bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Method for Estimating Longitudinal Change in Motor Skill from Individualized Functional-Connectivity Measures
Authors: Riahi Nader , D’Arcy Ryan , Menon Carlo
Published: December 2022

Pragmatic, objective, and accurate motor assessment tools could facilitate more frequent appraisal of longitudinal change in motor function and subsequent development of personalized therapeutic strategies. Brain functional connectivity (FC) has shown promise as an objective neurophysiological measure for this purpose. The involvement of different brain networks, along with differences across subjects due to age or existing capabilities, motivates an individualized approach towards the evaluation of FC. We advocate the use of EEG-based resting-state FC (rsFC) measures to address the pragmatic requirements. Pertaining to appraisal of accuracy, we suggest using the acquisition of motor skill by healthy individuals that could be quantified at small incremental change. Computer-based tracing tasks are a good candidate in this regard when using spatial error in tracing as an objective measure of skill. This work investigates the application of an individualized method that utilizes Partial Least Squares analysis to estimate the longitudinal change in tracing error from changes in rsFC. Longitudinal data from participants yielded an average accuracy of 98% (standard deviation of 1.2%) in estimating tracing error. The results show potential for an accurate individualized motor assessment tool that reduces the dependence on the expertise and availability of trained examiners, thereby facilitating more frequent appraisal of function and development of personalized training programs.
Analysis of Modern vs. Conventional Development Technologies in Transportation—The Case Study of a Last-Mile Delivery Process
Authors: Kostrzewski Mariusz , Abdelatty Yahya , Eliwa Ahmed , Nader Mirosław
Published: December 2022

Transportation plays a significant role in the global economy and society and takes part in a lot of different processes such as mass transportation and the supply chain. Therefore, it is crucial to introduce modern technologies in this area of the economy in the context of Industry 4.0. The main scope of this study is to develop a model that supports analyzing last-mile logistics modern solutions using the latest technologies such as road autonomous delivery robots (RADRs), civil drones, or smart bikes, and compare them to conventional solutions (delivery vehicles). Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) was applied to build a formal comparison model that scores the solutions and weights different criteria according to decision-makers and placeholders, to rank the solutions from the most crucial option to the weakest in a predetermined scenario with set parameters and conditions (three varied scenarios were included in the present investigation). The results of the model were in favor of using civil drones or smart bicycles to perform light deliveries in small urban areas (these key findings support the assumptions that are often manifested in speech in the context of the use of new technologies). The modern solutions scored almost 40–80% higher in total in the conglomeration of assessment criteria (such as safety, economy, laws and regulations, operation time for the delivery, environment, and payload) than the conventional solution, which indicates the importance of studying the implementation of such technologies. An interesting result of the study is the operational cost reduction by ca. 60–74% in favor of autonomous delivery robots, 89–93% in favor of civil delivery drones, and 87–90% in favor of smart bikes vs. conventional delivery trucks/vans. Yet, it should be underlined that the results may vary with different assumptions within the MCDA method.
An Effective Method of Detecting Characteristic Points of Impedance Cardiogram Verified in the Clinical Pilot Study
Authors: Karpiel Ilona , Richter-Laskowska Monika , Feige Daniel , Gacek Adam , Sobotnicki Aleksander
Published: December 2022

Accurate and reliable determination of the characteristic points of the impedance cardiogram (ICG) is an important research problem with a growing range of applications in the cardiological diagnostics of patients with heart failure (HF). The shapes of the characteristic waves of the ICG signal and the temporal location of the characteristic points B, C, and X provide significant diagnostic information. On this basis, essential diagnostic cardiological parameters can be determined, such as, e.g., cardiac output (CO) or stroke volume (SV). Although the importance of this problem is obvious, we face many challenges, including noisy signals and the big variability in the morphology, which altogether make the accurate identification of the characteristic points quite difficult. The paper presents an effective method of ICG points identification intended for conducting experimental research in the field of impedance cardiography. Its effectiveness is confirmed in clinical pilot studies.
Impact of Exercise on Vascular Function in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A Scoping Review
Authors: Bovolini Antonio , Costa-Brito Ana Raquel , Martins Faber , Furtado Guilherme Eustáquio , Mendonça Gonçalo V. , Vila-Chã Carolina
Published: December 2022

