bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect Morphology and Surface Treatment of the Abutments of Dental Implants on the Dimension and Health of Peri-Implant Biological Space
Authors: Dib-Zaitum Ibrahim , Guadilla-González Yasmina , Flores-Fraile Javier , Dib-Zakkour Juan , Benito-Garzón Lorena , Montero Javier
Published: June 2022

Statement of the problem: The gingival configuration around implant abutments is of paramount importance for preserving the underlying marginal bone, and hence for the long-term success of dental implants. Objective: The objective was to study, clinically and histologically, the effects of the change in the morphology of abutments connected to the endosseous implant, and of their surface treatment. In particular, the objective was to ascertain the effect of changing the shape of the transepithelial pillar and the treatment of its surface on the dimensions, quality and health of the components of the peri-implant biological space, such as the dimensions of the epithelial and connective tissues of the biological space, the concentration of inflammatory cells and the density of collagen fibers. Methods: A clinical trial of 10 patients with a totally edentulous maxilla, who had four implants (IPX4010_GALIMPLANT®, Sarria, Spain) inserted in the area of the first and second molars on both sides with computer-guided implant surgery, was conducted with the final purpose of assessing the quality of the peri-implant soft tissue attachment around the transepithelial abutments which were employed (aesthetic machined (RM), aesthetic anodized (RA), slim machined (SM) and slim anodized (SA)). At 8 weeks and following the collection of the samples (removal of the implant-abutment assembly with its surrounding hard and soft tissue) and their processing for subsequent histological and histomorphometric analysis in order to study the dimensions, quality and health of the peri-implant soft tissue area, the variables previously mentioned were determined according to the aims of the study. By using appropriate diameter trephine in order to obtain a useful fringe of soft tissue around the transepithelial pillars, ANOVA and chi-square tests were performed. Results: The SPSS statistical analysis ANOVA results revealed that the machined slim abutments have a better performance considering the variables analyzed with epithelial and connective attachment heights of 1.52 mm and 2.3 mm, respectively, and that connective density (density of collagen fibers) was high at 85.7% of the sample size affected by the design for the slim abutments and 92.9% of the high-density sample size affected by the surface treatment for the machined surface. Conclusions: All variables studied, despite the small sample size, showed the superiority of the slim machined abutment among the four groups.
The Metabolic Profile of Anchusa officinalis L. Differs According to Its Associated Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi
Authors: Tsiokanos Evangelia , Cartabia Annalisa , Tsafantakis Nikolaos , Lalaymia Ismahen , Termentzi Aikaterini , Miguel Maria , Declerck Stéphane , Fokialakis Nikolas
Published: June 2022

Anchusa officinalis (L.) interacts with various microorganisms including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Recently, the AMF Rhizophagus irregularis MUCL 41833 has been shown to modulate the metabolome of A. officinalis. However, little information is available on the impact that different AMF species may have on primary and secondary plant metabolites. In this study, four AMF species belonging to the genus Rhizophagus (R. irregularis MUCL 41833, R. intraradices MUCL 49410, R. clarus MUCL 46238, R. aggregatus MUCL 49408), were evaluated for their potential to modulate A. officinalis metabolome under controlled semi-hydroponic cultivation conditions. An untargeted metabolomic analysis was performed using UHPLC-HRMS followed by a multivariate data analysis. Forty-two compounds were reported to be highly modulated in relation to the different AMF associations. Among them, six new secondary metabolites were tentatively identified including two acetyl- and four malonyl- phenylpropanoid and saponin derivatives, all presenting a common substitution at position C-6 of the glycosidic moiety. In addition, an enhanced accumulation of primary and secondary metabolites was observed for R. irregularis and R. intraradices, showing a stronger effect on A. officinalis metabolome compared to R. clarus and R. aggregatus. Therefore, our data suggest that different AMF species may specifically modulate A. officinalis metabolite production.
Adsorption and Mechanism of Glycine on the Anatase with Exposed (001) and (101) Facets
Authors: Liu Zeling , Zhong Xiaomei , Liu Yifan , Rao Hanyun , Wei Hongfu , Hu Wenyuan , Nie Xiaoqin , Liu Mingxue
Published: June 2022

