bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Selinexor, a First in Class, Nuclear Export Inhibitor for the Treatment of Advanced Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor
Authors: Al-Ezzi Esmail , Gounder Mrinal , Watson Geoffrey , Mazzocca Alessandro , D'Angelo Sandra P. , Bravetti Julie , Wang Hongwei , Abdul Razak Albiruni , Vincenzi Bruno
Published: January 2021

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) is a highly malignant neoplasm arising from peripheral nerve or its attendant sheath and is derived from Schwann or pluripotent cells of neural crest origin. Patients with recurrent, unresectable, or advanced stage disease have limited treatment options, and current therapies are associated with little benefit. In this article, we report nine cases of MPNST treated with selinexor, an orally bioavailable, selective inhibitor of nuclear export, accompanied by tumor stabilization or regression.
The self‐esteem implicit association test is valid: Evidence from brain activity
Authors: Cai Huajian , Wu Lili
Published: January 2021

A distinct challenge of implicit self‐esteem research is the dubious validity of measures for implicit self‐esteem. We conducted two event‐related potential (ERP) studies to examine whether implicit self‐esteem measured by the Implicit Association Test (IAT) actually reflects the automatic self‐evaluation. We adopted the regular IAT and the Go/No‐go Association Task (GNAT), respectively, to measure implicit self‐esteem in two studies. We focused on the P300 that reflects the stimulus evaluation process. Study 1 revealed that participants responded faster to self pairing with good than to self pairing with bad whereas self pairing with bad elicited a delayed P300 compared with self pairing with good. Study 2 replicated these findings and further highlighted that the index of implicit self‐esteem based on reaction time is correlated with that based on P300 latency. Our results suggest that implicit self‐esteem assessed by the IAT measures automatic self‐evaluation, thus providing neural evidence for the validity of implicit self‐esteem.
Spices and herbs: Potential antiviral preventives and immunity boosters duringCOVID‐19
Authors: Singh Namita Ashish , Kumar Pradeep , Jyoti  , Kumar Naresh
Published: January 2021

A severe acute respiratory syndrome is an unusual type of contagious pneumonia that is caused by SARS coronavirus. At present, the whole world is trying to combat this coronavirus disease and scientific communities are putting rigorous efforts to develop vaccines. However, there are only a few specific medical treatments for SARS‐CoV‐2. Apart from other public health measures taken to prevent this virus, we can boost our immunity with natural products. In this article, we have highlighted the potential of common spices and herbs as antiviral agents and immunity boosters. A questionnaire‐based online survey has been conducted on home remedies during COVID‐19 among a wide range of peoples (n‐531) of different age groups (13–68 years) from various countries. According to the survey, 71.8% of people are taking kadha for combating infection and boosting immunity. Most people (86.1%) think that there is no side effect of kadha while 13.9% think vice versa. A total of 93.6% of people think that spices are helpful in curing coronavirus or other viral infection as well as boosting immunity. Most people are using tulsi drops, vitamin C, and chyawanprash for boosting their immunity. Therefore, we conclude from the survey and available literature that spices and herbs play a significant role against viral infections.
Large‐scale connection to deadly Indian heatwaves
Authors: Rao V. Brahmananda , Rao K. Koteswara , Mahendranath B. , Lakshmi Kumar T. V. , Govardhan D.
Published: January 2021

In the present study, we analyse large‐scale connections to deadly heatwaves in India in spring. Deadly Indian heatwaves occur in the spring months of April and May, and are increasing in recent years. These events are associated with the amplification of planetary Rossby waves. This amplification is called quasi‐resonant amplification (QRA). An increase of amplitude or resonance occurs when stationary and moving waves coincide in their size. Previous studies stressed QRA's role in summer because persistent extreme weather events such as the 2003 European heatwave, the 2010 Pakistan flood, Russian heatwave, the 2011 Texas and Oklahoma heat waves, and drought occurred in summer. QRA seems to be related to the amplification of Arctic warming in winter and summer, but observations show that Arctic warming occurs in spring also. The novel aspect of our study is that we found strong evidence for QRA in the boreal spring, the season of Indian heatwaves. Amplified Arctic warming or Arctic amplification thought to be responsible for QRA occurs in spring also. Our results confirm that maximum surface temperatures in spring over India show predictability with high statistical significance, about 4 days ahead. Maximum surface temperatures can be used to predict heatwaves, as shown earlier by some authors.
Quantum‐chemical study of octafluoro‐spirobi[triphosphazene]
Authors: Gall Marian , Breza Martin
Published: January 2021

The geometries of monocharged and neutral octafluoro‐spirobi[triphosphazene] in singlet, doublet and/or triplet ground spin states were optimized. Their electronic structures are investigated in terms of quantum theory of atoms‐in‐molecules and compared with neutral hexafluorocyclotriphosphazene. The change of the total molecular charge implies mainly the change of the properties of the nitrogen atoms which are bonded to the central spiro‐phosphorus atom. The charged systems in singlet spin states have stable structures ofD2dsymmetry only unlike the remaining structures ofC2symmetry within two geometry types. The existence of the less symmetric structures can be fully explained as a consequence of the (pseudo‐) Jahn–Teller effect.
Event‐driven adaptive near‐optimal tracking control of the robot in aircraft skin inspection
Authors: Wu Xuewei , Wang Congqing
Published: January 2021

