bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analysis of Using the Parabolic Antenna as the Passive Calibrator for P-Band Spaceborne SAR Radiometric Calibration
Authors: Du Shaoyan , Hong Jun , Wang Yu , Qiu Tian , Xing Kaichu , Huang Jianjun
Published: October 2021

The P-band spaceborne SAR system faces the problem of a lack of available reference targets for radiometric calibration. Traditional artificial passive calibrators such as trihedral corner reflectors may be hard to be adopted to P-band SAR calibration because of weight, size, manufacture, and installation cost. The parabolic antenna is considered as a potential calibrator due to its stable scattering characteristics and large RCS. One of the criteria of the calibrator is that the beamwidth of the azimuth RCS pattern needs to be much larger than the SAR antenna beamwidth, which is convenient for alignment and obtaining a constant RCS value. It is generally believed that the parabolic antenna can only be used when it is fully aligned to the SAR sensor. However, the P-band spaceborne SAR system usually has a wide beamwidth because of the long wavelength. In contrast, the azimuth RCS pattern of the parabolic antenna has a narrow beamwidth, which will cause inconstant RCS of the calibrator within the synthetic aperture period, thereby introducing an additional calibration error. Due to the imbalance between the SAR antenna beamwidth and the RCS pattern beamwidth, the criterion of using the parabolic antenna as a calibrator may need further discussion. This article analyzes the influence of the RCS pattern of the parabolic antenna on the radiometric calibration and establishes the quantitative error model. Based on the error model, the error analysis is carried out for the two cases of alignment and misalignment. The theoretical analysis shows that the calibration accuracy will decrease if without additional error compensation despite a fully aligned parabolic antenna. Under the case of misalignment, the parabolic antenna can also be used for calibration, even when introducing smaller errors. To verify this conclusion, the RCS pattern of a parabolic antenna is used for the P-band imaging simulation and calibration simulation. The results show that the narrow RCS pattern will introduce a non-negligible error in the calibration when fully aligned. The parabolic antenna can also assist in calibration in the case of misalignment. In addition, the calibration experiment shows that, after compensation with the error model, calibration accuracy has been effectively improved.
Chronic Oil Pollution from Vessels and Its Role in Background Pollution in the Southeastern Baltic Sea
Authors: Krek Elena V. , Krek Alexander V. , Kostianoy Andrey G.
Published: October 2021

The results of long-term satellite monitoring of oil pollution of the sea surface in the southeastern Baltic Sea (SEB) are discussed in this paper. From June 2004 to December 2020, in total, 2780 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images from different satellites were received and analyzed. There were 788 oil spills detected in the study area. The oil spills were concentrated along the main shipping routes in the SEB. The volume of the detected oil spills was estimated. The average size of the spill was about 2 km2 or 0.8 m3. Seasonal variability of oil pollution shows a decrease in the number of oil detections in the autumn–winter period, which is associated with the prevalence of unfavorable wind conditions that limit the use of SAR technology for oil spill detection and navigation for small ships. In situ measurements show that seasonal variation in the concentration of oil products in seawater is characterized by a maximum in April and a minimum in July. Since 2007, a decrease in oil detections has been observed for the entire Baltic Sea, including the study area. The interannual variability also shows a decrease in the concentration of oil products in the water column. In the southeastern Baltic Sea, the volume of oil products released yearly to the sea surface from ships does not exceed 0.1% of the average instantaneous presence of oil products in the water column.
Assessment of Recent Changes in Dust over South Asia Using RegCM4 Regional Climate Model
Authors: Asutosh Acharya , Pandey S.K , Vinoj V , Ramisetty Ramakrishna , Mittal Nishant
Published: October 2021

Pre-monsoon dust aerosols over Indian regions are closely linked to the monsoon dynamics and Indian summer monsoon rainfall. Past observational studies have shown a decline in dust loading over the Indian landmass potentially caused by changing rainfall patterns over the desert regions. Such changes are expected to have a far-reaching impact on regional energy balance and monsoon rainfall. Using a regional climate-chemistry model, RegCM4.5, with an updated land module, we have simulated the long-term (2001–2015) changes in dust over the arid and semi-arid dust source regions of the North-Western part of the subcontinent. It is found that the area-averaged dust aerosol optical depth (AOD) over the arid and semi-arid desert regions has declined by 17% since the start of this millennium. The rainfall over these regions exhibits a positive trend of 0.1 mm day−1year−1 and a net increase of >50%. The wet deposition is found to be dominant and ~five-fold larger in magnitude over dry deposition and exhibits total changes of ~79 and 48% in the trends in atmospheric dust. As a response, a significant difference in the surface (11%), top of the atmosphere radiative forcing (7%), and widespread atmospheric cooling are observed in the short wave domain of radiation spectrum over the Northern part of the Indian landmass. Such quantification and long-term change studies are necessary for understanding regional climate change and the water cycle.
Efficacy of an Emotional and Cognitive Regulation Programme for Mathematics Problems Solving
Authors: Caballero-Carrasco Ana , Melo-Niño Lina , Soto-Ardila Luis Manuel , Casas-García Luis M.
Published: October 2021

