bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Accurate Crack Detection Based on Distributed Deep Learning for IoT Environment
Authors: Kim Youngpil , Yi Shinuk , Ahn Hyunho , Hong Cheol-Ho
Published: January 2023

Defects or cracks in roads, building walls, floors, and product surfaces can degrade the completeness of the product and become an impediment to quality control. Machine learning can be a solution for detecting defects effectively without human experts; however, the low-power computing device cannot afford that. In this paper, we suggest a crack detection system accelerated by edge computing. Our system consists of two: Rsef and Rsef-Edge. Rsef is a real-time segmentation method based on effective feature extraction that can perform crack image segmentation by optimizing conventional deep learning models. Then, we construct the edge-based system, named Rsef-Edge, to significantly decrease the inference time of Rsef, even in low-power IoT devices. As a result, we show both a fast inference time and good accuracy even in a low-powered computing environment.
Performance of Sensor Data Process Offloading on 5G-Enabled UAVs
Authors: Damigos Gerasimos , Lindgren Tore , Sandberg Sara , Nikolakopoulos George
Published: January 2023

Recently, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-oriented applications have been growing worldwide. Thus, there is a strong interest in using UAVs for applications requiring wide-area connectivity coverage. Such applications might be power line inspection, road inspection, offshore site monitoring, wind turbine inspections, and others. The utilization of cellular networks, such as the fifth-generation (5G) technology, is often considered to meet the requirement of wide-area connectivity. This study quantifies the performance of 5G-enabled UAVs when sensor data throughput requirements are within the 5G network’s capability and when throughput requirements significantly exceed the capability of the 5G network, respectively. Our experimental results show that in the first case, the 5G network maintains bounded latency, and the application behaves as expected. In the latter case, the overloading of the 5G network results in increased latency, dropped packets, and overall degradation of the application performance. Our findings show that offloading processes requiring moderate sensor data rates work well, while transmitting all the raw data generated by the UAV’s sensors is not possible. This study highlights and experimentally demonstrates the impact of critical parameters that affect real-life 5G-enabled UAVs that utilize the edge-offloading power of a 5G cellular network.
Automatic Identification of Involuntary Muscle Activity in Subacute Patients with Upper Motor Neuron Lesion at Rest—A Validation Study
Authors: Merlo Andrea , Campanini Isabella
Published: January 2023

Sustained involuntary muscle activity (IMA) is a highly disabling phenomenon that arises in the acute phase of an upper motor neuron lesion (UMNL). Wearable probes for long-lasting surface EMG (sEMG) recordings have been recently recommended to detect IMA insurgence and to quantify its evolution over time, in conjunction with a complex algorithm for IMA automatic identification and classification. In this study, we computed sensitivity (Se), specificity (Sp), and overall accuracy (Acc) of this algorithm by comparing it with the classification provided by two expert assessors. Based on sample size estimation, 6020 10 s-long sEMG epochs were classified by both the algorithm and the assessors. Epochs were randomly extracted from long-lasting sEMG signals collected in-field from 14 biceps brachii (BB) muscles of 10 patients (5F, age range 50–71 years) hospitalized in an acute rehabilitation ward following a stroke or a post-anoxic coma and complete upper limb (UL) paralysis. Among the 14 BB muscles assessed, Se was 85.6% (83.6–87.4%); Sp was 89.7% (88.6–90.7%), and overall Acc was 88.5% (87.6–89.4%) and ranged between 78.6% and 98.7%. The presence of IMA was detected correctly in all patients. These results support the algorithm’s use for in-field IMA assessment based on data acquired with wearable sensors. The assessment and monitoring of IMA in acute and subacute patients with UMNL could improve the quality of care needed by triggering early treatments to lessen long-term complications.
Automated Prototype for Bombyx mori Cocoon Sorting Attempts to Improve Silk Quality and Production Efficiency through Multi-Step Approach and Machine Learning Algorithms
Authors: Vasta Simone , Figorilli Simone , Ortenzi Luciano , Violino Simona , Costa Corrado , Moscovini Lavinia , Tocci Francesco , Pallottino Federico , Assirelli Alberto , Saviane Alessio , Cappellozza Silvia
Published: January 2023

Cocoon sorting is one of the most labor-demanding activities required both at the end of the agricultural production and before the industrial reeling process to obtain an excellent silk quality. In view of the possible relaunch of European sericulture, the automatization of this production step is mandatory both to reduce silk costs and to standardize fiber quality. The described research starts from this criticality in silk production (the manual labor required to divide cocoons into different quality classes) to identify amelioration solutions. To this aim, the automation of this activity was proposed, and a first prototype was designed and built. This machinery is based on the use of three cameras and imaging algorithms identifying the shape and size of the cocoons and outside stains, a custom-made light sensor and an AI model to discard dead cocoons. The current efficiency of the machine is about 80 cocoons per minute. In general, the amelioration obtained through this research involves both the application of traditional sensors/techniques to an unusual product and the design of a dedicated sensor for the identification of dead/alive pupae inside the silk cocoons. A general picture of the overall efficiency of the new cocoon-sorting prototype is also outlined.
Impact of Iran’s Forest Nationalization Law on Forest Cover Changes over Six Decades: A Case Study of a Zagros Sparse Coppice Oak Forest
Authors: Beygi Heidarlou Hadi , Banj Shafiei Abbas , Nasiri Vahid , Niţă Mihai Daniel , Borz Stelian Alexandru , Lopez-Carr David
Published: January 2023