In this article, we discuss a near‐optimal tracking control problem (NOTCP) of robots used for inspecting aircraft skin with partially unknown systems, unmeasurable states, unknown disturbances, and unknown output delay. A novel observer based on an augmented neural network is designed to overcome the unknown disturbances, unknown output delay, and unknown internal states. An augmented system state, composed of the tracking error and reference system state, is proposed to introduce a new nonquadratic discounted performance function for the NOTCP. Due to the complexity in solving the Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equation, an online policy iteration is presented under the adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) framework. Unlike the traditional ADP, the event‐driven algorithm updates the control input only when the event is triggered, which reduces the computational cost and transmission load. Both the control policy and the observer are updated according to the developed triggering condition. Convergence to a near‐optimal control solution and the stability analysis of the proposed algorithm are shown through the Lyapunov candidate function for both the continuous and jump dynamics. The performance of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated by simulation.
The optical river bathymetry toolkit
Authors: Legleiter Carl J.
Published: January 2021

Spatially distributed information on water depth is essential for many applications in river research and management and, under certain circumstances, can be inferred from remotely sensed data. Although fluvial remote sensing has emerged as a rapidly developing subdiscipline of the riverine sciences, more widespread adoption of these techniques has been hindered by a lack of accessible software. The Optical River Bathymetry Toolkit (ORByT) fills this void by providing a standalone package for mapping water depth from passive optical image data. The ORByT interface enables end users to import images and field‐based depth measurements, create and refine water masks, and perform spectrally based depth retrieval via an Optimal Band Ratio Analysis algorithm. The resulting bathymetric map can be exported as an image file, point cloud, and/or cross section; a thorough accuracy assessment also is incorporated into the workflow. In addition, image‐derived depth estimates can be subtracted from water surface elevations to obtain bed elevations suitable for input to a hydrodynamic model. Potential users of ORByT must bear in mind the inherent limitations of passive optical remote sensing: reliable bathymetry can only be inferred in clear‐flowing, shallow streams; this approach is not appropriate for more turbid, deeper rivers.
Interface Engineering of Flexible Piezoresistive Sensors via Near‐Field Electrospinning Processed Spacer Layers
Authors: Huang Yan , You Xiangyu , Tang Zhiqiang , Tong Kai‐Yu , Guo Ping , Zhao Ni
Published: January 2021

The interface contact between the active material and its neighboring metal electrodes dominates the sensing response of mainstream high‐sensitivity piezoresistive pressure sensors. However, the properties of such interface are often difficult to control and preserve owing to the limited strategies to precisely engineer the surface structure and mechanical property of the active material. Here, a top‐down fabrication method to create a grid‐like polyurethane fiber‐based spacer layer at the interface between a piezoresistive layer and its contact electrodes is proposed. The tuning of the period and thickness of the spacer layer is conveniently achieved by a programmable near‐field electrospinning process, and the influence of the spacer structure on the sensing performance is systematically investigated. The sensor with the optimized spacer layer shows a widened sensing range (230 kPa) while maintaining a high sensitivity (1.91 kPa−1). Furthermore, the output current fluctuation of the sensors during a 74 000‐cycle test is drastically reduced from 14.28% (without a spacer) to 3.63% (with a spacer), demonstrating greatly enhanced long‐term reliability. The new near‐field electrospinning‐based strategy is capable of tuning sensor responses without changing the active material, providing a universal and scalable path to engineer the performances of contact‐dominant sensors.
Welding Thermal Cycle Impact on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Thermo–Mechanical Control Process Steels
Authors: Zavdoveev Anatoliy , Poznyakov Valeriy , Baudin Thierry , Heaton Mark , Kim Hyoung Seop , Acquier Philippe , Skory Mykola , Rogante Massimo , Denisenko Anatoliy
Published: January 2021

Steels obtained by the thermo–mechanical control process (TMCP) possess a higher level of strength than conventional normalized steels due to the fine‐grained microstructures generated during TMCP. Such enhancement opens ways to decrease metal construction weight. At the same time, TMCP steels have less thermal stability, in connection with a lot of factors affecting and governing grain growth during the heating of TMCP steels. Herein, the effects of the welding thermal cycle (WTC) on the structure and properties of TMCP steels of ferritic–perlite (S460M) and bainitic (alform 620M) types are systematically investigated.
Techno‐Functional Properties of Cheese Breads with Native and Modified Cassava Starch Produced in an Industrial System
Authors: Dariva Ronei C. , Bucior Daniele , Colet Rosicler , Fernandes Ilizandra A. , Hassemer Guilherme S. , Miotto Shana P. S. , Cansian Rogério L. , Zeni Jamile , Backes Geciane T. , Valduga Eunice
Published: January 2021

