bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Review on Energy Consumption, Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Metal Forming Processes from Different Hierarchies
Authors: Gao Mengdi , He Kang , Li Lei , Wang Qingyang , Liu Conghu
Published: June 2019

Energy efficiency improvement and environmental impact reduction are emerging issues in the manufacturing industry. Aside from cutting, metal forming is also an important process in manufacturing. Metal forming is energy intensive because of the low energy efficiency of the used metal forming press. Although many literature reviews focused on the energy reduction and energy efficiency of machine tools, a comprehensive literature review of metal forming processes remains lacking because of the great difference between cutting machines and forming equipment. In addition, methods for energy efficiency and energy-saving still need to be promoted in metal forming. In this review, a novel hierarchy of the metal forming system was presented to describe the relationship among the equipment, process, and manufacturing system, providing a guideline of methods for energy efficiency and saving in metal forming. Then, existing energy consumption modeling and estimation theories and methods were discussed from two aspects. One is energy monitoring and modeling of metal forming equipment, and the other is process energy analysis of metal forming based on different parameters. On the basis of the hierarchy of the metal forming system, the present methods and technologies aiming to promote energy efficiency and energy saving effects were discussed from the aspects of equipment design and control, process optimization, and scheduling management and use. Thus, this review may serve as a reference for the decision-making of producers and managers to realize energy efficiency and energy saving at the system level. In addition, the major points that need attention are accurate energy models and control of forming equipment as well as the integrated optimization of equipment, process, and scheduling.
Effects of Dark Brown Sugar Replacing Sucrose and Calcium Carbonate, Chitosan, and Chitooligosaccharide Addition on Acrylamide and 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural Mitigation in Brown Sugar Cookies
Authors: Shyu Yung-Shin , Hsiao Hsin-I , Fang Jui-Yu , Sung Wen-Chieh
Published: June 2019

The objective of this study was to evaluate effects of dark brown sugar on acrylamide and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) levels in brown sugar cookies. Dark brown sugar was used as a raw material instead of sucrose, and chitosan, chitooligosaccharides, or calcium carbonate were added to investigate their effect on acrylamide and HMF mitigation. The results demonstrated that the higher the content of acrylamide in the dark brown sugar, the higher the amount of acrylamide produced in baked brown sugar cookies. The addition of dark brown sugar significantly increased the diameter and decreased the thickness of cookies, which induced more acrylamide formation. Therefore, the sucrose control cookies were harder and thicker than dark brown sugar cookies. The addition of 1% chitosan, chitooligosaccharide, or calcium carbonate did not reduce the acrylamide formation of the brown sugar cookies. The content of acrylamide and HMF in the sucrose control group was lower than that in dark brown sugar groups, and chitooligosaccharide increased the level of HMF. This is due to the fact that the content of reducing sugar in dark brown sugar is higher than that in sucrose, and dark brown sugar contains acrylamide. There was no difference in the concentration of reducing sugar between test and control cookies (p > 0.05). The L values of brown sugar were lower than those of sucrose cookies, especially for chitooligosaccharide addition (p < 0.05). The addition of chitooligosaccharide generated more Maillard reaction products and caramelization. The reducing power of dark brown sugar cookies was higher than that of sucrose control cookies. The baking industry should choose sucrose or dark brown sugar containing a low acrylamide content as an ingredient to prevent the final products from containing high levels of acrylamide.
Effect of Ambient Parameters on the Temperature Distribution of Photovoltaic (PV) Modules
Authors: Atsu Divine , Dhaundiyal Alok
Published: June 2019

This paper pivots around the influence of thermal parameters on the temperature distribution of a (PV) module. The solar irradiance, ambient temperature, and heat transfer coefficient were examined for four differently manufactured solar modules. A finite element analysis of the solar system was carried out to simulate the prevailing thermal conditions. It was determined through analysis that the heat transfer coefficient had a significant effect on the boundaries of the PV modules. The temperature gradient was relatively high at the boundary, whereas the main body had the least deviation from the mean value of experimental data. The high value of irradiance is favorable for a large PV system, while the heat transfer coefficient should be low for avoiding undulation of the thermal gradient across the plate. The temperature distribution on the surface of the PV modules largely depended on the geometry and the material used for the design purpose.
Corridor Mapping of Sandy Coastal Foredunes with UAS Photogrammetry and Mobile Laser Scanning
Authors: Nahon Alphonse , Molina Pere , Blázquez Marta , Simeon Jennifer , Capo Sylvain , Ferrero Cédrik
Published: June 2019

