bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Essential Bioentrepreneurial Characteristics
Authors: Paul Vaishali Nitin , Mehta Arundhati , Mudaliar Shivangi
Published: June 2021

From the beginning of humanity, people have relied on the usage of biotech-based products. Bioentrepreneurship or BioE is the drive of knowledge and innovation, traveling from academic world to industrial platform. In contrast to enterprise, bio-enterprise is the amalgamation of bioscience with business by the application of biological concepts or scientific entities for the benefit and the creation of a corporation. It is a strictly monitored industry because of involved scientific risks, time demands, and ethical clearance, as well as requiring huge capital. Every successful entrepreneur showcases certain traits that they have inculcated or relied on to build their business. These traits are not mere skills, but are the qualities that contribute in becoming an ideal bio-entrepreneur. The chapter deals with striking features of bio-entrepreneurs that have made them a conglomerate of global standard and play an essential role in making them leaders.
Bioentrepreneurship Globally
Authors: Hegde Madhura N. , Kanchan Jayapadmini , K. Ganaraj , Shetty Asha B. , Rajatha
Published: June 2021

Since 1992, the biotechnology business has expanded. There is an attempt to make an educated workforce with the capacities to lead biotechnology research and to regulate bioscience advancement. Governments need to create knowledge about industries and are thus driving numerous initiatives to build and provide incentives for this nascent industry. Government financing as awards, advantages, motivators, and tax reductions is a noticeable component all through the world. Framework and groups are starting to rise, and designs are in progress to fabricate a biotechnology industry in pretty much every nation. This chapter explores bioentrepreneurship globally.
How Science and Spirituality Can Lead the Way to Global Healing
Authors: Lebron-Anders Robyn
Published: June 2021

The purpose of this chapter is to discuss all the different groups of people who have been disenfranchised due to the CoV-19 pandemic. In addition to breaking down each group with details of how and why they are in this category, there are also comparative references to the long-term effects of these situations and how these issues may play out in future generations. The problems of today will most likely have far reaching effects on not only the way humanity relates to one another, but how it may affect the evolution of humankind. It is crucial that we work on ways to help heal this situation by reaching out directly to the mental and emotional energy that each of us possesses. The understanding of the CoV-19 situation is still in flux, and the answers to all the questions remain unavailable. The conflicting information is increasing the stress, fear, and anxiety of the world. There is scientific proof that negative emotions affect humans physically and mentally. Humanity must come up with a way to reach people within their isolation and teach them to cope with this uncertainty.
Indigenous Peoples in the Midst of COVID-19
Authors: Maboloc Christopher Ryan
Published: June 2021

Indigenous peoples are on the receiving end of an unjust global order that favors the affluent and powerful. As the coronavirus pandemic was raging in early 2020, the global economy came to a halt. Extreme poverty is expected to increase due to the pandemic. Right now, developing countries such as the Philippines struggle to get the vaccines due to supply problems. The coronavirus crisis is exacerbated by two issues – populism and nationalism. Populism is an ideology in which some politicians paint a picture of poor people being dominated by society's elite. On the other hand, nationalism is the protectionist tendency of some countries to preserve their citizens' interests. Both threaten the hope of a return to normalcy after the pandemic, especially for indigenous peoples. This chapter will examine populism and nationalism, in contrast to the concept of solidarity, when it comes to the effort to overcome the COVID-19 global health crisis.
The Dissemination of Industry 4.0 Across Global Value Chains
Authors: Schofield Mark , Essien Aniekan Emmanuel
Published: June 2021

Although the concept of Industry 4.0 is still in its infancy, the ramifications of this emerging technology are beginning to be felt across various industries. This chapter deals with the application of new technology, such as the internet of things (IoT), big data and analytics, robotic systems, and additive manufacturing, in global value chains (GVCs). Secondary sources about Industry 4.0 are explored in order to compare new technologies and understand how they could impact manufacturers, companies, and consumers. The effects of digital technologies on location and coordination of work, as well as the capture of value in global value chains, are also discussed in this chapter. In particular, the chapter highlights the risks of cyberattacks and their consequences for individuals' privacy, calling for regulation in international and remote work contexts.
Business Model Innovation and Gender
Authors: Mejía-Trejo Juan
Published: June 2021

This chapter determines how digital broadband as the basis for remote work (DBD) and sustainability (SUS) influence the business model innovation for social impact startups by gender management (BMI) facing the post-COVID-19 pandemic ravages in emergent economies like Mexico to the next normal. The literature review applied the analytic hierarchy process to determine the model's factors and variables. The survey data was on 180 Mexican social startup CEOs as survivors in the second half of 2020. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were applied for the model's validity. Fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis was extracted with different patterns solutions combinations of BMI factors: entrepreneurship profile, market knowledge, strategic analysis, key performance indicators, business plan, value proposition, the relationship with digital broadband as the basis for remote work, and sustainability eliciting business strategies.
The Future of Maritime Business Management and Leadership in Global Business Sustainability and Remote Work
Authors: Senbursa Nihan
Published: June 2021

