bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Novel Valued Tolerance Rough Set and Decision Rules Method for Indoor Positioning Using WiFi Fingerprinting
Authors: Duong-Bao Ninh , He Jing , Thi Luong Nguyen , Nguyen-Huu Khanh , Lee Seon-Woo
Published: August 2022

In recent years, due to the ubiquitous presence of WiFi access points in buildings, the WiFi fingerprinting method has become one of the most promising approaches for indoor positioning applications. However, the performance of this method is vulnerable to changes in indoor environments. To tackle this challenge, in this paper, we propose a novel WiFi fingerprinting method that uses the valued tolerance rough set theory–based classification method. In the offline phase, the conventional received signal strength (RSS) fingerprinting database is converted into a decision table. Then a new fingerprinting database with decision rules is constructed based on the decision table, which includes the credibility degrees and the support object set values for all decision rules. In the online phase, various classification levels are applied to find out the best match between the RSS values in the decision rules database and the measured RSS values at the unknown position. The experimental results compared the performance of the proposed method with those of the nearest-neighbor-based and the random statistical methods in two different test cases. The results show that the proposed method greatly outperforms the others in both cases, where it achieves high accuracy with 98.05% of right position classification, which is approximately 50.49% more accurate than the others. The mean positioning errors at wrong estimated positions for the two test cases are 1.71 m and 1.99 m, using the proposed method.
Research on Positioning Method in Underground Complex Environments Based on Fusion of Binocular Vision and IMU
Authors: Cheng Jie , Jin Yinglian , Zhai Zhen , Liu Xiaolong , Zhou Kun
Published: August 2022

Aiming at the failure of traditional visual slam localization caused by dynamic target interference and weak texture in underground complexes, an effective robot localization scheme was designed in this paper. Firstly, the Harris algorithm with stronger corner detection ability was used, which further improved the ORB (oriented FAST and rotated BRIEF) algorithm of traditional visual slam. Secondly, the non-uniform rational B-splines algorithm was used to transform the discrete data of inertial measurement unit (IMU) into second-order steerable continuous data, and the visual sensor data were fused with IMU data. Finally, the experimental results under the KITTI dataset, EUROC dataset, and a simulated real scene proved that the method used in this paper has the characteristics of stronger robustness, better localization accuracy, small size of hardware equipment, and low power consumption.
Resource-Saving Customizable Pipeline Network Architecture for Multi-Signal Processing in Edge Devices
Authors: Song Ping , Qie Youtian , Hao Chuangbo , Li Yifan , Zhao Yue , Hao Yi , Liu Hongbo , Qi Yishen
Published: August 2022

With the development of the information age, the importance of edge computing has been highlighted in industrial site monitoring, health management, and fault diagnosis. Among them, the processing and computing of signals in edge scenarios is the cornerstone of realizing these scenarios. While the performance of edge devices has been dramatically improved, the demand for signal processing in the edge side has also ushered in explosive growth. However, the deployment of traditional serial or parallel signal processing architectures on edge devices has problems such as poor flexibility, low efficiency, and low resource utilization, making edge devices unable to exert their maximum performance. Therefore, this paper proposes a resource-saving customizable pipeline network architecture with a space-optimized resource allocation method and a coordinate addressing method for irregular topology. This architecture significantly improves the flexibility of multi-signal processing in edge devices, improves resource utilization, and further increases the performance potential of edge devices. Finally, we designed a comparative experiment to prove that the resource-saving and customizable pipeline network architecture can significantly reduce resource consumption under the premise of meeting real-time processing requirements.
Reconstructing a Deblurred 3D Structure in a Turbid Medium from a Single Blurred 2D Image—For Near-Infrared Transillumination Imaging of a Human Body
Authors: Shimizu Koichi , Xian Sihan , Guo Jiekai
Published: August 2022

To provide another modality for three-dimensional (3D) medical imaging, new techniques were developed to reconstruct a 3D structure in a turbid medium from a single blurred 2D image obtained using near-infrared transillumination imaging. One technique uses 1D information of a curvilinear absorber, or the intensity profile across the absorber image. Profiles in different conditions are calculated by convolution with the depth-dependent point spread function (PSF) of the transillumination image. In databanks, profiles are stored as lookup tables to connect the contrast and spread of the profile to the absorber depth. One-to-one correspondence from the contrast and spread to the absorber depth and thickness were newly found. Another technique uses 2D information of the transillumination image of a volumetric absorber. A blurred 2D image is deconvolved with the depth-dependent PSF, thereby producing many images with points of focus on different parts. The depth of the image part can be estimated by searching the deconvolved images for the image part in the best focus. To suppress difficulties of high-spatial-frequency noise, we applied a noise-robust focus stacking method. Experimentation verified the feasibility of the proposed techniques, and suggested their applicability to curvilinear and volumetric absorbers such as blood vessel networks and cancerous lesions in tissues.
Artificial Intelligence Applications and Self-Learning 6G Networks for Smart Cities Digital Ecosystems: Taxonomy, Challenges, and Future Directions
Authors: Ismail Leila , Buyya Rajkumar
Published: August 2022