Forest nationalization policies in developing countries have often led to a reduction in local forest ownership rights and short- or long-term exploitative behaviors of stakeholders. The purpose of this research is to quantify the effect of Iran’s Forest Nationalization Law (FNL) in a part of Zagros Forest over a 68-year time period (1955–2022) using 1955 historical aerial photos, 1968 Corona spy satellite photography, and classification of multi-temporal Landsat satellite images. A past classification change detection technique was used to identify the extent and the pattern of land use changes in time. For this purpose, six periods were defined, to cover the time before and after the implementation of FNL. A 0.27% deforestation trend was identified over the period after the FNL. Dense and open forested area has decreased from 7175.62 ha and 68,927.46 ha in 1955 to 5664.26 ha and 59,223.38 ha in 2022. The FNL brought decisive changes in the legal and forest management systems at the state level, mainly by giving their ownership to the state. Accordingly, the FNL and the related conservation plans have not fully succeeded in protecting, rehabilitating, recovering, and developing the sparse Zagros Forest ecosystems, as their most important goals.
High-Speed THz Time-of-Flight Imaging with Reflective Optics
Authors: Yoo Hoseong , Kim Jangsun , Ahn Yeong Hwan
Published: January 2023

In this study, we develop a 3D THz time-of-flight (TOF) imaging technique by using reflective optics to preserve the high-frequency components from a THz antenna. We use an Fe:InGaAs/InAlAs emitter containing relatively high-frequency components. THz-TOF imaging with asynchronous optical sampling (ASOPS) enables the rapid scanning of 100 Hz/scan with a time delay span of 100 ps. We characterize the transverse resolution using knife edge tests for a focal length of 5; the Rayleigh resolution has been measured at 1.0 mm at the focal plane. Conversely, the longitudinal resolution is determined by the temporal pulse width, confirmed with various gap structures enclosed by a quartz substrate. The phase analysis reveals that reflected waves from the top interface exhibit a phase shift when the gap is filled by high-indexed materials such as water but shows in-phase behavior when it is filled with air and low-indexed material. Our imaging tool was effective for inspecting the packaged chip with high lateral and longitudinal resolution. Importantly, the phase information in 2D and 3D images is shown to be a powerful tool in identifying the defect—in particular, delamination in the chip—which tends to be detrimental to the packaged chip’s stability.
Automatic Sequential Stitching of High-Resolution Panorama for Android Devices Using Precapture Feature Detection and the Orientation Sensor
Authors: Yaseen  , Kwon Oh-Jin , Lee Jinhee , Ullah Faiz , Jamil Sonain , Kim Jae Soo
Published: January 2023

Image processing on smartphones, which are resource-limited devices, is challenging. Panorama generation on modern mobile phones is a requirement of most mobile phone users. This paper presents an automatic sequential image stitching algorithm with high-resolution panorama generation and addresses the issue of stitching failure on smartphone devices. A robust method is used to automatically control the events involved in panorama generation from image capture to image stitching on Android operating systems. The image frames are taken in a firm spatial interval using the orientation sensor included in smartphone devices. The features-based stitching algorithm is used for panorama generation, with a novel modification to address the issue of stitching failure (inability to find local features causes this issue) when performing sequential stitching over mobile devices. We also address the issue of distortion in sequential stitching. Ultimately, in this study, we built an Android application that can construct a high-resolution panorama sequentially with automatic frame capture based on an orientation sensor and device rotation. We present a novel research methodology (called “Sense-Panorama”) for panorama construction along with a development guide for smartphone developers. Based on our experiments, performed by Samsung Galaxy SM-N960N, which carries system on chip (SoC) as Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 and a CPU of 4 × 2.8 GHz Kyro 385, our method can generate a high-resolution panorama. Compared to the existing methods, the results show improvement in visual quality for both subjective and objective evaluation.
Extended Tromograph Surveys for a Full Experimental Characterisation of the San Giorgio Cathedral in Ragusa (Italy)
Authors: Imposa Giacomo , Grassi Sabrina , Barontini Alberto , Morreale Gabriele , Russo Salvatore , Lourenço Paulo B. , Imposa Sebastiano
Published: January 2023

