bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
FLEX-IoT: Secure and Resource-Efficient Network Boot System for Flexible-IoT Platform
Authors: Park Keon-Ho , Kim Seong-Jin , Yun Joobeom , Lim Seung-Ho , Park Ki-Woong
Published: March 2021

In an internet of things (IoT) platform with a copious number of IoT devices and active variation of operational purpose, IoT devices should be able to dynamically change their system images to play various roles. However, the employment of such features in an IoT platform is hindered by several factors. Firstly, the trivial file transfer protocol (TFTP), which is generally used for network boot, has major security vulnerabilities. Secondly, there is an excessive demand for the server during the network boot, since there are numerous IoT devices requesting system images according to the variation of their roles, which exerts a heavy network overhead on the server. To tackle these challenges, we propose a system termed FLEX-IoT. The proposed system maintains a FLEX-IoT orchestrater which uses an IoT platform operation schedule to flexibly operate the IoT devices in the platform. The IoT platform operation schedule contains the schedules of all the IoT devices on the platform, and the FLEX-IoT orchestrater employs this schedule to flexibly change the mode of system image transfer at each moment. FLEX-IoT consists of a secure TFTP service, which is fully compatible with the conventional TFTP, and a resource-efficient file transfer method (adaptive transfer) to streamline the system performance of the server. The proposed secure TFTP service comprises of a file access control and attacker deception technique. The file access control verifies the identity of the legitimate IoT devices based on the hash chain shared between the IoT device and the server. FLEX-IoT provides security to the TFTP for a flexible IoT platform and minimizes the response time for network boot requests based on adaptive transfer. The proposed system was found to significantly increase the attack-resistance of TFTP with little additional overhead. In addition, the simulation results show that the volume of transferred system images on the server decreased by 27% on average, when using the proposed system.
Swarm Robotics: A Perspective on the Latest Reviewed Concepts and Applications
Authors: Dias Pollyanna G. Faria , Silva Mateus C. , Rocha Filho Geraldo P. , Vargas Patrícia A. , Cota Luciano P. , Pessin Gustavo
Published: March 2021

Known as an artificial intelligence subarea, Swarm Robotics is a developing study field investigating bio-inspired collaborative control approaches and integrates a huge collection of agents, reasonably plain robots, in a distributed and decentralized manner. It offers an inspiring essential platform for new researchers to be engaged and share new knowledge to examine their concepts in analytical and heuristic strategies. This paper introduces an overview of current activities in Swarm Robotics and examines the present literature in this area to establish to approach between a realistic swarm robotic system and real-world enforcements. First, we review several Swarm Intelligence concepts to define Swarm Robotics systems, reporting their essential qualities and features and contrast them to generic multi-robotic systems. Second, we report a review of the principal projects that allow realistic study of Swarm Robotics. We demonstrate knowledge regarding current hardware platforms and multi-robot simulators. Finally, the forthcoming promissory applications and the troubles to surpass with a view to achieving them have been described and analyzed.
Towards Aircraft Maintenance Metaverse Using Speech Interactions with Virtual Objects in Mixed Reality
Authors: Siyaev Aziz , Jo Geun-Sik
Published: March 2021

Metaverses embedded in our lives create virtual experiences inside of the physical world. Moving towards metaverses in aircraft maintenance, mixed reality (MR) creates enormous opportunities for the interaction with virtual airplanes (digital twin) that deliver a near-real experience, keeping physical distancing during pandemics. 3D twins of modern machines exported to MR can be easily manipulated, shared, and updated, which creates colossal benefits for aviation colleges who still exploit retired models for practicing. Therefore, we propose mixed reality education and training of aircraft maintenance for Boeing 737 in smart glasses, enhanced with a deep learning speech interaction module for trainee engineers to control virtual assets and workflow using speech commands, enabling them to operate with both hands. With the use of the convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture for audio features and learning and classification parts for commands and language identification, the speech module handles intermixed requests in English and Korean languages, giving corresponding feedback. Evaluation with test data showed high accuracy of prediction, having on average 95.7% and 99.6% on the F1-Score metric for command and language prediction, respectively. The proposed speech interaction module in the aircraft maintenance metaverse further improved education and training, giving intuitive and efficient control over the operation, enhancing interaction with virtual objects in mixed reality.
Towards a Smart & Sustainable Campus: An Application-Oriented Architecture to Streamline Digitization and Strengthen Sustainability in Academia
Authors: Martins Pedro , Lopes Sérgio Ivan , Rosado da Cruz António Miguel , Curado António
Published: March 2021