Recurrent monitoring of sandy beaches and of the dunes behind them is needed to improve the scientific knowledge on their dynamics as well as to develop sustainable management practices of those valuable landforms. Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) are sought as a means to fulfill this need, especially leveraged by photogrammetric and LiDAR-based mapping methods and technology. The present study compares different strategies to carry UAS photogrammetric corridor mapping over linear extensions of sandy shores. In particular, we present results on the coupling of a UAS with a mobile laser scanning system, operating simultaneously in Cap Ferret, SW France. This aerial-terrestrial tandem enables terrain reconstruction with kinematic ground control points, thus largely avoiding the deployment of surveyed ground control points on the non-stable sandy ground. Results show how these three techniques—mobile laser scanning, photogrammetry based on ground control points, and photogrammetry based on kinematic ground control points—deliver accurate (i.e., root mean square errors < 15 cm) 3D reconstruction of beach-to-dune transition areas, the latter being performed at lower survey and logistic costs, and with enhanced spatial coverage capabilities. This study opens the gate for exploring longer (hundreds of kilometers) shoreline dynamics with ground-control-point-free air and ground mapping techniques.
An Automated Python Language-Based Tool for Creating Absence Samples in Groundwater Potential Mapping
Authors: Rahmati Omid , Moghaddam Davoud Davoudi , Moosavi Vahid , Kalantari Zahra , Samadi Mahmood , Lee Saro , Tien Bui Dieu
Published: June 2019

Although sampling strategy plays an important role in groundwater potential mapping and significantly influences model accuracy, researchers often apply a simple random sampling method to determine absence (non-occurrence) samples. In this study, an automated, user-friendly geographic information system (GIS)-based tool, selection of absence samples (SAS), was developed using the Python programming language. The SAS tool takes into account different geospatial concepts, including nearest neighbor (NN) and hotspot analyses. In a case study, it was successfully applied to the Bojnourd watershed, Iran, together with two machine learning models (random forest (RF) and multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS)) with GIS and remotely sensed data, to model groundwater potential. Different evaluation criteria (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC), true skill statistic (TSS), efficiency (E), false positive rate (FPR), true positive rate (TPR), true negative rate (TNR), and false negative rate (FNR)) were used to scrutinize model performance. Two absence sample types were produced, based on a simple random method and the SAS tool, and used in the models. The results demonstrated that both RF (AUC-ROC = 0.913, TSS = 0.72, E = 0.926) and MARS (AUC-ROC = 0.889, TSS = 0.705, E = 0.90) performed better when using absence samples generated by the SAS tool, indicating that this tool is capable of producing trustworthy absence samples to improve groundwater potential models.
A Novel Effectively Optimized One-Stage Network for Object Detection in Remote Sensing Imagery
Authors: Xie Weiying , Qin Haonan , Li Yunsong , Wang Zhuo , Lei Jie
Published: June 2019

With great significance in military and civilian applications, the topic of detecting small and densely arranged objects in wide-scale remote sensing imagery is still challenging nowadays. To solve this problem, we propose a novel effectively optimized one-stage network (NEOON). As a fully convolutional network, NEOON consists of four parts: Feature extraction, feature fusion, feature enhancement, and multi-scale detection. To extract effective features, the first part has implemented bottom-up and top-down coherent processing by taking successive down-sampling and up-sampling operations in conjunction with residual modules. The second part consolidates high-level and low-level features by adopting concatenation operations with subsequent convolutional operations to explicitly yield strong feature representation and semantic information. The third part is implemented by constructing a receptive field enhancement (RFE) module and incorporating it into the fore part of the network where the information of small objects exists. The final part is achieved by four detectors with different sensitivities accessing the fused features, all four parallel, to enable the network to make full use of information of objects in different scales. Besides, the Focal Loss is set to enable the cross entropy for classification to solve the tough problem of class imbalance in one-stage methods. In addition, we introduce the Soft-NMS to preserve accurate bounding boxes in the post-processing stage especially for densely arranged objects. Note that the split and merge strategy and multi-scale training strategy are employed in training. Thorough experiments are performed on ACS datasets constructed by us and NWPU VHR-10 datasets to evaluate the performance of NEOON. Specifically, 4.77% and 5.50% improvements in mAP and recall, respectively, on the ACS dataset as compared to YOLOv3 powerfully prove that NEOON can effectually improve the detection accuracy of small objects in remote sensing imagery. In addition, extensive experiments and comprehensive evaluations on the NWPU VHR-10 dataset with 10 classes have illustrated the superiority of NEOON in the extraction of spatial information of high-resolution remote sensing images.
Accurate Energy Modeling and Characterization of IEEE 802.11ah RAW and TWT
Authors: Santi Serena , Tian Le , Khorov Evgeny , Famaey Jeroen
Published: June 2019

