Integration of Web Processing Services with Workflow-Based Scientific Applications for Solving Environmental Monitoring Problems

Nowadays, developing and applying advanced digital technologies for monitoring protected natural territories are critical problems. Collecting, digitalizing, storing, and analyzing spatiotemporal data on various aspects of the life cycle of such territories play a significant role in monitoring. Often, data processing requires the utilization of high-performance computing. To this end, the paper addresses a new approach to automation of implementing resource-intensive computational operations of web processing services in a heterogeneous distributed computing environment. To implement such an operation, we develop a workflow-based scientific application executed under the control of a multi-agent system. Agents represent heterogeneous resources of the environment and distribute the computational load among themselves. Software development is realized in the Orlando Tools framework, which we apply to creating and operating problem-oriented applications. The advantages of the proposed approach are in integrating geographic information services and high-performance computing tools, as well as in increasing computation speedup, balancing computational load, and improving the efficiency of resource use in the heterogeneous distributed computing environment. These advantages are shown in analyzing multidimensional time series.

Stellar Populations of Galaxies in the LAMOST Spectral Survey

We first derive the stellar population properties: age and metallicity for ∼43,000 low redshift galaxies in the DR7 of the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) survey, which have no spectroscopic observations in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We employ a fitting procedure based on the small-scale features of galaxy spectra so as to avoid possible biases from the uncertain flux calibration of the LAMOST spectroscopy. We show that our algorithm can successfully recover the average age and metallicity of the stellar populations of galaxies down to signal-to-noise ratio ≥5 through testing on both mock galaxies and real galaxies comprising LAMOST and their SDSS counterparts. We provide a catalog of the age and metallicity for ∼43,000 LAMOST galaxies online. As a demonstration of the scientific application of this catalog, we present the Holmberg effect on both age and metallicity of a sample of galaxies in galaxy pairs.

Movement Patterns of Electric Cargo Bike Commuters – First Insights from Field Experiments and Trajectory Analyses

In addition to and parallel to the SERVUS project, the requirements for a new, agile, urban cargo bicycle with electric drive are identified through a targeted, scientific application potential analysis in the project "E-Cargo Bike - Accompanying Research" described here. These findings are then implemented in the SERVUS project in an agile development and production process. Several prototypes are built in the process. The new e-cargo bicycles should be able to be used both privately and commercially. They will be presented to users for the first time at events (IAA 2021) and rated by them. In addition, the longer-term allocation of the bikes to selected users enables a cross-comparison with existing e-cargo bicycle models. Finally, the substitution potential of journeys in motorized individual transport is estimated and projected using the example of Munich. A key for gathering further information on the abilities of specific electric cargo bike types is tracking experiments with various sensor setups of which the first attempts are presented in this research. Additionally, and by enabling a certain spatial accuracy of gathered GNSS data, we are able to match selected maneuvers of these vehicle types to selected types of the Munich transportation infrastructure. Besides trajectory shapes of maneuvers, we are able to incorporate travel time and delay variations depending on investigation areas and times of the day at selected urban locations for every inspected maneuver (at for examples differing intersection geometries with and without traffic light signals). Another aspect is the presence of bicycle infrastructure and its relation to the option of using mixed traffic modes.

Plant Agronomic Features Can Predict Quality and Field Performance: A Bibliometric Analysis

Plant quality and survival prediction tools are useful when applied in the field in different agricultural sectors. The objectives of this study were to conduct a review and bibliometric analysis of the Dickson Quality Index (DQI) as a key plant quality indicator and with respect to its scientific applications. A third objective was to identify the main morphological and physiological parameters used in plant production research. The methodology and findings of 289 scientific articles were analysed based on the morphological, physiological, and mathematical parameters used as plant quality indicators in research on forest, medicinal, horticultural, aromatic, and ornamental species. During the last 10 years, the number of publications that have used the DQI as a plant quality parameter has increased by 150%, and Brazilian researchers stand out as the most frequent users. Forestry is the discipline where quality parameters and their biometric relationships are most often used to facilitate intensive plant production. Use of the DQI increases the certainty of prediction, selection, and productivity in the plant production chain. The DQI is a robust tool with scientific application and great potential for use in the preselection of plants with high quality standards among a wide range of plant species.

Addressing Algorithmic Bias in AI-Driven Customer Management

Research on AI has gained momentum in recent years. Many scholars and practitioners increasingly highlight the dark sides of AI, particularly related to algorithm bias. This study elucidates situations in which AI-enabled analytics systems make biased decisions against customers based on gender, race, religion, age, nationality or socioeconomic status. Based on a systematic literature review, this research proposes two approaches (i.e., a priori and post-hoc) to overcome such biases in customer management. As part of a priori approach, the findings suggest scientific, application, stakeholder and assurance consistencies. With regard to the post-hoc approach, the findings recommend six steps: bias identification, review of extant findings, selection of the right variables, responsible and ethical model development, data analysis and action on insights. Overall, this study contributes to the ethical and responsible use of AI applications.

