Commercial Point Research Articles

Nutritional, ecological and livelihood significance of Moringa oleifera: A review

The potential ecological and livelihood benefits of Moringa plants are often overlooked. There is a need to raise awareness and encourage farmers and decision makers to adopt Moringa on marginal and degraded lands with changing climate risks. Previous studies have focused mainly on the pharmacological uses and oil content from a commercial point of view and failed to explore its ecological benefits and economic potential to address the growing problems of global food insecurity, malnutrition, and climate risks. Planting Moringa on unused and marginal land can improve soil fertility, food production, and resilience to climate change, offering a significant opportunity for diversification of livelihoods and economic development in the changing climate. Henceforth, this study compiles scientific evidence through a systematic literature search to highlight the ecological benefits and livelihood opportunities associated with the use of Moringa. Initially, we retrieved 206 pieces of global literature and, through the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted information from 22 articles. Various studies have consistently shown that Moringa leaves are highly nutritious and that their consumption can combat food and nutrition insecurity in low-income countries. Its seeds offer the potential for the commercial production of oils with heart-healthy properties. The oil is stable and suitable for cooking and its quality varies depending on location and environmental factors. When included in the diet, Moringa leaves improve the quality and quantity of goat milk and support the growth of fish in aquaculture. The extract of Moringa provides versatile uses in water purification, offering sustainable solutions to water pollution. We thus conclude that Moringa's diverse applications can contribute to the livelihood enhancement and economic well-being of poor and marginalized farmers in low-income countries. Planting Moringa trees in abandoned croplands and other degraded areas can have positive ecological and socioeconomic outcomes for rural communities. However, to support smallholders in low-income countries, favorable policies, field-based research evidences, and products development are crucial.

Interactive effects of Pseudomonas entomophila strain 23S and Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis on proteome and anti-Cmm compound production

Pseudomonas entomophila strain 23S is an effective biocontrol bacterium for tomato bacterial canker caused by Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis (Cmm); it produces an inhibitory compound affecting the growth of Cmm. In this study, the interactions between pure cultures of P. entomophila 23S and Cmm were investigated. First, the population dynamics of each bacterium during the interaction was determined using the selective media. Second, the amount of anti-Cmm compound produced by P. entomophila 23S in the presence of Cmm was quantified using HPLC. Lastly, a label-free shotgun proteomics study of P. entomophila 23S, Cmm, and a co-culture was conducted to understand the effects of the interaction of each bacterium at the proteomic level. Compared with the pure culture grown, the total number of proteins decreased in the interaction for both bacteria. P. entomophila 23S secreted stress-related proteins, such as chaperonins, peptidases, ABC-transporters and elongation factors. The bacterium also produced more proteins related with purine, pyrimidine, carbon and nitrogen metabolisms in the presence of Cmm. The population enumeration study revealed that the Cmm population declined dramatically during the interaction, while the population of P. entomophila 23S maintained. The quantification of anti-Cmm compound indicated that P. entomophila 23S produced significantly higher amount of anti-Cmm compound when it was cultured with Cmm. Overall, the study suggested that P. entomophila 23S, although is cidal to Cmm, was also negatively affected by the presence of Cmm, while trying to adapt to the stress condition, and that such an environment favored increased production of the anti-Cmm compound by P. entomophila 23S. SignificancePseudomonas entomophila strain 23S is an effective biocontrol bacterium for tomato bacterial canker caused by Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis (Cmm); it produces an inhibitory compound affecting the growth of Cmm. In this study, secreted proteome of pure cultures of P. entomophila 23S and Cmm, and also of a co-culture was first time identified. Furthermore, the study found that P. entomophila strain 23S produced significantly higher amount of anti-Cmm compound when the bacterium was grown together with Cmm. Co-culture enhancing anti-Cmm compound production by P. entomophila 23S is useful information, particularly from a commercial point of view of biocontrol application, and for scale-up of anti-Cmm compound production.

