bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Individual Tree-Crown Detection and Species Classification in Very High-Resolution Remote Sensing Imagery Using a Deep Learning Ensemble Model
Authors: Pleșoianu Alin-Ionuț , Stupariu Mihai-Sorin , Șandric Ionuț , Pătru-Stupariu Ileana , Drăguț Lucian
Published: July 2020

Traditional methods for individual tree-crown (ITC) detection (image classification, segmentation, template matching, etc.) applied to very high-resolution remote sensing imagery have been shown to struggle in disparate landscape types or image resolutions due to scale problems and information complexity. Deep learning promised to overcome these shortcomings due to its superior performance and versatility, proven with reported detection rates of ~90%. However, such models still find their limits in transferability across study areas, because of different tree conditions (e.g., isolated trees vs. compact forests) and/or resolutions of the input data. This study introduces a highly replicable deep learning ensemble design for ITC detection and species classification based on the established single shot detector (SSD) model. The ensemble model design is based on varying the input data for the SSD models, coupled with a voting strategy for the output predictions. Very high-resolution unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), aerial remote sensing imagery and elevation data are used in different combinations to test the performance of the ensemble models in three study sites with highly contrasting spatial patterns. The results show that ensemble models perform better than any single SSD model, regardless of the local tree conditions or image resolution. The detection performance and the accuracy rates improved by 3–18% with only as few as two participant single models, regardless of the study site. However, when more than two models were included, the performance of the ensemble models only improved slightly and even dropped.
Geo-Location Algorithm for Building Targets in Oblique Remote Sensing Images Based on Deep Learning and Height Estimation
Authors: Cai Yiming , Ding Yalin , Zhang Hongwen , Xiu Jihong , Liu Zhiming
Published: July 2020

To improve the accuracy of the geographic positioning of a single aerial remote sensing image, the height information of a building in the image must be considered. Oblique remote sensing images are essentially two-dimensional images and produce a large positioning error if a traditional positioning algorithm is used to locate the building directly. To address this problem, this study uses a convolutional neural network to automatically detect the location of buildings in remote sensing images. Moreover, it optimizes an automatic building recognition algorithm for oblique aerial remote sensing images based on You Only Look Once V4 (YOLO V4). This study also proposes a positioning algorithm for the building target, which uses the imaging angle to estimate the height of a building, and combines the spatial coordinate transformation matrix to calculate high-accuracy geo-location of target buildings. Simulation analysis shows that the traditional positioning algorithm inevitably leads to large errors in the positioning of building targets. When the target height is 50 m and the imaging angle is 70°, the positioning error is 114.89 m. Flight tests show that the algorithm established in this study can improve the positioning accuracy of building targets by approximately 20%–50% depending on the difference in target height.
Editorial for Special Issue “Applications of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) for Land Cover Analysis”
Authors: Trinder John C.
Published: July 2020

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging systems derive microwave data, from space or airborne (piloted and remote piloted), that provide opportunities for the interpretation of many characteristics of the terrain surface. The increasing number of satellites equipped with SAR data acquisition systems that are being launched with a range of wavelengths, polarizations, and operating characteristics are enabling a better understanding of the earth’s environment, for such activities as vegetation analysis, forest inventories, land subsidence, and urban analysis. In addition, airborne systems for remote piloted systems and ground-based systems are available. This Special Issue presents six quality scientific papers on typical applications of SAR technologies. They include methods for the determination of above ground biomass (AGB), crop mapping using data from an advanced X-band system developed in Japan, analysis of natural and human-induced slow-rate ground deformations in the region of Campania, in Italy, the location of landslides caused by natural phenomena based on SAR images derived from the Japanese high-resolution Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 (ALOS-2), and monitoring the size of refugee camps and their environmental impacts caused by the displacement of people from Myanmar to the Cox’s Bazar District, around Kutupalong, in Bangladesh. The paper concludes with some comments on the future directions of developments in SAR systems.
LiCSAR: An Automatic InSAR Tool for Measuring and Monitoring Tectonic and Volcanic Activity
Authors: Lazecký Milan , Spaans Karsten , González Pablo J. , Maghsoudi Yasser , Morishita Yu , Albino Fabien , Elliott John , Greenall Nicholas , Hatton Emma , Hooper Andrew , Juncu Daniel , McDougall Alistair , Walters Richard J. , Watson C. Scott , Weiss Jonathan R. , Wright Tim J.
Published: July 2020