There is a substantial literature gap related to the vascular response to different types of exercise training in middle-aged and older populations. Thus, this scoping review aimed to examine the outcomes of controlled trials testing the long-term effects of exercise interventions on vascular function-related outcomes in middle-aged and older populations. The literature search was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Data sources: five databases were used (EBSCO, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Science Direct, and Google Scholar). Eligibility criteria: controlled trials, published in the last 10 years, in English, containing well-described exercise interventions, reporting vascular quantitative effects of exercise in middle-aged and older people. A total of 62 publications were included. The studies included distinct types and intensities of exercise and were heterogeneous in volume and frequency. The assessed vascular outcomes also presented considerable variability. Overall, most studies reported positive effects of exercise on vascular function outcomes, regardless of exercise characteristics. Different exercise interventions can be applied to improve vascular function in middle-aged and older adults. Studies on combined and stretching exercises reported encouraging results in improving vascular function. Stretching exercises rise as an effective alternative in promoting vascular function among older adults, while combined exercise delivered promising vascular benefits in both populations.
Chinese Economic Growth Projections Based on Mixed Data of Carbon Emissions under the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Fu Rong , Xie Luze , Liu Tao , Huang Juan , Zheng Binbin
Published: December 2022

Current research on carbon emissions and economic development has tended to apply more homogeneous low-frequency data to construct VAR models with impulse responses, ignoring some of the sample information in high-frequency data. This study constructs a MIDAS model to forecast GDP growth rate based on monthly carbon emission data and quarterly GDP data in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results show that: (1) The MIDAS model has smaller RMSE than the VAR model in short-term forecasting, and provides more stable real-time forecasts and short-term forecasts of quarterly GDP growth rates, which can provide more accurate reference intervals; (2) China’s future macroeconomic growth rate has recently declined due to the impact of the sudden epidemic, but the trend is generally optimistic. By improving urban planning and other methods, the authorities can achieve the two-carbon goal of carbon capping and carbon neutrality at an early date. In the context of the impact of COVID-19 on China’s economic development, we need to strike a balance between ensuring stable economic growth and ecological protection, and build environmentally friendly cities, so as to achieve sustainable economic and ecological development and enhance human well-being.
Hydrogeochemical Mechanism Associated with Land Use Land Cover Indices Using Geospatial, Remote Sensing Techniques, and Health Risks Model
Authors: Jat Baloch Muhammad Yousuf , Zhang Wenjing , Shoumik Baig Abdullah Al , Nigar Anam , Elhassan Adil A. M. , Elshekh Ali. E. A. , Bashir Maaz Osman , Mohamed Salih Ebrahim Ahmed Fathi , Adam Mohamed Khalaf alla , Iqbal Javed
Published: December 2022

Land is a vital component of nature around the world and is essential for humans, terrestrial plants, and animals. However, urbanization is growing worldwide and the groundwater quality in urban areas is declining due to rapid development, industrialization, and pollution. Hence, it is important to determine the hydrogeochemistry and changes concerning land use and land cover (LULC). This study was conducted to investigate the hydrogeochemical mechanism of Sargodha, one of Pakistan’s fastest-growing cities, during 2015 and 2021 under two different LULC indices named normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and normalized difference built-up index (NDBI). Forty-eight groundwater samples were collected in 2015 and 2021 to assess groundwater quality for domestic use and irrigation. The Piper diagram revealed that (Ca2++Mg2+–HCO3−+CO32−) and (Na++K+–SO42−+Cl−) were the main components of hydrogeochemistry in both years. The Gibbs plot and silicate weathering of groundwater samples indicated that rock dominance and silicate weathering played a major role in aquifers. Additionally, the results showed that 4% of the groundwater in 2015 and 21% of the groundwater samples in 2021 were unfit for human consumption. However, 37% and 40% of samples were considered not fit for irrigation in 2015 and 2021, respectively. The LULC, NDVI, and NDBI clearly revealed higher urban areas in 2021 compared to 2015. The relationship between groundwater parameters and land use land cover indices (NDVI and NDBI) explained that none had a major relationship. The non-carcinogenic risk showed health quotient HQ < 1, indicating no severe health risk due to nitrate (NO3−) exposure in the city. The current study suggests conducting future investigations considering a larger scale to recommend efficient management strategies, urbanization planning, and ensuring safe irrigation and drinking water to prevent groundwater pollution.
The Role of Green Human Resource Management Practices in Driving Green Performance in the Context of Manufacturing SMEs
Authors: Huo Xiaoyan , Azhar Arooj , Rehman Nabeel , Majeed Nauman
Published: December 2022

