Innovative Technological Advances Research Articles

The European Solar Telescope

The European Solar Telescope (EST) is a project aimed at studying the magnetic connectivity of the solar atmosphere, from the deep photosphere to the upper chromosphere. Its design combines the knowledge and expertise gathered by the European solar physics community during the construction and operation of state-of-the-art solar telescopes operating in visible and near-infrared wavelengths: the Swedish 1m Solar Telescope, the German Vacuum Tower Telescope and GREGOR, the French Télescope Héliographique pour l’Étude du Magnétisme et des Instabilités Solaires, and the Dutch Open Telescope. With its 4.2 m primary mirror and an open configuration, EST will become the most powerful European ground-based facility to study the Sun in the coming decades in the visible and near-infrared bands. EST uses the most innovative technological advances: the first adaptive secondary mirror ever used in a solar telescope, a complex multi-conjugate adaptive optics with deformable mirrors that form part of the optical design in a natural way, a polarimetrically compensated telescope design that eliminates the complex temporal variation and wavelength dependence of the telescope Mueller matrix, and an instrument suite containing several (etalon-based) tunable imaging spectropolarimeters and several integral field unit spectropolarimeters. This publication summarises some fundamental science questions that can be addressed with the telescope, together with a complete description of its major subsystems.

Fake COVID-19 videos detector based on frames and audio watermarking.

With the innovation and development of advanced video editing technology and the widespread use of video information and services in our society, it is increasingly necessary to maintain the reliability of video information. As a result, sensitive video contents in various fields such as surveillance, medical, and others should be secured against attempts to alter them because malicious modifications could impact decisions based on these videos. In this paper, we present a fake video detector based on combining audio and frames watermarking. Furthermore experimental results demonstrate good robustness and integrity verification results for COVID-19 video news.

Subjects Adaptation Techniques for Primary School Pupils with Special Educational Needs

The research on the adaptation of children with disabilities in general education institutions is topical, as the education of children with special educational needs provides helps them to acquire a profession and become self-sufficient. The aim of this work was to develop subjects adaptation techniques for primary school pupils with special educational needs. The teachers’ attitudes to inclusive education were determined through the Attitudes Towards Inclusion Scale (AIS Scale). The Teacher Efficacy for Inclusive Practices (TEIP) Scale was used to establish the teachers’ effectiveness in implementing inclusive practices. The Concerns about Inclusive Education Scale (CIES) was used to study concerns about inclusive education, while the intention to teach in an inclusive classroom was identified through the Intention to Teach in Inclusive Classroom Scale (ITICS). The impact of general education alongside ordinary children on children with special educational needs was determined through Stott’s Observation Charts. The techniques proposed in this study involve the use of different methods, tools, technologies by teachers that are required for the adaptation and correction of subjects. It is necessary to take into account the individual capabilities of pupils with special educational needs, as well as to meet the educational needs of ordinary pupils. It is worth to further work on finding new methods and techniques for adapting curricula to the inclusive educational environment based on new advances in pedagogy and innovative technologies.

A Role of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare Data for Diabetic People Affected by COVID-19

Artificial intelligence (AI) enables the diabetic patient's symptoms and biomarkers to be monitored. People with diabetes are weak, and if a COVID-19 infection is present, the patient must be managed optimally, with a focus on fighting the virus while simultaneously maintaining homeostasis and glycemic control. This study examines the present state of knowledge and limitations in using AI to prevent and manage individuals with diabetes and COVID-19 infection. Furthermore, patient engagement in diabetes care is improved by media and online. These innovative technological advancements have improved glycemic management by lowering fasting and by tracking postprandial glucose levels and glycosylated haemoglobin. In this pandemic period, glycemic management and the implementation of suitable interventions are crucial considerations for diabetic patients, particularly those with an active illness. More research is needed in the future to provide care for diabetic patients' psychological and nutritional well-being as well as to reduce their healthcare costs by building focused AI systems.