Minimizing the energy consumption is one of the main challenges in internet of things (IoT) networks. Recently, the IEEE 802.11ah standard has been released as a new low-power Wi-Fi solution. It has several features, such as restricted access window (RAW) and target wake time (TWT), that promise to improve energy consumption. Specifically, in this article we study how to reduce the energy consumption thanks to RAW and TWT. In order to do this, we first present an analytical model that calculates the average energy consumption during a RAW slot. We compare these results to the IEEE 802.11ah simulator that we have extended for this scope with an energy life-cycle model for RAW and TWT. Then we study the energy consumption under different conditions using RAW. Finally, we evaluate the energy consumption using TWT. In the results, we show that the presented model has a maximum deviation from the simulations of 10% in case of capture effect (CE) and 7% without it. RAW always performs better than carrier-sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) when the traffic is higher and the usage of more slots has showed to have better energy efficiency, of up to the 76%, although also significantly increasing the latency. We will show how TWT outperforms pure RAW, by over 100%, when the transmission time is over 5 min.
Biosensors—Publication Trends and Knowledge Domain Visualization
Authors: Olson Nasrine , Bae Juhee
Published: June 2019

The number of scholarly publications on the topic of biosensors has increased rapidly; as a result, it is no longer easy to build an informed overview of the developments solely by manual means. Furthermore, with many new research results being continually published, it is useful to form an up-to-date understanding of the recent trends or emergent directions in the field. This paper utilizes bibliometric methods to provide an overview of the developments in the topic based on scholarly publications. The results indicate an increasing interest in the topic of biosensor(s) with newly emerging sub-topics. The US is identified as the country with highest total contribution to this area, but as a collective, EU countries top the list of total contributions. An examination of trends over the years indicates that in recent years, China-based authors have been more productive in this area. If research contribution per capita is considered, Singapore takes the top position, followed by Sweden, Switzerland and Denmark. While the number of publications on biosensors seems to have declined in recent years in the PubMed database, this is not the case in the Web of Science database. However, there remains an indication that the rate of growth in the more recent years is slowing. This paper also presents a comparison of the developments in publications on biosensors with the full set of publications in two of the main journals in the field. In more recent publications, synthetic biology, smartphone, fluorescent biosensor, and point-of-care testing are among the terms that have received more attention. The study also identifies the top authors and journals in the field, and concludes with a summary and suggestions for follow up research.
Design and Validation of Probes and Sensors for the Characterization of Magneto-Ionic Radio Wave Propagation on Near Vertical Incidence Skywave Paths
Authors: Witvliet Ben A. , Alsina-Pagès Rosa M. , van Maanen Erik , Laanstra Geert Jan
Published: June 2019

This article describes the design and validation of deployable low-power probes and sensors to investigate the influence of the ionosphere and the Earth’s magnetic field on radio wave propagation below the plasma frequency of the ionosphere, known as Near Vertical Incidence Skywave (NVIS) propagation. The propagation of waves that are bent downward by the ionosphere is dominated by a bi-refractive mechanism called ‘magneto-ionic propagation’. The polarization of both downward waves depends on the spatial angle between the Earth’s magnetic field and the direction of propagation of the radio wave. The probes and sensors described in this article are needed to simultaneously investigate signal fading and polarization dynamics on six radio wave propagation paths. The 1-Watt probes realize a 57 dB signal-to-noise ratio. The probe polarization is controlled using direct digital synthesis and the cross-polarization is 25–35 dB. The intermodulation-free dynamic range of the sensor exceeds 100 dB. Measurement speed is 3000 samples/second. This publication covers design, practical realization and deployment issues. Research performed with these devices will be shared in subsequent publications.
Spherical Reverse Beamforming for Sound Source Localization Based on the Inverse Method
Authors: Sun Chao , Liu Yuechan
Published: June 2019

A spherical array is not limited to providing an acoustic map in all directions by the azimuth of the array. In this paper, spherical reverse beamforming for sound source localization based on spherical harmonic beamforming and the principle of sound field reconstruction is proposed in order to output a sharper scanning beam. It is assumed that there is an imaginary sound source at each scan point, and the acoustic map of a spherical array to the actual sound source is regarded as the combination of all of the imaginary sound sources. Sound source localization can be realized by calculating the contribution of each imaginary sound source to the sound field. Also in this work, the non-convex constrained optimization problem is established using p-norm. Combined with the norm method, the sparse solution of the imaginary sources is obtained through iterative weighted techniques, and the resolution of sound source localization is improved significantly. The performance of this method is investigated in comparison to conventional spherical beamforming. The numerical results show that the proposed method can achieve higher resolution for the localization of sound sources without being limited by the frequency and array aperture, and has a stronger ability to suppress fluctuations in background noise.
Towards the Recognition of the Emotions of People with Visual Disabilities through Brain–Computer Interfaces
Authors: López-Hernández Jesús Leonardo , González-Carrasco Israel , López-Cuadrado José Luis , Ruiz-Mezcua Belén
Published: June 2019