Organizations around the globe have started to realize the importance of environmental sustainability to achieve long-term success. However, many organizations continue to use traditional production techniques, damaging the environment. To address this issue, this paper aimed to investigate the impact of green human resource management (GHRM) practices on green performance through the mediation of green work climate, green work engagement, and green employee behavior. The extent to which individual green values moderate the relationship between green work climate and green employee behavior was also examined. To meet the objectives, a cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted using simple random sampling, and the data were gathered using structured questionnaires from 390 employees of manufacturing SMEs in Pakistan. The findings of the study supported all the direct and indirect relationships and revealed that the incorporation of GHRM practices in SMEs has performance-enabling effects in terms of achieving green performance. By incorporating the impact of GHRM practices on green performance via mediation–moderation analysis of contemporary green variables in a single research model, the study expands the knowledge base, particularly in the context of SMEs. The study’s unique model and findings provide realistic insights for SMEs to come up with better strategies for greening the environment by ensuring green performance. The findings of the study also provide important implications for academia and practitioners.
Understanding the Intellectual Structure and Evolution of Distributed Leadership in Schools: A Science Mapping-Based Bibliometric Analysis
Authors: Karakose Turgut , Papadakis Stamatios , Tülübaş Tijen , Polat Hakan
Published: December 2022

Distributed leadership (DL) has currently generated significant interest among researchers considering that schools have become too complex to be led by a single leader, and school leadership activity is already distributed in nature. Numerous studies have contributed to this knowledge base through empirical and conceptual investigations. Our study aims to demonstrate the bibliometric performance, intellectual architecture, and strategic themes of this field, with a particular focus on DL in schools. Our dataset includes 221 articles published between 2002 and 2021 on the Web of Science (WoS) database. Science mapping analysis was conducted using SciMAT to map the conceptual structure and thematic evolution of the research field, and applied for three consecutive periods so as to be able to compare/contrast the changing thematic trends. Bibliometric performance analysis was also employed in order to determine the distribution of related publications by years, the number of accumulated publications, the average number of citations per article, and the most productive/cited authors and journals. The results indicated that research on DL in schools has grown substantially over the past decade, and that the thematic structure has fundamentally evolved from school improvement/effectiveness and commitment to teachers and instructional leadership, innovation, and capacity-building in schools.
Investigating the Interplay between Social Performance and Organisational Factors Supporting Circular Economy Practices
Authors: Singh Rubee , Khan Shahbaz , Centobelli Piera
Published: December 2022

Sustainability is the prime concern for several organisations, regulatory bodies, and industrial professionals in the contemporary business environment. Therefore, a new consumption and production paradigm emerges as the circular economy (CE), which is considered an effective medium to achieve sustainability. However, the adoption or transformation of the circular economy depends on several factors including organisational factors. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore the role of organisational factors in the adoption of CE practices for achieving social sustainability. Initially, the fifteen organisational factors and eight social sustainability performance outcomes are identified through the literature review and expert feedback. Further, the Best Worst Method (BWM) is applied for the prioritisation of these factors. Additionally, the impact of these factors is also evaluated on the social sustainability performance outcomes using the weighted aggregated sum product assessment (WASPAS) method. The findings show that “long term planning and strategy”, “top management participation” and “alignment of organisation’s vision with CE goals” facilitate CE practices’ adoption. With the implementation of these organisational factors, improvement could be seen in employee satisfaction, fair business operations, and working conditions. The findings are beneficial for managers, policymakers, and researchers to develop strategies for the adoption of CE practices to achieve social sustainability.
Development and Validation of a Tool for Assessing Sustainable Social Practices in Food Services
Authors: Duarte Giovana Vitória Nunes Leite , Procópio Susana Pereira Antunes , Carneiro Angélica Cotta Lobo Leite , Cardoso Leandro de Morais
Published: December 2022

Background: Food services have a high potential to promote the social dimension of sustainability. However, there are no specific instruments for implementing and evaluating socially sustainable practices in these establishments. Therefore, this study aimed to develop and validate the content of a list to assess sustainable social practices in food services. Methods: The pre-list of items was developed based on scientific articles about social sustainability published in the last 20 years and Brazilian legislations related to the theme. The content validity was assessed by ten nutritionists, in two phases, using the Delphi technique. The content validity index, Kappa statistic, and content validity ratio were calculated. Results: The list that was developed consisted of 130 items, which were organized into five axes: “organizational and managerial environment” (13 items), “community” (10 items), “employees” (62 items), “consumer” (33 items), and “suppliers” (12 items). Most items in the instrument (54.7%) were optional for the food services, and 45.3% were Brazilian legal obligations. After the second phase, sub-axes axes, axes, and the global instruments showed “excellent” content validity with an item content validity index ≥ of 0.8 (at minimum, 0.920) and Kappa > 0.74 (from 0.927 to 1). The content validity ratios of the items, sub-axes, and axes vary between 0 and 0.070. The instrument was considered easy to complete and useful for evaluating socially sustainable practices adopted in food services by 95.5% of the specialists. Conclusions: The instrument that was developed had its content validated and thus can help the managers and technicians responsible for the unit with social sustainability measures, thus ensuring the socially sustainable production of meals.
Modelling the Returnable Transport Items (RTI) Short-Term Planning Problem
Authors: Lakhmi Najoua , Sahin Evren , Dallery Yves
Published: December 2022