Effects of preharvest chitosan-Myrtus communis essential oil composite and postharvest nanocellulose on quality of strawberry

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of preharvest chitosan-Myrtus communis essential oil composite (1.5 and 3.0 %) and postharvest nanocellulose (0.3 and 0.6 %) on the quality of strawberries. The gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis led to identification of 32 compounds in the Myrtus communis essential oil. The study showed that using CHS-ES composite coating for foliar application could increase the lifespan of the fruit by up to 24 days. This is because it increases the levels of components, such as phenol content (TPC) total flavonoids content (TFC) vitamin C, firmness and SSC. It also enhances the effectiveness of enzymes such, as glutathione peroxidase (GSH POD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO). The use of CHS-ES treatments reduced the weight loss of fruits between 50 and 80 %, which is very important from the commercial point of view and maintaining nutritional properties, marketability and appearance. The microscopic analysis further revealed that using CHS-ES composite + nanocellulose coating produced a more continuous and uniform surface than the control. In general, this method is both safe and environmentally friendly while also proving to be effective, in preserving and enhancing the quality of strawberries.

Enhanced recovery of oil from Jatropha curcas L. seeds

Jatropha curcas L. is a popular and potential tree borne oilseed exploited for biofuel, however, extraction ofoil from whole seedsincurs oil loss due to adsorption of considerable amount of oil to the oil cake. To minimize the oil loss, seeds were decoated using a seed decoater which separates the whole seedsinto shell and kernel. Seeds with 15 per cent of the shell removed and with 40 per cent of the shell removed were compared with whole seeds for oil extraction. The oil present in the oil cake was estimated and analysed for its physico-chemical properties. The average oil recovery from the whole seed was about 23.16 per cent. Removal of 15 per cent shell increased the oil recovery to 24.6 per cent and further removal of 40 per cent shell resulted in 25.41 per cent oil recovery. The oil present in the oil cake was reduced from 10.08 to 8.93 and 7.61 per cent in the 15 per cent shell removed and 40 per cent shell removed seeds, respectively. However, the physico-chemical properties of oil from oilcake did not vary significantly. From a commercial point of view, this study helped to enhance oil recovery and displayed the significance of seed processing technique.

High Entropy Oxides Synthesis by Rapid Plasma Generation with Applications Towards Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Generation

It has been challenging over the past three decades to find viable energy alternatives with higher efficiency and lower cost to beat the non-friendly and commercially dominant hydrocarbon energy sources. Hydrogen is deemed to be one of the most prominent candidates, as a green fuel. Hydrogen can be generated in abundance from water splitting. Utilization of hydrogen in fuel cells, with no doubt, produces no harmful gases. Nevertheless, the two parts of the technology: hydrogen production and reduction are cumbersome. Both processes rely on kinetically sluggish electrocatalytic reactions. Enormous research efforts have been spent, with thousands of studies presented in literature, despite the technology left with a dim light shed on from commercial and practical point of views. Many materials-related challenges are hindering the flourishing of green hydrogen technology, where poor catalyst durability is a major challenge, despite being made from very expensive elements (e.g., Ir, ru or Pt). Therefore, gigantic effort of research has been devoted to find inexpensive alternatives. Transition metals showed interesting performance towards water splitting (e.g., oxygen evolution (OER)).Recent research showed that electrocatalysts designed by alloying two or more elements (e.g., transition metals) showed promising enhancement in catalytic activity and durability due to synergistic effects from alloying, such as strain engineering or electron exchange. The potential of the alloying approach is constrained by standard synthesis methods (e.g., wet chemistry and thermal decomposition techniques) due to the governing thermodynamics rules (e.g., miscibility of the different alloying elements). That renders the synthesis of high entropy alloys (HEA), with more than 3 elements, to be complicated and tedious to achieve by those conventional methods.In the presented talk we are presenting the utilization of microwaves to generate plasma to synthesize metastable high entropy oxides (HEA) and their outstanding catalytic performance towards OER, in correlation to their unique chemistries and structures. Plasma generated enable temperature increase of the precursor substrate to elevated levels (~1000s °C), in conjunction with rapid cooling, within seconds range. Our results show successful synthesis of non-noble metals HEA NPs, possessing higher catalytic activity than IrO2 catalyst for OER. The nature of the alloying elements dictates OER activity by promoting different oxidation states of the catalytically active transition metals (e.g., Fe, Ni and Co). Our developed techniques resulted in formation of super-strong metal-carbide bonds “chemically welding” HEA NP to the catalyst support.