As a widely existing mineral types on Earth, semiconductor minerals play an important role in the origin of life and the material geochemical cycle. The first step of peptide formation is amino acid adsorption on the mineral surface, but the role and mechanism of different crystal facets of semiconductor minerals are not well understood. Anatase (TiO2) with exposed (001) facets was synthesized by a hydrothermal method, and then analyzed and compared with the purchased ordinary anatase (TiO2) for the adsorption of glycine, the simplest amino acid. XRD, SEM and TEM results show that the hydrothermally synthesized anatase (TiO2) has a good anatase crystal form, which is micro-nano-scale flake particles and mainly composed of (001) facets. The results of HPLC used in the adsorption experiment showed that under optimal conditions (pH 5 to 6, an adsorption time of 24 h, and an initial concentration of 0.09 mol/L), the adsorption quantity of glycine on anatase (TiO2) with exposed (001) facets may reach 10 mg/m2, which is larger than that for ordinary anatase (TiO2) with exposed (101) facets. Based on a combination of various characterizations and simulation calculations, the results proved that anatase can activate thermodynamically stable γ-glycine to β-glycine. The adsorption of glycine on anatase (TiO2) has two forms, one is the zwitterionic form in which the carboxyl group forms a bridge structure with two Ti atoms connected by surface bridging oxygen, and the dissociated form is in which the amino group forms a bond with the surface Ti atom. Among these, glycine is mainly adsorbed to anatase by dissociative molecules on the anatase (TiO2) with exposed (001) facets and by zwitterion adsorption on the anatase (TiO2) with exposed (101) facets. This research elucidates the conditions and mechanism of amino acid adsorption by semiconductor minerals in weak acidic environment, which is similar to the environmental pH that was beneficial to the formation of life on the early Earth. Therefore, these can provide a reference for the further study of the role of semiconductor minerals in the adsorption and polymerization of small biomolecules in the origin of life.
Self-Assembled Peptide Nanostructures for ECM Biomimicry
Authors: Marin Davide , Marchesan Silvia
Published: June 2022

Proteins are functional building blocks of living organisms that exert a wide variety of functions, but their synthesis and industrial production can be cumbersome and expensive. By contrast, short peptides are very convenient to prepare at a low cost on a large scale, and their self-assembly into nanostructures and gels is a popular avenue for protein biomimicry. In this Review, we will analyze the last 5-year progress on the incorporation of bioactive motifs into self-assembling peptides to mimic functional proteins of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and guide cell fate inside hydrogel scaffolds.
Robot Assisted Gait Training in a Patient with Ataxia
Authors: Lamberti Gianfranco , Sesenna Gianluca , Marina Martina , Ricci Emanuela , Ciardi Gianluca
Published: June 2022

Background: Ataxia is a neurological sign characterized by motor coordination during gait/voluntary limb movements impairment. Ataxic gait leads to disability and worsening of quality of life; physiotherapy intervention is recommended to improve motor function. Recent studies showed benefits due to repetitive robotized assisted gait training using a static exoskeleton in patients affected by acquired ataxias. The aim of the study was to perform a preliminary evaluation of the short-term effects of overground UAN.GO®-assisted gait training in an adult patient with ataxia but with no clear genetic pattern. Methods: This case report study was conducted on a single male adult patient, who presented ataxic spastic gait, posterior chain tightness, pes cavus, and unstable standing position. The patient underwent two preliminary sessions to take part in the study. Treatment protocol planned 10 sessions and each one lasted 80 min, 60 of which were spent in gait training using the mobile overground exoskeleton UAN.GO®. At T1 (start of the study) and T10 (final evaluation) assessments using the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia, Berg Balance Scale, 6-Minute Walking Test, and Likert Scale were administered. Space-time parameters of gait cycle were also evaluated: left and right step length, stance and swing percentages. Results: improvements on the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia, Berg Balance Scale, and in the distance travelled at 6-Minute Walking Test emerged. The patient gave a positive opinion towards the treatment, showed by Likert Scale results. Kinematic gait analysis showed more physiological step length, stance and swing percentages, joint angles. The patient completed the training program with an excellent compliance. Discussion: Since these encouraging outcomes were obtained, it is possible to consider robot-assisted gait training performed with UAN.GO® as a therapeutic option to improve motor and functional performance in patients with ataxic gait.
Validity of the Food Frequency Questionnaire—Estimated Intakes of Sodium, Potassium, and Sodium-to-Potassium Ratio for Screening at a Point of Absolute Intake among Middle-Aged and Older Japanese Adults
Authors: Matsuno Tomoka , Takachi Ribeka , Ishihara Junko , Ishii Yuri , Kito Kumiko , Maruya Sachiko , Nakamura Kazutoshi , Tanaka Junta , Yamagishi Kazumasa , Yamaji Taiki , Iso Hiroyasu , Iwasaki Motoki , Tsugane Shoichiro , Sawada Norie
Published: June 2022

Using Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQs) to compare dietary references for screening has been in high demand. However, FFQs have been widely used for ranking individuals in a population based on their dietary intake. We determined the validity of sodium (salt equivalent) intake, potassium intake, and sodium-to-potassium (Na/K) ratio obtained using the FFQ for identifying individuals who deviated from the dietary reference intakes (DRIs) measured using multiple 24-h urinary excretion measurements or 12-day weighed food records (WFR). This study included 235 middle-aged subjects. The correlation coefficients (CCs) between the FFQ and WFR estimates were mostly moderate (0.24–0.54); the CCs between the FFQ and 24-h urinary excretion measurements were low or moderate (0.26–0.38). Values of area under the receiver-operating curve (AUC) at the point of DRIs for salt equivalent or potassium were >0.7 with the WFR as the reference standard and 0.60–0.76 with the 24-h urinary excretion as the reference standard. Using both standard measures, the AUC for the Na/K ratio was <0.7. The accuracy of salt equivalent and potassium intake estimation using the FFQ to determine absolute intake point was comparable to that using WFR, allowing for quantified error, but not as good as that of 24-h urinary excretion.
Regioselective N- versus P-Deprotonation of Aminophosphane Tungsten(0) Complexes
Authors: Terschüren Tatjana , Junker Philip , Schmer Alexander , Espinosa Ferao Arturo , Streubel Rainer
Published: June 2022