Space-borne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Interferometry (InSAR) is now a key geophysical tool for surface deformation studies. The European Commission’s Sentinel-1 Constellation began acquiring data systematically in late 2014. The data, which are free and open access, have global coverage at moderate resolution with a 6 or 12-day revisit, enabling researchers to investigate large-scale surface deformation systematically through time. However, full exploitation of the potential of Sentinel-1 requires specific processing approaches as well as the efficient use of modern computing and data storage facilities. Here we present Looking Into Continents from Space with Synthetic Aperture Radar (LiCSAR), an operational system built for large-scale interferometric processing of Sentinel-1 data. LiCSAR is designed to automatically produce geocoded wrapped and unwrapped interferograms and coherence estimates, for large regions, at 0.001° resolution (WGS-84 coordinate system). The products are continuously updated at a frequency depending on prioritised regions (monthly, weekly or live update strategy). The products are open and freely accessible and downloadable through an online portal. We describe the algorithms, processing, and storage solutions implemented in LiCSAR, and show several case studies that use LiCSAR products to measure tectonic and volcanic deformation. We aim to accelerate the uptake of InSAR data by researchers as well as non-expert users by mass producing interferograms and derived products.
Two-Channel Graphene pH Sensor Using Semi-Ionic Fluorinated Graphene Reference Electrode
Authors: Kim Dae Hoon , Park Woo Hwan , Oh Hong Gi , Jeon Dong Cheol , Lim Joon Mook , Song Kwang Soup
Published: July 2020

A reference electrode is necessary for the working of ion-sensitive field-effect transistor (ISFET)-type sensors in electrolyte solutions. The Ag/AgCl electrode is normally used as a reference electrode. However, the Ag/AgCl reference electrode limits the advantages of the ISFET sensor. In this work, we fabricated a two-channel graphene solution gate field-effect transistor (G-SGFET) to detect pH without an Ag/AgCl reference electrode in the electrolyte solution. One channel is the sensing channel for detecting the pH and the other channel is the reference channel that serves as the reference electrode. The sensing channel was oxygenated, and the reference channel was fluorinated partially. Both the channels were directly exposed to the electrolyte solution without sensing membranes or passivation layers. The transfer characteristics of the two-channel G-SGFET showed ambipolar field-effect transistor (FET) behavior (p-channel and n-channel), which is a typical characteristic curve for the graphene ISFET, and the value of VDirac was shifted by 18.2 mV/pH in the positive direction over the range of pH values from 4 to 10. The leakage current of the reference channel was 16.48 nA. We detected the real-time pH value for the two-channel G-SGFET, which operated stably for 60 min in the buffer solution.
An Android Inline Hooking Framework for the Securing Transmitted Data
Authors: Tan Yu-an , Feng Shuo , Cheng Xiaochun , Li Yuanzhang , Zheng Jun
Published: July 2020

Information leaks can occur through many Android applications, including unauthorized access to sensors data. Hooking is an important technique for protecting Android applications and add security features to them even without its source code. Various hooking frameworks are developed to intercept events and process their own specific events. The hooking tools for Java methods are varied, however, the native hook has few methods. Besides, the commonly used Android hook frameworks cannot meet the requirement of hooking the native methods in shared libraries on non-root devices. Even though some approaches are able to hook these methods, they have limitations or are complicated to implement. In the paper, a feasible hooking approach for Android native methods is proposed and implemented, which does not need any modifications to both the Android framework and app’s code. In this approach, the method’s reference address is modified and control flow is redirected. Beyond that, this study combines this approach with VirtualXposed which aims to run it without root privileges. This hooking framework can be used to enforce security policies and monitor sensitive methods in shared objects. The evaluation of the scheme demonstrates its capability to perform hook operation without a significant runtime performance overhead on real devices and it is compatible and functional for the native hook.
Lamb Wave-Based Damage Localization Feature Enhancement and Extraction Method for Stator Insulation of Large Generators Using VMD and Wavelet Transform
Authors: Li Ruihua , Luo Jing , Hu Bo
Published: July 2020

Lamb waves are used to locate any damage in the stator insulation structure of large generators. However, it is difficult to extract the features of Lamb wave signals in a strong background noise environment, thus significantly reducing the accuracy with which the damage is located. This paper proposes a method based on variational mode decomposition (VMD) and wavelet transform to enhance and extract the location features of stator insulation damage signals of large motors. First, considering that the characteristics of VMD are sensitive to noise, the Lamb wave detection signal is decomposed, denoised, and reconstructed; the reconstructed signal is then wavelet-transformed to extract the time of flight (TOF) of the damage-scattered wave as the damage location feature; finally, the damage location is determined using the TOF features. The proposed method is experimentally tested and verified under various noise environments. The results show that the VMD and wavelet transform methods can significantly improve the signal-to-noise ratio of Lamb wave detection signals and the accuracy with which the damage is located under strong background noise. This study extends the applicability of Lamb wave-based non-destructive detection of stator insulation damage in complex environments.
Antenna Combining for Interference Limited MIMO Cellular Networks
Authors: Kim Tae-Kyoung
Published: July 2020