Returnable transport items (RTI) are used for the handling and transportation of products in the supply chain. Examples of RTIs include plastic polyboxes, stillages or pallets. We consider a network where RTIs are used by multiple suppliers to deliver parts packed in RTIs to multiple customers. We address the short-term planning of empty-RTI flows (i.e., reverse flows) which consists of optimizing the transportation routes used to return empty RTIs from customers to suppliers. A transportation route consists of one or several trucks traveling from a customer to a supplier at a given frequency. The RTI short-term planning problem is critical because it impacts the continuity of loaded-RTI flows and affects the transportation and shortage costs of empty RTIs incurred at the very-short-term. We study a heterogeneous fleet of automotive parts RTIs, under two configurations: pool RTIs, which are standard RTIs shared between suppliers, and dedicated RTIs that are specific to each supplier. To solve the short-term planning problem, we develop a two-step approach using mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) and a greedy heuristic. For pool RTIs, our models enable a reduction of 30% in the number of trucks used and 20% in the distance traveled. Furthermore, if dedicated and pool RTIs are jointly planned, this would enable a 9% gain in terms of transportation costs.
Identification of Causal Relationship between Attitudinal Factors and Intention to Use Transportation Mode
Authors: Koo Jahun , Choo Sangho
Published: December 2022

Based on the theory of planned behavior, this study identifies the causal relationship between attitudinal factors and intention to use transportation mode. A structural equation model was developed based on twelve hypotheses. The main findings and implications of this study are as follows. First, people who want to express themselves through cars have a high intention to use personal vehicles, and they purchase cars for this purpose. If the shared vehicle service provides a vehicle rental that reflects individual tastes, those who want to own the vehicle will use the shared vehicle. This could be a solution to the parking problem. Second, those who perceive travel as a disutility have a low intention to use public transportation. If fare discounts are applied when transferring public transportation and micro-mobility, it is expected that the use of public transportation will increase due to reduction of access time for public transportation. Third, people who like to drive have a high intention to use personal vehicles and micro-mobility. Providing space for driving cars as a leisure activity may be one of the ways to prevent traffic accidents that may occur in the future due to a mixed flow of autonomous vehicles and conventional vehicles.
Implementation of the Sustainable Cities and Communities Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) in the European Union
Authors: Bartniczak Bartosz , Raszkowski Andrzej
Published: December 2022

The study addresses problems related to the implementation of the goal aimed at making cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable—Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities—based on the example of the European Union countries. The introduction attempts at defining the concept of sustainable development, with particular emphasis on its complex nature and importance for future generations, including its basic five dimensions. The purpose of the study is to analyze and present the ranking of individual European Union Member States regarding the level of sustainable development measured by the implementation of SDG 11. The conducted research covered mostly the period of 2005–2020 and included 28 countries. Sweden was the country that predominantly took the leading position in terms of the implementation of SDG 11 in the years 2010–2020; other leaders included Ireland, Denmark, Finland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Malta, and Estonia. Romania most often ranked in the last position. Moreover, Finland and Ireland were always ranked among the top 10. The general conclusions allow it to be stated that the situation related to the implementation of SDG 11 in the European space has been gradually improving.
Characteristics of Roof Collapse of Mining Tunnels in the Fault Fracture Zone and Distribution of the Boundary Force of the Accumulation Body
Authors: Zhang Guohua , Liu Mengsen , Qin Tao , Wang Lei , Duan Yanwei , Li Zibo
Published: December 2022

Under the influence of coal mining, the gravel in mining tunnel sections of a fault fracture zone is prone to collapse, and the collapse accumulation body will block the tunnel, which has a very adverse influence on the safety production of coal mining and the evacuation of personnel after underground disasters. The macroscopic and mechanical characteristics of the collapse accumulation body have been studied extensively in previous works. The purpose of this paper is to provide theoretical support and reference for the rapid excavation of the tunnel blocked by the collapse accumulation body in the fault fracture zone. Taking the fault fracture zone in the tunnel as the research background, the physical characteristics and boundary mechanical characteristics of the collapse accumulation body in the fault fracture zone are studied by the method of combining on-site investigation and theoretical analysis. The results show that the force acting on the boundary on both sides of the accumulation body is passive resistance from the side wall, which is derived from the slip effect of the accumulation body slope. Similarly, the unstable boundary of the fault fracture zone caused by tunnel instability is elliptical, and the overlying load of the rescue channel to be excavated in the accumulation body is limited. On the basis of the collapse instability dimensions of the broken zone of the tunnel surrounding the rock, the calculation formulas of the height of the accumulation body and the horizontal force at the boundary were established, respectively, under two conditions of whether the collapse space was filled, and whether the curve relationship between the distribution of the horizontal force at the boundary of the accumulation body and the buried depth in the accumulation body was obtained.
Analysis of Critical Factors for the Entrepreneurship in Industries of the Future Based on DEMATEL-ISM Approach
Authors: Chen Yun , Zhou Rui , Zhou Yuan
Published: December 2022