1,2-Bifunctional ligands are rare, in general, which holds especially for those with a P-N linkage. Herein, we report on the synthesis of P-tert-butyl substituted aminophosphane W(CO)5 complexes 3a-f (a: R = R’ = H; b: R = H, R = Me; c: R = H, R’ = ally; d: R = H, R’ = i-Pr; e: R = H, R’ = t-Bu; f: R = R’ = Me) obtained via formal N-H insertion reactions of Li/Cl phosphinidenoid complex 2 into NH bonds of ammonia and different amines. The 1,2-bifunctionality of 3b was addressed in targeted regioselective deprotonation reactions leading to amidophosphane complexes M-4b or M/N(H)Me phosphinidenoid complexes M-5b, respectively (M = Li, K). Remarkable was the observation that reactions of M-4b and M-5b with MeI as the electrophile resulted in the formation of the same product 7b. The constitution of all the compounds has been established by means of NMR and IR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Two possible reaction pathways were studied in detail using high-level DFT calculations.
Characterization of Domiphen Bromide as a New Fast-Acting Antiplasmodial Agent Inhibiting the Apicoplastidic Methyl Erythritol Phosphate Pathway
Authors: Biosca Arnau , Ramírez Miriam , Gomez-Gomez Alex , Lafuente Aritz , Iglesias Valentín , Pozo Oscar J. , Imperial Santiago , Fernàndez-Busquets Xavier
Published: June 2022

The evolution of resistance by the malaria parasite to artemisinin, the key component of the combination therapy strategies that are at the core of current antimalarial treatments, calls for the urgent identification of new fast-acting antimalarials. The apicoplast organelle is a preferred target of antimalarial drugs because it contains biochemical processes absent from the human host. Fosmidomycin is the only drug in clinical trials targeting the apicoplast, where it inhibits the methyl erythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway. Here, we characterized the antiplasmodial activity of domiphen bromide (DB), another MEP pathway inhibitor with a rapid mode of action that arrests the in vitro growth of Plasmodium falciparum at the early trophozoite stage. Metabolomic analysis of the MEP pathway and Krebs cycle intermediates in 20 µM DB-treated parasites suggested a rapid activation of glycolysis with a concomitant decrease in mitochondrial activity, consistent with a rapid killing of the pathogen. These results present DB as a model compound for the development of new, potentially interesting drugs for future antimalarial combination therapies.
Stimuli-Responsive Gold Nanocages for Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
Authors: Li Chunming , Zhao Tengyue , Li Lixian , Hu Xiaogang , Li Chao , Chen Wanyi , Hu Yurong
Published: June 2022

With advances in nanotechnology, various new drug delivery systems (DDSs) have emerged and played a key role in the diagnosis and treatment of cancers. Over the last two decades, gold nanocages (AuNCs) have been attracting considerable attention because of their outstanding properties. This review summarizes current advancements in endogenous, exogenous, and dual/multi-stimuli responsive AuNCs in drug delivery. This review focuses on the properties, clinical translation potential, and limitations of stimuli-responsive AuNCs for cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Diversity of Herbicide-Resistance Mechanisms of Avena fatua L. to Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase-Inhibiting Herbicides in the Bajio, Mexico
Authors: Tafoya-Razo J Antonio , Mora-Munguía Saul Alonso , Torres-García Jesús R.
Published: June 2022

