bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sensor-Based Human Activity Recognition Using Adaptive Class Hierarchy
Authors: Kondo Kazuma , Hasegawa Tatsuhito
Published: November 2021

In sensor-based human activity recognition, many methods based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been proposed. In the typical CNN-based activity recognition model, each class is treated independently of others. However, actual activity classes often have hierarchical relationships. It is important to consider an activity recognition model that uses the hierarchical relationship among classes to improve recognition performance. In image recognition, branch CNNs (B-CNNs) have been proposed for classification using class hierarchies. B-CNNs can easily perform classification using hand-crafted class hierarchies, but it is difficult to manually design an appropriate class hierarchy when the number of classes is large or there is little prior knowledge. Therefore, in our study, we propose a class hierarchy-adaptive B-CNN, which adds a method to the B-CNN for automatically constructing class hierarchies. Our method constructs the class hierarchy from training data automatically to effectively train the B-CNN without prior knowledge. We evaluated our method on several benchmark datasets for activity recognition. As a result, our method outperformed standard CNN models without considering the hierarchical relationship among classes. In addition, we confirmed that our method has performance comparable to a B-CNN model with a class hierarchy based on human prior knowledge.
Latency Reduction in Vehicular Sensing Applications by Dynamic 5G User Plane Function Allocation with Session Continuity
Authors: Fondo-Ferreiro Pablo , Candal-Ventureira David , González-Castaño Francisco Javier , Gil-Castiñeira Felipe
Published: November 2021

Vehicle automation is driving the integration of advanced sensors and new applications that demand high-quality information, such as collaborative sensing for enhanced situational awareness. In this work, we considered a vehicular sensing scenario supported by 5G communications, in which vehicle sensor data need to be sent to edge computing resources with stringent latency constraints. To ensure low latency with the resources available, we propose an optimization framework that deploys User Plane Functions (UPFs) dynamically at the edge to minimize the number of network hops between the vehicles and them. The proposed framework relies on a practical Software-Defined-Networking (SDN)-based mechanism that allows seamless re-assignment of vehicles to UPFs while maintaining session and service continuity. We propose and evaluate different UPF allocation algorithms that reduce communications latency compared to static, random, and centralized deployment baselines. Our results demonstrated that the dynamic allocation of UPFs can support latency-critical applications that would be unfeasible otherwise.
Results of Large-Scale Propagation Models in Campus Corridor at 3.7 and 28 GHz
Authors: Samad Md Abdus , Diba Feyisa Debo , Kim Young-Jin , Choi Dong-You
Published: November 2021

The indoor application of wave propagation in the 5G network is essential to fulfill the increasing demands of network access in an indoor environment. This study investigated the wave propagation properties of line-of-sight (LOS) links at two long corridors of Chosun University (CU). We chose wave propagation measurements at 3.7 and 28 GHz, since 3.7 GHz is the closest to the roll-out frequency band of 3.5 GHz in South Korea and 28 GHz is next allocated frequency band for Korean telcos. In addition, 28 GHz is the promising millimeter band adopted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for the 5G network. Thus, the 5G network can use 3.7 and 28 GHz frequencies to achieve the spectrum required for its roll-out frequency band. The results observed were applied to simulate the path loss of the LOS links at extended indoor corridor environments. The minimum mean square error (MMSE) approach was used to evaluate the distance and frequency-dependent optimized coefficients of the close-in (CI) model with a frequency-weighted path loss exponent (CIF), floating-intercept (FI), and alpha–beta–gamma (ABG) models. The outcome shows that the large-scale FI and CI models fitted the measured results at 3.7 and 28 GHz.
An Enhanced Ensemble Approach for Non-Intrusive Energy Use Monitoring Based on Multidimensional Heterogeneity
Authors: Liu Yu , Shi Qianyun , Wang Yan , Zhao Xin , Gao Shan , Huang Xueliang
Published: November 2021

Acting as a virtual sensor network for household appliance energy use monitoring, non-intrusive load monitoring is emerging as the technical basis for refined electricity analysis as well as home energy management. Aiming for robust and reliable monitoring, the ensemble approach has been expected in load disaggregation, but the obstacles of design difficulty and computational inefficiency still exist. To address this, an ensemble design integrated with multi-heterogeneity is proposed for non-intrusive energy use disaggregation in this paper. Firstly, the idea of utilizing a heterogeneous design is presented, and the corresponding ensemble framework for load disaggregation is established. Then, a sparse coding model is allocated for individual classifiers, and the combined classifier is diversified by introducing different distance and similarity measures without consideration of sparsity, forming mutually heterogeneous classifiers. Lastly, a multiple-evaluations-based decision process is fine-tuned following the interactions of multi-heterogeneous committees, and finally deployed as the decision maker. Through verifications on both a low-voltage network simulator and a field measurement dataset, the proposed approach is demonstrated to be effective in enhancing load disaggregation performance robustly. By appropriately introducing the heterogeneous design into the ensemble approach, load monitoring improvements are observed with reduced computational burden, which stimulates research enthusiasm in investigating valid ensemble strategies for practical non-intrusive load monitoring implementations.
Highly Discriminative Physiological Parameters for Thermal Pattern Classification
Authors: Alvarado-Cruz Laura Benita , Toxqui-Quitl Carina , Castro-Ortega Raúl , Padilla-Vivanco Alfonso , Arroyo-Núñez José Humberto
Published: November 2021