Indoor Clutter Object Removal Method for an As-Built Building Information Model Using a Two-Dimensional Projection Approach

Point cloud data are used to create an as-built building information model (as-built BIM) that reflects the actual status of any building, whether being constructed or already completed. However, indoor clutter objects in the point cloud data, such as people, tools, and materials, should be effectively eliminated to create the as-built BIM. In this study, the authors proposed a novel method to automatically remove indoor clutter objects based on the Manhattan World assumption and object characteristics. Our method adopts a two-dimensional (2D) projection of a 3D point cloud approach and utilizes different properties of indoor clutter objects and structural elements in the point cloud. Voxel-grid downsampling, density-based spatial clustering (DBSCAN), the statistical outlier removal (SOR) filter, and the unsupervised radius-based nearest neighbor search algorithm were applied to our method. Based on the evaluation of our proposed method using six actual scan datasets, we found that our method achieved a higher mean accuracy (0.94), precision (0.97), recall (0.90), and F1 core (0.93) than the commercial point cloud processing software. Our method shows better results than commercial point cloud processing software in classifying and removing indoor clutter objects in complex indoor environments acquired from construction sites. As a result, assumptions about the different properties of indoor clutter objects and structural elements are being used to identify indoor clutter objects. Additionally, it is confirmed that the parameters used in the proposed method could be determined by the voxel size once it is decided during the downsampling process.

Identification and Prediction Network Analysis Based on Multivariate Data of Urban Form: A Case Study of Shenzhen, China

The rapid growth of urban populations has resulted in a scarcity of land, thus making sustainable urban development an urgent matter. Although Shenzhen has implemented land policies and optimized its functional layouts, these measures have inadvertently contributed to a shortage of available land for development. The city’s exponential population growth and expansive urban expansion have outpaced the supply of land. This study endeavors to identify urban commercial patterns by employing multiple data sources and applying machine learning and network analysis to predict future commercial areas. The results demonstrated that the identification of commercial points of interest and analysis of land surface temperature distributions made Futian district the primary area for ongoing commercial development, while also revealing a positive correlation between these two datasets. By leveraging network analysis to thoroughly examine this data, Bao’an district was highlighted as the future focal point for Shenzhen’s commercial sector, with 22 core nodes identified in total. Finally, by assessing the network centrality within the spatial networks, and utilizing clustering algorithms to categorize nodes into groups, the economic clustering pattern was determined as the predominant model for Shenzhen’s commercial growth. This research represents a significant contribution to the realm of sustainable urban development and presents a valuable framework for other cities to adopt.

Useful things in the landscape: the Sulphur Bathhouse and inn at Kedleston, Derbyshire, 1760–1900

ABSTRACT In comparison to larger English spa resorts like Bath, Buxton and Cheltenham, the commercial development of minor spas is an under-represented area in scholarship. Yet, they proliferated in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The commercialisation of health saw landowners, like Nathaniel Curzon of Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire, capitalise on mineral springs on their estates. The development of Kedleston as a minor spa with a Sulphur Bathhouse within sight of the Hall and an Inn on periphery of the park, however, necessitated balancing the aesthetics of their setting in the landscape and family privacy with commercial realities. As a place purpose-built for the public to ‘take the waters’, Kedleston operated in a competitive market place. The proprietors of the spa relied on newspaper advertising and took advantage of Kedleston Hall’s appeal as a celebrated destination and the broader growth in leisure and tourism. Analysing the positioning of the inn and bathhouse in the commercial arena points to how and why the spa’s lifespan extended well beyond that often characteristic of many similar places. Based on original extensive archival research, this article provides new information and insights into the development of minor spas and contributes to the wider discourse on health commerce.

