bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
LL-CSFormer: A Novel Image Denoiser for Intensified CMOS Sensing Images under a Low Light Environment
Authors: Zhang Xin , Wang Xia , Yan Changda
Published: May 2023

Intensified complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (ICMOS) sensors can capture images under extremely low-light conditions (≤0.01 lux illumination), but the results exhibit spatially clustered noise that seriously damages the structural information. Existing image-denoising methods mainly focus on simulated noise and real noise from normal CMOS sensors, which can easily mistake the ICMOS noise for the latent image texture. To solve this problem, we propose a low-light cross-scale transformer (LL-CSFormer) that adopts multi-scale and multi-range learning to better distinguish between the noise and signal in ICMOS sensing images. For multi-scale aspects, the proposed LL-CSFormer designs parallel multi-scale streams and ensures information exchange across different scales to maintain high-resolution spatial information and low-resolution contextual information. For multi-range learning, the network contains both convolutions and transformer blocks, which are able to extract noise-wise local features and signal-wise global features. To enable this, we establish a novel ICMOS image dataset of still noisy bursts under different illumination levels. We also designed a two-stream noise-to-noise training strategy for interactive learning and data augmentation. Experiments were conducted on our proposed ICMOS image dataset, and the results demonstrate that our method is able to effectively remove ICMOS image noise compared with other image-denoising methods using objective and subjective metrics.
TDOA-Based Target Tracking Filter While Reducing NLOS Errors in Cluttered Environments
Authors: Kim Jonghoek
Published: May 2023

We consider tracking a moving target in a wireless communication system that is based on the radio signal. Considering a bounded workspace with many unknown obstacles, we handle tracking a non-cooperative transmitter using multiple signal receivers. Here, a non-cooperative transmitter is a transmitter whose signal emission time is not known in advance. We consider a time difference of arrival (TDOA) location problem, which locates the transmitter by processing the signal measurement time at multiple receivers. In tracking a non-cooperative transmitter, non-line-of-sight (NLOS) errors occur if obstacles block the LOS line connecting the receiver and the moving transmitter. Our article addresses how to track a moving transmitter while decreasing the NLOS error in TDOA-only measurements. We propose an algorithm to localize a transmitter while decreasing the NLOS error in TDOA measurements. For tracking a moving transmitter in real time, we integrate the proposed localization algorithm and the interacting multiple model Kalman filter (IMM KF). As far as we know, our article is novel in tracking a moving transmitter based on TDOA-only measurements in an unknown mixed LOS/NLOS workspace. We show that the proposed filter considerably decreases the NLOS errors in TDOA-only measurements while running fast. Therefore, the proposed tracking scheme is suitable for tracking a moving transmitter in real time. Through MATLAB simulations, we show that the proposed filter outperforms other state-of-the-art TDOA filters, considering both time efficiency and tracking accuracy.
Spatial Calibration of Humanoid Robot Flexible Tactile Skin for Human–Robot Interaction
Authors: Chefchaouni Moussaoui Sélim , Cisneros-Limón Rafael , Kaminaga Hiroshi , Benallegue Mehdi , Nobeshima Taiki , Kanazawa Shusuke , Kanehiro Fumio
Published: May 2023

Recent developments in robotics have enabled humanoid robots to be used in tasks where they have to physically interact with humans, including robot-supported caregiving. This interaction—referred to as physical human–robot interaction (pHRI)—requires physical contact between the robot and the human body; one way to improve this is to use efficient sensing methods for the physical contact. In this paper, we use a flexible tactile sensing array and integrate it as a tactile skin for the humanoid robot HRP-4C. As the sensor can take any shape due to its flexible property, a particular focus is given on its spatial calibration, i.e., the determination of the locations of the sensor cells and their normals when attached to the robot. For this purpose, a novel method of spatial calibration using B-spline surfaces has been developed. We demonstrate with two methods that this calibration method gives a good approximation of the sensor position and show that our flexible tactile sensor can be fully integrated on a robot and used as input for robot control tasks. These contributions are a first step toward the use of flexible tactile sensors in pHRI applications.
Human Exposure to Non-Ionizing Radiation from Indoor Distributed Antenna System: Shopping Mall Measurement Analysis
Authors: da L. A. Silva Júlia , de Sousa Vicente A. , Rodrigues Marcio E. C. , Pinheiro Fred Sizenando Rossiter , da Silva Gutembergue Soares , Mendonça Halysson B. , de F. H. Silva Ricardo Q. , da Silva João V. L. , Galdino Fernanda E. S. , de Carvalho Vitor F. C. , Medeiros Lucas I. C.
Published: May 2023