This study aims to evaluate the influence of combined use of native cassava starch (CS) and modified cassava starches (MCS) on the quality of cheese bread formulations processed and frozen in an industrial system. The techno‐functional properties are evaluated on the dough and pieces of bread after baking. The formulation with the highest amylose content (28 wt%) and relatively smaller granule size (14–32 µm) contributes to the viscosity of the mass (1614 centipoise(cP)) and to the expansion rate (1.47) and compressive strength (17.5 N) of the cheese bread, which increases product quality, as consumers expect cheese bread to be lightweight. Furthermore, acceptability is correlated positively with the compressive strength (r = 0.761), moisture (r = 0.908), and negatively with the overall density (r = −0.994). The use of acetylated and pre‐gelatinized modified starches contributed positively to the properties during the bun's production, such as texture, softness, and compact crumbs, as well as a little number of alveoli with no network formation and not requiring scalding. Cassava starches have a definitive role in the industrial production of cheese bread buns, and, in this way, the combination of native and modified starches is of fundamental importance to ensure the product's final quality.
Update on the revision of Eurocode 3
Authors: Kuhlmann Ulrike , Schmidt‐Rasche Christina , Jörg Fabian , Pourostad Vahid , Spiegler Jennifer , Euler Mathias
Published: January 2021

Extended keynote paper of Eurosteel 2021

This paper provides an overview of recent work regarding the revision of Eurocode 3 on the European level. Selected scientific and technical issues are described and there is a summary of the activities executed within European Standardization Committee CEN/TC250/SC3 ”Design of Steel Structures“ chaired by Prof. Dr.‐Ing. Ulrike Kuhlmann. This includes the description of current normative developments for the 2nd Generation of Eurocodes, which aim at evolution through improvements and harmonization of the existing codes. In addition, a technical review of selected rules is given for several issues, which support the code revision and reflect well the recent tendencies in steel structures.
Internationalization processes for sub‐Saharan Africa's small and medium‐sized enterprises: The case of Ivory Coast
Authors: Mahamadou Zoubeyda
Published: January 2021

The aim of this research is to characterize the main internationalization paths of African small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) particularly Ivorian ones. From our results analysis, it appears that the internationalization strategies of African SMEs are specific and adapted to their environments and characteristics. For example, it is important that Ivorian SMEs' managers take into account the national culture and the characteristics of the host market (situation of significant need, market saturation, protectionism) during their international approaches. In addition, we find out that most Ivorian SMEs adopt upstream (import) and downstream (export) internationalization with import as the first mode of entry into foreign markets. Finally, we observe that it is essential that African governments recognize the potential of international SMEs for economic development by introducing support programs. Otherwise, African SMEs would not be able to compete globally and grow.
NASYM, a live intranasal vaccine, protects young calves from bovine respiratory syncytial virus in the presence of maternal antibodies
Authors: Marzo Elena , Montbrau Carlos , Moreno Maria‐Carmen , Roca Mercè , Sitjà Marta , March Ricard , Gow Sheryl , Lacoste Stacey , Ellis John
Published: January 2021

Background: Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) is a major problem for cattle worldwide during their first year of life. The aim of the present study was to evaluate efficacy and longevity of immunity of a live vaccine (NASYM, HIPRA) in the presence of maternally derived antibodies (MDA).

Method: Calves (36) were distributed in four groups, based on MDA status and treatment. They received NASYM or a placebo at an early age (less than two weeks) by intranasal route. Eight weeks later, animals were challenged with the Asquith strain of BRSV. Efficacy was assessed by monitoring clinical signs and mortality, PaO2, virus shedding and lung lesions. The immunological response was evaluated by measuring IgG in serum and IgA in nasal secretions.

Results: A reduction of mortality, lung lesions, shedding and a higher PaO2 was achieved in NASYM vaccinated groups, independently of MDA status. An anamnestic IgG response was observed after challenge in vaccinated animals, both in MDA+ and MDA‐ groups. An IgA response was also observed in vaccinated animals after vaccination and challenge.

Conclusion: NASYM protected newborn calves with MDAs during the first 10 weeks of life, against a very virulent challenge that caused extensive pulmonary lesions and deaths in control animals, with just a single intranasal dose.
Cutting‐edge advancements of nanomaterials for medi‐translatable noninvasive theranostic modalities
Authors: Zhang Chen , He Weixin , Liu Chenxi , Jiao Dian , Liu Zhe
Published: January 2021

