bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Supersensitive Detector of Hydrosphere Pressure Variations
Authors: Dolgikh Grigory , Budrin Sergey , Dolgikh Stanislav , Plotnikov Aleksandr
Published: December 2020

This paper presents an instrument based on an equal-arm Michelson interferometer and a frequency-stabilized helium-neon laser. It is designed to record hydrosphere pressure variations in the frequency range from 0 (conventionally) to 1000 Hz, with accuracy of 0.24 mPa at sea depths of up to 50 m. The operating range of the instrument can be increased by order of magnitude by improving the registration system speed, and accuracy can be enhanced by using larger diameter membranes and/or their smaller thickness. The paper demonstrates some experimental results obtained on the supersensitive detector of hydrosphere pressure variations, confirming its high performance in the infrasonic and sonic ranges.
Hydraulic Conductivity of Saturated Soil Medium through Time-Domain Reflectometry
Authors: Lee Seungjae , Yoon Hyung-Koo
Published: December 2020

Time-domain reflectometry (TDR) has been extensively used to study soil behaviors. The objective of this study is to propose a method for measuring hydraulic conductivity using TDR. The dielectric constant deduced from TDR is influenced by the electrical resistance of the medium, and it can be converted into the electrical resistivity of the material. Thus, the theoretical relationship between the dielectric constant and hydraulic conductivity is established because electrical resistivity is a function of hydraulic conductivity. A cell is developed for measuring both the dielectric constant and hydraulic conductivity simultaneously. Three electrodes are used to measure the reflected waveform by using the principle of TDR. The following specimens are used to verify the proposed technique: glass beads, Jumunjin sand, and soil extracted from a field. The dielectric constant is converted into hydraulic conductivity, and it is compared with the value determined by a constant-head experiment for reference. The comparison shows a high similarity. Verification is also carried out through field experiments. This study demonstrates that the proposed method is an alternative method to find the hydraulic conductivity through TDR.
Fiber Bragg Grating with Enhanced Cladding Modes Inscribed by Femtosecond Laser and a Phase Mask
Authors: Bao Weijia , Liu Shen , Feng Wenjie , Wang Yiping
Published: December 2020

In this paper, we demonstrate a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) with a wide range and a comb with continuous cladding mode resonances inscribed in non-photosensitive single mode fibers using a femtosecond laser and a phase mask. The FBG is inscribed in the core and cladding, exciting a series of cladding modes in transmission. The birefringence induced by this FBG structure offers significant polarization-dependence for cladding modes, thus allowing the vector fiber twist to be perceived. By measuring the peak-to-peak differential intensity of orthogonally polarized cladding mode resonances, the proposed sensor presents totally opposite intensity response in the anticlockwise direction for the torsion angle ranging from −45° to 45°. The cladding mode comb approximately covers wavelengths over the O-, E-, S-, and C-bands in transmission. The cutoff cladding mode of air can be observed in the spectrum. Thus, the sensible refractive index range is estimated to be from 1.00 to 1.44. Temperature responsivity of the grating is also characterized. The proposed device potentially provides new solutions to the various challenges of physical vector and bio-chemical parameters sensing.
Sensor-Based and Patient-Based Assessment of Daily-Living Physical Activity in People with Parkinson’s Disease: Do Motor Subtypes Play a Role?
Authors: Galperin Irina , Herman Talia , Assad Mira , Ganz Natalie , Mirelman Anat , Giladi Nir , Hausdorff Jeffrey M.
Published: December 2020

The benefits of daily-living physical activity are clear. Nonetheless, the relationship between physical activity levels and motor subtypes of Parkinson’s disease (PD), i.e., tremor dominant (TD) and postural instability gait difficulty (PIGD), have not been well-studied. It is also unclear if patient perspectives and motor symptom severity are related to objective, sensor-based assessment of daily-living activity in those subtypes. To address these questions, total daily-living physical activity was quantified in 73 patients with PD and 29 healthy controls using a 3D-accelerometer worn on the lower back for at least three days. We found that individuals with the PIGD subtype were significantly less active than healthy older adults (p = 0.007), unlike individuals with the TD subtype. Among the PIGD subtype, higher daily physical activity was negatively associated with more severe ON bradykinesia (rS = -0.499, p = 0.002), motor symptoms (higher ON MDS-UPDRS (Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale motor examination)-III scores), gait difficulties (rS = -0.502, p = 0.002), motor complications (rS = 0.466, p = 0.004), and balance (rS = 0.519, p = 0.001). In contrast, among the TD subtype, disease-related characteristics were not related to daily-living physical activity. Intriguingly, physical activity was not related to self-report of ADL difficulties (scores of the MDS-UPDRS Parts I or II) in both motor subtypes. These findings highlight the importance of objective daily-living physical activity monitoring and suggest that self-report does not necessarily reflect objective physical activity levels. Furthermore, the results point to important differences in factors related to physical activity in PD motor subtypes, setting the stage for personalized treatment programs.
Non-Contact Heart Rate Detection When Face Information Is Missing during Online Learning
Authors: Zheng Kun , Ci Kangyi , Cui Jinling , Kong Jiangping , Zhou Jing
Published: December 2020