In the face of the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0 era), in order to cope with the various crises that may come, countries around the world are accelerating the research and development of cutting-edge technologies and promoting and deploying the Industries of the Future in order to seize the high ground in the new round of strategic competition in science and technology. Therefore, entrepreneurship in Industries of the Future has become an urgent problem for governments and enterprises to solve. Entrepreneurship in Industries of the Future is a systematic project with uncertainties, which is dynamically influenced by many factors and has different levels of division among them. Inspired by the form of Porter’s diamond model, this paper constructs a diamond model of the driving mechanism of entrepreneurship in Industries of the Future. Using the DEMATEL-ISM analysis method, each critical factor and influence mechanism of entrepreneurship in Industries of the Future is explored, and a multi-level structural model is established. The study found eight critical factors affecting entrepreneurship in Industries of the Future, among which technology, creation, need, and aspiration are the critical factors, and relevant enterprises and governments should prioritize these influencing factors and deal with them.
Key Considerations for the Use of Nature-Based Solutions in Climate Services and Adaptation
Authors: Pathak Arsum , Hilberg Laura , Hansen Lara , Stein Bruce
Published: December 2022

Nature-based solutions (NbS) involve the reliance on natural or nature-based systems to enhance community resilience through delivering both climate adaptation and mitigation outcomes. While NbS do not necessarily represent new “technology” or methods, the intentional incorporation of these approaches into climate adaptation and mitigation efforts is often considered novel, particularly within the climate services sector where interventions have historically prioritized structural infrastructure approaches. NbS can offer an effective replacement for or complement to such traditional infrastructure approaches. Additionally, natural and nature-based systems can respond to climate change in a manner that engineered solutions often cannot, providing long-term holistic adaptation and mitigation success with additional benefits to ecosystem services such as improved air and water quality, carbon sequestration, outdoor recreation, and biodiversity protection. The incorporation of NbS as a core component of climate services increases the likelihood of adoption and effective implementation, ensuring greater long-term effectiveness for both communities and the natural systems on which they depend. This article supports the adoption and effective implementation of NbS by climate service providers through presenting a set of seven “key considerations” for their use in community-based adaptation. These key considerations are based on a review of work in the field to date, both within the United States and globally. Although these key considerations were developed in support of US adaptation planning applications (specifically, the US Climate Resilience Toolkit), they have global relevance.
Effect of Solid Phosphate Sludge Amendments on the Growth of Fruit and Forest Trees in the Nursery
Authors: Baiz Zakaria , Azim Khalid , Hamza Abdelhak , Dahmani Jamila , Elguilli Mohammed
Published: December 2022

Phosphorus deficiency is a major limiting factor in horticultural production. One potential solution can be restoring soil phosphorus from mineral resources, such as solid phosphate sludge (SPS) generated from phosphate treatment processes at mining sites in agriculture. This study explores the possibility of using this sludge in nurseries to produce fruit and forest plants. We tested six mixtures of SPS with the sandy soil of the Maamora forest on ten plant species. In the second experiment, we tested the same mixtures with sea sand. In addition, one concentration of four composts based on phosphate sludge was also tested on two citrus rootstocks and carob. The first experiment’s results showed significantly higher growth with the control mixture for pomegranate, acacia, and C. volkameriana plants. The relative growth was higher at SPS concentrations of 20% to 30% for the other plant species, although there was no significant difference between treatments. The estimations of AUGPC (area under the growth progress curve) showed no significant difference in most species. In the second experiment, the relative growth in the M4 (30% of SPS + 70% of sand) mixture was higher, and the AUGCP showed a significant difference compared to the M1 control mixture. The application of solid phosphate sludge positively affects and improves the growth of fruit and forest trees in the nurseries, especially when the concentration is between 20 and 30%. For this purpose, the phosphate sludge could have great potential to be used in nurseries and create a favourable soil condition as a cultivation substrate.
Study on Critical Factors Affecting Tidal Current Energy Exploitation in the Guishan Channel Area of Zhoushan
Authors: Ye Zhou , Gu Wenwei , Ji Qiyan
Published: December 2022

