Analysis of factors affecting the construction duration of public health emergency medical facilities.

Objectives: This study explores the factors influencing the construction duration of public health emergency medical facilities and the ways in which they can be enhanced. Methods: Combining 30 relevant emergency medical facility construction cases in different cities in China from 2020 to 2021, seven condition variables and an outcome variable were selected, and necessary and sufficient condition analyses of duration influence factors were conducted using the fsQCA method. Results: The consistency of seven condition variables was <0.9, which shows that the construction period of public health emergency medical facilities is not independently affected by a single condition variable but by multiple influencing factors. The solution consistency value of the path configurations was 0.905, indicating that four path configurations were sufficient for the outcome variables. The solution coverage of the four path configurations was 0.637, indicating that they covered ~63.7% of the public health emergency medical facility cases. Conclusion: To reduce the construction duration, the construction of emergency medical facilities should focus on planning and design, the selection of an appropriate form of construction, the reasonable deployment of resources, and the vigorous adoption of information technology.

Communication and education: challenges, urgencies and shared meanings in a pandemic. A gaze at the cultural configurations in Buenos Aires schools

This article, which is a research report, exposes data that was built in the field -five secondary schools in Buenos Aires- during the period of the COVID-19 Pandemic within the framework of the project "Cultural configurations, secondary schools and significant learning" accredited in the SPU and in which the authors participated. In the aforementioned research project, the concepts of communication, education and cultural configurations make up the explanatory framework of the problem to be investigated and were also central in the analysis of the social and pedagogical relationships that were revealed.In the field of research, communication is revealed as an organizer of educational institutions in Pandemic, considering a double perspective: as social communication and as pedagogical-didactic communication.These two ways of communicating articulate meanings in each specific cultural configuration, enabling or hindering the generation of significant learning experiences.

Modification of the Aeration-Supplied Configuration in the Biodrying Process for Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) Production

Biodrying is an essential part of the mechanical–biological treatment process that minimizes moisture content and simultaneously maximizes heating value for refuse-derived fuel (RDF) production. Although the mechanical separation process operates effectively in Thailand's RDF production, high organic content levels and their degradation cause moisture contamination in RDF, producing wet RDF. Aeration is essential for an effective biodrying process, and can reduce RDF's moisture content as well as increase its heating value. To maximize the biodrying effect, aeration should be optimized based on the waste conditions. This study proposes a modified aeration-supplied configuration for wet RDF biodrying. The aeration rate was modified based on the period within the biodrying operation;the first period is from the beginning until day 2.5, and the second period is from day 2.5 to day 5. The optimal aeration supply configuration was 0.5 m3/kg/day in the first period and then 0.3 m3/kg/day until the end of the process;this configuration yielded the greatest moisture content decrease of 35% and increased the low heating value of the biodried product by 11%. The final moisture content and low heating value were 24.07% and 4787 kcal/kg, respectively. Therefore, this optimal aeration-supplied configuration could be applied to meet the moisture content and low heating value requirements of the RDF production standard for Thailand's local cement industry.

The Collages of Athens. The Representation of the City in the 21th Century

Since 2000s, Athens has been changed due to imponent urban transformations mainly provoked by the implementation of large-scale works in occasion of the 28th Olympic Games in 2004, then by the dramatic effects caused by the impact of the 2008 economic crisis and the imposition of austerity policies and, finally, by the unbalanced growth of the subsequent economic recovery that abruptly halted with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The city has rapidly changed not only its urban configuration, but also the way it has been perceived and represented. During these years, it can be registered a diffuse interest among architects and artists for the use of collage to represent Athens. While during the previous century in Greece collage was mainly limited to the representation of rural and mythological landscape, since 2000s many collaged images embed for the first time many urban features of the contemporary metropolis. This paper aims to present how collage art had been adopted by architects to describe, analyze, critic, and imagine the city as an attempt to find a proper tool to deal effectively with the emerging urban issues that had arose with the new status of Athens as a metropolitan city. In particular, the association between collage and the city will be investigated in relation with the periods of growth (2000–2008), decay (2008–2015) and economic recovery (2015–2020). © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Students' basic psychological needs in blended teacher learning groups