Herbicide resistance is an evolutionary process that affects entire agricultural regions’ yield and productivity. The high number of farms and the diversity of weed management can generate hot selection spots throughout the regions. Resistant biotypes can present a diversity of mechanisms of resistance and resistance factors depending on selective conditions inside the farm; this situation is similar to predictions by the geographic mosaic theory of coevolution. In Mexico, the agricultural region of the Bajio has been affected by herbicide resistance for 25 years. To date, Avena fatua L. is one of the most abundant and problematic weed species. The objective of this study was to determine the mechanism of resistance of biotypes with failures in weed control in 70 wheat and barley crop fields in the Bajio, Mexico. The results showed that 70% of farms have biotypes with target site resistance (TSR). The most common mutations were Trp–1999–Cys, Asp–2078–Gly, Ile–2041–Asn, and some of such mutations confer cross-resistance to ACCase-inhibiting herbicides. Metabolomic fingerprinting showed four different metabolic expression patterns. The results confirmed that in the Bajio, there exist multiple selection sites for both resistance mechanisms, which proves that this area can be considered as a geographic mosaic of resistance.
Influence of Religious Practice and Church Interpersonal Trust on Spiritual Experience during COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Lee Kunho , Jeong Goo-Churl
Published: June 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic not only increased the risk of poor physical health but also brought about a crisis of spiritual health through restrictions on worship services. This study examined the spiritual health of Christians living in the era of COVID-19 and analyzed the role of personal religious practice and interpersonal trust in the church. To this end, 600 Christian adults were surveyed. This study found that women’s spiritual experience was higher than men’s and tended to be higher with older age and the length of faith. These results were linked to church duties, as duty holders had more spiritual experience than laypersons. Regarding individual religious practice and interpersonal trust, the group who frequently prayed and read the Bible and the group with high interpersonal trust in the church had high daily spiritual experiences, respectively. A comprehensive analysis through decision tree analysis showed that prayer was the variable showing the greatest difference in daily spiritual experience, while Bible reading was the second most important personal religious activity. Regarding church interpersonal trust, interaction-based trust and institution-based trust contributed to enhancing personal spiritual experience. Personal religious practice was reported as a more important variable in the promotion of spiritual experience than interpersonal factors during COVID-19.
Liturgy in the Shadow of Trauma
Authors: Turnbloom David Farina , Breen Megan , Lamberger Noah , Seddon Kate
Published: June 2022

Much of the work surrounding the crisis of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church has focused on how the abuse remained simultaneously widespread while being kept private, but not how the effects of the abuse impact the liturgy itself. Paying particular attention to PTSD, moral injury, and moral distress, this article examines how systemic clergy perpetuated sexual abuse (CPSA) has damaged liturgical efficacy for both abuse survivors and Roman Catholic laity. Focusing on PSTD, moral injury, and moral distress frames the issue in a way that illuminates the church’s ongoing role in preventing the healing of survivors and limiting the potential for grace in the sacraments. In light of the exploration, we suggest that in order for widespread healing we must move towards a relational ontology that realigns with the survivors and reject language and practices that blame survivors for their discomfort in the church, instead affirming the dignity in the options to seek grace and relationship with God outside of the Roman Catholic tradition.
PoSDMS: A Mining System for Oceanic Dynamics with Time Series of Raster-Formatted Datasets
Authors: Li Lianwei , Xue Cunjin , Xu Yangfeng , Wu Chengbin , Niu Chaoran
Published: June 2022

Many effective and advanced methods have been developed to explore oceanic dynamics using time series of raster-formatted datasets; however, they have generally been designed at a scale suitable for data observation and used independently of each other, despite the potential advantages of combining different modules into an integrated system at a scale suited for dynamic evolution. From raster-formatted datasets to marine knowledge, we developed and integrated several mining algorithms at a dynamic evolutionary scale and combined them into six modules: a module of raster-formatted dataset pretreatment; a module of process-oriented object extraction; a module of process-oriented representation and management (process-oriented graph database); a module of process-oriented clustering; a module of process-oriented association rule mining; and a module of process-oriented visualization. On the basis of such modules, we developed a process-oriented spatiotemporal dynamic mining system named PoSDMS (Process-oriented Spatiotemporal Dynamics Mining System). PoSDMS was designed to have the capacity to deal with at least six environments of marine anomalies with 40 years of raster-formatted datasets, including their extraction, representation, storage, clustering, association and visualization. The effectiveness of the integrated system was evaluated in a case study of sea surface temperature datasets during the period from January 1982 to December 2021 in global oceans. The main contribution of this study was the development of a mining system at a scale suited for dynamic evolution, providing an analyzing platform or tool to deal with time series of raster-formatted datasets to aid in obtaining marine knowledge.
System Identification and Nonlinear Model Predictive Control with Collision Avoidance Applied in Hexacopters UAVs
Authors: Recalde Luis F. , Guevara Bryan S. , Carvajal Christian P. , Andaluz Victor H. , Varela-Aldás José , Gandolfo Daniel C.
Published: June 2022

Accurate trajectory tracking is a critical property of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) due to system nonlinearities, under-actuated properties and constraints. Specifically, the use of unmanned rotorcrafts with accuracy trajectory tracking controllers in dynamic environments has the potential to improve the fields of environment monitoring, safety, search and rescue, border surveillance, geology and mining, agriculture industry, and traffic control. Monitoring operations in dynamic environments produce significant complications with respect to accuracy and obstacles in the surrounding environment and, in many cases, it is difficult to perform even with state-of-the-art controllers. This work presents a nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) with collision avoidance for hexacopters’ trajectory tracking in dynamic environments, as well as shows a comparative study between the accuracies of the Euler–Lagrange formulation and the dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) models in order to find the precise representation of the system dynamics. The proposed controller includes limits on the maneuverability velocities, system dynamics, obstacles and the tracking error in the optimization control problem (OCP). In order to show the good performance of this control proposal, computational simulations and real experiments were carried out using a six rotary-wind unmanned aerial vehicle (hexacopter—DJI MATRICE 600). The experimental results prove the good performance of the predictive scheme and its ability to regenerate the optimal control policy. Simulation results expand the proposed controller in simulating highly dynamic environments that showing the scalability of the controller.
Self-Sovereignty Identity Management Model for Smart Healthcare System
Authors: Bai Pinky , Kumar Sushil , Aggarwal Geetika , Mahmud Mufti , Kaiwartya Omprakash , Lloret Jaime
Published: June 2022