It is observed that the global business world has significantly diverted towards new technologies in terms of remote work as a result of digitalization, which forces organizations to adapt new normal during the COVID-19 pandemic. Maritime organizations that keep up with this change can manage to continue their existence; however, those who cannot adapt are eliminated by the system. Developments in the global business world, new ways of working, and their reflections inside and outside the organization force leadership to adapt to changing conditions by also affecting the understanding of “leadership.” This chapter aims to reveal the importance of merging new leadership paradigms and governance, digitalization, sustainable changes in global business, continuity of work, work-life balance, and the concepts of “work,” “workforce,” “workplace,” and “leadership.”
When Internships Go Virtual
Authors: Clark Shanetia P. , Long Lynne G.
Published: June 2021

In early 2020, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic ravaged countries across the world, causing them to essentially shut down. Communities had to retreat indoors and socially distance from one another. One aspect of life that drastically changed was schooling. It moved from traditional face-to-face spaces to online digital platforms. Students, faculty, and staff across all levels of schooling shifted to teaching and learning vis-a-vis online digital platforms. Those of us connected to the training of the next generation of teachers navigated through the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic at the preschool to post-secondary levels as well. This chapter focuses on the authors' experiences as a Black university supervisor and as a Black field placement coordinator.
E-Commerce Business Model
Authors: Patel Durga , Goyal Sachin , Agarwal Ratish
Published: June 2021

This chapter provides an overview of the e-commerce business model, the history of e-commerce, the scope of e-commerce, the difference between e-commerce and traditional commerce, issues related to e-commerce, electronic data interchange, value chain, and supply chain, and the pros and cons and limitations of e-commerce.
Consumer Protection in Online Shopping
Authors: Yildirim Emre
Published: June 2021

The main purposes of this research are (1) to reveal the virtual credit card (VCC) awareness of online shoppers and (2) to prepare a to do list for managers and relevant institutions to provide a more secured internet shopping process by enhancing the trust perception of consumers. To this end, a structured questionnaire consists of three sections was designed and conducted during the period April-May 2018 in Turkey. The findings achieved show that online shoppers mostly attach importance to the recognition of the website, which means they seek trust in online shopping process. On the other hand, they mostly use credit and debit cards, which may make consumers encounter serious fraud issues. VCC usage is only 4.9% in general although VCC awareness is 55.1%. This low level of VCC awareness is associated with education level and the information provided by the financial banks.
Understanding Country Level Adoption of E-Commerce
Authors: Ahluwalia Punit , Merhi Mohammad I.
Published: June 2021

This paper provides a theoretically grounded model of e-commerce adoption to explain differences in adoption rates among countries. The model extends the existing culture-policy-technology (CPT) framework to examine causal relationships between the technological, institutional, and cultural factors in order to examine country-level e-commerce adoption. Thus, interesting relationships among macro-level factors are hypothesized. The paper highlights the important of risk mitigating mechanisms or institutions to facilitate adoption of e-commerce in countries with high uncertainty avoidance. A call for empirical examination into country level adoption is answered by analyzing macro level data from 69 countries. The hypotheses are confirmed using PLS analytical procedures. The study is timely as e-commerce technology has now taken hold in several countries but its revenues in proportion to the overall total revenues remain low. The study is motivated by significant different in e-commerce adoption rates among countries. The paper makes significant contributions to literature and practice.
Exploring the Factors Influencing Customers Purchase Intention in Online Shopping
Authors: Khanam Fahima
Published: June 2021

Online shopping has increasingly become popular in Bangladesh with the introduction of globalization. Many people, specifically the younger generation, are purchasing various types of products every day online as it is convenient and saves time. Consumers are influenced to purchase online as a result of many factors including time-savings, fast delivery, ease of the transaction, and a website's user friendliness, and many more. The consumer evaluation is important to explore why a consumer intends to purchase online. The present study is an attempt to determine the factors that influence consumers' online shopping in Dhaka. Through this process, this study attempts to identify the critical factors that influence consumers' online shopping in Dhaka and to evaluate the association between these factors and consumers' online shopping habits. It also tries to determine the importance of these factors on consumers' online purchasing habits and to identify problems and suggest possible recommendations. The factors that are being considered include convenience factors, psychological factors, promotional factors, technical factors, and motivational factors. Each factor has some distinct variables. Convenience factors include less time, home delivery, and ease of transaction. Psychological factors include domain specific innovativeness, and opinion of friends and peers. Promotional factors include online ads, and social media exposure. Technical factors include user-friendliness of websites, and display of product details. Motivational factors encompass utilitarian and hedonic values. For this study the Multiple Regression Analysis Model was used. A structured questionnaire survey was conducted on 120 consumers to obtain consumers' opinion regarding how their purchase habits are sparked by different factors. The results reveal that only the home delivery system and utilitarian value of online shopping makes customers consider purchasing online. The other important influences were opinion of friend and peers, social media exposure, and display of product details. This study can hopefully shed some new insights into consumers' online purchasing habits.
Exploring the Role of E-Servicescape Dimensions on Customer Online Shopping
Authors: Yadav Rohit , Mahara Tripti
Published: June 2021

