Main Indices Research Articles

Energy refurbishment planning of Italian school buildings using data-driven predictive models

In the current practice, the design of energy refurbishment interventions for existing buildings is typically addressed by performing time-consuming software-based numerical simulations. However, this approach may be not suitable for preliminary assessment studies, especially when large building portfolios are involved. Therefore, this research work aims at developing simplified data-driven predictive models to estimate the energy consumption of existing school buildings in Italy and support the decision-making process in energy refurbishment intervention planning at a large scale. To accomplish this, an extensive database is assembled through comprehensive on-site surveys of school buildings in Southern Italy. For each school, a Building Information Modelling (BIM) model is developed and validated considering real energy consumption data. These BIM models serve in the design of suitable energy refurbishment interventions. Moreover, a comprehensive parametric investigation based on refined energy analyses is carried out to significantly improve and integrate the dataset. To derive the predictive models, firstly the most relevant parameters for energy consumption are identified by performing sensitivity analyses. Based on these findings, predictive models are generated through a multiple linear regression method. The suggested models provide an estimation of the energy consumption of the “as-built” configuration, as well as the costs and benefits of alternative energy refurbishment scenarios. The reliability of the proposed simplified relationships is substantiated through a statistical analysis of the main error indices. Results highlight that the building's shape factor (i.e., the ratio between the building's envelope area and its volume) and the area-weighted average of the thermal properties of the building envelope significantly affect both the energy consumption of school buildings and the achievable savings through retrofitting interventions. Finally, a framework for the preliminary design of energy refurbishment of buildings, based on the implementation of the herein developed predictive model, is proposed and illustrated through a worked example application.Worth noting that, while the proposed approach is currently limited to school buildings, the methodology can conceptually be extended to any building typology, provided that suitable data on energy consumption are available.

Variability of Income Flows of Tourism Companies during a Nine-Year Period

<p style="text-align: justify;">The global financial crisis has affected all countries during the period 2007-2014. Tourist companies, especially in Italy, play a significant role in the economy of a country. The performance of tourism companies, and in particular hotels and travel agencies and tour operators, will be analysed in this paper, relative to the period of the crisis. The aim of this paper is to analyze profitability dynamics of the aforementioned tourist companies, to check whether they have suffered the effects of the global crisis. To this end, data from AIDA database relating to Italian companies in the sector were used. The profitability of these companies has been analyzed using the main profitability ratios, ROI and ROS ratios. An analysis of the trends and ANOVA of these ratios was carried out for the period 2007-2015. In this way, it has been verified whether the global crisis has affected profitability dynamics of hotels and travel agencies and tour operators in Italy. There is a parallelism in the trends of the main operators' indices in the three Italian macro-regions. The best performance is in the South, in a less developed economic context. The crisis has reduced the income indices in the first three years, even if the figure remains positive. Since 2012 there is a clear recovery, especially for hotels; intermediaries, on the other hand, suffer from competition from websites. However, the indices confirm the close relationship between travel agencies, tour operators and hotels. ROI mainly rewards first, while ROS intermediaries.</p>

Efficacy and safety of superpulse thulium laser lithotripsy in the intracavitary treatment of urinary calculi

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of superpulse thulium laser lithotripsy in the intracavitary treatment of urinary calculi. Methods: From May 2021 to July 2022, patients diagnosed with urinary calculi were screened in four medical centers. Those who met the criteria were treated with superpulse thulium fiber laser under endoscope. The patients' perioperative conditions were recorded. The main effective index was stone-free rate (SFR) 4 weeks after operation, the main safety index was the failure rate of the experimental instruments during operation, and the secondary safety index was the incidence rate of perioperative complications. Results: A total of 76 eligible patients completed superpulse thulium fiber laser lithotripsy, with an average age of (52.0±11.1) years, 54 males and 22 females. There were 31 renal stones, 43 ureteral stones and 2 bladder stones. Percutaneous nephrolithotomy was performed in 17 patients. Ureteroscopy lithotripsy/flexible ureteroscopy lithotripsy was performed in 57 patients and transurethral bladder lithotripsy was in 2 patients. The lithotripsy time of all patients was (50.9±31.4) minutes. There was no failure of experimental instruments during the operation. Six patients refused follow-up examination after operation. The incidence of postoperative adverse events was 61.8% (47/76). One patient needed hospitalization due to inguinal hernia after operation, and the rest were classified as Clavien-dindo grade 1-2. The SFR was 94.3% (66/70) at 4 weeks after operation. Conclusion: It is effective and safe to use superpulse thulium fiber laser in the treatment of urinary calculi.