Introduction: Student teachers (henceforth: students) in higher education often experience feelings of emotional loneliness that negatively impact upon their well-being and motivation to learn. Consequently, the importance of social learning for students has gained increased prominence, with Teacher Learning Groups (TLGs), that is, social configurations in which students, in-service teachers, and teacher educators, sometimes supplemented by researchers and/or experts, collaboratively learn through social interactions, being introduced in teacher training institutes. Ordinarily, TLGs organized their meetings face-to-face;however, due to COVID-19 measures, they had to rapidly transition to blended meetings, which in turn impacted upon students' basic psychological needs. Methods: In the present study, a convergent parallel mixed-methods design was utilized. The variables Social Configurations (Practice integration, Long-term orientation and goals;Shared identity and equal relationships) and Basic Psychological Needs (Competence, Autonomy, Relatedness) were assessed through the use of qualitative interviews and by administering two online quantitative surveys: the "Dimensions of Social Learning Questionnaire” and the "Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale”. Seventy students completed the questionnaires, while 14 students were interviewed. The students were recruited from four teacher training institutes. Results: The analyses reveal that the more students perceive Shared identity and equal relationships in blended TLGs, the greater the fulfillment of Basic Psychological Needs they experience. Moreover, the more students experience the fulfillment of the need for Competence, the more students perceive TLGs' Social Configurations. Discussion: Based on the findings, we conclude that, although in-depth learning is more challenging during distance learning, blended TLGs are valuable for students' Basic Psychological Needs during unpredictable times. Copyright © 2023 De Vocht, Vrieling-Teunter, Sins and Vermeulen.

Impacts of social distancing measures on global supply chain configuration

World Health Organisation has advised governments to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by introducing stringent social distancing measures (SDMs) in five levels, ranging from pandemic surveillance, stay-at-home recommendations, workplace closures, to national and international travel restrictions. These measures inevitably disrupt global business environment and supply chain configuration. Existing literature does not comprehensively analyze the five-level SDMs' impacts on firms and supply chains. Thus, we established a mixed-integer programming model to integrate environment changes in lead time and cost for transportation and processing, market size, and the number of countries (NoC) imposing the SDMs. Sensitivity analysis is conducted to evaluate propagation impacts on global supply chains when the SDMs are imposed on firms in different echelons of supply chains. Results show that (i) supply chain losses and disruptions primarily depend on the NoC, followed by restricted transportation, market size, and processing limitations. (ii) When the SDMs, especially restrictions on transportation, are implemented in downstream echelons, the propagation impacts on supply chains and firms become more significant. (iii) Compared with elastic-demand supply chains, the fixed-demand one, e.g. food supply chain, suffers more significantly with the stringent SDMs and high holding costs. Finally, managerial implications are discussed from supply chains, firms, and policymakers.

Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis in consumer research: A systematic literature review

The traditional symmetrical methods may not be sufficient for effectively examining the asymmetries that are evident in the real-world complex consumption context in the form of pandemic, and other technological, sociocultural, environmental, and geo-political factors. As a result, the use of innovative and asymmetrical methods such as fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), which draws from the complexity theory could help better predict and explain consumer decisions in the age of disruptions. Through a comprehensive method-based systematic literature review of 129 research articles published in the consumer behavior research literature, this study helps to identify the key trends, leading publication sources and contributors, and the current knowledge structure of consumer research using fsQCA. In doing so, this review also sheds light on the state of diversity within this particular area of research. The findings help identify the key future avenues for utilizing fsQCA within consumer research. This review is a useful resource for practitioners to gain a direct access to key consumer research scholars for identifying the constructs (e.g., antecedents, mediators, moderators, enablers, inhibitors) shaping consumer behaviors to inform strategic decisions.

