bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
FPGA Implementation for Odor Identification with Depthwise Separable Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Mo Zhuofeng , Luo Dehan , Wen Tengteng , Cheng Yu , Li Xin
Published: January 2021

The integrated electronic nose (e-nose) design, which integrates sensor arrays and recognition algorithms, has been widely used in different fields. However, the current integrated e-nose system usually suffers from the problem of low accuracy with simple algorithm structure and slow speed with complex algorithm structure. In this article, we propose a method for implementing a deep neural network for odor identification in a small-scale Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). First, a lightweight odor identification with depthwise separable convolutional neural network (OI-DSCNN) is proposed to reduce parameters and accelerate hardware implementation performance. Next, the OI-DSCNN is implemented in a Zynq-7020 SoC chip based on the quantization method, namely, the saturation-flooring KL divergence scheme (SF-KL). The OI-DSCNN was conducted on the Chinese herbal medicine dataset, and simulation experiments and hardware implementation validate its effectiveness. These findings shed light on quick and accurate odor identification in the FPGA.
BiRep: A Reputation Scheme to Mitigate the Effects of Black-Hole Nodes in Delay-Tolerant Internet of Vehicles
Authors: Nabais Catarina , Pereira Paulo Rogério , Magaia Naercio
Published: January 2021

Delay-tolerant networking (DTN) enables communication in disruptive scenarios where issues such as sparse and intermittent connectivity, long and variable delays, high latency, high error rates, or no end-to-end connectivity exist. Internet of Vehicles (IoV) is a network of the future in which integration between devices, vehicles, and users will be unlimited and universal, overcoming the heterogeneity of systems, services, applications, and devices. Delay-tolerant internet of vehicles (DT-IoV) is emerging and becoming a popular research topic due to the critical applications that can be realized, such as software or map update dissemination. For an IoV to work efficiently, a degree of cooperation between nodes is necessary to deliver messages to their destinations. However, nodes might misbehave and silently drop messages, also known as a black-hole attack, degrading network performance. Various solutions have been proposed to deal with black-hole nodes, but most are centralized or require each node to meet every other node. This paper proposes a decentralized reputation scheme called BiRep that identifies and punishes black-hole nodes in DT-IoV. BiRep is tested on the Prophet routing protocol. Simulation results show excellent performance in all scenarios, comparable or better to other reputation schemes, significantly increasing the delivery ratio of messages.
Non-Communication Decentralized Multi-Robot Collision Avoidance in Grid Map Workspace with Double Deep Q-Network
Authors: Chen Lin , Zhao Yongting , Zhao Huanjun , Zheng Bin
Published: January 2021

This paper presents a novel decentralized multi-robot collision avoidance method with deep reinforcement learning, which is not only suitable for the large-scale grid map workspace multi-robot system, but also directly processes Lidar signals instead of communicating between the robots. According to the particularity of the workspace, we handcrafted a reward function, which considers both the collision avoidance among the robots and as little as possible change of direction of the robots during driving. Using Double Deep Q-Network (DDQN), the policy was trained in the simulation grid map workspace. By designing experiments, we demonstrated that the learned policy can guide the robot well to effectively travel from the initial position to the goal position in the grid map workspace and to avoid collisions with others while driving.
PC5-Based Cellular-V2X Evolution and Deployment
Authors: Miao Lili , Virtusio John Jethro , Hua Kai-Lung
Published: January 2021

C-V2X (Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything) is a state-of-the-art wireless technology used in autonomous driving and intelligent transportation systems (ITS). This technology has extended the coverage and blind-spot detection of autonomous driving vehicles. Economically, C-V2X is much more cost-effective than the traditional sensors that are commonly used by autonomous driving vehicles. This cost-benefit makes it more practical in a large scale deployment. PC5-based C-V2X uses an RF (Radio Frequency) sidelink direct communication for low latency mission-critical vehicle sensor connectivity. Over the C-V2X radio communications, the autonomous driving vehicle’s sensor ability can now be largely enhanced to the distances as far as the network covers. In 2020, 5G is commercialized worldwide, and Taiwan is at the forefront. Operators and governments are keen to see its implications in people’s daily life brought by its low latency, high reliability, and high throughput. Autonomous driving class L3 (Conditional Automation) or L4 (Highly Automation) are good examples of 5G’s advanced applications. In these applications, the mobile networks with URLLC (Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication) are perfectly demonstrated. Therefore, C-V2X evolution and 5G NR (New Radio) deployment coincide and form a new ecosystem. This ecosystem will change how people will drive and how transportation will be managed in the future. In this paper, the following topics are covered. Firstly, the benefits of C-V2X communication technology. Secondly, the standards of C-V2X and C-V2X applications for automotive road safety system which includes V2P/V2I/V2V/V2N, and artificial intelligence in VRU (Vulnerable Road User) detection, object recognition and movement prediction for collision warning and prevention. Thirdly, PC5-based C-V2X deployment status in global, especially in Taiwan. Lastly, current challenges and conclusions of C-V2X development.
Modern Trends and Applications of Intelligent Methods in Biomedical Signal and Image Processing
Authors: Kubicek Jan , Penhaker Marek , Krejcar Ondrej , Selamat Ali
Published: January 2021