It is crucial to monitor the levels of Non-Ionizing Radiation (NIR) to which the general population may be exposed and compare them to the limits defined in the current standards, in view of the rapid rise of communication services and the prospects of a connected society. A high number of people visits shopping malls and since these locations usually have several indoor antennas close to the public, it is therefore a kind of place that must be evaluated. Thus, this work presents measurements of the electric field in a shopping mall located in Natal, Brazil. We proposed a set of six measurement points, following two criteria: places with great the flow of people and the presence of one or more Distributed Antenna System (DAS), co-sited or not with WiFi access points. Results are presented and discussed in terms of the distance to DAS (conditions: near and far) and flow density of people in the mall (scenarios: low and high number of people). The highest peaks of electric field measured were 1.96 and 3.26 V/m, respectively corresponding to 5% and 8% of the limits defined by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and the Brazilian National Telecommunication Agency (ANATEL).
Monitoring Acute Heart Failure Patients Using Internet-of-Things-Based Smart Monitoring System
Authors: Almujally Nouf Abdullah , Aljrees Turki , Saidani Oumaima , Umer Muhammad , Faheem Zaid Bin , Abuzinadah Nihal , Alnowaiser Khaled , Ashraf Imran
Published: May 2023

With technological advancements, smart health monitoring systems are gaining growing importance and popularity. Today, business trends are changing from physical infrastructure to online services. With the restrictions imposed during COVID-19, medical services have been changed. The concepts of smart homes, smart appliances, and smart medical systems have gained popularity. The Internet of Things (IoT) has revolutionized communication and data collection by incorporating smart sensors for data collection from diverse sources. In addition, it utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) approaches to control a large volume of data for better use, storing, managing, and making decisions. In this research, a health monitoring system based on AI and IoT is designed to deal with the data of heart patients. The system monitors the heart patient’s activities, which helps to inform patients about their health status. Moreover, the system can perform disease classification using machine learning models. Experimental results reveal that the proposed system can perform real-time monitoring of patients and classify diseases with higher accuracy.
Serious Mortgage Arrears among Immigrant Descendant and Native Participants in a Low-Income Public Starter Mortgage Program: Evidence from Norway
Authors: Aarland Kristin , Santiago Anna Maria
Published: May 2023

Although low-income homeownership programs serving vulnerable families at the lower end of the income distribution have been the focus of housing policy in many countries over the past 50 years, little is known about the post-origination experiences of immigrant families participating in these programs. Notably absent from the extant literature are studies examining the sustainability of homeownership among immigrant homebuyers and their susceptibility to falling behind on payments and experiencing mortgage defaults, evictions, or short sales. Utilizing data from 8263 families participating in Norway’s Starter Mortgage Program (Startlån) during the first three calendar years after mortgage origination, we examine the extent to which serious mortgage arrears varies by immigrant background. Two primary questions shape our research: (1) What is the incidence of serious mortgage arrears among Western, Eastern European, and non-Western immigrant homeowners relative to ethnic Norwegians participating in a public low-income homeownership program? and (2) What pre- and post-origination characteristics of applicants and households, mortgage terms at the time of origination, and experiences of household financial vulnerability or economic shocks predict heterogeneity in serious mortgage arrears by immigrant backgrounds? We found that 6.1% of ethnic Norwegian, 6.2% of Western, 4.9% of non-Western, and 3.2% of Eastern European immigrant homeowners participating in the Starter Mortgage Program were in serious mortgage arrears at least once during the first three calendar years after mortgage origination. Results from our negative binomial regression analyses suggest that program participants who were sole owners, with larger families, and higher debt were more likely to experience serious mortgage arrears; these effects were accentuated for ethnic Norwegians. Additionally, mortgage terms at the time of origination produced differential effects by immigrant background. Compared to Western and Eastern European immigrant homeowners, ethnic Norwegians were more likely to have experienced serious mortgage arrears if they purchased a single-family home, had larger LTV and DTI ratios, or if the Startlån share of their mortgages was higher. Non-Western immigrant mortgagors were more likely to make late mortgage payments if they had larger LTV ratios, interest-only mortgage servicing, or if they were more reliant on Startlån funds to finance their mortgages; however, this risk was reduced if they had fixed-rate mortgages. Financial vulnerability in terms of higher debt or fewer assets also increased the risk of serious mortgage arrears for ethnic Norwegians and non-Western immigrant homeowners, while increases in real wealth reduced that risk for all immigrant mortgagor groups.
Modern Sustainable Fish Screens: A Study on Developing Effective Communication with Water Users
Authors: Nayeem Tahmid , Pawsey Nick , Murshed Feisal , Baumgartner Lee , Boys Craig , Rayner Tom
Published: May 2023