Advanced two-stage cascade configurations for energy-efficient -80 °C refrigeration.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, some vaccines have been developed requiring ultralow-temperature refrigeration, and the number of these freezers has been increased worldwide. Ultralow-temperature refrigeration operates with a significant temperature lift and, hence, a massive decrease in energy performance. Therefore, cascade cycles based on two vapor compression single-stage cycles are traditionally used for these temperatures. This paper proposes the combination of six different cycles (single-stage with and without internal heat exchanger, vapor injection, liquid injection, and parallel compression with and without economizer) in two-stage cascades to analyze the operational and energy performance in ultralow-temperature freezers. All this leads to 42 different configurations in which the intermediate cascade temperature is optimized to maximize the coefficient of performance. Ultra-low global warming potential natural refrigerants such as R-290 (propane) and R-170 (ethane) for the cascade high- and low-temperature stage have been considered. From the thermodynamic analysis, it can be concluded that liquid and vapor injection cascade configurations are the most energy-efficient. More specifically, those containing a vapor injection in the low-temperature stage (0.89 coefficient of performance, 40 % higher than traditional configurations). Then, using an internal heat exchanger for such low temperatures is unnecessary in terms of energy performance. The optimum intermediate cascade temperature varies significantly among cycles, from -37 °C to 2 °C, substantially impacting energy performance. Parallel compression configuration improves energy performance over single-stage cycles, but not as much as multi-stage (between 20 % and 30 % lower coefficient of performance). For most of low-temperature cycles, the high-temperature stage can be based on a single-stage cycle while keeping the maximum coefficient of performance.

Research on Urban Resilience and Influencing Factors of Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle

Building resilient cities is the foundation and guarantee for the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle to achieve high-quality and sustainable development. This research uses the entropy TOPSIS method to evaluate the urban resilience level of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle and uses the Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) approach to analyze the configuration of contributing factors. Research indicates that the overall urban resilience level is relatively low, with more than 70% of the areas being less than 0.3. Overall, Chengdu (Level 1) and Chongqing central districts (Level 2) are 1–3 levels higher than their surrounding areas, which indicates insufficient spatial balance. The consistency scores of the single-antecedent condition necessity analyses were all less than 0.9, and the consistencies of all configuration analysis results were all greater than 0.8. This research proves that the creation of urban resilience is the result of a combination of factors, rather than the independent influence from any individual factor. Financial and innovation forces are the key driving factors that affect the level of urban resilience. The multiple driving model also helps to improve the level of resilience. The lack of cultural and innovation forces in Chongqing area has been proven to inhibit the level of urban resilience, and the lack of openness and political focus has resulted in a low level of resilience in the Sichuan area. We propose to promote the construction of a “dual core”, to create synergies between Chongqing and Chengdu, and to achieve balanced and integrated development in the entire region. We focus on the key factors affecting the resilience level of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle. In the future, we suggest further opening the market and implementing a developing strategy that is driven by economy and innovation. Regarding the construction of the Sichuan and the Chongqing areas, we encourage the two regions to adjust policies based on local conditions. First, the administration should solve the driving force deficiencies for development, then adopt differentiation strategies for regional development.

Improving the Energy Efficiency of Software-Defined Networks through the Prediction of Network Configurations

During the last years, huge efforts have been conducted to reduce the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector energy consumption due to its impact on the carbon footprint, in particular, the one coming from networking equipment. Although the irruption of programmable and softwarized networks has opened new perspectives to improve the energy-efficient solutions already defined for traditional IP networks, the centralized control of the Software-Defined Networking (SDN) paradigm entails an increase in the time required to compute a change in the network configuration and the corresponding actions to be carried out (e.g., installing/removing rules, putting links to sleep, etc.). In this paper, a Machine Learning solution based on Logistic Regression is proposed to predict energy-efficient network configurations in SDN. This solution does not require executing optimal or heuristic solutions at the SDN controller, which otherwise would result in higher computation times. Experimental results over a realistic network topology show that our solution is able to predict network configurations with a high feasibility (>95%), hence improving the energy savings achieved by a benchmark heuristic based on Genetic Algorithms. Moreover, the time required for computation is reduced by a factor of more than 500,000 times.