Infrared Thermography (IRT) is a non-contact, non-intrusive, and non-ionizing radiation tool used for detecting breast lesions. This paper analyzes the surface temperature distribution (STD) on an optimal Region of Interest (RoI) for extraction of suitable internal heat source parameters. The physiological parameters are estimated through the inverse solution of the bio-heat equation and the STD of suspicious areas related to the hottest spots of the RoI. To reach these values, the STD is analyzed by means: the Depth-Intensity-Radius (D-I-R) measurement model and the fitting method of Lorentz curve. A highly discriminative pattern vector composed of the extracted physiological parameters is proposed to classify normal and abnormal breast thermograms. A well-defined RoI is delimited at a radial distance, determined by the Support Vector Machines (SVM). Nevertheless, this distance is less than or equal to 1.8 cm due to the maximum temperature location close to the boundary image. The methodology is applied to 87 breast thermograms that belong to the Database for Mastology Research with Infrared Image (DMR-IR). This methodology does not apply any image enhancements or normalization of input data. At an optimal position, the three-dimensional scattergrams show a correct separation between normal and abnormal thermograms. In other cases, the feature vectors are highly correlated. According to our experimental results, the proposed pattern vector extracted at optimal position a=1.6 cm reaches the highest sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. Even more, the proposed technique utilizes a reduced number of physiological parameters to obtain a Correct Rate Classification (CRC) of 100%. The precision assessment confirms the performance superiority of the proposed method compared with other techniques for the breast thermogram classification of the DMR-IR.
Graduating University as a Woman with Down Syndrome: Reflecting on My Education
Authors: High Rachel , Robinson Sally
Published: November 2021

This paper reflects on the experience of being a woman with Down Syndrome who completed an undergraduate degree at an Australian university. This autoethnography is based on a year-long research project completed as part of my studies. I did a literature review about the experiences of other students with an intellectual disability at university. Then, I wrote about my own university experience. I found that the parts of my own educational journey were linked to each other like stepping-stones. Four main things came from my research: the importance of the journey before going to university; the isolation experienced by students in this situation; how stereotypes might affect students; and teaching methods that can be used to support students during their time at university. This experience changed me as a person. I gained skills and confidence whilst being at university, as well as the ability to see where I am going in life. This experience made me feel more part of society. While there were many wonderful parts, it was not an easy journey. People with an intellectual disability have a right to have an education. What makes the biggest difference is the way we are treated by other people. It would be good for students with an intellectual disability to be accepted and treated with respect. People may have a different way of learning, and it would be good if this was recognised.
Benford’s Law for Telemetry Data of Wildlife
Authors: Pröger Lasse , Griesberger Paul , Hackländer Klaus , Brunner Norbert , Kühleitner Manfred
Published: November 2021

Benford’s law (BL) specifies the expected digit distributions of data in social sciences, such as demographic or financial data. We focused on the first-digit distribution and hypothesized that it would apply to data on locations of animals freely moving in a natural habitat. We believe that animal movement in natural habitats may differ with respect to BL from movement in more restricted areas (e.g., game preserve). To verify the BL-hypothesis for natural habitats, during 2015–2018, we collected telemetry data of twenty individuals of wild red deer from an alpine region of Austria. For each animal, we recorded the distances between successive position records. Collecting these data for each animal in weekly logbooks resulted in 1132 samples of size 65 on average. The weekly logbook data displayed a BL-like distribution of the leading digits. However, the data did not follow BL perfectly; for 9% (99) of the 1132 weekly logbooks, the chi-square test refuted the BL-hypothesis. A Monte Carlo simulation confirmed that this deviation from BL could not be explained by spurious tests, where a deviation from BL occurred by chance.
Underground Environments, Worldviews, and Sustainable Stewardship
Authors: Grima Reuben
Published: November 2021