Research shows that physiological signals can provide objective data support for the analysis of human emotions. At present, non-contact heart rate data have been employed in the research of medicine, intelligent transportation, smart education, etc. However, it is hard to detect heart rate data using non-contact traditional methods during head rotation, especially when face information is missing in scenarios such as online teaching/learning. Traditional remote photoplethysmography (rPPG) methods require a static, full frontal face within a fixed distance for heart rate detection. These strict requirements make it impractical to measure heart rate data in real-world scenarios, as a lot of videos only partially record the subjects’ face information, such as profile, too small distance, and wearing a mask. The current algorithm aims to solve the problem of head deflections between 30 degrees and 45 degrees by employing a symmetry substitution method, which can replace the undetected region of interest (ROI) with the detectable one. When face information is partially missing, our algorithm uses face–eye location to determine ROI. The results show that the method in this paper can solve certain practical problems related to heart rate detection, with a root mean square error (RMSE) under 7.64 bpm.
Using a Stochastic Agent Model to Optimize Performance in Divergent Interest Tacit Coordination Games
Authors: Mizrahi Dor , Zuckerman Inon , Laufer Ilan
Published: December 2020

In recent years collaborative robots have become major market drivers in industry 5.0, which aims to incorporate them alongside humans in a wide array of settings ranging from welding to rehabilitation. Improving human–machine collaboration entails using computational algorithms that will save processing as well as communication cost. In this study we have constructed an agent that can choose when to cooperate using an optimal strategy. The agent was designed to operate in the context of divergent interest tacit coordination games in which communication between the players is not possible and the payoff is not symmetric. The agent’s model was based on a behavioral model that can predict the probability of a player converging on prominent solutions with salient features (e.g., focal points) based on the player’s Social Value Orientation (SVO) and the specific game features. The SVO theory pertains to the preferences of decision makers when allocating joint resources between themselves and another player in the context of behavioral game theory. The agent selected stochastically between one of two possible policies, a greedy or a cooperative policy, based on the probability of a player to converge on a focal point. The distribution of the number of points obtained by the autonomous agent incorporating the SVO in the model was better than the results obtained by the human players who played against each other (i.e., the distribution associated with the agent had a higher mean value). Moreover, the distribution of points gained by the agent was better than any of the separate strategies the agent could choose from, namely, always choosing a greedy or a focal point solution. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to construct an intelligent agent that maximizes its utility by incorporating the belief system of the player in the context of tacit bargaining. This reward-maximizing strategy selection process based on the SVO can also be potentially applied in other human–machine contexts, including multiagent systems.
Turnaround Management of Airport Service Providers Operating during COVID-19 Restrictions
Authors: Buhusayen Bassam , Seet Pi-Shen , Coetzer Alan
Published: December 2020

Many sectors worldwide have been impacted by government restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, restrictions on travel have resulted in major losses for organizations operating within the aviation sector. This study aims to emphasize the challenges faced by these organizations while they implement turnaround management strategies. The study is based on 30 semi-structured interviews with frontline managers working for airline service providers in three different departments of an airport in Australia. The organization has implemented several turnaround management strategies to survive the crisis caused by COVID-19 restrictions, creating new challenges for its work environment. Our findings indicate that the frontline managers faced two main challenges during and after the implementation of turnaround management strategies. First, inadequate human resources, caused by a lack of personnel resources and poor leadership selection. Second, a lack of communication, caused by excluding frontline managers from the turnaround management planning stage; poor sharing of information during the implementation stage; inadequate direction of frontline managers; and a lack of feedback channels regarding the change process. Based on its findings, the study recommends building a frontline manager task force and creating a strategic communication plan for frontline and senior managers.
Exploring Factors Affecting Sustainable Innovation Performance of Food Firms. A Case of Korean Food Industry
Authors: Jeong Harry , Shin Kwangsoo
Published: December 2020

