bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Purchase Motives and Factors Shaping Consumer Behaviour on the Ecological Product Market (Poland Case Study)
Authors: Mazurek-Łopacińska Krystyna , Sobocińska Magdalena , Krupowicz Joanna
Published: November 2022

The growing demand for ecological products is in line with the trend towards the ecologisation of consumption, which has become key in times of striving to achieve sustainable development that aims to satisfy consumer needs while respecting the natural environment and future generations. The shaping of pro-ecological attitudes and behaviours in consumers requires continuous monitoring of such behaviours on the market of ecological products and investigation of the factors that influence consumers’ decisions and market choices. The aim of the article is to present the motives behind the purchase of ecological products, and the factors that shape the purchasing decisions of these products by Polish consumers. The article is based on an in-depth study of the literature and the results of proprietary empirical quantitative research conducted on a national sample of 1032 respondents, of whom 509 had purchased an ecological product within the last 3 months, and 523 had not made such a purchase in this period. Analysis of the results revealed the motives for purchasing ecological products, divided into egotistical motives and altruistic motives. The variation in these motives was also indicated depending on the socio-demographic characteristics of the consumers studied. It was shown that there is a dependency between consumers’ self-assessment of their level of knowledge on the functioning of the natural environment and the effect of humankind on it, and the purchase of ecological products. Analysis was also conducted of the factors perceived by consumers as restricting the purchase of ecological products, as well as the likelihood of a growth in the demand for and consumption of such products. There was shown to be a dependency between the reasons perceived by respondents for restricting the purchase of ecological products or the decision not to make such purchases, and consumer attitudes towards ecology.
On the Technology of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) Energy Systems for Stationary Power Generation: A Review
Authors: Corigliano Orlando , Pagnotta Leonardo , Fragiacomo Petronilla
Published: November 2022

This paper presents a comprehensive overview on the current status of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) energy systems technology with a deep insight into the techno-energy performance. In recent years, SOFCs have received growing attention in the scientific landscape of high efficiency energy technologies. They are fuel flexible, highly efficient, and environmentally sustainable. The high working temperature makes it possible to work in cogeneration, and drive downstream bottomed cycles such as Brayton and Hirn/Rankine ones, thus configuring the hybrid system of a SOFC/turbine with very high electric efficiency. Fuel flexibility makes SOFCs independent from pure hydrogen feeding, since hydrocarbons can be fed directly to the SOFC and then converted to a hydrogen rich stream by the internal thermochemical processes. SOFC is also able to convert carbon monoxide electrochemically, thus contributing to energy production together with hydrogen. SOFCs are much considered for being supplied with biofuels, especially biogas and syngas, so that biomass gasifiers/SOFC integrated systems contribute to the “waste to energy” chain with a significant reduction in pollution. The paper also deals with the analysis of techno-energy performance by means of ad hoc developed numerical modeling, in relation to the main operating parameters. Ample prominence is given to the aspect of fueling, emphasizing fuel processing with a deep discussion on the impurities and undesired phenomena that SOFCs suffer. Constituent materials, geometry, and design methods for the balance of plant were studied. A wide analysis was dedicated to the hybrid system of the SOFC/turbine and to the integrated system of the biomass gasifier/SOFC. Finally, an overview of SOFC system manufacturing companies on SOFC research and development worldwide and on the European roadmap was made to reflect the interest in this technology, which is an important signal of how communities are sensitive toward clean, low carbon, and efficient technologies, and therefore to provide a decisive and firm impulse to the now outlined energy transition.
Integrating Text-Mining and Sustainability Balanced Scorecard Methods to Examine the Relationship between CEO Messages of Homepages and Firm Value: Emphasis on Fashion Companies in South Korea
Authors: Na Hyung Jong , Kim So Ra , Jo Hyun Jin
Published: November 2022