A brain–computer interface is an alternative for communication between people and computers, through the acquisition and analysis of brain signals. Research related to this field has focused on serving people with different types of motor, visual or auditory disabilities. On the other hand, affective computing studies and extracts information about the emotional state of a person in certain situations, an important aspect for the interaction between people and the computer. In particular, this manuscript considers people with visual disabilities and their need for personalized systems that prioritize their disability and the degree that affects them. In this article, a review of the state of the techniques is presented, where the importance of the study of the emotions of people with visual disabilities, and the possibility of representing those emotions through a brain–computer interface and affective computing, are discussed. Finally, the authors propose a framework to study and evaluate the possibility of representing and interpreting the emotions of people with visual disabilities for improving their experience with the use of technology and their integration into today’s society.
Grid Based Spherical CNN for Object Detection from Panoramic Images
Authors: Yu Dawen , Ji Shunping
Published: June 2019

Recently proposed spherical convolutional neural networks (SCNNs) have shown advantages over conventional planar CNNs on classifying spherical images. However, two factors hamper their application in an objection detection task. First, a convolution in S2 (a two-dimensional sphere in three-dimensional space) or SO(3) (three-dimensional special orthogonal group) space results in the loss of an object’s location. Second, overlarge bandwidth is required to preserve a small object’s information on a sphere because the S2/SO(3) convolution must be performed on the whole sphere, instead of a local image patch. In this study, we propose a novel grid-based spherical CNN (G-SCNN) for detecting objects from spherical images. According to input bandwidth, a sphere image is transformed to a conformal grid map to be the input of the S2/SO3 convolution, and an object’s bounding box is scaled to cover an adequate area of the grid map. This solves the second problem. For the first problem, we utilize a planar region proposal network (RPN) with a data augmentation strategy that increases rotation invariance. We have also created a dataset including 600 street view panoramic images captured from a vehicle-borne panoramic camera. The dataset contains 5636 objects of interest annotated with class and bounding box and is named as WHU (Wuhan University) panoramic dataset. Results on the dataset proved our grid-based method is extremely better than the original SCNN in detecting objects from spherical images, and it outperformed several mainstream object detection networks, such as Faster R-CNN and SSD.
Using Wearable and Non-Invasive Sensors to Measure Swallowing Function: Detection, Verification, and Clinical Application
Authors: Shieh Wann-Yun , Wang Chin-Man , Cheng Hsin-Yi Kathy , Wang Chen-Hsiang
Published: June 2019

Background: A widely used method for assessing swallowing dysfunction is the videofluoroscopic swallow study (VFSS) examination. However, this method has a risk of radiation exposure. Therefore, using wearable, non-invasive and radiation-free sensors to assess swallowing function has become a research trend. This study addresses the use of a surface electromyography sensor, a nasal airflow sensor, and a force sensing resistor sensor to monitor the coordination of respiration and larynx movement which are considered the major indicators of the swallowing function. The demand for an autodetection program that identifies the swallowing patterns from multiple sensors is raised. The main goal of this study is to show that the sensor-based measurement using the proposed detection program is able to detect early-stage swallowing disorders, which specifically, are useful for the assessment of the coordination between swallowing and respiration. Methods: Three sensors were used to collect the signals from submental muscle, nasal cavity, and thyroid cartilage, respectively, during swallowing. An analytic swallowing model was proposed based on these sensors. A set of temporal parameters related to the swallowing events in this model were defined and measured by an autodetection algorithm. The verification of this algorithm was accomplished by comparing the results from the sensors with the results from the VFSS. A clinical application of the long-term smoking effect on the swallowing function was detected by the proposed sensors and the program. Results: The verification results showed that the swallowing patterns obtained from the sensors strongly correlated with the laryngeal movement monitored from the VFSS. The temporal parameters measured from these two methods had insignificant delays which were all smaller than 0.03 s. In the smoking effect application, this study showed that the differences between the swallowing function of smoking and nonsmoking participants, as well as their disorders, is revealed by the sensor-based method without the VFSS examination. Conclusions: This study showed that the sensor-based non-invasive measurement with the proposed detection algorithm is a viable method for temporal parameter measurement of the swallowing function.
Robust Least-SquareLocalization Based on Relative Angular Matrix in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Tian Yuyang , Lv Jing , Tian Shiwei , Zhu Jinfei , Lu Wei
Published: June 2019

