bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Factors That Attract the Population: Empirical Research by Multiple Regression Analysis Using Data by Prefecture in Japan
Authors: Kokubun Keisuke
Published: January 2022

The development of the local economy and correcting the concentration in the capital city have long been the target for many countries. Furthermore, in the wake of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the momentum for rural migration has been increasing to prevent the risk of infection with the help of the rise of remote work. However, there is not enough debate about what kind of land will attract the population. Therefore, in this paper, we performed correlation and multiple regression analyses, with the inflow rate and the net inflow rate of the population as the dependent variables, using the average values of government statistics for each prefecture in 2010 and 2017. As a result of the analyses, in addition to economic factor variables, variables of climatic, amenity, and human factors correlated with the inflow rate, and it was shown that the model had the greatest explanatory power when multiple factors had been used in addition to specific factors. It indicated that local prefectures were required to take regional promotion measures focusing not only on economic factors but also on multifaceted factors to attract the outside population. In addition, when the dependent variable was replaced with the 2020 population inflow rate, the model in which human factors were used as the independent variable showed the largest improvement in explanatory power. Therefore, it was shown that human factors have become more important in attracting people during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The “Queen Bee Syndrome” in Sports Federations: An Exploratory Investigation of Gender Stereotypes in Italian Female Coaches
Authors: Cibibin Caterina , Leo Irene
Published: January 2022

Several studies have shown that women in top positions tend to hinder and mistreat other women; this phenomenon is known in the literature under the term “Queen bee syndrome”. The aim of this study is to investigate whether Queen bee syndrome is also present within the Italian Sports Federations. To this end, an online questionnaire was administered to Italian female coaches (n = 516). From the statistical analyses, it emerged that coaches in the 40–49 age group attribute to themselves more masculine than feminine adjectives (Bem Sex-Role Inventory, BSRI), and also score higher on the gender stereotype scales, the Attitudes Towards Women Scale (d = −0.1189, p < 0.05) and the Macho Scale, compared to trainers in the 18–29 age group (d = −0.1681, p < 0.05). Moreover, a positive correlation emerges between the scores obtained on the Attitudes Towards Women Scale and Macho Scale (r = 0.600, p <0.01) and between organizational support and affective attachment to the organization (r = 0.529, p <0.01). Overall, all the results seem to show the presence of the Queen bee syndrome within the Italian Sports Federations. In the future, it will be interesting to evaluate additional variables involved in this phenomenon.
Simulation of Energy and Media Demand of Batch-Oriented Production Systems in the Beverage Industry
Authors: Bär Raik Martin , Schmid Sebastian , Zeilmann Michael , Kleinert Joachim , Beyer Karsten , Glas Karl , Voigt Tobias
Published: January 2022

The global brewing industry is facing enormous environmental challenges and is urgently required to produce sustainably and efficiently. The rising costs of energy and electricity are forcing small and medium-sized breweries in particular, which are confronted with barriers such as lack of capital and know-how, to make substantial changes. This article presents an extended approach to prognose the energy and media demand for batch-oriented production of a brewery. Therefore, based on a modeling editor as well as a standardized data structure and an approach to determine the simulation-relevant parameters, a solution for fast and easy model generation was developed. Extensive measurement recordings within a brewhouse were performed to create a comprehensive model with recipe-specific parameters and detailed production plans. A simulation model can be generated automatically from a configuration file in a simulation environment that has been extended to include the mapping of batch-oriented operation. A validation is presented and a maximum deviation of the electrical and thermal energy demand of 1–2% is achieved. In combination with a preliminary work, the holistic simulation of the complex combined production of batch-oriented and discrete operation within the brewery is presented and allows comprehensive analysis as well as optimization towards sustainable production.
Impact of the Urban Exodus Triggered by the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Shrinking Cities of the Osaka Metropolitan Area
Authors: Kato Haruka , Takizawa Atsushi
Published: January 2022

This study aims to clarify the impact of the urban exodus triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic on shrinking cities in the Osaka metropolitan area, where a declining population is caused by population aging. Analyzing the Osaka metropolitan area enables us to clarify how cities are shrinking due to the urban exodus. This study analyzed the monthly population data of three types of municipalities: ordinance-designed/regional hub cities, ordinary cities, and towns/villages. In conclusion, the study clarified that population change due to the urban exodus occurred in the ordinance-designed/regional hub and ordinary cities from summer to autumn 2020. The most significant population increases occurred in the municipalities in the Osaka metropolitan fringe area, which are located more than 30 km away from the center of the Osaka metropolitan area. The conclusion is important because the population increased not only in the ordinance-designed cities but also in the ordinance-designed/regional hub cities, unlike the rest of the metropolitan area. The result is the new insights unique to the Osaka metropolitan area that this study clarified. The urban exodus contributes to the need for the local governments of shrinking cities to maintain the urban services necessary for people’s daily lives.
Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Tourism in European Countries: Cluster Analysis Findings
Authors: Roman Michał , Roman Monika , Grzegorzewska Emilia , Pietrzak Piotr , Roman Kamil
Published: January 2022