The recent upsurge of smart cities’ applications and their building blocks in terms of the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), federated and distributed learning, big data analytics, blockchain, and edge-cloud computing has urged the design of the upcoming 6G network generation, due to their stringent requirements in terms of the quality of services (QoS), availability, and dependability to satisfy a Service-Level-Agreement (SLA) for the end users. Industries and academia have started to design 6G networks and propose the use of AI in its protocols and operations. Published papers on the topic discuss either the requirements of applications via a top-down approach or the network requirements in terms of agility, performance, and energy saving using a down-top perspective. In contrast, this paper adopts a holistic outlook, considering the applications, the middleware, the underlying technologies, and the 6G network systems towards an intelligent and integrated computing, communication, coordination, and decision-making ecosystem. In particular, we discuss the temporal evolution of the wireless network generations’ development to capture the applications, middleware, and technological requirements that led to the development of the network generation systems from 1G to AI-enabled 6G and its employed self-learning models. We provide a taxonomy of the technology-enabled smart city applications’ systems and present insights into those systems for the realization of a trustworthy and efficient smart city ecosystem. We propose future research directions in 6G networks for smart city applications.
Fiber-Optic Temperature Sensor Using Cholesteric Liquid Crystals on the Optical Fiber Ferrules
Authors: Ahn Soyeon , Lee Gi Hyen , Lee Jun-Yong , Kim Youngseo , Kim Min Su , Pagidi Srinivas , Choi Byeong Kwon , Kim Ji Su , Kim Jong-Hyun , Jeon Min Yong
Published: August 2022

Cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs) can be applied to various physical and chemical sensors because their alignment structures are changed by external stimuli. Here, we propose a CLC device fabricated by vertically forming the helical axis of the CLC between the cross-sections of two optical fiber ferrules. An optical fiber temperature sensor was successfully implemented using the proposed optical fiber ferrule-based CLC device. A wideband wavelength-swept laser with a center wavelength of 1073 nm and scanning range of 220 nm was used as a light source to measure the variations in the reflection spectrum band according to the temperature change in the CLC cell. The wavelength variation of the reflection spectrum band according to the temperature applied to the CLC cell was reversible and changed linearly with a change in the temperature, and the long-wavelength edge variation rate according to the temperature change was −5.0 nm/°C. Additionally, as the temperature applied to the CLC cell increased, the reflection spectrum bandwidth gradually decreased; the reflection spectrum bandwidth varied at a rate of −1.89 nm/°C. The variations in the refractive indices with temperature were calculated from the band wavelengths of the reflection spectrum. The pitch at each temperature was calculated based on the refractive indices and it gradually decreased as the temperature increased.
An Underwater Cooperative Spectrum Sharing Protocol for a Centralized Underwater Cognitive Acoustic Network
Authors: Yun Changho
Published: August 2022

To efficiently utilize nonexclusive underwater acoustic frequencies, we propose an Underwater Cooperative Spectrum Sharing (UCSS) protocol for a centralized underwater cognitive acoustic network that mainly consists of two parts. In the first part, to check the random occurrence of interferers periodically, the time domain is divided into frames that consist of a sensing and a non-sensing sub-frame. Then, we set the ratio of the two sub-frames to enhance the sensing rate via simulations. As a result, there exists the upper limit of the ratio, which can be used for determining the proportion of the sensing time within a frame. The second part is to design two heuristic resource allocation (RA) algorithms. One is a multiround RA (MRRA), where a central entity allocates a data channel (i.e., resource) to a CU each round so that multiple rounds are executed until no CUs need to be allocated or there is a lack of data channels. The other is a single-round RA (SRRA), where a CU is allocated to as many data channels as its QoS within a round. We also specify four rules to determine the allocation order of the CUs: random, fixed, high-QoS-based, and low-channel allocation-rate-based. In this study, we investigate the best RA allocation order pair supporting the highest channel allocation rate and fairness index via extensive simulations. It is shown that the MRRA outperformed the SRRA, regardless of allocation orders at any conditions, and the random and low-channel allocation-rate-based allocation orders with MRRA supported the best performance. In particular, even without the optimization process, the MRRA guarantees more than 95% fairness.
The Key Technologies of Road Elevation Detection Based on Sensor Fusion
Authors: Han Jin , Liu Jia , Chang Hongmei
Published: August 2022