The purpose of this study was to analyse the efficacy of an emotional and cognitive regulation programme in mathematics problem solving (MPS) in primary education preservice teachers (PEPSTs). The objective was that the PEPSTs learn to solve mathematical problems and become aware of their emotions, self-regulating their learning process. The programme consists of two parts: the first one involves awareness and control of one’s affective responses before the MPS, and the second one involves an integrated model of MPS and emotional control (IMMPS). For the study, we opted for a pre-experimental pretest/posttest design with an experimental group and the complementarity of qualitative and quantitative methods. Some of the results that were obtained were greater emotional control in the PEPSTs, reducing the anxiety and blockages that MPS initially caused them.
The Missing Piece in Sustainability Indices: Accounting for the Human Factor
Authors: Lumbreras Sara , Oviedo Lluis , Angel Hans-Ferdinand
Published: October 2021

Sustainability is the result of a complex combination of factors. Social, cultural and personal elements are key for the pursuit of a sustainable future. Beyond the existing, very broad program on sustainability studies, additional research should contribute to specify how those social and human factors affect sustainability indices. General beliefs, values, attitudes, habits, assumed lifestyles or even meaning systems projecting purpose on one’s own life have an impact on sustainability as well. Our aim in this paper is to describe these factors, which we group under the label of ‘sustainability human factors’. This task requires a multidisciplinary effort involving anthropology, psychology and social sciences, covering cognitive, emotional or cultural dimensions. First, we set the stage describing the expected network of features and traits that could describe the human factor. Second, we propose a model which can help to assess it through multiple scales and surveying instruments. These instruments can provide valuable data that could expand the current indices. It is important to connect our program with the ongoing research in this field and to develop a broad model that highlights the human factor and its central role when planning for a sustainable future.
Are Chinese Executives Rewarded or Penalized by the Operation of High-Speed Railways?
Authors: Chen Yu , Wang Yuandi , Chen Shan
Published: October 2021

Emerging transportation infrastructure (e.g., HSR) is considered to be an important influencing factor of executive compensation. Moreover, information asymmetry is a contextual factor that cannot be ignored in the above relationship. Based on signal theory, this study used the group data from 2371 Chinese-listed companies between 1999 and 2018 as the research object. This study regarded the operation of HSR as an exogenous shock, using the time-varying difference-in-difference (DID) method to test whether discrepancies exist in the influence of HSR on executive compensation in different contexts. The results show that the operation of HSR positively affects the executive compensation of enterprises in cities along the line. In addition, compared with state-owned enterprises, the impact of a high-speed railway on executive compensation is particularly significant in private enterprises. Furthermore, compared with well-known enterprises, the impact of high-speed railways on executive compensation is particularly significant in enterprises with low visibility. This study reduced the endogeneity problem and made the results more reliable by treating HSR operation as an exogenous variable. The research conclusions are expected to provide a theoretical basis and management implications for companies in cities along high-speed railways to improve their salary system.
Coal Mines in Vietnam: Geological Conditions and Their Influence on Production Sustainability Indicators
Authors: Que Chu Thi , Nevskaya Marina , Marinina Oksana
Published: October 2021

The high growth rate that the Vietnamese economy has been demonstrating in recent years largely depends on the use of the country’s fossil fuel reserves, which form the foundation of its fuel and energy sector. The country will have to rely on coal as one of the key energy sources for a long time in order to meet its energy needs. Since coal has been mined in Vietnam for a long time, the country is now facing such challenges as the depletion of readily available reserves and an increase in the share of coal mined underground in difficult geological conditions. These circumstances may affect the sustainability of the coal industry as a whole. The purpose of the study is to develop a method for analyzing the influence of geological conditions on production sustainability indicators at coal mines operated by Vinacomin, a state-owned corporation. Research methods include substantiating and choosing objects and indicators reflecting production sustainability at coal mines, formalizing the qualitative characteristics of geological conditions, and revealing the relationship between the complexity of geological conditions and production sustainability indicators. As a result of the analysis, the most problematic mines and their operations were identified. They should be given priority attention when developing measures and corporate programs aimed at fostering the sustainability of coal mines. The results of the study provide new knowledge on the coal industry in Vietnam and help to develop methods for assessing corporate sustainability.
Dwarf White Clover Supports Pollinators, Augments Nitrogen in Clover–Turfgrass Lawns, and Suppresses Root-Feeding Grubs in Monoculture but Not in Mixed Swards
Authors: Potter Daniel A. , Redmond Carl T. , McNamara Timothy D. , Munshaw Gregg C.
Published: October 2021

