bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Local and Context-Attention Adaptive LCA-Net for Thyroid Nodule Segmentation in Ultrasound Images
Authors: Tao Zhen , Dang Hua , Shi Yueting , Wang Weijiang , Wang Xiaohua , Ren Shiwei
Published: August 2022

The thyroid nodule segmentation of ultrasound images is a critical step for the early diagnosis of thyroid cancers in clinics. Due to the weak edge of ultrasound images and the complexity of thyroid tissue structure, it is still challenging to accurately segment the delicate contour of thyroid nodules. A local and context-attention adaptive network (LCA-Net) for thyroid nodule segmentation is proposed to address these shortcomings, which leverages both local feature information from convolution neural networks and global context information from transformers. Firstly, since most existing thyroid nodule segmentation models are skilled at local detail features and lose some context information, we propose a transformers-based context-attention module to capture more global associative information for the network and perceive the edge information of the nodule contour. Secondly, a backbone module with 7×1, 1×7 convolutions and the activation function Mish is designed, which enlarges the receptive field and extracts more feature details. Furthermore, a nodule adaptive convolution (NAC) module is introduced to adaptively deal with thyroid nodules of different sizes and positions, thereby improving the generalization performance of the model. Simultaneously, an optimized loss function is proposed to solve the pixels class imbalance problem in segmentation. The proposed LCA-Net, validated on the public TN-SCUI2020 and TN3K datasets, achieves Dice scores of 90.26% and 82.08% and PA scores of 98.87% and 96.97%, respectively, which outperforms other state-of-the-art thyroid nodule segmentation models. This paper demonstrates the superiority of the proposed LCA-Net for thyroid nodule segmentation, which possesses strong generalization performance and promising segmentation accuracy. Consequently, the proposed model has wide application prospects for thyroid nodule diagnosis in clinics.
A Hybrid Intrusion Detection Model Using EGA-PSO and Improved Random Forest Method
Authors: Balyan Amit Kumar , Ahuja Sachin , Lilhore Umesh Kumar , Sharma Sanjeev Kumar , Manoharan Poongodi , Algarni Abeer D. , Elmannai Hela , Raahemifar Kaamran
Published: August 2022

Due to the rapid growth in IT technology, digital data have increased availability, creating novel security threats that need immediate attention. An intrusion detection system (IDS) is the most promising solution for preventing malicious intrusions and tracing suspicious network behavioral patterns. Machine learning (ML) methods are widely used in IDS. Due to a limited training dataset, an ML-based IDS generates a higher false detection ratio and encounters data imbalance issues. To deal with the data-imbalance issue, this research develops an efficient hybrid network-based IDS model (HNIDS), which is utilized using the enhanced genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimization(EGA-PSO) and improved random forest (IRF) methods. In the initial phase, the proposed HNIDS utilizes hybrid EGA-PSO methods to enhance the minor data samples and thus produce a balanced data set to learn the sample attributes of small samples more accurately. In the proposed HNIDS, a PSO method improves the vector. GA is enhanced by adding a multi-objective function, which selects the best features and achieves improved fitness outcomes to explore the essential features and helps minimize dimensions, enhance the true positive rate (TPR), and lower the false positive rate (FPR). In the next phase, an IRF eliminates the less significant attributes, incorporates a list of decision trees across each iterative process, supervises the classifier’s performance, and prevents overfitting issues. The performance of the proposed method and existing ML methods are tested using the benchmark datasets NSL-KDD. The experimental findings demonstrated that the proposed HNIDS method achieves an accuracy of 98.979% on BCC and 88.149% on MCC for the NSL-KDD dataset, which is far better than the other ML methods i.e., SVM, RF, LR, NB, LDA, and CART.
Identification of Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate (EGCG) from Green Tea Using Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Sivanesan Iyyakkannu , Muthu Manikandan , Kannan Anusha , Pushparaj Suraj Shiv Charan , Oh Jae-Wook , Gopal Judy
Published: August 2022

In an era where humanity is reinstating its lost hope and expectation on natural products, green tea occupies quite a position for what it has proven to be, in its endeavors for human welfare and health. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the key to the vast biological activities of green tea. Green tea is no longer in the backdrop; it has emerged as the most viral, trending bioactive molecule when it comes to health benefits for human beings. This review focuses on the use of various analytical techniques for the analysis of EGCG. That which has been achieved so far, in terms of in vitro, pure component analysis, as well as those spikes in biological fluids and those in vivo in animal and human samples, was surveyed and presented. The use of MS-based techniques for the analysis of EGCG is elaborately reviewed and the need for improvising the applications is explained. The review emphasizes that there is plenty of room to explore matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) applications in this subject area.
Method Development and Validation for Simultaneous Analysis of Eleven Components for Quality Control of Geumgwesingihwan Using HPLC–DAD and UPLC–MS/MS
Authors: Seo Chang-Seob , Lee Mee-Young
Published: August 2022