SARS-CoV-2 infection and increasing autoimmune disorders among ICU-hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

In acute conditions, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes multi-organ damage due to the induction of inappropriate immune responses, particularly lung tissue fibrosis. To evaluate the consequence of the deterioration of the immune system, autoimmune markers were assessed. In a case-control study, 108 patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), and 158 outpatients with mild clinical symptoms, with SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) positive tests, were included for comparison. The demographic and hematologic variables and presence of the main autoantibodies in sera of 40 eligible ICU-hospitalized COVID-19 patients and 40 COVID-19 outpatients were assessed. Out of 108 COVID-19 ICU-hospitalized patients, 40 were selected as the control group (40/158) who had no underlying diseases before hospitalization, according to their self-declaration and clinical records at the time of admission. The results demonstrated that the main complete blood count indices, such as red blood cells and platelets, decreased dramatically in ICU-hospitalized patients. Furthermore, the autoantibody profiles were positive in 45% and 15% of ICU-admitted patients for antinuclear antibodies and antineutrophilic cytoplasmic autoantibodies, respectively. In ICU patients, anti-PM/Scl 100 or AMA-M2 was 33%. Anti SS-A, anti-SS-B, anti-Ro-52, and anti-Jo-1 in 11.5% for each one were reactive. Other autoantibodies of the ICU group were as follows: CENP (5.6%), Rib-protein (5.6%), and nucleosome (5.6%). However, only two individuals in the control group had positive results for SS-A and SS-B (5%). Induction of such particular autoantibodies by the virus can justify the multi-organ involvement and severity of the disease in ICU patients, which may also cause other organ involvement in the long term.

An experimental study of the carbohydrate exchange method combined with aerobic exercise to intervene in the physical health of obese college students

Abstract The purpose of investigating the carbohydrate exchange method in combination with aerobic exercise for obese college students is to help college students have better bodies to cope with their academic life. This paper introduces the qualitative and quantitative analysis technique based on near-infrared spectroscopy, starting from the analysis of the carbohydrate exchange method, and explains the physical, mathematical, and chemical information bases, respectively. A NIR detection model is constructed using the NIR spectroscopy detection method, and the main evaluation indexes of the model are given. Three experimental groups, namely, carbohydrate exchange method, aerobic exercise, and carbohydrate exchange method combined with aerobic exercise were set up to investigate the physical health interventions for obese college students. In the single test, the FPG, BUN, TC, and HbA1c values of the subjects in the carbohydrate exchange experiment group were reduced by 18.61%, 17.33%, 11.09%, and 18.16%, respectively. The FPG, BUN, TC, and HbA1c values were reduced by 23.42%, 18.84%, 11.62%, and 13.48%, respectively, in subjects in the aerobic exercise experimental group. From the carbohydrate exchange method combined with the aerobic exercise experimental group, the subjects’ FPG, BUN, TC, and HbA1c values were reduced by 28.38%, 22.24%, 11.27%, and 27.4%, respectively, which was a better level of intervention than the single experimental group. Thus, the carbohydrate exchange method combined with aerobic exercise can be an effective intervention for the physical health of obese college students.