Background: Recently, there has been a shift in strategic goals relating to water management in Australia, from water development to protecting and restoring environmental assets. Thus, there is a need to develop knowledge that accounts for the new realities of developing an effective communication channel with irrigators. Combining insights from two communication theories: the hierarchy of effects model, AIDA, and the diffusion of innovation (DOI) model, this article explores developing effective communication techniques (e.g., format, style, content, and source) and tools for Australian irrigators regarding adopting new sustainable technology—a modern self-cleaning fish screen. This study investigates irrigators’ communication preferences and innovation processes to understand to sketch foundational strategies for improving communication schemes. Methods: Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews. Twenty-three irrigators in the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia’s primary food bowl, participated in the study. Constructivist grounded theory (CGT) was used to design and analyse the data. Results: The study explored the communications preferences of Australian irrigators and revealed insights into their preferred format, style, content, and source and how information is gathered and evaluated in the decision-making process. The results confirmed that the information must come from trusted sources, be grounded in research, provide hands-on observations/experiences, and focus on benefits for irrigators (i.e., improving irrigation efficiency) to be impactful. Broadly, this study contributes to the discussion of policy formulation, enhancing technology adoption in a broader setting and designing efficient and effective systems for engaging with Australian irrigators. Conclusions: To increase the likelihood of adopting fish screens, it is essential to implement targeted education and information programs and communications in appropriate formats with relevant content.
Developing the Scale for Measuring the Service Quality of Internet-Based E-Waste Collection Platforms
Authors: Fang Yan , Qu Zhuowen , Wang Wenhua
Published: May 2023

As Internet-based e-waste collection moves from a novelty to a routine way of e-waste collection in China, the service quality of Internet-based e-waste collection platforms plays a crucial role in attracting users. Based on content analysis of 94 online reviews and data analysis of a questionnaire survey of 395 participants, this study develops a scale for measuring the service quality of Internet-based e-waste collection platforms with both reliability and validity tests. The scale comprises 12 items across four dimensions: efficiency, accuracy, customer service and price offerings. The study provides a sound theoretical basis for further researchers and practitioners to focus on the major aspects of the service quality of Internet-based e-waste collection platforms, and it achieves an extension of the existing dimensions of e-service quality.
The Influence of Technological Factors on the Computer-Assisted Audit Tools and Techniques Usage during COVID-19
Authors: Lutfi Abdalwali , Alqudah Hamza
Published: May 2023

There is minimal level of use of Computer-Assisted Audit Tools and Techniques (CAATTs) in developing nations regardless of its importance to audit productivity and cost reduction, and this holds particularly true in the public sector entities’ internal audit departments. Accordingly, this article aims to explore how technological factors, such as relative advantage, complexity, compatibility, observability, and trialability, contribute to the use of CAATTs in Jordan’s public sector internal audit during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of the pandemic on the profession’s outcome. The study also seeks to evaluate how the use of these tools affects the effectiveness of internal auditing, with the IT knowledge of the auditors serving as a moderating variable. This study used 91 usable responses from the internal audit managers of Jordanian public sector institutions. The study used the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theory to develop the proposed research model. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), the study result indicated that technological factors, with the exception of complexity, had a positive and significant effect on CAATTs use in the public sector internal audit departments. Based on the findings, using CAATTs has a positive and significant effect on internal audit effectiveness and IT knowledge has a positive moderating effect on the relationship between CAATTs usage and internal audit effectiveness. Owing to the public sector significance to the economy of Jordan, the findings have implications for the internal audit profession, regulators, and decision-makers in proposing new legislation and regulations when it comes to internal audit. Further, through the lens of the social implications, this study proposed that CAATTs usage in public sector institutions can positively improve their capability to reach the role of internal audit in protective public funds and limiting corrupt practices in the public sector. The paper contributes to theory by providing insight into the effect of factors on the use of CAATTs in the public sector of Jordan. This study, to the best of the author’s knowledge, is the first study that has tackled the moderating role of auditors’ IT knowledge on the CAATTs use–internal audit effectiveness relationship in the public sector context.
How to Price Catastrophe Bonds for Sustainable Earthquake Funding? A Systematic Review of the Pricing Framework
Authors: Ibrahim Riza Andrian , Sukono  , Napitupulu Herlina , Ibrahim Rose Irnawaty
Published: May 2023

Earthquake contingency costs in traditional insurance cannot provide sufficient earthquake funding for a country because they often differ significantly from actual losses. Over the last three decades, this approach has been replaced by linking earthquake insurance to bonds in the capital market; this is now known as the earthquake catastrophe bond (ECB). Through the ECB, contingency costs become larger and more sustainable earthquake funds. Unfortunately, there are challenges in ECB issuance, as the pricing framework does not yet have standard rules and still needs to be studied. Therefore, the objective of this study is to systematically review how the ECB pricing framework is designed. The method used in this review is PRISMA. First, articles aiming to design an ECB pricing framework were collected from the Scopus, Science Direct, and Dimensions databases on 22 March 2023. Then, the results were selected, resulting in eleven relevant articles. Then, the articles’ pricing frameworks were reviewed based on variables, methods, trigger events, coupon and redemption value payment schemes, and the model solution forms. Finally, several research opportunities for academics are also outlined. This research constitutes a reference for ECB issuers during the pricing process and can motivate academics to design more useful ECB pricing models.
Exploring the Mutual Relationships between Public Space and Social Satisfaction with Case Studies
Authors: Yan Ying , Shahraki Abdol Aziz
Published: May 2023