With limited empirical evidence and an incomplete understanding of e-servicescape environment, its effects on e-commerce websites still needs to be explored. Hence, the study understands and assesses the effects of e-servicescape environment on customer purchase behavior, considering the moderating role of gender. The stimulus-organism-response framework was adapted to formulate a conceptual model, in which the e-servicescape (stimulus) features were modelled as an antecedent of customer trust (organism) on website that directs customer behaviour of purchase intention (response). To conduct an analysis, a data sample of 304 responses was collected from those who have earlier used e-commerce websites using a structural equation modelling technique. Results of the study shows that e-servicescape dimensions are a strong predictor of trust that strongly impacts customer purchase intention. Results further reveal that in an online environment, the gender gap is depleting as it impacts all three dimensions of the e-servicescape on customer behavior which remains consistent for both groups.
Can Virtual Customer Service Agents Improve Consumers' Online Experiences?
Authors: Soares Ana Maria , Pinho José Carlos M. R. , Heath Teresa , Alves António
Published: June 2021

This chapter focuses on the navigation experience in ecommerce. The authors address the impact of a number of hedonic dimensions, specifically perceived visual attractiveness, perceived enjoyment, and sociability, in consumers' online experiences. They develop and test a research model explaining how these factors affect trust, satisfaction, and ultimately, website loyalty. Findings from a survey carried out with 132 users of an airline's website, which displays a virtual customer service agent, support the model proposed. Specifically, results confirm that enriching consumers' sensory experiences online through aesthetics, an enjoyable experience, and a social interaction interface positively affects trust, satisfaction, and subsequently, loyalty.
Mobile Commerce Technologies and Management
Authors: Kasemsap Kijpokin
Published: June 2021

This chapter reveals the prospect of mobile commerce (m-commerce); m-commerce and trust; m-commerce, privacy, and security issues; m-commerce adoption and technology acceptance model (TAM); and the significant perspectives on m-commerce. M-commerce is used for business transactions conducted by mobile phones for the promotional and financial activities using the wireless Internet connectivity. M-commerce is the important way to purchase the online items through online services. The main goal of m-commerce is to ensure that customers' shopping experience is well-suited to the smaller screen sizes that they can see on smartphones and tablets. Computer-mediated networks enable these transaction processes through electronic store searches and electronic point-of-sale capabilities. M-commerce brings the new possibility for businesses to sell and promote their products and services toward gaining improved productivity and business growth.
Reverse Logistics in E-Retaling
Authors: Ergan Senem , Akyol Ayşe
Published: June 2021

Consumers mostly prefer internet for reasons such as accessing product immediately, convenience, time saving. However buying products without observing physically causes some troubles. This situation results in return of the purchased product. The return process that is going to be experienced by the customer who wants to return or change his/her product is important for the companies. Managing return process without troubles is going to affect loyalty, satisfaction, revisiting, repurchasing, consumers messages, which are going to be get across to his/her environment. Because of these reasons, it is imperative for the companies to pay attention to the reverse logistic activities that they will undertake for the end consumers. The aim of this chapter is to indicate the importance of reverse logistics in e-retailing.
The Influence of Enjoyment Factor Toward the Acceptance of Social Commerce
Authors: Momani Alaa M. , Yafooz Wael M. , Jamous Mamoun M.
Published: June 2021

Social commerce is a new extension of electronic commerce that involves using social media in the online shopping process. Although the adoption of social technologies was studied in several researches, it is still needed to investigate the specific characteristics of social commerce and the affecting factors on its acceptance. This article verifies the influence of the enjoyment factor on the adoption of social commerce through applying a questionnaire sample allocated to 282 Jordanian social media users from those who are interested in online shopping. The research model is developed to validate the impact of enjoyment, in addition to some other factors, on the behavioral intentions to adopt and use social commerce. The results show that the enjoyment is a key factor on accepting social commerce. The research model indicates that it is viable and has a good power in explaining the variance in the behavioral intentions to adopt and use social commerce.
Difficulty in Transition
Authors: Saini Chand Prakash
Published: June 2021