The concept of the Internet of Things (IoT) has been a recurrent view of the physical technological environment, in the light of which it is expected that everyday artifacts are connected, enhancing the availability and ubiquity of “smart” services. Higher education institutions can be seen as a privileged ecosystem for the development of intelligent and smart solutions, due to its dynamic and everyday changing environment, which includes not only physical infrastructures, digital services, but also people, i.e., students, researchers, lecturers, and staff. This work introduces an Application-oriented Architecture-AoA that has been designed to streamline the design and development of “smart” solutions inside the campus, by focusing on the Application side and reshaping the concept of “service” to a piece of “functionality” with a clear and objective purpose, rather than the classic and conventional approach, more focused on the development or technical sides. The proposed approach provides the mechanism to have multiple applications interacting and sharing data and functionalities, ensuring coexistence between new and legacy systems that are in use on the campus, removing the major drawbacks that basic monolithic applications typically require. The generic AoA model is described and the procedure to create a new application is systematized. Lastly, three case studies (RnMonitor, Refill_H2O, and BiRa) are presented end elaborated using the AoA procedure designed to create a new application.
Trade-Offs between Agricultural Production, GHG Emissions and Income in a Changing Climate, Technology, and Food Demand Scenario
Authors: Shirsath Paresh B. , Aggarwal Pramod K.
Published: March 2021

Climate-smart agriculture targets integrated adaptation and mitigation strategies for delivering food security and greenhouse gas emissions reduction. This study outlines a methodology to identify the trade-offs between food production, emissions, and income under technology and food demand-shift scenario and climate change. The methodology uses Climate Smart Agricultural Prioritization (CSAP) toolkit a multi-objective land-use allocation model, and detailed databases, characterizing the agricultural production processes at the land-unit scale. A case study has also been demonstrated for Bihar, a state in India. The quantification of trade-offs demonstrates that under different technology growth pathways alone the food self-sufficiency for Bihar cannot be achieved whilst the reduction in emission intensity targets are achievable up to 2040. However, both food self-sufficiency and reduction in emission intensity can be achieved if we relax constraints on dietary demand and focus on kilo-calories maximization targets. The district-level analysis shows that food self-sufficiency and reduction in emission intensity targets can be achieved at a local scale through efficient crop-technology portfolios.
Evaluating Corporate Performance and Bank Productivity in China: The Moderating Role of Independent Directors
Authors: Khan Israr , Wang Mansi
Published: March 2021

Corporate governance (CG) is not an abstract goal. It exists to serve the bank’s purpose by giving a framework through which investors, directors, and the top management can efficiently follow its objectives. Subsequently, it boosts the financial performance of the bank for its shareholders. This paper explores CG and its impacts on financial performance from the evidence collected from selected commercial banks (CB) in China. The data sample for this research comprises selected CBs in China for the period from 2008 to 2019. Applying selection standards provides us a data sample of 17 CBs. We employed the generalized method of moments (GMM) regression model constructed on 170 observations to identify the variables’ relationship. Our findings show that female independent directors positively and significantly affect bank financial performance. Despite the literature review, we found that the existence of female directors alone does not positively and significantly improve banks’ financial performance. The finding suggests that female directors are more efficient when they are selected as independent directors. The findings show that CEO duality affects bank financial performance positively and significantly. CEO duality strengthens the financial performance of CBs because of the solidarity of the order it presents. The results also show that CEO shareholding and financial performance of Chinese CBs have a positively significant bond with each other. This result suggests that a blend of CG instruments is more impressive than one CG component. The investigation results added a new dimension to the governance literature that could be an important source of knowledge for policymakers and regulators to improve the current governance structure for better performance across countries. This paper support principal-agent theory and the author also provide some help for the theories that regulators should support gender quotas in the board of directors of banks to decrease risk-taking behavior.
Local Dynamic Path Planning for an Ambulance Based on Driving Risk and Attraction Field
Authors: Zong Fang , Zeng Meng , Cao Yang , Liu Yixuan
Published: March 2021

Path planning is one of the most important aspects for ambulance driving. A local dynamic path planning method based on the potential field theory is presented in this paper. The potential field model includes two components—repulsive potential and attractive potential. Repulsive potential includes road potential, lane potential and obstacle potential. Considering the driving distinction between an ambulance and a regular vehicle, especially in congested traffic, an adaptive potential function for a lane line is constructed in association with traffic conditions. The attractive potential is constructed with target potential, lane-velocity potential and tailgating potential. The design of lane-velocity potential is to characterize the influence of velocity on other lanes so as to prevent unnecessary lane-changing behavior for the sake of time-efficiency. The results obtained from simulation demonstrate that the proposed method yields a good performance for ambulance driving in an urban area, which can provide support for designing an ambulance support system for the ambulance personnel and dispatcher.
Comparative Analysis of Regional Competitiveness in Poland from 2010–2019 in the Context of the Concept of Sustainable Development
Authors: Chrobocińska Katarzyna
Published: March 2021