Disease‐oriented theranostic modalities have witnessed rapid developments in the past decade, and some of them are on the road of medi‐translation for successful clinical utilities. Thanks to their unprecedented convenience, minimized side‐effect, satisfactory prognosis, and good controllability by external sources such as light, sound, electricity, heat and magnetism, recent advancements on noninvasive theranostic modalities have opened up a new window for the dawn and light‐shedding of cutting‐edge functional nanomaterials in association with current commercialized clinical devices to serve precision and visualized medicine for new‐generation disease‐oriented healthcare resolutions. This review summarizes the latest progresses on the advanced nanomaterial developments as well as their emerging applications to image‐based diagnosis and noninvasive treatments by external stimuli sources. Furthermore, their state‐of‐the‐art biomedical translations have been highlighted to outlook the prevailing trends for clinical uses, and current challenges are discussed for sake of comprehensive safety issues before to humans.
Using Inclusive Finance to Significantly Scale Climate Change Adaptation
Authors: Wild Robert , Egaru Moses , Ellis-Jones Mark , Bugembe Barbara Nakangu , Mohamed Ahmed , Ngigi Obadiah , Ogwok Gertrude , Roberts Jules , Kutegeka Sophie
Published: January 2021

Reversing land degradation and achieving ecosystem restoration and management are routes to climate change adaptation and mitigation. The financial resources to achieve this are increasingly available. A major challenge is the absence of scalable mechanisms that can incentivize rapid change for rural communities at the decade-long time scale needed to respond to the climate emergency. Despite moves toward inclusive green finance (IGF), a major structural gap remains between the funding available and the unbankable small-scale producers who are stewards of ecosystems. This paper reports on inclusive finance that can help fill this gap and incentivizes improved ecosystem stewardship, productivity, and wealth creation. A key feature is the concept of eco-credit to build ecosystem management and restorative behaviors into loan terms. Eco-credit provides an approach for overcoming income inequality within communities to enhance the community-level ecosystem governance and stewardship. The paper discusses the experience of implementing the Community Environment Conservation Fund (CECF) over a 8-year-period from 2012. The CECF addresses the unbankable 80% of community members who cannot access commercial loans, has c. 20,000 users in Uganda and pilots in Malawi, Kenya, and Tanzania. The model is contextualized alongside complementary mechanisms that can also incentivize improved ecosystem governance as well as engage and align communities, government, development partners, and the private sector. This complementary infrastructure includes commercial eco-credit as exemplified by the Climate Smart Lending Platform, and the community finance of the Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA) model upon which CECF builds. The paper describes the technologies and climate finance necessary for significant scale-up.
German Public Administration: Background and Key Issues
Authors: Kuhlmann Sabine , Proeller Isabella , Schimanke Dieter , Ziekow Jan
Published: January 2021

The international community of public administration and administrative sciences shows a great interest in the basic features of the German administrative system. The German public administration with its formative decentralisation (called: administrative federalism) is regarded as a prime example of multilevel governance and strong local self-government. Furthermore, over the past decades, the traditional profile of the German administrative system has significantly been reshaped and remoulded through reforms, processes of modernisation and the transformation process in East Germany. Studies on the German administrative system should focus especially on

key institutional features of public administration;

changing relationships between public administration, society and the private sector;

administrative reforms at different levels of the federal system; and

new challenges and modernisation approaches, such as digitalisation, open government and better regulation.

The publication is following this structure in four parts with 22 chapters.
Politics and Administration in Germany
Authors: Jann Werner , Veit Sylvia
Published: January 2021

Although German bureaucracy is typically categorised as Weberian, a clear distinction between politics and administration has never been a defining characteristic of the German political-administrative system. Many close interrelations and interactions between elected politicians and appointed civil servants can be observed at all levels of administration. Higher-ranking civil servants in Germany are used to and generally appreciate the functional politicisation of their jobs, that is their close involvement in all stages of the policy process, from policy formation, goal definition, negotiation within and outside government to the implementation and evaluation of policies. For top positions, therefore, a class of ‘political civil servants’ is a special feature of the German system, and obtaining ‘political craft’ has become an important part of the learning and job experience of higher-ranking civil servants.
Control and Accountability: Administrative Courts and Courts of Audit
Authors: Mehde Veith
Published: January 2021

The control of the administration by administrative courts follows very particular rules. Two elements of the German system stand out: first, the intensive type of control which makes the scope for independent administrative decision-making an exception. Second, the quite strict restrictions on locus standi. The development of administrative law by the courts and its application by the administration are an elementary part of the German legalistic tradition. The courts of audit at all levels of government also play an independent role. They can control the proper as well as the efficient use of funds from the respective budgets. While there is no enforcement mechanism, the publication of the findings certainly leads to pressure to comply.
Civil Service and Public Employment
Authors: Reichard Christoph , Schröter Eckhard
Published: January 2021

The German system of public sector employment (including civil servants and public employees) qualifies as a classical European continental civil service model moulded in traditional forms of a Weberian bureaucracy. Its features include a career-based employment system with entry based on levels of formal qualification. Coordinated by legal frames and centralised collective bargaining, the civil service is, at the same time, decentralised and flexible enough to accommodate regional differences and societal changes. In comparison, the civil service system stands out for its high degrees of professionalism and legal fairness with low levels of corruption or cronyism.
Digital Transformation of the German State
Authors: Mergel Ines
Published: January 2021