The purpose of this article is to identify and study various risks that stop potential online shoppers to shop online. A total of 268 potential online shoppers were personally surveyed with a structured questionnaire. These respondents were from Gurgaon city. Exploratory factor analysis and regression analysis were used to assess the potential consumers' risk perception towards online retailing. It was found that potential online shoppers considered product risk, privacy risk, time risk, social risk, and security risk to be important while thinking of online shopping. Among all these risks security risks were found to be on potential online buyers' minds followed by product risk, social risk, privacy risk, and time risk. Online shopping behavior was the dependent variable in the study.
Men vs. Women
Authors: Zolait Ali Hussein , Isa Safeya Mohamed , Ali Hala Mahmood , Sundram Veera Pandiyan Kaliani
Published: June 2021

The purpose of this article is to measure the difference between Bahraini men and women in terms of their habits of online shopping and determine factors affecting their buying decision. The researchers adopted a technology acceptance model (TAM) as a research conceptual framework. A questionnaire was developed and distributed randomly to a sample of Bahrainis. Collected data was analyzed to test the research framework and hypotheses using multiple regression analysis. Results show there is a difference between men and women in term of trust, habit, satisfaction, perceived ease of use, and risk. The limitation of research stems from the majority of the participants aged between 18-28 years old, which could not represent all population age group. The article identifies key predictors of the online buying decision, enabling entrepreneurs and practitioners of online business to understand which factors will be useful to draw a rigid strategy for their online presence. Previous studies on online shopping did not give much concern to gender factor, while the current study investigates differences between men and women online shopping habits and reaching new facts about factors that influence the Bahraini buying decisions.
Millennials Consumers' Behaviors between Trends and Experiments
Authors: Anshari Muhammad , Alas Yabit , Razzaq Abdur , Shahrill Masitah , Lim Syamimi Ariff
Published: June 2021

Millennial consumer behaviors approach purchasing or shopping things differently when compared to what earlier generations encountered. Each generational cohort shares a common technological, social, political, historical, and economic environment that shapes and distinguishes them from one another and the millennial generation is using social media as a shopping platform. Technology advancement has become far more user-friendly during millennials' lifetimes, as they are attached to the social media given that it has become a platform that is utilized to communicate and shop. The aim of the study is to look at the characteristics of consumers' behaviors as it has a huge impact on the development of new business strategies. This article provides an analytical framework of millennial consumers' behaviors based on previous studies along with data collected from a focus group discussion. The study finds that millennials are more confident compared to earlier generations, more willing to be experimented on and willing to experiment, and are fashionable trend-wise. In terms of technology adoption, millennials have adopted technology as a way of life which makes full use of its functions ranging from communication to entertainment and optimized social media presence is essential for brands that are targeting millennials.
Consumer E-Loyalty for E-Grocery Shopping in a Metro City of India
Authors: Khan Sablu , Khan Adil
Published: June 2021

This study focuses on the e-loyalty of the grocery consumers. Understanding online behavior in developing countries is an emerging issue in these days. The purpose of this research is to examine the effects of antecedents of flow on attitude and perceived ease of use in the context of online grocery purchase behavior in a developing country perspective. Further, the study also examines the role of attitude and perceived ease of use in building e-loyalty. The present study analyzes the data of 250 respondents collected through an online survey. The data were analyzed employing exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and structural equational modeling (SEM). The results show that the flow variables (concentration and enjoyment) have a positive but differential effect on attitude towards online grocery purchase. However, both concentration and enjoyment were equally important in influencing the perceived ease of use. The study also found that attitude positively influences the e-loyalty, and perceived ease of use influences both attitude and e-loyalty.
Customer Satisfaction in Online Shopping in Growing Markets
Authors: Alam Syed Shah , Ali Mohd Helmi , Omar Nor Asiah , Hussain Wan Mohd Hirwani Wan
Published: June 2021

The aim of this study is to examine the factors affecting customer satisfaction in online shopping. The conceptual model for this study was developed based on the previous research in the online shopping context. In this research, ten hypotheses on factors affecting customer satisfaction in online shopping are outlined with empirical data from 337 respondents. Data was collected through a Google form. The regression results show that customer service, information quality, response time, transaction capability, delivery, merchandise attributes, security/privacy, convenient payment method, and price have significant positive influence on customer satisfaction in online shopping. From a managerial viewpoint, this study results provide support for investment decisions for customer satisfaction from online retailers in Malaysia.
The Challenges and Opportunities of E-Commerce Data Collection in Indonesia Compared to BRICS Countries
Authors: Basorudin Muhammad , Rahman Khalilur , Ratu Nadra Yudelsa , Ikhsan Easbi , Perwitasari Wida Siddhikara
Published: June 2021

The development of e-commerce business in Indonesia is very rapid. The rapid development of e-commerce in Indonesia will make Indonesia the largest digital economy in Southeast Asia in 2020. However, there are several obstacles, one of which is the provision of a trusted e-commerce database. Data has an important element in development in developing an e-commerce business in Indonesia. As the National Statistics Organizations, BPS Statistics Indonesia was pushed to collect the e-commerce data. BPS has developed several methods of collection e-commerce data using e-commerce survey and crawling technique in 2018 but still has a weakness. As a comparative study, there are several countries of G-20 that have high development in e-commerce and associate themselves as BRICS countries. With SWOT Analysis and Maturity Assessment, this study wants to analyze strength, weakness, opportunity, and thread, also measure the maturity from each method of collection used. Based on the result, Indonesia has better maturity in technology implemented, but worse regulation and people cooperation.
Discourse Analysis for Intercultural Competence Development
Authors: Ngai Phyllis Bo-yuen
Published: June 2021