This study examines the influence of government support, research and development (R&D) investment and cooperation networks on sustainable innovation performance of the medium-sized food firms in South Korea. Climate change, population growth, lifestyle change and consumer demands for new products allow firms to explore innovation for sustainable growth. In the food industry, where various stakeholders are involved in the value chain, government support, R&D investment and cooperation are affecting firms’ sustainable performance. However, there are few empirical studies that examine the relationship among them, especially regarding medium-sized food firms. This study aimed to analyze data regarding Korean food firms through a structural equation model. To overcome data scarcity, this study collected new data for 67 medium-sized food firms. The data is matched with the firms’ 10-year data on management, innovation performance, and cooperation networks. This study can contribute to filling the literature gap by exploring what innovation strategies should be used to improve food SMEs’ innovation performance in the latecomer countries, which have developed their food industries relatively recently.
Introducing TED Talks as a Pedagogical Resource in Sport Management Education through YouTube and LinkedIn
Authors: López-Carril Samuel , Añó Vicente , González-Serrano María Huertas
Published: December 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the educational sector, pushing it towards teaching–learning methodologies where the online aspect takes on special importance. In this sense, social media are tools that facilitate the creation of meaningful and sustainable learning environments. This study shares an educational experience where TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Talks are introduced as a pedagogical resource through YouTube and LinkedIn in a sport management course. A total of five TED Talks are viewed and discussed by the students in order to develop their professional profile, assisted by a set of initial questions posed by faculty. To assess the impact of the experience, a new scale is created and then validated. The analyses performed reflected the unidimensional nature of this scale, explaining the 64.36% of the variance, and presenting good psychometric properties (α = 0.95). Furthermore, the results obtained reflect the educational potential of TED Talks in the context of sport management, with increases in the averages of all the items from the scale, with significant (p < 0.05) increases in six of them. Both the new validated instrument and the shared pedagogical proposal can be valuable to guide and evaluate future educational experiences which introduce TED Talks as a pedagogical resource in sport management education.
Building Sustainably: A Pilot Study on the Project Manager’s Contribution in Delivering Sustainable Construction Projects—A Maltese and International Perspective
Authors: Borg Ruth , Dalli Gonzi Rebecca , Borg Simon
Published: December 2020

Despite ample technological advancements, the building industry is still seen as an unsustainable activity. To counteract this, building development is now being requested to be more sustainable. Due to the increasing complexity of sustainable projects’ criteria, the project manager’s role, tasked with the overall management of a building’s different development phases, is changing, becoming increasingly crucial for the attainment of pre-established sustainability goals. Based on this premise, the research presented in this paper is a pilot study set to preliminarily establish and identify a set of project management processes and supporting practices from existing literature, and gauge their significance and possible added value provided. This was done via a purposely designed questionnaire distributed locally, in Malta, and globally amongst established project managers. Notwithstanding the preliminary nature of the study some interesting results were obtained. Among the main outcomes of the study, it is observed how all respondents are very aware about sustainability issues and that their decision-making role places them in an optimum position to bring forward a sustainability agenda for a particular project. In terms of intervention, pre-construction (43%) and construction (28%) were considered to be the main stages were a project manager usually gives the highest input. However, various challenges were also highlighted by the respondents, including clients’ refusal to commit increased capital (34%), the requirement for further training (33%), and the lack of incentives aimed towards increasing the sustainability of projects (22%).
Ecosystem Services: The Landscape-Ecological Base and Examples
Authors: Miklós László , Špinerová Anna , Belčáková Ingrid , Offertálerová Monika , Miklósová Viktória
Published: December 2020

The major problems of our environment have become mainstream themes in everyday life of the society, with corresponding moral, political, and financial consequences. The concept of ecosystem services (ESS) surely belongs to such mainstream popular topics regarded also by EU environmental strategies. Moreover, the right assessment and utilisation of ESS are without any doubt one of the precondition of sustainable development. In general, we can say that this concept has important influence on the spheres of economics and politics; these formulate demands towards the science, and consecutively, the science efforts to answer these demands. The paper is aimed at two goals: the first one is to zoom in on the landscape-ecological concept of ESS by the geosystem approach, for the correct understanding of the basic terms, such as as ecosystem, geosystem, landscape, utility values, and services. The second goal is to present examples of several types of ESS evaluation in different study areas using the integrated landscape-ecological (geosystem) approach. The methods used are based on the geosystem approach to the landscape; the process is based on the methods of landscape ecological planning. The results are the assessment of 4 types of ecosystem services on study areas.
Relationships among Ethical Commitment, Ethical Climate, Sustainable Procurement Practices, and SME Performance: An PLS-SEM Analysis
Authors: Mazharul Islam Md. , Alharthi Majed
Published: December 2020