This research examines the association between CEO messages and current and future corporate value on the websites of fashion companies. The research methods of this paper are as follows: First, we extract the fashion firm samples among companies listed in Korea’s KOSPI and KOSDAQ in 2020. Second, CEO messages’ text data on the homepage of the fashion companies are obtained by hand-collecting. The repeated words with high TF-IDF values are selected as keywords using text-mining techniques. Third, the CEO messages of the fashion firms are classified with one of finance, customer, internal management process, learning and growth, and corporate social standpoints by the SBSC framework. This research investigates through regression analysis whether firms that emphasize certain factors affect their future or current corporate value. As an additional test, using social network analysis, CONCOR analysis, and 2SLS analysis, the paper checks the objectivity and robustness of the empirical results. The results of this paper are as follows: The first finding presents that all the standpoints of the CEO messages of fashion firms had no significant association with current company value. These results imply that CEO messages posted on the company homepage are generally expressed from a long-term standpoint, and a long time is needed to realize their visions or goals expressed in the CEO message to actually effect corporate value. The second finding shows that the future firm value can be improved as firms mention more words related to the corporation’s social responsibility among CEO messages of the company homepages disclosed by fashion companies. This result implies that if a fashion firm shows its vision and goals related to corporate social responsibility and makes an effort to achieve them, the company value will be increased in the future. The results of the additional tests support the fact that there is a significant positive association between the mention of social responsibility in the CEO message of the company’s website and future firm value. The contributions of this study are as follows: First, on research topics in the field of accounting, this study utilizes text mining and the SBSC framework and quantified qualitative data to perform empirical analysis. Introducing this new and innovative methodology contributes to the development of convergence research. Second, the results of this study suggest that the contents of the company’s CEO message contain symbolic and implicit important information. In particular, this study proved through empirical analysis that companies’ effort and achievement related to social responsibility help increase corporate value in the long run.
Evaluation of the Environmental Performance of Cropping Systems under Different Nitrogen Management Scenarios Considering Regional Nitrogen Resilience
Authors: Wowra Karoline , Zeller Vanessa , Schebek Liselotte
Published: November 2022

The agricultural sector is a primary driver of nitrogen (N) pollution. Several European and German policy measures exist regulating N inputs and fostering mitigation measures in crop management. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is an established tool for assessing environmental impacts which are also broadly applied for crop production systems and evaluation of N management strategies. However, due to the multiple spatial and temporal pathways of N losses from crop production, assessing N-related impacts in LCA is not straightforward. Consequently, this study further developed and applied a novel distance-to-target approach including regional carrying capacity based normalization references for N assessment in LCA. The overall aim was to prove its applicability as regional decision support for the assessment of N management strategies in cropping systems considering environmental interventions with regional N resiliencies. Therefore, environmental interventions were evaluated within a case study for four different N management scenarios for rapeseed cropping systems in five German NUTS-3 regions. Regional carrying capacity based normalization references were derived for two N-related impact categories: terrestrial eutrophication and terrestrial acidification. The regional normalization references also included background interventions of non-crop producing sectors and were provided for all German NUTS-3 regions applicable as distance-to-target values in LCA. Overall results showed that environmental interventions and exceedance of N resilience were lowest in the N-management scenario applying catch crops for both impact categories. The case study demonstrated that considering absolute sustainability references as regional N resilience in LCA is a valuable tool for agricultural decision-makers to evaluate N management strategies for crop production systems.
Methodology for Improving the Sustainability of Industrial Buildings via Matrix of Combinations Water and Carbon Footprint Assessment
Authors: Lopes R. Silva Débora , Rivero-Camacho Cristina , Rusu Diana , Marrero Madelyn
Published: November 2022

In Spain, 90% of companies are small- or medium-sized and are usually located in industrial areas, in warehouses with particular characteristics. This paper presents a methodology for the environmental assessment of this type of construction with water and carbon footprint indicators. A database was developed for the identification of typologies and common construction elements based on a sample of 87 projects in the province of Seville. Based on this, the paper proposes a methodology for comparative analysis that merges the data obtained from the research survey with environmental and economic data. The work proposes a systematic classification of the construction units of industrial buildings in order to improve the sustainability of the decision-making process by introducing environmental information on construction materials and machinery. First, the most impactful elements were identified, and then the technical solutions were adjusted using solutions already in the sample of 87 industrial projects. Reductions of up to 74% in the carbon footprint and 54% of the water footprint were found, as well as 14% reduction in construction costs in the most favorable case.
Customer-Oriented Strategic Planning for Hotel Competitiveness Improvement Based on Online Reviews
Authors: Yuan Yuan , You Tianhui , Xu Tian’ai , Yu Xun
Published: November 2022

The hotel industry has been facing fierce competition in recent years. It is important for hotels to conduct effective strategic planning for competitiveness improvement to achieve sustainable development. Prior studies on hotel strategic planning mainly use questionnaire data or hotel internal data, which have the problems of insufficient data or neglecting customer perspectives. The purpose of this study was to develop an integrated method for customer-oriented strategic planning for hotel competitiveness improvement based on text mining of online reviews. First, text mining of online reviews was conducted to extract customer-concerned service attributes and evaluate customer concern level and the performance of the service attributes through Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) and sentiment analysis. Second, the competitive structures of the hotels were analyzed and the main competitors were identified from the competitive hotels through correspondence analysis. Third, SWOT analysis of the target hotel toward the main competitors was conducted, and the priorities of factors in each SWOT category were determined. An empirical study on a five-star hotel is given to illustrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method. The results indicate that the proposed method can help managers in strategic planning to obtain more specific strategies for hotel competitiveness improvement.
Research on Short-Time Wind Speed Prediction in Mountainous Areas Based on Improved ARIMA Model
Authors: Zhou Zelin , Dai Yiyan , Xiao Jun , Liu Maoyi , Zhang Jinxiang , Zhang Mingjin
Published: November 2022