There are various modern systems for the measurement and consequent acquisition of valuable patient’s records in the form of medical signals and images, which are supposed to be processed to provide significant information about the state of biological tissues [...]
Entropy Indicators: An Approach for Low-Speed Bearing Diagnosis
Authors: Sandoval Diego , Leturiondo Urko , Vidal Yolanda , Pozo Francesc
Published: January 2021

To increase the competitiveness of wind energy, the maintenance costs of offshore floating and fixed wind turbines need to be reduced. One strategy is the enhancement of the condition monitoring techniques for pitch bearings, because their low operational speed and the high loads applied to them make their monitoring challenging. Vibration analysis has been widely used for monitoring the bearing condition with good results obtained for regular bearings, but with difficulties when the operational speed decreases. Therefore, new techniques are required to enhance the capabilities of vibration analysis for bearings under such operational conditions. This study proposes the use of indicators based on entropy for monitoring a low-speed bearing condition. The indicators used are approximate, dispersion, singular value decomposition, and spectral entropy of the permutation entropy. This approach has been tested with vibration signals acquired in a test rig with bearings under different health conditions. The results show that entropy indicators (EIs) can discriminate with higher-accuracy damaged bearings for low-speed bearings compared with the regular indicators. Furthermore, it is shown that the combination of regular and entropy-based indicators can also contribute to a more reliable diagnosis.
Global Positioning System Analysis of Physical Demands in Elite Women’s Beach Handball Players in an Official Spanish Championship
Authors: Sánchez-Sáez Juan Antonio , Sánchez-Sánchez Javier , Martínez-Rodríguez Alejandro , Felipe José Luis , García-Unanue Jorge , Lara-Cobos Daniel
Published: January 2021

This cross-sectional study aims to analyze the physical demands of elite beach handball players during an official competition. Nine elite female (mean age: 24.6 ± 4.0 years; body weight: 62.4 ± 4.6 kg; body height: 1.68 ± 0.059 m; training experience: 5 years; training: 6 h/week) beach handball players of the Spanish National Team were recruited for this study. A Global Positioning System was incorporated on each player’s back to analyze their movement patterns. Speed and distance were recorded at a sampling frequency of 15 Hz, whereas acceleration was recorded at 100 Hz by means of a built-in triaxial accelerometer. The main finding of the study is that 53% of the distance travelled is done at speeds between 1.5 and 5 km/h and 30% of the distance is between 9 and 13 km/h (83% of the total distance covered), which shows the intermittent efforts that beach handball involves at high intensity, as reflected in the analysis of the internal load with 62.82 ± 14.73% of the game time above 80% of the maximum heart rate. These data help to orientate training objectives to the physical demands required by the competition in order to optimize the players’ performance.
Low-Cost Unattended Design of Miniaturized 4 × 4 Butler Matrices with Nonstandard Phase Differences
Authors: Bekasiewicz Adrian , Koziel Slawomir
Published: January 2021

Design of Butler matrices dedicated to Internet of Things and 5th generation (5G) mobile systems—where small size and high performance are of primary concern—is a challenging task that often exceeds capabilities of conventional techniques. Lack of appropriate, unified design approaches is a serious bottleneck for the development of Butler structures for contemporary applications. In this work, a low-cost bottom-up procedure for rigorous and unattended design of miniaturized 4 × 4 Butler matrices is proposed. The presented approach exploits numerical algorithms (governed by a set of suitable objective functions) to control synthesis, implementation, optimization, and fine-tuning of the structure and its individual building blocks. The framework is demonstrated using two miniaturized matrices with nonstandard output-port phase differences. Numerical results indicate that the computational cost of the design process using the presented framework is over 80% lower compared to the conventional approach. The footprints of optimized matrices are only 696 and 767 mm2, respectively. Small size and operation frequency of around 2.6 GHz make the circuits of potential use for mobile devices dedicated to work within a sub-6 GHz 5G spectrum. Both structures have been benchmarked against the state-of-the-art designs from the literature in terms of performance and size. Measurements of the fabricated Butler matrix prototype are also provided.
Development of a Methodology Using Artificial Neural Network in the Detection and Diagnosis of Faults for Pneumatic Control Valves
Authors: Andrade Ana , Lopes Kennedy , Lima Bernardo , Maitelli André
Published: January 2021