As a new type of clean and renewable energy, tidal current energy has attracted more and more attention from scholars. The Zhoushan Guishan Channel area (GCA) is an important part of the East China Sea port area, with strong currents due to its special terrain. In order to more comprehensively evaluate the characteristics of tidal energy development near the GCA, this paper uses the MIKE21 FM hydrodynamic model to simulate the tidal hydrodynamic process in the Zhoushan sea area and verifies the reliability of the model through the measured data. Based on the results of numerical simulations, the energy flow density, frequency of flow rate occurrence, flow asymmetry, flow rotation, and effective flow time that can be exploited are considered as the key factors affecting the development of tidal current energy. The distribution characteristics of each influencing factor in the region and the different influences on tidal current energy development are analyzed. Numerical simulations show that the average high-tide velocity in the GCA is lower than the ebb-tide velocity, and the duration of the high tide is also shorter than that of the ebb tide, which has a higher flow velocity than the surrounding area. The annual average energy flow density in the GCA is the highest at 4520 W/m2, and the spatial distribution is uneven. The resource level in the central part is much higher than that at both ends of the waterway. Three sections, i.e., A-A′, B-B′, and C-C′, with different key influence factors are selected for specific analysis, and it is concluded that the tidal energy development conditions are relatively superior near the B-B’ section in the middle of the GCA, and the exploitable power calculated using the Flux method is about 24.19 MW. The discussion of the results provides a certain reference for the development of local tidal current energy. These key factors affecting tidal current energy development can also be applied to assess the suitability of tidal current energy resource development in other regions.
Dynamic Analysis of Industrial Carbon Footprint and Carbon-Carrying Capacity of Zhejiang Province in China
Authors: Luo Hongyun , Lin Xiangyi
Published: December 2022

In studying the industrial carbon emissions in Zhejiang Province from 2015 to 2019, this paper calculates the carbon footprint, carbon-carrying capacity, net carbon footprint, and carbon footprint intensity of Zhejiang Province. The methods are recommended in the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. The results show that (1) raw coal accounts for the highest proportion of carbon footprint in Zhejiang Province; (2) overall carbon-carrying capacity is stable first and then significantly increases, and forest land is the main carbon carrier; (3) the value of net carbon footprint is positive, which shows that the carbon-carrying capacity in the ecological environment is gradually increasing; and (4) the carbon footprint intensity of Zhejiang Province is reduced, and the energy utilization efficiency is improved. It shows that the carbon emission reduction policy of Zhejiang Province has made great achievements, but the per capita carbon footprint is far higher than the world average. According to the above analysis results, this paper puts forward four countermeasures and suggestions.
Experimental Study on the Axial Compression Performance of Glued Wood Hollow Cylinders Reinforced with BFRP
Authors: Liu Ruiyue , Wu Zhenzhen , Peng Quan , Zhang Yu , Wang Jiejun
Published: December 2022

The present paper investigates the impact of basalt fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP) on the axial compression performance of glued wood hollow cylinders. This study aims to facilitate the application of BFRP in the field of structural reinforcement of glued wood hollow columns. Ten glued laminated wood hollow columns of the same size were designed and placed into five groups (ZC1 and ZRC2 to ZRC5), of which one group (ZC1), with a total of two pure wooden columns, was not arranged with BFRP, and the remaining two wooden columns in each group were arranged with BFRP at different distances. The destruction mode, ultimate load capacity, load–displacement curve, load–strain curve, and ultimate load capacity–total area of the BFRP paste curve of each specimen were obtained by conducting axial compression tests on five groups of wood columns reinforced with different basalt fiber cloths, which revealed the damage mechanism, the relationship between the ultimate load capacity and total area of BFRP paste, and pointed out the most effective area ratio. The test results show that the destruction mode of axially pressed, glued, laminated wood hollow columns is typical compression buckling damage, mainly manifested as follows: the wood at the middle or end of the specimen under pressure first buckles; then, with the increase in load, the specimen is crushed; at this time, the maximum ultimate bearing capacity of each specimen is in the range of 296.77~375.85 kN, the maximum longitudinal displacement is in the range of 2.77~3.38 mm, and longitudinal cracks appear at the end. It is worth noting that the growth rate of the ultimate bearing capacity varies with the increase in the total area of the BFRP paste. When the total area of the BFRP paste is less than a 3.2 × 105 mm2 range value, the growth rate of the ultimate bearing capacity is faster, and then, the growth rate gradually becomes slower. The optimum BFRP paste area ratio can be taken as k = 0.59. The ultimate bearing capacity after reinforcement increases from 11.06% to 26.65% compared with the pure wood column. According to GB50005-2017, “wood structure design standards” improve the hollow wood column bearing capacity calculation method and fit the BFRP reinforced hollow wood column’s ultimate bearing capacity calculation formula; the errors are within ±10%, which can provide a reference for the practical application of BFRP in the field of reinforcing glued wood hollow cylindrical structures.
The Moderating Roles of Remote, Hybrid, and Onsite Working on the Relationship between Work Engagement and Organizational Identification during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Uru Fahriye Oben , Gozukara Ebru , Tezcan Lale
Published: December 2022