The detection of long-distance pavement elevation undulation is the main data basis for pavement slope detection and flatness detection, and is also the data source for 3D modeling and quality evaluation of pavement surfaces. The traditional detection method is to use a level and manual coordination to measure; however, the detection accuracy is low and the detection speed is slow. In this paper, the high-speed non-contact vehicle-mounted road undulationelevation detection method is adopted, combined with the advantages of each sensor measurement; three methods are proposed to detect the road undulation elevation: rotary encoders, accelerometers, attitude sensor data fusion detection; GPS RTK detection; and Kalman filtering detection. Through modeling and experimental comparison, Kalman filter detection is not disturbed by the environment, and the detection accuracy is higher than the current international standard.
Synthesis and Evaluation of (1,4-Disubstituted)-1,2,3-triazoles as Estrogen Receptor Beta Agonists
Authors: Wetzel Edward A. , Corriero Grace C. , Brown-Ford Sandra , Sem Daniel S. , Donaldson William A.
Published: August 2022

Estrogen receptors (ER) are nuclear hormone receptors which are responsible for sex hormone signaling in women. A series of (1,4-disubstituted)-1,2,3-triazoles 5–21 were prepared by reaction of azidophenols with terminal alkynes under Fokin reaction conditions. The products were purified by column chromatography or recrystallization and characterized by NMR and HRMS. The compounds were tested for binding to ERβ via a ligand displacement assay, and 1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-α-phenyl-1,2,3-triazole-4-ethanol (21) was found to be the most potent analog (EC50 = 1.59 μM). Molecular docking of 5–21 within the ligand binding pocket of ERβ (pdb 2jj3) was performed and the docking scores exhibited a general qualitative trend consistent with the measured EC50 values.
Lycium Genus Polysaccharide: An Overview of its Extraction, Structures, Pharmacological Activities and Biological Applications
Authors: Wang Bo , Han Lu , Liu Jun-Mei , Zhang Jin , Wang Wen , Li Bing-Ge , Dong Cai-Xia , Bai Chang-Cai
Published: August 2022

Polysaccharide is considered to be the main active ingredient of the genus Lycium L., which is taken from the dried fruit of the famous Chinese herbal medicine and precious tonic known as wolfberry. Traditional uses include nourishing the liver and kidney and improving eyesight, with widespread use in the clinical practice of traditional Chinese medicine. Many studies have focused on the isolation and identification of the genus Lycium L. polysaccharide and its biological activities. However, the variety of raw materials and the mechanisms of polysaccharides differ. After extraction, the structure and biological activity of the obtained polysaccharides also differ. To date, approximately 58 kinds of polysaccharides have been isolated and purified from the Lycium genus, including water-soluble polysaccharides; homogeneous polysaccharides; pectin polysaccharides; acidic heteropolysaccharides; and arabinogalactans, which are composed of arabinose, glucosamine, galactose, glucose, xylose, mannose, fructose, ribose, galacturonic acid, and glucuronic acid. Pharmacological studies have shown that LBPs exhibit a variety of important biological activities, such as protection of nerves; promotion of reproduction; and anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, and eyesight-improving activities. The aim this paper is to summarize previous and current references to the isolation process, structural characteristics, and biological activities of the genus Lycium L. polysaccharide. This review will provide a useful reference for further research and application of the genus Lycium L. polysaccharide in the field of functional food and medicine.
Relationship between Aggressiveness, Self-Confidence, and Perceived Coach Support and Head Impact Exposure in Youth Football
Authors: Marks Madison E. , Flood William C. , Kelley Mireille E. , Espeland Mark A. , Miles Christopher M. , Powers Alexander K. , Whitlow Christopher T. , Maldjian Joseph A. , Stitzel Joel D. , Urban Jillian E.
Published: August 2022

This study evaluated head impact exposure (HIE) metrics in relation to individual-level determinants of HIE. Youth (n = 13) and high school (n = 21) football players were instrumented with the Head Impact Telemetry (HIT) system during one season. Players completed the Trait-Robustness of Self-Confidence Inventory (TROSCI), Sports Climate Questionnaire (SCQ), and Competitive Aggressiveness and Anger Scale (CAAS), measuring self-confidence, perceived coach support, and competitive aggressiveness, respectively. Relationships between HIE metrics (number of impacts, median and 95th percentile accelerations, and risk-weighted exposure (RWE)) and survey scores were evaluated using linear regression analysis. For middle school athletes, TROSCI scores were significantly negatively associated with the number of competition impacts and the mean number of impacts per player per competition. SCQ scores were significantly positively associated with median linear acceleration during practice. CAAS scores were not significantly associated with biomechanical metrics at either level of play. Perceived coach support and self-confidence might influence HIE among middle school football players. Football athletes’ competitive aggressiveness may have less influence their HIE than other factors.
What Differences Exist in Professional Ice Hockey Performance Using Virtual Reality (VR) Technology between Professional Hockey Players and Freestyle Wrestlers? (a Pilot Study)
Authors: Polikanova Irina , Yakushina Anastasia , Leonov Sergey , Kruchinina Anna , Chertopolokhov Victor , Liutsko Liudmila
Published: August 2022