This paper examines an aspect of a value-based approach to underground built heritage (UBH). A key tool for the manager of any built heritage today is the mapping of its manifold values for different audiences, to inform their management strategy. This paper first reviews an important paradigm shift that has occurred in the humanities and in cultural heritage management, leading to the recognition of the centrality of the worldviews and lived experience of the different members that make up communities. Drawing on a selection of examples from the literature, it then demonstrates how many UBH sites across a wide spectrum of cultures acquired cosmological and cultic value and significance in a way that is qualitatively different to most built heritage sites above ground. The spectrum of challenges that this poses to the UBH site manager is then outlined by reviewing literature on a selection of UBH examples, from prehistoric archaeological sites to living religious sites. Some key guiding principles are proposed for the management of these different scenarios. Culturally sensitive management that respects the existing value systems of local communities is indispensable wherever such communities are present. Decision-makers need to be keenly aware of these value systems and need to recognize, empower, and complement existing traditional systems of stewardship.
Microplastic Contamination in the Human Gastrointestinal Tract and Daily Consumables Associated with an Indonesian Farming Community
Authors: Wibowo Anjar Tri , Nugrahapraja Husna , Wahyuono Ruri Agung , Islami Izzatul , Haekal Muhammad Husain , Fardiansyah Yasri , Sugiyo Pramudya Wisnu Wicaksono , Putro Yohanes Kartjito , Fauzia Faiza Nur , Santoso Heri , Götz Friedrich , Tangahu Bieby Voijant , Luqman Arif
Published: November 2021

Plastic is one of the most abundant pollutants in the environment. As a result of natural physical processes, large plastic waste is degraded into microsized particles (<5 mm) called microplastics. Because of their size, abundance, and durability, microplastics are widely distributed in the environment, contaminating food and water intended for human consumption. The extent of microplastic contamination in the human body is still unclear because there are few studies concerning microplastic contamination in human specimens and, in most studies, data were collected from city dwellers. Despite having the fourth largest population and being the fourth largest plastic waste producer in the world and second largest plastic polluter in the ocean, there are currently no data with respect to microplastic exposure for the Indonesian population. Several studies have reported on microplastic contamination in seafood and freshwater organisms from Indonesia, and it is likely that microplastics have contaminated the gastrointestinal tracts of Indonesians. Using Raman spectroscopy, we detected microplastic contamination in 7 out of 11 analyzed stool samples collected from a farming community in the highland village of Pacet, East Java, Indonesia. Polypropylene (PP) was the most abundant and prevalent type of microplastic observed, and it was found in four of the positive samples with an average concentration of 10.19 microgram per gram of feces (μg/g). Microplastics were also detected at high concentrations in tempeh (soybean cake, a staple protein source for Indonesians), table salts, and toothpaste, which were regularly consumed and used by the study participants. PP was particularly high in table salts (2.6 μg/g) and toothpaste (15.42 μg/g), suggesting that these products might contribute to the gastrointestinal contamination in the studied population. This pilot study indicated microplastic contamination in the rural Indonesian population and in their daily consumables, demonstrating the far-reaching extent of microplastic pollution beyond urban areas.
Urban Growth Patterns and Forest Carbon Dynamics in the Metropolitan Twin Cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Authors: Mannan Abdul , Yongxiang Fan , Khan Tauheed Ullah , Nizami Syed Moazzam , Mukete Beckline , Ahmad Adnan , Amara Ummay , Liu Jincheng , Wali Muhammad Mamoona
Published: November 2021

The unchecked and unplanned expansion of urban areas has led to the conversion of millions of green areas to gray areas. The recent urban growth patterns of Pakistan’s metropolitan twin cities, Islamabad and Rawalpindi, is a matter of concern for the surrounding green areas. The present study aimed to categorize and quantify the land-use and land-cover change (LULCC) patterns and the corresponding impacts on the forest carbon dynamics around Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Multispectral satellite images for the year 1990 (Landsat 5 TM) and 2020 (Landsat 8 OLI) were used to determine, quantify, and compare the LULCC inside and around the twin metropolitan cities. Field inventory surveys in the reserved forests of Rawalpindi and Islamabad were also conducted to determine the amount of stored carbon in these forests. Our results showed an accelerated annual urban expansion (i.e., an increase in the built-up area) of 16.49% and 26.72% in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, respectively, during the study period. Similarly, the amount of barren land and agricultural land was reduced at an annual rate of 2.08% and 2.18%, respectively, in Rawalpindi and 0.25% and 1.04% in Islamabad. A reduction in the area of barren mountains also occurred at an annual of 2.26% in Islamabad, while it increased by 4.16% in Rawalpindi. The amount of carbon stored in the reserved forests of Islamabad stood at 139.17 ± 12.15 Mg C/ha while that of Rawalpindi was 110.4 ± 13.79 Mg C/ha. In addition, total stored forest carbon was found to have decreased from 544.70 Gg C to 218.05 Gg C in Rawalpindi, while in Islamabad it increased from 2779.64 Gg C to 3548.16 Gg C. Investment in ecological urban planning, sustainable cities, and appropriate land-use planning is recommended to curb the degradation and conversion of the surrounding green areas of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
Facilitators and Barriers of Teachers’ Use of Effective Classroom Management Strategies for Students with ADHD: A Model Analysis Based on Teachers’ Perspectives
Authors: Szép Anna , Dantchev Slava , Zemp Martina , Schwinger Malte , Chavanon Mira-Lynn , Christiansen Hanna
Published: November 2021