In rugged mountain areas, the lateral aerodynamic force and aerodynamic lift caused by strong winds are the main reasons for the lateral overturning of trains and the destruction of buildings and structures along the railroad line. Therefore, it is important to build a strong wind alarm system along the railroad line, and a reasonable and accurate short-time forecast of a strong wind is the basis of it. In this research, two methods of constructive function and time-series decomposition are proposed to pre-process the input wind speed for periodic strong winds in mountainous areas. Then, the improved Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average model time-series model was established through the steps of a white noise test, data stationarity test, model recognition, and order determination. Finally, the effectiveness of the improved wind speed prediction was examined. The results of the research showed that rational choice of processing functions has a large impact on wind speed prediction results. The prediction accuracy of the improved ARIMA model proposed in this paper is better than the results of the traditional Seasonal Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average model, and it can quickly and accurately realize the short-time wind speed prediction along the railroad line in rugged mountains. In addition, the improved ARIMA model has verified its universality in different mountainous places.
Joint Optimization of Allocations and Relocations in One-Way Carsharing Systems with Two Operators
Authors: Lu Rongqin
Published: November 2022

Multiple operators commonly coexist in one-way carsharing systems. Therefore, the performance of the system is worth exploring. We used one-way carsharing systems with two operators as an example, assuming that one joins first and is called the leader, and another is named the follower. A nonlinear mixed-integer bilevel programming model is set to jointly optimize the allocations (including the number of shared cars and parking spaces) and the relocations. The users’ preferences are included by comprehensively considering the travel cost, number of available shared cars at the departing station, and the number of parking spaces at the arrival station. Relocations are also performed in the upper-level model and the lower-level model to maximize the profits of the leader and the follower, respectively. The models of both levels connect by setting the number of parking spaces at each station and the users’ choice between operators. A customized adaptive genetic algorithm is proposed based on the characteristic of the model. Case studies in Beijing reveal that, compared to a single-operator carsharing system, the total profit and demand satisfied by shared cars increased significantly in two-operator carsharing systems, with increases of 37.59% and 56.55%, respectively. Considering the users’ preferences, the leader can meet 266.84% more demands and earn a 174.76% higher profit. As for the follower, the corresponding growth rates are 124.98% and 36.30%, respectively.
Simulation of Pathways toward Low-Carbon Electricity Generation in the Arctic
Authors: de Witt Magnus , Valfells Ágúst , Larsen Joan Nymand , Stefánsson Hlynur
Published: November 2022

This paper examines the various pathways toward energy transition available to remote Arctic communities. Inhabitants of Arctic communities often face significant cost burdens due to high energy prices. Electricity costs are particularly high, due in part to the predominant use of diesel for electricity generation in over 80% of remote Arctic communities. This study examines the different approaches for integrating renewable energy sources, with a focus on the different strategies that might be implemented to finance the energy transition toward greater use of such renewable sources. The high costs associated with project realization in the remote Arctic present special challenges. This study uses a system dynamics model to evaluate the various financing tools available to facilitate the energy transition. The model results indicate that the integration of renewable energy sources has the potential to yield long-term electricity cost savings for the remote Arctic communities in question.
Sustainable Lightweight Concrete Made of Cement Kiln Dust and Liquefied Polystyrene Foam Improved with Other Waste Additives
Authors: El-Sayed Abeer M. , Faheim Abeer A. , Salman Aida A. , Saleh Hosam M.
Published: November 2022

The main objective of this study is to mix two problematic wastes, cement kiln dust (CKD) and polystyrene waste liquified by gasoline, to produce a new lightweight cementitious material, as a green composite used in the construction industry. Various ratios of liquified polystyrene (LPS) were blended with CKD to achieve the optimum mixing ratio in the absence and presence of different additives. A significant improvement of mechanical properties (compressive strength of 2.57 MPa) and minimization of the porosity (51.3%) with reasonable water absorption (42.4%) has been detected in the mixing of 30% LPS with CKD due to filling the voids and gaps with liquified polymer. Portland cement, waste glass, and iron slag have been incorporated into CKD-30% LPS paste at different mass fractions of 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%. However, a considerable value of compressive strength up to 2.7 MPa was reported in presence of 15% of any additive material with CKD-30% LPS matrix. This study recommends implementing a viable strategy to upcycle any of the examined wastes of the optimum ratios (15% waste glass or iron slag with 30% of LPS) together with another hazardous waste, namely cement kiln dust, to produce lightweight cementitious bricks in eco-friendly sustainable technology.
The Link between Ambidextrous Leadership and Innovative Work Behavior in a Military Organization: The Moderating Role of Climate for Innovation
Authors: Akıncı Gökhan , Alpkan Lutfihak , Yıldız Bora , Karacay Gaye
Published: November 2022

