Geospatial Monitoring and Structural Mechanics Models: a Case Study of Sports Structures

The task of geospatial monitoring is one of the most common in the practice of geodetic works. In the twentieth century, the basic principles for carrying out geospatial monitoring, accuracy calculation, observation intervals assignment, and data simulation were developed. However, since that time, both the building and geodetic technologies have been changed considerably. Among modern engineering structures, the building technology of which has undergone significant changes are sport structures. The use of the state-of-the-art sport structures is associated with the presence of specific loads, name a few: the impact of a vast number of spectators (e.g., stadiums, cycle tracks, etc.) or loads directly from the competitions equipment (e.g., bobsleigh tracks, race tracks, etc.). The primary goal of the presented paper is to develop a general approach to the preliminary accuracy calculation of the geospatial monitoring of the sports structures using the methods of structural mechanics. As an example, a football stadium was considered. Based on the simulation, the improved technology of geospatial monitoring for the sports structure was suggested. The in-depth analysis of the creation of geodetic networks for geospatial monitoring was accomplished. At the final step, the results of geospatial monitoring for the football stadium were analyzed, and hands-on recommendations were made.

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The Catholic Diaspora—Experiences of Evacuation

10.1093/oso/9780198827023.003.0005 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Thomas Brodie

Keyword(s):

Urban Areas ◽

Religious Practice ◽

Catholic Clergy ◽

Profound Influence ◽

The Social ◽

Depth Analysis ◽

Nazi Era ◽

Mass Evacuation ◽

The Impact ◽

Pastoral Practice

This chapter analyses the impact exerted on the Catholic Church’s pastoral networks in Germany by the mass evacuation of laypeople from bombed urban areas as of 1941. Drawing on the voluminous correspondence of priests and curates despatched from the Rhineland and Westphalia to Saxony, Thuringia, Silesia, Austria, and elsewhere to minister to Catholic evacuees, this chapter provides in-depth analysis of the social and cultural histories of religious practice in wartime Germany. It demonstrates that the evacuation of laypeople—a topic long neglected within histories of wartime religious practice—exerted a profound influence on pastoral practice by the years 1943–5, placing unprecedented pressures on the Catholic clergy of the dioceses central to this study (Aachen, Cologne and Münster). This chapter therefore also casts new light on regionalism in Germany during the Nazi era.

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Decreased Medical Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic – A Comprehensive Analysis of Radiological Examinations

RöFo - Fortschritte auf dem Gebiet der Röntgenstrahlen und der bildgebenden Verfahren ◽

10.1055/a-1368-5047 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Annette Aigner ◽

Bernd Hamm ◽

Florian Nima Fleckenstein ◽

Tazio Maleitzke ◽

Georg Böning ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Care ◽

Control Period ◽

Surrogate Marker ◽

Medical Specialty ◽

Case Volume ◽

Medical Specialties ◽

Key Points ◽

Depth Analysis ◽

The Impact ◽

Radiological Examinations

Objectives As a cross-section discipline within the hospital infrastructure, radiological departments might be able to provide important information regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare. The goal of this study was to quantify changes in medical care during the first wave of the pandemic using radiological examinations as a comprehensive surrogate marker and to determine potential future workload. Methods A retrospective analysis of all radiological examinations during the first wave of the pandemic was performed. The number of examinations was compared to time-matched control periods. Furthermore, an in-depth analysis of radiological examinations attributed to various medical specialties was conducted and postponed examinations were extrapolated to calculate additional workload in the near future. Results A total of 596,760 examinations were analyzed. Overall case volumes decreased by an average of 41 % during the shutdown compared to the control period. The most affected radiological modalities were sonography (–54 %), X-ray (–47 %) followed by MRI (–42 %). The most affected medical specialty was trauma and orthopedics (–60 % case volume) followed by general surgery (–49 %). Examination numbers increased during the post-shutdown period leading to a predicted additional workload of up to 22 %. Conclusion This study shows a marked decrease in radiological examinations in total and among several core medical specialties, indicating a significant reduction in medical care during the first COVID-19 shutdown. Key Points: Citation Format