This paper analyzes the interconnection between community place qualification and neighborhood social capital. It conducts four types of analyses concerning twelve communities in the Jinshui district of Zhengzhou City. With a literature review, this innovative paper provides general indicators to assess the relationship between the quality of public spaces and social capital. The innovative feature of this study is when that it localizes indicators with local cognition in analyses. The research methods of this paper are theoretical probes with a case study strategy. A structural equation model (SEM) and a questionnaire technique are employed with 1068 sample respondents. This research benefits from the exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA and CFA) in a structural equation model (SEM). The studies include five public places’ elements and four social capital factors. The EFA supports reliability, and CFA reveals that environmentally friendly community places affect satisfaction. The model provides more attractive public places and increases social capital. The environmental, humane, and sustainable urban planning and development model brings more public satisfaction and social trust. Bartlett’s test of sphericity verifies our structural equation modeling results. The outcomes of this paper assist urban planners and engineers in designing green cities to provide social satisfaction.
Green Roof Development in ASEAN Countries: The Challenges and Perspectives
Authors: Pratama Hanny Chandra , Sinsiri Theerawat , Chapirom Aphai
Published: May 2023

Green roofs (GRs) have emerged as an essential component for the sustainability of buildings, as they reduce the need for cooling energy by limiting heat transmission into building space. The benefits of implementing GRs are appropriate in tropical regions with hot temperatures. The entire Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is located in a tropical climate and receives about 12 h of sunlight every day throughout the year, which offers excellent opportunities to install GRs. This research reviews the literature on GR knowledge in ASEAN countries over the past decade (2012–2022) and discusses two main points including (i) GR development level status and (ii) GR performance regarding drivers, motivations, and barriers. The review reveals that Singapore and Malaysia are two among ten countries with significant developments in GRs. Barriers to expertise, government regulations, and public awareness of green roofs represent the most challenging aspects of GR implementation in ASEAN countries. Although research regarding the use of green roofs has been conducted widely, ASEAN countries still need to investigate regulatory breakthroughs, incentives, and technology applications to encourage the use of GRs. The review recommends promoting the use of GRs, which have the potential to reduce energy consumption by up to fifty percent, outdoor surface temperature up to 23.8 °C, and room temperature to 14 °C. The use of GRs can also mitigate runoff issues by up to 98.8% to avoid the risk of flooding in ASEAN countries, which have high rainfall. In addition, this review sheds new insights on providing future potential research to improve GR development in the ASEAN region.
Assessing the Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Land Use Carbon Emissions and Multiple Driving Factors in the Guanzhong Area of Shaanxi Province
Authors: Wang Yali , Liu Yangyang , Wang Zijun , Zhang Yan , Fang Bo , Jiang Shengnan , Yang Yijia , Wen Zhongming , Zhang Wei , Zhang Zhixin , Lin Ziqi , Han Peidong , Yang Wenjie
Published: May 2023

Land use change is one of the key elements leading to carbon emission changes, and is of great significance to the process of achieving the goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. In this study, we calculated the land-use carbon emissions (LCE) in the Guanzhong area (GZA) of Shaanxi province from 2000 to 2019 by using an improved LCE measurement model. Meanwhile, the spatial and temporal changes of LCE were analyzed and the driving forces were investigated based on the correlation analysis and multi-scale geographical weighting regression (MGWR). The results showed that the total amount of LCE showed a significant increasing trend from 2000 to 2019. Regions where the LCE significantly increased occupied 71.20% of the total area; these regions were distributed in the central and eastern parts of the study area. The LCE showed a significant positive spatial correlation and had a remarkable aggregation state. The H-H agglomeration area of LCE was distributed in the central urban agglomeration. The L-L agglomeration areas were always distributed in the southwest part of the GZA with low carbon emissions. The average correlation coefficients between LCE and nighttime light (NTL), population density (PD), and gross primary productivity (GPP) were 0.13, 0.21, and −0.05, respectively. The NLT and PD had obvious positive effects on LCE, while GPP has obvious negative effects on carbon emissions, which can be ascribed to the carbon sink effect of forests and grasslands. The results of this study have important reference value regarding the formulation of carbon emission reduction policies and the development of a low-carbon social economy.
Communicating Sustainable Brand Equity in a High Carbon Footprint and High-Risk Sector: Comparing Malaysia and Indonesia Oil and Gas Industry
Authors: Nordin Shahrina Md , Mokhtar Nor Izzah , Priyadi Unggul , Tarjo Tarjo , Wan Ahmad Wan Fatimah , Ahmad Rizal Ammar Redza
Published: May 2023