Damage to the wood of forest species caused by the debarking of Pallas´s squirrel introduced into Argentina

Aim of study: Pallas´s squirrel (Callosciurus erythraeus) is a harmful and generalist invasive mammal species that causes different problems in the forestry sector. The aim of this study was to evaluate the damage on the wood in three commercial tree species in Argentina, Eucalyptus dunnii, Populus deltoides and Pinus elliottii, due to debarking caused by this squirrel species.
 Area of study: ¨Liebres Fue¨ forest plantation, located in Luján District (Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina).
 Material and methods: We analyzed affected tissues and internal defects of wood associated with debarking signs. We randomly collected 74 stems of the three forest species with (N=62) and without debarking (N=12) between October 2016 and December 2017. Transversal cuttings (N=37) and longitudinal cuttings (N=37) of the stems were analyzed.
 Main results: The defects inside the wood related to the damage due to the debarking caused by Pallas´s squirrels are described. All the damaged samples presented affected wood tissues, with unfavorable healing forming ribbed cracks and ram`s horn scars and/or presence of some internal defect (crack, crack with abnormal coloration, crack with kino/resin or crack with bark included). None of the damaged pieces, according to the rules of visual classification of sawn woods, showed the highest quality grade (Premium).
 Research highlight: Pallas´s squirrel action causes wounds on the trees, leading to different responses by the trees that are transferred internally, showing abnormalities in the wood which diminish its value from a commercial point of view.

Nitrogen-Enriched Biguanidine-Functionalized Cobalt Ferrite Nanoparticles as a Heterogeneous Base Catalyst for Knoevenagel Condensation under Solvent-Free Conditions.

Designing efficient, economical heterogeneous catalysts for the Knoevenagel condensation reaction is highly significant owing to the importance of reaction products in industries as well as pharmaceutics. Herein, we have designed and synthesized biguanidine-functionalized basic magnetically retrievable cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (CFNPs) for the synthesis of Knoevenagel condensation products using benzaldehydes and active methylene compounds (malononitrile/ethyl cyanoacetate/cyanoacetamide). Several advanced techniques, such as Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and vibration sample magnetometry (VSM), were utilized to precisely characterize the catalyst. The robust features of the current approach involve outstanding catalytic performance, solvent-free reaction conditions, ease of catalyst retrievability, easy workup procedure, large substrate tolerance, high turnover frequency (TOF) values (up to 486.88 h-1), values of green chemistry metrics such as E-factor (0.15), reaction mass efficiency (RME) value (87.07%), carbon efficiency (93.4%), and atom economy (AE) value (88.10%) close to their ideal values, and recyclability up to eight runs without a considerable reduction in activity, boosting the appeal of this approach from a commercial and ecological point of view.

#5959 CONSIDERABLE HEPARIN SAVINGS DURING 48 WEEKS OF HEMODIALYSIS WITH CITRATE-BUFFERED DIALYSIS BATH

Abstract Background and Aims There are research data suggesting a citrate-buffered dialysis bath being superior to conventional acetate-buffered dialysis. Since Heparin may lead to bleeding complications and increased costs we focused on potential Heparin savings in a cohort of 100 dialysis patients who systematically were examined in a 48 weeks comprising timeframe using a citrate-buffered dialysis bath. Method Stable dialysis patients (n = 100, 30 females, mean age 70.7 yrs.) who were treated by high flux dialysis were switched from conventional acetate-buffered dialysis (3mmol/l acetate) to a citrate-buffered dialysis bath (0.8 mmol/l citrate, 0.3 mmol/l acetate; MTN, Neubrandenburg, Germany). After a 4 weeks run-in phase on the new dialysis bath the heparin-dosing was systematically reduced. Heparin was given as a single shot prior to the start of dialysis, the dialysate flow was set on 500 mL/min constantly. Heparin-dosing in the time course was assessed on the basis of the run-in phase. Results Average treatment time was 256 minutes per session and the average blood flow at baseline 361 mL/min and 254 minutes and 369 ml/min at the end of follow-up. The average Heparin-dosing at start of the observation period was 5450 IU/session, which could be reduced to 3909 IU/ session (71% of the starting dose, p<0.01) after the first month of treatment and was further decreased to 3147 IU/session after 24 weeks treatment (58% of the initial dose, p<0.01). In the next 24 weeks of observation no further reductions of Heparin-dosing were achieved (average Heparin dose after 48 weeks 3115 IU/session). In the week before reduction of Heparin we observed 2.2% of clotting episodes and 1.6% at week 48, respectively. Conclusion Despite a reduction of the initial heparin dose by 42% the number of clotting episodes did not increase during the 48 weeks observation period. Our data indicate that long-term treatment with a citrate-buffered dialysis bath is feasible, irrespective of considerably reduced heparin-dosing which may be beneficial for the patient but also interesting from a commercial view point. Further long-term studies are ongoing to assess clinical effects like calcification, morbidity, and mortality.