Geophysical surveys are widely used to reconstruct subsoil seismo-stratigraphic structures with a non-invasive approach. In this study the geophysical surveys were carried out with the aim to characterise the San Giorgio Cathedral in Ragusa (Italy) and the area on which it is built from a dynamic point of view. A 3D subsoil model was realised through the integration of two active (i.e., seismic tomography and multichannel analysis of surface waves) and one passive seismic technique (horizontal to vertical spatial ratio). The instrumentation used for the latter method consists of a tromograph (Tromino®), which is also employed for the characterisation of the building, focusing on the façade and the dome, by means of an ambient vibration test, processed through the standard spectral ratio and frequency domain decomposition methods. Integration of the 3D model, showing the distribution of areas with different physicomechanical characteristics, enables identifying anomalies that are likely attributable to the remains of the ancient Byzantine church of San Nicola. Four lower modes mainly involving the two investigated macroelements are identified. The experimental results outline the advantages of the use of the tromograph both for soil and structural characterisation, especially for massive masonry buildings located in areas with high seismic hazard.
Low-Complexity Beamforming Design for a Cooperative Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface-Aided Cell-Free Network
Authors: Siddiqi Muhammad Zain , Munir Aisha , Mohsan Syed Agha Hassnain , Shah Shashi , Chaudhary Sushank , Sangwongngam Paramin , Wuttisittikulkij Lunchakorn
Published: January 2023

Cell-free (CF) networks are proposed to suppress the interference among collocated cells by deploying several BSs without cell boundaries. Nevertheless, as installing several base stations (BSs) may require high power consumption, cooperative CF networks integrated with a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)/metasurface can avoid this problem. In such cooperative RIS-aided MIMO networks, efficient beamforming schemes are essential to boost their spectral and energy efficiency. However, most of the existing available beamforming schemes to maximize spectral and energy efficiency are complex and entail high complexity due to the matrix inversions. To this end, in this work we present a computationally efficient stochastic optimization-based particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm to amplify the spectral efficiency of the cooperative RIS-aided CF MIMO system. In the proposed PSO algorithm, several swarms are generated, while the direction of each swarm is tuned in each iteration based on the sum-rate performance to obtain the best solution. Our simulation results show that our proposed scheme can approximate the performance of the existing solutions for both the performance metrics, i.e., spectral and energy efficiency, at a very low complexity.
On the Implementation of a Blockchain-Assisted Academic Council Electronic Vote System
Authors: Alves João , Pinto António
Published: January 2023

The digitisation of administrative tasks and processes is a reality nowadays, translating into added value such as agility in process management, or simplified access to stored data. The digitisation of processes of decision-making in collegiate bodies, such as Academic Councils, is not yet a common reality. Voting acts are still carried out in person, or at most in online meetings, without having a real confirmation of the vote of each element. This is particularly complex to achieve in remote meeting scenarios, where connection breaks or interruptions of audio or video streams may exist. A new digital platform was already previously proposed. It considered decision-making, by voting in Academic Councils, to be supported by a system that guarantees the integrity of the decisions taken, even when meeting online. Our previous work mainly considered the overall design. In this work, we bettered the design and specification of our previous proposal and describe the implemented prototype, and validate and discuss the obtained results.
Working from Home, Telework, Equality and the Right to Privacy: A Study in Kazakhstan
Authors: Bayazitova Rassima , Kaishatayeva Assel , Vasilyev Anton
Published: January 2023

Remote work displays the flexibility of labor relations and expands the possibilities of conducting professional activities balanced with fulfilling personal needs. Simultaneously, when implementing the telework mode of labor relations, the problems of ensuring the equality and confidentiality of employees require special attention. Given the current global and internal threats, the effective organization of teleworking is an issue to the fore, even in countries where it was not previously given the attention it deserves. This study aims to explore the labor legislation norms of the Republic of Kazakhstan as far as remote work is concerned from the viewpoint of effectiveness. This paper includes a sociological survey among Kazakhstani organizations to determine the conditions of employees working remotely and to use it for conclusions about the effectiveness of the legislation in preventing violations of workers’ rights. The study proposes mechanisms and rules aimed at the effective regulation of remote work to address the problems of confidentiality and the equal treatment of the employee, regardless of the mode of conducting his/her professional activities. This research advances knowledge in the field of legal and ethical aspects of the regulation of remote work, demonstrating the experience of developing countries with the study of the experience of Kazakhstan.
Physical and Performance Characteristics of 3×3 Professional Male Basketball Players
Authors: Cabarkapa Dimitrije , Krsman Darko , Cabarkapa Damjana V. , Philipp Nicolas M. , Fry Andrew C.
Published: January 2023