The oil and gas industry is classified as a high carbon footprint and high-risk sector from the sustainable development perspective. Its operational activities risk potential threats to the environment and the local community. Globally, there are multiple cases of local community discontent towards oil and gas operations in their area. Consequently, the oil and gas industry shifted into corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities to indicate their dedication to sustainability. Studies have been conducted to investigate the impact of CSR activities on the oil industry. However, there is still limited research looking into sustainable brand positioning, which might be affected by the execution of multiple CSR programs by the industry. Looking into the oil and gas industry in Malaysia and Indonesia, this study compared the industry’s sustainable brand positioning amongst the local community. By adopting Aakker’s brand equity model, this study investigated the effect of sustainable brand awareness, the perceived quality of sustainable initiatives, brand association, and brand loyalty on sustainable initiatives towards sustainable brand equity. There are 448 respondents involved from both Malaysia and Indonesia. Using PLS-MGA, this study identified that brand loyalty on sustainable initiatives and brand association are significant predictors of sustainable brand equity. Findings from this study also indicate that no group (i.e., Indonesia and Malaysia) is significantly larger than one other in the path coefficient score. However, using an independent sample t-test, the study indicates that the oil and gas industry has better sustainable brand positioning amongst Malaysia’s local community than Indonesia.
Accessibility of Urban Forests and Parks for People with Disabilities in Wheelchairs, Considering the Surface and Longitudinal Slope of the Trails
Authors: Lepoglavec Kruno , Papeš Olja , Lovrić Valentina , Raspudić Andrea , Nevečerel Hrvoje
Published: May 2023

This research deals with the problem of the accessibility of urban forests and parks for people with disabilities in wheelchairs. Through an analysis of spatial data, trails were categorized on the basis of the measurements of the independent movements of eight subjects on six trails. The critical longitudinal slopes were determined for independent movement in wheelchairs, complex independent movement with certain risk, and categories of trails that are not suitable for wheelchair movement. The results indicate that a slope of 5.50% was the tipping point, after which all respondents experienced some uncertainty. In addition, a gradient of more than 9.01% was almost impassable for people in wheelchairs, with respect to the gravel trails examined in this study. Modern measurement technology was used in the field, including the mobile apps GAIA GPS and GNSS GPS, and a total (geodetic) station; the subjects’ heart rates were measured using a Garmin Fenix 6 Pro watch. In addition, people with disabilities were included in the implementation of the research through the Croatian Association of Paraplegics and Tetraplegics (HUPT). The results indicate the zones/trails that disabled people in wheelchairs can pass independently, the zones that can be accessed with a certain risk, and those that are not accessible, all according to the defined longitudinal slope zones using measurements of the movement of people in a wheelchair, their heart rate loads, and personal communication with the subjects regarding the insecurity they felt.
Progress of Machine Learning Studies on the Nuclear Charge Radii
Authors: Su Ping , He Wan-Bing , Fang De-Qing
Published: May 2023

The charge radius is a fundamental physical quantity that describes the size of one nucleus, but contains rich information about the nuclear structure. There are already many machine learning (ML) studies on charge radii. After reviewing the relevant works in detail, the convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are established to reproduce the latest experimental values of charge radii. The extrapolating and interpolating abilities in terms of two CNN structures partnering two inputting matrix forms are discussed, and a testing root-mean-square (RMS) error 0.015 fm is achieved. The shell effect on charge radii of both isotones and isotopes are predicted successfully, and the CNN method works well when predicting the charge radii of a whole isotopic chain.
A Learning-Based Optimal Decision Scenario for an Inventory Problem under a Price Discount Policy
Authors: Momena Alaa Fouad , Rahaman Mostafijur , Haque Rakibul , Alam Shariful , Mondal Sankar Prasad
Published: May 2023

This paper aims to design an inventory model for a retail enterprise with a profit maximization objective using the opportunity for a price discount facility given by a supplier. In the profit maximization objective, the demand should be increased. The demand can be boosted by lowering the selling price. However, lowering the selling price may not always give the best profit. Impreciseness plays a vital role during such decision-making. The decision-making and managerial activities may be imprecise due to some decision variables. For instance, the selling price may not be deterministic. A vague selling price will make the retail decision imprecise. To achieve this goal, the retailer must minimize impreciseness as much as possible. Learning through repetition may be a practical approach in this regard. This paper investigates the impact of fuzzy impreciseness and triangular dense fuzzy setting, which dilutes the impreciseness involved with managerial decisions. Based on the mentioned objectives, this article considers an inventory model with price-dependent demand and time and a purchasing cost-dependent holding cost in an uncertain phenomenon. This paper incorporates the all-units discount policy into the unit purchase cost according to the order quantity. In this paper, the sense of learning is accounted for using a dense fuzzy set by considering the unit selling price as a triangular dense fuzzy number to lessen the impreciseness in the model. Four fuzzy optimization methods are used to obtain the usual extreme profit when searching for the optimal purchasing cost and sale price. It is perceived from the numerical outcomes that a dense fuzzy environment contributes the best results compared to a crisp and general fuzzy environment. Managerial insights from this paper are that learning from repeated dealing activities contributes to enhancing profitability by diluting impreciseness about the selling price and demand rate and taking the best opportunity from the discount facility while purchasing.
Development of a Hybrid Support Vector Machine with Grey Wolf Optimization Algorithm for Detection of the Solar Power Plants Anomalies
Authors: Ahmed Qais Ibrahim , Attar Hani , Amer Ayman , Deif Mohanad A. , Solyman Ahmed A. A.
Published: May 2023