Innovative work behavior is a vital necessity that enables sustainable public sector organizations, particularly the highly centralized military ones, to successfully adapt to complex and rising challenges. This empirical study, drawing on the social exchange theory, investigates the separate and combined effects of ambidextrous leadership dimensions (i.e., opening and closing leader behaviors) on innovative work behavior and the moderating role of climate for innovation on these relationships. The data were collected from 425 participants working at Allied Command Transformation (ACT), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) Warfare Development Command, and analyzed using AMOS and SPSS Process Macro. We found that while opening leader behavior of ambidextrous leadership was positively related to innovative work behavior, closing leader behavior had no significant effect on it. Findings also confirmed that the interaction of both (i.e., the combined effect of ambidextrous leadership) was positively related to innovative work behavior, and climate for innovation moderated the relations of both closing leader behavior and ambidextrous leadership to innovative work behavior. Based on these results, we discuss the managerial and theoretical implications.
Organizational Learning for Sustainable Semiconductor Supply Chain Operation: A Case Study of a Japanese Company in Cross Border M&A
Authors: Okada Masaki , Shirahada Kunio
Published: November 2022

As semiconductor usage is prevailing, sustainable growth is deemed highly dependent on the semiconductor supply chain. Accordingly, it is essential to establish robust supply chain capability for a semiconductor company. Especially for Japanese semiconductor manufacturers, it is critical to secure robust and flexible supply chain operation with the background of the experience of supply chain disruption caused by the East Japan Earthquake. So far, we identified that Japanese semiconductor manufacturers and Japanese automotive manufacturers have been in cooperation to secure the semiconductor supply chain. However, the global electronic industry environment has been significantly changed and it is not enough just to consider natural disasters. With this perspective, it is not yet fully studied how Japanese semiconductor manufacturers adapted to global operation through organizational learning. This paper examines how a Japanese semiconductor firm conducted organizational learning and adapted to environmental changes in cross-border M&A transactions. Traditionally, Japanese firms have established organizational routines for the management control systems of their overseas subsidiaries by relying on the expatriates’ transactive memory systems (TMS), which is based on their personnel experiences over the countries and cultural background understanding. Japanese firms have used TMS of expats to manage their global organizations. Recently, however, not a small number of Japanese companies have accelerated their globalization through cross-border M&A, which requires organizational capabilities different from those of conventional TMS formation. In this paper, we studied a case of cross-border M&A of a Japanese semiconductor company by modeling the organizational learning structure throughout the extracted concepts summarizing semi-structure interview outcome. As a result, it has been found out that, by shifting from Japanese cultural norms to more global values in terms of management systems, benefits can be achieved. The company unlearned organizational routines that relied on TMS and created new organizational routines. This study provides direction from a practical perspective on how Japanese firms can transform their global organizations and adapt to changes in the environment for sustainable growth.
Sources of SMEs Financing and Their Impact on Economic Growth across the European Union: Insights from a Panel Data Study Spanning Sixteen Years
Authors: Batrancea Larissa M. , Balcı Mehmet Ali , Chermezan Leontina , Akgüller Ömer , Masca Ema Speranta , Gaban Lucian
Published: November 2022

Getting access to sufficient funding is the keystone for the development of any business, but especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). These economic entities are crucial players in the global economy since they include almost 90% of companies, provide jobs for nearly 50% of the global workforce, and enhance long-term economic growth. In this context, our study explores important sources concerning the financing of small and medium enterprises and their impact on economic growth during the period 2005–2020 with data from SMEs covering the 28 countries belonging to the European Union. The set of predictors included Strength of legal rights index, Days sales outstanding, Bad debt loss, Interest rate, Bank support, Business angels, Private lenders, and Public support. The set of dependent variables included Cost of loans, Equity fund, GDP growth rate, and Value added growth rate. Our methodological approach was complex, it considered a panel data analysis with a first-difference generalized method of moments estimator and a multiplex time series analysis. The novelty of the study resides in combining the two methods in order to investigate significant drivers of economic growth across the EU. Empirical results showed that economic growth was mainly triggered by predictors such as Interest rate, Business angels, Bank support, and Public support. Moreover, the valuable mathematical insights elicited by the multiplex time series analysis suggested that European economies cooperated intensively through SME activities. Based on our empirical results, national and regional authorities should enact adequate policies to support business endeavors of small and medium enterprises.
Continuous Improvement for Cost Savings in the Automotive Industry
Authors: Matope Stephen , Chirinda Gibson P. , Sarema Blessed
Published: November 2022