To satisfy the market, competition in the industrial sector aims for productivity and safety in industrial plant control systems. The appearance of a fault can compromise the system’s proper functioning process. Therefore, Fault Detection and Diagnosis (FDD) methods contribute to avoiding any undesired events, as there are techniques and methods that study the detection, isolation, identification and, consequently, fault diagnosis. In this work, a new methodology that uses faults emulation to obtain parameters similar to the Development and Application of Methods for Diagnosis of Actuators in Industrial Control Systems (DAMADICS) benchmark model will be developed. This methodology uses previous information from tests on sensors with and without faults to detect and classify the situation of the plant and, in the presence of faults, perform the diagnosis through a process of elimination in a hierarchical manner. In this way, the definition of residue signature is used as well as the creation of a decision tree. The whole process is carried out incorporating FDD techniques, through the Non-Linear Auto-Regressive Neural Network Model With Exogenous Inputs (NARX), in the diagnosis of the behavioral prediction of the signals to generate the residual values. Then, it is applied to the construction of the decision tree based on the most significant residue of a certain signal, enabling the process of acquisition and formation of the signature matrix. With the procedures in this article, it is possible to demonstrate a practical and systematic method of how to emulate faults for control valves and the possibility of carrying out an analysis of the data to acquire signatures of the fault behavior. Finally, simulations resulting from the most sensitized variables for the production of residuals that is generated by neural networks are presented, which are used to obtain signatures and isolate the flaws. The process proves to be efficient in computational time and makes it easy to present a fault diagnosis strategy that can be reproduced in other processes.
Linking Soil CO2 Efflux to Individual Trees: Size-Dependent Variation and the Importance of the Birch Effect
Authors: Schurman Jonathan S. , Thomas Sean C.
Published: January 2021

Soil CO2 efflux (FCO2) is a major component of the terrestrial carbon (C) cycle but challenges in explaining local variability hamper efforts to link broad-scale fluxes to their biotic drivers. Trees are the dominant C source for forest soils, so linking tree properties to FCO2 could open new avenues to study plant-soil feedbacks and facilitate scaling; furthermore, FCO2 responds dynamically to meteorological conditions, complicating predictions of total FCO2 and forest C balance. We tested for proximity effects of individual Acer saccharum Marsh. trees on FCO2, comparing FCO2 within 1 m of mature stems to background fluxes before and after an intense rainfall event. Wetting significantly increased background FCO2 (6.4 ± 0.3 vs. 8.6 ± 0.6 s.e. μmol CO2 m−2s−1), with a much larger enhancement near tree stems (6.3 ± 0.3 vs. 10.8 ± 0.4 μmol CO2 m−2s−1). FCO2 varied significantly among individual trees and post-rain values increased with tree diameter (with a slope of 0.058 μmol CO2 m−2s−1cm−1). Post-wetting amplification of FCO2 (the ‘Birch effect’) in root zones often results from the improved mobility of labile carbohydrates and further metabolization of recalcitrant organic matter, which may both occur at higher densities near larger trees. Our results indicate that plant-soil feedbacks change through tree ontogeny and provide evidence for a novel link between whole-system carbon fluxes and forest structure.
Sustainable Banking, Market Power, and Efficiency: Effects on Banks’ Profitability and Risk
Authors: Torre Olmo Begoña , Cantero Saiz María , Sanfilippo Azofra Sergio
Published: January 2021

The financial crisis seriously damaged the reputation of the banking sector, as well as its profitability and risk of insolvency, which led many banks to adopt a sustainable approach aimed at balancing long-term goals with short-term performance pressures. This article analyses how sustainable banking practices affect the profitability and the insolvency risk of banks. Moreover, we examine how sustainable strategies determine the effects of market power and efficiency on bank profitability. We used a two-step System-GMM to analyze an unbalanced panel of 1236 banks from 48 countries over the period 2015–2019. We found that sustainable banking practices increased profitability, and market power was an important determinant of profitability among conventional banks, but not among sustainable banks. Higher levels of cost scale efficiency led to greater profitability for both sustainable and conventional banks. However, there was no significant relationship between sustainable banking and insolvency risk. These results indicate that the traditional determinants of bank profitability are not relevant in explaining the superior profits of sustainable banks, which suggests the emergence of a new paradigm related to sustainability among the drivers of bank profitability.
Study on the Impact of Industrial Agglomeration on Ecological Sustainable Development in Southwest China
Authors: Gao Lei , Li Fang , Zhang Jingran , Wang Xu , Hao Yue , Li Chao , Tian Yu , Yang Chao , Song Weiming , Wang Tielong
Published: January 2021