Rancangan UI/UX Design Aplikasi Pembelajaran Bahasa Jepang Pada Sekolah Menengah Atas Menggunakan Metode Design Thinking

In the world of education that has developed, of course, we are indirectly required to be able to understand or master the use of foreign languages. SMA Negeri 1 Cikarang Pusat is one of the schools that learn Japanese. The students who study Japanese at the school have various kinds of great motivation, but also not a few of the students who can understand and even have difficulty in learning Japanese. Given that there are many innovations in the world of education in this era that involve technology to carry out the learning process. There are many ways to learn Japanese, for example by learning through learning media that utilize technology such as smartphones. Supported by increasingly advanced technological innovations and new interaction patterns, the role of the User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) is important to the needs of users in solving problems. This research was conducted to find out how we can meet and know user needs by using design thinking. With this Japanese language learning media, it is hoped that it can help students learn Japanese easily.

Innovation transfer in construction: re-interpreting factor-based research from the perspective of the social construction of technology (SCOT)

PurposeThe construction industry has shown an inherent inability to adopt advanced technological innovations. The construction innovation literature is highly fragmented and outlines an overwhelming number of factors that arguably influence the transfer of technological innovations in construction. Factor-based research in the construction innovation literature tends to set out technological innovations and their adoption as socially neutral events, overlooking the role of context in the adoption process. Hence, the authors’ understanding of how technological innovations are transferred and implemented in the construction industry remains limited by the constraints of reductionist approaches adopted by factor-based research. This paper aims to advance the authors’ understanding of the actual experiences of technological innovations transfer in construction. Instead of introducing another set of factors, the research, through empirical investigation, develops a comprehensive and holistic framework to re-interpret the existing factor-based literature taking into consideration the role of the construction context and the socially constructed nature of technological innovations.Design/methodology/approachThis research uses a participatory exploratory multiple case study design strategy, which has much in common with action research. The factors that could influence the transfer of technological innovations were investigated in three selected case studies over an extended period of time. During the research, a prototype system application of construction integration was used as a basis to discuss the adoption of technological innovations.FindingsThe findings suggest moving from the commonly held beliefs in the rational school of technological innovation and the functionalist paradigm towards constructivist approaches to capture the role of context and the stoically constructed nature of technological innovations. It is suggested that construction companies need to develop management capabilities to manage the changing political environments of the adoption process. The research supports the emerging view of technological innovations in construction as a collaborative-based innovation, which is a function of relationships and context.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is limited by the settings of the action research design and the use of an interpretive approach. Because the focus was on investigating the “why” question, little attention was given to the “how” question. Accordingly, the findings provide little insights into the way organizations can manage the changing political and social environment of the adoption process. The authors also acknowledge that in spite of their best efforts to build a theoretically grounded framework of factors, they may have overlooked some relevant studies. However, the objective of this research was not to conduct a systematic literature review or to come up with a framework that quantitatively captures all previous research studies; instead, the objective was to build a holistic framework that can be used as a base to analyze the role of construction context and the socially constructed nature of technological innovations in the adoption process.Practical implicationsThe research offers several practical insights. First, it suggests that construction companies need to develop management capabilities to be able to lead the changing political environment of the adoption process successfully. Second, the research supports the emerging view of technological innovations in construction as a collaborative-based innovation that is a function of relationship. From a policy perspective, the research provides the basis to reconsider the effectiveness of federal and provincial policies that promote advanced technological Initiatives. The majority of these policies focus on the technical aspects in assessing the adoption of technological innovation, providing little incentives to companies to manage the changing political and social environment of the adoption process.Originality/valueThis research offers several theoretical and methodological contributions. First, it advances the authors’ understanding of the actual experiences of the transfer of technological innovations in construction organizations. Second, instead of introducing another set of factors, the research develops a framework to re-interpret the existing factor-based literature, considering the role of construction context and the socially constructed nature of technological innovations. The research uses the theoretical lens of the social construction of technology framework to analyze the adoption process. The existing literature suggests that such research is scarce and highly needed. Third, unlike the mainstream reductionist approaches, this research adopts an exploratory action research inquiry design that uses both inductive and deductive inquiry approaches to understand the socially constructed nature of innovation transfer in construction. The adopted research design offers a valuable methodological contribution to the existing body of knowledge.