An identity management system is essential in any organisation to provide quality services to each authenticated user. The smart healthcare system should use reliable identity management to ensure timely service to authorised users. Traditional healthcare uses a paper-based identity system which is converted into centralised identity management in a smart healthcare system. Centralised identity management has security issues such as denial of service attacks, single-point failure, information breaches of patients, and many privacy issues. Decentralisedidentity management can be a robust solution to these security and privacy issues. We proposed a Self-Sovereign identity management system for the smart healthcare system (SSI-SHS), which manages the identity of each stakeholder, including medical devices or sensors, in a decentralisedmanner in the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) Environment. The proposed system gives the user complete control of their data at each point. Further, we analysed the proposed identity management system against Allen and Cameron’s identity management guidelines. We also present the performance analysis of SSI as compared to the state-of-the-art techniques.
Integrated Spatial Modulation and STBC-VBLAST Design toward Efficient MIMO Transmission
Authors: Huang Kaiyuan , Xiao Yue , Liu Lizhe , Li Yong , Song Zhiqun , Wang Bin , Li Xingjian
Published: June 2022

In this contribution, the concept of spatial modulation (SM) is firstly integrated into the structure of space-time block codes (STBC)-aided vertical Bell-labs layered space-time (VBLAST) systems, in order to strike a balanced tradeoff among bit error ratio (BER), spectral efficiency and computational complexity. First of all, in order to enhance the BER performance of STBC-VBLAST, we advocate an effective transmit power allocation (TPA) scheme with negligible implementation costs, while dividing the STBC and VBLAST layers with alleviated interference, so as to facilitate combination with SM. Then, we further utilize the unique structure of SM for enhancing the spectral efficiency of original STBC-VBLAST, wherein the information is conveyed by not only the amplitude/phase modulation (APM) symbols but also the antenna indices. In addition, constellation sets of STBC symbols are specifically designed to be rotated to make full use of the degrees of freedom. Finally, the performance advantages of the above-mentioned structures over traditional STBC-VBLAST are demonstrated by the theoretical derivation of a closed-form expression for the union bound on the bit error probability for various spectral efficiencies, and they are supported by simulation results.
deepNIR: Datasets for Generating Synthetic NIR Images and Improved Fruit Detection System Using Deep Learning Techniques
Authors: Sa Inkyu , Lim Jong Yoon , Ahn Ho Seok , MacDonald Bruce
Published: June 2022

This paper presents datasets utilised for synthetic near-infrared (NIR) image generation and bounding-box level fruit detection systems. A high-quality dataset is one of the essential building blocks that can lead to success in model generalisation and the deployment of data-driven deep neural networks. In particular, synthetic data generation tasks often require more training samples than other supervised approaches. Therefore, in this paper, we share the NIR+RGB datasets that are re-processed from two public datasets (i.e., nirscene and SEN12MS), expanded our previous study, deepFruits, and our novel NIR+RGB sweet pepper (capsicum) dataset. We oversampled from the original nirscene dataset at 10, 100, 200, and 400 ratios that yielded a total of 127 k pairs of images. From the SEN12MS satellite multispectral dataset, we selected Summer (45 k) and All seasons (180k) subsets and applied a simple yet important conversion: digital number (DN) to pixel value conversion followed by image standardisation. Our sweet pepper dataset consists of 1615 pairs of NIR+RGB images that were collected from commercial farms. We quantitatively and qualitatively demonstrate that these NIR+RGB datasets are sufficient to be used for synthetic NIR image generation. We achieved Frechet inception distances (FIDs) of 11.36, 26.53, and 40.15 for nirscene1, SEN12MS, and sweet pepper datasets, respectively. In addition, we release manual annotations of 11 fruit bounding boxes that can be exported in various formats using cloud service. Four newly added fruits (blueberry, cherry, kiwi and wheat) compound 11 novel bounding box datasets on top of our previous work presented in the deepFruits project (apple, avocado, capsicum, mango, orange, rockmelon and strawberry). The total number of bounding box instances of the dataset is 162 k and it is ready to use from a cloud service. For the evaluation of the dataset, Yolov5 single stage detector is exploited and reported impressive mean-average-precision, mAP[0.5:0.95] results of min:0.49, max:0.812. We hope these datasets are useful and serve as a baseline for future studies.
Exploring the Driving Factors of Urban Music Festival Tourism and Service Development Strategies Using the Modified SIA-NRM Approach
Authors: Chang Jung-Jung , Chen Ruey-Feng , Lin Chia-Li
Published: June 2022