Southwest China is a fragile terrestrial ecosystem restricted by its geological background, which leads to a contradiction between its industrial economic development and the ecological environment. In this study, to explore the influence and mechanisms of the three industrial agglomeration modes, namely, specialization, related diversification, and unrelated diversification, on the eco-efficiency of the region, linear and nonlinear regression models were applied to the data of five Southwest provinces from 2006 to 2018. Specialization agglomeration had a significant negative impact on the eco-efficiency of four provinces outside Tibet in Southwest China. With the decrease of industrial specialization, their eco-efficiency improved. The effects of related diversification agglomeration on the ecological efficiency of four provinces outside Tibet in Southwest China showed a “U” curve. The degree of industrial diversification in these provinces exceeded the critical value of 1.46, and the effect on eco-efficiency was shown. The unrelated diversification agglomeration had a negative effect on the ecological efficiency of the four provinces outside Tibet in Southwest China. The degree of industrial-unrelated diversification in Guizhou Province increased slightly, which was not conducive to the improvement of local eco-efficiency. Additionally, it decreased significantly in other provinces, which caused the improvement of local eco-efficiency. The conclusion provides a theoretical basis for industrial green transformation path selection and related policy formulation in Southwest China.
A Brief Review: Application of Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate in Asphalt Pavement Reinforcement
Authors: Ben Zair Mohamed Meftah , Jakarni Fauzan Mohd , Muniandy Ratnasamy , Hassim Salihudin
Published: January 2021

Plastic is considered one of the most significant industrial inventions of this era due to its excellent properties, which lend well to many manufacturing applications. These days, there are tons of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) waste products that are generated around the world. This waste presents a real environmental hazard because PET is not biodegradable. This paper delineates the physical and chemical properties of PET to justify its use as an additive and aggregate replacement in the manufacture of asphalt mixtures. Furthermore, discusses details of PET-modified asphalt mixture by a dry and wet process with sufficient information to better understand the mixture. Several critical matters are investigated, such as asphalt modification to increase resistance to fatigue, rutting deformation, and moisture sensitivity. These results are important for determining the factors that significantly improve pavement mixture characteristics. The findings show that the addition of PET to asphalt mixtures yielded very promising results. PET enhanced the mechanical properties, the durability, and the long-term sustainability of the pavement. Finally, using PET waste as an additive in asphalt mixtures could serve as an environmentally friendly method to dispose of PET waste while simultaneously producing high-quality pavements.
Ecomannerism
Authors: Peña Gabriel , Cucuzzella Carmela
Published: January 2021

Mannerism was the bridge between late Renaissance and the Baroque between 1520 and the 1600s. This movement was characterized by the destabilization of compositional elements through repetition and expressiveness, regardless of their function. This phase in history echoes a trend in contemporary architecture based on the repetition of functionless elements that constitute a ‘green aesthetic’ in detriment of sustainable systems. Ecomannerism is a conceptual vehicle to identify and evaluate iconic contemporary projects that are positioned between ecologies of practice and ecologies of symbols, which are directly related to the sustainable performance of the built environment.
Evidence of Climate Change Coping and Adaptation Practices by Smallholder Farmers in Northern Ghana
Authors: Antwi-Agyei Philip , Nyantakyi-Frimpong Hanson
Published: January 2021

Evidence on how coping practices for immediate climate variations can transform into long-term adaptive capacity are relatively limited. This study addressed this gap by identifying the coping practices for short-term climate variations and the adaptation measures used by smallholder farmers to address future climate change in northeast Ghana. The paper used a mixed-methods approach, including household surveys, focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Data were collected from 555 households located in six communities across three districts in northeast Ghana. Results indicated that smallholder farmers were employing a host of practices to address the threats posed by climate change. Key adaptation practices included the planting of drought-tolerant crop varieties, the use of indigenous knowledge, intensification of irrigation, migration, adjusting the planting calendar, crop diversification, mixed farming, and sustainable land management practices. On the contrary, short-term coping practices reported by the study participants included the sale of non-farm assets, complementing agriculture with non-farm jobs, selling livestock, engaging in wage labor, charcoal burning and reliance on social networks. The results further revealed that barriers to climate change adaptation and coping practices differed by gender. The paper recommends that capacities of smallholder farmers in vulnerability hotspots should be enhanced to address immediate climate variations, as well as future climate changes. Ghana’s climate change and agricultural policies should prioritize adaptations by smallholder farmers in addressing threats posed by climate change.
Assessing the Suitability of Freeform Injection Molding for Low Volume Injection Molded Parts: A Design Science Approach
Authors: Sharifi Elham , Chaudhuri Atanu , Waehrens Brian Vejrum , Staal Lasse Guldborg , Davoudabadi Farahani Saeed
Published: January 2021