This article aims to give an overview of tourism at the time of the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to assess the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on European countries, the Systemic Literature Review (SLR) as well as Our World in Data (2021) and EUROSTAT (2021) secondary data were used. In order to group countries with respect to changes taking place in tourism, Ward’s cluster analysis was applied. After verifying the available data, 31 European countries were eventually selected for the analysis. The application of Ward’s method led to four groups of countries being created that are most similar in terms of changes in the tourism sector between 2019 and 2020. The first cluster comprised eight countries with the highest average rate of restrictiveness. On the other hand, this group recorded the lowest rate of changes concerning arrivals by air transport, which was on average 70.32%. The second group comprised 13 countries. In this cluster, the average change in the number of overnight stays and arrivals at tourist resorts was the lowest in comparison with other clusters. The third cluster comprised four countries where the change in arrivals by air transport was the highest, with an average decrease of 81.76%. The fourth group comprised six countries. The average change in the occupancy of hotel rooms and similar overnight accommodation facilities, as well as arrivals at tourist resorts, was the highest in comparison with other clusters. In addition, the countries were characterized by a relatively high decrease in the number of arrivals by air transport, but a relatively low average rate of restrictiveness.
Exploring Innovation Ecosystem of Incumbents in the Face of Technological Discontinuities: Automobile Firms
Authors: Kim Joohyun , Paek Byungjoo , Lee Heesang
Published: January 2022

In recent years, the innovation ecosystem concept has received much attention in the strategy and innovation fields to address radical or discontinuous innovation. This study aims to explore the innovation ecosystem construct of incumbents in the face of technological discontinuities, focusing on the ecosystem actors (that is, incumbents, component providers, and complementors) and their activities for sustainable value creation. First, we conducted a literature review of 34 highly cited and relevant research documents discussing the innovation ecosystem concept to extract key phrases for the innovation ecosystem’s research framework. Then, through the lens of dynamic capabilities, the five core capabilities of incumbent focal firms—collaboration and networking, opportunity sensing, entrepreneurial orientation, knowledge management, and strategic flexibility—are derived as key elements of the research framework. In addition, the following case study conducted by the content analysis of two leading automobile incumbents, Volkswagen and Toyota, supports and concretizes the established research framework. We conclude that as the value chain in the industry is open to diverse emerging experts holding critical technologies in the era of discontinuous innovation, the ecosystem actors are extensively linked beyond existing industry boundaries. Next, incumbents’ proposed five core capabilities are essential for their successful navigation of the complex innovation ecosystem. Finally, the case study also indicates that the traditional automobile giants in the existing ecosystem are heading toward sustainable value creation via technology internalization and dominant platform building to transform themselves into leaders of a new innovation ecosystem in the era of Connected, Autonomous, Shared and Services, and Electric (C.A.S.E.) innovation in the automobile industry.
Benefits of Interoceptive Awareness: A Correlational Study of the Distinct Sport Education Program among Slovak University Students
Authors: Uher Ivan , Pivovarník Ján , Majherová Mária , Chovanová Erika
Published: January 2022

This study aims to determine the formation of cognitive abilities and self-assessment among students of the special physical training in security forces program. A total of 96 students aged 18 to 24 years completed 12 close-ended questions, i.e., 6 knowledge awareness (KA) and 6 ideomotor awareness questions (IA). The 13th question was aimed at self-assessment of their own answers. Based on the Dunning–Kruger effect, comparing all positive answers to KA and IA questions with the self-assessment answer showed that 51% of first-year students provided positive answers with a 50% self-assessment rate, indicating a balanced self-assessment. The percentage of positive answers for the second-year students totaled 51%, with a 70% self-assessment rate, indicating overassessment. The percentage of positive answers totaled 82% for the third-year students, with a 62% self-assessment rate, indicating underassessment. To help students to become proficient requires balancing theory and experience, classroom and practice, where they incorporate a “student-as-instructor” modality to the entire curriculum, not only to the limited selected courses of the special forces training. Using the active learning technique helps students to gain exposure to a stimulating and interactive environment. We stress a teaching modality that includes learning by doing and having the student act as a teacher. In this role, participants maximize their learning through interoceptive awareness, feeling, and applying course material in a more comprehensively factual setting.
The Potential Impact of Climate Extremes on Cotton and Wheat Crops in Southern Punjab, Pakistan
Authors: Ali Muhammad Asgher , Hassan Mujtaba , Mehmood Mazhar , Kazmi Dildar Hussain , Chishtie Farrukh Ahmed , Shahid Imran
Published: January 2022