This article aims to explicate the connection between discourse analysis and interculturality in intercultural-communication education. Although communication researchers and students have been using discourse analysis as a method to investigate conversations in intercultural situations for decades, interculturality as a concept has been largely untapped in analysis and applications. Drawing from interdisciplinary insights, this article will discuss how the concept of interculturality and the lens of discourse analysis contribute to the study and teaching of intercultural communication. As examples, two different types of intercultural-communication courses serve to illustrate how educators can apply discourse analysis to facilitate development of intercultural competence. Learning outcomes of the two tested courses indicate that cultural discourse analysis, along with critical discourse analysis and ethnography of speaking, promises to be a useful pedagogical approach for facilitating the development of the competence required for dealing with interculturality.
Questioning Questions in Autobiographies of Intercultural Encounters
Authors: Rivieccio Paola
Published: June 2021

In this article, the author analyzes the discursive forms of the Autobiographies for Intercultural Encounters Young Version (AIEY), which has been developed by the Council of Europe (COE) to encourage young learners to become aware of their intercultural experiences. She tried to analyze both AIEY's questions and 100 ten-years-old children's answers. The aim is to understand the kind of discourse that the AIEY encourages about intercultural encounters and the extent to which it could have affected the pupils' answers.
Interculturality in Interfaith Dialogue
Authors: Lee Tuck Leong
Published: June 2021

The study of interfaith dialogues stands to gain from a discourse analysis approach towards interculturality, given how, as a concept, interculturality emphasises non-essentialist identities and cultures in deep inter-subjective engagement. Such an approach allows researchers to examine interfaith dialogues as activities where the melding and blending of identity and cultural resources are actions directed towards various accomplishments, constrained by the institutional expectations of how dialogues are done. This article proposes using an analytic tool which draws upon 'membership categorisation devices' (from ethnomethodology) as specific 'mental space' conceptual packages (from cognitive linguistics), and takes a more telescopic view of how as conceptual packages, these devices interact in 'mental space conceptual integration' or 'conceptual blends' (from cognitive linguistics). One excerpt of a short conversation between a facilitator of an interfaith seminar and a Muslim Imam (religious teacher) is analysed in-depth.
Classification and Management of Commercial Vehicle Production
Authors: Zhi Jiang
Published: June 2021

Commercial vehicle production preparation involves multiple departments and multiple businesses. Each business is prone to lack a sense of direction and integrity, so overall management is required. This article discusses the various segments of commercial vehicles. The special characteristics of production preparation were analyzed and classified and summarized to form sub-category work items, which established a working model for most commercial vehicle production preparation project managers. The authors propose management methods and management systems to achieve standardization of project management for commercial vehicle production preparations.
Introducing the Common Attack Process Framework for Incident Mapping
Authors: Mancini Stephen , Iacono Laurie , Hartle Frank , Garfinkel Megan , Horn Dana , Sullivan Alison
Published: June 2021

The paper presents a new framework that allows both educators and operational personnel to better overlay incidents into a simplified framework. While other attack frameworks exist, they either lack simplicity or are too focused on specific types of attacks. Therefore, the authors have attempted to define a framework that can be used broadly across both physical and cyber incidents. Furthermore, the paper provides several high-profile examples wherein it is shown how this new framework more accurately represents the adversary's actions. Lastly, the framework allows room for expansion in that, within each stage, a plethora of questions can be addressed, giving greater specificity into how that stage was carried out.
The Security Risks and Challenges of 5G Communications
Authors: Choi Young B. , Bunn Matthew E.
Published: June 2021

With the introduction of the 5th generation of wireless systems and communications (5G) comes new risks and challenges. This paper explores the potential security challenges of 5G communication compared with legacy cellular networks and prior generations of communication standards. This paper defines what 5G is and how it affects our lives on a daily basis. It further discusses the new security features involving different technologies applied to 5G, such as heterogeneous networks, device-to-device communications, massive multiple-input multiple-output, software-defined networks, and the internet of things, including autonomous cars, healthcare, automated manufacturing, and more.
Enhancing Cyberweapon Effectiveness Methodology With SE Modeling Techniques
Authors: Pinto C. Ariel , Zurasky Matthew , Elakramine Fatine , El Amrani Safae , Jaradat Raed M. , Kerr Chad , Dayarathna Vidanelage L.
Published: June 2021