Characterization of Bioactivity of Selective Molecules in Fruit Wines by FTIR and NMR Spectroscopies, Fluorescence and Docking Calculations.

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopies were applied to characterize and compare the chemical shifts in the polyphenols' regions of some fruit wines. The obtained results showed that FTIR spectra (1800-900 cm-1) and 1H NMR (δ 6.5-9.3 ppm) of different fruit wines can be used as main indices of the year of vintage and quality of fruit wines. In addition to the classical determination of antioxidant profiles and bioactive substances in wines, fluorometric measurements were used to determine the interactions of wine substances with the main human serum proteins. The results showed relatively high binding properties of wines with the highest one for pomegranate, followed by kiwifruit and persimmon wines. The interactions of vitamin C, catechin and gallic acid with human serum albumin (HSA) were also examined by docking studies. The docking calculations showed that gallic acid has a stronger binding affinity compared to catechin and vitamin C. The stronger binding affinity of gallic acid may be due to three hydrogen bonds and pi-pi interactions. The fluorescence and docking studies proved that only the bioactive compounds of wines and not the amount of alcohol have high binding properties to human serum proteins. The emphasis in this report was made on the utility of FTIR, NMR and fluorescence of wines as a mean of wine authentication and its fingerprint. The findings, based on polyphenols from fruits and fruit wines, their bioactivity and health properties, offer valuable insights for future endeavours focused on designing healthy food products.

Statistical Analysis and Forecasting of Indexes of Gender Asymmetry in the Labor Market of the Orenburg Region

All-Russian and regional labor markets operate in an unstable socio-economic situation, which can contribute to the emergence of gender disproportion. The study of gender asymmetry is considered the most popular direction during periods of “economic upheaval”, since this kind of instability increases the inequality of men and women in various spheres of life. The state of turbulence in which the labor market of Russia as a whole and each of its regions is located contributes to the adaptation of each of its segments to new forms of work. This study examines the results of an analysis of the structure and trends in the dynamics of indexes of employment and unemployment of the male and female population in the Orenburg region for 2016-2021. The choice of the time period is justified by the uneven development of both the world and the Russian economy. Modern economic realities, in which the labor market exists, develops both in the country as a whole, and in its regions, experiencing a number of shocks, determine the scientific novelty of the issues under consideration.Purpose of the study. The main idea of the paper done is the possibility of using the methods of economic and statistical analysis to study dynamic differences in gender structures according to various characteristics, development directions that determine gender asymmetry in the labor market of the Orenburg region, and predict its main indexes for the medium term.Materials and methods. The information base of the study was the statistical information of Orenburgstat, which characterizes gender asymmetry in the labor market of the Orenburg region. To achieve this goal, a set of methods of economic and statistical analysis was applied, including the calculation of indexes of the structure and structural differences, dynamics, identifying trends, forecasting, as well as presenting the results of the study using tables and figures.Results. According to the results of the study, an average portrait of a busy and carefree person by gender was compiled. The characteristics of the male and female population in the labor market of the Orenburg region in 2021 compared to 2016 are highlighted. The study of structural differences was carried out according to the criterion of V. Ryabtsev, during which it was noted that there were no significant changes in the structures of employed men and women. A significant level of differences characterizes the age structure of unemployed men and women in 2021 compared to 2016, as well as the structure of unemployed men by level of education. The study made it possible to assert that in the dynamics of indexes characterizing gender inequality in the labor market of the Orenburg region, unstable changes are observed. The study tested the hypothesis of the presence/absence of trends in the time series of indexes characterizing gender asymmetry in the labor market of the region. For this purpose, one of the modifications of the series criterion was used. The assumption that there is no trend in the dynamics series under consideration has not been confirmed, therefore, the trend exists. Taking into account this circumstance, trend models were created, among which, according to the best statistical characteristics, second-order polynomial models were selected. With the help of the selected polynomials of the second degree, it was determined that in the dynamics of employment and unemployment indexes of the male and female population, downward trends of change prevail. Further, their prospective indexes were calculated. Conclusion. The study made it possible to analyze the main vectors that are emerging in the field of employment and unemployment in the regional labor market by gender, and to predict their main indexes for the medium term. In the dynamics of the number of both male and female labor force in the Orenburg region, unstable trends will be observed in the future. The number of women employed in the region’s economy will grow; the number of unemployed women will decrease. In the forecast period, the number of employed men in the economy of the Orenburg region will change under the influence of a downtrend. The number of unemployed men in the period from 2023 to 2025 will tend to decrease.