Digital transformation of the German public sector is embedded in a large-scale reform focussing on digitalisation and de-bureaucratisation of public services. By 2022, 575 public services will have been digitised. Digitalisation is, however, a contested topic in Germany: modernisation efforts have been stalled resulting in backlogs and the delay of IT consolidation of outdated legacy systems. At the same time, however, innovation pockets are emerging across all levels of government. The chapter first provides an overview of the legal basis of digital transformation, centralised and decentralised organisational embeddedness of administrative responsibilities and then highlights insights into selected implementation cases.
Europeanisation and German Public Administration
Authors: Hofmann Hans
Published: January 2021

This chapter discusses how public administration in Germany is influenced by the making and implementation of law by the organs of the European Union (EU). Although the public administrations of the EU Member States are, in principle, responsible for enforcing the laws made by the EU, the EU’s influence on the public administration of Germany as EU Member State is constantly growing. This is true, not only of those areas in which the Member States have transferred to the EU the authority to make laws, but increasingly also of those areas in which the Member States have retained such authority. At the same time, however, there is no systematic codification of the law on administrative procedures at European level and no system of legal remedy for Union citizens equivalent to those at national level.
Federal Administration
Authors: Fleischer Julia
Published: January 2021

The federal administration is significantly small (around 10 percent of all public employees). This speciality of the German administrative system is based on the division of responsibilities: the central (federal) level drafts and adopts most of the laws and public programmes, and the state level (together with the municipal level) implements them. The administration of the federal level comprises the ministries, subordinated agencies for special and selected operational tasks (e.g. the authorisation of drugs, information security and registration of refugees) in distinct administrative sectors (e.g. foreign service, armed forces and federal police). The capacity for preparing and monitoring government bills and statutory instruments is well developed. Moreover, the instruments and tools of coordination are exemplary compared with other countries, although the recent digital turn has been adopted less advanced than elsewhere.
Local Self-Government and Administration
Authors: Ruge Kay , Ritgen Klaus
Published: January 2021

This chapter describes the variety and levels of local self-government bodies in Germany. It portrays that local authorities (municipalities, cities and counties) are responsible for performing both their own tasks and large parts of federal andLandlaws (the communal administrations and especially their so-called double head function: local self-government and lowest level of state administration). The local authorities mainly differentiate themselves from federal and regional authorities by the mandates of their elected representative bodies (municipal council, city council and county council). The head of a local administration (mayor or county commissioner) is also usually directly elected by the citizens.
Micrometeorological Methods for Greenhouse Gas Measurement
Authors: Zaman M. , Kleineidam K. , Bakken L. , Berendt J. , Bracken C. , Butterbach-Bahl K. , Cai Z. , Chang S. X. , Clough T. , Dawar K. , Ding W. X. , Dörsch P. , dos Reis Martins M. , Eckhardt C. , Fiedler S. , Frosch T. , Goopy J. , Görres C.-M. , Gupta A. , Henjes S. , Hofmann M. E. G. , Horn M. A. , Jahangir M. M. R. , Jansen-Willems A. , Lenhart K. , Heng L. , Lewicka-Szczebak D. , Lucic G. , Merbold L. , Mohn J. , Molstad L. , Moser G. , Murphy P. , Sanz-Cobena A. , Šimek M. , Urquiaga S. , Well R. , Wrage-Mönnig N. , Zaman S. , Zhang J. , Müller C.
Published: January 2021

Micrometeorological techniques are useful if greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from larger areas (i.e. entire fields) should be integrated. The theory and the various techniques such as flux-gradient, aerodynamic, and Bowen ratio as well as Eddy correlation methods are described and discussed. Alternative methods also used are Eddy correlation, mass balance techniques, and tracer-based methods. The analytical techniques with current state-of-the-art approaches as well as the calculation procedures are presented.
The World’s Most Innovative Universities
Authors: Al-Youbi Abdulrahman Obaid , Zahed Adnan Hamza Mohammad , Nahas Mahmoud Nadim , Hegazy Ahmad Abousree
Published: January 2021

Stanford University has been ranked as the World’s Most Innovative University for the fourth year in a row according to the latest Reuters ranking (2018) [26].
A Study of Some of the World’s Most Innovative Universities
Authors: Al-Youbi Abdulrahman Obaid , Zahed Adnan Hamza Mohammad , Nahas Mahmoud Nadim , Hegazy Ahmad Abousree
Published: January 2021

This chapter examines in detail a study of the top twenty most innovative universities in the world according to Table 10.1007/978-3-030-59694-1_6. A study of one university of each country, whose name was not included among the top twenty universities, is also added. The first-ranked university in each country which none of its universities were ranked among the top twenty is selected, and its details described the same way as that of the top twenty universities. The ranking of the added universities is: 31, 35, 44, 55, 57, 62, and 63. This study is shown below.
Statistics of Patents of the World’s Most Innovative Universities
Authors: Al-Youbi Abdulrahman Obaid , Zahed Adnan Hamza Mohammad , Nahas Mahmoud Nadim , Hegazy Ahmad Abousree
Published: January 2021