Accurate position information plays an important role in wireless sensor networks (WSN), and cooperative positioning based on cooperation among agents is a promising methodology of providing such information. Conventional cooperative positioning algorithms, such as least squares (LS), rely on approximate position estimates obtained from prior measurements. This paper explores the fundamental mechanism underlying the least squares algorithm’s sensitivity to the initial position selection and approaches to dealing with such sensitivity. This topic plays an essential role in cooperative positioning, as it determines whether a cooperative positioning algorithm can be implemented ubiquitously. In particular, a sufficient and unnecessary condition for the least squares cost function to be convex is found and proven. We then propose a robust algorithm for wireless sensor network positioning that transforms the cost function into a globally convex function by detecting the null space of the relative angle matrix when all the targets are located inside the convex polygon formed by its neighboring nodes. Furthermore, we advance one step further and improve the algorithm to apply it in both the time of arrival (TOA) and angle of arrival/time of arrival (AOA/TOA) scenarios. Finally, the performance of the proposed approach is quantified via simulations, and the results show that the proposed method has a high positioning accuracy and is robust in both line-of-sight (LOS) and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) positioning environments.
Performance Analysis of a Defected Ground-Structured Antenna Loaded with Stub-Slot for 5G Communication
Authors: Rahman Md Mushfiqur , Islam Md Shabiul , Wong Hin Yong , Alam Touhidul , Islam Mohammad Tariqul
Published: June 2019

In this paper, a defected ground-structured antenna with a stub-slot configuration is proposed for future 5G wireless applications. A simple stub-slot configuration is used in the patch antenna to get the dual band frequency response in the 5G mid-band and the upper unlicensed frequency region. Further, a 2-D double period Electronic band gap (EBG) structure has been implemented as a defect in the metallic ground plane to get a wider impedance bandwidth. The size of the slots and their positions are optimized to get a considerably high impedance bandwidth of 12.49% and 4.49% at a passband frequency of 3.532 GHz and 6.835 GHz, respectively. The simulated and measured realized gain and reflection coefficients are in good agreement for both operating bandwidths. The overall antenna structure size is 33.5 mm × 33.5 mm. The antenna is fabricated and compared with experimental results. The proposed antenna shows a stable radiation pattern and high realized gain with wide impedance bandwidth using the EBG structure, which are necessary for the requirements of IoT applications offered by 5G technology.
Debris Flow Risk Assessment Based on a Water–Soil Process Model at the Watershed Scale Under Climate Change: A Case Study in a Debris-Flow-Prone Area of Southwest China
Authors: Li Qinwen , Lu Yafeng , Wang Yukuan , Xu Pei
Published: June 2019

Risk assessment lays a foundation for disaster risk reduction management, especially in relation to climate change. Intensified extreme weather and climate events driven by climate change may increase related disaster susceptibility. This may interact with exposed and vulnerable socioeconomic systems to aggravate the impacts and impede progress towards regional development. In this study, debris flow risk under climate change was assessed by an integrated debris flow mechanism model and an inclusive socioeconomic status evaluation. We implemented the method for a debris flow-prone area in the eastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China. Based on the analysis of three general circulation models (GCMs)—Beijing Climate Center Climate System Model version 1 (BCC_CSM), model for Interdisciplinary Research on Climate- Earth System, version 5 (MIROC5, and the Community Climate System Model version 4 (CCSM4)—the water–soil process model was applied to assess debris flow susceptibility. For the vulnerability evaluation, an index system established from the categories of bearing elements was analyzed by principle component analysis (PCA) methods. Our results showed that 432 to 1106 watersheds (accounting for 23% to 52% of the study area) were identified as debris-flow watersheds, although extreme rainfall would occur in most of the area from 2007 to 2060. The distributions of debris flow watersheds were concentrated in the north and transition zones of the study area. Additionally, the result of the index and PCA suggested that most areas had relatively low socioeconomic scores and such areas were considered as high-vulnerability human systems (accounts for 91%). Further analysis found that population density, road density, and gross domestic production made great contributions to vulnerability reduction. For practical mitigation strategies, we suggested that the enhancement of road density may be the most efficient risk reduction strategy.
Transport Mode Choice by Tourists Transferring from a Peripheral High-Speed Rail Station to Their Destinations: Empirical Evidence from Costa Daurada
Authors: Gutiérrez Aaron , Miravet Daniel , Saladié Òscar , Anton Clavé Salvador
Published: June 2019

This article analyses the factors that determine the mode of transport (bus, taxi or private car) chosen by tourists for transfers from a peripherally located high-speed rail station to their final destination. The study is based on a survey completed by tourists who used high-speed rail services to travel to the Costa Daurada, a tourism area on the Mediterranean coast of Southern Catalonia, Spain. The results of this study show that variables associated with the characteristics of the stay had a more decisive influence upon the decisions made by the travellers than the socio-demographic profiles of the tourists surveyed. The availability of direct public transport services for transfers from the station to the final destinations was a much more relevant factor than the cost and duration of the resulting trip. This study provides empirical evidence of the importance of accessibility for peripheral stations. In these cases, good connections via public transport apparently play a key role in both improving tourism development and promoting more sustainable mobility within the region.
ICT and the Sustainability of World Heritage Sites. Analysis of Senior Citizens’ Use of Tourism Apps
Authors: Ramos-Soler Irene , Martínez-Sala Alba-María , Campillo-Alhama Concepción
Published: June 2019