There is little research on the study of specific characteristics that contribute to the faster adaptation of athletes during the transition from one sport to another. We used virtual reality (VR) to study the differences between professional ice hockey players and other sport professionals (freestyle wrestlers), who were novices in hockey in terms of motor responses and efficiency performance, on different levels of difficulty. In the VR environment, four levels of difficulty (four blocks) were simulated, depended on the speed of the puck and the distance to it (Bl1—60–80 km/h and 18 m; Bl2—60–100 km/h, distances 12 and 18 m; Bl3—speeds up to 170 km/h and 6, 12, and 18 m; Bl4—the pucks are presented in a series of two (in sequence with a 1 s interval)). The results of the study showed that the hockey professionals proved to have more stable movement patterns of the knee and hip joints. They also made fewer head movements as a response to stimuli during all runs (0.66 vs. 1.25, p = 0.043). Thus, working out on these parameters can contribute to the faster adaptation of wrestlers in developing professional ice hockey skills.
The Measurement and Influencing Factors of High-Quality Economic Development in China
Authors: Chen Lingming , Huo Congjia
Published: August 2022

From the perspective of economics, high-quality economic development is a concept that is not easy to grasp. How to quantify high-quality development is also a relatively complex topic. The combination of economic growth and development is high-quality economic development, reflecting the core connotation of the modern economic system. It is of great significance to measure the quality of economic development and study its influencing factors. Based on the new development concept of “innovation, coordination, green, openness, and sharing”, this paper establishes an evaluation index system for the high-quality development level of China’s economy. Then, the principal component analysis method was used to measure China’s high-quality economic development level and that of each province in China. Combined with high-quality development’s meaning and essential features, we can correctly judge the regional economy’s specific situation of high-quality development and analyze the results of high-quality economic development from the perspective of time series and spatial evolution. Based on this, we further explore the main factors that influence the level of high-quality economic development. Finally, some feasible suggestions are put forward to improve the quality of China’s economic development and promote the completion of economic transformation. The main contribution of this paper is that the use of principal component analysis can reduce the dimensional and order-of-magnitude differences between the indicators. In this way, we can better measure the high-quality development level of China’s economy, analyze its main influencing factors, and provide new possible paths for China’s economic transformation.
Reframing Demand Forecasting: A Two-Fold Approach for Lumpy and Intermittent Demand
Authors: Rožanec Jože Martin , Fortuna Blaž , Mladenić Dunja
Published: August 2022

Demand forecasting is a crucial component of demand management. While shortening the forecasting horizon allows for more recent data and less uncertainty, this frequently means lower data aggregation levels and a more significant data sparsity. Furthermore, sparse demand data usually result in lumpy or intermittent demand patterns with irregular demand intervals. The usual statistical and machine learning models fail to provide good forecasts in such scenarios. Our research confirms that competitive demand forecasts can be obtained through two models: predicting the demand occurrence and estimating the demand size. We analyze the usage of local and global machine learning models for both cases and compare the results against baseline methods. Finally, we propose a novel evaluation criterion for the performance of lumpy and intermittent demand forecasting models. Our research shows that global classification models are the best choice when predicting demand event occurrence. We achieved the best results using the simple exponential smoothing forecast to predict demand sizes. We tested our approach on real-world data made up of 516 time series corresponding to the daily demand, over three years, of a European original automotive equipment manufacturer.
Roadmap for Future Mobility Development Supporting Bangkok Urban Living in 2030
Authors: Gerdsri Nathasit , Sivara Komkrit , Chatunawarat Chayoot , Jaroonjitsathian Somnuek , Tundulyasaree Krissada
Published: August 2022

This study demonstrates how to develop a roadmap guiding a company’s technology and innovation for future mobility by integrating the results from foresight and scenario analysis. The key drivers and trends influencing the urban development of Bangkok in the next 10 years were determined through the environmental scanning approach. The participatory approach was then applied to get stakeholders involved to enrich scenario thinking. The participants were invited from many social networks involved in city development in Bangkok. The scenario development was framed according to livability and city infrastructure development. As mobility is always the key issue for big cities, future development for mobility can be addressed in terms of different aspects such as filling stations, clean fuel, public transportation, shared mobility platforms, or last-mile traveling. A roadmap to guide future development of shared mobility was developed based on the analysis of the particular company in the case study.
Renewable Heat Policy in China: Development, Achievement, and Effectiveness
Authors: Xiong Chengcheng , Hassan Mohd Sayuti
Published: August 2022