The runoff or leaching of nitrogen fertilizers from monoculture turfgrass lawns contri-butes to water pollution, and such lawns are susceptible to insect pests and provide few resources for pollinators. One approach to creating more sustainable lawns is to incorporate white clover (Trifolium repens L.), a nitrogen-fixing legume, into grass seed mixtures or existing turfgrass swards. “Dutch” white clover (DWC), a ubiquitous landrace, forms non-uniform clumps when intermixed with turfgrasses, thus it is often considered to be a lawn weed. Recently, several dwarf varieties of white clover have been selected for their small leaf size and low growth habit, allowing them to tolerate low mowing heights and blend better with grasses. To date, there have been no studies published on the entomological aspects of dwarf clover in pure stands or intermixed with turfgrass. We established field plots with combinations of DWC, two cultivars of dwarf clover, and tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreb.) Dumort.) in monoculture or mixed swards, and compared the invertebrate communities therein. Predatory arthropods and earthworm numbers were similar in all plot types. The clover monocultures were resistant to white grubs, but the grub densities in the clover–tall fescue dicultures were similar to those found in the pure tall fescue swards. Dwarf clovers and DWC were similarly attractive to bees and supported similar bee assemblages. The tall fescue foliar N content was elevated 17–27% in the dicultures with clovers.
Acid Soils Nitrogen Leaching and Buffering Capacity Mitigation Using Charcoal and Sago Bark Ash
Authors: Hamidi Nur Hidayah , Ahmed Osumanu Haruna , Omar Latifah , Ch’ng Huck Ywih , Johan Prisca Divra , Paramisparam Puvan , Jalloh Mohamadu Boyie
Published: October 2021

Soil acidity compromises agricultural output in tropical acid soils. Highly weathered tropical acidic soils are characterized by low pH, organic matter, nutrient availability, but high aluminium and iron concentration. Hence, N availability becomes a limiting factor in such soils. To this end, these leaching and pH buffering capacity studies were conducted to determine the effects of co-application of charcoal and sago bark ash on the N leaching or retention and pH buffering capacity of acid soils. The soil leaching experiment was conducted for 30 days by spraying distilled water to each container with soil such that the leachates were collected for analysis. The rate of urea used was fixed at 100% of the recommended rate. The rates of charcoal and sago bark ash were varied by 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%, respectively, of the recommended rates. The pH buffering capacity was calculated as the negative reciprocal of the slope of the linear regression. The leaching study revealed that the combined use of charcoal, sago bark ash, and urea does not only reduce leaching of NH4+ and NO3− but the approach also improves soil pH, total C, and soil exchangeable NH4+. This effect is related to the fact that the sago bark ash deprotonates the functional groups of charcoal because of its neutralizing components such as Ca, Mg, Na, and K ions. As a result, the combined use of charcoal and sago bark ash was able to retain NH4+ in the soil. The carbonates in the sago bark ash and functional groups of charcoal improve pH buffering capacity. Thus, the combined use of charcoal and sago bark ash improved soil exchangeable NH4+, soil pH, and soil total C, but reduced exchangeable acidity and amount of NH4+ leached out from soil. This study will be further evaluated in a pot trial to confirm the results of the present findings.
Biodiversity and Sediment Contamination in Wet Stormwater Ponds Depending on Design and Catchment Characteristics
Authors: Kolath Anja Svane , Pedersen Camilla S. , Gangelhof Uffe L. , Egemose Sara
Published: October 2021

Stormwater ponds are a common way to handle stormwater and are used to retain pollutants through sedimentation. The ponds resemble small natural lakes and will be colonized by flora and fauna. How design with respect to age, ratio between wet volume and reduced catchment area and land use influences the retention and how biodiversity is affected was examined. Age and ratio were determined in 135 and 59 ponds, respectively, and 12 of these ponds were selected for studies of dry weight (DW), organic matter (OM), total phosphorus (TP) and aluminum (Al), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) in the sediment. Invertebrate biodiversity was determined by Shannon–Wiener index (H’) and Pielou Evenness (J). DW, OM, TP and metals in the sediment close to the outlet of the ponds were influenced by pond age and the volume/area ratio whereas the sediment in the inlet area was more affected by the catchment type. Biodiversity increased with increasing ratio, while age had no effect on the sediment biodiversity but some effect on the water phase biodiversity. Biodiversity decreased with higher OM and TP and tend to decrease with increasing metal content. Higher volume/area ratio results in less sediment accumulation which improves the biodiversity. More pollutants are accumulating with age, which negatively affects the biodiversity. In conclusion, pond ratio, catchment type and, to some extent, age effect the load of contaminants in the sediment and the pond biodiversity. Proper design and management are recommended as a mitigating measure.
Screening of Evaluation Index and Construction of Evaluation Index System for Mine Ventilation System
Authors: Bi Qiu-Ping , Li Yu-Cheng , Shen Cheng
Published: October 2021