Patents are the significant factor in ranking universities in terms of innovation. Therefore, in this chapter, we are presenting statistics on patents of different ranked universities in order to encourage other universities to enter the ranking if they work on registering patents. We are especially drawing the attention to the percentage of the number of registered patents in comparison with the number of patents submitted by universities, as we notice that this percentage is lower than 50% for a lot of American universities while it is higher for Asian universities.
Recommendations
Authors: Al-Youbi Abdulrahman Obaid , Zahed Adnan Hamza Mohammad , Nahas Mahmoud Nadim , Hegazy Ahmad Abousree
Published: January 2021

At the end of this book, we conclude that innovative universities should work in different ways to reach the classification of innovative universities.
Oral Care that Supports Healthy Lives as a Case Study of the Kumamoto Earthquake
Authors: Hiramatsu Michikazu , Ohta Hideto
Published: January 2021

Immediately after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995 and the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, pneumonia outbreak among the elderly increased the rate of fatalities. What caused this? To use lessons learned during the large-scale disaster, specialists concerned with the field of dentistry began to take action using new perspectives. Consequently, they noticed the importance of giving care to the entire oral cavity as well as the teeth. Based on reports from a dentist and a dental hygienist who tackled the oral care of the Kumamoto Earthquake victims in 2016, their methods of effective health care following a disaster is presented in this paper. We also propose a preventative medical activity that can be conducted sustainably for anyone, not just medical personnel.
Experiences of University Student Volunteer Activities to Revitalize the Area Affected by the Kumamoto Earthquake
Authors: Jeong Yukyong , Hiramatsu Michikazu , Qian Kun
Published: January 2021

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the situation and issues of volunteer activities through the example of the students’ voluntary activities after the Kumamoto earthquake. In the case study, we described the volunteer activities of Tokai University students starting from the time immediately after the Kumamoto Earthquake, and the revitalization activities they conducted in the disaster area. We focused on how the motivations and actions of university students are changing over time. The students of the Faculty of Agriculture of Tokai University established a student volunteer group called Aso Fukkoheno Michi which means “Path for Revitalization of Aso”. The group is currently working on the revitalization of Minami-aso Village, with a particular focus on developing the sustainability of the Kurokawa area. With this intention, members of Aso Fukkoheno Michi started to tell the story of Minami-aso Village to visitors. Through this storytelling activity, the students are able to convey their own experiences of the disaster to visitors. From the survey conducted among student volunteers, we learned about the effective ways in which the students undertook such activities. However, we identified problems faced by the volunteers regarding the continuation of their efforts in the future, and regarding maintaining their involvement with the local community.
Attempt to Develop High-Value Rice in the Shimojin District, Mashiki Town, Kumamoto Prefecture: Transition Into Sustainable Local Community Using Disaster Recovery from the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquakes as a Branding Strategy
Authors: Tanaka Wataru , Itsukushima Rei
Published: January 2021

In this chapter, we report the case of a co-design project undertaken in the Shimojin district that was severely damaged by the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquakes. We, IDS3, and local residents have not only attempted to recover the aforementioned district from the damages it suffered due to the earthquakes but also unite its entire community, which is currently suffering from population decline and aging. To supplement its local agriculture, we initiated the co-design project as a means to promote rice branding by adding value by utilizing the biodiversity in the district and transforming the district’s rice paddy fields into eco-friendly paddy systems. We were involved with the project since the consensus building phase owing to our co-design experience with regard to restoration planning at disaster restoration sites and knowledge about the district. We primarily conducted our research in three fields: (1) design of the recovery plan of eco-friendly paddy fields and agricultural ditches, (2) consensus formation for rice branding, (3) exploration of eco-friendly farming method suitable for the region under study.
How Can We Develop a Co-design, Co-production, and Co-delivery Process Toward a Sustainable Local Society? Comparative Study on Transdisciplinary Research Projects
Authors: Hanamatsu Yasunori , Fujiwara Takahiro , Onda Nariaki , Sato Tatsuro , Yamashita Tomomi , Yokota Fumihiko
Published: January 2021