Heat is the largest energy end-use sector, accounting for half of the global final energy consumption and more than 40% of energy-related CO2 emissions. China produces more than one-quarter of global heat. Policy interventions are of great necessity to overcome the economic and non-economic barriers the sector encounters. The purpose of this study is to explore the evolution history of China’s renewable heat policies over the last 20 years and to assess the effectiveness of the current policy system. The evolution of the policies is strongly linked to China’s socio-economic background and is driven by various factors at each stage. A policy intensity index model is formulated to further dive into the dynamic characteristics of renewable heating. The results indicate that regulation-based instruments are always preferred, with varying degrees of lag for the other three types of instrument. Since the inception of the clean heating program in 2017, the intensity of renewable heating has increased dramatically, revealing that renewable heating has received increasing policy attention and is gradually becoming a key pillar in the context of climate change targets.
A Review of Farmland Soil Health Assessment Methods: Current Status and a Novel Approach
Authors: Hussain Zakir , Deng Limei , Wang Xuan , Cui Rongyang , Liu Gangcai
Published: August 2022

Healthy soils are vital for food production as 95% of global food production directly or indirectly depends on soils. To ensure the food security of the burgeoning world population, it is necessary to evaluate soil health (SH) with a potential soil health index (SHI). Although there are several reputable methods for SH assessment at present, the connotations of and evaluation methods for SH are still unclear and such indexes are targeted at specific stakeholders or problems. In this study, we reviewed the fundamental steps in current attempts to develop SHIs, SH assessment methods and proposed a unified SHI based on the priorities of stakeholders. The proposed approach was designed as “three sets of dual index systems”, including the soil function (i), nutrition (j), and output (k) index systems, as well as the current (C) and expected (E) values of the respective index systems. The indicators included in index-i, index-j, and index-k reflect the soil regulatory functions, nutrient status, and quality and quantity of the output, respectively. The E values are used as a reference for the C values, and the health status is obtained, by using the ratio (R) of C to E for the respective index systems and their degree of deviation from “1” (R-1). For any evaluated soil, the farther the number of attributes and their ratios deviate from “1”, the unhealthier it is. This approach can provide a unified and comprehensive SH assessment method by diagnosing the most significant, healthy as well as unhealthy indicators. This method can be applied easily, not only by scholars but also by farmers and land managers.
Prediction Liquidated Damages via Ensemble Machine Learning Model: Towards Sustainable Highway Construction Projects
Authors: Alshboul Odey , Shehadeh Ali , Mamlook Rabia Emhamed Al , Almasabha Ghassan , Almuflih Ali Saeed , Alghamdi Saleh Y.
Published: August 2022

Highway construction projects are important for financial and social development in the United States. Such types of construction are usually accompanied by construction delay, causing liquidated damages (LDs) as a contractual provision are vital in construction agreements. Accurate quantification of LDs is essential for contract parties to avoid legal disputes and unfair provisions due to the lack of appropriate documentation. This paper effort sought to develop an ensemble machine learning technique (EMLT) that combines algorithms of the Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), Categorical Boosting (CatBoost), k-Nearest Neighbor (kNN), Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM), Artificial Neural Network (ANN), and Decision Tree (DT) for the prediction of LDs in highway construction projects. Key attributes are identified and examined to predict the interrelated correlations among the influential features to develop accurate forecast models to assess the impact of each delay factor. Various machine-learning-based models were developed, where the different modeling outputs were analyzed and compared. Four performance matrices such as Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE), and Coefficient of Determination (R2) were used to assess and evaluate the accuracy of the implemented machine learning (ML) algorithms. The prediction outputs implied that the developed EMLT model has shown better performance compared to other ML-based models, where it has the highest accuracy of 0.997, compared to the DT, kNN, CatBoost, XGBoost, LightGBM, and ANN with an accuracy of 0.989, 0.988, 0.986, 0.975, 0.873, and 0.689, respectively. Thus, the findings of this research designate that the EMLT model can be used as an effective administrative decision adding tool for forecasting the LDs. As a result, this paper emphasizes ML’s potential to aid in the advancement of computerization as a comprehensible subject of investigation within highway building projects.
Sustainable Supply Chain Management in a Circular Economy: A Bibliometric Review
Authors: Theeraworawit Monrudee , Suriyankietkaew Suparak , Hallinger Philip
Published: August 2022