A recent cyberweapons effectiveness methodology clearly provides a parallel but distinct process from that of kinetic weapons – both for defense and offense purposes. This methodology promotes consistency and improves cyberweapon system evaluation accuracy – for both offensive and defensive postures. However, integrating this cyberweapons effectiveness methodology into the design phase and operations phase of weapons systems development is still a challenge. The paper explores several systems engineering modeling techniques (e.g., SysML) and how they can be leveraged towards an enhanced effectiveness methodology. It highlights how failure mode analyses (e.g., FMEA) can facilitate cyber damage determination and target assessment, how block and parametric diagraming techniques can facilitate characterizing cyberweapons and eventually assess the effectiveness of such weapons and conversely assess vulnerabilities of systems to certain types of cyberweapons.
Sustainable Information Development Practices and Societal Transformation in Kenya
Authors: Makori Elisha Ondieki
Published: June 2021

Demonstrate the impact of the information discipline and profession in transforming and changing the life of people through sustainable development practices and policies. Quantitative and qualitative research design collected data from information academicians and professionals. Questionnaires and interviews were used to obtain primary data while document analysis and related sources provided secondary information. Decent work and economic growth is the leading and relevant rudimentary goals of sustainable development practices that provides not only perfect employment and wealth creation opportunities but also the fundamental denominator to poverty eradication, food security, quality education, good health and well-being as well as clean water and sanitation. Post-implementation strategies for building sustainable development practices should connect the social, economic and political aspects of people with practical policies.
A Survey of Mobile Ticketing Services in Urban Mobility Systems
Authors: Ferreira Marta Campos , Dias Teresa Galvão , Falcão e Cunha João
Published: June 2021

Modern mobile ticketing service solutions facilitate access to mobility services and free customers from difficult purchasing decisions. However, implementing these solutions is complex, as they involve many different stakeholders, with sometimes conflicting interests. This paper presents a survey of mobile ticketing services in the urban mobility context. It starts by defining mobile ticketing and explores the different electronic ticket schemes that are being implemented around the world, as well as the most used technologies to provide the service. Then, it addresses the complex mobile ticketing ecosystem, identifying the main actors involved, their motivations, and concerns. This allows the authors to define their role and contribution to the mobile ticketing ecosystem. Finally, the paper presents future trends and research directions related to mobile ticketing services, being a valuable guide for researchers and practitioners.
GuideMe
Authors: Barri Eirini , Bouras Christos John , Gkamas Apostolos , Salgado Spyridon Aniceto Katsampiris
Published: June 2021

The interest for indoor navigational systems is expanding daily with concerns among visually impaired people who cannot navigate safely indoors. The main goal of such systems is the localization and direction of the individual who has a wearable device that provides voice commands to navigate indoor buildings. This paper aims to present the design and the implementation of the GuideMe project. The GuideMe project's goal is the design, implementation, and evaluation of a navigation system focused on people who face troubles in indoor moving utilizing a wearable device. Specifically, the focus group is people suffering from visual impairment. The person carrying the wearable device takes guidelines about the location from indoor ultrawide band (UWB) anchors. The commands provided are about indoor direction through voice commands, assisting him to avoid obstacles in his route. The authors present the architecture and the details of the various modules, which consist of the proposed indoor navigation system, and some initial evaluations of the proposed system yielding promising results.
Capital Account Liberalization and Capital Movement in China
Authors: Iqbal Badar Alam , Rahman Nida , Rahman Mohd Nayyer
Published: June 2021

Capital account liberalization has always been at the core of economic policymaking. China is a country which has chosen to go gradual in opening up the capital account. The present research seeks to manoeuvre aspects of capital account liberalization for the Chinese economy. An empirical investigation is run for ascertaining the particular influence capital controls has had on foreign direct investment in China which has outpaced other capital flows in the past decades. The model applied involves foreign direct investment inflows as the dependent variable while four variables are independent. The stationarity of the univariate series is checked with the use of Augmented Dicky Fuller test. The study concludes with theoretical understanding that full liberalization of the current account in China has overall benefited the economy. The outcome of the study suggests that there is no significant bearing of current account liberalization on foreign direct inflows.
Highly effective dietary inclusion of laurel (Laurus nobilis) leaves on productive traits of broiler chickens
Authors: Ali Nihad Abdul-Lateef , Al-Shuhaib Mohammed Baqur Sahib
Published: June 2021