This chapter will introduce the results of a comparative, interdisciplinary joint research on transdisciplinary research (TD), conducted by three social science researchers and three natural science researchers who work at the Decision Science Center for a Sustainable Society, Kyushu University (Institute of Decision Science for a Sustainable Society, Kyushu University, IDS3). Since the beginning of IDS3’s Future Earth project, or before the project became a global research program, all of us had engaged with TD research in our own local fields and disciplines, to solve local social problems while interacting with various social stakeholders. Our disciplines include public health, forest management, natural regeneration in paddy fields, small hydropower generation, local governance, and tourism promotion. While sharing the results of our TD projects among ourselves, we found some common questions and problem perspectives on Future Earth, mainly from the point of view of social science. In this chapter, we will present the outcome of our comparative joint research, including our common questions, perspectives, and problem setting on Future Earth and TD research. Then, we will propose some hypothetical indicators for the conditions and requirements for achieving successful “co-design/co-production/co-delivery.”
Co-design, Co-production, and Co-evaluation Processes for a Mobile Health Check-Up Research Project in Jaipur, India: A Case Study of the Portable Health Clinic, 2016–2020
Authors: Yokota Fumihiko , Biyani Manish , Islam Rafiqul , Ahmed Ashir , Nishikitani Mariko , Kikuchi Kimiyo , Izukura Rieko , Nohara Yasunobu , Nakashima Naoki
Published: January 2021

This chapter summarizes the co-design, co-production, and co-evaluation processes of a mobile health check-up research project in Jaipur, India, from March 2016 to June 2020. It is the continuation of our previous paper which was published in November 2018 at Sustainability. The main focus of this chapter is to describe the processes of co-production, co-implementation, and co-evaluation research activities after November 2018. To accomplish this, all documents and materials related to the research processes of co-design, co-production, and co-evaluation were thoroughly reviewed, including minutes from meetings, consultations, workshops, trainings, presentation slides, pictures, and reports. After reviewing the past 4 year’s research process, the road map of a sustainable mobile health check-up project in India was proposed.
Sustainability of Micro Hydropower Generation in a Traditional Community of Indonesia
Authors: Sato Tatsuro , Ide Jun’ichiro
Published: January 2021

Over 3 years, we undertook a micro hydropower (MHP) project in the Ciptagelar village, West Java, to improve the understanding and implementation of sustainable operations and management of MHP generation in remote rural areas, where the primary industry is farming and thus monetary incomes are low. First, we describe in this paper the history of setting up the research agenda to be tackled with the cooperation of governmental and nongovernmental stakeholders. Second, we report the current status of MHP plants and the related issues obtained through fieldwork and model simulations, in the context of culture, traditions, and society in the village. Finally, we propose guidelines to solve the issues and present the lessons learned and things scientists should pay attention to when proceeding with transdisciplinary research projects in remote rural areas. Through fieldwork and model simulations, we revealed issues related to budgeting and techniques for maintaining and operating MHP plants. We found that the village had difficulty in securing funds for repairing broken intake weirs, though it had funds to cover the general maintenance of the MHP plants. We also found that the intake weirs were vulnerable to large floods and that no accomplished technicians were available to operate MHP plants in the village properly. To solve these issues, we need to find ways to reinforce the intake weirs using local materials and increase monetary incomes by creating new industries based on the MHP generation while considering the cultural and traditional backgrounds of the remote rural areas.
Sustainable Community Co-development Through Collaboration of Science and Society: Comparison of Success and Failure Cases on Tsushima Island
Authors: Hanamatsu Yasunori , Yamashita Tomomi , Tokunaga Shota
Published: January 2021

This chapter examines how science can co-produce with local communities and what kind of roles it can play for local revitalization in one of the border islands of Japan, Tsushima (Nagasaki Prefecture). Currently, depopulation, declining birthrate, and aging population are accelerating in local regions all over Japan, and the management and survival of local communities is becoming “unsustainable.” Therefore, it has become a major issue on how to build a sustainable local community around Japan, and various efforts have already been made everywhere. Under these circumstances, the case of Tsushima is a practical case study of transdisciplinary research to develop a sustainable local community. This is also one of the Future Earth research which is based on the “co-design, co-production, and co-delivery between science and society.” This chapter will introduce two cases in Tsushima islands, and then, from the perspective of TD research, emphasize the importance of the role of coordinator, social sensitivity to local needs and realities, priority, problem framing, and scale setting.
Theoretical Models as a Tool to Derive Management Strategies for Sustainable Natural Resource Management
Authors: Lee Joung-Hun
Published: January 2021

Biodiversity hot spots cannot be preserved successfully unless human activities such as illegal logging and grazing are properly controlled and cooperation is achieved among resource users to reduce anthropogenic impacts. We explore strategies for sustainable use of common resources by studying resource users’ behaviors together with resource dynamics, because ecological and social factors are known to interact strongly. By showing three systems dealing with the risk of illegal logging, grazing pressure, and increasing catching effort respectively, we show the advantages of a mathematical model as a management tool.
Understanding and Analyzing the Characteristics of the Third Place in Urban Design: A Methodology for Discrete and Continuous Data in Environmental Design
Authors: Lee Namju
Published: January 2021