Geumgwesingihwan (GGSGH) is an oriental herbal formula made by adding Achyranthes bidentate Blume and Plantago asiatica L. to Yukmijiwhanghwan. It has been used for the treatment of edema since ancient times. The purpose of this study is to develop and validate a method for simultaneous quantification of 11 components: gallic acid (1), 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (2), geniposidic acid (3), morroniside (4), loganin (5), paeoniflorin (6), acteoside (7), cornuside (8), benzoic acid (9), benzoylpaeoniflorin (10), and paeonol (11), using high-performance liquid chromatography with a diode array detector (HPLC–DAD) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS). Compounds 1–11 were separated on a Capcell Pak UG 80 C18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) using a mobile phase of a distilled water–acetonitrile system, both containing 0.1% formic acid. In UPLC–MS/MS, compounds 1–11 were separated on an Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 µm) using a mobile phase of a distilled water–acetonitrile system containing 1.0% acetic acid. Using these methods, samples of GGSGH were determined to contain 0.13–2.87 mg/g (HPLC–DAD) and not detected–4.60 mg/g (UPLC–MS/MS) of compounds 1–11. The developed HPLC–DAD assays for simultaneous determination of all analytes were validated with respect to linearity, limits of detection and quantification, recovery, and precision. The established HPLC assay will be used to obtain basic data for quality evaluation of GGSGH and related oriental herbal formulas.
Acute Supplementation with Capsaicin Enhances Upper-Limb Performance in Male Jiu-Jitsu Athletes
Authors: da Silva Bruno Victor Corrêa , Mota Gustavo R. , Marocolo Moacir , Martin Jeffrey S. , Prado Luciano Sales
Published: August 2022

The present study investigated whether acute capsaicin (CAP) supplementation improves mean power output (MPO) and peak velocity (PV) during the performance of the free bench press exercise (FBP). Twelve (n = 12) male Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) athletes (age: 24.3 ± 1.5 years, height: 1.74 ± 0.1 m, body mass: 75.7 ± 10.1 kg) participated in this randomized, placebo (PLA)-controlled, double-blind, crossover trial. For each condition, 45 min after CAP (12 mg purified) or PLA (12 mg of Celulomax E) consumption, the participants performed four sets of five repetitions of FBP at a load of 60% of body mass with five-min rest intervals. The MPO (t = 5.6, df = 11, p = 0.001, EF = 0.3, IC 95% = −0.55 to 1.05) and PV (t = 5.4, df = 11, p = 0.001, EF = 0.5, IC 95% = −0.32 to 1.30) were significantly higher with CAP supplementation versus PLA. Acute CAP supplementation appears to improve MPO and PV during FBP in male BJJ athletes.
Study on the Power Quality of LED Street Luminaires
Authors: Albu Horaţiu , Beu Dorin , Ciugudeanu Calin
Published: August 2022

The paper analyses the power-quality effects of connecting LED luminaires to street lighting installations. The power quality impact of LED luminaires and the implementation of smart control systems are discussed. Several power-quality measurements have been performed to determine the effect of connecting multiple LED luminaires to the electrical power network. Three LED street lighting systems were selected, each equipped only with LED luminaires of different power ratings and numbers, produced by different manufacturers. The measurements were performed at the lighting connection box, and the results are presented and discussed for each case.
Innovative PEDRERA Model Tool Boosting Sustainable and Feasible Renovation Programs at District Scale in Spain
Authors: Civiero Paolo , Pascual Jordi , Arcas Abella Joaquim , Salom Jaume
Published: August 2022

In accordance with the new recovery plan, Next Generation EU (NGEU), and the need to speed up the transition of cities towards a new sustainable model, this paper provides an overview of the outcomes of the PEDRERA project, which is focused on the development of a novel tool able to calculate multiple key performance indicators that can support renovation actions at the district level, according to a Positive Energy District (PED) concept. The new tool is programmed in Python programming language and is useful to evaluate several strategies for the renovation of existing building stock. It moves from a quick list of input according to several Public Private Partnership (PPP) models, in addition to other potential business models. Furthermore, the design of the model is supported by a step-by-step methodology in order to deal with a “financial appraisal” that is interactive in each context, customizable for each stakeholder, and user-friendly. The paper describes this innovative tool and reports on the stronger potential that this model can offer when it runs in a QGIS software environment and interacts with a PostgreSQL database, as demonstrated in two case studies located in Spain.
Environmental Assessment of Alternative Strategies for the Management of Construction and Demolition Waste: A Life Cycle Approach
Authors: Banias Georgios F. , Karkanias Christos , Batsioula Maria , Melas Lefteris D. , Malamakis Apostolos E. , Geroliolios Dimitris , Skoutida Stamatia , Spiliotis Xenofon
Published: August 2022