The assessment of climate extremes’ impact on crop yield is essential to improve our understanding of agricultural resilience. In the present study, we analyzed the potential impact of climate extremes on wheat and cotton production in Southern Punjab, Pakistan using 30-year observed data from the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) and the fifth-generation reanalysis data (ERA-5) from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Cotton is a Kharif season crop that is sown in May and harvested in October, and wheat is a Rabi season crop that is planted in November and harvested in April. The agricultural data (1985–2015) that contained the crop area and crop yield were obtained from the Bureau of Statistics, Punjab for six selected districts in Southern Punjab. Three precipitation indices, namely consecutive dry days (CDD), consecutive wet days (CWD) and total precipitation of wet days (PRCPTOT), and four temperature indices, namely warm days (TX90p), warm nights (TN90p), cool days (TX10p) and cool nights (TN10p), were selected to analyze the potential impacts of climate extremes on crop production. (1) We found a potential association of TX10p, TN10p, TX90p and TN90p with crop yield in those years for which the production area remained the same. (2) In a few districts of the study area, the wheat yield losses in the Rabi season were associated with an increase in warmer days and warmer nights. (3) The grain size was suppressed due to an increase in the frequency of TX90p and TN90p, which ultimately reduced the net crop production. (4) In some districts, we found strong positive correlations between extreme temperature indices and crop yield; however, other potential factors such as the use of advanced technology, fertilizer, seeds, etc., may lead to improved net production. This study can help in adaptation planning for resilient agricultural production under the stress of climate extreme events in Southern Punjab.
Risk of Increasing Income Inequality and Poverty: Analysis by Income Source
Authors: Makarenko Elena , Nivorozhkina Lyudmila , Tregubova Alexandra , Toropova Tatiana , Nazarova Elmira
Published: January 2022

The high and persistent level of income inequality limits the opportunities for economic growth and contributes to the persistence of a high poverty rate in Russia. Reducing inequality is integral to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG-10); thus, greater focus is needed to reduce income inequality. We assess income inequality based on a representative income and expenditure data collected at the micro level to determine the risk of increasing inequality and poverty in the context of specific socio-demographic groups and income sources. We look at the contribution of various household income sources to total income inequality, taking into account the differences in the weighting of income components, the unevenness of their distribution, and their correlation with the total distribution of income. The main data source is the project “The Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey-Higher School of Economics” (RLMS-HSE) for 2000–2018. Calculation of the elasticity of the Gini index by sources of total income for poor and non-poor households revealed their multidirectional impact on overall inequality. We show that social transfers in poor households do not help to reduce inequality. This indicates the need for closer attention to this phenomenon when making policy decisions connected with social policy. Moreover, the “hidden incomes” appear to be a factor reducing inequality for poor households within the framework of the accepted definitions and the formed sample of households.
Potential Elements of Green Infrastructure (PeGI) Inside the Core of the Village (CoV): A Case Study of Wrocław Functional Area (WFA) in Poland
Authors: Niedźwiecka-Filipiak Irena , Gubański Janusz , Podolska Anna , Rubaszek Justyna , Witkiewicz Anna
Published: January 2022

This article presents a study of the elements of green infrastructure in villages located in peri-urban areas. The research focuses on the built-up areas of villages, which together with public and private green areas, are defined as the Cores of the Village (CoV). The research was based on the Wroclaw Functional Area (WFA). The main objective of the study was to identify which sites in a CoV have the potential to increase Green Infrastructure (GI) network connectivity and how these have changed with the development of built-up areas. These sites have been defined as Potential Green Infrastructure Elements (PeGI). The study was conducted over three time periods: the early 20th century, the early 21st century and future plans. The research revealed that, within the historic CoV areas, there existed PeGIs that communicated with external GI elements, but that such connections between PeGIs and GI elements have not been taken into account in future development plans. Furthermore, increases in the area of built-up land have not been matched by an increase in PeGI area. However, through the creation of greenways, among other things, there is potential for shaping PeGI inside a CoV in a way which would strengthen GI structural connectivity.
New Strategies to Explain Organizational Resilience on the Firms: A Cross-Countries Configurations Approach
Authors: Heredia Jorge , Rubiños Cathy , Vega William , Heredia Walter , Flores Alejandro
Published: January 2022

Organizations need to develop their resilience to foster future success to survive complex environments. This research conducts a comparative analysis to understand firms’ strategies in a “black swan” event. We use the “strategy tripod” to operationalize resilience theory and explain the configurations or pathways that lead to high organizational resilience in a crisis context. The data correspond to 1936 firms drawn from the “Enterprise Survey 2020 for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in China (ESIEC)”, and to 66 Central American firms drawn from the “World Bank 2020 Enterprise Surveys” are also analyzed. The methodological approach fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) is applied. We discuss and analyze the strategies of companies in this “new normal”; our results establish that in the case of emerging economies, organizational innovation seems to be a necessary condition for becoming an organizational resilience to a black swan crisis (finding from both cases). We also found that labor flexibility and emotional intelligence for the case of firms from China, and adequate control of the turbulence environment for the cases of Central America, were also necessary conditions for each region. We further argue that digitalization depends on access to government support for its success. China reinforces its strategies in an intensification of human resources flexibility. In addition, they are better prepared for the “black swan” crisis, allowing them to adapt quickly and generate business model innovation to mitigate the effects of the pandemic in this “new normal.” In contrast, Central America needs rapid organization for organizational resilience.
Can Biogas Plants Become a Significant Part of the New Polish Energy Deal? Business Opportunities for Poland’s Biogas Industry
Authors: Mamica Łukasz , Mazur-Bubak Monika , Wróbel-Rotter Renata
Published: January 2022