Students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often experience school-related difficulties. Although evidence-based classroom management strategies (CMS) are known to alleviate such problems, they are rarely implemented. The current study examined whether a path model including variables influencing the use of effective CMS developed by top-down methods can be replicated utilizing an open science method. An extended model including class size and experience with children with ADHD was also calculated. We further explored prominent implementation barriers. N = 336 in-service teachers completed an online survey. Perceived effectiveness, training on ADHD, perceived disruption, and affiliation with primary/special educational needs schools were important variables associated with the use of CMS. While class size was not correlated with the use of CMS, experience mediated by training revealed an indirect association with it. Class size, lack of time, and many students with disabilities were the most frequently reported implementation barriers. The implementation of effective CMS could thus be mainly enhanced by improving how effectiveness is perceived and by engaging teachers in ADHD-specialized training. Preparing teachers in how to cope with potential barriers should also be considered.
The Effects of Digital Transformation on Firm Performance: Evidence from China’s Manufacturing Sector
Authors: Guo Lei , Xu Luying
Published: November 2021

With vast potentials in improving operations and stimulating growth, digital transformation has aroused much attention from firms across the world. However, the high costs associated with the transformation can not be ignored. Limited research has looked into the organizational performance effects of digital transformation. After examining the benefits and costs of digital transformation, this research makes an empirical study on the impact of digital transformation on firm operational and financial performance. The panel data from 2010 to 2020 of 2254 manufacturing companies in China suggests that the intensity of digital transformation is in positive correlation with the process-based operating performance, and in the U-shaped correlation with the profit-oriented financial performance. Further, we find that digital transformation has a much more lasting impact on operating performance than on financial performance. The conditions required (i.e., policy and innovation environment) to improve the operating performance via digital transformation are more easing. This research shows the differentiated effect of digital transformation on different dimensions of organizational performance and provides guidance for companies to set the goals for digital transformation.
Personality Traits That Affect Travel Intentions during Pandemic COVID-19: The Case Study of Serbia
Authors: Tepavčević Jelena , Blešić Ivana , Petrović Marko D. , Vukosav Svetlana , Bradić Milan , Garača Vuk , Gajić Tamara , Lukić Dobrila
Published: November 2021

The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has enormous effects on peoples’ lives and on the global economy. The outbreak and effects of COVID-19 have resulted in fears, concerns, and anxiety among people all around the world. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the fear of COVID-19, travel anxiety, and travel intention among residents in Serbia. In addition to the above, the aim of the study was to examine the impact of personality traits on the fear of COVID-19, travel anxiety, and travel intentions. To enhance the understanding of the relationship between the mentioned variables, this study proposes a research model based on the use of measurement scales from the existing studies to develop the questionnaire. The standard paper-and-pen survey was used for data collection from the respondents from Serbia. The total sample include 987 respondents. It was determined that Travel intention was negatively influenced by Neuroticism and Conscientiousness, but positively by Extroversion and Openness. The supposed Agreeableness did not have a significant effect on Travel intention. This study contributes to understanding the respondents’ behavior during pandemic of COVID-19, and their responses to the crisis according to their personality traits might have practical implications in the travel sector.
Analyzing Static Analysis Metric Trends towards Early Identification of Non-Maintainable Software Components
Authors: Karanikiotis Thomas , Papamichail Michail D. , Symeonidis Andreas L.
Published: November 2021

Nowadays, agile software development is considered a mainstream approach for software with fast release cycles and frequent changes in requirements. Most of the time, high velocity in software development implies poor software quality, especially when it comes to maintainability. In this work, we argue that ensuring the maintainability of a software component is not the result of a one-time only (or few-times only) set of fixes that eliminate technical debt, but the result of a continuous process across the software’s life cycle. We propose a maintainability evaluation methodology, where data residing in code hosting platforms are being used in order to identify non-maintainable software classes. Upon detecting classes that have been dropped from their project, we examine the progressing behavior of their static analysis metrics and evaluate maintainability upon the four primary source code properties: complexity, cohesion, inheritance and coupling. The evaluation of our methodology upon various axes, both qualitative and quantitative, indicates that our approach can provide actionable and interpretable maintainability evaluation at class level and identify non-maintainable components around 50% ahead of the software life cycle. Based on these results, we argue that the progressing behavior of static analysis metrics at a class level can provide valuable information about the maintainability degree of the component in time.
Environmental Innovation and Green Growth in the Repair and Maintenance of Cars—Case Study
Authors: Majerník Milan , Daneshjo Naqib , Malega Peter , Rudy Vladimír , Al-Rabeei Samer Abdo Saleh
Published: November 2021