The management of solid waste is currently seen as one of the most important concerns that national authorities, particularly in south Europe, must address. In recent years, emphasis has begun to be paid to Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) being the largest waste stream in the European Union that is produced by renovation and repair work on buildings, roads, bridges, and other constructions made of bulky materials such as asphalt, bricks, wood, and plastic. Many EU countries responded quickly as a result of the large amounts of such waste and the presence of hazardous substances in their composition. This study illustrates the anticipated outcomes of several CDW management strategies other than final disposal, such as recycling, reuse, and incineration, for a public-school building in Greece. In order to assess how well the chosen schemes performed in terms of various environmental criteria, the SimaPro software suite and the Ecoinvent v.3 Life Cycle Inventory database were used. In order to enhance the quality of the outcomes, inventory data from earlier studies were also employed as input data for the Life Cycle Assessment tool.
Effect of Bitumen Production Process and Mix Heating Temperature on the Rheological Properties of Hot Recycled Mix Asphalt
Authors: Prosperi Emiliano , Bocci Edoardo , Bocci Maurizio
Published: August 2022

Heavy traffic loads require the replacement of damaged pavements, so a huge amount of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) material is now available and must be recycled in order to avoid landfill and to achieve both environmental and economic benefits. The most common and profitable solution to reuse RAP is associated with the hot recycling technique, as it allows recovering both solid and binding components of RAP. Several factors influence the performance of hot recycled mix asphalt (HRMA). Among those, this paper focuses on the role played by the origin of the virgin bitumen, i.e. the oil-distillation process, and by the mixing temperature adopted during HRMA production. The objective was to evaluate the rheological properties of mixtures produced using a high amount of RAP (50%), two different rejuvenators, two mixing temperatures (140 °C or 170 °C) and two neat bitumen types derived from different distillation processes (visbreaker and straight-run). The results showed that the addition of RAP led to an increase in the dynamic modulus and a decrease in the phase angle, while the use of rejuvenators partly tended to rebalance these characteristics. The visbreaker bitumen showed a higher sensitivity to short-term aging than the straight-run, determining higher mix stiffness and lower viscous features. The higher mixing temperature also determined an increase in the complex modulus and a reduction in the phase angle as a result of the higher mobilization of the aged bitumen from the RAP.
Authentic Design and Administration of Group-Based Assessments to Improve the Job-Readiness of Project Management Graduates
Authors: Tumpa Roksana Jahan , Skaik Samer , Ham Miriam , Chaudhry Ghulam
Published: August 2022

Group-based assessments have been recognized as one of the ways of developing work-ready attributes in project management graduates. This paper is aimed at exploring the best practices for improving the administration process of group-based assessments to make it fit for purpose. The study adopted a systematic literature review and 22 semi-structured interviews with project management academics in higher education. The study found that teams should be small in size and formed by the faculty. Tasks should be based on a real-world context and be sufficiently challenging for students. The group should create a team charter to establish expectations and ground rules for group members. Group assessments should include team member peer evaluations and oral presentations to curb social loafing. Academics should be actively involved in giving regular feedback, training students about teamwork, and communicating their expectations to students. The study findings are useful to inform project management academics about the design and administration characteristics that need to be considered to achieve the ultimate purpose of group-based assessments in polishing the job-readiness attributes of project management graduates.
Social Emotions and Good Provider Norms in Tackling Household Food Waste: An Extension of the Theory of Planned Behavior
Authors: La Barbera Francesco , Amato Mario , Riverso Roberta , Verneau Fabio
Published: August 2022

Many studies have explored the antecedents of food waste in the framework of the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Scholars have also made efforts to add explaining variables to the original TPB, with mixed results; they often fail to demonstrate the incremental validity of the extended models. In the current study, we sought to assess whether an extended TPB model including social emotions and Good Provider norms could predict intention to reduce food waste. We also measured two behaviors which may be predicted by intentions to reduce food waste: (1) reducing servings and (2) using leftovers. The results show that social emotions help explain leftovers utilization, whereas the Good Provider norms are inversely correlated to the reduction of servings. Compared to the traditional TPB model, the extended version has more predictive power, especially as regards reducing servings.
Measurement and Spatial-Temporal Evolution Characteristics of Low-Carbon Cities with High-Quality Development: The Case Study of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, China
Authors: Yang Haonan , Chen Liang , Huang Huan , Tang Panyu
Published: August 2022