The prevalence and risk factors of coagulopathy in pediatric patients undergoing surgery for epilepsy.

Hematological consequences of novel antiseizure medications (ASMs) or combined therapies are rarely reported, especially in pediatric patients undergoing surgery for epilepsy. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and risk factors of coagulation dysfunction in this population and evaluate their relationship with intra- and postoperative bleeding. Three hundred ninety children who underwent surgery for epilepsy and 104 children without epilepsy who underwent nonepilepsy surgery at the authors' center were included in the study. The authors retrospectively collected and analyzed the following clinical data: sex, age, weight, course of epilepsy, antiseizure therapy, first laboratory data after admission, and transfusion-related data. ASMs were responsible for the higher incidence of coagulation dysfunction in pediatric epilepsy surgery patients. Low body weight (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.92-0.98) and valproic acid (VPA) therapy (OR 5.13, 95% CI 3.25-8.22) were the most relevant factors leading to coagulation dysfunction. The most common hematological side effects of VPA were thrombocytopenia and hypofibrinogenemia, whereas low body weight was only associated with hypofibrinogenemia. Both VPA and low body weight increased the need for intra- or postoperative transfusion (p < 0.001). Pediatric epilepsy surgery patients often take multiple ASMs, resulting in an increased incidence of coagulopathy. VPA levels and low body weight were found to be the main influential factors associated with an increased risk of coagulation dysfunction. Platelet and fibrinogen levels were the main indices that were affected. Both VPA and low body weight were relevant to additional surgery-related transfusion, necessitating the need for increased awareness of preoperative coagulopathy before pediatric epilepsy surgery. Clinical trial registration no.: NCT05675254 (ClinicalTrials.gov).

Transcriptomics integrated with metabolomics to characterize key pigment compounds and genes related to anthocyanin biosynthesis in Zanthoxylum bungeanum peel.

Zanthoxylum bungeanum is an important condiment with high economic value and its peel color is one of the main quality indexes. However, the key pigment compounds and related genes are still unclear affecting the quality control of the plants. In this study, the contents of four types of pigments were measured in Z. bungeanum and flavonoids were identified as the most important pigments. Based on the targeted flavonoid metabolomics of Z. bungeanum peels, 14 key pigment compounds were screened out from 152 flavonoids, among which cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside were the most critical compounds for peel color. They were further verified to be present in nine varieties of Z. bungeanum by HPLC fingerprints. The 14 compounds were all associated with flavonoid and anthocyanin biosynthesis pathways and the 39 differentially expressed genes related to these pathways were annotated and screened based on transcriptomics. The genes ZbDFR, ZbANS, and ZbUFGT were identified as three key genes for anthocyanin synthesis in Z. bungeanum peels. Further qRT-PCR results confirmed the reliability of transcriptomics and the accuracy of gene screening. Subsequent protein induced expression demonstrated that ZbANS and ZbUFGT were expressed after 12 h induced by IPTG while ZbDFR was expressed after 15 h. Further transient and stable transformation analysis confirmed that both anthocyanin content and the expression of ZbDFR were significantly increased in overexpression Z. bungeanum leaves and Nicotiana benthamiana. The functional effect of stable transformation of ZbDFR was more significant than that of transient transformation with a 7.67-fold/1.49-fold difference in total anthocyanin content and a 42.37-fold/12.32-fold difference in the expression of ZbDFR. This study provides new insights into the chemical composition and the molecular mechanisms of Z. bungeanum peel color and lays an effective foundation for the color quality control, multi-purpose utilization of Z. bungeanum and the creation of new germplasm.