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Ontogenetic shift in the trophic role of the invasive killer shrimp Dikerogammarus villosus: a stable isotope study

Biological Invasions ◽

10.1007/s10530-021-02472-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Francesco Mancini ◽

Raffaele De Giorgi ◽

Alessandro Ludovisi ◽

Salvatrice Vizzini ◽

Giorgio Mancinelli

Keyword(s):

Dietary Habits ◽

Trophic Position ◽

Ecological Impact ◽

Central Italy ◽

Local Conditions ◽

Dikerogammarus Villosus ◽

Isotopic Signatures ◽

Depth Analysis ◽

Stable Isotope Study ◽

The Impact

AbstractThe introduction of the amphipod Dikerogammarus villosus in European fresh waters is to date recognized as a threat to the integrity of invaded communities. Predation by D. villosus on native benthic invertebrates is assumed as the key determinant of its ecological impact, yet available information describe the species as a primary consumer as well as a carnivore depending on local conditions. Here, we assessed the trophic position (TP) of D. villosus in Lake Trasimeno, a recently invaded lentic system in central Italy, using the CN isotopic signatures of individuals captured in winter spanning two orders of magnitude in body size. TP estimations were compared with those characterizing the native amphipod Echinogammarus veneris and other representative invertebrate predators. On average, D. villosus showed a trophic position higher than E. veneris, and comparable with that of odonate nymphs. An in-depth analysis revealed that large-sized individuals had a trophic position of 3.07, higher than odonates and close to that of the hirudinean predator Erpobdella octoculata, while small-sized specimens had a trophic position of 2.57, similar to that of E. veneris (2.41). These findings indicate that size-related ontogenetic shifts in dietary habits may per se vary the nature of the interaction between Dikerogammarus villosus and native invertebrates from competition to predation. Information collated from published isotopic studies corroborated the generality of our results. We conclude that intra-specific trophic flexibility may potentially amplify and make more multifaceted the impact of the species on other invertebrate species in invaded food webs.

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Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure: Responding to Investors’ Criticism on Social Media

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18147396 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (14) ◽

pp. 7396

Author(s):

Yuming Zhang ◽

Fan Yang

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Corporate Social Responsibility ◽

Social Responsibility ◽

Social Issues ◽

Media Criticism ◽

Csr Communication ◽

Depth Analysis ◽

Csr Disclosure ◽

Corporate Social ◽

The Impact

Companies use corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosures to communicate their social and environmental policies, practices, and performance to stakeholders. Although the determinants and outcomes of CSR activities are well understood, we know little about how companies use CSR communication to manage a crisis. The few relevant CSR studies have focused on the pressure on corporations exerted by governments, customers, the media, or the public. Although investors have a significant influence on firm value, this stakeholder group has been neglected in research on CSR disclosure. Grounded in legitimacy theory and agency theory, this study uses a sample of Chinese public companies listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange to investigate CSR disclosure in response to social media criticism posted by investors. The empirical findings show that investors’ social media criticism not only motivates companies to disclose their CSR activities but also increases the substantiveness of their CSR reports, demonstrating that companies’ CSR communication in response to a crisis is substantive rather than merely symbolic. We also find that the impact of social media criticism on CSR disclosure is heterogeneous. Non-state-owned enterprises, companies in regions with high levels of environmental regulations, and companies in regions with local government concern about social issues are most likely to disclose CSR information and report substantive CSR activities. We provide an in-depth analysis of corporate CSR strategies for crisis management and show that crises initiated by investors on social media provide opportunities for corporations to improve their CSR engagement.