Carrying out measurements of low-carbon city development levels and exploring their core driving factors are focuses of attention in the field of building sustainable low-carbon cities (LCC). Previous studies have mainly focused on the national or provincial level, ignoring the problem of heterogeneity among different cities, and the consideration of the influencing factors of low-carbon cities has not been comprehensive enough. Given this, the authors of this paper selected 107 cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt from 2006 to 2019, constructed a general comprehensive index system for measuring the high-quality development level of low-carbon cities at the prefecture-level city level, and explored the spatial and temporal evolution trends and core drivers of the high-quality development level of low-carbon cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt using the CRITIC–VIKOR method and an ensemble learning algorithm. The empirical results showed that most of the cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt showed an overall upward trend in the level of high-quality development and a certain degree of “central collapse” in the spatial distribution. In addition, this paper further confirms that industrial structure is the most central driver of low-carbon urban development, the importance of urban carbon emissions and the level of science and technology innovation are gradually increasing, and a certain aggregation effect is formed in space that has led to a significant urban “siphon effect”. These results provide new evidence on the spatial and temporal evolution of the high-quality development of low-carbon cities in China and can help authorities formulate more targeted policies and strategic plans to enhance the high-quality development of low-carbon cities.
IoT Based Automatic Diagnosis for Continuous Improvement
Authors: Martinho Rita , Lopes Jéssica , Jorge Diogo , de Oliveira Luís Caldas , Henriques Carlos , Peças Paulo
Published: August 2022

This work responds to the gap in integrating the Internet-of-Things in Continuous Improvement processes, especially to facilitate diagnosis and problem-solving activities regarding manufacturing workstations. An innovative approach, named Automatic Detailed Diagnosis (ADD), is proposed: a non-intrusive, easy-to-install and use, low-cost and flexible system based on industrial Internet-of-Things platforms and devices. The ADD requirements and architecture were systematized from the Continuous Improvement knowledge field, and with the help of Lean Manufacturing professionals. The developed ADD concept is composed of a network of low-power devices with a variety of sensors. Colored light and vibration sensors are used to monitor equipment status, and Bluetooth low-energy and time-of-flight sensors monitor operators’ movements and tasks. A cloud-based platform receives and stores the collected data. That information is retrieved by an application that builds a detailed report on operator–machine interaction. The ADD prototype was tested in a case study carried out in a mold-making company. The ADD was able to detect time performance with an accuracy between 89% and 96%, involving uptime, micro-stops, and setups. In addition, these states were correlated with the operators’ movements and actions.
Transformation of Industry Ecosystems in Cities and Regions: A Generic Pathway for Smart and Green Transition
Authors: Komninos Nicos
Published: August 2022

This research paper focuses on pathways towards a digital and green transition. We assess a generic pathway for the transformation of industry ecosystems in cities and regions based on processes of prioritisation, ecosystem identification, and platform-based digital and green transition. We start with problem definition and hypotheses; review related works on transition pathways, such as digital transition, green transition, system innovation, industry ecosystems, and multi-level perspective of transformation; assess the generic pathway with case studies; and conclude with a discussion of findings, outline of conclusions, and policy implications. Overall, the paper investigates pathways, priorities, and methods allowing public authorities and business organisations to master the current industrial transformation of cities and regions introduced by the twin digital and green transitions as an opportunity for radical change of city ecosystems, innovation leapfrogging, and system innovation.
Multimodal Monitoring of Corrosion in Reinforced Concrete for Effective Lifecycle Management of Built Facilities
Authors: Majhi Subhra , Asilo Leonarf Kevin , Mukherjee Abhijit , George Nithin V. , Uy Brian
Published: August 2022

Monitoring the corrosion of steel rebars is paramount to ensuring the safety and serviceability of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. Conventional electro-chemical techniques can provide an overall estimate of the extent of corrosion. However, a detailed account of the extent of corrosion would help in understanding the residual strength of corroding RC structures. A passive wave-based technique such as acoustic emissions can identify the location of corrosion but always requires the presence of transducers on the structure. In active wave-based techniques, the structure is excited through a pulse excitation and their subsequent response to this excitation is measured. Thus, for active techniques, the transducers need not always be present in the structure. In guided wave ultrasonics, the excitation pulse is imparted through a waveguide to determine the state of corrosion. This technique relies on parameters such as time of flight or attenuation of the incident signal to predict the state of corrosion. These parameters can be susceptible to uncertainties in the transducer of ultrasonic coupling. In the present study, concrete specimens with embedded steel bars have been subjected to accelerated corrosion. They have been monitored with a combination of active and passive techniques. The received signals are analyzed through a modified S-Transform-based time-frequency approach to obtain a range of modes that propagate through the specimen. The changes in the modal composition of the guided wave signals due to corrosion are parameterized and correlated to various stages of corrosion. A holistic understanding of the stages of corrosion is developed by the inclusion of acoustic emission hits to guided wave parameters. Based on the Guided Wave Ultrasonics and acoustic emission parameters, corrosion has been classified into Initiation, Intermediate, and Advanced. Subsequently, destructive tests have been performed to measure the residual strength of the corroded bars. Thus, this paper presents a novel proof of concept study for monitoring corrosion with Guided Wave Ultrasonics and acoustic emissions.
Agronomic Performance of Heterogeneous Spring Barley Populations Compared with Mixtures of Their Parents and Homogeneous Varieties
Authors: Legzdiņa Linda , Bleidere Māra , Piliksere Dace , Ločmele Indra
Published: August 2022