This paper considers a downlink cellular network where multi-antenna base stations (BSs) simultaneously serve their associated multi-antenna users. Each BS is distributed according to a homogeneous Poisson point process and uses zero-forcing beamforming for spatial division multiplexing with partial channel state information (CSI). During downlink transmission, each user combines the multiple antenna outputs and quantizes the CSI to feed back to its associated BS. Specifically, this paper focuses on antenna combining at the receiver. Conventional quantization-based combining (QBC) effectively reduces the quantization error; however, inter-cell interference in the cellular networks degrades the QBC gain. This degradation is analyzed using a spherical-cap approximation of vector quantization (SCVQ). From the SCVQ, the ergodic spectral efficiency and the optimal number of feedback bits are investigated, and it is shown that the QBC degrades the gain of the effective channel. To address this problem, an optimization solution is proposed that selects the antenna combining to maximize the spectral efficiency. The solution is also derived by considering the expected beamforming vectors of other cells. It is demonstrated by simulation that the proposed solution outperforms the conventional methods.
Antileishmanial Activity and Influence on Mitochondria of the Essential Oil from Tagetes lucida Cav. and Its Main Component
Authors: Monzote Lianet , Gutiérrez Yamilet , Machin Laura , Staniek Katrin , Scull Ramón , Satyal Prabodh , Gille Lars , Setzer William N.
Published: July 2020

Current antileishmanial drugs are toxic, expensive, and resistance to them has emerged. Several studies have focused on natural products as alternatives. In the present work, the chemical composition, in vitro antileishmanial activity, cytotoxicity effects, and the influence on mitochondrial function of the essential oil from Tagetes lucida Cav. was determined, as well its main compound estragole. Forty-nine compounds were detected in the oil by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), of which estragole was the main constituent (97%). The oil showed inhibition of the promastigotes of L. tarentolae and L. amazonensis (IC50 = 61.4 and 118.8 µg/mL, respectively), decreased oxygen consumption of L. tarentolae, disrupted mitochondrial membrane potential in L. amazonensis, inhibitory activity on the intracellular amastigote of L. amazonensis (IC50 = 14.2 ± 1.6 µg/mL), and cytotoxicity values ranging from 80.8 to 156 µg/mL against murine macrophages and J774 cells. Estragole displayed higher activity on promastigotes (IC50 = 28.5 and 25.5 µg/mL, respectively), amastigotes (IC50 = 1.4 ± 0.1 µg/mL), and cytotoxicity values ranging from 20.6 to 14.5 µg/mL, respectively, while on mitochondria, it caused a decrease of the membrane potential but did not inhibit oxygen consumption. The potential antileishmanial activity of the essential oil from T. lucida and estragole makes these compounds favorable candidates for exploration in further studies.
Land-Use Changes of Historical Rural Landscape—Heritage, Protection, and Sustainable Ecotourism: Case Study of Slovak Exclave Čív (Piliscsév) in Komárom-Esztergom County (Hungary)
Authors: Chrastina Peter , Hronček Pavel , Gregorová Bohuslava , Žoncová Michaela
Published: July 2020

The landscape surrounding the village of Čív (Piliscsév in Hungarian) in the north of the Komárom-Esztergom County is part of the cultural heritage of the Slovaks in Hungary. This paper discusses the issue of the Čív landscape changes in the context of its use (historical land use). Between 1701 and 1709, new inhabitants began cultivating the desolated landscape of the Dorog Basin, which is surrounded by the Pilis Mountains. This paper aims to characterize the Slovak exclave Čív land use with an emphasis on the period from the beginning of the 18th century (Slovak colonization of the analyzed territory) to 2019. These findings subsequently lead to the evaluation of the stability of the cultural-historical landscape as an essential condition for the development of ecotourism in the cultural landscape. The study results show that a long-term stable cultural landscape has a similar potential for the development of ecotourism as a natural landscape (wilderness). Research conclusions were aimed at creating three proposals for the cultural landscape management of the study area, conceived by the fundamental pillars of ecotourism, which would lead to its stable and sustainable use in ecotourism.
New Policy Framework with Plastic Waste Control Plan for Effective Plastic Waste Management
Authors: Shin Sun-Kyoung , Um Namil , Kim Yong-Jun , Cho Na-Hyeon , Jeon Tae-Wan
Published: July 2020