Configurations for positive public behaviors in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 crisis poses considerable threats to public health, and exploring the key configuration conditions of the public behavior response is very important for emergency risk management. OBJECTIVE: This study attempts to reveal differences in the conditional configuration and mechanism of public behavior based on the proposed framework, further make up for the deficiencies of existing research in explaining such issues as "How to promote the public's protective behavior or reduce the public's excessive behavior?" and finally provide new evidence and ideas for the government to improve the emergency management system. METHODS: A total of 735 valid cases were obtained using an online survey and revealed the conditional configuration and mechanism of public behavior differences through a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis based on the proposed public behavioral framework. RESULTS: The results show that critical factors including risk communication, trust, risk perception, and negative emotions alone did not constitute a necessary condition for public protective or excessive behavior. The different configurations of influencing factors reveal the complexity of public behavioral risk management, and taking adequate measures to increase public trust and reduce negative public emotions constitute the core path of risk management to enhance positive public behavior. CONCLUSIONS: The configurations of various influencing factors reveal the complexity of public behavioral risk management. For behavioral risk management, governments should focus on adapting to multiple conditions according to their situations and, under the "overall perspective," formulate policies based on local conditions and further form a differentiated risk management path. Practically speaking, for the government, taking adequate measures to increase public trust and reduce negative public emotions is the core path of risk management to enhance positive public behavior.

Research on Wire-to-Two Fin Configuration for Positive Atmospheric Plasma by Electrokinetic Blower

Interest in the development of electro-fluid-dynamic devices (EFDs) based on corona discharge is growing due to their advantages and applicability across different industrial sectors. On the one hand, their performance as forced convection motors, in terms of weight, volume, and absence of noise and moving parts, make them competitive against traditional systems such as fans. On the other hand, the actions of the corona discharge, in terms of elimination of viruses and bacteria, are already known. This paper studies the characteristics of corona discharge in terms of air flow for a new proposed configuration and geometry of electrodes. A systematic study is performed through a parametric study of the distances, power consumption, and size of the corona electrode. The characteristic voltage–current (CVCCs) and flow–pressure curves obtained provide design rules to use the generated corona discharge and the device itself, as a silent air propeller, which may also sterilize the surrounding environment and surfaces.

Trade policies, firm strategies, and adaptive reconfigurations of global value chains

The recent U.S.–China trade conflicts cast new light on the role of trade policies in global value chains (GVCs). Contrary to the expectation that trade restrictions lead to the shrinking or disruption of GVCs, our article posits that the unintended consequences of trade policies (both restrictions and trade agreements) are amplified by the prevalence and organizational complexity of GVCs. We anchor our argument in the historical evolution of three classic GVCs – apparel, automobiles, and electronics – from the 1970s to the present. Our framework highlights the dynamic interaction between GVC-oriented trade policies and firm strategies, which often has counterintuitive implications in terms of upgrading outcomes for the countries and companies involved in these GVCs. While trade policies often provide momentum for an adaptive reconfiguration of GVCs, firms’ strategic actions are crucial in modifying the geographic and organizational features of GVCs in ways that support their longevity. Firm strategies can mediate the effect of trade policies on GVC configurations in two ways: (1) firms can accommodate trade restrictions and trade agreements by altering supply and demand locations and by switching supply-chain partners;and (2) firms pursue diverse strategies to upgrade their value chain activities, leveraging the shifting geographies associated with new trade rules.