Although plenty of discussions have been conducted on the importance of top management’s ethical commitment (TMEC), companies’ ethical climate (EC), sustainable procurement practices (SPP) and organizational performance, empirical studies to explain the mechanism through which the top management’s ethical commitment generates favorable performance for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are still not yet established. Constructing a formal theory, we recommend that TMEC contributes to SMEs’ performance by promoting the company’s EC and SPP. This hypothetical outline was empirically tested using a sample of SMEs in Saudi Arabia. This study tested hypotheses using structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Our analysis shows that TMEC significantly predicts companies’ EC and SPP, which then fully mediate the effects of TMEC on SMEs’ non-financial performance (NFP). This research supports the reasonable theoretical statement that TMEC boosts SME performance by providing empirical validation. The results also show that TMEC, the company’s EC, and SPP impact SMEs’ performance directly, except for the impacts of SPP on FP.
Teacher and Context Factors Associated with the Educational Use of ICT: A Costa Rican Case Study
Authors: Brenes-Monge Melania María , Fernández-Martínez María del Mar , Pérez-Esteban María Dolores , Carrión-Martínez José Juan
Published: December 2020

This paper studies the factors that influence the progress of teachers in Costa Rica with regards to their educational use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in teaching and learning processes with their students. It addresses both the analysis of factors related to the figure of the teacher, their professional profile, and other factors that are external to them and are related to the context in which they practice. A qualitative method involving a case study of seven teachers was selected according to relevant and maximum variation sampling based on expert criteria. The information was collected utilizing in-depth interviews and systematic observation. The analysis of the information was based on the qualitative data analysis software program ATLAS.ti. The results highlight two categories of factors, those of the teacher, such as vocation, beliefs, teaching model, desire for personal fulfillment, or personal issues, and those of context, such as technical support and support of the management structure of the school, with more significant influence on the processes of appropriation and use of ICT in teaching practices of those factors linked to the teachers themselves.
The Economic Value of the Ecosystem Services of Beekeeping in the Czech Republic
Authors: Vrabcová Pavla , Hájek Miroslav
Published: December 2020

Beekeeping is an important part of the bioeconomy. Throughout its existence, it has been one of the fields of human endeavour that contributes to sustainability. It has significant benefits for society, both economically and environmentally. Most (90%) of honeybees’ benefit to humankind lies in their pollination capacity, and only 10% lies in bee products (honey, propolis, wax, etc.). The research presented was carried out in the conditions of the Czech Republic in the first half of 2020 through a questionnaire survey within a Google Form, which was aimed at beekeepers. The aim of this paper is, based on a questionnaire survey, to evaluate ecosystem services of beekeeping from the perspective of beekeepers, including the valuation of selected types of ecosystem services. The results show that in the Czech Republic, the most common reason for beekeeping is as a hobby (34.18%). As expected, the demand for pollination is very low compared to other countries (11.6%). From the point of view of the benefits of ecosystem services, the questionnaire survey showed that the most important benefit is the pollination of cultivated and other plants (54.7%) and honeybee products (24.8%). The value of all selected ecosystem services totals 3,646,368 CZK. The results show that state support is needed, which should address the negative demographic development of beekeepers and thus ensure the production of ecosystem services.
Effect of Basket Height Adaptation on Technical–Tactical Skills, Self-Efficacy, Cooperation, and Students’ Perception in a Basketball Unit
Authors: Ortega-Toro Enrique , Gimenez-Egido Jose Maria , Verdu-Conesa Isidro , Palao Jose Manuel
Published: December 2020

The adaptation of sports equipment seeks to adjust the learning environment to students’ characteristics. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of adapting the basket height on the execution and decision-making of technical–tactical skills, self-efficacy, cooperation, and students’ perception in a basketball unit. A quasi-experimental design with a control group, pre-test, and post-test was carried out in an eight-session basketball unit. The control group completed the tasks with a basket height of 3.05 m, and the experimental group completed the tasks with a basket height of 2.80 m. The execution and decision-making involved in passing, shooting, and one-on-one situations, students’ self-efficacy, and cooperation were assessed before and after the basketball unit. Students’ perception was assessed throughout the basketball unit. The use of an adapted basket height promoted better execution, more occurrence, and more efficacy for shooting, as well as an increase in the specific individual self-efficacy. The use of the standard basket height involved different technical and tactical solutions by the students as well as an increase in the occurrence and efficacy in one-on-one situations. The students in the control group did not increase their specific individual self-efficacy. The scaled equipment resulted in more variability in the solutions performed by the students (balance between shooting and one-on-one actions).
An AHP-Based Methodology for Decision Support in Integrated Interventions in School Buildings
Authors: Fiore Pierfrancesco , Donnarumma Giuseppe , Falce Carmelo , D’Andria Emanuela , Sicignano Claudia
Published: December 2020