Urban music festivals play an important role in tourism. Festival tourism attracts fans and event participants from all over the world. They can contribute not only to the tourism industries but also to local and regional economic development. This study focuses on how urban music festival tourism can successfully attract tourist participation. It explores the service needs and the critical factors that affect tourists’ favorable participation decisions. The SIA (Satisfaction Importance Analysis) approach was applied to evaluate the service performance aspects/criteria for urban music festival tourism. The study used the NRM (Network Relation Map) approach to determine the acceptation paths. This study also provides sustainable development strategies and suitable development paths through the SIA-NRM approach. The findings of this study reveal the ranking of importance of service attributes and performance qualities perceived by tourists of urban music festivals. It provides recommendations to the music festival organizers and for local governments’ strategic directions, leading to successful music festival tourism.
Voluntary Disclosure of Carbon Emissions Information, Managerial Ability, and Credit Ratings
Authors: Lee Jaehong
Published: June 2022

This paper examines the relationship between the voluntary disclosure of carbon emissions information and credit ratings, and whether managerial ability affects this association. I examine a sample of 7996 non-financial companies with fiscal year-end in December listed in the Korea Stock Exchange Market (KSE) for the period of 2011–2019. Using CDP reports to measure the voluntary disclosure of carbon emissions information, this study reports that, on average, credit ratings can be increased through the proactive disclosure activities of environmental problems in South Korea. Moreover, in companies managed by competent managers, the positive association between the voluntary disclosure of carbon emissions information and credit ratings is pronounced, implying that competent managers encourage the disclosure of qualitative information to assess the intrinsic corporate value. These results are robust even after analyses with different empirical models.
Sustainable Air-Conditioning Systems Enabled by Artificial Intelligence: Research Status, Enterprise Patent Analysis, and Future Prospects
Authors: Lee Dasheng , Chen Liyuan
Published: June 2022

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have developed rapidly since 2000. Numerous academic papers have been published regarding energy efficiency improvements for air-conditioning systems. This study reviewed 12 review papers and selected 85 specific cases of applications of AI for HVAC energy usage reduction. In addition to academic studies, 31,221 patents related to HVAC energy-saving equipment filed by 11 companies were investigated. In order to analyze the large amount of data, this study developed a resource description framework (RDF) as an analysis tool. This tool was used with a natural language processing (NLP) program to compare the contents of academic papers and patents. With the automated analysis program, this study aimed to link academic research and corporate research and development, mainly the enterprise patent applications, to analyze the reasons why AI can effectively save energy. This represents a complete analysis of the current status of academic and industrial development. Six methods were identified to save energy effectively, including model-based predictive control (MPC), thermal comfort control, model-free predictive control, control optimization, multi-agent control (MAC), and knowledge-based system/rule set (KBS/RS)-based control. The energy savings of these methods were quantified to be 8.8–25.5%. These methods are widely covered by the examined corporate patent applications. After using NLP to retrieve patent keywords, the landscapes of enterprise patents were constructed and the future research directions were identified. It is concluded that 10 topics, including novel neural network designs, smartphone-assisted machine learning, and transfer learning, can be used to increase the energy-saving effects of AI and enable sustainable air-conditioning systems.
The Degree of Adoption of Business Intelligence in Romanian Companies—The Case of Sentiment Analysis as a Marketing Analytical Tool
Authors: Ciocodeică David-Florin , Chivu Raluca-Giorgiana (Popa) , Popa Ionuț-Claudiu , Mihălcescu Horia , Orzan Gheorghe , Băjan Ana-Maria (Dumitrache)
Published: June 2022

The structural changes in the public communication space through the advent of the Internet and the further development of online commerce culminate today with the explosion of blockchain techniques and social networks. This communication space was quickly taken over by marketing tools, as demonstrated by the many marketing campaigns dedicated to these new communication channels. The development of online commerce and the emergence of social networks have allowed consumers to efficiently search for brands/products/services, compare them, express their point of view on them, and even give them grades. Due to the explosion of relevant data online, the changing business environment needs attention to interpret and extract relevant information. The application of sentiment analysis to public reaction in the online environment provides the researcher with how the authors of the analyzed texts (clients/beneficiaries) express themselves regarding the studied reference (product/service/organization/social theme and a feature of them). Along with the other metrics present in marketing, including digital marketing, the reports in the analysis panels of google analytics and social networks, sentiment analysis instantly provides the general and competitive context in which the product/service/theme evolves. In this article, two types of research have been conducted to highlight the benefits felt, but also the degree of knowledge, implementation, and use of sentiment analysis in online marketing analysis. One of the types of research was qualitative, carried out on 10 participants (specialists in the field of marketing), with the help of an interview guide. Qualitative research aims to find out the level of knowledge of sentiment analysis and the general degree of digitalization of Romanian companies, an indicator considered critical in the new post-pandemic business environment. The second research was quantitative and used to develop analysis by structural equations. For this, a questionnaire applied to a sample of 108 respondents was used. Through the analysis by structural equations, a conceptual model was developed that presents the main factors that are related to others and that contribute to the satisfaction of the users of the analysis of feelings for obtaining marketing data.
Fertilization Practices: Optimization in Greenhouse Vegetable Cultivation with Different Planting Years
Authors: Pan Feifei , Pan Sha , Tang Jiao , Yuan Jingping , Zhang Huaixia , Chen Bihua
Published: June 2022