The mine ventilation system is an indispensable component to improve coal mining efficiency and ensure the safety of production. Only by clearly grasping the comprehensive evaluation quality of the ventilation system can effective countermeasures be formulated. This paper establishes an evaluation index system for mine ventilation systems by combining a qualitative survey with quantitative research. Specifically, the primary indicators are screened through R-type clustering and the coefficient of variation method. The weight of each index is determined by the entropy weight method. Moreover, the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) method is used to evaluate the quality of the mine ventilation system. Finally, this evaluation system is used to evaluate the ventilation renovation project in the production mining area of the Sihe mine. The evaluation results verify the effectiveness of the establishment of the mine ventilation evaluation index system and of the evaluation methods.
Teaching Multiplication to Students with Mathematical Learning Disabilities (MLD): Analysis of Preservice Teachers’ Lesson Design
Authors: Lee Hea-Jin , Han Chaereen , Kim Hee-jeong , Herner-Patnode Leah
Published: October 2021

This qualitative study investigated 17 preservice teachers’ lesson design for teaching multiplication to an average performing student and a student with mathematical learning disabilities (MLD). Findings reveal how preservice teachers differentiate mathematics instruction to meet the needs of students. They modified mathematical strategies by providing diverse multiplicative concepts and fitting the form of representations. They accommodated lesson design by setting their expectations based on individual needs, managing instructional structure and progress, and adjusting the cognitive demand of tasks. Some formative assessment skills demonstrated how they understood students’ mathematical thinking and responded to it. The needs for further attention and support in lesson differentiation, including content-oriented alternation for equitable responsive teaching and moving away from short-term solutions to sustainable support, were discussed.
Extended Reality in Higher Education, a Responsible Innovation Approach for Generation Y and Generation Z
Authors: Kuleto Valentin , P. Milena Ilić , Stanescu Monica , Ranković Marko , Šević Nevenka Popović , Păun Dan , Teodorescu Silvia
Published: October 2021

This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the XR challenges, opportunities, and future trends that will impact higher educational institutions. The article discusses (using observation, participatory observation and as well as document analysis) the potential for augmented reality to be used in higher education, having in mind characteristics of Millennials (Generation Y) and Post-Millennials (Generation Z) and raises issues about responsible innovation, the future of work, and formal education. Additionally, survey research was completed among students in Serbia and Romania (103 respondents) within selected generations regarding their knowledge of extended reality and their attitudes towards opportunities and challenges of extended reality in Higher Education Institutions, and thus this paper also utilises quantitative analysis. A correlation matrix, composite reliability, and regression model were used to code the data and extract knowledge. A thorough review of the existing literature on one hand and primary research as well, using the chosen scientific methods, the planned purpose of the research will be obtained: to gain a better-understanding of the education needs of Generation Y and Generation Z and the potential use of XR as a response to the needs observed. The results of the quantitative analysis confirmed our starting assumptions: XR is an excellent technology facilitating the teaching processes allowing learners to more actively control their learning strategies and supporting the interactivity and connectivity that students and faculties experience. Furthermore, Generation Z students are more applicative for stating XR’s opportunities (instead of challenges) in higher education institutions.
Evaluating the Sustainability Dimensions in the Food Supply Chain: Literature Review and Research Routes
Authors: Latino Maria Elena , Menegoli Marta , De Giovanni Martina
Published: October 2021

Nowadays, the world is facing numerous sustainability challenges and the modern food system is called to innovate processes or products in order to remain competitive within the market, as well as answering to strategic government guidelines for a more sustainable food supply chain. This study aims to investigate what the main research routes of a sustainable food supply chain are, explored by the international scientific panorama, with a view for providing companies with a framework of the sustainability paths that can be followed, and, to researchers, gaps and future research routes to explore. A systematic review method is adopted through bibliometric analysis and results were obtained with VOSViewer software support. Descriptive and thematic analyses allowed us to discover the bibliometric characteristics of the sample, the main specific topics and the related research routes already addressed in sustainable food supply chain, the main food supply chain models studied in association with sustainability and the effort employed by academia to investigate the three sustainability dimensions: environmental, economic and social. Concluding, the research field of sustainability in the food supply chain is focused on management issues able to generate impacts on process, systems, practices, production and quality.
Resource Orchestration in Supply Chain Service-Based Business Model: The Case of a Cross-Border E-Commerce Company
Authors: Wang Ying , Agyemang Martin , Jia Fu
Published: October 2021