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and applications (apps) for tourists are key tools for the sustainability of World Cultural Heritage Sites (WCHS). Their integration into tourism marketing strategies poses challenges regarding the satisfaction of the expectations of the target stakeholders, particularly senior tourists, people aged 60 and over. This paper adopts an exploratory and descriptive approach that combines qualitative techniques (focus groups), to study the use senior citizens make of ICT and tourism apps, with quantitative ones. In this sense, content analysis has been performed on a sample of tourism apps. The results reveal that ICT are essential tools for senior tourists and positively influence tourists’ final perception of the travel experience. The analysis of these mobile apps shows that they meet the expectations of senior tourists, who constitute a relevant generation for cultural tourism and are of special interest for the sustainability of WCHS. The configuration and development of these tools must be adapted to this generation, which we call Generation W.
Environmental Aspects of Generation Y’s Sustainable Mobility
Authors: Suchanek Michał , Szmelter-Jarosz Agnieszka
Published: June 2019

This research paper identifies and explores the opinions and attitudes of young people about urban transport. It is the first study on this topic, based on the survey, analysing the mobility choices of young adults (more specifically, Generation Y) in Poland and for countries in Central and Eastern Europe. The aim of the paper is to show their travel behaviour from sustainable mobility perspective. The primary data was obtained through the online survey. The data analysis was held with use of factor analysis and ANOVA. The research results indicated the variables influencing the environmental dimension of sustainable mobility attitudes of young adults in four areas: the ecology-oriented approach to transport, opinions about sharing economy, public car concept and future transport system. The analysis of variance revealed significant differences in the ecology-oriented approach between people born in different decades, between men and women and between people with driving licences and people without them. Those results provide the insights for local authorities and mobility service providers. The recommendations at the end of the paper focus on the need for continuation of research in similar fields.
A Text Mining Approach for Sustainable Performance in the Film Industry
Authors: Hwangbo Hyunwoo , Kim Jonghyuk
Published: June 2019

Many previous studies have shown that the volume or valence of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) has a sustainable and significant impact on box office performance. Traditional studies used quantitative data, such as ratings, to measure eWOM. However, recent studies analyzed unstructured data, such as comments, through web-based text analysis. Based on recent research trends, we analyzed not only quantitative data, like ratings, but also text data, like reviews, and we performed a sentiment analysis using a text mining technique. Studies have also examined the effect of cultural differences on the decision-making processes of individuals and organizations. We applied Hofstede’s cultural theory to eWOM and analyzed the moderating effect of cultural differences on eWOM influence. We selected 338 films released between 2006 and 2015 from the BoxOfficeMojo database. We collected ratings and reviews, box office revenues, and other basic information from the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). We also analyzed the effects of cultural differences, such as power distance, individualism, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity, on box office performance. We found that user comments have a greater impact on film sales than user ratings, and movie stars and co-production contribute to box office success. We also conclude that cultural and geographical differences moderate the sentiment elasticity of eWOM.
The Influence of Innovation on Corporate Sustainability in the International Banking Industry
Authors: Forcadell Francisco Javier , Aracil Elisa , Úbeda Fernando
Published: June 2019

We empirically explore the innovation and corporate sustainability link using a large sample of worldwide banks for the period 2003–2016. Our results suggest that service innovation performance enhances the banking industry’s corporate sustainability. In addition, we contribute by proposing a conceptual framework for understanding the link between innovation performance and corporate sustainability in the banking industry. The framework consists of three underlying dimensions—the antecedents of innovation performance, the specific innovation performance initiatives, and how these initiatives are converted into improved corporate sustainability. Our findings provide insights for academics and practitioners on the dynamics between service innovation performance and corporate sustainability in the banking sector. Further, due to the intermediation role of banks in the economy, their evolution towards sustainable banking constitutes a lever for sustainability across other industries and overall sustainable development.
Understanding the Repurchase Intention of Premium Economy Passengers Using an Extended Theory of Planned Behavior
Authors: Kim Jun Hwan , Lee Hyun Cheol
Published: June 2019

This study investigates the repurchase intention of passengers who have experienced premium economy class. To achieve the research purpose, we examine the relationship among psychological factors, perceived price, perceived service quality, perceived value and repurchase intention using a research model extended from the theory of planned behavior (TPB). The survey data were collected both airside and landside at two major Korean international airports from 382 passengers who used premium economy class. The results show that the repurchase intention of passengers is influenced by the attitude, perceived behavioral control, and perceived value derived from price and service quality; repurchase intention is not influenced by the subjective norm. These findings will enable air carriers to better understand the intention of premium economy passengers with respect to psychological and service value perspectives. They can also be used to improve marketing capabilities and the sustainable profitability of premium economy service.
Winter Sabotage: The Three-Way Interactive Effect of Gender, Age, and Season on Public Bikesharing Usage
Authors: Zhou Jinyi , Jing Changyuan , Hong Xiangjun , Wu Tian
Published: June 2019