Addressing Algorithm Bias in AI-Driven Customer Management

Research on AI has gained momentum in recent years. Many scholars and practitioners increasingly highlight the dark sides of AI, particularly related to algorithm bias. This study elucidates situations in which AI-enabled analytics systems make biased decisions against customers based on gender, race, religion, age, nationality or socioeconomic status. Based on a systematic literature review, this research proposes two approaches (i.e., a priori and post-hoc) to overcome such biases in customer management. As part of a priori approach, the findings suggest scientific, application, stakeholder and assurance consistencies. With regard to the post-hoc approach, the findings recommend six steps: bias identification, review of extant findings, selection of the right variables, responsible and ethical model development, data analysis and action on insights. Overall, this study contributes to the ethical and responsible use of AI applications.

Scientific Application of Standard Costing Practices in Manufacturing Industries-A Case Study

Standard Costing is one of the very traditional and yet an important tool in cost accounting. It plays a crucial role in controlling costs of an organization. The purpose of this study is to explore how standard costing could be effectively used in even small scale industries. With the emergence of modern scientific accounting systems, few experts have placed their opinion against the use of standard costing, marking it as obsolete and dysfunctional. But, the outcome of this study have shown that application of standard costing as modern management tools is still very much acceptable and in vogue. The lack of proper knowledge of standard costing is the only perceived hindrances in using and applying the same. Like any evolving field, this has to be applied scientifically to fetch the maximum benefit.

Measuring electrical properties of the lower troposphere using enhanced meteorological radiosondes

In atmospheric science, measurements above the surface have long been obtained by carrying instrument packages, radiosondes, aloft using balloons. Whilst occasionally used for research, most radiosondes – around one thousand are released daily – only generate data for routine weather forecasting. If meteorological radiosondes are modified to carry additional sensors, of either mass-produced commercial heritage or designed for a specific scientific application, a wide range of new measurements becomes possible. Development of add-on devices for standard radiosondes, whilst retaining the core meteorological use, is described here. Combining diverse sensors on a single radiosonde helps interpretation of findings, and yields economy of equipment, consumables and effort. A self-configuring system has been developed to allow different sensors to be easily combined, enhancing existing weather balloons and providing an emergency monitoring capability for airborne hazards. This research programme was originally pursued to investigate electrical properties of extensive layer clouds, and has expanded to include a wide range of balloon-carried sensors for solar radiation, cloud, turbulence, volcanic ash, radioactivity and space weather. For the layer cloud charge application, multiple soundings in both hemispheres have established that charging of extensive layer clouds is widespread, and likely to be a global phenomenon. This paper summarises the Christiaan Huygens medal lecture given at the 2021 European Geoscience Union meeting.

Novel improved fractional operators and their scientific applications

The motivation of this research is to introduce some new fractional operators called “the improved fractional (IF) operators”. The originality of these fractional operators comes from the fact that they repeat the method on general forms of conformable integration and differentiation rather than on the traditional ones. Hence the convolution kernels correlating with the IF operators are served in conformable abstract forms. This extends the scientific application scope of their fractional calculus. Also, some results are acquired to guarantee that the IF operators have advantages analogous to the familiar fractional integral and differential operators. To unveil the inverse and composition properties of the IF operators, certain function spaces with their characterizations are presented and analyzed. Moreover, it is remarkable that the IF operators generalize some fractional and conformable operators proposed in abundant preceding works. As scientific applications, the resistor–capacitor electrical circuits are analyzed under some IF operators. In the case of constant and periodic sources, this results in novel voltage forms. In addition, the overall influence of the IF operators on voltage behavior is graphically simulated for certain selected fractional and conformable parameter values. From the standpoint of computation, the usage of new IF operators is not limited to electrical circuits; they could also be useful in solving scientific or engineering problems.

Application areas of modern automated methods of anti-Müllerian hormone evaluation

Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMН) is a glycopeptide of the transforming growth factors β-family, used in many medical fields. Understanding of the biological role of AMH at norm and at pathology such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is expanding. This review includes the literature analysis on the synthesis and biological role of AMH in women and men; factors influencing its level; possibilities and limitations of clinical use of AMH in pediatric endocrinology/urogynecology, reproductive medicine, diagnosis of PCOS and other dyshormonal conditions, oncofertility programs and diagnosis of genital tumors.Effects of AMH in women: inhibiting the entry of primordial follicles into growth, control of follicle sensitivity to follicle-stimulating hormone, participation in the selection of the dominantfollicle, inhibition of aromatase activity in granulosa cells of the follicle, regulation of the gonadotropic generator of gonadotropic releasing hormone.AMH is an important component of predicting the response to ovulation stimulation in infertile women, diagnosis of nonclassical forms of PCOS, premature ovarian failure to the developmentof amenorrhea, other hormonal diseases, granulosa cell tumors, decisions about the possibility of maintaining reproductive function after cancer treatment. Currently, AMH cannot be used asa tool for individualized prediction of the age of menopause, fertility. It is not recommended to decide on the use of cryotechnologies based only on the AMH level.Evolution of laboratory estimation of АМН as an important factor of impact on clinical and scientific application of research is also considered. Despite significant improvements in thetechnical characteristics of test systems for determining the AMH level, there are limitations in the use of this diagnostic marker due to the lack of standardization. This shortcoming can beovercome by following principles: do not base important clinical decisions only at the AMH level, and use this indicator in conjunction with other laboratory parameters and clinical data;adhere to the consistent use of one automated test system until the introduction of the standard in laboratory practice.