Space-Air-Ground Integrated Network Development and Applications in High-Speed Railways: A Survey

In order to realize the reliable and safe operation of the smart railways, and provide high quality information transmission service for passengers, the railway system needs to develop innovative communication network and advanced communication technology to meet the gradually increasing service demand of multi-dimensional comprehensive information resources. The Space-Air-Ground Integrated Network ( <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">SAGIN</i> ) can provide seamless information services for land, sea, air and space users, and is an effective solution to the challenge posed by the future smart railways to the all-time, all-domain, all-air, high-reliability and high-throughput communication. This paper aims to comprehensively discuss the technical development and application examples of High-Speed Railways ( <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">HSRs</i> ) based on <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">SAGIN</i> . Firstly, we analysis the development of the <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">SAGIN</i> and the mobile communication network of the <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">HSRs</i> , and comprehensively discuss the single network architecture of the space-based, air-based and ground-based networks, as well as the integrated network, and discuss the application scenario and network structure of the combination of the integrated networks. At the same time, the communication services, existing problems and key technologies of the space-based, air-based and ground-based networks are discussed, and the application trend of the <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">SAGIN</i> in <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">HSRs</i> is presented. Furthermore, the application scenarios of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies in solving the efficient resource utilization of smart railways communication and the <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">SAGIN</i> are studied. Based on these technologies, we point out the research direction for the future development of AI technologies in <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">SAGIN</i> in <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">HSRs</i> communications.

Kochkar gold deposit: Development problems and solutions

The author outlines the main problems connected with reconstruction of long-term Tsentralnaya and Vostochnaya mining projects at Kochkar gold deposit. The rockburst hazard of the deposit affects mining performance, and the impact of rock dynamics factors intensifies with the increasing scale of production. The industrial safety code prescribes transition to mining systems with caving or with backfill, with rockbursting prevention activities and real-time monitoring of rock mass geodynamics. The analysis of mineral reserves revealed within the framework of the long-term ore reserves adjustment and growth program at Kochkar deposit shows that the structure of ore reserves has changed. Most of the reserves (&asymp;90 %) is extractable using room-and-pillar systems with preliminary blasting, which is associated with the increased seismic load on ground surface. The mine reconstruction is carried out in difficult geological conditions. For this reason, it is only possible to enhance performance using the advanced technological innovations and high-production self-propelling equipment. Safety of mining is achievable by transition to open stoping with cemented backfill with arrangement of a continuous geomechanical monitoring system and with prevention of dynamic events induced by confining pressure. The comprehensive engineering of the operating mine reconstruction project has revealed potentiality to increase the mine production capacities. The design performance of long-term mining in such difficult geological conditions is ensured by the cardinal modification of the geotechnical system and by re-equipment of basic and auxiliary production processes.

Расчет мостовых конструкций из алюминиевых сплавов на выносливость

Introduction. The author has developed a method for the fatigue resistance analysis of bridge structures made of aluminum alloys subjected to polycyclic loading. The author suggests that this method should be introduced into the currently enhanced regulatory documentation focused on the analysis of highway bridges made of aluminum alloys. Materials and methods. The method is based on the results of integrated laboratory testing of a number of aluminum alloys 1915T, AD35 T1, 1565hM, EN AW-6082 T6 that have good prospects in terms of the production of bridge structures. Physical-mechanical and fatigue characteristics were identified in the course of the static testing of specimens of these alloys before the fatigue cracking at different values of the cycle asymmetry coefficient. The theoretical fundamentals of the method stem from the domestic research on the fatigue resistance analysis of steel structures and foreign regulatory materials on the fatigue resistance analysis of bridge structures made of aluminum alloys. Results. The reliability of the new method was verified in the course of static and fatigue testing of a full-scale pedestrian bridge made of 1915T alloy and orthotropic plates made of EN AW-6082 T6 alloy, designed by NRU MGSU and manufactured by the Russian plants GS-Reserve, KraMZ and Sespel using advanced innovative technologies of extrusion and friction stir welding. Discrepancies between the experimental findings and the results of the analysis, made pursuant to the proposed methodology, are within 5–20 %. Conclusions. The proposed method can also be applied to other types of structures made of aluminum alloys, such as tanks, pipelines, high-rise structures, and other items that are subject to multiple cyclic effects.