The recovery and requalification of built heritage are, in Europe and all over the world, a central issue in relation to current international policies. In recent years, there has been a considerable growth in research within this field, favoring the implementation of intervention methodologies in the real estate assets of public and private property. With this study, we intend to focus attention on the redevelopment of existing school buildings, taking into account, from an integrated perspective, different aspects related to energy and environmental retrofit, the improvement of seismic safety, and socio-economic assessments. A significant impact of the study that was carried out will be favoring the more disadvantaged classes and a reduction in school drop-out, which in some cases is caused by the decentralized dislocation of the complexes or by inadequate structures. The research consists of the development of a tool to support the planning and programming of interventions for school building modernization, with a view to environmental, economic, and social sustainability. In order to take into account the multiplicity of the aspects considered, among the methods of multi-criteria analysis for decision-making aims the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method was applied, which allowed us to analyze and compare different alternatives through evaluation criteria, reaching the definition of a priority scale. This process makes it possible to identify those interventions that achieve the best compromise between community needs and the planners’ goals. The evaluation procedure is validated through the application on a concrete case study, which is a school building located in the province of Avellino, in the south of Italy.
Mapping the Potential Global Distribution of Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta Buren) Based on a Machine Learning Method
Authors: Chen Shuai , Ding Fangyu , Hao Mengmeng , Jiang Dong
Published: December 2020

As one of the most notorious invasive species, the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta Buren) has many adverse impacts on biodiversity, environment, agriculture, and human health. Mapping the potential global distribution of S. invicta becomes increasingly important for the prevention and control of its invasion. By combining the most comprehensive occurrence records with an advanced machine learning method and a variety of geographical, climatic, and human factors, we have produced the potential global distribution maps of S. invicta at a spatial resolution of 5 × 5 km2. The results revealed that the potential distribution areas of S. invicta were primarily concentrated in southeastern North America, large parts of South America, East and Southeast Asia, and Central Africa. The deforested areas in Central Africa and the Indo-China Peninsula were particularly at risk from S. invicta invasion. In addition, this study found that human factors such as nighttime light and urban accessibility made considerable contributions to the boosted regression tree (BRT) model. The results provided valuable insights into the formulation of quarantine policies and prevention measures.
Impact Evaluation of the Provision of Social Housing on the Use of Social Services by Homeless People in the Czech Republic
Authors: Glumbikova Katerina , Rusnok Pavel , Mikulec Marek
Published: December 2020

The Czech Republic has recently experienced a growing number of homeless people, which leads to the need to evaluate the impact of social housing on the living conditions of its users. At present, there is no existing law on social housing in the Czech Republic and the agenda of assistance to the homeless is thus carried out mainly by social services. For these reasons, the paper intends to evaluate the impact of social housing on the homeless in the Czech Republic in a specific area of the use of social services. Based on a quantitative research survey of 147 social housing dwellers after moving in and after 12 months, the impact of social housing on the use of social services was determined, which was put into context with the trend of using social work services in social housing. Research results show that the provision of social housing leads to an overall decrease of the social work utilization and (possible) increase in client self-sufficiency, which can result in strong economic impacts of social housing in the form of savings on social work provision.
Information as the First Attribute of Accessibility: A Method for Assessing the Information Provided by Urban Rail Systems to Tourists with Reduced Mobility
Authors: Ferreira Amanda Fernandes , Akasaka Yuka , Greiner de Oliveira Pinheiro Mirian , Chang S. K. Jason
Published: December 2020

It is estimated that more than one billion people worldwide have some form of disability, and that number is expected to rise as the population ages. A lack of accessible transport can represent a challenge to commuting citizens and it can also inhibit tourists with reduced mobility. Online information about accessibility is the first point of contact that tourists have with their destination and it should therefore be considered an attribute of accessibility. In that context, this paper aims to: (a) propose a method for classifying the information about accessibility provided by the official websites of public transport systems; and (b) present and discuss the results of the application of the method to the official websites of 212 urban rail systems around the world. The results suggest that, despite it being the first indication of destination accessibility, many cities do not provide or provide unclear or insufficient information for tourists with reduced mobility on their official websites. Moreover, few official websites provide information on accessibility around stations or in the case of transfers. This novel method proved to be suitable for classifying the websites, as well as identifying aspects of the information provision that can be improved.
Analysis of Alternatives for Sustainable Stormwater Management in Small Developments of Polish Urban Catchments
Authors: Boguniewicz-Zabłocka Joanna , Capodaglio Andrea G.
Published: December 2020