Laurel leaves characterized with interesting antioxidant effects, which have often used to improve the immunity with positive consequences on growth and performance This study was conducted to assess the effect of adding crushed laurel leaves to the diet on the productive traits of broiler chickens. A total of 180 broiler chickens, were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments, with a rate of 45 birds per treatment; each treatment consisted of three replicates. The first treatment, or control, was generated without adding laurel leaves to the diet, second, third, and fourth treatments were generated by adding laurel leaves with amounts of 1, 2, and 3 g kg-1 feed, respectively. Nine productive traits were evaluated in this study, including the average of live body weight, weight gain, feed consumption, feed conversion ratio, percentage of mortality, productive index, length of the villus, depth of crypts, and villus length/crypts length ratio. Results indicated that the addition of laurel leaves led to a significant improvement in all productive traits, signifying highly essential participation of laurel leaves to enhance growth and performance. In conclusion, it can be stated that adding 3 g kg-1 of crushed laurel leaves to the diet can improve the productive traits of broiler chickens.
Preliminary evaluation of the use of bacteria isolated from the digestive tract of shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei as a source to accelerate the process of formation and development of bioflocs
Authors: Soares Danyela Carla Elias , Abreu Jade Oliveira , Silva Jéssica Lucinda Saldanha da , Sousa Oscarina Viana de
Published: June 2021

This study aims at investigating to follow the formation and development of biofloc aggregates in a system with the introduction of an in vitro selected bacterial consortium (Bacillus thuringiensis, Bacillus sp., Staphylococcus cohnii) in order to induce fast formation of biofloc and to compare it to the development of spontaneous formation biofloc. Two experimental groups were evaluated for biofloc formation, SFT and IFT. The first refers to spontaneous (conventional) formation of the flocs and the second to induced formation (IFT), achieved through the consortium of potentially inducing bacteria. Both treatments presented a constant increase of bioflocs, however, in the IFT treatment, the microbial aggregates were larger and more uniform. By the end of the experiment, we verified that the aggregates formed in the IFT showed higher volume and lower sedimentation rate in comparison to the spontaneously formed ones. The results show that domestication in microbial communities is efficient as related to bioflocs, reducing instability during its formation and development.
Apparent digestibility of juveniles of matrinxã Brycon amazonicus fed diets with different protein levels
Authors: Gonçalves Cesar Augusto Alves , Pantoja-Lima Jackson , Machado-Bussons Márcia Regina Fragoso , Rufino João Paulo Ferreira
Published: June 2021

The objective of the present study was to determine the apparent digestibility of juveniles of matrinxã Brycon amazonicus fed diets with different levels of protein. The experimental design was completely randomized, where the treatments consisted of four levels of protein in the diets (28, 32, 36 and 40%) and five replicates (water boxes) with 10 juveniles of matrinxã each. Diets were offered four times a day, and feces were collected twice a week, along 28 days, for digestibility analysis. Data collected were subjected to polynomial regression at 5% significance. Differences (p<0.05) were observed in dry matter digestibility, with higher digestibility according to increasing levels of protein in the diets. This behavior was directly expressed in the digestibility of nutrients by juveniles of matrinxã, such as % ash, % crude protein, apparent digestible energy, % digestibility of apparent digestible energy and energy: protein ratio. However, this was not observed (p > 0.05) in the digestibility of % ether extract. Digestibility of N, P, Ca, Mg, Cu and Zn presented linear positive (p < 0.05) behavior, in which the use of these minerals increased with the increase in the level of protein in the diets. However, the digestibility of K, Fe and Mn reduced (p < 0.05) with increasing protein levels in the diets. Thus, it can be concluded that the rise in protein level in diets for juveniles of matrinxã improves nutrient digestibility. The results of this study indicated that 40% crude protein in the diets provided better results.
Investigation of the feed resource for buffalo
Authors: Ivanova Silviya , Markov Nikolay
Published: June 2021

Buffaloes make better use of coarse and inferior feed by converting them to biologically valuable animal production. They make very good use of the additional production of crop production, such as straw, sunflower cakes, sprouts and other. The aim is to study the physicochemical and fatty acid composition of the rations of buffalo of the Bulgarian mura breed in a church farm in Gigentsi village, Pernik District. The application of standard methods for the nutrition of buffaloes in separate periods - pastured with succulent fodder, winter (indoor) with coarse fodder, through which the ruminants are provided with the necessary nutritional components, allows to obtain high quality milk as a basic raw material for the production of dairy products. The use of succulent fodder and the incorporation of root crops into the feed instead of the buffalo concentrate provides them with respect to linoleic and alphalinolenic fatty acids, which are substrates for the synthesis of CLA (anticancer action) in rumen of ruminants.
Effect of crude propolis on the performance and feed digestibility of new zealand white rabbits
Authors: Piza Paola Cristina de , Moreira Bruna Leonel , Silva Nhayandra Chistina Dias , Sodré Pedro Ivo , Fonseca Leonardo da Silva , Leite Rafael Fernandes
Published: June 2021