The current phase of the sustainable development of production is primarily focused on innovation and environmental products and services, and on greening the economy through the implementation of standardized tools (according to ISO). The paper presents the application of results of ongoing research through case studies under particular conditions. We have expanded our previously proposed business model as an input/output transformation system, presented in our previous research that was published at the 18th International Scientific Conference “Globalization and Its Socio-Economic Consequences” in Zilina and supported by the fact that we are co-creators of STN EN ISO standards 14051:2012 (839051) and STN EN ISO 14045:2013 (839045). Here, it is supplemented by the proposal of a procedure for selecting an instrument for greening the economy according to the area of economic activities (NACE coding). The methodological principles and the proposed procedure are applied through a case study in a small car repair company.
Safety Evaluation of Polyethylene Terephthalate Chemical Recycling Processes
Authors: Welle Frank
Published: November 2021

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the main packaging materials for beverage bottles. Even if this polymer is good to recycle, mechanical recycling processes need a well-sorted input fraction. For less-sorted PET packaging, or even non-food input sources, chemical recycling seems to be a solution to increase PET recycling. For post-consumer recyclates in packaging applications, it is essential that the safety of the recyclates is guaranteed, and the consumers’ health protected. For mechanical recycling processes, evaluation criteria are already established. For chemical recycling processes, however, such evaluation criteria are only roughly available. This study evaluated the safety of the chemical recycling process similar to the approach of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). However, due to the lack of information about the contamination level of the input materials for the chemical recycling process, the evaluation was adapted. In addition, the evaluation should be performed separately for the depolymerisation and for the repolymerisation steps. However, due to the high cleaning efficiencies of both steps, the evaluation can focus on the repolymerisation. This simplifies the assessment of the chemical recycling processes considerably.
Implementing MCDM Techniques for Ranking Renewable Energy Projects under Fuzzy Environment: A Case Study
Authors: Ramezanzade Mohsen , Karimi Hossein , Almutairi Khalid , Xuan Hoa Ao , Saebi Javad , Mostafaeipour Ali , Techato Kuaanan
Published: November 2021

Energy requirements have increased dramatically due to industrialization, economic, and population growth. To meet this demand, and solve its challenges, such as climate change, renewable energies do play an important role. This research work aims at selecting the best renewable energy projects using a hybrid decision-making framework from environmental, economic, technical, and social aspects at a sub-national level. In this regard, a new hybrid fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making model is deployed in which Vise Kriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje, distance from average solution, and additive ratio assessment methods are used. In addition, for the weighing of criteria, Fuzzy Shannon’s entropy is used. Furthermore, the North Khorasan province is nominated as a sub-national study area. The results show that among 30 sub-criteria, social acceptance, net-presented cost, and noise were the top three with weights of 0.1105, 0.1003, and 0.0988, respectively. Solar energy projects also accomplished high ranks with an overall score of roughly 0.22. After that, small hydropower got second place with a score of 0.187. Moreover, the ranking of cities indicates that Jajarm was the most suitable location for implementing renewable energy development with a score of 0.14. Finally, sensitivity analysis was carried out to show that the mathematical model possessed good robustness.
Grazing Sheep in Organic Vineyards: An On-Farm Study about Risk of Chronic Copper Poisoning
Authors: Trouillard Martin , Lèbre Amélie , Heckendorn Felix
Published: November 2021

Many winegrowers and sheep breeders are interested in wintertime grazing in vineyards, as an agroecological alternative to mowing or herbicide spraying, and additional supply of forage. Still, strong concern is raised by the use of copper-based fungicides, particularly in organic vineyards, since copper is known to induce chronic toxicosis in sheep. We conducted an on-farm study with n = 12 1-year-old Merinos × Mourerous ewes grazing the cover vegetation of vineyard plots during wintertime, in order to check whether this agricultural practice might be harmful to sheep. Our results indicate that most copper found in the cover vegetation originates from fungicide spraying versus plant uptake from the soil, and that rain-induced washing-off and plant growth-triggered dilution of copper are crucial to reach close-to-safe grazing conditions. Furthermore, we found that while sheep remained globally healthy during the 2 months of the experimental period, the plasma activity of Glutamate Dehydrogenase increased by 17.3 ± 3.0 U/L upon vineyard grazing (p < 0.001), reflecting liver storage of copper. We also discovered that the dynamics of molybdenum in sheep plasma are strongly affected by exposure to copper, suggesting a possible adaptation mechanism. Overall, our results suggest that winter grazing of sheep in organic vineyards is reasonably safe, but that care should be taken about grazing period duration. More research should be conducted with respect to long-term copper accumulation, spring and summer grazing, and possible protective mechanisms against copper chronic poisoning.
Wildness and Wild Spaces in Residential Yards: Changing Neighborhood Norms to Support Pollinator Populations
Authors: Burr Andrea K. , Hall Damon M. , Schaeg Nicole
Published: November 2021