Solar energy utilization in the industry has grown substantially, resulting in heightened recognition of renewable energy sources from power plants and intelligent grid systems. One of the most important challenges in the solar energy field is detecting anomalies in photovoltaic systems. This paper aims to address this by using various machine learning algorithms and regression models to identify internal and external abnormalities in PV components. The goal is to determine which models can most accurately distinguish between normal and abnormal behavior of PV systems. Three different approaches have been investigated for detecting anomalies in solar power plants in India. The first model is based on a physical model, the second on a support vector machine (SVM) regression model, and the third on an SVM classification model. Grey wolf optimizer was used for tuning the hyper model for all models. Our findings will clarify that the SVM classification model is the best model for anomaly identification in solar power plants by classifying inverter states into two categories (normal and fault).
Formulating a Railway Station Accessibility (RsAI) Model for Station Hierarchy Classification
Authors: Bhatnagar Rahul Vardhan , Ram Sewa
Published: May 2023

The accessibility of railway stations plays a crucial role in assessing service quality, predicting travel patterns, and developing infrastructure in the surrounding areas. This paper proposes a railway station accessibility index (RsAI) (external) that incorporates various parameters, including network performance, into a weighted measure. We reviewed different methods for measuring accessibility levels for transit systems to identify the most suitable models for this study. The primary objective of this paper is to classify railway stations into different hierarchies based on their accessibility levels and to develop an external accessibility index to measure their performance. With increasing urbanization and congestion, accessing railway stations has become more challenging, impacting railway efficiency and leading to modal shifts to other transportation systems. This paper not only identifies critical parameters but also emphasizes the need to measure and improve last-mile network performance to enhance station accessibility, thereby benefiting both passengers and the railway industry.
Introduction: Translation and transformation in audiovisual and digital culture
Authors: Kourdis Evangelos , Bankov Kristian
Published: May 2023

The contributions to this volume of Digital Age in Semiotics and Communication deal with various translation phenomena such as intermediality, film adaptation, film colorization, remediation and various technospheric phenomena such as cinefication, audiovisual and digital mass culture, digital transformation, cyberspace, and digital image. The first group of articles shows that those phenomena are characteristics of a rich interesemiotic space. As Torop (2020: 269) states, “in intersemiotic space, the original text and all of its translations comprise a mental whole, which is all-encompassing for collective cultural memory and selective for every individual reader. In the context of culture, intersemiotic space is also a space of transmedial translation”. The new cultural texts (metatexts) resulting from intersemiosis is expected to carry additional connotations1, a characteristic of particular semiotic interest. The second group of articles reveals the advantages of the semiosphere of digital culture. As Bankov (2022: 26) highlights, “in digital culture, language is no longer the lord of semiotic phenomena; the latter is the communicative disposition of the culture holders. The language is there, together with an incredible variety of visual, audio, kinetic and other expressive forms”. A significant innovation is that other expressive forms could also be interactive.2 Τhis interaction seems to be the essential different characteristic in relation to the study of other cultural texts, an element that justifies the use of the term platfospehere in the context of the semiosphere.3
Remediating fantasy narratives for participatory fandom: Tolkien’s stories and their translations in films, video games, music and other products of the culture industries
Authors: Papadaki Eirini , Volakis Nestoras
Published: May 2023

The phenomenon of fantasy transmediality (Rebora 2016) has been discussed by many researchers and scholars during the last decade. The need for the creation of alluring cultural products in the highly competitive new media environment has led to synergies between many cultural industries and/or cultural producers, such as film, music, literature and videogame industries, etc. Many well-known and fan-developing narratives have been remediated – repackaged and redistributed – through the various media, answering to the contemporary nostalgia of pastness (Williams 2016), the cherishing of the familiar and intimate, as well as the need to further popularize “a pre-conceived merchandising industry” (Ball 2002), create new side-products for a fan community or even offer escapelands, which fantasy narratives succeed in creating. This paper will examine the translation and adaptation of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings (LOTR) to different media and cultural industries, such as:- Peter Jackson’s films, - role-playing games (RPGs), - the music industry – with reference to well-known songs and bands.Through comparative analysis of certain segments of the LOTR industry market and comments made by fans on digital platforms, the paper underlines the basic story elements of the Tolkien universe, as adapted to each above-mentioned variant and examines the role of fans in the digital semiosphere.
Me, myself, and my avatar - a semiotic study into digital transformation via avatars
Authors: Davidson Kyle
Published: May 2023