The agricultural biogas sector is now facing the opportunity to become a significant actor in the new energy deal as a low-carbon source of electricity. Given the current prospects for rapid growth in the industry, the authors developed an economic model of a medium-sized agricultural biogas plant to assess the rate of return on such an investment. The analysis comprises energy prices, substrates, and other costs reported by the plants already in operation, as well as the electricity sales support system, the actual biogas and electricity yield from the substrates, and the digestate utilisation. It shows that a biogas plant capable of delivering ca. 2000 MWe generates a profit in a much shorter timeframe than 20 years, even under quite uncertain economic conditions. In the model scenario, the breakeven point is reached at slightly below 5000 MWh of power output or at ca. 5800 MWh including financing costs, with a planned annual output of approx. 8000 MWh. The profitability of the model biogas plant was also demonstrated by calculations made for other scenarios which differ in substrate composition and financing structure. The parameters of the econometric model are based on the data collected from a group of 41 units that use only organic plant matter for biogas production.
Business Model of Peer-to-Peer Energy Trading: A Review of Literature
Authors: Muhsen Hani , Allahham Adib , Al-Halhouli Ala’aldeen , Al-Mahmodi Mohammed , Alkhraibat Asma , Hamdan Musab
Published: January 2022

Peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading is a promising energy trading mechanism due to the deployment of distributed energy resources in recent years. Trading energy between prosumers and consumers in the local energy market is undergoing massive research and development, paying significant attention to the business model of the energy market. In this paper, an extensive review was conducted on the current research in P2P energy trading to understand the business layer of the energy market concerning business model dimensions: bidding strategies and the market-clearing approach. Different types of game theoretical-based and auction-based market-clearing mechanisms are investigated, including a detailed classification of auctions. This study considers the possibility of employing the P2P technique in developing countries and reviewing existing business models and trading policies. The business layer of the P2P structure plays a vital role in developing an effective trading mechanism based on interactive energy markets.
Glacier Retreat Results in Loss of Fungal Diversity
Authors: Tsuji Masaharu , Vincent Warwick F. , Tanabe Yukiko , Uchida Masaki
Published: January 2022

Walker Glacier near the northern coast of Ellesmere Island in the Canadian High Arctic (terrestrial margin of the ‘Last Ice Area’) is undergoing rapid ice attrition in response to climate change. We applied culture and molecular methods to investigate fungal diversity at the terminus of this glacier. Analysis of the mycoflora composition showed that the Walker Glacier isolates separated into two clusters: the surface of the glacier ice and the glacier foreland. The recently exposed sediments of the foreland had a lower fungal diversity and different species from those on the ice, with the exception of five species that occurred in both habitats. This loss of glacial ice in the Arctic is therefore resulting in the loss of habitats for cold-dwelling fungal species. Fungal diversity is a potentially rich biological resource of glacial ecosystems, with unique taxa. The rapid loss of these glacial habitats underscores the urgency for genomic surveys of fungal diversity in the High Arctic, and the need for further isolation of strains as well as cryopreservation of environmental micro-biome samples for future research and conservation.
Method for Calculating the Required Number of Transport Vehicles Supplying Aviation Fuel to Aircraft during Combat Tasks
Authors: Ziółkowski Jarosław , Żurek Józef , Małachowski Jerzy , Oszczypała Mateusz , Szkutnik-Rogoż Joanna
Published: January 2022

During aircraft flights, combat readiness and the supply system affecting it are essential issues. The basic items of supply during the implementation of tasks are combat assets and aviation fuel. Effective management of the flow of required products, as well as the reliability of vehicles and the availability of crews contribute to the quality of task performance. The components that make up this quality in military operations are measured by readiness. In real-life operations, the number of vehicles supplying aircraft with aviation fuel is determined for safety and reliability with an surplus related to the number of flight support facilities. This paper develops a method for determining the minimum number of vehicles required to supply aircraft (sp) with aviation fuels. The developed method was verified by a numerical example illustrating its application in practice. Additionally, a detailed analysis of its application was carried out in relation to potentially 50 possible scenarios of combat task execution, with a number of assumptions fulfilled. Based on the performed calculations, it was concluded that the number of vehicles required for sp fuel supply depends on several factors: the number of aircraft, the characteristics of air tasks (flight length and frequency of departures), as well as the time of clean sp refuelling and the duration of the vehicle-tanker refuelling cycle.
Exploring How Tourist Engagement Affects Destination Loyalty: The Intermediary Role of Value and Satisfaction
Authors: Zhou Meijing , Yu Hu
Published: January 2022