Insect pollinator populations, critical to the global food supply, are declining. Research has found robust bee communities in cities, which are supported by diverse urban habitat and foraging resources. Accounting for 35–50% of urban green space, U.S. private residential yards can serve as important forage and nesting sources for pollinators. Incorporating wild attributes and wildness, such as native vegetation and less intensive yard-management practices, is key. However, urban vegetation, and its effects on local native bee populations, is shaped by social and cultural preferences, norms, aesthetics, values, and identities. The perfect lawn ideal of a highly manicured turfgrass yard dominates neighborhood landscapes and is often at odds with the habitat needs of pollinators. As part of a three-year study investigating the sociocultural drivers of residential vegetation choices in St. Louis, MO, USA, we interviewed 85 decisionmakers in order to understand choices about private residential yard maintenance. This paper presents an emergent finding concerning how residents conceptualize and talk about the urban-yard aesthetic, using the terms “wild” and “wildness”, which reflect a range of levels in the demand for urban wild spaces in their neighborhoods. The discourse of wildness offers a nontechnical route for understanding the connections between the ecological consequences of urbanization, with human attitudes towards nature that shape the biological functioning of human-generated habitats.
Recent Progress in the Application of Coconut and Palm Oil Fibres in Cement-Based Materials
Authors: Futami Erika , Shafigh Payam , Katman Herda Yati Binti , Ibrahim Zainah
Published: November 2021

Cementitious materials are widely used in the construction industry. These materials have high compressive strength and huge environmental effects but low tensile and flexural strength. Thus, researching these materials to make them environmentally friendly is very important in terms of the sustainable development of the construction industry. In recent years, the amount of research about cementitious composites reinforced with natural fibre has increased annually. This review paper was presented to understand the latest research progress on these fibres and the needs of future research to encourage the construction industry to apply these materials. The optimum dosage of natural fibre depending on the purposes can improve the physical, mechanical and thermal properties of cementitious composites, and natural fibre is highly expected to become an alternative material of synthetic fibres, such as steel, plastic and carbon fibre.
Pathway towards Sustainability in Selected Asian Countries: Influence of Green Investment, Technology Innovations, and Economic Growth on CO2 Emission
Authors: Luo Rundong , Ullah Sami , Ali Kishwar
Published: November 2021

Green investment and technology innovations are generally considered as an effective factor to mitigate CO2 emissions as these enhance cleaner production and energy efficacy. Thus, this study investigated the influence of green investment, technology innovations, and economic growth on CO2 emissions in selected Asian countries for the period 2001 to 2019. The Cross-Section dependency (CSD) signified the cross-section dependence in the panel countries, whereas CIPS and CADF testing affirmed the stationarity of all variables at the first difference. Consequently, the Westerlund cointegration method recognized a long-term association among variables. The outcomes of Panel Fully Modified OLS and Panel Dynamic OLS results indicated that green investment and technology innovations are helpful in mitigating CO2 emissions in selected Asian countries. In addition, the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) postulate is validated for the given time period and indicated inverted U-shaped linkages between the economic growth and CO2 emission. The outcomes of the remaining variables, including population growth, energy consumption, FDI inflow, and trade, are estimated to have an augmenting influence on CO2 emission. Our results regarding the FDI–CO2 emissions nexus support the presence of the pollution-haven hypothesis. Moreover, the estimated results from PFMOLS and PDOLS are validated by Granger Causality, and AMG and CCEMG tests. The study suggests the adoption of renewable sources as energy input and the promotion of innovations for energy efficiencies to reduce CO2 emissions in Asian economies.
Nomadic, Informal and Mediatised Work Practices: Role of Professional Social Approval and Effects on Quality of Life at Work
Authors: Périssé Maëlle , Vonthron Anne-Marie , Vayre Émilie
Published: November 2021

Several studies have emphasised the effects of perceived social approval in employees’ professional environment (colleagues and managers) on the implementation of remote and mediatised work practices and, more specifically, on their spatial, temporal and material characteristics. The use of information and communication technologies has been identified in the literature not only as affecting the levels felt by employees in terms of their relation to work (organisational commitment and recognition for work accomplished) but also in terms of work-life balance and health (stress and addictions). However, these studies are few in number when it comes to nomadic and informal work practices and rarely address perceived social approval in employees’ professional entourage. We used an empirical study based on a questionnaire survey. The results indicate that employees favour smartphone and laptop use. The effects of perceived social approval in their professional entourage differ according to the technologies used. These uses also have an impact on commitment and recognition, but their effects on employees’ perception of the effects of work life on “non-work” life and on addiction-related behaviours are more nuanced. These findings lead us to discuss the “right to disconnect” and the development of support and supervision schemes for nomadic, informal and mediatised work practices.
Comprehensive Characterization of Spent Chemical Foundry Sand for Use in Concrete
Authors: Paul Paola , Belhaj Essia , Diliberto Cécile , Apedo Komla Lolonyo , Feugeas Françoise
Published: November 2021