E-commerce is gaining traction in academia, industry, and with policymakers. Along with this development, the intersection of supply chain management and e-commerce research has become increasingly important. This study explored Osell, a cross-border e-commerce company in China, through a resource orchestration perspective to understand how supply chain resources are deployed to create value in a supply chain service-based business model. We investigated and analysed Osell’s business model based on primary data collected from senior executives and managers, as well as secondary data such as online public resources, and found that the structuring and bundling of resources can be leveraged to enhance service capabilities, which in turn creates value, contributing to supply chain service-based business models with regard to trust improvement, risk mitigation, and consumer satisfaction. This study contributes to the supply chain service-based business model through propositions that have been developed regarding cross-border e-commerce.
Prediction of the Change Points in Stock Markets Using DAE-LSTM
Authors: Yoo Sanghyuk , Jeon Sangyong , Jeong Seunghwan , Lee Heesoo , Ryou Hosun , Park Taehyun , Choi Yeonji , Oh Kyongjoo
Published: October 2021

Since the creation of stock markets, there have been attempts to predict their movements, and new prediction methodologies have been devised. According to a recent study, when the Russell 2000 industry index starts to rise, stocks belonging to the corresponding industry in other countries also rise accordingly. Based on this empirical result, this study seeks to predict the start date of industry uptrends using the Russell 2000 industry index. The proposed model in this study predicts future stock prices using a denoising autoencoder (DAE) long short-term memory (LSTM) model and predicts the existence and timing of future change points in stock prices through Pettitt’s test. The results of the empirical analysis confirmed that this proposed model can find the change points in stock prices within 7 days prior to the start date of actual uptrends in selected industries. This study contributes to predicting a change point through a combination of statistical and deep learning models, and the methodology developed in this study could be applied to various financial time series data for various purposes.
The Future and Sustainability of Carpooling Practices. An Identification of Research Challenges
Authors: Aguiléra Anne , Pigalle Eléonore
Published: October 2021

This article proposes several new research directions regarding the future and sustainability of carpooling practices. The reflection is based on a systematic review of the literature (2010–2021) and a consideration of some of the main recent changes in carpooling, such as carpooling platforms and apps, and changes in lifestyles that may affect carpooling practices, such as telework. Carpooling is defined here as the sharing of short- or long-distance car rides between people who are not members of the same household, for a trip (or part of a trip) already scheduled by the driver, free of charge or expense sharing. After a description of the corpus selection method used, followed by a brief review of existing literature, we propose three new avenues for research. The first avenue is a call for greater consideration of forms of transport, other than carpooling, to work (or to the place of study), which remain poorly studied. The second avenue proposes the investigation of the role that the current digitalisation of carpooling, namely online carpooling platforms and their integration into mobility platforms, and also the use of social media by carpoolers, could play in the coming years. The third avenue argues that the consequences of the rise of collaborative consumption and the current pandemic, namely teleworking practices and the perception of shared mobility, could have an effect on carpooling, which merits specific investigation.
A Methodological Approach to Assess the Impact of Energy and Raw Materials Constraints on the Sustainable Deployment of Light-Duty Vehicles by 2050
Authors: Machedon-Pisu Mihai , Borza Paul Nicolae
Published: October 2021

Light-duty vehicles represent the land transport means with the most prominent impact on environment, society’s travel needs, and market dynamics. The evolution of different powertrains is analyzed herein mainly in terms of the raw materials sensitive to exploitation and the energy use in three stages: production, operation, and end of life. In this sense, this study proposes a methodology based on balancing the rapports between supply and demand in order to evaluate every powertrain’s market share by 2050. The results of this analysis are compared to the outputs of other models and frameworks that aim to assess the sustainable deployment of transport means. The results show that scenarios that propose a market share of 25% for battery electric vehicles are unlikely to happen by 2050 due to the disruptions of the lithium, cobalt, and nickel supply chains, while the ambitious target of 50% market share for battery electric vehicles is not possible by then. The main findings of this study refer to the role played by battery chemistry and storage capacity in determining the market penetration of various powertrains for light-duty vehicles under the specific constraints of the automotive sector related to energy and materials.
Towards a Conceptual Framework for Built Infrastructure Design in an Uncertain Climate: Challenges and Research Needs
Authors: Nasr Amro , Ivanov Oskar Larsson , Björnsson Ivar , Johansson Jonas , Honfi Dániel
Published: October 2021