With an increasing use of plastic, considerable plastic waste is generated, threatening the environment and public health. In particular, changes in living patterns in urban areas have significantly impacted the rate at which plastic waste increases every year. Thus, governments in many developed countries have implemented numerous policies to reduce plastic waste generation. Among them is the concept of circular economy that aims to protect the environment from plastic pollution and promote growth and innovation in industry and human life through overall changes in designing, producing, using, and recycling plastic products. The Korean government has implemented the Resource Circulation Act (RCA), which includes the concept of circular economy and resource efficiency policy for overall waste management. Following the concept of RCA, the Plastic Waste Control Plan (PWCP) was established for the comprehensive management of plastic waste. Therefore, this study introduces the goals and strategies of PWCP, which has a circulation system of four stages of production, consumption, discharge, and recycling, as well as the major roadblocks in the stages impeding the achievement of the goals and strategies. This study also suggests countermeasures at the government level for solving the major problems in the four stages.
Perception of the Impacts of Urban Mobility Interventions in the Niterói Oceanic Region, Brazil
Authors: Gomes José Augusto Paixão , Ferreira Alcoforado Luciane , Azevedo Guedes André Luis , Soares Carlos Alberto Pereira , Longo Orlando Celso
Published: July 2020

In a context of expansion and densification of cities, themes related to mobility and the improvement of the quality of life have aroused the interest of researchers and county managers. Using the case of the main urban mobility intervention in Niterói, the TransOceânica Road Corridor (CVT), this work aims to identify the perception of the population affected by the project in relation to the occurrence of the impacts predicted in the project planning phase, as well as to identify which of these impacts most influenced the standard of living and mobility of this population. The survey results showed that the respondents’ perception of the impacts—as the change of air quality, the change of noise levels, the alteration of the local dynamics and neighborhood disturbance—did not confirm the scenario envisaged when planning the project.
Lean Thinking to Foster the Transition from Traditional Logistics to the Physical Internet
Authors: Rodríguez Cornejo Vanessa , Cervera Paz Ángel , López Molina Luis , Pérez-Fernández Víctor
Published: July 2020

This paper studies the relationship between Lean paradigms and the Physical Internet (PI). Lean thinking is a philosophy that allows one to obtain the right amount of the right items in the right place at the right time; it seeks to minimize waste and is flexible to change. In fact, applying Lean not only helps to reduce costs, but it also adds value and improves results across the supply chain. By using a value stream map, we can map the process from the supply chain to the customer, while trying not to add value activities. Such activities include excessive production, overstorage, waiting times poorly adjusted to needs, defects and rejects that require reprocessing, and, finally, unnecessary transport and movements. Storage, waiting times, and unnecessary transport and movements are at the core of the PI. A value stream map can also help to identify empty transport and unnecessary CO2 emissions. This study analyzes value stream mapping as a tool that can enable the objectives of the different Alliance for Logistics Innovation through Collaboration (ALICE) roadmaps for logistics innovation to be achieved, and can also allow PI principles to be reached on the established dates.
The Research Trends of Multilingualism in Applied Linguistics and Education (2000–2019): A Bibliometric Analysis
Authors: Lin Zhong , Lei Lei
Published: July 2020

This study explored the state of the arts of bilingualism or multilingualism research in the past two decades. In particular, it employed a bibliometric method to examine the publication trend, the main publication venues, the most influential articles, and the important themes in the area of bilingualism or multilingualism. The main findings are summarised as follows. First, a significant increase of publications in the area was found in the past two decades. Second, the main publication venues and the most influential articles were reported. The results seemingly indicated that the research in the area focused largely on two broad categories, that is, (1) bilingualism or multilingualism from the perspective of psycholinguistics and cognition research and (2) how second/additional languages are learned and taught. Last, the important themes, including the hot and cold themes, were identified. Results showed that researchers prefer to study bilingualism or multilingualism more from deeper cognition levels such as metalinguistic awareness, phonological awareness, and executive control. Also, they may become more interested in the issue from multilingual perspectives rather than from the traditional bilingual view. In addition, the theme emergent bilinguals, a term closely related to translanguaging, has recently gained its popularity, which seemingly indicates a recent advocate for heteroglossic language ideologies.
Towards Sustainable Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in a Transitional Economy: An Analysis of Two Romanian City-Regions through the Lens of Entrepreneurs
Authors: Grigore Ana-Maria , Dragan Irina-Maria
Published: July 2020

The entrepreneurial ecosystem, one of the latest trends for researchers and practitioners, has the potential to increase our understanding of entrepreneurship. Existing research was conducted mostly in developed countries. The purpose of this paper is to bring to light the particularities of entrepreneurial ecosystems in two important city-regions of Romania, which should result in a better understanding of the specific context of this transitional economy. Starting from the models of entrepreneurial ecosystems proposed in the literature, we added an element specific to most post-communist states: political entrepreneurs, underlying the impact of their presence for the evolution and sustainability of entrepreneurial ecosystems. The research design was a qualitative exploratory study. The study focused on a sample of 21 entrepreneurs from two city-regions in Romania: Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca. The interviews were based on open-ended questions prompting the respondents to engage in a storytelling approach to describe their experiences as entrepreneurs in a volatile environment, along with their perceptions. The data were analyzed based on a descriptive phenomenological approach using thematic analysis. The main findings, resulting from the qualitative interview data, are that although entrepreneurship, both in results and mentality, is well-established, seemingly over the “point of no return”, the particular context is still making things rough for entrepreneurial activity. The results suggest a strong need for coherent policies at local and national levels.
Temporary Design on Public Open Space for Improving the Pedestrian’s Perception Using Social Media Images in Winter Cities
Authors: Paukaeva Anastasiia A. , Setoguchi Tsuyoshi , Watanabe Norihiro , Luchkova Vera I.
Published: July 2020