APPLICATION OF MUMMIFIED TURK SALTY FIBER CONCRETE AS PROTECTION AGAINST SALTY DOMES AND DESERT INTRUSION

Turk salty fiber concrete is designed to isolate retaining walls against saline materials. In 2018, TSFC mixture design was applied to the salt domes in the GOTVAND reservoir dam, SE of Iran in order to isolate them enormous salt ridges were discovered inside the dam reservoir before construction operations began in 2005 which are also identifiable through the use of geotechnical maps. The designed mixture of TSFC contains salt stone (S), water (W), cement type II (CII), bentonite (B), clay (C) and cotton or synthetic fibers (F). In the laboratory, TSFC is produced taking into account the variable of saline water. The figure ζ is defined by the proportion of the weight of the salt and water over the weight of the combined mixture of cement, bentonite, clay and fibers. The maximum value ζ has been obtained as being a bit over 6.5 for laboratory samples. It means that more than 87% of the sample weight is related to saline water and 13% is related to other materials (CII, B, C and F). The axial load test is the main index to compare resistance with friction of salt formations. The results obtained show the axial resistance of broken TSFC samples to be more 12,000 KPA. SEM images were taken to study TSFC adhesiveness between the salt and fibers. The SEM showed cubic crystallization which in itself supports the hypothesis of salty mummification due to the integrating of the salt concrete and fibers.

The effects of the macroeconomic factors on the Bucharest Stock Exchange during the Covid-19 pandemic

"The purpose of the paper is to observe and analyze how the dynamics of macroeconomic factors influence the evolution of the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) through the lens of the main stock indices (BET, BET-Plus, BET-FI), but also of the stock market capitalization. The research carried out consists of four stages. First, the monthly values of the macroeconomic factors considered were collected (inflation rate, reference interest rate, unemployment rate, RON-EURO and RON-USD exchange rates, producer price index, gold price, average salary and the Covid-19 number of cases) during the period 2020-2021, as well as the monthly values of the Bucharest Stock Exchange market indices (BET-Plus, BET and BET-FI) and of the stock market capitalization. These data were collected from the websites: www.bvb.ro (Bucharest Stock Exchange), www.bnr.ro (National Bank of Romania), www.innse.ro (National Institute of Statistics) and www.ms.ro (Ministry of Health). Then, the descriptive statistics was used to describe the collected data (mean value, standard deviation, minimum/ maximum value). This step is followed by the use of the Pearson correlation to capture the correlation between each stock market index and the macroeconomic factor included in the analysis. And finally, multiple regression was used to see exactly how the Romanian stock market indices are influenced by any changes of macroeconomic factors. Keywords: macroeconomic factors, Bucharest Stock Exchange, stock market indices, Covid-19 pandemic JEL Classification: B22, C32, G10"

Experimental study on evolution law of dynamic characteristic parameters during the tunnel surrounding rock block collapse process