The Chinese musical idol show, Dimension Nova, (produced by entertainment company IQIYI) follows the same formula as other shows where a panel of judges choose from a pool of hopefuls to find the best singer. However, the contestants for Dimension Nova are virtual beings. The way these characters are presented, and the way the show is edited, intends for the creations to be the focus of the audience, not the creators behind them. Thus, augmented reality cameras render dances, conversations, performances, and rehearsals for broadcast with the models – or avatars – simulating a mixed reality environment. The audience fantasy is a collaboratively constructed reality – a feat made possible by virtue of the ubiquity of the digital avatar within the zeitgeist of society. The transformation of the avatar from a representation of the user to an individualised entity, interactive and reactive, as we progress from Web 2.0 era to the new Web 3.0 society of omnipresent computing is the focus of this article and is introduced by what I term the “hypervirtual” environment of the future.
A wailing wall in cyberspace: Loneliness, censorship, and collective memory – in memory of Dr. Li Wenliang, the whistle blower
Authors: Song Hongjin
Published: May 2023

As the whistle blower of the outbreak of Covid-19 in Wuhan, Dr. Li Wenliang was dismissed as the spreader of rumors and punished by the authorities. His later death from the coronavirus outraged the netizens in China on various social platforms. His post on Weibo, written by Dr. Li on the day he was finally diagnosed as infected, has thus become a wailing wall in cyberspace. It has invited millions of Weibo comments below, both from those who lost their loved ones in the outbreak and netizens in general. The post functions as a monument in cyberspace for people to commemorate the bereft in the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, the first place where Covid-19 was reported. Considering the transmediality of cyberspace of our modern times, the phenomenon of online mourning urges a semiotic explanation, especially when it concerns a figure who only became famous after his death. The study aims to conceptualize the dynamics of collective memory with the monument in cyberspace following the insights of Eco’s concept of “the open text”. The wailing wall in cyberspace functions as a mnemonic text for members of society, which interacts with the collective memory restored in the social sphere. Moreover, censorship also played an important role in the formation of the wailing wall. All these features are brought together to make the wailing wall in the cyberspace a unique spectacle in online culture, which paves the way for further discussions in the future.
O uso clínico da robótica social no tratamento de crianças com Transtorno do Espetro Autista
Authors: Ferreira Lagares Gabriella , Lopes Rodrigues Simão Pedro , Silva Andréia de Carvalho , Moreira de Souza Adriano Junio
Published: May 2023

Introdução. O Transtorno do Espectro Autista (TEA) é caracterizado por déficits no domínio da comunicação social com padrões restritivos e repetitivos de comportamento e interesses. Melhorias na intensidade inicial desses déficits foram descritas em intervenções precoces voltadas para estimular o desenvolvimento de diferentes habilidades embotadas no TEA. Contudo, muitos sujeitos com TEA apresentam níveis variados de aversão a interações sociais com humanos, o que dificulta as intervenções. Nesse contexto, os robôs sociais surgem como uma proposta promissora, considerando que esses sujeitos não apresentam aversão a interação com robôs. O uso de robôs socais vem sendo descrito por trazer amplos benefícios para o desenvolvimento de diversas habilidades em crianças com TEA. Objetivo. Analisar as implicações do uso da robótica social em intervenções terapêuticas precoces no tratamento de crianças com TEA. Método. Os dados foram obtidos por meio de levantamento bibliográfico realizado na base de dados Google Acadêmico. Como critério de inclusão, fez-se seleção de artigos publicados no idioma inglês, incluindo original articles, clinical trial e review sem limite de datas. Os descritores em inglês utilizados foram: "Autism spectrum disorders, Human-robot interaction, Robot-assisted therapy". Conclusão: De acordo com os dados analisados, o uso de robôs socais, em muitos casos, pode trazer amplos benefícios para o desenvolvimento de diversas habilidades em crianças com TEA; incluído imitação, atenção conjunta, reconhecimento de emoções, interações triádicas e interações auto-iniciadas. Habilidades estas que são descritas como reduzidas em crianças com TEA.
Potlatch : notes sur les usages d’un concept / Potlatch : Notes on the Uses of a Concept
Authors: Volokhine Youri
Published: May 2023

Ethnology has for several decades begun a critique of the notion of potlatch ; however, the influence of the Maussian paradigm on the human sciences, basing the notion on a biased view of the colonial situation prevailing in nineteenth century Canada, is still significant. We will question the history and reception of the discourses surrounding a ceremony that has now become cultural heritage.
Prisca Theologia and Retrograde Phenomenology at Eranos : Corbin, Eliade, not Scholem
Authors: Idel Moshe
Published: May 2023