Phase stability and unidirectional solidification in a Ni–Al bronze

CuAlFeNi alloys are considered very important from the commercial point of view to exhibit different phase transitions and properties, depending on the relationship among these phases. We investigated the stability of different formed phases after slow cooling, as well as after unidirectional solidification of the Cu-10.79 wt%Al-4.42 wt%Ni-3.67 wt%Fe alloy, establishing the effects of changes in the amounts of phases on material characteristics. The analysis was performed using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, hardness measurements, differential scanning calorimetry, and potentiodynamic polarization tests. The data revelated that the Ni and Fe increased the β phase stability. Obtained samples after unidirectional solidification exhibited a higher fraction of α phase when compared to the same alloy after slow cooling. It also was verified that the corrosion resistance is dependent on the position of the sample concerning the heat exchange surface.

Lokalizacija, transkreacija in trženje

The transfer of communication from one country to another requires a particular approach to translation. It also requires interdisciplinary skills based on language, culture, communication, technology and increasingly marketing, especially for the translation of multilingual websites or advertising texts. This is called localization and transcreation; and both fields face economic challenges. Using specific translation strategies, localization aims to adapt a product to different markets from a commercial point of view. Transcreation is a creative translation that relates to the field of advertising and marketing. It makes it possible to preserve the original meaning of the message while adapting it to the target culture. Qualitative research allows us to describe new translation trends and strategies, focusing on the relationship between translation and marketing, including the adaptation of websites and advertising slogans. To this end, we have examined localization and transcreation services offered by some Slovenian and foreign translation agencies that provide online services.

Point-and-Shoot All-in-Focus Photo Synthesis From Smartphone Camera Pair

All-in-Focus (AIF) photography is expected to be a commercial selling point for modern smartphones. Standard AIF synthesis requires manual, time-consuming operations such as focal stack compositing, which is unfriendly to ordinary people. To achieve point-and-shoot AIF photography with a smartphone, we expect that an AIF photo can be generated from one shot of the scene, instead of from multiple photos captured by the same camera. Benefiting from the multi-camera module in modern smartphones, we introduce a new task of AIF synthesis from main (wide) and ultra-wide cameras. The goal is to recover sharp details from defocused regions in the main-camera photo with the help of the ultra-wide-camera one. The camera setting poses new challenges such as parallax-induced occlusions and inconsistent color between cameras. To overcome the challenges, we introduce a predict-and-refine network to mitigate occlusions and propose dynamic frequency-domain alignment for color correction. To enable effective training and evaluation, we also build an AIF dataset with 2686 unique scenes. Each scene includes two photos captured by the main camera, one photo captured by the ultra-wide camera, and a synthesized AIF photo. Results show that our solution, termed EasyAIF, can produce high-quality AIF photos and outperforms strong baselines quantitatively and qualitatively. For the first time, we demonstrate point-and-shoot AIF photo synthesis successfully from main and ultra-wide cameras.