A conceptual network between and among tourist engagement, perceived value, tourist satisfaction, and destination loyalty was constructed and validated based on 401 valid samples collected in Phoenix Ancient Town, a famous destination in western Hunan, China. The research results confirm the logic chain in marketing psychology of “engagement-value-evaluation/behavior” in the context of a tourism destination. Specifically, tourist engagement has direct positive effects on destination loyalty, but not on tourist satisfaction. In addition, tourist engagement exerts indirect positive effects on destination loyalty by producing functional value and emotional value for tourists which, in turn, promotes tourist satisfaction towards a destination. However, the indirect influences of tourist engagement on tourist satisfaction and destination loyalty by way of creating tourists’ social value are not significant. This research validates the role of tourist engagement in the formation of destination loyalty from a tourist value perspective and thereby offers a new theoretical clue for tourism marketing.
The Flux Ratio of the [OIII]λλ5007,4959 Doublet with Redshift
Authors: Laker Mayalen A. , Camacho Conner D. , Jones Daniel , Moody Joseph
Published: January 2022

As a test of the time symmetry of forbidden-line emission processes, we measured the [OIII]λλ4959 and 5007 emission lines of more than 12,000 galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR8 to examine the [OIII]λλ4959,5007 flux ratio as a function of redshift z. Using two different approaches, we fitted each line with a Gaussian curve and rejected any spectrum not conforming to requirements of line symmetry, S/N levels, and continuum fit. We found the variance in the ratio of flux to be between 4.7 and −3.3% for 0<z<0.433 which is consistent with no change. After correcting for systematic effects of noise, we found the mean value of the [OIII]λλ4959,5007 flux ratio to be 2.98 ± 0.01 which is consistent with theory and previous studies using AGN spectra. We also used these data to estimate an upper limit on the time dependence of the fine structure constant α of Δα/α(0)<1.4×10−5 for galaxies within the same redshift range. This corresponds to |α−1dα/dt|<2×10−15 yr−1, which is also in line with previous estimates from SDSS QSO data.
A Fault Diagnosis Method of Rolling Bearing Based on Wavelet Packet Analysis and Deep Forest
Authors: Li Xiangong , Zhang Yuzhi , Wang Fuqi , Sun Song
Published: January 2022

The frequent accidents caused by the main fan motor in coal mines have exposed the safety hazards of rolling bearings. When a rolling bearing fails, its symmetry is broken, resulting in a rapid decline in its safety performance and posing a great threat to the main fan. Therefore, accurate rolling bearing fault diagnoses are the key to ensuring the safe and durable operation of main fans. Thus, in this paper, we propose a new fault diagnosis method of rolling bearing based on wavelet packet analysis and deep forest algorithm. Firstly, experiments were conducted under different health states to guarantee the diversity of data relating to the rolling bearing’s main fan and then to ensure the accuracy of the fault diagnosis under different health states. On the basis of the collected vibration signal data, we conducted the wavelet packet analysis method to extract the characteristics of the vibration signal and obtained a feature vector that characterizes the health of the bearing. After that, the extracted feature vector was used as the feature vector of the deep forest algorithm to train the deep forest diagnosis model and determine the location and fault type of the bearing fault. Finally, the proposed method in this paper was validated with real-time monitoring data of a main ventilation fan and compared with other diagnostic algorithms, which not only verified the diagnostic capability of deep forest in handling small samples, but also verified the diagnostic capability of the fault diagnosis model. In summary, the proposed fault diagnosis approach is promising in real coal mine main fans.
A New Family of Continuous Distributions: Properties and Estimation
Authors: Hussein Mohamed , Elsayed Howaida , Cordeiro Gauss M.
Published: January 2022

We introduce a new flexible modified alpha power (MAP) family of distributions by adding two parameters to a baseline model. Some of its mathematical properties are addressed. We show empirically that the new family is a good competitor to the Beta-F and Kumaraswamy-F classes, which have been widely applied in several areas. A new extension of the exponential distribution, called the modified alpha power exponential (MAPE) distribution, is defined by applying the MAP transformation to the exponential distribution. Some properties and maximum likelihood estimates are provided for this distribution. We analyze three real datasets to compare the flexibility of the MAPE distribution to the exponential, Weibull, Marshall–Olkin exponential and alpha power exponential distributions.
Acknowledgment to Reviewers of Systems in 2021
Authors:   Systems Editorial Office
Published: January 2022

Rigorous peer-reviews are the basis of high-quality academic publishing [...]
On the Exploration of Automatic Building Extraction from RGB Satellite Images Using Deep Learning Architectures Based on U-Net
Authors: Temenos Anastasios , Temenos Nikos , Doulamis Anastasios , Doulamis Nikolaos
Published: January 2022