Today’s manufacturing environment is characterized by rising production costs. Automotive companies are faced with a challenge of meeting the ever-changing customer needs at the minimum possible cost. Reducing the production costs is of paramount importance for a company to remain competitive in a turbulent environment. How can companies in the automotive industry increase cost savings? This paper focuses on continuous improvement for cost savings in the automotive industry. This was conducted at an automotive production line using the work-study technique. Time and method studies were conducted on the production line of one of the products. This was done under these objectives: to identify excess raw material input and non-value adding activities in the product line, to determine current factory capacity, to determine factory capacity utilization, and to implement improvements on the product line so as to increase productivity. The daily target at the company was eight complete units per shift, and the research explored the potentials of increasing that daily target with little to no increase in the number of operators and workstations. The results demonstrate an increase in productivity by 50% by adding one more workstation and one more operator at the surface finishing station. This was successfully implemented and the company is now producing 12 units per shift.
Development of a Reverse Logistics Modeling for End-of-Life Lithium-Ion Batteries and Its Impact on Recycling Viability—A Case Study to Support End-of-Life Electric Vehicle Battery Strategy in Canada
Authors: Gonzales-Calienes Giovanna , Yu Ben , Bensebaa Farid
Published: November 2022

The deployment of a sustainable recycling network for electric vehicle batteries requires the development of an infrastructure to collect and deliver batteries to several locations from which they can be transported to companies for repurposing or recycling. This infrastructure is still not yet developed in North America, and consequently, spent electric vehicle batteries in Canada are dispersed throughout the country. The purpose of this reverse logistics study is to develop a spatial modeling framework to identify the optimal locations of battery pack dismantling hubs and recycling processing facilities in Canada and quantify the environmental and economic impacts of the supporting infrastructure network for electric vehicle lithium-ion battery end-of-life management. The model integrates the geographic information system, material flow analysis for estimating the availability of spent battery stocks, and the life cycle assessment approach to assess the environmental impact. To minimize the costs and greenhouse gas emission intensity, three regional recycling clusters, including dismantling hubs, recycling processing, and scrap metal smelting facilities, were identified. These three clusters will have the capacity to satisfy the annual flow of disposed batteries. The Quebec–Maritimes cluster presents the lowest payload distance, life-cycle carbon footprint, and truck transportation costs than the Ontario and British Columbia–Prairies clusters. Access to end-of-life batteries not only makes the battery supply chain circular, but also provides incentives for establishing recycling facilities. The average costs and carbon intensity of recycled cathode raw materials are CAD 1.29/kg of the spent battery pack and 0.7 kg CO2e/kg of the spent battery pack, respectively, which were estimated based on the optimization of the transportation distances.
Digital Finance and High-Quality Development of State-Owned Enterprises—A Financing Constraints Perspective
Authors: Xie Haijuan , Wen Jinyuan , Wang Xiaohui
Published: November 2022

The report of the 20th National Congress pointed out that high-quality development is the primary task of building a modern socialist country in an overall sense. Based on the background of high-quality economic development in the new era, this document studies the influence mechanism between digital finance and high-quality development of state-owned enterprises based on total factor productivity (TFP) by taking A-share state-owned listed companies on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges from 2015 to 2020 as samples. The findings are as follows: Digital finance promotes the high-quality development of state-owned enterprises by alleviating financing constraints; grouping regression shows that digital finance has a stronger driving effect on the high-quality development of large state-owned enterprises and enterprises with a high technical level. The threshold regression model shows that digital finance has a single threshold effect on the high-quality development of state-owned enterprises. Further research shows that the higher the development level of supply chain finance, the stronger the influence of digital finance on the high-quality development of state-owned enterprises through financing constraints. The higher the shareholding ratio of institutional investors, the stronger the mediating effect of financing constraints. The research results of this paper not only enrich the research on the factors that influence the high-quality development of state-owned enterprises but also provide support for the government to formulate high-quality development policies for enterprises.
Consumer Formation of CSR Image: Role of Altruistic Values
Authors: Fatma Mobin
Published: November 2022

The purpose of this study is to examine how the consumer constructs the CSR image of their banking company in their mind. This study is quantitative in nature. Data were collected using a personal survey of bank customers through a structured questionnaire. The current study employed structural equation modeling (SEM) for testing the proposed hypothesized model. The findings drawn from the present study show that altruistic values have a significant role in corporate credibility, which is an important antecedent of the customer formation of CSR images. The contribution of the present study lays in making explicit the moderating role of altruistic values, in terms of their effects on consumer trustworthiness and expertise, in the consumer formation of CSR images.
Particle Creation and the Schwinger Model
Authors: Navarro-Salas José , Pla Silvia
Published: November 2022

