable acidity (TA) and juice. However, this variety showed a light-yellow juice color, and one of the lowest SS·TA−1 ratio. This selection had the lowest percentage of fruits with citrus canker but was among the selections with the highest HLB incidence. The selections Ovale, Clone 9, and Clone 42 also showed higher vegetative growth and fruit length, but lower SS content, juice yield and technological indices. All other Pera selections had lower tree height and canopy volume than Ovale, Clone 9, and Clone 42, and adequate overall fruit quality. Conversely, Pera Comprida, Dibbern, Morretes, and Seleç ão 12 scored lower cumulative fruit yield. Pera Pirangi and Comprida had the highest citrus canker incidence on fruits, while Morretes, Ovo, Pirangi, Seleç ão 12, and Seleç ão 27 had the highest HLB incidence alongside Perão. Low severity level of stem pitting was observed within the evaluated selections. The scores ranged from one (absence of stem pitting) to two (sparse surface stem pitting). IAC, Olímpia, Mel, Bianchi, and IPR 159 revealed to be the most suitable for new plantings under humid subtropical edaphoclimatic conditions, as trees had small vegetative growth, high yield performance and fruit quality, in addition to showing lower incidences of citrus canker, HLB and CTV.

Semi-equivariant conditional normalizing flows, with applications to target-aware molecule generation

Learning over the domain of 3D graphs has applications in a number of scientific and engineering disciplines, including molecular chemistry, high energy physics, and computer vision. We consider a specific problem in this domain, namely: given one such 3D graph, dubbed the base graph, our goal is to learn a conditional distribution over another such graph, dubbed the complement graph. Due to the three-dimensional nature of the graphs in question, there are certain natural invariances such a distribution should satisfy: it should be invariant to rigid body transformations that act jointly on the base graph and the complement graph, and it should also be invariant to permutations of the vertices of either graph. We propose a general method for learning the conditional probabilistic model, the central part of which is a continuous normalizing flow. We establish semi-equivariance conditions on the flow which guarantee the aforementioned invariance conditions on the conditional distribution. Additionally, we propose a graph neural network architecture which implements this flow, and which is designed to learn effectively despite the typical differences in size between the base graph and the complement graph. We demonstrate the utility of our technique in the molecular setting by training a conditional generative model which, given a receptor, can generate ligands which may successfully bind to that receptor. The resulting model, which has potential applications in drug design, displays high quality performance in the key ΔBinding metric.