Despite exponential growth in popularity over the last decade and recently becoming an Olympic sport, the amount of scientific literature focused on depicting a profile of successful 3×3 basketball players is sparse. Thus, the purpose of this study was to present the physical and performance characteristics of professional 3×3 male basketball players and how they differ between elite and non-elite athletes. The anthropometrics, vertical jump, agility, and sprint performance parameters collected from ten players during regular training sessions were (x¯ ± SD): height (193.7 ± 4.5 cm), weight (89.2 ± 4.1 cm), wingspan (196.5 ± 5.2 cm), squat jump (43.5 ± 4.6 cm), countermovement jump with (53.3 ± 4.4 cm) and without an arm swing (46.3 ± 4.0 cm), reactive strength index (2.4 ± 0.3 m/s), t-test (10.3 ± 0.3 s), 505 drill (2.4 ± 0.2 s), 10 m sprint (1.5 ± 0.1 s), 30 m sprint (4.0 ± 0.3 s), shuttle run (27.7 ± 1.7 s), and bench press (98.2 ± 10.0 kg) and back squat (139.5 ± 17.6 kg) one repetition maximum. Additionally, the average and maximal heart rate (HR) responses during simulated games were 160.6 ± 8.0 and 188.5 ± 6.3 bpm, with players spending 6.3 ± 4.2, 11.4 ± 5.2, 13.9 ± 3.5, 26.4 ± 10.4, and 42.1 ± 10.0% of the total time in HR Zones 1–5, respectively. Interestingly, no statistically significant differences in the aforementioned physical and performance parameters were noted between elite and non-elite players. Overall, the findings of the present study provide coaches, sports scientists, and strength and conditioning practitioners with information that can aid in the athlete selection process, detection of areas for further improvement, and development of training regimens that resemble 3×3 basketball on-court competitive demands.
Acknowledgment to the Reviewers of Stats in 2022
Authors:   Stats Editorial Office
Published: January 2023

High-quality academic publishing is built on rigorous peer review [...]
Malaysia’s Forest Pledges and The Bornean State of Sarawak: A Policy Perspective
Authors: Koh Jane , Johari Shazali , Shuib Ahmad , Siow May Ling , Matthew Nitanan Koshy
Published: January 2023

Malaysia deforested 6.3 million hectares since independence; 91% of which occurred before Malaysia pledged, at the Earth Summit in 1992, to maintain a minimum 50% of its terrestrial area under forest cover. However, under economic and population pressure, Sarawak—the largest contributing state to the country’s current forest cover of 54.8%—shows continuing deforestation even after 1992. This paper reviews land use policies underpinned by economic development and environmental protection considerations, land rights issues that complicate land use planning, and legislation that regulates land use change. The objective is to investigate the adequacy of existing policies and legislation in governing forest cover in Sarawak and to recommend improvement measures. If the Sarawak Land Use Policy that allocates seven million hectares for forest is realized, Malaysia’s forest cover would drop to 53%, assuming other states maintain their forests. It is recommended that legislation governing the designation of permanent forest and conversion of forest for other land use to be strengthened, civil society to be enlisted to enhance knowledge level, and carbon credit production to be promoted as alternative land use that keeps forests standing. With these measures, it is hopeful that Malaysia’s aspirations regarding forest cover can be achieved.
Thermal Recycling of Glass Fibre Composites: A Circular Economy Approach
Authors: Iglésias Maria , Santos Paulo , Lima Tânia M. , Leite Laura
Published: January 2023

Composite materials are used in a wide range of applications, but due to their inherent nature of heterogeneity, particularly for thermoset-based polymer composites, their recycling is a problem, and their life cycle management remains one, too. This study applies a circular economy approach to the problem of excess waste of glass fibre (GF) composites and seeks a solution by testing a methodology for thermal recycling of GF composites by combining different times and temperatures. Through the by-hand lay-up process, diverse laminates were manufactured with recycled GF, and the mechanical results were compared with those of the control laminate; in this way, we sought to reinsert recycled fibres into a new life cycle, closing the loop of the material. The static properties, tensile tests, and three-point bending (3PB) tests were studied as well as the viscoelastic behaviour of the recycled fibres and respective laminates. For woven fibres, we highlight the recycling process at 600 °C for 15 min, which revealed a loss of only 15.3% of the tensile strength. The laminates with fibres recycled at 400 °C for 180 min presented a reduction of 52.14% and 33.98% for tensile and flexural strength, respectively, representing the best solution. For all laminates, the bending stress, stiffness, and strain are sensitive to the strain rate, and the tendency observed for these properties can be supported by linear models. Subsequently, for the best results, the stress–relaxation and creep behaviour were analysed, and it is possible to conclude that temperature and time of fibre recycling influence the viscoelastic response of laminates.
Sustainability Economic Production Quantity with Warm-Up Function for a Defective Production System
Authors: Nobil Erfan , Cárdenas-Barrón Leopoldo Eduardo , Loera-Hernández Imelda de Jesús , Smith Neale R. , Treviño-Garza Gerardo , Céspedes-Mota Armando , Nobil Amir Hossein
Published: January 2023