Low-volume manufacturing remains a challenge, especially for parts that need to be injection-molded. Freeform injection molding (FIM) is a novel method that combines elements from direct additive manufacturing (DAM) and injection molding (IM) to resolve some of the challenges seen in low-volume injection molding. In this study, we use a design science approach to explore the suitability of FIM for the manufacturing of low volume injection-molded parts. We provide an overview of the benefits and limitations of traditional IM and discuss how DAM and indirect additive manufacturing (IAM) methods, such as soft tooling and FIM, can address some of the existing drawbacks of IM for short series production. A set of different parts was identified and assessed using a design science-based approach to demonstrate how to incubate FIM as a solution to address the challenges faced in short series production with IM. This initial process innovation was followed by solution refinement, involving the optimization of the FIM processes. Finally, a “cross-case” analysis was conducted using the framework of context, intervention, mechanism and outcomes to generate insights about the generalizability of the results. It is concluded that FIM combines the short lead-times, low start-up costs and design freedom of DAM with the versatility and scalability of IM to allow manufacturers to bring low volume products to the market faster, more cheaply and with lower risk, and to maintain the relevance of these products through easy customization and adaptations once they have been launched.
Experimental and Techno-Economic Study on the Use of Microalgae for Paper Industry Effluents Remediation
Authors: Silva Maria I. , Gonçalves Ana L. , Vilar Vítor J. P. , Pires José C. M.
Published: January 2021

Humanity is facing some major global threats, namely lack of environmental sustainability, the energy crisis associated with the unsustainable reliance on fossil fuels, and water scarcity, which will be exacerbated with the rapid growth of urban areas. Researchers have drawn their attention to microalgae, photosynthetic microorganisms known for their environmental applications, such as wastewater remediation and lipids accumulation, to produce third-generation biofuels to solve some of these major issues. Considering this dual role, this study evaluated the potential of the microalga Chlorella vulgaris on nutrient removal from a paper industry effluent and bioenergy production. Firstly, experiments were performed to assess the potential of this microalga to: (i) successfully grow in different concentrations of a paper industry effluent (20% to 100%); and (ii) treat the industrial effluent, reducing phosphorus concentrations to values below the accepted legal limits. Then, a techno-economic assessment was performed to study the viability of a C. vulgaris biorefinery targeting the remediation of a paper industry effluent and bioenergy production. The results have shown that C. vulgaris was able to successfully grow and treat the paper industry effluent. Under these conditions, average biomass productivities determined for this microalga ranged between 15.5 ± 0.5 and 26 ± 1 mg dry weight (DW) L−1 d−1, with maximum biomass concentrations reaching values between 337 ± 9 and 495 ± 25 mg DW L−1 d−1. Moreover, final phosphorus concentrations ranged between 0.12 ± 0.01 and 0.5 ± 0.3 mg P L−1, values below the legal limits imposed by the Portuguese Environment Agency on the paper industry. Regarding the proposal of a microalgal biorefinery for the bioremediation of paper industry effluents with bioenergy production, the techno-economic study demonstrated that six of the seven studied scenarios resulted in an economically-viable infrastructure. The highest net present value (15.4 million euros) and lowest discounted payback period (13 years) were determined for Scenario 3, which assumed a photosynthetic efficiency of 3%, a lipids extraction efficiency of 75%, and an anaerobic digestion efficiency of 45%. Therefore, it was possible to conclude that besides being economically viable, the proposed biorefinery presents several environmental benefits: (i) the remediation of an industrial effluent; (ii) CO2 uptake for microalgal growth, which contributes to a reduction in greenhouse gases emissions; (iii) production of clean and renewable energy; (iv) soil regeneration; and (v) promotion of a circular economy.
The Risk of Dissolution of Sustainable Innovation Ecosystems in Times of Crisis: The Electric Vehicle during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Arribas-Ibar Manel , Nylund Petra , Brem Alexander
Published: January 2021

Innovation ecosystems evolve and adapt to crises, but what are the factors that stimulate ecosystem growth in spite of dire circumstances? We study the arduous path forward of the electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem and analyse in depth those factors that influence ecosystem growth in general and during the pandemic in particular. For the EV ecosystem, growth implies outcompeting the less sustainable internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, thus achieving a transition towards sustainable transportation. New mobility patterns provide a strategic opportunity for such a shift to green mobility and for EV ecosystem growth. For innovation ecosystems in general, we suggest that a crisis can serve as an opportunity for new innovations to break through by disrupting prior behavioural patterns. For the EV ecosystem in particular, it remains to be seen if the ecosystem will be able to capitalize on the opportunity provided by the unfortunate disruption generated by the pandemic.
For the Sustainable Development of Universities: Exploring the External Factors Impacting Returned Early Career Academic’s Research Performance in China
Authors: Zhao Xiantong , Yin Hongbiao , Fang Chenyang , Liu Xu
Published: January 2021

Early career academics are the key agents for the sustainable development of higher education institutions. In China, those who were educated overseas and have returned to Chinese universities to seek academic positions are becoming a fast-growing group. Good research performance is critical to survive in the increasingly competitive environment in academia. Improving research performance requires an understanding of the factors that facilitate or inhibit research performance. In the light of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, this study, using a mixed-method design (20 interviewees and 136 respondents), elaborates on a number of external factors affecting returned early career academics’ research performance. Understanding these factors is helpful for the building of a favorable environment that can improve the research performance of the returned early career academics, and hence the sustainable development of universities.
The Efficacy of Motivational Interviewing with Cognitive Behavioral Treatment on Behavior Changes in Heavy Drinkers
Authors: Kang Kyonghwa , Kim Sungjae
Published: January 2021