Detecting and localizing buildings is of primary importance in urban planning tasks. Automating the building extraction process, however, has become attractive given the dominance of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) in image classification tasks. In this work, we explore the effectiveness of the CNN-based architecture U-Net and its variations, namely, the Residual U-Net, the Attention U-Net, and the Attention Residual U-Net, in automatic building extraction. We showcase their robustness in feature extraction and information processing using exclusively RGB images, as they are a low-cost alternative to multi-spectral and LiDAR ones, selected from the SpaceNet 1 dataset. The experimental results show that U-Net achieves a 91.9% accuracy, whereas introducing residual blocks, attention gates, or a combination of both improves the accuracy of the vanilla U-Net to 93.6%, 94.0%, and 93.7%, respectively. Finally, the comparison between U-Net architectures and typical deep learning approaches from the literature highlights their increased performance in accurate building localization around corners and edges.
A Lightweight Messaging Protocol for Internet of Things Devices
Authors: Agyemang Justice Owusu , Kponyo Jerry John , Gadze James Dzisi , Nunoo-Mensah Henry , Yu Dantong
Published: January 2022

The move towards intelligent systems has led to the evolution of IoT. This technological leap has over the past few years introduced significant improvements to various aspects of the human environment, such as health, commerce, transport, etc. IoT is data-centric; hence, it is required that the underlying protocols are scalable and sufficient to support the vast D2D communication. Several application layer protocols are being used for M2M communication protocols such as CoAP, MQTT, etc. Even though these messaging protocols have been designed for M2M communication, they are still not optimal for communications where message size and overhead are of much concern. This research paper presents a Lightweight Messaging Protocol (LiMP), which is a minified version of CoAP. We present a detailed protocol stack of the proposed messaging protocol and also perform a benchmark analysis of the protocol on some IoT devices. The proposed minified protocol achieves minimal overhead (a header size of 2 bytes) and has faster point-to-point communication from the benchmark analysis; for communication over LAN, the LiMP-TCP outperformed the CoAP-TCP by an average of 21% whereas that of LiMP-UDP was over 37%. For a device to remote server communication, LiMP outperformed CoAP by an average of 15%.
Uses and Gratifications Motivations and Their Effects on Attitude and e-Tourist Satisfaction: A Multilevel Approach
Authors: Moon Jang-Won , An Yuting
Published: January 2022

This study employed the Uses and Gratifications Theory to explore the motivations for utilizing a smartphone during trips and satisfactions with travel experience. This study adopted multilevel SEM to explore how U&G motivations affect e-tourist satisfaction when attitude toward smartphone use by tourists serves as a mediator. To this end, data collected from tourists travelling in the US were analyzed using a multilevel approach. The findings are: (1) U&G motivations (social interaction, entertainment, information, and convenience) are determined, (2) valid and reliable scales for all constructs are developed, (3) U&G motivations have a significant effect on tourists’ attitude toward smartphone use, which, in turn, significantly affects e-tourist satisfaction (hedonic, utilitarian, and overall) at the individual level. The results from this study provide practical and theoretical implications for e-tourism communication and tourism marketing.
Phthalate Exposure and Biomarkers of Oxidation of Nucleic Acids: Results on Couples Attending a Fertility Center
Authors: Pigini Daniela , Caporossi Lidia , Paci Enrico , Capanna Silvia , Viganò Paola , Alteri Alessandra , Rabellotti Elisa , Buonaurio Flavia , Papaleo Bruno , Tranfo Giovanna
Published: January 2022

Phthalates are substances used as plasticizing agents and solvents that can increase the risk of infertility and that appear to induce oxidative stress. The aim of the study was to show the possible relationship between urinary concentrations of phthalates metabolites, namely MEP, MBzP, MnBP, MEHP, MEHHP, and MnOP and biomarkers of nucleic acids oxidation, methylation, or protein nitroxidation. The oxidative stress biomarkers measured in human urine were 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine, 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanosine, 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine, 3-nitrotyrosine, and 5-methylcytidine. Two hundred and seventy-four couples were enrolled, undergoing an assisted reproduction technology (ART) treatment, urine samples were analyzed in HPLC/MS-MS, and then two sub-groups with urinary concentration > 90th or <10th percentile were identified, reducing the sample size to 112 subjects. The levels of oxidative stress biomarkers were measured in both groups, reduced to 52 men and 60 women. A statistically significantly difference for 8-oxoGuo and 3-NO2Tyr between men and women, with higher levels in men, was found. The levels of oxidative stress biomarkers were directly correlated with some phthalate concentrations in both sexes.
Status of the K-EUSO Orbital Detector of Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays
Authors: Klimov Pavel , Battisti Matteo , Belov Alexander , Bertaina Mario , Bianciotto Marta , Blin-Bondil Sylvie , Casolino Marco , Ebisuzaki Toshikazu , Fenu Francesco , Fuglesang Christer , Marszał Włodzimierz , Neronov Andrii , Parizot Etienne , Picozza Piergiorgio , Plebaniak Zbigniew , Prévôt Guillaume , Przybylak Marika , Sakaki Naoto , Sharakin Sergey , Shinozaki Kenji , Szabelski Jacek , Takizawa Yoshiyuki , Trofimov Daniil , Yashin Ivan , Zotov Mikhail
Published: January 2022