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Synchronization in 5G networks: a hybrid Bayesian approach toward clock offset/skew estimation and its impact on localization

EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking ◽

10.1186/s13638-021-01963-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Meysam Goodarzi ◽

Darko Cvetkovski ◽

Nebojsa Maletic ◽

Jesús Gutiérrez ◽

Eckhard Grass

Keyword(s):

Bayesian Approach ◽

Large Scale ◽

Hybrid Approach ◽

Position Estimation ◽

5G Networks ◽

Clock Skew ◽

Depth Analysis ◽

The Impact ◽

Mean Square Errors ◽

Clock Offset

AbstractClock synchronization has always been a major challenge when designing wireless networks. This work focuses on tackling the time synchronization problem in 5G networks by adopting a hybrid Bayesian approach for clock offset and skew estimation. Furthermore, we provide an in-depth analysis of the impact of the proposed approach on a synchronization-sensitive service, i.e., localization. Specifically, we expose the substantial benefit of belief propagation (BP) running on factor graphs (FGs) in achieving precise network-wide synchronization. Moreover, we take advantage of Bayesian recursive filtering (BRF) to mitigate the time-stamping error in pairwise synchronization. Finally, we reveal the merit of hybrid synchronization by dividing a large-scale network into local synchronization domains and applying the most suitable synchronization algorithm (BP- or BRF-based) on each domain. The performance of the hybrid approach is then evaluated in terms of the root mean square errors (RMSEs) of the clock offset, clock skew, and the position estimation. According to the simulations, in spite of the simplifications in the hybrid approach, RMSEs of clock offset, clock skew, and position estimation remain below 10 ns, 1 ppm, and 1.5 m, respectively.

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Speciation and changes in male gene expression in Drosophila

Genome ◽

10.1139/gen-2020-0025 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Bahar Patlar ◽

Alberto Civetta

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Reproductive Isolation ◽

Potential Role ◽

Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽

Drosophila Model ◽

Depth Analysis ◽

The Impact ◽

Plastic Responses ◽

Male Gene

It has long been acknowledged that changes in the regulation of gene expression may account for major organismal differences. However, we still do not fully understand how changes in gene expression evolve and how do such changes influence organisms’ differences. We are even less aware of the impact such changes might have in restricting gene flow between species. Here, we focus on studies of gene expression and speciation in the Drosophila model. We review studies that have identified gene interactions in post-mating reproductive isolation and speciation, particularly those that modulate male gene expression. We also address studies that have experimentally manipulated changes in gene expression to test their effect in post-mating reproductive isolation. We highlight the need for a more in-depth analysis of the role of selection causing disrupted gene expression of such candidate genes in sterile/inviable hybrids. Moreover, we discuss the relevance to incorporate more routinely assays that simultaneously evaluate the potential effects of environmental factors and genetic background in modulating plastic responses in male genes and their potential role in speciation.

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The Computer Modeling Problems of the Impact Stability and Security in Structural Mechanics

Procedia Engineering ◽

10.1016/j.proeng.2015.07.131 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 111 ◽

pp. 672-678 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Valery I. Prokopiev ◽

Mikhail S. Hlystunov ◽

Zhanna G. Mogilyuk

Keyword(s):

Computer Modeling ◽

Structural Mechanics ◽

The Impact

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Financing political parties in Africa: the case of Zimbabwe

The Journal of Modern African Studies ◽

10.1017/s0022278x21000148 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 59 (3) ◽

pp. 295-317

Author(s):

Chipo Dendere

Keyword(s):

Political Parties ◽

State Funding ◽

Court Cases ◽

Government Officials ◽

News Reports ◽

Political Finance ◽

Poor Access ◽

Depth Analysis ◽

The Impact ◽

Opposition Parties

AbstractWhat is the impact of access to political party finance – money that parties use to fund their campaign activities – on politics in Africa? While multiparty elections have become more regular in the developing world, many opposition parties are still failing to win elections. This paper argues that poor access to political finance weakens democratic consolidation and negatively impacts the participation of less-resourced candidates who are unable to self-fund. As a result, opposition parties are forced to rely on weak promises of aid from international donors and unreliable state funding. This in-depth analysis of political finance, based on extensive interviews with politicians and government officials in Zimbabwe, political documents, news reports and a review of court cases, reveals that uneven financing has weakened opposition parties and serves as an extra advantage for incumbents.