The stimulation of regional competitiveness is a difficult and complex process that leads to the achievement of a competitive position against other regions covered in the comparison. The study includes a comparative analysis taking into account the Regional Competitiveness Index (RCI) level of voivodeships in Poland in 2010–2019 and, as a supplement, a Multi-Dimensional Comparative Analysis and cluster analysis. This made it possible to select a group of voivodeships characterized by a stable and relatively highly competitive position compared to the rest (voivodeships: Mazowieckie, Śląskie, Wielkopolskie, and Dolnośląskie). The apparent spatial disparity in the competitiveness of Polish voivodeships may be a result of long-term socioeconomic processes (such as sparse urbanization and industrialization), the polarized growth of competition leaders and the adverse effects of such polarization, i.e., the draining of competitive potential (such as qualified staff) from neighboring voivodeships.
Optimal Combination of External Wall Insulation Thickness and Surface Solar Reflectivity of Non-Residential Buildings in the Korean Peninsula
Authors: Kim Jung Ho , Kim Young Il
Published: March 2021

To delay fossil energy depletion and implement the Paris Climate Change Accord, the South Korean government is attempting to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with the establishment of the 2030 Roadmap. The insulation performance of external walls is being continuously enhanced in the architectural domain. However, Korea’s policy and construction market focuses only on the heat resistance of buildings’ external walls to enhance the insulation performance, leading to an increased thickness of the insulation materials. In this study, the relationship between the surface reflectivity and insulation thickness of external walls was examined to formulate an effective insulation strategy for buildings in Korea. Office buildings of 12 regions in the Korean Peninsula were considered. The dynamic energy simulation program EnergyPlus was used to perform the heating and cooling load analyses. The present worth method was adopted to perform the economic analysis. The analysis of the cooling and heating loads indicated that a change occurred not only in terms of the latitude but also between the Eastern and Western regions. The energy consumption could be reduced by increasing the reflectivity in the Southern region and lowering the reflectivity in the Northern region, based on the total load. In addition, a higher latitude corresponded to a higher energy saving effect owing to the increased insulation thickness. In the case of Jeju Island and Busan, regions with a relatively large cooling load and small heating load, the total load is little affected by insulation thickness at high reflectivity. If the external skin was considered to have the optimal reflectivity, the regions for optimal insulation thickness could be divided into three categories: north, central and south.
The Moderating Impact of Organizational Identity Strength between Strategic Improvisation and Organizational Memory and Their Effects on Competitive Advantage
Authors: Yu Siyuan , Zhang Yang , Yu Jin , Yang Xuanzhi , Mardani Abbas
Published: March 2021

In the ever-changing environment, companies are often required to adopt improvised responses to certain unpredicted events and sometimes need to improvise strategically to sustain or thrive. However, the mechanism between strategic improvisation and competitive advantage is understudied. In this study, we try to unveil the mechanism by proposing a moderated mediation model investigating the relationships among strategic improvisation, organizational memory, organizational identity strength, and competitive advantage. Using survey data collected among top managers and members of funding teams in Jiangsu Province, China, we find that strategic improvisation is positively related to competitive advantage, and most importantly, this relationship is partially mediated by organizational memory. However, the moderating effect of organizational identity strength on the relationship between strategic improvisation and organizational memory is not proven. We contribute to the existing literature by making up for the deficiency of the traditional resource-based view to some extent, enhancing the understanding of strategic improvisation, and contributing to achieving sustainable development goals 8 and 12. We also offer some practical suggestions to top managers in terms of cultivating improvising learning as well.
An Improved Gray Wolf Optimization Algorithm to Solve Engineering Problems
Authors: Li Yu , Lin Xiaoxiao , Liu Jingsen
Published: March 2021

With the rapid development of the economy, the disparity between supply and demand of resources is becoming increasingly prominent in engineering design. In this paper, an improved gray wolf optimization algorithm is proposed (IGWO) to optimize engineering design problems. First, a tent map is used to generate the initial location of the gray wolf population, which evenly distributes the gray wolf population and lays the foundation for a diversified global search process. Second, Gaussian mutation perturbation is used to perform various operations on the current optimal solution to avoid the algorithm falling into local optima. Finally, a cosine control factor is introduced to balance the global and local exploration capabilities of the algorithm and to improve the convergence speed. The IGWO algorithm is applied to four engineering optimization problems with different typical complexity, including a pressure vessel design, a tension spring design, a welding beam design and a three-truss design. The experimental results show that the IGWO algorithm is superior to other comparison algorithms in terms of optimal performance, solution stability, applicability and effectiveness; and can better solve the problem of resource waste in engineering design. The IGWO also optimizes 23 different types of function problems and uses Wilcoxon rank-sum test and Friedman test to verify the 23 test problems. The results show that the IGWO algorithm has higher convergence speed, convergence precision and robustness compared with other algorithms.
Current Status and Potential of Tire Pyrolysis Oil Production as an Alternative Fuel in Developing Countries
Authors: Yaqoob Haseeb , Teoh Yew Heng , Sher Farooq , Jamil Muhammad Ahmad , Murtaza Daniyal , Al Qubeissi Mansour , UI Hassan Mehtab , Mujtaba M. A.
Published: March 2021