Diversity within a crop of self-pollinating species can provide advantages in sustainable farming, including the ability to adapt to environments. However, few results proving the benefits in various species and climatic conditions are available. Our aim was to find the differences between heterogeneous and homogeneous materials and determine if crossing has advantage over mixing. We compared essential traits of twelve heterogeneous spring barley composite cross populations (CCPs) to those of seven mixtures representing similar genetic backgrounds and five homogeneous varieties in nine organic and three conventional environments over the course of three years. We found significant advantages for heterogeneous materials, particularly CCPs, for yield in organic and stress environments as well as yield stability, N utilisation efficiency, protein content, 1000-grain weight, and net blotch severity and observed positive trends for N uptake efficiency and weed competitiveness. CCPs’ advantages over mixtures were for protein content and 1000-grain weight, a nonsignificant yield gain in low-yield and stress environments, higher yield stability, and minor positive trends for net blotch, NUE, and weed competitiveness. We suggest heterogeneous populations as valuable alternatives to uniform varieties for organic and poor cultivation environments. Although multi-component mixtures could provide a performance similar to CCPs, considering the adaptation potential, populations would be more advantageous overall.
The Regulatory Perspectives to China’s Emerging Hydrogen Economy: Characteristics, Challenges, and Solutions
Authors: Zhang Max , Yang Xiaonan
Published: August 2022

Culminating two decades of industrial planning, China is now officially moving full steam ahead towards realizing a hydrogen economy under the country’s first ever Medium and Long-term Plan of the Hydrogen Industry (2021–2035). Among the relevant benchmarks established is the goal of developing a regulatory framework by 2025. This raises the question of how best to achieve a regulatory framework for China’s emerging hydrogen economy. To answer this question, the discussions of this paper are further broken-down and organized across four independent, but correlated, academic questions. One, relying on the fragmented authoritarianism model, what are the impacts of China’s current model of industrial development on an emerging regulated industry? Two, through a scientific and technological review, what are the characteristics of the hydrogen supply-chain most likely to present a regulatory challenge for China? Three, by analogy to the comparable experiences of China’s other regulated industries, what are the possible regulatory solutions? Four, and most importantly, how best to reconcile the findings to the above questions as they relate to the regulatory challenge of developing China’s emerging hydrogen economy. The results of the discussions reveal, that not all policy solutions and recommendations to the regulatory framework of the hydrogen economy should be treated equally. Rather, an integrated view of the core academic question revealed a procedural relationship among the regulatory solutions identified from the analysis above. Therefore, recognizing that each solution should synergize and correspond to different phases of regulatory development, a three-step regulatory pathway towards the hydrogen economy is proposed.
Impact of Confirmation of Farmland Rights on Farmers’ Welfare: Based on the Micro-Empirical Investigation of Farmers in China
Authors: Guan Jianghua , Huang Ke , Lan Xi , Zhang Junfeng , Li Huiqin
Published: August 2022

The confirmation of farmland rights would have a great impact on the welfare of farmers in China. Taking Chinese farmers as the research object, the relationship between farmland rights confirmation, farmland transfer and the welfare of farmers was studied by adopting the propensity score matching method (PSM) and logistic model. The result showed that: (1) The confirmation of farmland rights could improve the welfare of farmers. The dominant factors that affected the impact of the confirmation of farmland rights included family net income, medical insurance, self-health evaluation, difficulty of land financing, stability of land management rights, the difficulty of employment, satisfaction with circulation prices, and the improvement of neighborhood relations. (2) Implementing the confirmation of farmland rights could improve the welfare of farmers, and there were significant differences between farmers. The value of the welfare of farmers who had been transferred out was higher than that of farmers who had been transferred in. (3) After implementing the confirmation of farmland rights, the welfare of farmers would be improved by the net income of the household, the stability of land management rights and the improvement of neighborhood relations, while the welfare of farmers would be hindered from continuous improvement by the difficulty of employment, and satisfaction with circulation prices had opposite effects on the welfare of farmers who had transferred in or out. Based on these results, the suggestions put forward include building a price mechanism of effective circulation, utilizing differentiated skill training, and improving various measurements to show the advantages for welfare of the confirmation of farmland rights.
Long-Term Service Performance of Hard-Grade Asphalt Concrete Base Pavement Based on Accelerated Loading Test of Full-Scale Structure
Authors: Wu Yang , Zhou Xingye , Wang Xudong , Shan Lingyan
Published: August 2022