Inventory management seeks to improve manufacturing by contracting inventory costs in a similar fashion to raise efficiency and profit. One approach is to develop inventory management models according to actual production systems. Furthermore, governmental policies in many countries impose many regulations on firms to fulfill the growing demand for a reduction in carbon emissions. Warm-up is a familiar concept in industrial applications. It allows the manufacturing system to work at a higher level of productivity and efficiency, as well as decreasing the number of defective items and maintenance costs. Along with fewer poor-quality items, the system has less waste as scrap items entering the environment and also requires less energy and workload to focus on reworking. The economic production quantity (EPQ) problems with a warm-up as an input parameter have been studied in a few works recently. This paper proposes a production-inventory model which considers the warm-up period as a decision variable and investigates its impact on the total cost. Furthermore, the defective rate is a decreasing linear function related to the warm-up period’s length. The production-inventory model takes into account the carbon emission tax policy. The main aim of this research is to jointly optimize both the length of the warm-up period and the production cycle in order to minimize the total cost of the production-inventory system and, therefore, reduce emitted carbon emissions. The comparison of tax prices and the effect of the proper warm-up period on the amount of carbon emissions are discussed in the sensitivity analysis.
Influencing Factors Analysis and Optimization of Land Use Allocation: Combining MAS with MOPSO Procedure
Authors: Liu Jingjie , Xia Min
Published: January 2023

The rural land use preferences of multiple agents are crucial for optimizing land-use allocation. Taking Guanlin Town, Yixing City, China as an example, this study analyzed the factors by agents effecting rural land use conversion probability, identified the objectives and the constraints within the optimization of rural land-use allocation, and simulated the optimal land-use allocation for 2030 by combining MAS with an MOPSO procedure. The results showed that the preferences and decisions of main actors effected the optimal land-use allocation. The Government determined the conversion between land-use types. The preferences of the entrepreneurs resulted in the distribution of industrial land. Town residents made a high contribution to the configuration of the town residential land by considering some factors. Rural families influenced land-use allocation by considering the quality of cultivated soils, and the optimal spatial location of aquaculture systems. Four optimization objectives were identified. The most relevant constraints were the upper and lower limits of each land-use type. The land-use types in Guanlin town in 2015 had a low intensification and an unreasonable structure. The modeling results indicated a tendency for concentrated spatial distributions of rural land. The results of the present study can provide useful support for decision-making within land planning and consequent management.
Study on the MOF Frame Pt-TiO2 Hybrid Photocatalyst and Its Photocatalytic Performance
Authors: Mei Xueqiao , Yuan Han , Li Chunhu
Published: January 2023

As the efficient catalysts are synthesized by a simple strategy, photocatalysis offers a sustainable route to solve the problem of environmentally sound treatment of industrial dye wastewater. Herein, Pt-doped TiO2 with MIL-125 as the backbone has been fabricated using thermal synthesis. The photocatalytic efficiency of the synthesized catalyst samples was tested using Rhodamine B (RhB) as the contaminant model. The physicochemical properties of the solid specimens were characterized using XRD, SEM, TEM, BET and EDX techniques. The photocatalytic degradation experiments showed that the photocatalytic degradation of RhB by M-Pt-TiO2 was 98.97% after 30 min of degradation. The radical capture experiments showed that superoxide radicals and conduction band electrons as reactive oxygen species played a major role in the degradation process. After four cycles, the photocatalytic activity of M-Pt-TiO2 decreased from 98.4% to 94.9%, indicating that the photocatalyst sample had good photocatalytic stability.
Oxidation Enhancement of Gaseous Elemental Mercury Using Waste Steel Slag under Various Experimental Conditions
Authors: Lee Joo Chan , Park Se-Won , Kim Hyun Sub , Alam Tanvir , Lee Sang Yeop
Published: January 2023

In this study, the oxidation characteristics of elemental mercury were assessed based on the input gas environment, temperature, and particle size distribution of the steel slag. Experiments were performed at room temperature, 100 °C and 200 °C, under air and simulated gas environments. The oxidation reaction of elemental mercury was conducted using steel slag samples of 1 mm, 2.36 mm, and 4.75 mm at various conditions. From the basic characteristic analysis of the steel slag, it was found that the steel slag exhibits a similar composition to that of fly ash, and it can be utilized as an oxidizing agent. Results show that regardless of the temperature and the particle size distribution of steel slag, the oxidation reaction of elemental mercury rarely occurred in the air environment. However, in the case of the HCl gas environment, it was observed that the smaller the steel slag particle size, the stronger the oxidation reaction. It is believed that the oxidation efficiency of the steel slag increased as the contact area between the gas and particles increased. The oxidation reactivity was nearly two times higher in the temperature range of 100 °C to 200 °C than it was at room temperature. It is advised that further research be undertaken in order to determine the precise temperature range at which the oxidation reaction occurs.
Adaptation after Extreme Flooding Events: Moving or Staying? The Case of the Ahr Valley in Germany
Authors: Truedinger Alessa Jasmin , Jamshed Ali , Sauter Holger , Birkmann Joern
Published: January 2023