PowerQoPE: A Personal Quality of Internet Protection and Experience Configurator

Security configuration remains obscure for many Internet users, especially those with limited computing skills. This obscurity exposes such users to various Internet attacks. Recently, there has been an increase in cyberattacks targeted at individuals due to the remote workforce imposed by the COVID 19 pandemic. These attacks have exposed the inefficiencies of the non-human-centric implementation of Internet security mechanisms and protocols. Security research usually positions users as the weakest link in the security ecosystem, making system and protocol developers exclude the users in the development process. This stereotypical approach has negatively affected users’ security uptake. Mostly, security systems are not comprehensible for an average user, negatively affecting performance and Quality of Experience. This causes the users to shun using security mechanisms. Building on human-centric cybersecurity research, we present a tool that aids in configuring Internet Quality of protection and Experience (referred to as PowerQoPE in this paper). We describe its architecture and design methodology and finally present evaluation results. Preliminary evaluation results show that user-centric and data-driven approaches in the design of Internet security systems improves users’ Quality of Experience. The controlled experiment results show that users are not really stupid;they know what they want and that given proper security configuration platforms with proper framing of components and information, they can make optimal security decisions. © 2022, IFIP International Federation for Information Processing.

The Prevalence, Coexistence, and Correlations between Seven Pathogens Detected by a PCR Method from South-Western Poland Dairy Cattle Suffering from Bovine Respiratory Disease.

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a very important disease that contributes to economic losses in dairy and beef cattle breeding worldwide. The molecular testing of material from 296 calves showing BRD symptoms from 74 dairy herds located in south-western Poland was performed in 2019-2021. Molecular tests were performed using a commercial kit "VetMAXTM Ruminant Respiratory Screening Kit" (Thermo Fisher Scientific) for the simultaneous detection of genetic material of seven pathogens responsible for BRD. At least one pathogen was detected in 95.95% of herds. The overall prevalence was: Pasteurella multocida 87.84%, Mannheimia haemolytica 44.59%, bovine coronavirus (BcoV) 32.43%, Mycoplasma bovis 29.73%, Histophilus somni 28.38%, bovine parainfluenza virus type 3 (BPIV-3) 13.51%, and bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) 10.81%. Twenty-nine configurations of pathogen occurrences were found. Bacterial infections were the most frequently recorded as 56.7% of all results. Coinfections mainly consisted of two pathogens. Not a single purely viral coinfection was detected. The most frequent result was a single P. multocida infection accounting for 18.31% of all results. The statistically significant correlation (p = 0.001) with the highest strength of effect (ϕ 0.38) was between M. bovis and H. somni.

Pharmaceutical plant machine availability prediction using Artificial Neural Network

During the 2nd phase of COVID-19 pandemic, pharmaceutical plant industry is facing lot of production pressure and machine availability plays vital role in maximizing the manufacturing pharmacy product output. In this paper, Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) based information processing algorithm has been used to provide a solution to this problem and it has been found suitable to predict machines availability as a prediction function. The considered pharmaceutical plants are dealing with production of medicines related common symptoms in case of COVID-19 (fever, coughing, and breathing problems). The pharmaceutical plant data corresponding to different values of repair and failure rates of different subsystems is collected from plant and analyzed with the help of validated neural network value of availability. This configuration of ANNs approach developed in this research allowed simplifying computational complexities of conventional approaches to solve a large plant machines availability problem. The ANNs methodology in the paper permitted making no assumption, no explicit coding of the problem, no complete knowledge of system configuration, only raw input and clean data found to be sufficient to determine the value of machine availability function for different value of failure and repair rates considered in the paper. The results obtained in the paper are useful for the plant leadership, as the value of failure and repair rates of various subsystems can be fine-tuned at a require clear-cut level to achieve higher availability, and avoid considerably loss of production, loss of man power, and by-pass complete breakdown of concerned system.

Security Mental Models and Personal Security Practices of Internet Users in Africa

Recent trends show an increase in risks for personal cyberattacks, in part due to an increase in remote work that has been imposed by worldwide Covid-19 lockdowns. These attacks have further exposed the inefficiencies of the paternalistic design of Internet security systems and security configuration frameworks. Prior research has shown that users often have inadequate Internet security and privacy mental models. However, little is known about the causes of flawed mental models. Using mixed methods over a period of nine months, we investigate Internet security mental models of users in Africa and the implications of these mental models on personal security practice. Consistent with prior research, we find inadequate Internet security mental models in self-reported expert and non-expert Internet users. In addition, our mental modelling and task analysis reveal that the flawed security practice does not only result from users’ negligence, but also from lack of sufficient Internet security knowledge. Our findings motivate for reinforcing users’ Internet security mental models through personalised security configuration frameworks to allow users, especially those with limited technical skills, to easily configure their desired security levels. © 2022, ICST Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering.