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Droplet-Assisted Microfluidic Fabrication and Characterization of Multifunctional Polysaccharide Microgels Formed by Multicomponent Reactions

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym10101055 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 1055 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Nicolas Hauck ◽

Nalin Seixas ◽

Silvia Centeno ◽

Raimund Schlüßler ◽

Gheorghe Cojoc ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hyaluronic Acid ◽

Multicomponent Reactions ◽

Building Blocks ◽

Correlation Spectroscopy ◽

Droplet Microfluidics ◽

Phase Imaging ◽

Colloidal Probe ◽

Young’S Moduli ◽

Depth Analysis ◽

The Impact

Polysaccharide-based microgels have broad applications in multi-parametric cell cultures, cell-free biotechnology, and drug delivery. Multicomponent reactions like the Passerini three-component and the Ugi four-component reaction are shown in here to be versatile platforms for fabricating these polysaccharide microgels by droplet microfluidics with a narrow size distribution. While conventional microgel formation requires pre-modification of hydrogel building blocks to introduce certain functionality, in multicomponent reactions one building block can be simply exchanged by another to introduce and extend functionality in a library-like fashion. Beyond synthesizing a range of polysaccharide-based microgels utilizing hyaluronic acid, alginate and chitosan, exemplary in-depth analysis of hyaluronic acid-based Ugi four-component gels is conducted by colloidal probe atomic force microscopy, confocal Brillouin microscopy, quantitative phase imaging, and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy to elucidate the capability of microfluidic multicomponent reactions for forming defined polysaccharide microgel networks. Particularly, the impact of crosslinker amount and length is studied. A higher network density leads to higher Young’s moduli accompanied by smaller pore sizes with lower diffusion coefficients of tracer molecules in the highly homogeneous network, and vice versa. Moreover, tailored building blocks allow for crosslinking the microgels and incorporating functional groups at the same time as demonstrated for biotin-functionalized, chitosan-based microgels formed by Ugi four-component reaction. To these microgels, streptavidin-labeled enzymes are easily conjugated as shown for horseradish peroxidase (HRP), which retains its activity inside the microgels.

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Understanding the Future Impacts of Electric Vehicles—An Analysis of Multiple Factors That Influence the Market

Vehicles ◽

10.3390/vehicles3040051 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (4) ◽

pp. 851-871

Author(s):

Jonathan Wellings ◽

David Greenwood ◽

Stuart R. Coles

Keyword(s):

Electric Vehicle ◽

Electric Vehicles ◽

Ethical Issues ◽

Raw Materials ◽

New Technology ◽

Vast Number ◽

Wide Range ◽

Key Issues ◽

The Impact ◽

Vehicle Market

The electric vehicle market is an increasingly important aspect of the automotive industry. However, as a relatively new technology, several issues remain present within the industry. An analysis is utilised to examine these issues, along with how they affect the industry and how they can be tackled. Several key issues that affect the electric vehicle market, as well as how efforts to address these issues influence the market, are identified. The analysis also includes the examination of ethical issues, with the issues that arise from the production of raw materials for electric vehicles. The analysis and examination of ethical issues display a wide range of problems in the industry. However, it did highlight the efforts being made to lessen the effect of these problems by various groups, such as regulation by EU and US governing bodies on the materials mined. From this analysis, this paper identifies that many of the other factors examined are directly or indirectly influenced by political and economic factors, also examined in this review. This highlights the impact that governing bodies and businesses have on a vast number of issues that are present within the market and how they can resolve the harmful factors examined.

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