Due to the severe climate, residents of winter cities tend not to utilize public open spaces inwinter. Temporary design interventions such as emblematic events are always proposed in wintercities to enhance pedestrian activity by celebrating the season and improving the perception ofwinter. In this study, we clarify the impact of the event on pedestrians’ perception to determinethe role of temporary design in improving the perception of public open spaces in winter cities.Using the example of event known as “Ice Town” on the Lenin Square in Khabarovsk, the contentof the Instagram images was analyzed to determine their perception during and after the event.The analysis includes classification of the images into clusters related to dierent urban elementsusing transfer learning with CNN (convolutional neural network). A total of 10,200 generated imageson the Lenin Square were considered, with 1700 images which relate the event itself. This accountsfor approximately 20% of all data, while those which related to the during the permanent use of LeninSquare accounted for just 6%. Temporary design of public open spaces has great potential to involvepedestrians in interacting with urban and natural environments in winter cities, even in severe coldclimate, by improving an impression of a place.
Development of Spatial Distribution Maps for Energy Demand and Thermal Comfort Estimation in Algeria
Authors: Semahi Samir , Benbouras Mohammed Amin , Mahar Waqas Ahmed , Zemmouri Noureddine , Attia Shady
Published: July 2020

Climatic spatial maps are essential for understanding the thermal conditions of cities and estimate their cooling and heating energy needs. Climate maps allow building designers and city planners to get adequately informed without accessing, analyzing or interpreting dense textual information. In this study, a representative residential benchmark model was simulated in seventy-four cities of Algeria. The simulation results were interpolated using geographic information systems to generate six high-resolution maps that spatially estimate and visualize the discomfort hours and cooling/heating energy needs. The unique methodology relies on a reliable weather dataset (2004–2018) and combines the power of building performance simulation and geographic information systems. The results of these analyses provide easy to understand and web-based atlas that can be used to explore regional and local climate and quantify the discomfort hours, the heating/cooling energy needs and energy use intensity. The spatial maps are not a static product, but rather data-rich content, which can be expanded to include the most important cities of Algeria. The capabilities of the tool allow architects and urban planners to understand the climate better and propose practical design guidance.
Advanced Techniques for Fast and Accurate Heritage Digitisation in Multiple Case Studies
Authors: Leon Iñigo , Pérez José Javier , Senderos María
Published: July 2020

All elements of heritage are exposed to more or less predictable risks. Even though they are in a good state of conservation with economic support for their repair or maintenance, they can suffer sudden accidents leading to their imminent destruction. It is therefore necessary to safeguard them in all scenarios, regardless of the respective scale or state of conservation. That process must at least be based on complete and accurate 3D digitisation. The evolution of devices, software/hardware and platforms nowadays allows such information to be gathered in a sustainable manner. Various existing resources were tried and compared at several heritage sites of different scales with dissimilar risk and protection, following the guidelines of different ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) committees. Each case study addresses the choice of digitisation techniques and the characteristics of the end product obtained. The most suitable modality for each situation is analysed, depending on different factors such as accessibility and risks faced. Although the 3D laser scanner is clearly a very fast and very accurate resource, automated photogrammetry is one of the more accessible and affordable resources; along with the potential of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), this enables the digitisation to be sustainably completed.
Glazed Photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) Collectors for Domestic Hot Water Preparation in Multifamily Building
Authors: Pokorny Nikola , Matuška Tomáš
Published: July 2020

Photovoltaic–thermal collector generates electrical and thermal energy simultaneously from the same area. In this paper performance analysis of a potentially very promising application of a glazed photovoltaic–thermal collector for domestic hot water preparation in multifamily building is presented. Solar system in multifamily building can be installed on the roof or integrated in the façade of the building. The aim of this simulation study is to show difference of thermal and electrical performance between façade and roof installation of a glazed photovoltaic-thermal collectors at three European locations. Subsequently, this study shows benefit of photovoltaic-thermal collector installation in comparison with side-by-side installation of conventional system. For the purpose of simulation study, mathematical model of glazed photovoltaic-thermal collector has been experimentally validated and implemented into TRNSYS. A solar domestic hot water system with photovoltaic–thermal collectors generates more electrical and thermal energy in comparison with a conventional system across the whole of Europe for a particular installation in a multifamily building. The specific thermal yield of the photovoltaic–thermal system ranges between 352 and 582 kWh/m2. The photovoltaic–thermal system electric yield ranges between 63 and 149 kWh/m2. The increase in electricity production by the photovoltaic–thermal system varies from 19% to 32% in comparison with a conventional side-by-side system. The increase in thermal yield differs between the façade and roof alternatives. Photovoltaic-thermal system installation on the roof has higher thermal yield than conventional system and the increase of thermal yield ranges from 37% to 53%. The increase in thermal yield of façade photovoltaic-thermal system is significantly higher in comparison with a conventional system and ranges from 71% to 81%.
The Effectiveness of Self-Sufficiency Policy: International Price Transmissions in Beef Markets
Authors: Guo Jin , Tanaka Tetsuji
Published: July 2020