Since the mid-2010s, the circular economy has emerged as a key conceptual lever in corporate efforts to achieve greater environmental sustainability. Corporations have increasingly drawn upon the circular economy perspective in efforts to rethink sustainable supply chain management practices. This new corporate approach to sustainable supply chain management is evident in an emerging literature that has yet to be fully documented. In this systematic review of research, bibliometric methods were applied to a database of 709 Scopus-indexed documents. Author co-citation analysis identified four schools of thought comprising the intellectual structure of this literature: Sustainable Production and Environmental Management, Sustainable Supply Chain Management, Reverse Supply Chain Management, and Circular Economy. Synthesis of these themes suggests that the adoption of a circular economy perspective is transforming sustainable supply chain management in two important ways. First, this perspective reorients supply chain management away from a narrow focus on efficiency and waste reduction and towards a new paradigm of redesign, reuse, and product transformation. Second, adoption of the circular economy highlights and leverages reverse cycles in the supply chain. Thus, circular economy business models enable supply chain management to enhance corporate contributions to sustainable production and consumption. Drawing upon this framing of supply chain management within a circular economy, the review proposes a new framework for accelerating corporate sustainability.
The Effect of Business Technology Strategy on Inward Export Performance in the Malaysian Higher Education Industry
Authors: Khodakarami Panteha , Zakaria Zukarnain , Jamil Rossilah , Teck Tan Seng , Mohammed Hayder Dhahir , Najmaei Mehran
Published: August 2022

Services export plays a significant role in the world economy and benefits businesses and countries. In the service sector, higher education service has become vital for countries’ economic sustainability. The flux of international students has created global business opportunities and trade networks. However, past studies have largely focused on exports within the manufacturing industry rather than service exports, particularly on the inward export service industry. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the relationship between business technology strategy, cultural sensitivity, and export performance in the higher education service industry. Data were collected from directors of international offices of 137 Malaysian higher education institutions. PLS-SEM was used for data analysis using the SmartPLS 3.2.8 software. The findings reveal that business technology strategy is positively related to cultural sensitivity and inward export performance. Furthermore, the study found that business technology strategy mediates the relationship between cultural sensitivity and inward export performance. The findings can help researchers in understanding factors that influence the inward export performance of higher education institutions. Since business technology strategy plays a mediating role in the inward export performance of higher education, this study recommends that Malaysian higher education institutions (HEIs) are equipped with the latest education-related technologies in order to increase their internationalization performance.
The Experience Economy in a Wine Destination—Analysing Visitor Reviews
Authors: Kastenholz Elisabeth , Cunha Diana , Eletxigerra Ainhize , Carvalho Mariana , Silva Isabel
Published: August 2022

Wine tourism in rural territories, sometimes organised along wine routes, increasingly attracts visitors, tourism agents, wine producers and those responsible for developing rural territories. Wine tourism is located at the intersection of two distinct business sectors: the agribusiness-oriented wine production and the hedonic service/experience-oriented tourism activity. From the tourism perspective, the visitor experience is paramount and requires an understanding of its nature, conditioning factors and possible outcomes. This study analyses tourist experiences of the Bairrada wine route/Portugal, as reported by regional visitors on TripAdvisor. Results reveal not only the overall quite positive evaluation of these experiences, but also the importance of the aesthetic and educational experience dimensions, when applying Pine and Gilmore’s consumer experience framework. Diverse experience contexts contribute to a rich terroir experiencescape, where contents are far from limited to wine, wine cellars or wineries. These contexts seem to be connected distinctly to diverse experience dimensions, whose analysis should help regional developers understand the role of core resources and conditions for attracting, satisfying and delighting visitors. Additional understanding of the relationship between experience dimensions and outcomes, namely satisfaction and destination loyalty, should further help develop wine destinations more successfully.
Agricultural Green Total Factor Productivity under the Distortion of the Factor Market in China
Authors: Yang Yang , Ma Heng , Wu Guosong
Published: August 2022

The scientific and reasonable measurement of agricultural green total factor productivity is helpful to grasp the direction of rural-factor-market reform. This study constructs a Malmquist productivity index based on a non-radial and non-angular SBM directional distance function. This study calculates the agricultural green total factor productivity of 28 provinces (cities and autonomous regions) in China from 1997 to 2020 by considering unexpected outputs such as carbon emissions and agricultural non-point-source pollution. Finally, this study uses the spatial Dobbin model to explore the spatial impact of agricultural green total factor productivity under the distortion of the factor market. The results show that the agricultural green total factor productivity, considering the unexpected outputs, is more in line with the level of high-quality green development in China’s agriculture. Regardless of whether the unexpected output is included, the increase in China’s agricultural total factor productivity is primarily due to progress in agricultural technology, and the double boost is little in agricultural technology progress and technical efficiency. Agricultural green total factor productivity shows an increasing trend, but the growth rate is slow, and differences in different regions are significant. Factor market distortion negatively impacts agricultural green total factor productivity, and other factors improve the agricultural total green factor productivity. However, factor market distortion has a particular spatial spillover effect, which hinders the synchronous growth of agricultural green total factor productivity in different regions. Therefore, the government should promote the reform of the agricultural mode of production and agricultural green production, eliminate the blocking effect of factor market distortion on the improvement in agricultural green total factor productivity, narrow the regional gap of agricultural total factor productivity, and establish a policy system for high-quality green development of modern agriculture.
Understanding the Green Total Factor Productivity of Manufacturing Industry in China: Analysis Based on the Super-SBM Model with Undesirable Outputs
Authors: Zhang Xi , Li Rui , Zhang Jinglei
Published: August 2022