The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance and digestibility of diets containing different levels of crude propolis for growing rabbits. Forty-eight New Zealand White rabbits, 43 days old, of both genders, were used, distributed in a completely randomized design. There were four diets with different inclusion levels of crude propolis (0.0; 0.5; 1.0 and 1.5%). There was no statistical difference for performance regarding the inclusion levels of crude propolis (p = 0.85), as well as for the variables dry matter consumption, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber (p ≥ 0.07). Crude protein consumption showed a statistical difference in relation to gender (p = 0.04): males showed higher consumption. However, final weight, total weight gain, daily weight gain and feed efficiency were not influenced by the addition of crude propolis (p ≥ 0.37). Dry matter digestibility, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber were not influenced by the inclusion levels of crude propolis in the diets (p ≥ 0.12). This study indicates that the inclusion of raw propolis up to 1.5% in the diets does not affect the performance parameters of rabbits.
United States Air Force Academy Cadets' Unprompted Knowledge of Concussions and “Bell Ringers” or “Dings”: Perceived Differences and Similarities
Authors: Weber Rawlins Michelle L. , Johnson Brian R. , Register-Mihalik Johna K. , DeAngelis Karin , Schmidt Julianne D. , D'Lauro Christopher J.
Published: June 2021

Context

After a possible concussion mechanism, cadets are unlikely to have a list of concussion signs and symptoms at their disposal. As such, unprompted concussion knowledge may be an essential factor in personal recognition of injury.

Objective

To explore determinants that contributed to United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) cadets' disclosure of a concussion. This research focused on 1 of 8 overall discovered themes of unprompted concussion knowledge.

Design

Qualitative study.

Setting

Military academy.

Patients or Other Participants

Cadets at the USAFA (males = 23, females = 11, age = 19.91 ± 1.14 years).

Main Outcome Measure(s)

We conducted 34 semistructured interviews. The transcribed text was analyzed in a 5-cycle process. From this process, 8 overall themes emerged, including unprompted concussion knowledge. Subthemes were concussion definition, concussion symptoms, “bell-ringer” or “ding” definition, “bell-ringer” or “ding” symptoms, and concussion versus “bell ringer” or “ding.”

Results

Many participants were able to describe a concussion fairly accurately. The most commonly listed concussion signs and symptoms were dizziness (n = 22/34, 64.7%); “can't remember”/“memory loss”/“forgetful” (n = 19/34, 55.9%); and headache (n = 16/34, 47.1%). The cadet participants characterized the most common bell-ringer or ding signs and symptoms as dizziness (n = 2/34, 5.9%) and headache (n = 2/34, 5.9%). Cadets also described how a bell ringer or ding differs from a concussion, often commenting that concussions were more severe than bell ringers or dings.

Conclusions

Overall, USAFA cadet participants listed common concussion signs and symptoms. However, they perceived differences between a concussion and a bell ringer or ding. Although decreasing the use of colloquial terms for concussion is recommended, use of these terms when examining a concussion history may be helpful. Concussion-education interventions should continue to focus on describing concussion signs and symptoms using cadets' own words to describe the injury (eg, “forgetful”) but differentiating between what may and may not be a concussion and encouraging individuals to consult health care providers regarding possible concussion symptoms.
Impact Sound Across Rearfoot, Midfoot, and Forefoot Strike During Overground Running
Authors: Hung Au Ivan Pui , Ng Leo , Davey Paul , So Marco , Chan Brian , Li Pinky , Wong Will , Althorpe Tania , Stearne Sarah Michelle , Cheung Roy
Published: June 2021

Context

Three foot-strike techniques are common in runners. If these techniques generate different sounds at the point of impact with the ground, lower limb kinetics may be influenced. No previous authors have determined whether such relationships exist.

Objectives

To determine foot-ground impact sound characteristics and compare the impact-sound characteristics across foot-strike techniques and the relationships between impact-sound characteristics and vertical loading rates.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Setting

Gait analysis laboratory.

Patients or Other Participants

A total of 30 runners (15 women, 15 men; age = 23.5 ± 4.0 years, height = 1.67 ± 0.1 m, mass = 58.1 ± 8.2 kg) completed overground running trials with rearfoot-strike, midfoot-strike (MFS), and forefoot-strike (FFS) techniques in a gait analysis laboratory.

Main Outcome Measure(s)

Impact sound was measured using a shotgun microphone, and the peak sound amplitude, median frequency, and sound duration were analyzed. Separate linear regressions, clustering participants due to repeated measures, were used to compare the sound characteristics across foot-strike techniques. Kinetic data were collected from a force plate, and the vertical loading rates were calculated. Pearson correlation was used to determine the relationship between sound characteristics and kinetics.

Results

Landing with an MFS or FFS resulted in greater peak sound amplitude (P < .001) and shorter sound duration (P < .001) than a rearfoot strike. The MFS exhibited the highest median frequency among the 3 foot-strike patterns, followed by the FFS (P < .001). We did not find a significant relationship between vertical loading rates and any impact sound characteristics (P > .115).

Conclusions

The results suggest that impact-sound characteristics may be used to differentiate foot-strike patterns in runners. However, these did not relate to lower limb kinetics. Therefore, clinicians should not solely rely on impact sound to infer impact loading.