The foundry industry generates large amounts of spent foundry sands, which are stored, available for recovery in other industrial sectors but unfortunately poorly exploited. Different authors have studied the possibility of recovering them in concretes, which would also allow production of more sustainable cementitious materials. The variability of their results highlights the importance of a better understanding of the potential influential parameters of the by-products. Unfortunately, exhaustive characterizations of the materials are rarely performed, especially for chemically bound foundry sands. This article presents a case study for the recovery of a spent chemical foundry sand with an exhaustive physicochemical characterization of the by-product and an analysis of its influence on the workability and mechanical strengths of cementitious materials. The tests recommended by the European standard for aggregates for concrete confirmed the suitability of the by-product. Associated with additional chemical tests (scanning electron microscopy, X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, etc.) as well as metallic particles characterization, they highlighted possible influential parameters. The workability and mechanical resistance tests carried out on mortars and concretes confirmed the influence of the fineness of the by-product associated with other parameters. Its use at a substitution rate of 30% results in a strength class C 30/37 concrete.
Explore Consumers’ Willingness to Purchase Biotechnology Produced Fruit: An International Study
Authors: Heng Yan , Yoon Sungeun , House Lisa
Published: November 2021

While food biotechnology has been widely applied and benefited the food and agriculture sector, community acceptance of biotechnology is still low. The factors that drive consumer rejection of food biotechnology have been well studied, but knowledge on the factors that drive willingness to purchase, particularly on an international level, is limited. This study aims to identify driving factors for respondents’ willingness to purchase fresh fruit produced with biotechnology, using an international survey conducted in the US, Canada, UK, France, and South Korea. While the overall willingness to purchase biotechnology produced fruit is low across countries, French consumers have the highest rate of willingness to purchase biotechnology produced fresh fruit among studied countries, followed by South Korea. The factors influencing respondents’ willingness to purchase include demographics, lifestyle, and shopping behavior. While respondents behave differently across countries, factors like environmental awareness, self-reported healthiness, and habits of eating away from home, have been found to enhance the willingness to purchase biotechnology produced fruit across countries.
Sustainable Energy Management Benchmark at Wastewater Treatment Plant
Authors: Kiselev Andrey , Magaril Elena , Panepinto Deborah , Rada Elena Cristina , Ravina Marco , Zanetti Maria Chiara
Published: November 2021

Urban wastewater effluents bring large amounts of nutrients, organic matter, and organic microcontaminants into freshwater ecosystems. Ensuring the quality of wastewater treatment (WWT) is one of the main challenges facing the management of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). However, achievement of high-quality standards leads towards significant energy consumption: usually the more intensive WWT process requires additional energies. Energy efficiency at WWTP is actual mainstream on the current sustainable development agenda. The WWTP processes and methods can be considered from the standpoint of material and energy flows according to circular economy paradigm, which offers great possibilities to reuse waste originating from WWT in order to receive renewable energy. The correlation between energy and quality issues to evaluate WWTP efficiency is of a great scientific and practical interest. The main goal of the paper is to check the dependency between these two main issues in WWTP management—WWT quality and energy efficiency—and to determine possible limits of such relation. The municipal sewerage system of Ekaterinburg, Russia was studied within this paper. The total length of centralized sewerage system in Ekaterinburg is over 1500 km of pipes within two main sewerage basins: northern and southern. The methodological framework for the current research consisted of three steps: (i) WWT quality evaluation, (ii) energy efficiency evaluation, and (iii) WWTP Quality/Energy (Q/E) efficiency dependency matrix. For the purpose of research, authors investigated the 2015–2018 period. The results showed that the outputs correlate with the technical conditions of WWTPs and the implementation of the best available techniques (BATs): most of the northern WWTP values are referred to the green zone (good rank), while the southern WWTP values are situated generally in the orange zone (unsatisfactory rank). The proposed methodological approach for Q/E dependency of WWT process creates a strong but simple tool for managers to evaluate the current success of the operation of WWTP and progress towards circular economy practices implementation.
The Effects of Pandemics on the Vulnerability of Food Security in West Africa—A Scoping Review
Authors: Vasseur Liette , VanVolkenburg Heather , Vandeplas Isabelle , Touré Katim , Sanfo Safiétou , Baldé Fatoumata Lamarana
Published: November 2021

The purpose of this paper was to show the effects of the Ebola and COVID-19 pandemics on food security vulnerability in West Africa. The methodology is based on a scoping literature review using the PRISMA method. The study showed that food security was affected by the restrictive measures in the different West African countries. In addition, it shows that this region is highly vulnerable to such crises, which can combine their effects with those of other events such as climate change and civil unrest. In both pandemics, all pillars of food security were affected. The effects on urban and rural centers may be very different. The study suggests a better understanding of the differences between rural and urban centers and between men and women and how long-term restraint measures can affect rural areas where agriculture is the main lever for reducing food insecurity. Food security must be seriously considered by governments when implementing restrictive measures during a pandemic. Consideration of health factors alone at the expense of food security can greatly exacerbate health problems and even increase cases of disease.
Negotiations and Conflict in the Implementation of a Waste Pickers’ Cooperative: A Sociology of Translation Approach
Authors: Conceição Ribeiro Priscila Soraia da , Rutkowski Emília Wanda , Rezende Sonaly
Published: November 2021