Understanding Multi-Device Usage Patterns: Physical Device Configurations and Fragmented Workflows

To better ground technical (systems) investigation and interaction design of cross-device experiences, we contribute an in-depth survey of existing multi-device practices, including fragmented workflows across devices and the way people physically organize and configure their workspaces to support such activity. Further, this survey documents a historically significant moment of transition to a new future of remote work, an existing trend dramatically accelerated by the abrupt switch to work-from-home (and having to contend with the demands of home-at-work) during the COVID-19 pandemic. We surveyed 97 participants, and collected photographs of home setups and open-ended answers to 50 questions categorized in 5 themes. We characterize the wide range of multi-device physical configurations and identify five usage patterns, including: partitioning tasks, integrating multi-device usage, cloning tasks to other devices, expanding tasks and inputs to multiple devices, and migrating between devices. Our analysis also sheds light on the benefits and challenges people face when their workflow is fragmented across multiple devices. These insights have implications for the design of multi-device experiences that support people's fragmented workflows. © 2022 Owner/Author.

Configurational paths to medical crowdfunding success and failure based on a crisp-set qualitative comparative analysis

Purpose>With the increasing use of crowdfunding platforms in raising funds, it has become an important and oft-researched topic to analyze the critical factors associated with successful or failed crowdfunding. However, as a major subject of crowdfunding, medical crowdfunding has received much less scholarly attention. The purpose of this paper is to explore how contingency factors combine and casually connect in determining the success or failure of medical crowdfunding projects based on signal theory.Design/methodology/approach>The paper adopts the crisp-set qualitative comparative analysis to analyze the causal configurations of 200 projects posted on a leading medical crowdfunding platform in China “Tencent Donation.” Five anecdotal conditions that could have an impact on the outcome of medical crowdfunding campions were identified. Three relate to the project (funding duration, number of images and number of updates) and two relate to the funding participants (type of suffer and type of fund-raiser).Findings>The results show that diversified configurations of the aforementioned conditions are found (six configurations for successful medical crowdfunding projects and four configurations for failed ones).Originality/value>Despite the fact that there are a considerably large number of medical crowdfunding projects, relatively few researches have been conducted to investigate configurational paths to medical crowdfunding success and failure. It is found that there are certain combinations of conditions that are clearly superior to other configurations in explaining the observed outcomes.

Quality Assessment of Fruits and Vegetables Based on Spatially Resolved Spectroscopy: A Review

Damage occurs easily and is difficult to find inside fruits and vegetables during transportation or storage, which not only brings losses to fruit and vegetable distributors, but also reduces the satisfaction of consumers. Spatially resolved spectroscopy (SRS) is able to detect the quality attributes of fruits and vegetables at different depths, which is of great significance to the quality classification and defect detection of horticultural products. This paper is aimed at reviewing the applications of spatially resolved spectroscopy for measuring the quality attributes of fruits and vegetables in detail. The principle of light transfer in biological tissues, diffusion approximation theory and methodologies are introduced, and different configuration designs for spatially resolved spectroscopy are compared and analyzed. Besides, spatially resolved spectroscopy applications based on two aspects for assessing the quality of fruits and vegetables are summarized. Finally, the problems encountered in previous studies are discussed, and future development trends are presented. It can be concluded that spatially resolved spectroscopy demonstrates great application potential in the field of fruit and vegetable quality attribute evaluation. However, due to the limitation of equipment configurations and data processing speed, the application of spatially resolved spectroscopy in real-time online detection is still a challenge.