In order to evaluate the feasibility of using hard-grade asphalt concrete in China’s highway construction, based on the accelerated loading test of the full-scale track of the Research Institute of Highway Ministry of Transport (RIOHTrack), the long-term service performance of hard-grade asphalt concrete base pavement was studied, and its actual service effect was evaluated. The study found that hard-grade asphalt concrete has higher strength, modulus and high-temperature stability. Although the low-temperature performance is generally not as good as that of asphalt, with a penetration grade (PG) of 60/80, it has equivalent or better cracking resistance in the area where the RIOHTrack is located. During the five-year observation period, the rutting deformation of the pavement structure showed an annual fluctuation increase. In comparison, the rutting resistance of a hard-grade asphalt concrete base structure can be increased by approximately 16%, and the deflection value is smaller, so the long-term performance of the anti-rutting effect and structural bearing capacity are better. The study shows that hard-grade asphalt concrete base pavement is suitable for highway construction in parts of China, where the climate is similar to that of the RIOHTrack location, or the temperature is higher or the latitude is lower.
Optimal Configuration of Electrochemical Energy Storage for Renewable Energy Accommodation Based on Operation Strategy of Pumped Storage Hydro
Authors: Shi Linjun , Yang Fan , Li Yang , Zheng Tao , Wu Feng , Lee Kwang Y.
Published: August 2022

Due to the volatility of renewable energy resources (RES) and the lag of power grid construction, grid integration of large-scale RES will lead to the curtailment of wind and photovoltaic power. Pumped storage hydro (PSH) and electrochemical energy storage (EES), as common energy storage, have unique advantages in accommodating renewable energy. This paper studies the optimal configuration of EES considering the optimal operation strategy of PSH, reducing the curtailment of wind and photovoltaic power in the power grid through the cooperative work of PSH and EES. First, based on the curtailment of RES, with the goal of improving the accommodation of RES, a combined operation optimization model of PSH and EES is proposed. Then, an optimal configuration method of EES capacity is proposed to meet the power curtailment rate in the power grid. Finally, the simulation is carried out in the actual power grid and the CPLEX solver is used to solve the optimization, and the rationality and economy of the optimization are analyzed and discussed. The simulation results show that, based on the combined operation of PSH and EES, by rationally configuring the capacity of EES, the desired power curtailment rate of the power grid can be achieved, and the necessity of configuring variable speed units is verified.
Using ABM to Study the Potential of Land Use Change for Mitigation of Food Deserts
Authors: Gebrehiwot Asmamaw A. , Hashemi-Beni Leila , Kurkalova Lyubov A. , Liang Chyi L. , Jha Manoj K.
Published: August 2022

Land-use transition is one of the most profound human-induced alterations of the Earth’s system. It can support better land management and decision-making for increasing the yield of food production to fulfill the food needs in a specific area. However, modeling land-use change involves the complexity of human drivers and natural or environmental constraints. This study develops an agent-based model (ABM) for land use transitions using critical indicators that contribute to food deserts. The model’s performance was evaluated using Guilford County, North Carolina, as a case study. The modeling inputs include land covers, climate variability (rainfall and temperature), soil quality, land-use-related policies, and population growth. Studying the interrelationships between these factors can improve the development of effective land-use policies and help responsible agencies and policymakers plan accordingly to improve food security. The agent-based model illustrates how and when individuals or communities could make specific land-cover transitions to fulfill the community’s food needs. The results indicate that the agent-based model could effectively monitor land use and environmental changes to visualize potential risks over time and help the affected communities plan accordingly.
Can Holistic Education Solve the World’s Problems: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Miseliunaite Brigita , Kliziene Irina , Cibulskas Gintautas
Published: August 2022

UNESCO argues that having a holistic approach to education is essential to address global development challenges. However, what empirical evidence do we have about holistic education practices? This study aims to review empirical research on holistic education. The methodological design is a systematic review study following the PRISMA guidelines based on a search of the Scopus and Semantic Scholar databases carried out in December 2021. The selected studies were analysed through a qualitative three-stage screening process based on 218 subjects, 9 of which were included in the final sample. The following inclusion criteria were used: empirical studies or research in English; free access via the internet; and categories limited to “holistic/education/curriculum/pedagogy”. The qualitative analysis of the articles based on the interpretative paradigm and the open coding method was implemented in MAXQDA. The study shows a lack of large-scale quantitative and comparative research showing the benefits of holistic education, its impact on personal and social transformation, and the preparation of teachers to become holistic educators. There is a lack of research analysing the effect of holistic education on environmental awareness compared with traditional education.
Co-Creating a Framework to Integrate Sustainable Design into Product Development Practice: Case Study at an Engineering Consultancy Firm
Authors: Chatty Tejaswini , Harrison Will , Ba-Sabaa Hana H. , Faludi Jeremy , Murnane Elizabeth L.
Published: August 2022