Total factor productivity (TFP) is considered a source of economic growth, and as the constraints of climate change and energy security gradually increase, green total factor productivity (GTFP) is also included in the meaning of the topic. In this study, we combine the super-SBM model with the GML index and include undesirable outputs to measure the GTFP of 26 manufacturing sub-sectors in China from 2004 to 2017. The results show that in the sample period, the GTFP growth rate of China’s manufacturing continues to accelerate, and the driving force is mainly from green technological progress change (GTC), while the green technical efficiency change (GEC) generally declines. After entering the 13th Five-Year Plan period, GEC also began to show a growth trend. The acceleration of green technological progress and the improvement of green technical efficiency jointly drove the GTFP of China’s manufacturing industry to enter a rapid upward trajectory during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, with an average annual growth rate of 5.16%. In addition, different categories of China’s manufacturing industry have begun to develop in a different manner in recent years, which is mainly caused by the difference in the growth rate of green technological progress in the manufacturing industry. Specifically, the GTFP growth rate of equipment and high-tech manufacturing is the highest, followed by consumer goods manufacturing and energy-intensive manufacturing. Accordingly, this paper suggests that the manufacturing industry should further increase investment in R&D, optimize resource allocation, and formulate differentiated policies for different industries, so as to improve the GTFP of the manufacturing industry and promote the green and low-carbon transformation of China’s manufacturing industry.
Social Sustainable Urban Air Mobility in Europe
Authors: Biehle Tobias
Published: August 2022

The first step to steer passenger Urban Air Mobility (pUAM) towards the necessity of sustainability is to understand its impact on our urban transportation systems. This research emphasises the social footprint of passenger drones in scheduled operation as an early business model in European Functional Urban Areas. The literature review is guided by the corresponding Sustainable Urban Mobility Indicators (SUMI). The prospective impact which the introduction of pUAM has on the evaluation of European transportation systems regarding their affordability for the public, their inclusivity for mobility-impaired groups, their accessibility to commuters and the level of customer satisfaction is analysed. Furthermore, the impact of pUAM on the perceived quality of public urban space is examined. Results indicate the overall social footprint of passenger drones in European transport systems to be negative. Early market pUAM may lead to an unbalanced distribution of potential benefits, with services tailored to address only a limited number of citizens. Highlighting pathways for a societal benefiting technology, recommendations are provided for urban planning and city development.
Status and Individual View toward Lightning among University Students of Bangladesh
Authors: Rahman Md Mostafizur , Nabila Irtifa Alam , Sakib Mohammed Sadman , Silvia Nusrat Jahan , Galib Muhammad Abdullahil , Shobuj Ifta Alam , Hasan Lamia , Chisty Musabber Ali , Rahman Farzana , Towfiqul Islam Abu Reza Md. , Almohamad Hussein , Al-Mutiry Motrih , Abdo Hazem Ghassan
Published: August 2022

Bangladesh has seen a significant number of fatalities and injuries related to lightning in the past few years, which indicates that lightning has become a deadly hazard. This cross-sectional study aims to determine university students’ self-rated status about lightning. Additionally, it evaluates these students’ views toward lightning through knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP). A total of 1274 university students participated in an online KAP survey. Where appropriate, the Kruskal–Wallis or Mann–Whitney U test, Spearman’s rank correlation, and logistic regression models were performed. About 90% of university students perceive lightning as a dangerous event, and 38% rated their places unsafe. More than half of the survey population reported frequent lightning; most (84%) did not have lightning safety precautions, and a small portion (26%) received warning messages. Individuals encountering frequent lightning consider lightning-prone areas much more dangerous compared to the individuals encountering occasional lightning. Students living in tin sheds assessed lightning as a dangerous event (4.78 ± 0.53) and having unsafe surroundings (2.44 ± 0.98). Many individuals have enough knowledge (63%), developed positive attitudes (93%), and effective preventative practices (77%). The logistic regression analysis indicated that having adequate information and a good attitude can assist individuals in practicing lightning safety; also, student’s Gender, living with family, residential unit, university type, study year, major field, and having lightning-related subjects in university curricula as significant predictors. Females demonstrated better lightning practice than males. Additionally, lightning-related courses in university curricula are critical for educating students about lightning. Behavioral improvements among these students will require substantial lightning campaign actions coupled with effective education.
The Interplay of Attitudes, Norms and Control in Sustainable Entrepreneurship: An Experimental Analysis
Authors: Hirschfeld David , Wagner Marcus
Published: August 2022