International beef markets have shocked regional markets in importing countries due to unexpected events such as the COVID-19 epidemic, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and high prices for grain feed. After the global food price spikes in 2008, many national governments aimed to improve food self-sufficiency to secure food supply. However, the efficacy of food self-sufficiency policy, particularly that of meat products, is not fully understood. This paper investigates the causal nexus and estimates the degree of volatility transmissions between global and regional beef prices in 10 beef-importing nations for the period January 2006 to December 2013. Furthermore, we empirically analyze how beef self-sufficiency rates affect the correlations between global and local beef markets using a panel analysis. Our primary findings are: (1) Unidirectional causality from global to local markets was found for Georgia, the UK and the United States. Meanwhile, Japan is a large beef importer, and its price causally influences global prices; (2) We found that the interconnectivity between world and regional markets is relatively weak. Regional markets can absorb external shocks in the meat sector better than wheat because meat production is more flexible than grain production, which is heavily dependent on climatic conditions and (3) Empirical results provide strong indications that high self-sufficiency is useful in isolating local markets from global markets. The results obtained from our analysis are extremely useful for policymakers of national governments who desire to insulate domestic from international beef markets in an emergent situation.
Study on Land Use/Cover Change and Ecosystem Services in Harbin, China
Authors: Riao Dao , Zhu Xiaomeng , Tong Zhijun , Zhang Jiquan , Wang Aoyang
Published: July 2020

Land use/cover change (LUCC) and ecosystem service functions are current hot topics in global research on environmental change. A comprehensive analysis and understanding of the land use changes and ecosystem services, and the equilibrium state of the interaction between the natural environment and the social economy is crucial for the sustainable utilization of land resources. We used remote sensing image to research the LUCC, ecosystem service value (ESV), and ecological economic harmony (EEH) in eight main urban areas of Harbin in China from 1990 to 2015. The results show that, in the past 25 years, arable land—which is a part of ecological land—is the main source of construction land for urbanization, whereas the other ecological land is the main source of conversion to arable land. There is no significant change in the value ratio of ESV, however, it is also inclined to the southeast of the study area in spaces like the barycenter of LUCC. The EEH degree has risen from the potential crisis area to the medium coordination degree, and then dropped to the low coordination degree. This shows that although there has been limited change of LUCC, ESV, and EEH in eight main urban areas of Harbin in 25 years, there is a contradiction between the allocation of ecological land and non-ecological land.
A Smart Adaptive Switching Module Architecture Using Fuzzy Logic for an Efficient Integration of Renewable Energy Sources. A Case Study of a RES System Located in Hulubești, Romania
Authors: Oprea Simona-Vasilica , Bâra Adela , Preda Ștefan , Tor Osman Bulent
Published: July 2020

Electricity generation from renewable energy sources (RES) has a common feature, that is, it is fluctuating, available in certain amounts and only for some periods of time. Consuming this electricity when it is available should be a primary goal to enhance operation of the RES-powered generating units which are particularly operating in microgrids. Heavily influenced by weather parameters, RES-powered systems can benefit from implementation of sensors and fuzzy logic systems to dynamically adapt electric loads to the volatility of RES. This study attempts to answer the following question: How to efficiently integrate RES to power systems by means of sustainable energy solutions that involve sensors, fuzzy logic, and categorization of loads? A Smart Adaptive Switching Module (SASM) architecture, which efficiently uses electricity generation of local available RES by gradually switching electric appliances based on weather sensors, power forecast, storage system constraints and other parameters, is proposed. It is demonstrated that, without SASM, the RES generation is supposed to be curtailed in some cases, e.g., when batteries are fully charged, even though the weather conditions are favourable. In such cases, fuzzy rules of SASM securely mitigate curtailment of RES generation by supplying high power non-traditional storage appliances. A numerical case study is performed to demonstrate effectiveness of the proposed SASM architecture for a RES system located in Hulubești (Dâmbovița), Romania.
Eco-Friendly Design of Reinforced Concrete Retaining Walls: Multi-objective Optimization with Harmony Search Applications
Authors: Kayabekir Aylin Ece , Arama Zülal Akbay , Bekdaş Gebrail , Nigdeli Sinan Melih , Geem Zong Woo
Published: July 2020