The article proposes a re-evaluation of the Eranos meetings by analyzing its underlying aspects as a «laboratory of spiritual scholarship». To this aim, the first half of the article highlights R. Otto’s approach to religious experience as a source of inspiration for the Eranos project, as the mentor of Olga Fröbe-Kapteyn, and it advances three key terms to understand the atemporal character of the lectures held at Ascona and their connections to Renaissance thinking. The first one, prisca theologia, is the assumption that Christianity «preserved» an ancient mystery which granted it a triumphalism perspective both over other religions and traditional forms of Judaism. I will propose the second key term as retrograde phenomenology, an essentialist approach designed to uncover alleged ancient mysteries and superior forms of religious ontology. The third term necessary to comprehend the Eranos enterprise is academic mystagogy, here regarded as the elaboration of uniquely «inspired» methods of interpreting religious texts. The second part of the article revisits the scholarly triad of Henry Corbin, Mircea Eliade, and Gershom Scholem, famously associated with the Eranos enterprise by Steven Wasserstrom, more than two decades ago, and suggests a reassessment of their roles at the Ascona meetings. I suggest that Henry Corbin’s form of academic mystagogy embodied forms of subjective interpretations of the role of imagination in Sufi texts, while Mircea Eliade’s search for pristine origins promoted an imagined archaic highly endowed with ontological significance. Finally, I situate Gershom Scholem’s historical approach in direct opposition to Corbin and Eliade’s mystagogical and perrenial projects and suggest considering the Kabbalah scholar as a theoretical mystic, whose work explored the tensions between academic and metaphysical approaches to religion.
Le renouveau du syndicalisme noir
Authors: Leenhardt Hervé
Published: May 2023

The renewal of the black unions.

In an effort to avoid unorganized labour conflicts and to stand aloof from the apartheid system, South African big business managed to persuade the Government of the need for legal non-White trade unions. In 1979, Black and multiracial trade unions were granted full trade union rights. Since then, they have been highly successful in attracting an ever increasing number of workers, in improving their structures and in unifying the unions into huge confederations. Nowadays, they stand as one of the main pressure groups in the country. They play a significant role not only in the field of labour relations, but also in the present political controversy. However, this tremendous potential strength is jeopardized by political divisions. The three main Black political organizations (ANC/UDF, AZAPO, Inkatha) have generated their own politically inspired trade union system, thus weakening die trade unions global bargaining power. Nevertheless, Black trade unions are definitely the symbol of an emerging Black economic power.
Fonctionnaires et hommes d’affaires au Mali
Authors: Amselle Jean-Loup
Published: May 2023

Civil servants and businessmen in Mali.

Mali is a poor and quite underdeveloped country. It has known nevertheless a very dynamic trading tradition. Today we should distinguish three categories of traders - those of traditional products like cola and traditional practices :

- the sons of the latter who, having undergone a modern training abroad, prefer to stick to business and not become civil servants ;

- former civil servants who have gone into business : «the new businessmen». Relations between these and the state are of utmost importance. First the private sector has «ruined» successively the «public» sector and so has replaced it. But they have utilized their relations with the state to accumulate. Therefore there is just one class with two components, a bureaucratic and a trading one. Trade is a more successful venture than industry but the trends of accumulation and die dynamism of trade and exchange does not allow us to speak of a «backward», Le. non acumuladve, economy. The cultural background and ethos of the merchant community explains this specific evolution : it is a «rational» one.
Le capital privé en Tanzanie (1962-1982)
Authors: Hartmann Jeannette , Copans Jean
Published: May 2023

Private capital in Tanzania from 1962 to 1982.

There is a tripartite system of political decision in Tanzania : the Party, the Government and the President. There was no consensus concerning the policies devoted to private capital.

From 1962 to 1966 the government needed capital to invest and relied on private capital. But party activists managed to develop the idea of a state economy. The Arusha Declaration enabled each group to use its rhetoric, both on nationalization and on die need for capital. In 1969-1974 the President favoured radical politics but this led to an economic crisis and from 1976 to 1982 new policies were designed to attract new investment. The ideology of development has sustained too many contradictions and Tanzania still lacks a consensus in this domain notwithstanding the new liberalization process.
Domaine réservé : la protection de la faune au Togo
Authors: Merlet Louis
Published: May 2023

Private domain : animal conservation in Togo.

Animal conservation is an area of primary concern to the Togolese government. The policy implemented in the Savannah region shows that animal conservation has become a priority even to the detriment of rural development. An atmosphere of secrecy surrounds official decisions ; no public debate has ever been held on the topic. The paper argues for a national review of this policy.
Ce que valoriser la médecine traditionnelle veut dire
Authors: Dozon Jean-Pierre
Published: May 2023

The significance of the «return» to african medicine.

African states are showing an innovative interest in traditional medicine. But this is due more to sociological and political struggles rather than to a hypothetical synthesis of «modern» and natural medical techniques.
Les grandes endémies : l’espace social coupable
Authors: Hervouët Jean-Pierre , Laveissière Claude
Published: May 2023

The role of social space in epidemics.

Trypanosomias and onchocerciasis share a common means of transmission. It is thus tempting to consider that these major epidemics «inevitably» strike when the carriers come into contact with human societies. Against this somewhat deterministic vision we defend the hypothesis that humans are actors who have a degree of control over the spread of depending on their specific social behaviour.