With a rapid development of data-driven technologies, many opportunities have arisen to understand and characterize urban contexts. This paper addresses the methodology to understand a place in urban settings through the lens of third places and motility based on the walkable distance. To capture and process third-place data, fetched from Google Places, based on a given location, this paper discuses two data structures and process of discrete and continuous data. Representation of third places in a specific location of a city is characterized by representative queries. Its identified chart as a perspective of understanding a designated area could compare with other charts in different places. This method allows us to distinguish the constitution of third places based on the distance among places, enabling us to develop design strategies to differentiate or accord the sites based on mobility. The goal is to set up a method to process, interpolate, and visualize discrete and continuous urban data with representative queries of third places based on distance.
A Preliminary Study on the Formation of the General Layouts on the Northern Neighborhood Community Based on GauGAN Diversity Output Generator
Authors: Pan Yuzhe , Qian Jin , Hu Yingdong
Published: January 2021

Recently, the mainstream gradually has become replacing neighborhood-style communities with high-density residences. The original pleasant scale and enclosed residential spaces have been broken, and the traditional neighborhood relations are going away. This research uses machine learning to train the model to generate a new plan, which is used in today’s residential design. First, in order to obtain a better generation effect, this study extracts the transcendental information of the neighborhood community in north of China, using roads, buildings etc. as morphological representations; GauGAN, compared to the pix2pix and pix2pixHD, used by predecessors, can achieve a clearer and a more diversified output and also fit irregular contours more realistically. ANN model trained by 167 general layout samples of a neighborhood community in north of China from 1950s to 1970s can generate various general layouts in different shapes and scales. The experiment proves that GauGAN is more suitable for general layout generation than pix2pix (pix2pixHD); Distributed training can improve the clarity of the generation and allow later vectorization to be more convenient.
Collection to Creation: Playfully Interpreting the Classics with Contemporary Tools
Authors: Herruzo Ana , Pashenkov Nikita
Published: January 2021

This paper details an experimental project developed in an academic and pedagogical environment, aiming to bring together visual arts and computer science coursework in the creation of an interactive installation for a live event at The J. Paul Getty Museum. The result incorporates interactive visuals based on the user’s movements and facial expressions, accompanied by synthetic texts generated using machine learning algorithms trained on the museum’s art collection. Special focus is paid to how advances in computing such as Deep Learning and Natural Language Processing can contribute to deeper engagement with users and add new layers of interactivity.
Pipes of AI – Machine Learning Assisted 3D Modeling Design
Authors: Liu Chuan , Shen Jiaqi , Ren Yue , Zheng Hao
Published: January 2021

Style transfer is a design technique that is based on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, which is an innovative way to generate new images with the intervention of style images. The output image will carry the characteristic of style image and maintain the content of the input image. However, the design technique is employed in generating 2D images, which has a limited range in practical use. Thus, the goal of the project is to utilize style transfer as a toolset for architectural design and find out the possibility for a 3D modeling design. To implement style transfer into the research, floor plans of different heights are selected from a given design boundary and set as the content images, while a framework of a truss structure is set as the style image. Transferred images are obtained after processing the style transfer neural network, then the geometric images are translated into floor plans for new structure design. After the selection of the tilt angle and the degree of density, vertical components that connecting two adjacent layers are generated to be the pillars of the structure. At this stage, 2D style transferred images are successfully transformed into 3D geometries, which can be applied to the architectural design processes. Generally speaking, style transfer is an intelligent design tool that provides architects with a variety of choices of idea-generating. It has the potential to inspire architects at an early stage of design with not only 2D but also 3D format.
Optimization and Prediction of Design Variables Driven by Building Energy Performance—A Case Study of Office Building in Wuhan
Authors: Li Jingyi , Chen Hong
Published: January 2021

This research focuses on the energy performance of office building in Wuhan. The research explored and predicted the optimal solution of design variables by Multi-Island Genetic Algorithm (MIGA) and RBF Artificial neural networks (RBF-ANNs). Research analyzed the cluster centers of design variable by K-means cluster method. In the study, the RBF-ANNs model was established by 1,000 simulation cases. The RMSE (root mean square error) of the RBF-ANNs model in different energy aspects does not exceed 15%. Comparing to the reference case (the largest energy consumption case in the optimization), the 214 elite cases in RBF-ANNs model save at least 37.5% energy. By the cluster centers of the design variables in the elite cases, the study summarized the benchmark of 14 design variables and also suggested a building energy guidance for Wuhan office building design.
Material Disruption
Authors: Spyropoulos Mary , Andrasek Alisa
Published: January 2021

This paper examines the role of computational simulation of material processes with robotics fabrication, with the intent of examining its implications for architectural design and construction. Simulation techniques have been adopted in the automotive industry amongst others, advancing their design and manufacturing outputs. At present, architecture is yet to explore the full potential of this technology and their techniques. The need for simulation is evident in exploring the behaviours of materials and their relative properties. Currently, there is a distinct disconnect between the virtual model and its fabricated counterpart. Through research in simulation, we can begin to understand and clearly visualize the relationship between material behaviours and properties that can lead to a closer correlation between the digital design and its fabricated outcome. As the first phase of investigation, the material of clay is used due to its volatile qualities embedded within the material behaviour. The input geometry is constrained to rudimentary extruded forms in order to not obscure the behaviour of the material, but rather allow for it to drive the machine-making process.