Entrepreneurs are potentially powerful solvers of challenges faced by sustainable development, especially when they combine narrower technological expertise with wider social motivations. Yet, to what degree trade-offs exist between different motivations is still largely unresolved. In this paper, we examine the choices made by potential entrepreneurs when aligning their prospective ventures with their personal attitudes and social norms. Extending the theory of planned behavior and—as a novel experimental technique in our context—drawing on a choice-based conjoint analysis with 4155 data points, we identify predictors for sustainable entrepreneurship intentions based on structural equation modelling. We find that entrepreneurial and sustainability-related attitudes as well as entrepreneurial norms are critical when it comes to the decision as to whether or not to pursue a sustainable venture, and that the link between attitudes and intentions is amplified by a positive moderation effect of entrepreneurial and sustainability-related attitudes, which supports identity coupling but refutes moral disengagement.
Socio-Economic Drivers of Community Acceptance of Sustainable Social Housing: Evidence from Mumbai
Authors: Okitasari Mahesti , Mishra Ranjeeta , Suzuki Masachika
Published: August 2022

The impact of socio-cultural outlooks on the acceptance of sustainability measures in a low-income context should be complemented by better understanding of socio-economic drivers to bridge the gaps between policy expectation and acceptance in social housing projects. The study attempts to explore the different aspects of well-being in determining the housing satisfaction of the residents of social housing under the slum rehabilitation schemes in Mumbai. Social housing offers considerably improved social and environmental sustainability components compared to slums; however, social acceptability remains low due to their location disadvantages. Using primary data collection from the sample of 298 households in Mumbai, the paper explores the varying levels of their housing satisfaction. The study found that economic opportunity is low in slum rehabilitation, mostly reflected in the job loss of the second earner, exacerbated by the change of work after shifting to social housing. Among other factors, location, accessibility of the building, household size and opportunity for social engagement play the most critical role in deciding the households’ perceived housing satisfaction with social housing compared to slums.
Effects of COVID-19 on Travel Behavior and Mode Choice: A Case Study for the Bangkok Metropolitan Area
Authors: Zubair Hamza , Karoonsoontawong Ampol , Kanitpong Kunnawee
Published: August 2022

This research compared the primary purpose of travelling, mode choice, factors affecting mode choice, and frequency of working from home before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangkok, Thailand using statistical tests and multinomial regression modelling. The Thailand Government applied various restrictions such as limited gathering, mandatory face masks, and closure of institutes to control the pandemic’s spread. The study results show a significant difference in the purpose of primary trips, distance travelled, travel time, number of primary trips, and mode chosen for the primary trips before and during the pandemic. People shifted from working to shopping trips, public to private transport or active modes, and in-person/office work to online working during COVID-19. Male respondents showed higher chances of using public transport than female respondents and gave higher preference to pandemic-related factors for the mode selection during the pandemic. The Government should take actions based on COVID-19 measures such as mandatory face masks, contactless tickets, and sanitization disinfectant booths on every transit station to promote public transport usage. People shifted from public to active modes during the pandemic. There is a need for the improvements of the walkways and footpaths to attract people to use active modes in the future.
Do We Look for the Right Ones? An Overview of Research Priorities and Conservation Status of Dormice (Gliridae) in Central Europe
Authors: Lang Johannes , Büchner Sven , Meinig Holger , Bertolino Sandro
Published: August 2022

There are differences regarding distribution, conservation status and protection according to national and European laws and directives between the four dormouse species (Gliridae) native to Central Europe. We question the coherence between scientific knowledge and conservation status of dormice in Europe and hypothesize that the species included in the Habitats Directive have been the subject of considerable research, while those not included have been neglected, despite having an unfavourable conservation status. We did a review of the research presented at the International Conferences on Dormice from 1990–2017 and published in the scientific literature since 1950 to see for which species the most research was done and whether the Habitats Directive had an impact. The number of presentations increased over time for the Hazel (Muscardinus avellanarius, N = 200) and the Edible dormouse (Glis glis, N = 150), while those on the Garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus, N = 46) decreased until 2014 with an apparent increase only in 2017; the Forest dormouse (Dryomys nitedula, N = 67) does not show any trends. The number of published articles increased for all species except for the Garden dormouse. This focus does not adequately address the current threats of the species. The results can serve as a guide for the re-evaluation of future research priorities and conservation strategies as well as the implementation of new monitoring projects and ecological studies.