There is a growing recognition of the need to incorporate sustainability considerations early-on in the product development (PD) process (PDP). As part of a case study at an engineering consultancy firm, this paper identifies considerations that influence the integration of sustainable design practices into real-world PD practices. This is informed by the first author becoming embedded in the firm as an intern, and closely observing the PD workflow across various projects, conducting interviews and group discussions with a wide range of practitioners, and iteratively designing and testing various potential interventions. From the literature and observations, we find that designers and engineers often struggle to identify and apply the right sustainable design methods and tools (SDMTs) to tackle the environmental impacts associated with their products. Through a human-centered design process, we co-created a reusable, modular framework of practices that aids the selection of relevant strategies, based on the environmental hotspots, stage of the PD process, and the client’s sustainability priorities. Our prominent findings highlight the importance of: (a) co-creation in enhancing receptivity and retention, (b) the use of LCA iteratively to inform design decisions throughout PD, and (c) sharing case studies of successful application of the framework to promote sustainable design among employees and clients, alongside several other takeaways. The paper further presents insights related to the framework’s real-world application and impacts in the firm, based on results of longitudinal engagement with the firm.
Air Transport Centrality as a Driver of Sustainable Regional Growth: A Case of Vietnam
Authors: Trinh Tu Anh , Seo Ducksu , Kim Unchong , Phan Thi Nhu Quynh , Nguyen Thi Hai Hang
Published: August 2022

With fast-growing aviation markets, many developing countries are showing remarkable economic development in global terms. As significant growth of air transportation is crucially interrelated with regional growth, it is essential to identify relevant criteria to ensure effective allocation of investments in this regard. This study aimed to investigate airport centrality using social network analysis to detect the key hubs and examine the interrelationship between airport centrality and regional economy indicators in Vietnamese regions. The results revealed that the cities of Tan Son Nhat, Noi Bai, and Da Nang were the key regional hub airports in the air transport network and the development of these leading cities had played a significant role in promoting the improvement of the entire domestic air network. Moreover, the results showed a strong positive correlation between airport centrality and regional growth features. Therefore, policymakers can optimize their decision-making processes in relation to sustainable regional development by considering air transport mobility and network in addition to conventional socioeconomic criteria.
Sustainable Development Goals: A Regional Overview Based on Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis
Authors: D’Adamo Idiano , Gastaldi Massimo
Published: August 2022

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have the ambitious goal of protecting the planet, eradicating poverty and providing peace and prosperity for all citizens. The challenge is certainly very ambitious and it is necessary to monitor progress toward these SDGs over time. This work is based on the multi-criteria decision analysis and aims to build a framework that can be replicated. A necessary condition for this aim is that the data are available and that they are as recent as possible. This work is based on 28 targets with data mainly from 2019 to 2020 and related to Italian regions. The results show that Trentino Alto Adige and Valle d’Aosta have the best performance and, in general, the northern territory has several realities that perform positively toward the SDGs. Important results are also present at the level of central Italy (in particular Marche and Toscana), while at the southern level the situation is not flourishing, with the sole exception of Abruzzo. The policy implications thus drive the need for targeted green investments for southern regions, projects that nationally promote the “green, bio and circular Made in Italy” brand that can enhance territorial distinctiveness, and the necessary collaboration among regions to be poles of excellence based on available resources and skills.
Sequential Pattern Mining Approach for Personalized Fraudulent Transaction Detection in Online Banking
Authors: Kim Junghee , Jung Haemin , Kim Wooju
Published: August 2022

Financial institutions face challenges of fraud due to an increased number of online transactions and sophisticated fraud techniques. Although fraud detection systems have been implemented to detect fraudulent transactions in online banking, many systems just use conventional rule-based approaches. Rule-based detection systems have a difficulty in updating and managing their rules and conditions manually. Additionally, generated from the few fraud cases, the rules are general rather than specific to each user. In this paper, we propose a personalized alarm model to detect frauds in online banking transactions using sequence pattern mining on each user’s normal transaction log. We assumed that a personalized fraud detection model is more effective in responding to the rapid increase in online banking users and diversified fraud patterns. Moreover, we focused on the fact that fraudulent transactions are very different from each user’s usual transactions. Our proposed model divides each user’s log into transactions, extracts a set of sequence patterns, and uses it to determine whether a new incoming transaction is fraudulent. The incoming transaction is divided into multiple windows, and if the normal patterns are not found in the consecutive windows, an alarm is sounded. We applied the model to a real-world dataset and showed that our model outperforms the rule-based model and the Markov chain model. Although more experiments on additional datasets are needed, our personalized alarm model can be applied to real-world systems.
Enterprise Architecture Approach for Project Management and Project-Based Organizations: A Review
Authors: Atencio Edison , Bustos Guillermo , Mancini Mauro
Published: August 2022