Cucumber plant growth and the fate of N in the plant-soil system are influenced by fertilization practices, the strengths of which may vary among soils. Three soils with different years of greenhouse vegetable cultivation (0, 2, and 18 years) were fertilized differently (CK, no N fertilizer applied; CF, chemical NPK fertilizers applied; RCF, reduced chemical NPK fertilizers applied, with N, P, and K reduced by 46.5%, 68.6%, and 54.7%; RCF+CM, 75% of the total N derived from chemical fertilizer and the rest from chicken manure in the case of reduced fertilization) in a pot experiment to study the changes in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) growth, N uptake, residue, and losses. The original N in soil was insufficient to maintain leaf growth and chlorophyll synthesis at later growth stages, even in soil with 18 years of greenhouse vegetable cultivation, where the original N content was the highest (total N 1.73 g kg−1). However, the CF treatment with excessive N fertilization inhibited leaf growth at the early growing stage and accelerated leaf senescence later, especially in soil with longer years of greenhouse vegetable cultivation. Therefore, reduced fertilizer application (RCF and RCF+CM) is appropriate to improve cucumber growth and productivity in greenhouse cultivation with different planting years. Although the same amount of N was applied, the RCF+CM treatment performed better than the RCF treatment in terms of increasing plant N uptake (by 30.5%) and soil N pool storage (by 25.0%) while decreasing N losses (by 16.6%) in soil with 0 years of greenhouse vegetable cultivation. In soil with 2 and 18 years of greenhouse vegetable cultivation, the soil itself functions much better in exogenous N retention and supply, with the N storage and losses not significantly different between the RCF and RCF+CM treatments. We conclude that reduced fertilization with the co-application of chicken manure is optimal for plant growth promotion, output-input ratio increase, soil N fertility improvement, and environmental risk mitigation.
Business Model Innovations for Renewable Energy Prosumer Development in Germany
Authors: Xia-Bauer Chun , Vondung Florin , Thomas Stefan , Moser Raphael
Published: June 2022

In Germany, the number of renewable energy prosumers has increased rapidly since 2000. However, the development of prosumers has faced and will continue to face various economic, social, and technological challenges, which have triggered the emergence of a number of innovative business models (BM). This paper enriches the empirical basis for prosumer-oriented BMs by investigating two BM innovations in Germany (P2P electricity trading and aggregation of small-size prosumers) drawing on business model and socio-technical transition theories. A mix of qualitative data collection methods, including document analysis and semi-structured expert interviews, was applied. We found that while both BMs can potentially address the challenges associated with renewable energy prosumer development in Germany, small-scale prosumers’ participation in both BMs has been limited so far. We identified various internal and external drivers and barriers for scaling up these BMs for prosumer development in Germany. Despite these barriers, both aggregation and centralized P2P targeting prosumers may potentially be also taken up by incumbent market actors such as utilities. Decentralized P2P on the other hand still faces significant internal and external barriers for upscaling. Based on the analysis, the paper provides policy recommendations with respect to the identified drivers and barriers. From a theoretical perspective, our findings provide further evidence to challenge the dichotomous understanding of niche actors and incumbents, the latter of which are often theorized to be resistant to radical innovations.
Analysis of Coupling Coordination Relationship between the Accessibility and Economic Linkage of a High-Speed Railway Network Case Study in Hunan, China
Authors: Zou Mengzhi , Li Changyou , Xiong Yanni
Published: June 2022

The construction of a high-speed railway is important to the transportation network and economic development of a region. To further understand the interaction between accessibility and urban economic linkage in the context of high-speed railway networks, this study investigated the spatial and temporal changes in the coupling coordination between accessibility and economic linkage after a high-speed railway was opened in Hunan Province, China, using a coupling coordination model. The aim of this research is to explore the role that high-speed rail construction plays in regional development. Results indicate that (1) after the high-speed railway was opened, the accessibility of cities in Hunan Province has improved significantly, although the overall pattern has not changed by much. This is because it still shows a radiation pattern, with the Changsha–Zhuzhou–Xiangtan urban agglomeration at its core, which has subsequently spread to surrounding areas; (2) the improvement in urban accessibility has strengthened the economic linkages between cities, and the overall spatial pattern has gradually evolved from a point-axis pattern to a network pattern. The bipolar trend of total regional economic linkage has become more pronounced than what it was before; (3) the overall coordination degree of accessibility and economic linkage coupling in Hunan Province is primary coupling, and the phenomenon of regional polarization is prominent, thus showing the overall spatial pattern of ‘strong in the east and weak in the west.’ Further strengthening the construction of the high-speed railway in the northern part of Hunan, promoting the economic construction in the western and southern parts of Hunan, and building a spatial pattern of synergistic integration for Hunan’s continued transportation and economic development are suggested.
Potential Effects on Human Safety and Health from Infrasound and Audible Frequencies Generated by Vibrations of Diesel Engines Using Biofuel Blends at the Workplaces of Sustainable Engineering Systems
Authors: Chaitidis Gavriil D. , Marhavilas Panagiotis K. , Kanakaris Venetis
Published: June 2022