Flexible working practices have become commonplace due to the emergence of the turbulent environment that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced organizations to change their business models, structures, processes, and policies. In this context, organizations have started to reconfigure work in terms of flexible working practices that enable them to use the full potential of their employees and to provide the conditions for well-being at work and, as a result, competitive sustainability. This study aimed to explore the relationship between dimensions of work engagement, namely, vigor at work, dedication to work, and absorption in work, and organizational identification under the moderating roles of different working practices, namely, remote, hybrid, and onsite working, during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this cross-sectional study, 200 randomly chosen employees from the public insurance industry in Turkey formed the research sample. The results indicate that each dimension of work engagement, namely, vigor at work, dedication to work, and absorption in work, is positively associated with organizational identification. In addition, when the moderation effects of different working practices on this relationship were analyzed, it was apparent that the relationship between an employee’s absorption in their work and organizational identification was weaker in those working onsite, stronger in those working in a hybrid context, and strongest in those working remotely. Therefore, we suggest that work redesign towards remote working practices enhanced positive psychological and behavioral changes in employees, i.e., well-being at work, resulting in a strengthened relationship between absorption in work and organizational identification during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Collaboration and Data Sharing in Inter-Organizational Infrastructure Construction Projects
Authors: Nezami Maryam R. , de Bruijne Mark L. C. , Hertogh Marcel J. C. M. , Bakker Hans L. M.
Published: December 2022

A close collaboration between infrastructure owners is crucial to address challenges in the design and execution of next-generation infrastructure projects for sustainable development. Managing and sharing data among parties involved in infrastructure projects, particularly the data required at the early stages of a project to design and develop an interconnected infrastructure project, appear to play a critical role in inter-organizational collaboration (IOC), but are often overlooked. In the present work, the status of collaboration and data sharing between infrastructure owners in inter-organizational infrastructure projects is studied to enhance our understanding of the relationship between collaboration and data sharing in horizontal IOCs. Explorative semi-structured interviews with practitioners were conducted at organizational and project levels in the infrastructure sectors in The Netherlands. The outcomes revealed that the theoretical benefits of IOC are not realized in practice and that managing and sharing data between infrastructure owners in inter-organizational projects (IOP) face many challenges. The findings suggest that collaboration and data sharing are interrelated in horizontal IOCs and are deemed crucial for the execution of IOPs. The findings of the present study demonstrate the importance of the bilateral relationship between effective collaboration and data sharing and provide an enhanced insight into horizontal forms of IOC and practices of next-generation infrastructure development.
Land-Use Changes in Insular Urban Territories: A Retrospective Analysis from 1990 to 2018. The Case of Madeira Island—Ribeira Brava
Authors: Lousada Sérgio , Cabezas José , Castanho Rui Alexandre , Gómez José Manuel Naranjo
Published: December 2022

As the main island of the Madeira Archipelago, Madeira is faced with a clear demand for more precise and specific planning policies, in order to respond to regional requests. Bearing in mind the urgency of this issue linked to the concept of sustainability, planning strategies must be based on and strengthened by several studies, with the most varied themes, as a way of incisively understanding the problem at hand. Based on tools such as GIS (geographic information systems), this study allows the analysis of variations and patterns of land use and occupancy in the municipality of Ribeira Brava, located on Madeira Island. In a comprehensive manner, the study allows us to highlight the stagnation of the urban fabric of the region and, on the other hand, the change in the dynamics of agricultural cultivation present in the county. In addition, this study highlights the change in the predominant native vegetation in the municipality between the years 1990 and 2018. It is still necessary to emphasize the worrying scenario with the loss of native vegetation due to human activity, which requires more emphatic monitoring by regional government actors to protect, preserve and conserve these landscapes, environments and ecosystems.
Extended Graph of Fuzzy Topographic Topological Mapping Model: G04(FTTMn4)
Authors: Shukor Noorsufia Abd , Ahmad Tahir , Idris Amidora , Awang Siti Rahmah , Mukaram Muhammad Zillullah , Alias Norma
Published: December 2022