Tunnel surrounding rock block collapse is one of the most common geological disasters in the fractured rock tunnel. Due to its sudden characteristics, the traditional monitoring methods such as displacement monitoring cannot be effective, which seriously threatens the safety of tunnel construction. In this paper, the monitoring experiment research of the whole rock block collapse process is carried out, by introducing a number of time-domain and frequency-domain dynamic characteristic parameters such as Vibration Peak Value, Crest Factor, Natural Vibration Frequency, etc. The experiment results show that the evolution law of dynamic characteristic parameters such as the Vibration Peak Value, RMS Value, Crest Factor, Natural Vibration Frequency in the whole rock block collapse process can be clearly divided into three stages: Stability phase, Detachment phase, Accelerated destruction phase. Moreover, the strength and transfixion rate of the main structure plane have a great influence on the dynamic characteristic parameters of the block, but the dynamic characteristic parameters have no obvious relationship with the transfixion position of the main structure plane. In view of the tunnel engineering, this paper proposes a three-color early warning method for the tunnel surrounding rock block collapse based on dynamic characteristic parameters with Crest Factor and natural vibration frequency as the main monitoring indexes. The method is applied in the K97 + 860.1 section of Qingshan Tunnel in Jinan Ring Expressway, and the collapse disaster is warned 12 min in advance, which verifies the feasibility of this method. This research provides a new way for the monitoring and early warning method of tunnel surrounding rock block collapse disaster, and can provide important support for the active prevention and control of block collapse disaster.

Phosphorus deficiency is the main limiting factor for re-vegetation and soil microorganisms in Mu Us Sandy Land, Northwest China

Long-term drought induced by low rainfall leads to environmental degradation of land in arid and semi-arid regions. In past decades, re-vegetation of degraded sandy soils to prevent soil erosion has been widely employed, including in Mu Us Sandy Land, which suffers from severe soil erosion. However, it remains unclear how re-vegetation affects soil properties and soil microbes after long restoration periods. In this study, typical plots planting Artemisia ordosica and Salix psammophila were selected to investigate the influence of plant types on soil properties; an area of bare sandy land was used as a control. The results show that re-vegetation increased soil organic carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), soil microbial carbon, microbial nitrogen and soil organic acid, while decreasing soil total phosphorous (TP) content significantly, resulting in increased C/P and N/P ratios. Correlation analysis showed that TP was negatively correlated with oxalic acid (OA) and acetic acid (AA), indicating that increased AA and OA content could accelerate the active utilization of phosphorus and induced low TP in soil. Re-vegetation with A. ordosica significantly decreased the microbial diversity of topsoil. The redundancy analysis showed that TP was main index in affecting microbes. These results that lower P content, higher C/P and N/P ratio and influence of TP on microbes suggest that phosphorus is the main limiting factor for re-vegetation and growth of soil microorganisms. In the future, strategies for the development of sustainable ecosystems in regions suffers from severe soil erosion should consider phosphorus supplementation.

Analysis of the influence on structural seismic performance by the composite reinforcement method

AbstractThis paper proposed three composite strengthening methods for repairing seismic‐damaged RC frames to restore their seismic capacity. Combined with the damage characteristics and failure mode of the frame under the earthquake action, the local strengthening of the column adopts the angle steel and gusset plate, and then the whole frame is strengthened by the inclined brace, the thin‐walled steel plate and the V‐shaped buckling restrained brace (BRB), respectively. Through the cyclic loading test, the main seismic indexes of the strengthened specimen, including hysteresis curve, skeleton curve, ductility, energy dissipation capacity, and stiffness degradation, are studied. The influence of different strengthening methods on the seismic performance of the seismic‐damaged specimens is analyzed. The results show that the seismic performance of strengthened specimens is significantly improved, and the bearing capacity, ductility, and energy dissipation capacity are increased by 2.58–5.57, 1.05–1.24, and 7.67–15.87 times, respectively. The thin‐walled steel plate shear wall and the inclined brace are destroyed at first during loading to effectively delay the premature destruction of the main frame. The composite strengthening method makes the original frame realize the failure mechanism of “strong joint weak member, strong column weak beam” under strong earthquake action. The strengthened specimen satisfies the seismic requirement and has good seismic performance. The seismic performance of the frame strengthened with the V‐shaped BRB is better than that of the other two strengthening methods. Based on the test date, the formula for calculating the shear‐bearing capacity of the beam end is presented.