Employees involved in various occupational environments that include vibration machines and any kind of vehicles are adversely subjected to multiple source noise. Thus, the corresponding noise frequencies (and mainly the infrasound ones) present high interest, especially from the viewpoint of sustainability, due to the potential effects on human safety and health (H_S&H) in sustainable engineering projects. Moreover, the occupational safety and health (OSH) visualization (a fact of unveiling the social dimension of sustainability) of occupational workplaces (by evaluating the infrasound and audible noise frequencies generated by diesel engines) could help a safety officer to lessen crucial risk factors in the OSH field and also to protect, more efficiently, the employees by taking the most essential safety measures. This study (i) suggests a technique to determine the infrasound and audible sound frequencies produced due to vibrations of diesel engines, by using biofuels (i.e., sustainable utilization of resources), in order to evaluate potential effects on human safety and health at the workplaces of sustainable engineering projects, and (ii) it ultimately aims to contribute to the improvement of the three “sustainability pillars” (economy, social, and environmental). Therefore, it provides experimental results of the frequency of the noise (regarding the infrasound and audible spectrum) that a diesel motor generates by vibration, in the frame of using different engine rpms (850, 1150, and 2000) and a variety of biofuel mixtures (B20-D80, B40-D60, B60-D40, and B80-D20). The article shows that the fuel blend meaningfully affects the generated noise, and more particularly, the usage of biofuel blends coming from mixing diesel oil with biodiesel (a fact of the emerging environmental dimension of sustainability) can produce various noise frequencies, which are determined in the infrasound and audible spectra (~10–23 Hz). The suggested technique, by ameliorating the OSH situation, doubtless will help enterprises to achieve the finest allocation of limited financial resources (a fact corresponding to the economic dimension of sustainability), allowing financial managers to have more available budget for implementing other risk-reduction projects.
The Impact of Green Human Resource Management on Organizational Citizenship Behaviors: The Mediating Role of Organizational Identification and Job Satisfaction
Authors: Freire Carla , Pieta Pietra
Published: June 2022

The main aim of this study is to analyze the impact of green human resource management on organizational citizenship behavior through the mediating role of organizational identification and job satisfaction in Portuguese companies certified by ISO 14001. A survey was applied to a sample of 120 collaborators who work in ISO 14001 certified Portuguese industrial companies. Results indicate that there is a mediation model, which uses the effect of job satisfaction in the relationship between green human resource management and its impact on organizational citizenship behavior. This study proves to be important when understanding the individual effects caused by a green human resource management system.
Combined PV-Wind Hosting Capacity Enhancement of a Hybrid AC/DC Distribution Network Using Reactive Control of Convertors and Demand Flexibility
Authors: Taghavi Moein , Delkhosh Hamed , Parsa Moghaddam Mohsen , Sheikhi Fini Alireza
Published: June 2022

The integration of Renewable Energy Sources (RESs) into distribution networks has increased in recent years due to numerous advantages. However, the RESs are intermittent and uncertain therefore may cause various limitations such as high lines loading and large voltage deviations, especially during high generation and low demand periods. Thus, this leads to an upper limit for the integrated capacity of RESs into the network, entitled Hosting Capacity (HC). In this paper, the complementarity of wind-PV along with the Demand Flexibility Program (DFP) are utilized for alleviating the limitations and increasing the HC in a hybrid AC/DC network. Moreover, an important feature of the AC/DC network, i.e., reactive control of Voltage Source Converters (VSCs) is investigated for increasing the HC. Additionally, a tradeoff is made between two conflicting objectives, i.e., HC and energy losses, which will be increased due to an excessive increase of the HC. Generally speaking, the paper proposes a multi-objective, multi-source, and multi-period extended optimal linear power flow model for simultaneously increasing the HC and decreasing the energy losses, utilizing stochastic programming for managing uncertainties. The simulation results show the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed formulation from various perspectives.
Social Marketing Plan to Decrease the COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy among Senior Citizens in Rural India
Authors: Shekhar Suraj Kushe
Published: June 2022

Social marketing is a set of activities aimed at changing people’s behavior for good. COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is a significant concern in rural India. This article introduces a comprehensive social marketing plan to address this social issue among senior citizens of rural India. The model described in the study uses social marketing principles and practices such as environmental analysis, STP strategies, strategies for formulating behavioral objectives and goals, examining the barriers, benefits, competitions, and influential others, strategies for integrated marketing mix, evaluation and monitoring strategies, strategies for establishing budgets, raising funds and implementation plan. The plan’s objective may help the professionals to develop an action plan to counter vaccine hesitancy.