This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of motivational interviewing (MI) with cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) on behavioral changes of heavy drinkers. This study used embedded mixed methods that integrate sequential qualitative interviews with quantitative evaluation. Of a total of 47 participants, 24 belonged to an intervention group, which participated in the MI with CBT on behavioral changes once a week, 25–30 min on average, for 8 weeks. A total of 23 participants were assigned to a control group, which received a 7-page booklet containing information about alcohol. A t-test, generalized linear model, and qualitative analysis were used to evaluate the effects of MI with CBT. The interview data (n = 13) were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. There was a statistically significant change in participants’ beliefs concerning the immediate effects of drinking (F = 3.827, p = 0.025). Additionally, the intervention group had a significantly higher drinking refusal self-efficacy than the control group (F = 4.426, p = 0.015). Four themes emerged from the analysis of qualitative data: reduction of benefits of drinking, changes in thoughts about costs of drinking, changes in drinking behavior, and achieving self-efficacy. The MI with CBT significantly promoted awareness of problem-drinking behaviors among heavy drinkers and increased their self-efficacy, improving their ability to make positive behavioral changes for themselves. Since this intervention is simple and easy to apply, it will be useful for problem drinking-prevention strategies in the public health sector. Therefore, efforts to disseminate these strategies will be worthwhile from sustainable perspectives.
4D Einstein–Gauss–Bonnet Gravity Coupled with Nonlinear Electrodynamics
Authors: Kruglov Sergey Il’ich
Published: January 2021

A new exact spherically symmetric and magnetically charged black hole solution in regularization scheme of Glavan and Lin is obtained. The nonlinear electrodynamics Lagrangian is given by LNED=−F/(1+2βF4), where F is the field invariant. We study the thermodynamics calculating the Hawking temperature and the heat capacity of the black hole. The phase transitions take place when the Hawking temperature has an extremum and the heat capacity is singular. We demonstrate that black holes are thermodynamically stable in some range of event horizon radii where the heat capacity is positive. The BH shadow radius is calculated and we study its dependance on model parameters.
Electron Symmetry Breaking during Attosecond Charge Migration Induced by Laser Pulses: Point Group Analyses for Quantum Dynamics
Authors: Haase Dietrich , Hermann Gunter , Manz Jörn , Pohl Vincent , Tremblay Jean Christophe
Published: January 2021

Quantum simulations of the electron dynamics of oriented benzene and Mg-porphyrin driven by short (<10 fs) laser pulses yield electron symmetry breaking during attosecond charge migration. Nuclear motions are negligible on this time domain, i.e., the point group symmetries G = D6h and D4h of the nuclear scaffolds are conserved. At the same time, the symmetries of the one-electron densities are broken, however, to specific subgroups of G for the excited superposition states. These subgroups depend on the polarization and on the electric fields of the laser pulses. They can be determined either by inspection of the symmetry elements of the one-electron density which represents charge migration after the laser pulse, or by a new and more efficient group-theoretical approach. The results agree perfectly with each other. They suggest laser control of symmetry breaking. The choice of the target subgroup is restricted, however, by a new theorem, i.e., it must contain the symmetry group of the time-dependent electronic Hamiltonian of the oriented molecule interacting with the laser pulse(s). This theorem can also be applied to confirm or to falsify complementary suggestions of electron symmetry breaking by laser pulses.
Second Harmonic Scattering of Molecular Aggregates
Authors: Revillod Guillaume , Duboisset Julien , Russier-Antoine Isabelle , Benichou Emmanuel , Jonin Christian , Brevet Pierre-François
Published: January 2021

A general model is developed to describe the polarization-resolved second harmonic scattering (SHS) response from a liquid solution of molecular aggregates. In particular, the molecular spatial order is introduced to consider the coherent contribution, also known as the retarded contribution, besides the incoherent contribution. The model is based on the description of a liquid suspension of molecular dyes represented by point-like nonlinear dipoles, locally excited by the fundamental field and radiating at the harmonic frequency. It is shown that for a non-centrosymmetrical spatial arrangement of the nonlinear dipoles, the SHS response is very similar to the purely incoherent response, and is of electric dipole origin. However, for centrosymmetrical or close to centrosymmetrical spatial arrangements of the nonlinear dipoles, the near cancellation of the incoherent contribution due to the inversion symmetry rule allows the observation of the coherent contribution of the SHS response, also known as the electric quadrupole contribution. This model is illustrated with experimental data obtained for aqueous solutions of the dye Crystal Violet (CV) in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and mixed water-methanol solutions of the dye 4-(4–dihexadecylaminostyryl)-N-methylpyridinium iodide (DiA), a cationic amphiphilic probe molecule with a strong first hyper-polarizability; both CV and DiA form molecular aggregates in these conditions. The quantitative determination of a retardation parameter opens a window into the spatial arrangements of the dyes in the aggregates, despite the small nanoscale dimensions of the latter.
Effects of Memantine in Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review
Authors: Khan Sungeen , Ali Ayesha , Kadir Bryar , Ahmed Zubair , Di Pietro Valentina
Published: January 2021