K-EUSO (KLYPVE-EUSO) is a planned orbital mission aimed at studying ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) by detecting fluorescence and Cherenkov light emitted by extensive air showers in the nocturnal atmosphere of Earth in the ultraviolet (UV) range. The observatory is being developed within the JEM-EUSO collaboration and is planned to be deployed on the International Space Station after 2025 and operated for at least two years. The telescope, consisting of ∼105 independent pixels, will allow a spatial resolution of ∼0.6 km on the ground, and, from a 400 km altitude, it will achieve a large and full sky exposure to sample the highest energy range of the UHECR spectrum. We provide a comprehensive review of the current status of the development of the K-EUSO experiment, paying special attention to its hardware parts and expected performance. We demonstrate how results of the K-EUSO mission can complement the achievements of the existing ground-based experiments and push forward the intriguing studies of ultra-high energy cosmic rays, as well as bring new knowledge about other phenomena manifesting themselves in the atmosphere in the UV range.
Science with Neutrino Telescopes in Spain
Authors: Hernández-Rey Juan José , Ardid Miguel , Bou Cabo Manuel , Calvo David , Díaz Antonio F. , Gozzini Sara Rebecca , Martínez-Mora Juan A. , Navas Sergio , Real Diego , Greus Francisco Salesa , Losa Agustín Sánchez , Zornoza Juan de Dios , Zúñiga Juan
Published: January 2022

The primary scientific goal of neutrino telescopes is the detection and study of cosmic neutrino signals. However, the range of physics topics that these instruments can tackle is exceedingly wide and diverse. Neutrinos coming from outside the Earth, in association with other messengers, can contribute to clarify the question of the mechanisms that power the astrophysical accelerators which are known to exist from the observation of high-energy cosmic and gamma rays. Cosmic neutrinos can also be used to bring relevant information about the nature of dark matter, to study the intrinsic properties of neutrinos and to look for physics beyond the Standard Model. Likewise, atmospheric neutrinos can be used to study an ample variety of particle physics issues, such as neutrino oscillation phenomena, the determination of the neutrino mass ordering, non-standard neutrino interactions, neutrino decays and a diversity of other physics topics. In this article, we review a selected number of these topics, chosen on the basis of their scientific relevance and the involvement in their study of the Spanish physics community working in the KM3NeT and ANTARES neutrino telescopes.
Simultaneous Action of X- and O-Mode HF Pump Waves on the High-Latitude Upper (F-Region) Ionosphere at EISCAT
Authors: Blagoveshchenskaya Nataly , Borisova Tatiana , Kalishin Alexey , Egorov Ivan , Yeoman Tim , Haggstrom Ingemar
Published: January 2022

We report experimental results from multi-instrument diagnostic tools related to phenomena in the high latitude ionosphere F-region, induced by the simultaneous action of powerful extraordinary (X-mode) and ordinary (O-mode) polarized HF radio waves at EISCAT (European Incoherent SCATter) during magnetically quiet background geophysical conditions. HF pump waves were injected towards the magnetic zenith at a frequency of 5.423 MHz, which was just below the critical frequency of the F2 layer when the excitation of X- and O-mode phenomena was possible. In the course of the experiment, the effective radiated power (ERP) of the X-mode wave was 130.5 MW, while the portion of the O-mode ERP was 29.9 MW (about 20% of the full ERP). It was found that simultaneous action of the X- and O-mode pump waves lead to the excitation of effects typical for both X- and O-mode HF pump waves. Namely, the excitation of small-scale field-aligned irregularities due to the thermal parametric (resonance) instability and a downshifted maximum (DM) component in the wideband stimulated electromagnetic emission (WSEE) spectra, typical for the O-mode HF pumping, was observed, together with multiple ion gyro-harmonic structures in the narrowband stimulated electromagnetic emission (NSEE) spectra. These latter results were recorded at a large (more than 1000 km) distance from the EISCAT/heating facility, typical only for an X-mode HF pumping. The results obtained are compared with “pure” O-mode heating and discussed in detail.
The Image of the Smart City: New Challenges
Authors: Borruso Giuseppe , Balletto Ginevra
Published: January 2022

The image of the Smart City recalls Lynch’s “Image of the City” (1960) and the ways in which urban spaces are perceived by the community and users. The categories presented there hold a physical, tangible component, related to the spatial and material aspects of the city. Talking about Smart Cities, a little formulated and tackled question refers to what the image of the Smart City is, and how it is possible to represent it. The debate on the Smart City regards mainly the digital component and technological aspects, often not visible or perceivable, neglecting the more humanistic aspects and implications. We carry on a reflection on the “image of the smart city”. We propose some possible evolutions of the concept and research directions, in light of the new challenges posed by COVID-19 and the pandemic, as well as the need for a more human-centric approach to planning and managing urban areas and human settlements.
Discovery and Evolutionary Analysis of a Novel Bat-Borne Paramyxovirus
Authors: Zhu Wentao , Huang Yuyuan , Yu Xiaojie , Chen Haiyun , Li Dandan , Zhou Libo , Huang Qianni , Liu Liyun , Yang Jing , Lu Shan
Published: January 2022