Fuzzy topological topographic mapping (FTTM) is a mathematical model that consists of a set of homeomorphic topological spaces designed to solve the neuro magnetic inverse problem. The key to the model is its topological structure that can accommodate electrical or magnetic recorded brain signal. A sequence of FTTM, FTTMn, is an extension of FTTM whereby its form can be arranged in a symmetrical form, i.e., polygon. The special characteristic of FTTM, namely, the homeomorphisms between its components, allows the generation of new FTTM. The generated FTTMs can be represented as pseudo graphs. A pseudo-graph consists of vertices that signify the generated FTTM and edges that connect their incidence components. A graph of pseudo degree zero, G0(FTTMnk ), however, is a special type of graph where each of the FTTM components differs from its adjacent. A researcher posted a conjecture on G03(FTTMn3) in 2014, and it was finally proven in 2021 by researchers who used their novel grid-based method. In this paper, the extended G03(FTTMn3), namely, the conjecture on G04(FTTMn4) that was posed in 2018, is narrated and proven using simple mathematical induction.
Cooperative Multi-Objective Control of Heterogeneous Vehicle Platoons on Highway with Varying Slopes
Authors: Kong Weiwei , Cai Tianmao , Luo Yugong , Wang Xuetong , Jiang Fachao
Published: December 2022

Stability, vehicle safety, energy saving, and passenger comfort are the major objectives of vehicle platooning control. These objectives are coupled, interrelated, and even conflicting, so integrated optimization of multiple objectives is quite challenging. Particularly for heterogeneous platoons, the difficulties are intensified for the differences in vehicle dynamics. In this paper, the concept of symmetry is utilized in the platooning control, that is, the design method of each vehicle’s controller is the same. For each controller, it is to solve the optimal solution of multi-objective collaborative optimization. The concept of asymmetry is meanwhile embodied in the parameter setting of each controller, for the vehicle heterogeneity. The contents of this study are as follows. First, a mathematical model is established, in which the differences in vehicle dynamic characteristics of heterogeneous platoon, road slope, and aerodynamics are all taken into account. Then, based on distributed nonlinear model predictive control (DNMPC) method, multi-objective control strategies are proposed for the leader and followers, cooperatively. Furthermore, a weight coefficient optimization method is presented, to further improve the platoon’s multi-objective synthesis performance. Finally, comparative experiments are carried out. Results demonstrate that, compared with the classic cruise control method of vehicle platoons, the proposed approach can reduce energy consumption by more than 5% and improve tracking performance on the premise of passenger comfort. Real-road experiments verify that the proposed control system can function effectively and satisfy the computational requirements in real applications.
Facial Expression Recognition Based on Dual-Channel Fusion with Edge Features
Authors: Tang Xiaoyu , Liu Sirui , Xiang Qiuchi , Cheng Jintao , He Huifang , Xue Bohuan
Published: December 2022

In the era of artificial intelligence, accomplishing emotion recognition in human–computer interaction is a key work. Expressions contain plentiful information about human emotion. We found that the canny edge detector can significantly help improve facial expression recognition performance. A canny edge detector based dual-channel network using the OI-network and EI-Net is proposed, which does not add an additional redundant network layer and training. We discussed the fusion parameters of α and β using ablation experiments. The method was verified in CK+, Fer2013, and RafDb datasets and achieved a good result.
Identifying Policy Gaps in a COVID-19 Online Tool Using the Five-Factor Framework
Authors: Michel Janet , Evans David , Tanner Marcel , Sauter Thomas C.
Published: December 2022

Introduction: Worldwide health systems are being faced with unprecedented COVID-19-related challenges, ranging from the problems of a novel condition and a shortage of personal protective equipment to frequently changing medical guidelines. Many institutions were forced to innovate and many hospitals, as well as telehealth providers, set up online forward triage tools (OFTTs). Using an OFTT before visiting the emergency department or a doctor’s practice became common practice. A policy can be defined as what an institution or government chooses to do or not to do. An OFTT, in this case, has become both a policy and a practice. Methods: The study was part of a broader multiphase sequential explanatory design. First, an online survey was carried out using a questionnaire to n = 176 patients who consented during OFTT usage. Descriptive analysis was carried out to identify who used the tool, for what purpose, and if the participant followed the recommendations. The quantitative results shaped the interview guide’s development. Second, in-depth interviews were held with a purposeful sample of n = 19, selected from the OFTT users who had consented to a further qualitative study. The qualitative findings were meant to explain the quantitative results. Third, in-depth interviews were held with healthcare providers and authorities (n = 5) that were privy to the tool. Framework analysis was adopted using the five-factor framework as a lens with which to analyze the qualitative data only. Results: The five-factor framework proved useful in identifying gaps that affected the utility of the COVID-19 OFTT. The identified gaps could fit and be represented by five factors: primary, secondary, tertiary, and extraneous factors, along with a lack of systems thinking. Conclusion: A theory or framework provides a road map to systematically identify those factors affecting policy implementation. Knowing how and why policy practice gaps come about in a COVID-19 OFFT context facilitates better future OFTTs. The framework in this study, although developed in a universal health coverage (UHC) context in South Africa, proved useful in a telehealth context in Switzerland, in Europe. The importance of systems thinking in developing digital tools cannot be overemphasized.