Sustainable stormwater management approaches in accordance with the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) allow a source control to handle the quality and quantity of the runoff at local level or near the source. The most popular technologies applied in Europe are green roofs, porous pavements, retention basins and bioswales/raingardens. In this article, two of these solutions (retention tank with reuse, and rain garden, respectively), applied to single dwelling case studies in a suburban area in the Silesia Region (Poland), are illustrated and analyzed. The selected cases consider technical and economic aspects as the most important factors for decision on the selection of onsite stormwater management approach. Both systems have been operational for approximately two years. The retention tank proved a good solution, reducing stormwater overflows and allowing local water reuse for lawn irrigation; however, investment and maintenance costs in this case are relatively higher. The raingarden proved to work efficiently in this small scale implementation and implied much lower initial investment and costs. The economic sustainability of these interventions at single dwelling scale was analyzed, showing interesting returns, with outcome depending on the degree of possible water reuse (lower water bills) and availability of fiscal or fee incentives. Introduction of financial incentive schemes will encourage homeowners and developers to implement stormwater control solutions, allowing rapid amortization of investment costs with additional benefits to the community, such as reduced environmental impact of stormwater overflows and possible economies in the construction and management of stormwater systems.
Improving the Management of Tourist Destinations: A New Approach to Strategic Management at the DMO Level by Integrating Lean Techniques
Authors: Foris Diana , Florescu Adriana , Foris Tiberiu , Barabas Sorin
Published: December 2020

Destination management organizations have a key role to play in the governance of tourism destinations, in managing destination networks and in ensuring good cooperation between stakeholders. Although, destination management organizations (DMOs) are atypical organizations, their operations are evaluated according to their organizational efficiency and effectiveness. This study aims to propose a framework to improve the management of the tourist destination through an innovative approach that interconnects strategic management and Lean techniques to increase efficiency and productivity in operational processes, organizational efficiency and effectiveness at the DMO level. The framework developed in this study interconnects the analysis of the internal environment through the Value Chain and the Lean Six Sigma methods identified to be suitable for application in the management of the tourist destination. Testing of the practical application of this framework was done for Association for the Promotion and Development of Tourism (APDT), which is the DMO that ensures the management of the tourist destination of Brasov, Romania. The research contributes to the optimization of the processes at the DMO’s level. The framework developed in this study can be implemented by practitioners to improve the management of the tourist destination. The paper also offers future research directions.
Teachable Moments in News Media—An Analysis of Audience Awareness, Enjoyment, Interest, Opinion Formation, and Understanding (AEIOU) toward Science
Authors: Wu Leon Yufeng , Wu Shannah Pinhsuan , Chang Chun-Yen
Published: December 2020

In light of the increased time spent by people on watching the news via social media, what might be the communication impacts if science education could help in producing science news media for the public? The present study compared the audience levels of awareness, enjoyment, interest, opinion formation, and understanding (AEIOU) toward science experimentally between two groups: the general science communication (GSC) group (i.e., participants with general daily science news digestion) and the science edu-communication (SEC) group (i.e., participants who watched science news videos produced jointly by science educators, scientists, and news media production teams). As a result, those in the SEC group showed significantly higher levels of “interest”, formed more scientific “opinions”, and had better “understanding” than the GSC participants. In terms of creating an “additional opportunity” to develop science news media sustainably for the public, the present study confirms more salient outcomes when science educators are involved in the production of science news media.
Citizen Science as Part of the Primary School Curriculum: A Case Study of a Technical Day on the Topic of Noise and Health
Authors: Kocman David , Števanec Tjaša , Novak Rok , Kranjec Natalija
Published: December 2020

In this paper, we summarise lessons learned conducting citizen science (CS) activities within the CitieS-Health H2020 project on the topic of noise exposure and health at a primary school in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Activities were organised in the form of a School Tech-Day Event (STDE) as part of the school’s curriculum involving second-grade pupils, ages 7–8. The STDE was aligned with the project’s methodological framework, which is based on co-creation and co-design principles. To this end, the pupils initially were involved in identifying noise-related issues and translation of selected topics into research questions. Next, together with mentors, they participated in the process of hypothesis formulation and the designing of data collection protocols. Finally, they participated in three focussed noise measurement experiments, as well as data analysis and presentation. We report and critically evaluate the whole chain of activities, focussing on the participant dimension using selected components of the citizen science evaluation framework. The event was very well-received by both pupils and teachers, and their active participation and hands-on experience with scientific processes contributed to their improved scientific literacy. Overall, the demonstrated concept of CS activities has great potential for ongoing inclusion in the school curriculum in its current format, or else adjusted according to specifics from other science and technology fields.
Integrated Nutrient Management Enhances Soil Quality and Crop Productivity in Maize-Based Cropping System
Authors: Abid Muhammad , Batool Tahira , Siddique Ghulam , Ali Shafaqat , Binyamin Rana , Shahid Munazzam Jawad , Rizwan Muhammad , Alsahli Abdulaziz Abdullah , Alyemeni Mohammed Nasser
Published: December 2020