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects millions of people around the world and amongst other effects, causes cognitive decline, neurodegenerative disease and increased risk of seizures and sensory disturbances. Excitotoxicity and apoptosis occur after TBI and are mediated through the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-type glutamate receptor. Memantine is effective in blocking excessive activity of NMDA-type glutamate receptors and reduces the progression of dementia and may have benefits after TBI. Here, we performed a systematic review of the literature to evaluate whether memantine is effective in improving outcomes, including cognitive function in patients with TBI. Our search yielded only 4 randomized control trials (RCTs) that compared the effects of memantine to placebos, standard treatment protocols or piracetam. A single RCT reported that serum neuron-specific enolase (NSE) levels were significantly reduced (p = 0.009) in the memantine compared to the control group, and this coincided with reported significant day-to-day improvements in Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) for patients receiving memantine. The remaining RCTs investigated the effects of memantine on cognitive function using 26 standardized tests for assessing cognition function. One RCT reported significant improvements in cognitive function across all domains whilst the other two RCTs, reported that patients in the memantine group underperformed in all cognitive outcome measures. This review shows that despite laboratory and clinical evidence reporting reduced serum NSE and improved GCS, supporting the existence of the neuroprotective properties, there is a lack of reported evidence from RCTs to suggest that memantine directly leads to cognitive improvements in TBI patients.
Early Life Vaccination of Companion Animal Pets
Authors: Dodds W. Jean
Published: January 2021

Development of the immune system of mammalian animal species parallels that of humans and involves the innate and adaptive (acquired) immune responses acting together with the thymus gland. Consequently, issues surrounding the adequacy and safety of vaccinations to protect pet animals from their relevant infectious diseases need to be addressed just as they are for humans. Pet animals, especially canines, also have unique needs because of the wide diversity of purebred and mixed breeds that vary greatly in size, type, temperament, and even maturation rates. Furthermore, pets in early life encounter a series of changes that can affect their development and induce stressors including parasite control, new homes and environment, novel foods, and the socialization that is essential at a time when vaccinations need to be given. While recognizing that this overall need is becoming more understood, current vaccination policy guidelines for companion animals are still only adhered to by about 40% of veterinarians worldwide. Clearly, vaccination of pets should no longer be considered as “one size fits all”.
Evolution, Clinical and Microbiological Characteristics of Invasive Pneumococcal Disease since the Introduction of the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine 13-Valent in Adults over 18 Years Old
Authors: Buades Juan , Losada Ines , González-Moreno Juan , Peñaranda Maria , Vilaplana Laia , Roda Nuria , Rey Adelaida , Rodriguez Adrian , Garau Margarita , de Gopegui Enrique Ruiz , Serra Antoni , Saurina Juan , Payeras Antoni
Published: January 2021

Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) presents high mortality in the population at risk. The aim of this work is to know the evolution, clinical and microbiological characteristics of IPD in the adult population of Majorca, since the introduction of a public funded program for pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-13) in the pediatric population in the Balearic Islands in 2016. For this purpose, a retrospective multicenter study was carried out in which all episodes of IPD in adult patients from the four hospitals of the public health system of Majorca were included, comparing the periods between 2012 and 2015 and between 2016 and 2019. Clinical variables, serotypes and antibiotic sensitivity were collected. There were 498 cases of IPD; 56.8% were male with a mean age of 67 (standard deviation: 16). Most infections were bacterial pneumonias (73.7%). Of the total cases, 264 (53%) presented complications. Of the 498 cases, 351 strains were obtained, of which 145 (41.3%) belong to vaccinal serotypes (included in the PCV-13 vaccine) and 206 (58.7%) to non-vaccinal serotypes (not included in the PCV-13 vaccine). The percentage of IPD caused by vaccinal serotypes was lower in the second period (47.8% vs. 34.5%; p = 0.012).
Impeller Optimization in Crossflow Hydraulic Turbines
Authors: Sinagra Marco , Picone Calogero , Aricò Costanza , Pantano Antonio , Tucciarelli Tullio , Hannachi Marwa , Driss Zied
Published: January 2021