In this study, considering the eco-friendly design necessities of reinforced concrete structures, the acquirement of minimizing both the cost and the CO2 emission of the reinforced concrete retaining walls in conjunction with ensuring stability conditions has been investigated using harmony search algorithm. Optimization analyses were conducted with the use of two different objective functions to discover the contribution rate of variants to the cost and CO2 emission individually. Besides this, the integrated relationship of cost and CO2 emission was also identified by multi-objective analysis in order to identify an eco-friendly and cost-effective design. The height of the stem and the width of the foundation were treated as design variables. Several optimization cases were fictionalized in relation with the change of the depth of excavation, the amount of the surcharge applied at the top of the wall system at the backfill side, the unit weight of the backfill soil, the costs, and CO2 emission amounts of both the concrete and the reinforcement bars. Consequently, the results of the optimization analyses were arranged to discover the possibility of supplying an eco-friendly design of retaining walls with the minimization of both cost and gas emission depending upon the comparison of outcomes of the identified objective functions. The proposed approach is effective to find both economic and ecological results according to hand calculations and flower pollination algorithm.
Identifying Endogenous and Exogenous Indicators to Measure Eco-Innovation within Clusters
Authors: Mercado-Caruso Nohora , Segarra-Oña Marival , Ovallos-Gazabon David , Peiró-Signes Angel
Published: July 2020

Scientific and business environment literature shows that green, sustainable innovation or eco-innovation has proven to be a source of competitive advantage today. The industrial clusters, their dynamism, and the synergies created within them attract a lot of attention from the scientific community. However, to date, the joint study of these two concepts and, more specifically, the factors that drive eco-innovation specifically in a cluster, have not been studied in depth. This article models eco-innovation in industrial clusters, thus addressing this gap and proposing a model based on information gathered from the literature and a detailed analysis of behavior in relation to eco-innovation in different sectors. Results suggest that including eco-innovation variables and measures may have positive implications such as improvements at the strategic level and the reduction of costs and use of resources. An eco-innovation model for clusters is proposed. It considers eight key factors that seek to raise its competitive level by promoting eco-innovation within clusters. The model includes five internal factors that analyze business capabilities and three external factors that study the effect of launching eco-innovative activities. This model could help the companies’ managers and those responsible for clusters in creating more successful strategies to increase competitiveness by enhancing eco-innovation. It could also serve as a guide for government entities in the performance of eco-innovative activities in economic sectors.
Fields of Action for Designing Measures to Avoid Food Losses in Logistics Networks
Authors: Kleineidam Julia
Published: July 2020

The literature contains many analyses of measures against food loss. However, there exists no structured analysis of the objective of these measures. This study employs a systematic literature analysis and open expert interviews, combining the perspectives of science and practice. For each analyzed case, we identified the objectives behind the implemented measures. Using qualitative clustering, we categorized the located objectives into fields of action. The identified 13 fields of action provide an overview of the objectives of food loss prevention measures. The results indicate that different levels of importance can be assigned to these fields of action. In particular, the results show the relevance of increased network cooperation and transparency within a company and along the entire value chain. Furthermore, the study indicates that the creation of transparency provides the greatest overall added value in terms of reducing food losses.
Factors Affecting Continued Participation in Tuberculosis Contact Investigation in a Low-Income, High-Burden Setting
Authors: Goroh Michelle May D. , van den Boogaard Christel H.A. , Ibrahim Mohd Yusof , Tha Naing Oo , Swe  , Robinson Fredie , Lukman Khamisah Awang , Jeffree Mohammad Saffree , William Timothy , Ralph Anna P.
Published: July 2020

Setting: Outpatient clinics, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia; January–April 2018. Objectives: To identify barriers to full participation in tuberculosis (TB) contact investigation. Methods: Cross-sectional study of knowledge, perceptions, and behaviours among TB contacts. This study was conducted among contacts who attended an initial clinic visit to explore retention in care. During this first visit, contacts were approached for participation in a questionnaire at a follow-up visit. Contacts who consented but did not subsequently attend were interviewed at home. Associations between questionnaire findings and attendance were tested using logistic regression. Results: Of the total 1436 identified contacts, 800 (56%) attended an initial clinic visit. Of 237 consenting TB contacts, 207 (87%) attended their follow-up appointment. In univariable analyses, the odds of attendance were highest for people notified to attend the TB clinic directly by a health inspector; close relatives of TB patients; non-students; people with higher incomes and smaller households; older individuals; males; and people not perceiving TB as stigmatising. In multivariable analysis, mode of notification to attend and having a close relative with TB remained significant. Conclusions: Health inspectors provide an effective role in TB contact investigation through direct personal communication to encourage the completion of the TB screening process, but this requires further integration with clinical processes, and with workplace and school-based investigations.
Novel Dihydroorotate Dehydrogenase Inhibitors with Potent Interferon-Independent Antiviral Activity against Mammarenaviruses In Vitro
Authors: Kim Yu-Jin , Cubitt Beatrice , Cai Yingyun , Kuhn Jens H. , Vitt Daniel , Kohlhof Hella , de la Torre Juan C.
Published: July 2020