Research on the Operational Performance of Organic Rankine Cycle System for Waste Heat Recovery from Large Ship Main Engine

Based on the analysis of the waste heat distribution characteristics of a typical ship two-stroke low-speed main engine (model: MAN 8S65ME-C8.6HL, the specified maximum continuous rating SMCR: 21,840 kW) under different loads, two different types of organic Rankine cycle (ORC) systems, namely the basic system (BORC) and the preheated system(PORC), were constructed to recover the ship main engine’s exhaust gas waste heat and jacket cooling water waste heat. Using the thermodynamic simulation model of the system, the main performance indexes, including net output power of the two ORC systems were studied with the variation of seawater temperature and main engine load, and the annual ship fuel saving and annual carbon emission reduction generated by the two systems were compared and analyzed. It was found that the maximum net output power of the BORC system and PORC system were 445.3 kW and 491.3 kW, respectively, when the ship’s main engine load was 100%, and the outboard seawater temperature was 20 °C; the maximum thermal efficiency was 12.84% and 12.71%, respectively; under the annual operation, the fuel saving of BORC system and PORC system can be 456 tons and 510 tons, respectively, and the carbon emission reduction was 1416 tons and 1581 tons, respectively. The analysis found that the net output power of the PORC system is always greater than that of the BORC system. When the outboard seawater is lower, and the main engine load is more than 80%, the net output power difference between the PORC system and BORC system gradually expands, and the improvement of ORC system performance is more evident by adding a preheater. It can be concluded that when the ship was mainly operated in the sea area with low seawater temperature and the main engine was running under high load most of the time, selecting the PORC system to recover the waste heat of the main engine was more advantageous.

Establishment and application of characteristic degradation fingerprint for the quality control of Compound Banlangen Granules polysaccharides.

Compound Chinese medicine preparation is a complex multi-component system. The traditional methods such as physicochemical identification and quantification of several main index components cannot provide adequate quality evaluation for Compound Banlangen Granules. The objective of this work was to establish a characteristic degradation fingerprint of Compound Banlangen Granules polysaccharides, and the reference fingerprint was obtained from the model samples prepared using prescription medicinal herbs from different origins. The partial degradation products of Compound Banlangen Granules polysaccharides were profiled by capillary zone electrophoresis, and the quality difference of polysaccharides of these preparations was compared by cluster analysis and principal component analysis. It was found that the contents and the characteristic degradation fingerprints of the polysaccharides from 25 batches of Compound Banlangen Granules of 17 manufacturers were significantly different. The quality of Compound Banlangen Granules polysaccharides was evaluated by the characteristic degradation fingerprint tool with satisfactory results. The present method provides a reference for the quality control strategy development of polysaccharides in other compound Chinese medicine preparations.

An intelligent method for TBM surrounding rock classification based on time series segmentation of rock-machine interaction data

Accurate, continuous real-time perception of surrounding rock conditions on the tunnel boring machine (TBM) tunnel face provides particularly important prior information to ensure safe, economic, and efficient tunneling. This study presents an intelligent method for assessing the TBM surrounding rock conditions using a combination of time series segmentation and a deep clustering model (SSAE-FCM). In data preprocessing, fifteen operational parameters were selected as input features. And an adaptive piecewise constant approximation method was employed for the segmentation and compression of stable phase data. Then, a total of 69,214 data samples that can characterize the stable rock-machine interaction were obtained to construct a dataset. Thereafter, the SSAE-FCM model was established and trained to classify the surrounding rock conditions into four clusters. The distribution result of the main operational parameters and composite indexes (TPI, FPI, and SE) within these clusters demonstrated that the classification results are compatible with rock-machine interaction in engineering practice. Additionally, the rock mass assessment performance of the classification results was compared to BQ classification in terms of various rock mass parameters (UCS, Jv), fault sections, and collapse sections. These results indicate that the proposed classification method accurately reflects the stability and boreability of rock mass and is more sensitive to unfavorable geology than the BQ classification. From the three clustering evaluation indexes (SC, CHI, and DBI) perspective, SSAE-FCM was superior to the other clustering models (BIRCH + k-means++, FCM, and SSAE + FCM). In conclusion, the proposed intelligent method for TBM surrounding rock classification is reasonable and applicable for the evaluation of rock mass quality, as well as accurate and sensitive in real-time perception.