Crossflow turbines represent a valuable choice for energy recovery in aqueducts, due to their constructive simplicity and good efficiency under variable head jump conditions. Several experimental and numerical studies concerning the optimal design of crossflow hydraulic turbines have already been proposed, but all of them assume that structural safety is fully compatible with the sought after geometry. We show first, with reference to a specific study case, that the geometry of the most efficient impeller would lead shortly, using blades with a traditional circular profile made with standard material, to their mechanical failure. A methodology for fully coupled fluid dynamic and mechanical optimization of the blade cross-section is then proposed. The methodology assumes a linear variation of the curvature of the blade external surface, along with an iterative use of two-dimensional (2D) computational fluid dynamic (CFD) and 3D structural finite element method (FEM) simulations. The proposed methodology was applied to the design of a power recovery system (PRS) turbine already installed in an operating water transport network and was finally validated with a fully 3D CFD simulation coupled with a 3D FEM structural analysis of the entire impeller.
Interaction of Factors Influencing the Sustainability of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Services in Rural Indonesia: Evidence from Small Surveys of WASH-Related Stakeholders in Indonesia
Authors: Daniel D. , Djohan Dennis , Nastiti Anindrya
Published: January 2021

It is argued that there are interconnected and dynamic factors that influence the sustainability of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in developing countries. Five sustainability factors are often mentioned by literature: financial, institutional, environmental, technical, and social (FIETS) factors. This article aims to understand the interaction of those five sustainability factors in the context of WASH services in Indonesia. A system approach, in the form of a “modified” causal loop diagram, was utilized to analyze this interaction. The strength of influence from one factor to others were obtained from small surveys of 16 WASH practitioners and experts from international and national non-governmental organizations (NGOs) based in Indonesia and national government institutions related to WASH. It was found that institutional factor is the “leverage” factor, i.e., the most influential and least dependent, in the WASH services system in Indonesia. It means that WASH institutional strengthening is necessary to sustain WASH services in Indonesia. Furthermore, the most important feedback loop is social–WASH services. This depicts the importance of the bi-directional effect of WASH services and the social conditions of the community, i.e., the more supportive the community is, the higher the likelihood of the sustainability of WASH services, and then positively influence back the social conditions of the community. Moreover, the relationship between factors varies across context or location. Finally, this paper shows that the sustainability of WASH services involves complex interactions of the sustainability factors and understanding these interactions is critical to sustaining the WASH services or program in rural Indonesia.
Online Supplement to "Wrong-Site Surgery in Pennsylvania During 2015–2019: A Study of Variables Associated With 368 Events From 178 Facilities"
Authors: Yonash Robert , Taylor Matthew
Published: January 2021

This supplementary material has been provided by the authors to give readers additional information about their work.
SISTEM INFORMASI EVALUASI KARYAWAN BERBASIS WEB PADA PT PRAWEDA CIPTAKARSA INFORMATIKA JAKARTA
Authors: Susanti Susi
Published: January 2021

The evaluation process at PT. Praweda Ciptakrsa Informatika is still conventional. During this time the competency methods in PT. Praweda Ciptakarsa Informatika is still not in line with employee expectations, because there are still non-transparent assessments made during performance appraisals. To answer the above problems, companies need a system that can store data and information about performance evaluation parameters, store evaluation results, and assist team leaders in carrying out employee performance evaluation processes. Employee information systems can produce employee evaluation reports, which can help superiors in making evaluations of the employees concerned transparently.
Influence Of Work Discipline, Ethics, Communication, Work Satisfaction On Employee Work Loyalty In Batam University
Authors: Yanti Sri , Rumengan Jemmy , Gunawan Dahlan
Published: January 2021

This study, researchers used respondent data, such as gender, age and duration of  work of respondents to be able to provide information about the characteristics of  respondents. The study population was employees at Batam University, which consisted  of dozens and employees. The sample is determined by the number of sample members  (sample size) of 90 people by proportional random sampling technique. 45 lecturers and  45 Batam university employees. This research is the result of a field study to obtain  questionnaire answer data that measures five main variables in this study, namely Work  Discipline, Ethics, Communication, Job Satisfaction of work Loyalty at Batam University  employees. The instrument was developed based on theoretical studies, then defined in  conceptual definitions, operational definitions, and developed through lattice instruments  and technical techniques. Knitted data analysis uses descriptive statistics and statistical  analysis to test the significance of path coefficients, descriptive statistics to present data  in the form of frequency distribution tables, histograms, and the number of statistics such  as media, modes, averages, variants, and foreign standards. exchange. Statistical tests are  used to test the significance of path coefficients using Partial Least Square (PLS) which is  a Multivariate Analysis in the second generation using structural equation modeling  (SEM). PLS can be used for a small number of samples, and of course with a large  number of samples will be better able to improve the accuracy of estimates. PLS does not  require the assumption that data distribution must be normal or not. The construct form  can use a reflective or formative model in which from the results of statistical analysis,  the relationship between variables formulated in the formulation of a problem as many as  7 pieces obtained significant results.