Energy is essential for the nature of life and the development of countries. The main demand for the 21st century is to fulfill growing energy needs. Pakistan, through the use of fossil fuels, meets energy demands. There is pressure on the economy of the country due to the massive reliance on fossil fuels, and this tendency is influenced by various environmental impacts. To overcome the burden on fossil fuels, more attention has been drawn to provide fossil fuel substitution. Tire pyrolysis is among the effective substitutes of the fuel technology that generates useful products of liquid oil, char, and pyro gas. This research focuses on the environmental, social, and economic viability of tire pyrolysis oil in Pakistan. This study estimates the production and potential of tire pyrolysis oil (TPO) in Pakistan. Based on the calculations, the potential of tire pyrolysis oil production in Pakistan from 2015–2019 is 468,081 to 548,406 tons. The potential production of TPO in 2018–2019 was ~8.30% of the total import (6.6 million tons) of crude oil. Therefore, tire pyrolysis oil is considered an alternative fuel representing an economic and environmentally viability solution for Pakistan.
Innovating Responsibly—Challenges and Future Research Agendas
Authors: Iakovleva Tatiana , Bessant John , Oftedal Elin , da Silva Luciana Maines
Published: March 2021

Innovation involves creating value from ideas, but this raises the question of for whom is the value created [...]
Predict the Influence of Environmental Vibration from High-Speed Railway on Over-Track Buildings
Authors: Di Guoqing , Xie Ziyin , Guo Jingyi
Published: March 2021

The vibration caused by railways is an environmental constraint in the development of over-track buildings. To study the influence of environmental vibration from the high-speed railway on over-track buildings, a finite element model including track, soil, and buildings was set up. Based on the vertical vibration acceleration sampled on the rail, the equivalent line load acting on rails vertically was obtained by a simplified model. On the basis of verifying the simulation model by measurement results, the vertical vibration induced by high-speed railways in over-track buildings was studied quantitatively. Through introducing correction terms relating to the thickness and height of the over-track platform, the story number, and the structure of the over-track building, an existing model released by the railway industry of China was improved. Compared with the existing model only being suitable for predicting vertical vibration of the first floor, the improved model can predict vertical vibration of different floors.
Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic in Public Mental Health: An Extensive Narrative Review
Authors: Clemente-Suárez Vicente Javier , Navarro-Jiménez Eduardo , Jimenez Manuel , Hormeño-Holgado Alberto , Martinez-Gonzalez Marina Begoña , Benitez-Agudelo Juan Camilo , Perez-Palencia Natalia , Laborde-Cárdenas Carmen Cecilia , Tornero-Aguilera Jose Francisco
Published: March 2021

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has surprised health authorities around the world producing a global health crisis. This research discusses the main psychosocial stressors associated with COVID-19 in the literature, and the responses of global public mental health services to these events. Thus, a consensus and critical review were performed using both primary sources, such as scientific articles and secondary ones, such as bibliographic indexes, web pages, and databases. The main search engines were PubMed, SciELO, and Google Scholar. The method was a systematic literature review (SLR) of the available literature regarding mental health services during the COVID-19 pandemic to conduct the present narrative review. Different stressors are identified in this pandemic, from psychophysiological, confinement, to social and work. Depending on the level of severity and the country of origin, various interventions have been applied that mark different ways of returning to normality and preparing new interventions. This new stressor has a direct impact on the mental health of the population, provoking governments, and health services to become more flexible, innovate and adapt to the changing situation. The use of technology and mass media could be an important tool in this aim. Independent of this, preparing the general population for possible future waves of the pandemic is currently the best measure to mitigate more serious effects on the mental health of the population.
Digitalization for Sustainable Agri-Food Systems: Potential, Status, and Risks for the MENA Region
Authors: Bahn Rachel A. , Yehya Abed Al Kareem , Zurayk Rami
Published: March 2021