Flexible Manipulation of Operating Range in Giant Magnetoresistance Unipolar Switch Based on Double-Pinned Spin Valve

Giant magnetoresistance (GMR) magnetic switches have been widely investigated due to their attractive advantages such as good stability, small size, large saturation field, and high integration. However, in currently available commercial GMR unipolar switches, the operation and release points are limited to a narrow range. In this work, a modified double pinned spin valve (SV) structure is proposed to achieve a wide operating range and easy modulation of magnetic unipolar switches. In particular, a modified SV structure of Ta/NiFe/IrMn/CoFe/Ru/CoFe/Cu/CoFe/IrMn/Ta was chosen, where the large and small exchange bias fields were obtained from the bottom synthetic antiferromagnetic (SAF) structure and the top CoFe/IrMn layers, respectively. Accordingly, the operating range can be easily modulated by adjusting the thickness of top pinned CoFe layer. It is worthwhile to note that the controllable range exceeds 100Oe, which is much larger than that exhibited by current commercialized SV structure. Furthermore, in the patterned sample having the modified double pinned SV, the operation and release points are independent of length and width. The reason is attributed to the exchange bias field, which weakens the impact of shape anisotropy. In addition, this result also facilitates the simplification of the design process. That is to say, the proposed modified double pinned SV offers a broad application region for GMR magnetic unipolar switches and reveals a new paradigm for the development of next-generation magnetic sensors.

지역활성화를 위한 준공업지역의 상업 공간 분포 특성 비교 연구 - 성수동2가와 문래동을 중심으로 -

Mullae-dong and Seongsu-dong (2ga) are the same semi-industrial and urban regeneration areas that are turning into commercial spaces. But Seongsu-dong is higher in the total of de facto population and is full of energetic young people in their 20s to 40s compared to Mullae-dong. This study aims to suggest the new direction of regeneration for the Mullae-dong by comparing the differences in the pattern of spatial distribution that can increase the activity and mobility of population based on the diversity of space types and the density of commercial spaces. This study compared the diversity, density and clustering of commercial spaces in two areas using Q-GIS. For analyzing, the de facto population vector data and commercial space point data were overlapped, and then the spatial data was re-extracted. The result shows that in spite of the high population density of young people, Mullae-dong is less energetic place than Seongsu-dong due to the lack of diversity and the low density of commercial spaces. It means that Mullae-dong is needed to revitalize commercial districts for the regional regeneration.

Small Modular Reactor Deployment and Obstacles to Be Overcome

To meet climate policy goals, it will be necessary to deploy a series of low-carbon energy technologies, including nuclear power. The small modular reactor (SMR) can potentially support climate change mitigation and energy security issues. Small modular reactors (SMRs) are gaining popularity; however, one crucial debate is whether SMRs can compete economically with conventional nuclear reactors or not. From a commercial point of view, SMRs will be able to provide process heat in various industrial applications, replace older nuclear, natural gas, and coal power facilities, and serve smaller energy markets with less established infrastructure. Realizing these advantages would rely heavily on the near-term quick up-scaling of SMRs; this paper, then, examines and identifies some of the most hindering constraints and barriers for the quick deployment of SMR such as the technology choice, licensing, economy of scale and financing, public acceptance, supply chain, and proliferation. A clear identification of the evident and more hidden bottlenecks preventing a quick deployment is made putting in evidence areas in need of much deeper analysis than the one conducted by the SMR community so far.

Impact of vitamin C supplementation on composition, stability, fatty acids profile, organic acids, antioxidant properties and sensoric acceptability of cultured buttermilk