Mammarenaviruses cause chronic infections in rodents, which are their predominant natural hosts. Human infection with some of these viruses causes high-consequence disease, posing significant issues in public health. Currently, no FDA-licensed mammarenavirus vaccines are available, and anti-mammarenavirus drugs are limited to an off-label use of ribavirin, which is only partially efficacious and associated with severe side effects. Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) inhibitors, which block de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis, have antiviral activity against viruses from different families, including Arenaviridae, the taxonomic home of mammarenaviruses. Here, we evaluate five novel DHODH inhibitors for their antiviral activity against mammarenaviruses. All tested DHODH inhibitors were potently active against lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) (half-maximal effective concentrations [EC50] in the low nanomolar range, selectivity index [SI] > 1000). The tested DHODH inhibitors did not affect virion cell entry or budding, but rather interfered with viral RNA synthesis. This interference resulted in a potent interferon-independent inhibition of mammarenavirus multiplication in vitro, including the highly virulent Lassa and Junín viruses.
Anal Dysplasia Among Patients With Multiple Human Papillomavirus Anal Lesions: Mosaic or Homogeneity?
Authors: Lafferre Emilie , Abramowitz Laurent , Walker Francine , Benabderrhamanne Dalila , Laurain Anne , Duval Xavier , Tubach Florence
Published: July 2020

Purpose: Anal dysplasia is caused by chronic infection with the human papillomavirus and exposes to the risk of anal cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the distribution of dysplasia anal grade among patients operated on for multiple anal condylomas with no macroscopic differences.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of patients operated on for multiple anal condylomas including a mapping of dysplasia by performing systematically for each patient one biopsy on visible lesion from each of the 4 quadrants on anal margin and in anal canal. All biopsies were read independently by 2 different pathologists.Results: Among 72 patients, 60 were men and 48 were human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected with a median age of 37.5 years. The proportion of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) was higher in the anal canal (41.7%) compared to the margin (20.8%) (P = 0.004). HSIL frequency did not differ according to the quadrant (anterior, posterior, right, and left) of the 2 areas. HSIL on anal canal was not associated with HSIL on anal margin and vice versa (P = 0.390). Neither age nor sex was associated to HSIL but HIV positivity increased the risk of HSIL on the anal margin (P = 0.010).Conclusion: Anal dysplasia is heterogeneously distributed in the anal canal as well as between anal canal and anal margin. The diagnostic of the grade of dysplasia for a person should require multiple biopsies on the canal and anal margin.
Burnout, resilience, and perception of mindfulness programmes among GP trainees: a mixed-methods study
Authors: Hanson Petra , Clarke Amy , Villarreal Manuel , Khan Majid , Dale Jeremy
Published: July 2020

Background

Trainee GPs are at risk of developing burnout as a result of high stress levels. Improving resilience may prevent the negative effects of stress on wellbeing, morale, and patient care, thereby supporting recruitment to general practice.

Aim

To explore experiences of stress and burnout among GP trainees, and their level of interest in undertaking a mindfulness programme.

Design & setting

A qualitative study was performed with a cohort of GP trainees in Coventry and Warwickshire.

Method

This mixed-methods study utilised a survey with validated measures to investigate the prevalence of burnout, state of wellbeing, and resilience in GP trainees. Focus groups were also used to explore experiences of stress and burnout, and perceptions of mindfulness practice.

Results

In total, 47 (response rate 39%) trainees completed the survey and 14 participated in focus groups. There was a high prevalence of disengagement (n= 36; 80%) and emotional exhaustion (n= 35; 77%), with 29 (64%) scoring above the cut-off value for both. While 16 (34%) reported already practising mindfulness, 39 (83%) described interest in engaging in mindfulness practice. The focus groups identified a range of issues relating to how trainees recognise stress and burnout, their help-seeking and coping strategies, the perceived barriers to practising self-care, and motivations for participating in mindfulness training.

Conclusion

This study confirms the degree of stress and burnout that GP trainees experience, and their desire for greater wellbeing and resilience support. It identified a high level of interest in attending a mindfulness programme, but also barriers to engagement. Results of this research shaped the Mindful Practice Curriculum programme, which was later provided to this cohort of trainees.