Project-based organizations (PBOs) derive income from conducting projects for their clients. Maintaining the most effective and efficient project governance style is an ongoing process for these organizations as the context continuously changes. Enterprise architecture (EA) is a systemic approach that supports organizations in modeling and describing themselves in different layers, such as strategy, business, application, and technology. This literature review describes the current state of EA usage in improving and quickly revising project management governance in PBOs to benefit practitioners and researchers for an integrated view of EA, PM, and PBO, and identification of future research gaps. This review used an EA model composed of layers as an analytical framework. The extracted bibliometric and content data from selected articles were processed using the VOSviewer tool for identifying and understanding the relationships between main concepts through network mapping. The selected articles are oriented to internal organization projects, mainly in information technology (IT). The need to align projects with business is highlighted, with EA positioned as a governance tool. It was found that application of EA in PBOs is rare. A trend toward using popular PM and EA frameworks, such as PMBOK and ArchiMate, was observed.
Evaluation of Landfill Site Selection by Combining Fuzzy Tools in GIS-Based Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis: A Case Study in Diyarbakır, Turkey
Authors: Şimşek Kasım , Alp Selçuk
Published: August 2022

Solid waste disposal is one of the important environmental and socioeconomic problems faced by city managers with the increase in urban population. To overcome this problem, landfilling is a common and effective solution used by municipalities frequently. This study aims to assess and identify suitable potential areas for municipal solid waste disposal. For this purpose, a criteria determination and evaluation commission consisting of experts from various institutions and disciplines was established. Fourteen criteria, including environmental, economic and sociocultural sensitivities, were selected via the experience of an expert team and a wide literature search. The criteria used in this study were standardized by using fuzzy membership functions and feature values turned into continuous values. The Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA) method, in which expert opinions are effective, was used to determine the criterion weights. A site suitability map was obtained by using the Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) method with standardized thematic maps and the criterion weight variables. As a result of this study, 3.44% of the total study area was determined suitable for a solid waste storage area. These determined areas were found in different locations of study and numbered on the map and each of them was selected as an alternative storage area candidate. Developed methodology was validated via exploration and observation of candidate areas by the expert team. The proposed methodology can be used for similar scale cities with its ease of use, flexibility and expert opinion.
Attitude, Self-Control, and Prosocial Norm to Predict Intention to Use Social Media Responsibly: From Scale to Model Fit towards a Modified Theory of Planned Behavior
Authors: Shahzalal Md , Adnan Hamedi Mohd
Published: August 2022

Severe abuse of social media has currently become a threat to social sustainability. Although “responsible use of social media” has recently attracted academics’ attention, few studies have investigated the psychosocial antecedents of individuals’ intention to use social media responsibly (IUSR). Therefore, the current study tested whether attitudes, self-control, and prosocial norms (ASP) can positively and significantly predict social media users’ IUSR. To this end, the theoretical interrelationships among ASP were explored, and an initial pool of items was developed by reviewing the relevant literature. Then, the items were selected based on a panel of experts’ content validity test. An online questionnaire was used to survey university student social media users (n = 226) in Bangladesh. PLSc-SEM and CB-SEM bootstrapping, followed by an artificial neural network (ANN) analysis, were completed to evaluate the measurement and structural models. Current results show that the three elements of ASP strongly correlate with and significantly influence each other, but attitude and prosocial norms partially mediate the relationships between the antecedents and intention. The predictors in the proposed model substantially predict and explain IUSR, which is supported by results of relevant past studies in different disciplines. Thus, the model expresses its applicability as a modified theory of planned behavior (TPB) in researching individuals’ social media behavior. The study has implications for relevant stakeholders to take crucial measures to promote more responsible use of social media. Limitations and avenues for future study are also presented.
Urban Living Labs and Critical Infrastructure Resilience: A Global Match?
Authors: Amorim Erick Elysio Reis , Menezes Monique , Fernandes Karoline Vitória Gonçalves
Published: August 2022

The challenges to public policy brought by climate change are some of the biggest challenges for cities around the world. These challenges are costlier and more substantial for low-income communities given the existence of their greater social and economic vulnerability. Among the existing tools, this paper highlights the role played by urban living labs (ULLs), which have been discussed in the literature as a booster of urban resilience in a more sustainable direction. By considering ULLs as strategic institutional arrangements that seek resilience for the critical urban infrastructure challenges of climate change, the main target of this paper is to analyze ULLs as a strategy for increasing critical infrastructure resilience in the region of the Global South. These labs were initiated in developed countries, so we can ask: How are developing countries adapting this strategy in order to mitigate the problems of climate change? To achieve this goal, we reviewed previous literature on ULLs, specifically looking for case studies with ULL projects and highlighting the processes of public innovation policies and transfers of knowledge between countries; in order to complement our empirical analysis, we carried out a case study on Brazil. Despite the limitations of the sample, the data suggest the existence of different barriers to the implementation of ULL projects in Brazil compared to those in European cities.