We study the particle creation process in the Schwinger model coupled with an external classical source. One can approach the problem by taking advantage of the fact that the full quantized model is solvable and equivalent to a (massive) gauge field with a non-local effective action. Alternatively, one can also face the problem by following the standard semiclassical route. This means quantizing the massless Dirac field and considering the electromagnetic field as a classical background. We evaluate the energy created by a generic, homogeneous, and time-dependent source. The results match exactly in both approaches. This proves in a very direct and economical way the validity of the semiclassical approach for the (massless) Schwinger model, in agreement with a previous analysis based on the linear response equation. Our discussion suggests that a similar analysis for the massive Schwinger model could be used as a non-trivial laboratory to confront a fully quantized solvable model with its semiclassical approximation, therefore mimicking the long-standing confrontation of quantum gravity with quantum field theory in curved spacetime.
Ulam Stability of Fractional Hybrid Sequential Integro-Differential Equations with Existence and Uniqueness Theory
Authors: Algahtani Obaid
Published: November 2022

In this paper, a variety of boundary value problems (BVPs) known as hybrid fractional sequential integro-differential equations (HFSIDs) with two point orders (p,q) are investigated. The uniqueness and existence of the solution are discussed via Banach fixed-point theorems. Certain particular theorems associated with Hyers–Ulam and Hyers–Ulam–Rassias stability to the solution, as well as the uniqueness and existence of the solution of the BVPs are studied. The results are illustrated with some particular examples, and the numerical data are analyzed for confirmation of the results. The results obtained in this work are simple and can easily be applicable to physical systems. Furthermore, symmetry analysis of fractional differential equations and HFSIDs are also presented. This is due to the fact that the aforementioned analysis plays a significant role in both the optimization and qualitative theory of fractional differential equations.
Vbswp-CeaH: Vigorous Buyer-Seller Watermarking Protocol without Trusted Certificate Authority for Copyright Protection in Cloud Environment through Additive Homomorphism
Authors: Kumar Ashwani , Kumar Mohit , Verma Sahil , Kavita  , Jhanjhi N. Z. , Ghoniem Rania M.
Published: November 2022

Cloud-based storage ensures the secure dissemination of media. Authentication and integrity are important aspects in the distribution of digital media. Encryption-based techniques shelter this media between the communicating parties which are involved in a transaction. The challenge is how to restrict the digital media which is illegally redistributed by the authorized users. However, the digital watermarking technique and encryption-based methods are also not sufficient enough to provide copyright protection. The watermarking protocol is used to provide intellectual property for the customer and the service provider. This research paper provides a vigorous buyer-seller watermarking protocol without trusted certificate authority for copyright protection in the cloud environment. This research work uses the cloud environment which enables the cloud as a service infrastructural provider for storing credentials such as public and private secret keys and the digital certificates of interacting parties. The scheme uses additive homomorphism encryption with an effective key exchange algorithm for exchanging digital media. This proposed approach addresses the problems of anonymity and copy deterrence and protects the digital rights of the buyer and seller; these most up-to-date issues are related to information security. Furthermore, the experiment results conclude that the proposed protocol is flexible and secure even in a non-secure communication channel. We have used performance measures such as PSNR, NCC and cost in time methods for checking the integrity of the proposed protocol. The conducted experiments show a stronger robustness and high imperceptibility for the watermark and watermarked images.
Fermatean Neutrosophic Topological Spaces and an Application of Neutrosophic Kano Method
Authors: Gonul Bilgin Nazmiye , Pamučar Dragan , Riaz Muhammad
Published: November 2022

The main objective of this paper is to redefine the concept of Fermatean neutrosophic sets as well as to introduce topological structure on Fermatean neutrosophic sets. The idea of Fermatean neutrosophic sets is the hybrid model of Fermatean fuzzy sets and neutrosophic sets to utilize key features of these structures. Topological data analysis for indeterminate and uncertain information is a rapidly developing field. Motivated by this recent trend, the idea of Fermatean neutrosophic topology is proposed, which is an extension of neutrosophic topology and Fermatean fuzzy topology. Some fundamental properties of Fermatean neutrosophic topology are explored and related results are investigated. Certain properties provided in the classical topological space that may not be valid in this space is one of the factors that makes the study important. Moreover, an application is made for the problem of seeking reasonable solutions to customer expectations by using the neutrosophic Kano method, which is an interesting illustration of neutrosophic decision making.
Particle Production in Strong Electromagnetic Fields and Local Approximations
Authors: Aleksandrov Ivan A. , Sevostyanov Denis G. , Shabaev Vladimir M.
Published: November 2022