The complexity of converting political options into socially, economically, and environmentally acceptable strategies places collectors of recyclable material and the challenges they experience on the agendas of research in science, technology, and society. This article aims to investigate the negotiations and conflicts that permeated the implementation of a waste pickers’ cooperative and its integration into the municipal solid waste management system. Considering the complexity of the theme, the methodological approach adopted was grounded theory. This method encourages the expansion of knowledge in an area through the connection of theoretical concepts and significant aspects of the actors’ experiences. The techniques applied for data collection included semi-structured interviews, participant observation, document analysis, and informal interviews. The results are based on narratives analyzed from concepts derived from the Sociology of Translation. It was possible to observe the efforts undertaken by multiple actors, sometimes in the construction and other times in the destabilization of a support network for the establishment of a cooperative. The network suffered dissidents and was destabilized by the habits of the original network and by unexpected events, which made the results achieved opposite to desired ones. In the end, the network was not stabilized, and municipal solid waste management was unchanged.
Prioritizing Enabling Factors of IoT Adoption for Sustainability in Supply Chain Management
Authors: Pimsakul Sittiporn , Samaranayake Premaratne , Laosirihongthong Tritos
Published: November 2021

Several studies have reported on enabling factors of IoT adoption, emphasizing the importance of key factors for successful IoT adoption. However, only a few studies have investigated enabling factors with consideration of a sustainability perspective and no similar study has focused on manufacturing from an emerging economy perspective. The main purpose is to investigate enabling factors of IoT adoption from a sustainability perspective. This study aims to (i) identify and select key enabling factors from a comprehensive literature review, and (ii) prioritize them using a multiple criteria decision-making approach, validated through industry experts’ opinions. The results showed that system integration and IoT infrastructure are the top enabling factors in increasing the overall success of IoT adoption. Furthermore, enabling factors of IoT adoption are directly connected with organizational resources/technological capabilities that support the resource-based view theory. Supply chain managers can use the findings of this study to guide and prioritize IoT adoption, and develop strategies for going forward with IoT settings, using the relative importance of enabling factors and interdependencies among them from the technological and organizational perspectives. To generalize these findings through benchmarking of enabling factors in manufacturing, a broader range of industries within the manufacturing sector should be considered in future studies.
Evaluation of the Use of Blood Products in ICU Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients
Authors: Vasiljević-Jovanović Branislava , Milenković Marija , Mijović Lidija , Bukumirić Zoran , Šantrić-Milićević Milena , Božanić Miloš , Milutinović Vojislava , Zdravković Marija
Published: November 2021

(1) Background: The COVID-19 pandemic tested the public health system’s readiness for crises and highlighted the importance of knowing the demand for blood products and the maintenance of the blood supply chain. The aim of this study was to evaluate blood product usage in a series of patients that were hospitalized due to COVID-19 and to analyze their demographics and clinical characteristics. (2) Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we analyzed data from transfused COVID-19 patients that were treated in the University Hospital Medical Center Bezanijska Kosa in Belgrade, Serbia during the second wave of the epidemic. (3) Results: This study included 90 patients. The median age of the patients was 72 (range 23–95) years. The median time of hospitalization was 23 days (range 3–73 days). In intensive care units (ICUs) the median time of hospitalization was 9 days (range 0–73). One or more comorbidities were observed in 86 individuals (95.6%). The total number of transfused red blood cell concetrates (RBC) was 304 (139 in ICU, 165 in other wards), with a mean of 3 units/patient (range 1–14). Comorbidities, severity of illness and hospital duration in the ICU were statistically significant predictors of higher RBC use. (4) Conclusion: Knowledge of the transfusion profile of COVID-19 patients allowed better management of the hospital’s blood stocks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Application of Asymptotic Homotopy Perturbation Method to Fractional Order Partial Differential Equation
Authors: Gul Haji , Ali Sajjad , Shah Kamal , Muhammad Shakoor , Sitthiwirattham Thanin , Chasreechai Saowaluck
Published: November 2021

In this article, we introduce a new algorithm-based scheme titled asymptotic homotopy perturbation method (AHPM) for simulation purposes of non-linear and linear differential equations of non-integer and integer orders. AHPM is extended for numerical treatment to the approximate solution of one of the important fractional-order two-dimensional Helmholtz equations and some of its cases . For probation and illustrative purposes, we have compared the AHPM solutions to the solutions from another existing method as well as the exact solutions of the considered problems. Moreover, it is observed that the symmetry or asymmetry of the solution of considered problems is invariant under the homotopy definition. Error estimates for solutions are also provided. The approximate solutions of AHPM are tabulated and plotted, which indicates that AHPM is effective and explicit.