Soil quality deterioration, especially in intensive cropping systems, has become a serious problem for crop productivity; consequently, strategies for sustainable crop production and soil health are urgently required. Experiments on fields were organized to investigate the impact of organic manures on crop productivity, soil physiochemical properties and soil water availability in a maize-based cropping system. The experiment consisted of five treatments, including organic manures (OM) and inorganic nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) fertilizers applied separately and in combinations: NPK = 250-150-125 Kg/ha (recommended rate), farmyard manure (FYM) = 16 t/ha, poultry manure (PM) = 13 t/ha, NPK + FYM = 150-85-50 Kg/ha + 8.5 t/ha and NPK + PM = 150-85-50 Kg/ha + 7.0 t/ha. The results showed that the combination of OM with mineral fertilizers increased crop productivity, fertilizer use efficiency and yield sustainability indices over the treatments amended with sole application of mineral fertilizers and OM. The analysis of undisturbed soil samples during different crop growth stages revealed that the addition of OM decreased the bulk density and increased the pore volume of soil at the beds of 0–20 and 20–40 cm. The application of OM to the soil not only increased saturated hydraulic conductivity of the soil but also improved total available and readily available water contents to the plants, especially when FYM was included at 16 t ha−1. Soil-water retention properties recorded over the entire seven-day monitoring period following irrigation in the OM-amended treatments were consistently higher than the sole mineral NPK application treatments. When testing the soil nutrient status during different crop growth stages, it was noted that by adding OM into the soil not only the status of the organic carbon of soil, extractable N and K and available P contents is increased, but the duration of their availability to the plants are also enhanced. The results of the study show that organic manures addition is of major significance for maintaining soil quality and crop production sustainably, and should be advocated in the nutrient management strategies of intensive water- and nutrient-demanding cropping systems.
Reflecting on an Integrated Approach for Transport and Spatial Planning as a Pathway to Sustainable Urbanization
Authors: Lee Juhyun
Published: December 2020

An integrated approach to transport and spatial development has been promoted over the past decades not only in North America and Europe but also in rapidly growing cities in Asia as a means to achieve sustainable urbanization. Some fundamental issues are yet to be discussed. To what extent does land use and transport integration (LUTI) meet its goals including triggering sustainable land use and enhancing environmental quality? What are the key barriers and opportunities to achieving broader social outcomes such as wellbeing of local populations? This paper critically reflects on LUTI planning and practice in rapidly developing cities with focus on ongoing challenges and opportunities to facilitating sustainable urban development. It points out that without establishing institutional harmonization between spatial and transport planning, LUTI policies are hardly implemented, thus rarely resulting in effective and sustainable land use. Moreover, enhancing the social outcomes by an integrated planning approach requires development control that facilitates various actors to embed quality criteria in development around nodes. Balancing development incentives and restrictive measures for development is critical. Finally, to facilitate sustainable outcomes across varied localities in cities, bottom-up and top-down planning approaches need to be reconciled through the strategic and operational phase of transport projects.
The Need for New Product Development Capabilities from Digitalization, Sustainability, and Servitization Trends
Authors: Hallstedt Sophie , Isaksson Ola , Öhrwall Rönnbäck Anna
Published: December 2020

Apparent from the latest pandemic, the dynamics and rate of change in society accelerate on a global scale. Ongoing mega-trends in society, such as digitalization, sustainability, and servitization, fundamentally changes the conditions for manufacturers when developing and providing new products. This study clarifies the combined impact and consequences on product development capabilities in manufacturing firms of the three mega-trends: (i) digitalization, (ii) sustainability, and (iii) servitization. The research is based on a pre-study, complemented with a semi-structured interview study at small, medium-sized, and large Swedish-based manufacturing companies, and a systematic literature review. The research makes evident that the main challenge is to empower engineers and development teams to model, present, evaluate, and develop expected and smart digitalized solutions in a time-limited environment and prioritize the most resource efficient and sustainable solution. Therefore, four complementary support resources are suggested: (i) a knowledge management platform, (ii) a data management platform, (iii) a set of criteria and metrics measuring progression, and (iv) support methods and tools to define, model, and evaluate solutions. When integrated into a digital platform, developers can simultaneously access and process the necessary information needed for sustainable, digitalized, and servitized solutions.
When Populists Govern the Country: Strategies of Legitimization of Anti-Immigration Policies in Salvini’s Italy
Authors: Cervi Laura , Tejedor Santiago , Alencar Dornelles Mariana
Published: December 2020