Public bikesharing is an environmentally friendly transportation mode that can remedy the urban “last mile” problem to some extents. Prior studies have investigated many predictors of the public bikesharing usage. For example, researchers find that gender, age, and physical conditions are significantly related to the public bikesharing usage. However, few studies have tested the characteristics of each ride and no integrative theoretical framework has been provided to explain these findings. In the current study, based on the conservation of resource theory, we suggest that the reason why these factors can predict public bikesharing usage is people’s inner needs of resource conservation. Based on this theoretical framework, we propose that: first, gender, age, and season will have direct impacts on public bikesharing usage (i.e., distance and user type); second, gender, age, and season will interactively predict public bikesharing usage as well. A relatively large sample with 1,383,773 rides in 2018 from New York City is used to test our hypotheses. The results indicate that old females indeed use public bicycle less intensively in the winter than young males do in other seasons and thus support the three-way interaction effect. Implications for the emerging public transport systems and limitations of this study are also discussed.
Verification of the Role of the Experiential Value of Luxury Cruises in Terms of Price Premium
Authors: Yu Jongsik
Published: June 2019

The purpose of this study is to verify the willingness of customers of luxury cruises to pay for the perception of a well-being component and to pay a price premium based on the experiential value of luxury cruises. The following research objectives are presented and their resolution is subsequently pursued: first, the study distinguishes the various subordinate factors contributing to the experiential value of luxury cruises. Second, it aims to understand these subordinate factors’ impact on customers’ well-being perception. Third, the study aims to understand whether the customer is willing to pay a price premium based on his or her well-being perception. Fourth, it aims to verify the role of gender in the relationship between the perceived experiential value of luxury cruises and the proposed variables. Seven hypotheses were established to achieve these research objectives. Data collected from 273 luxury cruise customers were used. As a result, five hypotheses were accepted and two were rejected. In conclusion, the theoretical/practical implications that were proposed based on the results of the study are discussed in detail.
Consumption of Minerals, Toxic Metals and Hydroxymethylfurfural: Analysis of Infant Foods and Formulae
Authors: Vella Christian , Attard Everaldo
Published: June 2019

Infant foods and formulae may contain toxic substances and elements which can be neo-formed contaminants or derived from raw materials or processing. The content of minerals, toxic elements, and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in infant foods and formulae were evaluated. The effect of storage temperature on HMF formation in infant formulae and its potential as a quality parameter was also evaluated. Prune-based foods contained the highest HMF content. HMF significantly increased when the storage temperature was elevated to 30 °C for 21 days. All trace elements were present in adequate amounts, while the concentration of nickel was higher when compared to those of other studies. The study indicates that HMF can be used as a quality indicator for product shelf-life and that the concentrations of minerals and toxic elements vary greatly due to the diverse compositions of foods and formulae. Such contaminants need to be monitored as infants represent a vulnerable group compared to adults.
Unravelling the Single-Stranded DNA Virome of the New Zealand Blackfly
Authors: Kraberger Simona , Schmidlin Kara , Fontenele Rafaela S. , Walters Matthew , Varsani Arvind
Published: June 2019

Over the last decade, arthropods have been shown to harbour a rich diversity of viruses. Through viral metagenomics a large diversity of single-stranded (ss) DNA viruses have been identified. Here we examine the ssDNA virome of the hematophagous New Zealand blackfly using viral metagenomics. Our investigation reveals a plethora of novel ssDNA viral genomes, some of which cluster in the viral families Genomoviridae (n = 9), Circoviridae (n = 1), and Microviridae (n = 108), others in putative families that, at present, remain unclassified (n = 20) and one DNA molecule that only encodes a replication associated protein. Among these novel viruses, two putative multi-component virus genomes were recovered, and these are most closely related to a Tongan flying fox faeces-associated multi-component virus. Given that the only other known multi-component circular replication-associated (Rep) protein encoding single-stranded (CRESS) DNA viruses infecting plants are in the families Geminiviridae (members of the genus Begomovirus) and Nanoviridae, it appears these are likely a new multi-component virus group which may be associated with animals. This study reiterates the diversity of ssDNA viruses in nature and in particular with the New Zealand blackflies.
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis Affects Plant Immunity to Viral Infection and Accumulation
Authors: Hao Zhipeng , Xie Wei , Chen Baodong
Published: June 2019