Digital technologies offer a potential solution to improve sustainability—economic, social, and environmental—of agri-food systems around the globe. While developed countries have led the innovation and adoption of digital agriculture, the potential impact in developing countries—including in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region—is massive. This article synthesizes existing evidence to review the potential and current contribution of digital technologies to the agri-food sectors in MENA. Digital agriculture shows promise in addressing the key challenges facing the agri-food sector across MENA countries. Improvements in primary production, supply chain and logistics performance, and optimized use of scarce natural resources (notably agricultural water) could be notable, if digital technologies can be implemented as envisioned. Available evidence shows that adoption of digital agriculture is at early stages, generally led by high-value agricultural production targeting domestic markets in Gulf countries and export markets in Mashreq countries. Economic sustainability appears the strongest force for current adoption, with less focus on social or environmental sustainability. Public policies should not only foster the adoption of digital technologies in MENA but also ensure equity of access, transparency of use, data protections, and labor protections. Policymakers should move beyond traditional, production-centric views to deliver also on social and environmental sustainability.
Lookup Table and Neural Network Hybrid Strategy for Wind Turbine Pitch Control
Authors: Sierra-García Jesús Enrique , Santos Matilde
Published: March 2021

Wind energy plays a key role in the sustainability of the worldwide energy system. It is forecasted to be the main source of energy supply by 2050. However, for this prediction to become reality, there are still technological challenges to be addressed. One of them is the control of the wind turbine in order to improve its energy efficiency. In this work, a new hybrid pitch-control strategy is proposed that combines a lookup table and a neural network. The table and the RBF neural network complement each other. The neural network learns to compensate for the errors in the mapping function implemented by the lookup table, and in turn, the table facilitates the learning of the neural network. This synergy of techniques provides better results than if the techniques were applied individually. Furthermore, it is shown how the neural network is able to control the pitch even if the lookup table is poorly designed. The operation of the proposed control strategy is compared with the neural control without the table, with a PID regulator, and with the combination of the PID and the lookup table. In all cases, the proposed hybrid control strategy achieves better results in terms of output power error.
Control Input Design for a Robot Swarm Maintaining Safety Distances in Crowded Environment
Authors: Origane Yuki , Hattori Yuya , Kurabayashi Daisuke
Published: March 2021

We consider an autonomous and decentralized mobile robotic swarm that does not require an advanced communication system; moreover, each robot must pass a narrow space preserving the distance with other robots. The control barrier function (CBF) method is useful for robotic swarms to guarantee collision avoidance. However, introducing CBF inequalities can cancel other objectives and sometimes causes a deadlock problem. Therefore, we introduce a coupled oscillator system to generate asymmetric global order by itself to avoid deadlock. By generating an effective global order in the swarm, each robot adequately moves to a target position without requiring high-cost communication systems.
Comparative Assessment of the Stability of AHP and FAHP Methods
Authors: Vinogradova-Zinkevič Irina , Podvezko Valentinas , Zavadskas Edmundas Kazimeras
Published: March 2021

Mathematical models describing physical, technical, economic, and other processes can be used to analyze these processes and predict their results, providing that these models are stable and their results are stable relative to the model parameters used. Small changes in the values of the model parameters correspond to small changes in the results. Multicriteria decision-making models need to check the results’ stability against the models’ main components: the values of the criteria weights and the elements of the decision matrix. In this article, we study the stability of models associated with the calculation of criteria weights. For the analysis, the most commonly used models are taken—the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method and the fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) method, in which fuzzy numbers are used under conditions of data uncertainty. Both mathematically well-based methods verify the consistency of the expert evaluations. The method of statistical simulation (Monte Carlo) is the basis for studying the results’ stability. The study checks the experts’ provided evaluations’ consistency, calculates the criteria weights, and evaluates their relative errors after a slight change in the estimates of the pairwise comparisons of the criteria provided by the experts. The matrix of comparisons of the FAHP method is constructed based on the entire expert group’s assessments. It estimates the boundaries of variance in the fuzzy criteria weights. This paper estimates the stability of the criteria’ weights associated with the mathematical methods themselves and the experts’ estimates. The results are useful to study the stability of specific MCDM methods when ranking alternatives.
An Approach on Image Processing of Deep Learning Based on Improved SSD
Authors: Jin Liang , Liu Guodong
Published: March 2021

Compared with ordinary images, each of the remote sensing images contains many kinds of objects with large scale changes, providing more details. As a typical object of remote sensing image, ship detection has been playing an essential role in the field of remote sensing. With the rapid development of deep learning, remote sensing image detection method based on convolutional neural network (CNN) has occupied a key position. In remote sensing images, the objects of which small scale objects account for a large proportion are closely arranged. In addition, the convolution layer in CNN lacks ample context information, leading to low detection accuracy for remote sensing image detection. To improve detection accuracy and keep the speed of real-time detection, this paper proposed an efficient object detection algorithm for ship detection of remote sensing image based on improved SSD. Firstly, we add a feature fusion module to shallow feature layers to refine feature extraction ability of small object. Then, we add Squeeze-and-Excitation Network (SE) module to each feature layers, introducing attention mechanism to network. The experimental results based on Synthetic Aperture Radar ship detection dataset (SSDD) show that the mAP reaches 94.41%, and the average detection speed is 31FPS. Compared with SSD and other representative object detection algorithms, this improved algorithm has a better performance in detection accuracy and can realize real-time detection.
HLA-DRB1 Alleles Associated with Lower Leishmaniasis Susceptibility Share Common Amino Acid Polymorphisms and Epitope Binding Repertoires
Authors: de Vrij Nicky , Meysman Pieter , Gielis Sofie , Adriaensen Wim , Laukens Kris , Cuypers Bart
Published: March 2021