More than 130 lives were lost in the 2021 heavy precipitation and flood event in the Ahr Valley, Germany, where large parts of the valley were destroyed. Afterwards, public funding of about 15 billion Euros has been made available for reconstruction. However, with people and settlements being in highly exposed zones, the core question that is not sufficiently addressed is whether affected people want to rebuild in the same place, or rather opt to move out. The paper explores this question and assesses motivations and reasons for moving or staying in the Ahr Valley. For this purpose, a household survey was conducted focusing on 516 flood-affected households. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results revealed that the ownership of the house or flat significantly influenced the decision of whether to stay or to leave. In addition, an attachment to the place and the belief that such extreme events occur very rarely influenced the decision to stay and rebuild. Age, gender and household income barely influenced the decision to stay or to move to a new place. Interestingly, results demonstrated that many respondents view settlement retreat and the relocation of critical infrastructures as important options to reduce risk, however, many still rebuild in the same place. These insights enable local policy and practice to better address the needs of the population in terms of whether to stay or move after such an extreme disaster.
Evolutionary Game Mechanism of Governmental Cross-Regional Cooperation in AirPollution Management
Authors: Zhang Na , Wang Haiyan , Yang Baohua , Wu Muyuan
Published: January 2023

Intergovernmental collaboration is essential for regionally coordinated air pollution prevention and control. An evolutionary game model of local government behavior strategy selection taking into account the fixed cost of the local government, the total amount of network production factors, and the total amount of total network factors of production that can be moved is built based on the social capital theory in order to realize the cross-border collaborative control of regional air pollution. The issue of an intergovernmental cooperation framework for collaborative prevention and control of large-scale air pollution is addressed from the standpoint of the multi-stakeholder “benefit–cost” drive. Additionally, the major variables influencing the behavioral approach selection for intergovernmental cooperation are considered. The initial sensitivity of the evolution path of the local government behavioral strategy is also analyzed. The results of this study are: (1) The primary elements impacting intergovernmental cooperation on joint prevention and control of air pollution are fixed costs and fixed benefits, and reducing the fixed costs of such cooperation in an appropriate manner without compromising local governments’ pollution control can do so. (2) Under the assumption that local governments have fixed expenses, the total amount of network factors of production and total network factors of production that can be moved factors of production have a direct impact on intergovernmental cooperation. When local governments’ fixed costs are constant, they are more likely to choose the cooperative behavior option if the sum of their network production factors and total network factors of production that can be moved is higher. (3) The initial probability of cooperation among the three parties and the total amount of production factors have an impact on the system’s ESS when local governments in the area have equal total production factors. The study’s findings can offer theoretical justification for the “profit-driven” intergovernmental coordination of joint prevention and management of air pollution.
Towards Sustainable and Livable Cities: Leveraging Remote Sensing, Machine Learning, and Geo-Information Modelling to Explore and Predict Thermal Field Variance in Response to Urban Growth
Authors: Waleed Mirza , Sajjad Muhammad , Acheampong Anthony Owusu , Alam Md. Tauhidul
Published: January 2023

Urbanization-led changes in land use land cover (LULC), resulting in an increased impervious surface, significantly deteriorate urban meteorological conditions compromising long-term sustainability. In this context, we leverage machine learning, spatial modelling, and cloud computing to explore and predict the changing patterns in urban growth and associated thermal characteristics in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Using multi-source earth observations (1990–2020), the urban thermal field variance index (UTFVI) is estimated to evaluate the urban heat island effect quantitatively. From 1990 to 2020, the urban area increased by ~90% at the expense of vegetation and barren land, which will further grow by 2050 (50%), as determined by the artificial neural network-based prediction. The land surface temperature in the summer and winter seasons has experienced an increase of 0.88 °C and ~5 °C, respectively. While there exists spatial heterogeneity in the UTFVI 1990–2020, the city is expected to experience a ~140% increase in areas with severe UTFVI in response to predicted LULC change by 2050. The study provides essential information on LULC change and UTFVI and puts forth useful insights to advance our understanding of the urban climate, which can progressively help in designing more livable and sustainable cities in the face of environmental changes.
The Impact of Food Aid and Governance on Food and Nutrition Security in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Cassimon Danny , Fadare Olusegun , Mavrotas George
Published: January 2023