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, as root symbionts of most terrestrial plants, improve plant growth and fitness. In addition to the improved plant nutritional status, the physiological changes that trigger metabolic changes in the root via AM fungi can also increase the host ability to overcome biotic and abiotic stresses. Plant viruses are one of the important limiting factors for the commercial cultivation of various crops. The effect of AM fungi on viral infection is variable, and considerable attention is focused on shoot virus infection. This review provides an overview of the potential of AM fungi as bioprotection agents against viral diseases and emphasizes the complex nature of plant–fungus–virus interactions. Several mechanisms, including modulated plant tolerance, manipulation of induced systemic resistance (ISR), and altered vector pressure are involved in such interactions. We propose that using “omics” tools will provide detailed insights into the complex mechanisms underlying mycorrhizal-mediated plant immunity.
Molecular and Ecological Studies of a Virus Family (Iridoviridae) Infecting Invertebrates and Ectothermic Vertebrates
Authors: Chinchar V. Gregory , Duffus Amanda L. J.
Published: June 2019

Research involving viruses within the family Iridoviridae (generically designated iridovirids to distinguish members of the family Iridoviridae from members of the genus Iridovirus) has markedly increased in recent years [...]
Hepatitis E Virus Assembly and Release
Authors: Ju Xiaohui , Ding Qiang
Published: June 2019

Hepatitis E is an underestimated threat to public health, caused by the hepatitis E virus (HEV). HEV is the most common cause of acute viral hepatitis in the world, with no available direct-acting antiviral treatment. According to a recent WHO report, 20 million people become infected with HEV annually, resulting in 44,000 deaths. However, due to the scarcity of efficient in vitro cell culture systems for HEV, our knowledge of the life cycle of HEV is incomplete. Recently, significant progress has been made towards gaining a more comprehensive view of the HEV life cycle, as several in vitro culturing systems have been developed in recent years. Here, we review current knowledge and recent advances with regard to the HEV life cycle, with a particular focus on the assembly and release of viral particles. We also discuss the knowledge gaps in HEV assembly and release. Meanwhile, we highlight experimental platforms that could potentially be utilized to fill these gaps. Lastly, we offer perspectives on the future of research into HEV virology and its interaction with host cells.
Assessing the Potential Interactions between Cellular miRNA and Arboviral Genomic RNA in the Yellow Fever Mosquito, Aedes aegypti
Authors: Yen Pei-Shi , Chen Chun-Hong , Sreenu Vattipally , Kohl Alain , Failloux Anna-Bella
Published: June 2019

Although the role of exogenous small interfering RNA (siRNA) and P-element induced wimpy testis (PIWI)-interacting RNA (piRNA) pathways in mosquito antiviral immunity is increasingly better understood, there is still little knowledge regarding the role of mosquito cellular microRNA (miRNA). Identifying direct interactions between the mosquito miRNAs and the RNA genome of arboviruses and choosing the relevant miRNA candidates to explore resulting antiviral mechanisms are critical. Here, we carried out genomic analyses to identify Aedes aegypti miRNAs that potentially interact with various lineages and genotypes of chikungunya, dengue, and Zika viruses. By using prediction tools with distinct algorithms, several miRNA binding sites were commonly found within different genotypes/and or lineages of each arbovirus. We further analyzed those miRNAs that could target more than one arbovirus, required a low energy threshold to form miRNA-viralRNA (vRNA) complexes, and predicted potential RNA structures using RNAhybrid software. We predicted miRNA candidates that might participate in regulating arboviral replication in Ae. aegypti. Even without any experimental validation, which should be done as a next step, this study can shed further light on the role of miRNA in mosquito innate immunity and targets for future studies.
Object Properties Influence Visual Guidance of Motor Actions
Authors: Scrafton Sharon , Stainer Matthew J. , Tatler Benjamin W.
Published: June 2019

The dynamic nature of the real world poses challenges for predicting where best to allocate gaze during object interactions. The same object may require different visual guidance depending on its current or upcoming state. Here, we explore how object properties (the material and shape of objects) and object state (whether it is full of liquid, or to be set down in a crowded location) influence visual supervision while setting objects down, which is an element of object interaction that has been relatively neglected in the literature. In a liquid pouring task, we asked participants to move empty glasses to a filling station; to leave them empty, half fill, or completely fill them with water; and then move them again to a tray. During the first putdown (when the glasses were all empty), visual guidance was determined only by the type of glass being set down—with more unwieldy champagne flutes being more likely to be guided than other types of glasses. However, when the glasses were then filled, glass type no longer mattered, with the material and fill level predicting whether the glasses were set down with visual supervision: full, glass material containers were more likely to be guided than empty, plastic ones. The key finding from this research is that the visual system responds flexibly to dynamic changes in object properties, likely based on predictions of risk associated with setting-down the object unsupervised by vision. The factors that govern these mechanisms can vary within the same object as it changes state.