The potential risks of climate change on the built environment involve large uncertainties. This poses an intricate problem to designers and challenges a long-standing tradition of built infrastructure design. More specifically, designers are faced with this challenging question: how to rationally account for climate change risks when designing a new asset? A framework that holistically addresses this difficult question is missing from the current literature. This study contributes to this gap by (1) proposing a conceptual framework for rationally considering the effects of climate change in the design of these assets and (2) identifying the challenges that need to be overcome to facilitate the transition, and further development, of the proposed framework into practice. First, a detailed overview of important infrastructure performance requirements that are relevant to the proposed framework is presented. The different stages of the proposed conceptual framework are then outlined. The proposed framework progresses in the following order: ranking the importance of the asset, identifying the potential climate change risks, analyzing these risks, selecting a design strategy, and finally evaluating the final design. Lastly, several challenges that impede the application of the proposed framework in practical settings are identified. The proposed conceptual framework and the identified challenges comprise a necessary steppingstone towards addressing this pressing issue and developing a more practically applicable framework for considering the risks of climate change in the design of built infrastructure assets.
Human Resource Management Practices Perception and Career Success: The Mediating Roles of Employability and Extra-Role Behaviors
Authors: Giancaspro Maria Luisa , Manuti Amelia , Lo Presti Alessandro , De Rosa Assunta
Published: October 2021

Over the last decades, growing interest has been devoted to employees’ perceptions of Human Resource Management Practices because of their positive influence on individual attitudes and behaviors as well as on organizational performance. Furthermore, assuming the mutual benefits coming from a people-based management of the human capital in organizations, both in terms of employees’ increased motivation, engagement and commitment, and consequently enhanced performance and competitive advantage, recent research in the field concentrated on the impact of HRM practices perceptions on some distinctive individual attitudes and behaviors driving the success of organizations especially in times of radical change like the present ones. Moving from these assumptions, the aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between HRM practices perception and objective career success, considering the mediating role played by employability and extra-role behaviors. Participants were 960 Italian employees who filled an online self-report questionnaire available through the web platform Google Forms. The questionnaire encompassed socio-demographic information and self-report scales assessing the study variables. Results showed that HRM practices perception was positively related to employability, objective career success, and extra-role behaviors. Implications for theory and practice, limitations, and future research directions were also discussed.
Effective Energy Management via False Data Detection Scheme for the Interconnected Smart Energy Hub–Microgrid System under Stochastic Framework
Authors: Alnowibet Khalid , Annuk Andres , Dampage Udaya , Mohamed Mohamed A.
Published: October 2021

During the last few years, attention has overwhelmingly focused on the integrated management of urban services and the demand of customers for locally-based supply. The rapid growth in developing smart measuring devices has made the underlying systems more observable and controllable. This exclusive feature has led the system designers to pursue the implementation of complex protocols to provide faster services based on data exchanges. On the other hand, the demands of consumers for locally-based supply could cause a disjunction and islanding behavior that demands to be dealt with by precise action. At first, keeping a centralization scheme was the main priority. However, the advent of distributed systems opened up new solutions. The operation of distributed systems requires the implementation of strong communication links to boost the existing infrastructure via smart control and supervision, which requires a foundation and effective investigations. Hence, necessary actions need to be taken to frustrate any disruptive penetrations into the system while simultaneously benefiting from the advantages of the proposed smart platform. This research addresses the detection of false data injection attacks (FDIA) in energy hub systems. Initially, a multi-hub system both in the presence of a microgrid (the interconnected smart energy hub-based microgrid system) and without it has been modeled for energy management in a way that allows them to cooperate toward providing energy with each other. Afterward, an FDIA is separately exerted to all three parts of the energy carrier including the thermal, water, and electric systems. In the absence of FDIA detection, the impact of FDIA is thoroughly illustrated on energy management, which considerably contributes to non-optimal operation. In the same vein, the intelligent priority selection based reinforcement learning (IPS-RL) method is proposed for FDIA detection. In order to model the uncertainty effects, the unscented transformation (UT) is applied in a stochastic framework. The results on the IEEE standard test system validate the system’s performance.
Evolution of the Digital Attention Market in the Pandemic: A Comparative Study of Young Spanish University Students (2019–2021)
Authors: Fernández-Rovira Cristina , Giraldo-Luque Santiago
Published: October 2021

The business figures linked to the economy of big companies have shown that large technology platforms are some of the few major beneficiaries of the global economic crisis generated by COVID-19. The study compares biannual results of digital consumption and links user monitoring methods with the realization of qualitative focus groups. It analyses the evolution of the consumption of digital tools (mainly social media) by young university students in Spain between 2019 and 2021. The results of the comparative study show a 36% increase in the time spent using digital applications between the two years studied, as well as a greater concentration of time spent on a few platforms. The qualitative results indicate a self-declaration of addictive dependence on the use of social media; an increasing trend in declaring that youngsters have no interest in stopping their use of these platforms, and a justification that technology companies may not pay the user for the content and data they subsequently use to generate revenue in exchange for personal privacy. This behaviour describes the consolidation of the attention economy concept, which denotates a discursive appropriation of the university students who justify a part of the economic, social, and cultural domination that the technological giants carry out.
Remanufacturing for Circular Economy: Understanding the Impact of Manufacturer’s Incentive under Price Competition
Authors: Singhal Deepak , Jena Sarat Kumar , Aich Satyabrata , Tripathy Sushanta , Kim Hee-Cheol
Published: October 2021