Susceptibility for leishmaniasis is largely dependent on host genetic and immune factors. Despite the previously described association of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene cluster variants as genetic susceptibility factors for leishmaniasis, little is known regarding the mechanisms that underpin these associations. To better understand this underlying functionality, we first collected all known leishmaniasis-associated HLA variants in a thorough literature review. Next, we aligned and compared the protection- and risk-associated HLA-DRB1 allele sequences. This identified several amino acid polymorphisms that distinguish protection- from risk-associated HLA-DRB1 alleles. Subsequently, T cell epitope binding predictions were carried out across these alleles to map the impact of these polymorphisms on the epitope binding repertoires. For these predictions, we used epitopes derived from entire proteomes of multiple Leishmania species. Epitopes binding to protection-associated HLA-DRB1 alleles shared common binding core motifs, mapping to the identified HLA-DRB1 amino acid polymorphisms. These results strongly suggest that HLA polymorphism, resulting in differential antigen presentation, affects the association between HLA and leishmaniasis disease development. Finally, we established a valuable open-access resource of putative epitopes. A set of 14 HLA-unrestricted strong-binding epitopes, conserved across species, was prioritized for further epitope discovery in the search for novel subunit-based vaccines.
Downstream State and Water Security in the Mekong Region: A Case of Cambodia between Too Much and Too Little Water
Authors: Sithirith Mak
Published: March 2021

Cambodia has too much water during the wet season, and too little water remains in the dry season, which drives a relentless cycle of floods and droughts. These extremes destroy crops, properties, infrastructure, and lives and contribute to poverty. Thus, water management is key to the development of Cambodia. This article seeks to answer the question why Cambodia is vulnerable to floods and drought and how these conditions undermine the country’s development. It also examines what can be done to improve the country’s water resource management and the livelihoods of its population. The article examines water resource availability in Cambodia, its management regimes, and the policy implications in answering these research questions. The article looks at three case studies: first, the Stung Chreybak irrigation scheme in the Tonle Sap region; second, the Lower Sesan 2 Dam (LS2) in the Sesan, Srepok, and Sekong (3S) basin in Cambodia; and third, the transboundary water management in the Mekong Delta. It concludes that water management has been equated to irrigation management. However, the irrigation system in Cambodia has been inadequate to cope with the tremendous volume of water. Furthermore, water management has been complicated by the hydropower dams in the Upper Mekong region and the rubber dams in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. These contribute to high water insecurity in Cambodia.
Integration of the Analytical Hierarchy Process and GIS Spatial Distribution Model to Determine the Possibility of Runoff Water Harvesting in Dry Regions: Wadi Watir in Sinai as a Case Study
Authors: Elewa Hossam , Zelenakova Martina , Nosair Ahmed
Published: March 2021

Runoff water harvesting (RWH) is considered as an important tool for overcoming water scarcity in arid and semi-arid regions. The present work focuses on identifying potential RWH sites in the Wadi Watir watershed in the south-eastern part of the Sinai Peninsula. This was carried out by means of significant integration of the analytical hierarchy process (AHP), distributed spatial model, geographical information system (GIS), watershed modeling system (WMS), and remote sensing techniques (RS). This integration of modern research tools has its own bearing on the accurate identification of optimum RWH sites, which could be relied upon in developmental planning for arid environments. Eight effective RWH parameters were chosen to apply a multi-parametric decision spatial model (MPDSM), namely the overland flow distance, volume of annual flood, drainage density, maximum flow distance, infiltration number, watershed slope, watershed area and watershed length. These parameters were used within ArcGIS 10.1© as thematic layers to build a distributed hydrological spatial model. The weights and ranks of each model parameter were assigned according to their magnitude of contribution in the RWH potentiality mapping using a pairwise correlation matrix verified by calculating the consistency ratio (CR), which governs the reliability of the model application. The CR value was found to be less than 0.1 (0.069), indicating acceptable consistency and validity for use. The resulting MPDSM map classified the watershed into five categories of RWH potential, ranging from very low to very high. The high and very high classes, which are the most suitable for RWH structures, make up approximately 33.24% of the total watershed area. Accordingly, four retention dams and seven ground cisterns (tanks) were proposed in these areas to collect and store the runoff water, whereby these proposed RWH structures were chosen according to the soil type and current land-use pattern. The resulting MPDSM map was validated using a topographic wetness index (TWI) map, created for the watershed. This integrative and applied approach is an important technique which can be applied in similar arid environments elsewhere.
Variations of Groundwater Dynamics in Alluvial Aquifers with Reclaimed Water Restoring the Overlying River, Beijing, China
Authors: He Zekang , Han Dongmei , Song Xianfang , Yang Lihu , Zhang Yinghua , Ma Ying , Bu Hongmei , Li Binghua , Yang Shengtian
Published: March 2021