We investigate the phenomenon of electron–positron pair production in intense external backgrounds within the strong-field regime. We perform nonperturbative calculations by solving the quantum kinetic equations, and obtain the momentum distributions of particles created and the total number of pairs. In particular, we analyze the validity of the locally constant field approximation (LCFA), which represents a powerful method for treating inhomogeneous external backgrounds. We consider a combination of two consecutive time-dependent Sauter pulses and thoroughly examine the effects of quantum interference and the role of the Pauli exclusion principle. It is shown that the latter can be approximately incorporated within the LCFA when computing the momentum distributions, while the closed-form LCFA expression for the total particle yield completely disregards Pauli blocking. It is demonstrated that in the presence of multiple turning points of classical electron trajectories, one observes interference patterns in the particle spectra, and the LCFA may significantly overestimate the number of pairs. To further elaborate this issue, we perform the analogous calculations in the case of scalar QED. It is shown that the quantum statistics effects enhance the number of bosons produced.
Theoretical Study of Complexes of Tetravalent Actinides with DOTA
Authors: Kovács Attila
Published: November 2022

1,4,7,10-Tetraazacyclododecane-N,N′,N″,N‴-tetraacetic acid (H4DOTA) is a prominent chelating ligand with potential applications in various fields, from radiotherapy to the separation of fission products. The present study explores the stability, structure, and bonding properties of its complexes with tetravalent actinides (An = Th, U, Np, Pu) using density functional theory and relativistic multireference calculations. Neutral complexes prefer to form symmetric (C4) structures with DOTA. The first coordination sphere of the actinide ions is readily saturated by a weakly bonded H2O ligand. The latter ligand reduces the molecular symmetry while exerting only marginal effects on the properties of the parent complex. An-ligand bonding is mainly electrostatic, but there are also significant charge-transfer contributions from DOTA to the An 6d/5f orbitals. The charge-transfer interactions and the covalent character of bonding increase gradually in the order of Th < U < Np < Pu, as indicated by analysis of the electron density distribution using the Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules.
Sensitivity of Hydra vulgaris to Nanosilver for Environmental Applications
Authors: Bellingeri Arianna , Battocchio Chiara , Faleri Claudia , Protano Giuseppe , Venditti Iole , Corsi Ilaria
Published: November 2022

Nanosilver applications, including sensing and water treatment, have significantly increased in recent years, although safety for humans and the environment is still under debate. Here, we tested the environmental safety of a novel formulation of silver nanoparticles functionalized with citrate and L-cysteine (AgNPcitLcys) on freshwater cnidarian Hydra vulgaris as an emerging ecotoxicological model for the safety of engineered nanomaterials. AgNPcitLcys behavior was characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), while Ag release was measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). H. vulgaris (n = 12) subjects were evaluated for morphological aberration after 96 h of exposure and regeneration ability after 96 h and 7 days of exposure, after which the predatory ability was also assessed. The results show a low dissolution of AgNPcitLcys in Hydra medium (max 0.146% of nominal AgNPcitLcys concentration) and highlight a lack of ecotoxicological effects, both on morphology and regeneration, confirming the protective role of the double coating against AgNP biological effects. Predatory ability evaluation suggests a mild impairment of the entangling capacity or of the functionality of the tentacles, as the number of preys killed but not ingested was higher than the controls in all exposed animals. While their long-term sub-lethal effects still need to be further evaluated on H. vulgaris, AgNPcitLcys appears to be a promising tool for environmental applications, for instance, for water treatment and sensing.
Adsorption Characteristics of Dimethylated Arsenicals on Iron Oxide–Modified Rice Husk Biochar
Authors: Yoon Sang-Gyu , Kwak Ihn-Sil , Yoon Hye-On , An Jinsung
Published: November 2022

In this study, the adsorption characteristics of dimethylated arsenicals to rice husk biochar (BC) and Fe/biochar composite (FeBC) were assessed through isothermal adsorption experiments and X-ray absorption spectroscopy analysis. The maximal adsorption capacities (qm) of inorganic arsenate, calculated using the Langmuir isotherm equation, were 1.28 and 6.32 mg/g for BC and FeBC, respectively. Moreover, dimethylated arsenicals did not adsorb to BC at all, and in the case of FeBC, qm values of dimethylarsinic acid (DMA(V)), dimethylmonothioarsinic acid (DMMTA(V)), and dimethyldithioarsinic acid (DMDTA(V)) were calculated to be 7.08, 0.43, and 0.28 mg/g, respectively. This was due to the formation of iron oxide (i.e., two-line ferrihydrite) on the surface of BC. Linear combination fitting using As K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure spectra confirmed that all chemical forms of dimethylated arsenicals adsorbed on the two-line ferrihydrite were DMA(V). Thus, FeBC could retain highly mobile and toxic arsenicals such as DMMTA(V) and DMDTA(V)) in the environment, and transform them into DMA(V) with relatively low toxicity.
Reduction of Mycotoxigenic Fungi Growth and Their Mycotoxin Production by Bacillus subtilis QST 713
Authors: Bertuzzi Terenzio , Leni Giulia , Bulla Giulia , Giorni Paola
Published: November 2022