Buttermilk is a fermented drink widely used all over the world. It is produced widely both traditionally and commercially through pasteurization. Buttermilk, produced during churning of cultured cream, was supplemented with vitamin C at four different concentrations i.e., 100, 200, 300, 400 mg/100 ml, and zero concentrations (T1, T2, T3, T4 and control) and was evaluated for different parameters. Vitamin C supplementation at all concentrations had no effect on compositional attributes of buttermilk (p>0.05). The results also showed that concentration of vitamin C supplemented buttermilk in T1, T2, T3, T4, and control was 98.81, 196.14, 277.38, 382.19, and 0 mg/100 ml (p<0.05) respectively. It was also concluded that prolong storage period decreases vitamin C concentration. Concentration of lactic acid in control, T1, T2, T3 and T4 was 3047, 3019, 3027, 3062 and 3039 ppm (p>0.05) respectively. Oleic acid content in control, T1, T2, T3, T4 was 35.79, 35.75, 35.65, 35.63 and 35.19% (p>0.05). Linoleic acid content in control, T1, T2, T3, and T4 was 7.49, 7.05, 7.13, 7.10 and 7.33% (p<0.05) respectively. Addition of vitamin C supplemented buttermilk at all four concentrations had no effect on fatty acids composition (p>0.05) but the variation is due to storage period. Total antioxidant capacity of T1, T2, T3, T4 and control was 35.72, 42.74, 52.93, 68.77 and 84.66% (p<0.05). DPPH free radical scavenging activity of T1, T2, T3, T4 and control was 15.42, 24.87, 32.84, 40.37 and 49.78% (p<0.05) respectively. Free fatty acids and peroxide values of control and experimental samples were not different from each other (p>0.05). According to trained judges, sensory evaluation of all the treatments were performed on a 9 point hedonic scale and the results showed a non-significant difference between control and treatments. From commercial point of view, sensory results were promising as vitamin C did not affect sensory attributes of buttermilk which is quite acceptable from consumer perspective. It is therefore concluded from the results that buttermilk can be supplemented with vitamin C.

A Comparative Review of Air Drones (UAVs) and Delivery Bots (SUGVs) for Automated Last Mile Home Delivery

Background: UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) and SUGVs (Sidewalk Unmanned Ground Vehicles) are two prominent options to revolutionize last mile home delivery. However, there is no literature yet addressing a comprehensive assessment of them. To bridge this research gap, this paper aimed to compare UAVs to SUGVs in the context of urban parcel delivery from a practical, conceptual, technological, commercial, and environmental perspective. Methodology: Based on structured literature and web research, this paper provided a comparative status quo review of these two delivery concepts. We introduced a parameter-based cost calculus model to estimate the costs per shipment for each technology. To detect the key cost drivers, we applied a one-way sensitivity analysis, as well as a “full factorial design of experiment” approach. Results: These key cost drivers for both operations are the “number of vehicles per operator” and the “average beeline service radius”. From today’s commercial point of view, our model indicated better profitability of SUGVs. However, technical and regulatory developments may render different results in the future. As SUGVs emit significantly less noise than UAVs, we assume that SUGVs have an additional advantage for usage in autonomous urban last mile delivery from a resident’s perspective. Conclusions: Both key cost drivers will significantly influence the commercial viability of unmanned home delivery services. Safety and security aspects will determine regulatory rules on “number of vehicles per operator”. To increase the “average beeline service radius”, UAVs could profit from mothership delivery concepts while SUGV delivery may co-use existing public transport infrastructure.

A Game-Theoretic Approach for Rendering Immersive Experiences in the Metaverse

The metaverse is an upcoming computing paradigm aiming towards blending reality seamlessly with the artificially generated 3D worlds of deep cyberspace. This giant interactive mesh of three-dimensional reconstructed realms has recently received tremendous attention from both an academic and commercial point of view owing to the curiosity instilled by its vast possible use cases. Every virtual world in the metaverse is controlled and maintained by a virtual service provider (VSP). Interconnected clusters of LiDAR sensors act as a feeder network to these VSPs which then process the data and reconstruct the best quality immersive environment possible. These data can then be leveraged to provide users with highly targeted virtual services by building upon the concept of digital twins (DTs) representing digital analogs of real-world items owned by parties that create and establish the communication channels connecting the DTs to their real-world counterparts. Logically, DTs represent data on servers where postprocessing can be shared easily across VSPs, giving rise to new marketplaces and economic frontiers. This paper presents a dynamic and distributed framework to enable high-quality reconstructions based on incoming data streams from sensors as well as to allow for the optimal allocation of VSPs to users. The optimal synchronization intensity control problem between the available VSPs and the feeder network is modeled using a simultaneous differential game, while the allocation of VSPs to users is modeled using a preference-based game-theoretic approach, where the users give strict preferences over the available VSPs.