Study on influencing factors and distribution probability of asphalt mixtures’ rutting samples physical indices

Rutting deformation is one of the most prominent diseases in asphalt pavement’s early damage. In this study, the main influencing factors, mechanism, and distribution law of the principal physical indices of AC-13 asphalt mixture rutting specimens were analyzed based upon the rutting test and statistical principles. Firstly, the main influencing factors, mechanism, and changes law of AC-13 asphalt mixture rutting specimens’ main physical indices were analyzed, based upon a large number rutting test results. Secondly, it analyzes the optimum fitting distribution of the main indices based upon statistical principles. The results showed that, as the asphalt content increased, the mixture rutting samples’ ρf and VMA indices increased firstly and then decreased, VV increased and VFA changed in the converse direction. There was a good linear correlation between the indices Sa and Vbe and asphalt content, in which the indices showed an opposite change trend. The content of coarse aggregate increased by 5.5% in the asphalt mixture, the rutting samples’ ρf increased by 2.03%, and the indices VV, VMA, VFA, Sa, and Vbe decreased by 35.23, 9.1, 8.86, 35.79, and 7.60% on average, respectively. The Marshall testing specimens’ ρf, VV, and VMA were similar to those that were wheel rolled 18 times, and VFA was similar when rolled 12 times. As the number of times the mixtures were rolled increased by 6, the asphalt mixtures’ ρf, VFA, and Vbe increased by 2.05, 8.47, and 1.44%, while the indices VV, VMA, and Sa decreased by 29.49, 8.81, and 11.55%, respectively. The optimal distribution fitting function of the asphalt mixtures’ ρf, VFA, and Sa was the Weibull distribution, that of the Vbe indices was the Normal distribution, that of the VMA in asphalt mixtures was the Lognormal distribution, and that of VV was the Gamma distribution, which can provide a reference for the design and construction of highways’ pavement in this areas.

Educational inequalities in mortality and their mediators among generations across four decades: nationwide, population based, prospective cohort study based on the ChinaHEART project

ObjectivesTo assess the different educational inequalities in mortality among generations born between 1940 and 1979 in China, and to investigate the role of socioeconomic, behavioural, and metabolic factors as potential...

RATIONALES FOR EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE GREEN FINANCING UNDER EMERGENCY RULES

The article is devoted to the current topic of environmental protection through the joint efforts of government and business with the help of innovative schemes for attracting investments in ecological developments. Based on data from international organizations, a thorough study of global trends in the use of green bonds as a financing tool for environmentally important projects has been conducted. The changing climate of our planet requires the adaptation of sustainable development goals to the challenges of our time. And such an effective mechanism is green financing. Green bonds are considered as an impact investing mechanism. The participants in the initiation of the standardization process of green bonds and the parameters for obtaining the status of green securities have been determined. Using a number of literary sources, the authors substantiated the strengths and weaknesses of the green bond market. The regional aspect of green bond issuance is reinforced by the examples of leading issuing countries. The position of the European continent as a leader in issuing green bonds has been argued. The annual value of green bonds and directions for using the proceeds have been analyzed. The development trends and global potential of the green bond market have been substantiated. The authors have indicated the directions of green investment in unstable market conditions and summarized the common features of green financing. The ETF’s place in the chain of attracting investors to the green bond market has been determined. The article illustrates the dynamics of the main green bonds indices with an explanation of their selection criteria. It has been emphasized that modern society purposefully begins to use climate finance markets more effectively for a step-by-step transition to a green economy. Obstacles on the way to the expansion of operations on the green bond market have been specified. The prospects for the further development of the green financing market have been outlined to strengthen the synergy of ecology and finance