Paramyxoviruses are a group of RNA viruses, such as mumps virus, measles virus, Nipah virus, Hendra virus, Newcastle disease virus, and parainfluenza virus, usually transmitted by airborne droplets that are predominantly responsible for acute respiratory diseases. In this paper, we identified a novel paramyxovirus belonging to genus Jeilongvirus infecting 4/112 (3.6%) bats from two trapping sites of Hainan Province of China. In these animals, the viral RNA was detected exclusively in kidney tissues. This is the first full-length Jeilongvirus genome (18,095 nucleotides) from bats of genus Hipposideros, which exhibits a canonical genome organization and encodes SH and TM proteins. Results, based on phylogenic analysis and genetic distances, indicate that the novel paramyxovirus formed an independent lineage belonging to genus Jeilongvirus, representing, thus, a novel species. In addition, the virus-host macro-evolutionary analysis revealed that host-switching was not only a common co-phylogenetic event, but also a potential mechanism by which rats are infected by bat-origin Jeilongvirus through cross-species virus transmission, indicating a bat origin of the genus Jeilongvirus. Overall, our study broadens the viral diversity, geographical distribution, host range, and evolution of genus Jeilongvirus.
Molecular Epidemic Characteristics and Genetic Evolution of Porcine Circovirus Type 2 (PCV2) in Swine Herds of Shanghai, China
Authors: Kang Le , Wahaab Abdul , Shi Kun , Mustafa Bahar E , Zhang Yan , Zhang Junjie , Li Zongjie , Qiu Yafeng , Li Beibei , Liu Ke , Shao Donghua , Ma Zhiyong , Zhong Dengke , Wei Jianchao
Published: January 2022

Porcine Circovirus 2 (PCV2) is a crucial swine pathogen and considered a primary causative agent of porcine circovirus-associated diseases (PCVADs), posing a serious economic threat to the swine industry across globe. The world’s biggest agricultural conglomerates have teamed up to create giant commercial pig farms across Shanghai due to the proximity of this region to more affluent lean-pork markets. Since its discovery, PCV2 has displayed extraordinary genetic diversity, and its genome is swiftly evolving through a series of mutations and recombinations. However, limited information on epidemiology, molecular characteristics, vaccine cross-protection, and the co-infection rate of PCV2 with other lethal swine diseases can adversely impact the pig production in the region. To investigate the molecular epidemic characteristics and genetic evolution of PCV2, pigs with doubtful symptoms of PCVADs were sampled from various commercial pig farms with a history of PWMS and/or PDNS across Shanghai from 2014 to 2018. Our results revealed the coexistence of multiple PCV2 genotypes (PCV2b, PCV2e, and PCV2d) among Shanghai pig herds and dominance of PCV2d among them. We also found critical amino acid substitutions in epitope regions of important capsid proteins in PCV2 isolates involved in viral replication and host immune escape. Spotted mutations may favor the prevalence and survival of various PCV2 genotypes despite availability of commercial vaccines. This study also provides insight into the co-infection status of PCV2 with major lethal swine viral diseases such as PPV and PPRSV. Collectively, these investigations will contribute to understanding the molecular epidemiology and evolution of PCV2 across the region.
Poly(rC)-Binding Protein 1 Limits Hepatitis C Virus Virion Assembly and Secretion
Authors: Cousineau Sophie E. , Rheault Marylin , Sagan Selena M.
Published: January 2022

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-opts numerous cellular elements, including proteins, lipids, and microRNAs, to complete its viral life cycle. The cellular RNA-binding protein, poly(rC)-binding protein 1 (PCBP1), was previously reported to bind to the 5′ untranslated region (UTR) of the HCV genome; however, its importance in the viral life cycle has remained unclear. Herein, we sought to clarify the role of PCBP1 in the HCV life cycle. Using the HCV cell culture (HCVcc) system, we found that knockdown of endogenous PCBP1 resulted in an overall decrease in viral RNA accumulation, yet resulted in an increase in extracellular viral titers. To dissect PCBP1’s specific role in the HCV life cycle, we carried out assays for viral entry, translation, genome stability, RNA replication, as well as virion assembly and secretion. We found that PCBP1 knockdown did not directly affect viral entry, translation, RNA stability, or RNA replication, but resulted in an overall increase in infectious particle secretion. This increase in virion secretion was evident even when viral RNA synthesis was inhibited, and blocking virus secretion could partially restore the viral RNA accumulation decreased by PCBP1 knockdown. We therefore propose a model where endogenous PCBP1 normally limits virion assembly and secretion, which increases viral RNA accumulation in infected cells by preventing the departure of viral genomes packaged into virions. Overall, our findings improve our understanding of how cellular RNA-binding proteins influence viral genomic RNA utilization during the HCV life cycle.