Business organizations all around the globe are looking to expand circular models into their supply chains to harness economic and environmental benefits. Moreover, the act of giving incentives to retailers by the manufacturer is also quite prevalent in the present business environment. These incentives are offered to promote the sales of products of a manufacturer. Therefore, this paper examines the optimal decisions for a dual-retailer closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) in which the manufacturer bestows the credit period to the one retailer (a firm that possesses shallow market penetration and has a higher insistence on the usage of the capital venture), and cash discount to the next retailer (a firm that occupies the market to a greater extent and receives lower thrust on the usage of invested capital) under a non-coordinated system and coordinated systems. This study proposes the mathematical model to determine the optimal decisions of the manufacturer in terms of credit period and cash discount and also compute the optimal decisions of the retailers for their retail prices and order quantities to maximize individual’s profit in the CLSC. Moreover, numerical analysis and sensitivity analysis is performed to get insights into the optimal decisions of the manufacturer and retailers. The results of sensitivity analysis show that credit period and cash discount increases with the rise in price elasticity, and decreases with an increase in cross-price elasticity. The findings also confirm that members of dual-retailer CLSC under coordination and manufacture’s incentive scenario generate higher environmental and economic benefits required to attain sustainability in production and consumption.
Obstacles to Sustaining Diversity: Historical Context and Current Experiences of Underrepresented Minority Women and Men in Sociology and Economics
Authors: Spalter-Roth Roberta M.
Published: October 2021

White men predominate in the top ranks of the professorate, but recent efforts have attempted to decrease inequality and increase diversity in the academy by hiring more faculty, especially women of color. Have equality and diversity efforts worked or has negative departmental climate limited efforts to make diversity sustainable? Despite the long history of and many contributions by women of color (URC) as public intellectuals, activists, and founders of organizations to promote Blacks and Latino/a people, we find that much of their work is still marginalized and is not viewed as legitimate science. This treatment may lessen the ability to increase equality and sustain diversity in academic institutions. The paper tests whether URC women scholars are still experiencing inequalities in comparison to their male peers of color in two disciplines, that of sociology and economics. We include these two disciplines because of similarities in origin and of topics. First, we hypothesize that women of color have significantly more negative experiences in sociology and economics departments than do men of color, when other conditions are held constant. Second, we hypothesize that structural conditions, are related to experiential outcomes for these scholars. Third, we hypothesize that participation in minority-oriented organizations improves women of color’s experiences. Fourth, we hypothesize that interacting gender with participation in minority-oriented organizations, significantly improves women of color’s situation. The study results show that women of color continue to experience greater problems of access, marginality, inclusion, and harassment in sociology and economics departments. The sustainable development goals of achieving gender equality and increase educational opportunities cannot be achieve without addressing these inequities and inclusion issues.
Intestinal Barrier, Claudins and Mycotoxins
Authors: Kozieł Marta Justyna , Ziaja Maksymilian , Piastowska-Ciesielska Agnieszka Wanda
Published: October 2021

The intestinal barrier is the main barrier against all of the substances that enter the body. Proper functioning of this barrier guarantees maintained balance in the organism. Mycotoxins are toxic, secondary fungi metabolites, that have a negative impact both on human and animal health. It was postulated that various mycotoxins may affect homeostasis by disturbing the intestinal barrier. Claudins are proteins that are involved in creating tight junctions between epithelial cells. A growing body of evidence underlines their role in molecular response to mycotoxin-induced cytotoxicity. This review summarizes the information connected with claudins, their association with an intestinal barrier, physiological conditions in general, and with gastrointestinal cancers. Moreover, this review also includes information about the changes in claudin expression upon exposition to various mycotoxins.
Porcine Endogenous Retroviruses and Xenotransplantation, 2021
Authors: Denner Joachim
Published: October 2021

Porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs) are integrated in the genome of all pigs, and some of them are able to infect human cells. Therefore, PERVs pose a risk for xenotransplantation, the transplantation of pig cells, tissues, or organ to humans in order to alleviate the shortage of human donor organs. Up to 2021, a huge body of knowledge about PERVs has been accumulated regarding their biology, including replication, recombination, origin, host range, and immunosuppressive properties. Until now, no PERV transmission has been observed in clinical trials transplanting pig islet cells into diabetic humans, in preclinical trials transplanting pig cells and organs into nonhuman primates with remarkable long survival times of the transplant, and in infection experiments with several animal species. Nevertheless, in order to prevent virus transmission to the recipient, numerous strategies have been developed, including selection of PERV-C-free animals, RNA interference, antiviral drugs, vaccination, and genome editing. Furthermore, at present there are no more experimental approaches to evaluate the full risk until we move to the clinic.
CRISPR Tackles Emerging Viral Pathogens
Authors: Kirby Emily N. , Shue Byron , Thomas Paul Q. , Beard Michael R.
Published: October 2021

Understanding the dynamic relationship between viral pathogens and cellular host factors is critical to furthering our knowledge of viral replication, disease mechanisms and development of anti-viral therapeutics. CRISPR genome editing technology has enhanced this understanding, by allowing identification of pro-viral and anti-viral cellular host factors for a wide range of viruses, most recently the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2. This review will discuss how CRISPR knockout and CRISPR activation genome-wide screening methods are a robust tool to investigate the viral life cycle and how other class 2 CRISPR systems are being repurposed for diagnostics.
Evaluation of the Effect of Inactivated Transmissible Gastroenteritis Virus Vaccine with Nano Silicon on the Phenotype and Function of Porcine Dendritic Cells
Authors: Zheng Lanlan , Zhao Fujie , Ru Jiaxi , Liu Lintao , Wang Zi , Wang Nianxiang , Shu Xiangli , Wei Zhanyong , Guo Huichen
Published: October 2021

A transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) is a porcine enteropathogenic coronavirus, causing acute swine enteric disease especially in suckling piglets. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) are safe vaccine adjuvant, which could enhance immune responses. Our previous research confirmed that nano silicon had immune-enhancing effects with inactivated TGEV vaccine. In this study, we further clarified the immune-enhancing mechanism of the inactivated TGEV vaccine with MSNs on porcine dendritic cells (DCs). Our results indicated that the inactivated TGEV vaccine with MSNs strongly enhanced the activation of the DCs. Expressions of TLR3, TLR5, TLR7, TLR9, and TLR10, cytokines IFN-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-12, and TNF-α, cytokine receptor CCR-7 of immature DCs were characterized and showed themselves to be significantly higher in the inactivated TGEV vaccine with the MSN group. In summary, the inactivated TGEV vaccine with MSNs has effects on the phenotype and function of porcine DCs, which helps to better understand the immune-enhancing mechanism.
2A and 2A-like Sequences: Distribution in Different Virus Species and Applications in Biotechnology
Authors: de Lima Juliana G. S. , Lanza Daniel C. F.
Published: October 2021

2A is an oligopeptide sequence that mediates a ribosome “skipping” effect and can mediate a co-translation cleavage of polyproteins. These sequences are widely distributed from insect to mammalian viruses and could act by accelerating adaptive capacity. These sequences have been used in many heterologous co-expression systems because they are versatile tools for cleaving proteins of biotechnological interest. In this work, we review and update the occurrence of 2A/2A-like sequences in different groups of viruses by screening the sequences available in the National Center for Biotechnology Information database. Interestingly, we reported the occurrence of 2A-like for the first time in 69 sequences. Among these, 62 corresponded to positive single-stranded RNA species, six to double stranded RNA viruses, and one to a negative-sense single-stranded RNA virus. The importance of these sequences for viral evolution and their potential in biotechnological applications are also discussed.
Genetic Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Variants in Mexico during the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Taboada Blanca , Zárate Selene , Iša Pavel , Boukadida Celia , Vazquez-Perez Joel Armando , Muñoz-Medina José Esteban , Ramírez-González José Ernesto , Comas-García Andreu , Grajales-Muñiz Concepción , Rincón-Rubio Alma , Matías-Florentino Margarita , Sanchez-Flores Alejandro , Mendieta-Condado Edgar , Verleyen Jerome , Barrera-Badillo Gisela , Hernández-Rivas Lucía , Mejía-Nepomuceno Fidencio , Martínez-Orozco José Arturo , Becerril-Vargas Eduardo , López Susana , López-Martínez Irma , Ávila-Ríos Santiago , Arias Carlos F.
Published: October 2021

During the first year of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Mexico, more than two million people were infected. In this study, we analyzed full genome sequences from 27 February 2020 to 28 February 2021 to characterize the geographical and temporal distribution of SARS-CoV-2 lineages and identify the most common circulating lineages during this period. We defined six different geographical regions with particular dynamics of lineage circulation. The Northeast and Northwest regions were the ones that exhibited the highest lineage diversity, while the Central south and South/Southeast regions presented less diversity with predominance of a certain lineage. Additionally, by late February 2021, lineage B.1.1.519 represented more than 89% of all circulating lineages in the country.