The study aims at disclosing the narrative of immigration and the construction of the otherness in Italian Interior Minister, Matteo Salvini’s discourse, geared towards the legitimization of anti-immigration policies. For this purpose, the author analyzes a sample of the Italian Interior Minister’s discourses related to three cases of migrant landings, drawing on Proximization Theory, revealing how the concepts of closeness and remoteness are manipulated for the construction of threat and the legitimization of negative political response. The study concludes that Salvini’s discourse presents all the classic characteristics of populism. It depicts virtuous and hardworking people threatened by the “others”, them “illegals” who are not “legitimate refugees”, along with inventing a new antagonist “other”, the rescue NGOs that are framed as criminals, justifying their criminalization.
Climate Change Denial among Radical Right-Wing Supporters
Authors: Jylhä Kirsti M. , Strimling Pontus , Rydgren Jens
Published: December 2020

The linkage between political right-wing orientation and climate change denial is extensively studied. However, previous research has almost exclusively focused on the mainstream right, which differs from the far right (radical and extreme) in some important domains. Thus, we investigated correlates of climate change denial among supporters of a radical right-wing party (Sweden Democrats, N = 2216), a mainstream right-wing party (the Conservative Party, Moderaterna, N = 634), and a mainstream center-left party (Social Democrats, N = 548) in Sweden. Across the analyses, distrust of public service media (Swedish Television, SVT), socioeconomic right-wing attitudes, and antifeminist attitudes outperformed the effects of anti-immigration attitudes and political distrust in explaining climate change denial, perhaps because of a lesser distinguishing capability of the latter mentioned variables. For example, virtually all Sweden Democrat supporters oppose immigration. Furthermore, the effects of party support, conservative ideologies, and belief in conspiracies were relatively weak, and vanished or substantially weakened in the full models. Our results suggest that socioeconomic attitudes (characteristic for the mainstream right) and exclusionary sociocultural attitudes and institutional distrust (characteristic for the contemporary European radical right) are important predictors of climate change denial, and more important than party support per se.
ESG Indicators as Organizational Performance Goals: Do Rating Agencies Encourage a Holistic Approach?
Authors: Veenstra Esmee M. , Ellemers Naomi
Published: December 2020

Offering environmental, social, and governance (ESG) assessment and certification can invite organizations to adapt their activities to accommodate environmental, social, and governance concerns. Prior research points to shortcomings in accurately monitoring and assessing organizational sustainability performance. This contribution aims to highlight the role of ESG indicators as motivating organizations to prioritize sustainability goals. Theory and research elucidate that the definition of specific goals guides the degree of effort organizations invest, the priorities they set, and the persistence they display in pursuing targeted outcomes. The extent to which performance assessments of rating agencies specify and integrate ESG concerns thus impacts the likelihood that organizations will address each of these sustainability targets. The likely impact of ESG indicators was examined by consulting ratings, rankings, and indexes from 130 rating agencies included in the Reporting Exchange Platform. We identified and categorized 237 unique indicators in over 600 corporate ESG indicators. Results reveal that themes covered are less well specified in the governance domain than in the environmental and social domain. Further, different dimensions are emphasized depending on which stakeholder is addressed (investors, consumers, companies). Taken together, we conclude that this makes it more difficult for organizations to adopt a holistic approach to the achievement of sustainability goals.
Physical Activity, Exercise Prescription for Health and Home-Based Rehabilitation
Authors: Loellgen Herbert , Zupet Petra , Bachl Norbert , Debruyne Andre
Published: December 2020

The aim of this overview was to recommend individual training plans using exercise prescriptions for adults and older adults during home-based rehabilitation. Over the last decade, many regular physical activity studies with large prospective cohorts have been conducted. Taken together, more than a million subjects have been included in these exercise studies. The risk of morbidity and mortality has been reduced by 30% to 40% as a result of exercise. These risk reductions hold true for many diseases, as well as for prevention and rehabilitation. Physical activity has also been in the treatment of many diseases, such as cardiopulmonary, metabolic or neurologic/psychiatric diseases, all with positive results. Based on these results, the prescription of exercise was developed and is now known as the exercise prescription for health in many European countries. Details have been published by the European Federation of Sports Medicine Associations (EFSMA). The exercise prescription is strongly recommended for inpatients, discharged patients and outpatients who have recovered from severe diseases. Rehabilitation improves general health, physical fitness, quality of life and may increase longevity of life.