The use of chemical pesticides to control the occurrence of mycotoxigenic fungi in crops has led to environmental and human health issues, driving the agriculture sector to a more sustainable system. Biocontrol agents such as Bacillus strains and their antimicrobial metabolites have been proposed as alternatives to chemical pesticides. In the present work, a broth obtained from a commercial product containing Bacillus subtilis QST 713 was tested for its ability to inhibit the growth of mycotoxigenic fungi as well as reduce their mycotoxin production. Mass spectrometry analysis of Bacillus subtilis broth allowed to detect the presence of 14 different lipopeptides, belonging to the iturin, fengycin, and surfactin families, already known for their antifungal properties. Bacillus subtilis broth demonstrated to be a useful tool to inhibit the growth of some of the most important mycotoxigenic fungi such as Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium verticillioides, Fusarium graminearum, Aspergillus carbonarius, and Alternaria alternata. In addition, cell-free Bacillus subtilis broth provided the most promising results against the growth of Fusarium graminearum and Alternaria alternata, where the radial growth was reduced up to 86% with respect to the untreated test. With regard to the mycotoxin reduction, raw Bacillus subtilis broth completely inhibited the production of aflatoxin B1, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, and tenuazonic acid. Cell-free broth provided promising inhibitory properties toward all of the target mycotoxins, even if the results were less promising than the corresponding raw broth. In conclusion, this work showed that a commercial Bacillus subtilis, characterized by the presence of different lipopeptides, was able to reduce the growth of the main mycotoxigenic fungi and inhibit the production of related mycotoxins.
Effector-Triggered Trained Immunity: An Innate Immune Memory to Microbial Virulence Factors?
Authors: Torre Cedric , Boyer Laurent
Published: November 2022

In the last decade, a major dogma in the field of immunology has been called into question by the identification of a cell autonomous innate immune memory. This innate immune memory (also named trained immunity) was found to be mostly carried by innate immune cells and to be characterized by an exacerbated inflammatory response with a heightened expression of proinflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β. Unlike the vast majority of cytokines, IL-1β is produced as a proform (pro-IL-1β) and requires a proteolytic cleavage to exert its biological action. This cleavage takes place mainly within complex molecular platforms named inflammasomes. These platforms are assembled upon both the infectious or sterile activation of NOD-like receptors (NLRs), thereby allowing for the recruitment and activation of caspases and the subsequent maturation of pro-IL-1β into IL-1β. The NLRP3 inflammasome has recently been implicated both in western diet-induced trained immunity, and in the detection of microbial virulence factors (effector-triggered immunity (ETI)). Here, we will attempt to link these two immune processes and provide arguments to hypothesize the existence of trained immunity triggered by microbial virulence factors (effector-triggered trained immunity (ETTI)).
Superantigens, a Paradox of the Immune Response
Authors: Noli Truant Sofia , Redolfi Daniela María , Sarratea María Belén , Malchiodi Emilio Luis , Fernández Marisa Mariel
Published: November 2022

Staphylococcal enterotoxins are a wide family of bacterial exotoxins with the capacity to activate as much as 20% of the host T cells, which is why they were called superantigens. Superantigens (SAgs) can cause multiple diseases in humans and cattle, ranging from mild to life-threatening infections. Almost all S. aureus isolates encode at least one of these toxins, though there is no complete knowledge about how their production is triggered. One of the main problems with the available evidence for these toxins is that most studies have been conducted with a few superantigens; however, the resulting characteristics are attributed to the whole group. Although these toxins share homology and a two-domain structure organization, the similarity ratio varies from 20 to 89% among different SAgs, implying wide heterogeneity. Furthermore, every attempt to structurally classify these proteins has failed to answer differential biological functionalities. Taking these concerns into account, it might not be appropriate to extrapolate all the information that is currently available to every staphylococcal SAg. Here, we aimed to gather the available information about all staphylococcal SAgs, considering their functions and pathogenicity, their ability to interact with the immune system as well as their capacity to be used as immunotherapeutic agents, resembling the two faces of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.