Some of the rivers in northern China are dried, and reclaimed water (RW) is used to restore these degraded river ecosystems, during which the RW could recharge the aquifer by river bank infiltration. From 2007 to 2018, 2.78 × 108 m3 of RW has been replenished to the dried Chaobai River (Shunyi reach), Beijing, China, which is located on the edge of one depression cone in groundwater caused by groundwater over-pumping. The groundwater hydrodynamic variations and the flow path of the RW were identified by eight-year hydrological, hydrochemical, and stable isotopic data, together with multivariate statistical analysis. The RW infiltration drastically impacts the groundwater dynamics with a spatiotemporal variation. The 30-m depth groundwater levels at Perennial intake reach increased quickly around 3 m after 2007, which indicated that they were dominated by RW infiltration. Other 30-m depth groundwater levels were controlled by precipitation recharge from 2007 to 2011, showing significant seasonal variations. In 2012, with more RW transferred to the river, the hydrodynamic impact of the RW on 30-m depth aquifer expanded downstream. However, the 50-m and 80-m depth groundwater levels showed decreasing trend with seasonal variations, due to groundwater pumping. The 30-m depth aquifer was mainly recharged by RW, being evidenced by the enriched δ2H and δ18O. The depleted δ2H and δ18O of the 50-m and 80-m depth groundwater indicated that they were dominated by regional groundwater with meteoric origin. The heterogenous properties of the multi-layer alluvial aquifer offer the preferential flow path for RW transport in the aquifers. The proportion of the RW in the aquifers decreases with depth that was calculated by the chloride conservative mixing model. The increased lateral hydraulic gradient (0.43%) contributes to the RW transport in the 30-m depth aquifer. RW usage changed 30-m depth groundwater type from Ca·Mg-HCO3 to Na·Ca·Mg-HCO3·Cl. RW preferentially recharged the 50-m and 80-m depth aquifers by vertical leakage.
Relationship of the Economic Basis and Political Superstructure of Modern Russia
Authors: Burmistrov Andrey N. , Il’in Yuriy V. ,   Investment Agency of the Central Federal District of the Russian Federation
Published: March 2021

Economic basis existing in the Russian Federation was formed in the 1990s, but it was developing and finally took shape in the early 2000s. It was the political struggle for its implementation that determined the form, structure and nature of the modern political superstructure. As shown by the experience of recent years, the formed basis and superstructure are not intended to carry out in-depth socio-economic reforms in Russia. At the same time, Western total Jesuit Russophobia, the growing power and the number of global challenges, as well as insufficient socio-economic development of the Russian Federation, necessitate fundamental changes. In this regard, the authors provide justification for the need and explore possible ways to modernize the existing political superstructure in the Russian Federation in order to create conditions that provide a powerful and effective Russia's response to the global challenges of the nearest future.
Alpha Market Strategies, Beta and Gamma in the Context of Theory Economic Dominance
Authors:   Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vertogradov Vladimir A.
Published: March 2021

This article attempts to analyze the theory of economic dominance formulated by A.A. Blokhin, I.V. Lomakin-Rumyantsev and S.A. Naumov in the article “Alpha-business in the Russian food market” [1], from the point of view of the market behavior strategy of alpha-, beta- and gamma-businesses in modern Russian conditions.
Development of Hard-to-Reach Regions of the North, Siberia and “Disruptive” Technologies of Unmanned Aviation
Authors:   Institute for Economic Strategies, Ageev Aleksandr I. ,   International Research Institute for Advanced Systems, Oleinikov Vadim A. ,   International Research Institute for Advanced Systems, Sychev Vladimir B. ,   “KAMA” LLC
Published: March 2021

The air cargo market is developing rapidly both in Russia and around the world. The use of unmanned aerial vehicles with vertical take-off and landing without an aerodrome base is becoming a promising area for air transportation of goods in remote regions. Companies around the world are intensively developing various types of unmanned aerial vehicles that are potentially capable to carry out cargo transportation. There are objective and subjective issues of their use that have to be solved at present. Russian developers offer promising innovative solutions that can have export potential, expand the range and areas of their application, and may be attractive for investment. Transportation of goods with the help of UAVs is expected to be cost-effective, which should result in business development, should increase jobs, strengthen the economy and infrastructure of hard-to-reach regions.
Information Model for Strategic Management of Navigation Services
Authors:   Lomonosov Moscow State University, Lipuntsov Yurii P.
Published: March 2021