The paper focuses on the impact of food aid and governance quality (the latter disaggregated in different components) on both food and nutrition security in the SSA region and for a sample of 25 countries over the period 1996 to 2018. The main novelty and contribution of the paper in the relevant literature is by providing macro-level evidence in the SSA region to complement country-specific evidence in this research area. We also use different food and nutrition security outcome measures, which include the average value of food production, average dietary energy supply adequacy, and prevalence of undernourishment. Furthermore, we combine the above with the use of both aggregated and disaggregated governance indicators to examine the impact of governance quality on the outcome variables. We find evidence of a robust relationship between food aid, governance quality, and food and nutrition security outcomes by employing the GMM estimator. We also find that food aid increases food and nutrition security while it reduces undernourishment. Among the various governance quality indicators we have employed, the control of corruption and political stability show a significant relationship with the measured outcomes. However, the composite governance index and food aid jointly have no significant effect on food security, but they significantly increase nutrition security and reduce undernourishment across the various empirical models we have employed in our empirical analysis. An important policy lesson emanating from our empirical findings is that controlling corruption and maintaining political stability may have significant implications for enhancing the impact of food aid on food and nutrition security in the region.
Preparedness and Response to COVID-19 Disruptions and Learning Challenges for Students with Disabilities in South Africa: A Systematic Review
Authors: Ndlovu Sibonokuhle
Published: January 2023

The present study utilised the systematic review method to report on the learning challenges faced by students with disabilities as a result of inadequate preparedness for COVID-19 and the response to the pandemic in the context of institutions of higher education in South Africa. The studies reviewed indicated that, although there were variations between institutions, South African higher education institutions were inadequately prepared for COVID-19 and, as a result, the response to the pandemic involved emergency remote teaching. For students with disabilities, it was revealed that the limited support and the changes to the way learning was taking place in institutions posed challenges during the pandemic. Limited access to content knowledge was an issue even before COVID-19, and this was exacerbated during the pandemic. Conclusions reached showed that there were challenges imposed by the pandemic in addition to those that existed before, which were only exacerbated and magnified by COVID-19. Practical ways are suggested in which anticipative and transformative resilience could be utilised by all stakeholders in institutions of higher education, to pre-prepare for pandemics. Ways of applying a universal design for learning in the “new normal” to enhance learning for all students, including those with disabilities, also contributed in a practical way to the conclusions.
Why and Where Do Highly Educated Workers Relocate? A National-Level Analysis across U.S. Census Regions
Authors: Hur Hyungjo , Koh Keumseok
Published: January 2023

Like those in other advanced economies, local American governments attempt to attract and retain skilled workers in their areas. This study aims to examine the determinants and spatial patterns of relocation among new graduates with a bachelor’s degree or higher across the U.S. Census Regions, in 2013–2015, using a nationally representative sample collected by the National Science Foundation. While the Northeast and Midwest had negative net migration, the South and West had positive net migration. Compared to the South, skilled workers in all the other regions were more mobile. In general, job satisfaction determined at multiple levels influences the relocation of the highly educated in multiple ways. We found skilled workers satisfied with their job location, security, promotion opportunities, and contributions to society were less likely to relocate. Workers satisfied with their intellectual challenge and independence were more likely to relocate. Race was also an important predictor among the highly educated in deciding whether and where to relocate. Policies considering geographic perspectives are recommended to improve talent attraction and retention. Therefore, our study provides public policymakers with a need to think about how to increase pull factors attracting workers, reduce the push factors making workers relocate, and maintain factors keeping workers in their regions.
ESG-Based Performance Assessment of the Operation and Management of Industrial Parks in Taiwan
Authors: Kao Li-Ling
Published: January 2023

The development of industrial parks plays an important role in the economic development of developed and developing countries, but it has recently been affected by globalization and the rise of environmental protection awareness, as 2050 net-zero carbon emissions are being pursued by the world’s major economies. To make their development more sustainable, this study evaluates the operational management performance of industrial parks in Taiwan from the perspective of ESG, to inform future industrial development strategies and policy research. First, 61 industrial parks managed by the Taiwanese Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) were selected and underwent a fuzzy Delphi expert questionnaire to screen the ESG-oriented performance indicators; performance was evaluated through the data envelopment analysis (DEA) undesirable outputs model and the window analysis method. The results indicate that the New Taipei Industrial Park performed best in terms of ESG, followed by the Feng-Shan and Anping industrial parks, with the worst performance from the Mei-Lun, Yun-Lin Island, and Hu-Pin industrial parks. Regarding factors affecting the performance of operation management, a Mann–Whitney U test showed that the northern industrial parks performed significantly better than those in the eastern region, those in the municipalities significantly outperformed the nonmunicipalities, and the industrial parks with more clustered industries and those in areas with convenient transportation performed substantially better. Finally, this study summarizes the important issues facing Taiwan’s industrial parks, and it makes policy recommendations, including promoting ESG sustainable development objectives in their operation and management, as well as increasing the investment of government resources and the clustering of industries and transportation.
Enhancing Sugarcane Growth and Improving Soil Quality by Using a Network-Structured Fertilizer Synergist
Authors: Zhao Yonglong , Cao Jingjing , Wang Zhiqin , Liu Lu , Yan Meixin , Zhong Naiqin , Zhao Pan
Published: January 2023