Development of information technologies allows us to address challenges of different class, ranging from optimizing the execution of individual transactions to building systems for implementing the strategy at the enterprise level or a set of organizations. With an increase in the task scale, proportion of factors that do not fall into the control zone increases, however, with the growing information maturity of the economy, there are less and less zones of inaccessibility. The article dwells on the management model of engineering services on the example of navigation services provided by satellite systems. In order to build economic models the author considers possibilities of applying the life cycle model to implement a customer-oriented approach, as well as opportunities models for optimizing internal processes and interacting with suppliers. As a result of transition from a planned system of economic activity to market mechanisms in the Russian economy, production food chains that unite a large number of different enterprises were disrupted. The article shows how the use of information models can contribute to solving accumulated problems.
2019. The Year Was Not in Vain?!
Authors:   Institute of Economy of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Frenkel Alexander A. , Tikhomirov Boris I. ,   Institute of Economy of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Sergienko Yakov V. ,   Institute of Economy of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Surkov Anton A. ,   Institute of Economy of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Published: March 2021

Changing of a conjuncture index of “Economic strategy” (CIES) for 2019 is considered. The contribution of indicators of supply and demand in CIES is estimated. The analysis of industrial production is carried out
Smile of Schr dinger’s Сat. Results of 2019
Authors:   Institute for Economic Strategies, Pobyvaev Sergey A. ,   Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation
Published: March 2021

Traditional review of the past year strategic trends presents an analysis of the key components of the country's integral power - economy, foreign policy, armed forces, territory, natural resources, culture and religion, science and education, population, management - according to the original methodology developed by the Institute for Economic strategies. The authors suggest that the past 2019 will become a year of breakthrough in creating a quantum computer — a device that can fundamentally change the trend and the speed of technological development, as it once happened with introduction of electricity into industrial production and life.
Influence of Monetary Policy on Technological Development of the Economy in a Long-Term Aspect
Authors:   Lomonosov Moscow State University, Matchenko Elena A.
Published: March 2021

Monetary policy currently pursued by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation is a reflection of external market conditions. Regulatory approaches should, in particular, help reduce the dependence of monetary policy on external factors — such as oil prices, foreign loans, access to foreign markets, etc. This is not about completely isolating the monetary sphere of the Russian Federation from parameters and the external environment. It is required to refuse close, automatic communication with the given parameters. It is necessary to increase the stability of the monetary system of the Russian Federation and the economy as a whole in relation to external shocks. This can be done through more active use of a wide range of tools available to the regulator. These include monetary and regulatory mechanisms (interest rates, reserve requirements, foreign exchange positions, etc.), gold reserves, verbal interventions, etc., which can have a stimulating effect on economic growth. The high volatility of the ruble now observed makes it extremely difficult for enterprises to plan and forecast, thereby making it impossible for the normal course of investment processes and expanded reproduction. In order to use monetary mechanisms to stimulate economic growth and eliminate the negative effects of current monetary policy (in particular, implemented since autumn 2014), a departure from inflation targeting and free floating of the ruble exchange rate is necessary. At the same time, it is obviously necessary to abandon many components or closely related elements (for example, “monetary contraction”). In addition, steps will be needed to stabilize the foreign exchange market, which would have positive effects (falling volatility, lower inflation, etc.). Under current conditions, with limited access to external financial resources, it is important to use mechanisms for generating financial flows based on internal sources. In other words, the monetary base should be formed due to internal factors, and not depend on the dynamics of energy prices. In previous years, the main emphasis in the Russian economy was placed on the external sphere as a source of growth financing. Restricting access to external cheap financial resources (due to low oil prices, sanctions, etc.), as well as continuing geopolitical tensions with regard to Russia, reduce the possibilities for implementing longterm investment projects in the economy. This increases the relevance of national mechanisms and sources of formation of the resource base (including long) necessary to refinance previously taken loans, as well as to implement structural changes in the Russian economy.
Robots, Digital Twins of People, Dialectical Models of Society and Economics
Authors:   Israeli Inventors Association, Figovsky Oleg L. , Pensky Oleg G. ,   Perm State University
Published: March 2021

Current mathematical models of economics practically do not take into account the human factor when making management decisions and applying them to practice. Therefore, the creation of a mathematical theory of general human psychology, the dialectical development of human society and macroeconomics are becoming particularly relevant at present. This paper describes the main results of the mathematical modeling of psychological behavior, so-called digital twins, which are psychological analogs of people. Theorems explaining the dangers of artificial intelligence for people from the mentality point of view are formulated. We propose general models of dialectical development of the virtual world for digital twins, human society and macroeconomics.