High usage and low efficiency of fertilizers not only restrict sugarcane production but also destroy the soil environment in China. To solve this problem, a network-structured nanocomposite as a fertilizer synergist (FS) was prepared based on attapulgite (ATP) and polyglutamic acid (PGA). Field demonstrations were conducted from 2020 to 2021. Leaching tests and characterization were used to evaluate the ability of the network structure to control nutrient loss. The effects of FS on sugarcane growth and field soil quality were also investigated. The results showed FS could effectively reduce nitrogen loss by 20.30% and decrease fertilizer usage by at least 20%. Compared to fertilizer with the same nutrition, fertilizer with FS could enhance sugarcane yield and brix by 20.79% and 0.58 percentage points, respectively. Additionally, FS improved the soil physicochemical properties, including reducing the soil bulk density and increasing the contents of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and organic matter. FS also altered the diversity of the bacteria and improved the bacterial richness. Our study shows this FS has a good ability to control nutrient loss, advance sugarcane agronomic traits, and improve soil quality. This work offers an option for the sustainable development of sugarcane through the novel FS.
Energy Evolution Characteristics of Water-Saturated and Dry Anisotropic Coal under True Triaxial Stresses
Authors: Liu Yubing , Wang Enyuan , Zhao Dong , Zhang Li
Published: January 2023

During deep underground coal mining, water-injection-related engineering methods are generally carried out to reduce the hazards of coal dynamic disasters. The energy evolution characteristics of coal can better describe the deformation and failure processes, as it is more consistent with the in situ behavior of underground mining-induced coal. In this study, experimental efforts have been paid to the energy evolution characteristics of water-saturated and dry anisotropic coal under true triaxial stresses. The effects of water saturation, intermediate stress, and anisotropic weak planes of coal on the true triaxial energy evolution were systematically evaluated. The results show that the overall energy is weakened due to the water adsorption for water-saturated coal samples. The water-weakening effect on the overall energy of water-saturated coal is more pronounced when perpendicular to the bedding plane direction than in the other two cleat directions. The accumulation elastic energy anisotropy index of dry and water-saturated coal samples is higher than 100.00%. Both accumulation and residual elastic energy of dry and water-saturated coal samples show an increasing-then-decreasing trend with intermediate stress increase. The results obtained in this study help understand the in situ behavior of coal during deep underground mining and control coal dynamic disasters.
Unpacking Parallel Mediation Processes between Green HRM Practices and Sustainable Environmental Performance: Evidence from Uzbekistan
Authors: Khamdamov Alisher , Tang Zhiwei , Hussain Muhammad Ali
Published: January 2023

This study primarily focused on the behavioral modifications among employees while keeping the contextual factors that enable them to strive for sustainable environmental performance in view. The aim of this research was to uncover the impact of GHRM practices on intrinsic motivation (IM), harmonious work passion (HWP), and sustainable environmental performance (SEP) in small and medium enterprises in Uzbekistan. Moreover, this study mainly investigated intrinsic motivation and harmonious work passion as potential mediators in the relationship between GHRM practices and sustainable environmental performance. Additionally, this study included green mindfulness as a moderator in the association between GHRM practices and mediators (i.e., intrinsic motivation and harmonious work passion). In total, 345 Uzbekistan employees from small and medium enterprises completed a survey. This study deployed the path-analytical approach by using Mplus 8.0. Our findings demonstrate that GHRM practices are positively associated with IM, HWP, and SEP. In addition, this research confirms that intrinsic motivation significantly mediates the relationship between GHRM practices and SEP. Consequently, harmonious work passion also significantly mediates the association between GHRM practices and SEP. Furthermore, this study shows that a high level of green mindfulness strengthens the direct effect of GHRM on IM and HWP, along with the indirect effect of GHRM practices on sustainable environmental performance. Indeed, investigating the associations among study variables via moderated mediation mechanisms remarkably contributes to the extant literature.
Shadow Education in China and Its Diversified Normative Governance Mechanism: Double Reduction Policy and Internet Public Opinion
Authors: Lu Jijian , Tuo Pan , Pan Junyan , Zhou Meimei , Zhang Mohan , Hu Shaohua
Published: January 2023

As a private supplementary education activity outside the formal education system, shadow education aims to help students pass exams smoothly and obtain better educational resources. In 2021, The Chinese Government issued “Opinions on Further Reducing the Burden of Students’ Homework and Off-campus Training in Compulsory Education” (referred to as the “double reduction” policy for short). We aim to strengthen the standardization of out-of-school training institutions and stimulate public debate on the Internet. However, research on the double reduction policy and how to guide the reform of shadow education in combination with online public opinion is still lacking. Based on this, the text of the double reduction policy and the popular spots for the development of online public opinion were selected for a text analysis, and a diversified and standardized governance mechanism of China’s shadow education was constructed. The results of this study show that the shadow education reforms need to pay attention to government policy documents and network public opinion, and develop public opinion warning lines. This study can provide the international academic community with information on China’s shadow education reform, providing valuable experience and a reference.