Development of the digital economy in the conditions of globalization and digital society (by the example of China)

The relevance of the study of the topic is that the development of the digital economy in the context of globalization and the digital society has received great development. Globalization is the free movement of markets, capitals, people, finances, capitals, technologies, goods, services, information that develops across national borders and is the result of a multi-scale need in many industries, including automotive and aviation, mobile operating systems, retail, web servers.&#x0D; The purpose of the study is to analyze the development of the digital economy in the context of globalization and the digital society (on the example of China).&#x0D; Research objectives: 1) to reveal the directions of development of the digital economy in the context of globalization and digital society; 2) justify the development of the global economy of China as the most powerful world leader; 3) show the expansion of China's regional influence through the development of digital technologies that contribute to the improvement of the digital society and its image.&#x0D; Methodology. The study of the digital society in China is based on Agile methodology and Agile philosophy as a new methodology of the digital economy, representing the methodology of complexity, as well as systemic, informational, institutional methods and approaches, which made it possible to fully represent a country like China and its development prospects . Methods of analysis and synthesis, generalization and systematization, historical and logical and comparative and axiological methods were used. The scientific novelty of the study is that the development of China's digital economy in the context of globalization and digital society is associated with advanced innovative technologies that are just entering the forefront of historical development and show how one can become a competitive state on the world stage. China today is a large digital and industrial state, which is on the path of a market and digital economy, developing digital strategies at all levels. The mania for new economies in anticipation of a new "economic miracle" began with China, which has been growing very fast for two decades, and since 1998 at 8% annually. The lucky number 8 has become the iron law of the Chinese economy. Digital market mechanisms are a powerful microeconomic tool in China. The digital economy is based on learning, gaining the skills needed for greater deregulation, free markets, and a clear focus on short-term income generation. China's economic development was only one part of the "economic miracle", but it is not felt by the entire population of China, most of whom feel insecure. The People's Republic of China has a mixed economy with a three-tier enterprise system, consisting of large government companies, local hybrid and foreign firms, and small businesses. The development of the digital economy in the context of globalization and China's digital society in the face of exponential reality and stochastic uncertainty has shown that technology is making us increasingly interconnected, dependent and vulnerable.&#x0D; The value of the study lies in the development of practical recommendations for improving the digital economy based on knowledge and digital technologies, within which new opportunities for society, business and the state are realized.&#x0D; Key words: digital economy, globalization, digital society.

THE MOST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES USED IN THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS IN HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

This research paper provides detailed information about the most advanced innovative technologies used in the educational process of the world's leading higher educational institutions and methods for their effective use.

Technology Focus: Hydraulic Fracturing Operations (June 2022)

The recovering global economy, post the pandemic and current geopolitical circumstances, has underscored the reliance on energy to drive global development. Underinvestment in oil and gas projects over the past few years, coupled with a sudden increase in energy demand, has put the onus on oil and gas companies to accelerate the ramp-up of deferred projects. As winter approaches every year, global gas consumption increases exponentially. Because gas is a cleaner source of energy, countries and organizations once solely focused on oil exploration have shifted their strategies to concurrently explore for gas reserves. As a means of meeting the current increase in energy requirements, there is a push around the world to replicate the North American shale-development strategy of long horizontals with multiple hydraulically fractured stages targeting these oil and gas reserves. Low oil and gas prices in the recent past have necessitated a focus on the wider implementation of efficient fracturing technologies, in terms of both operations and production, with the aim of maximizing returns with minimal investment. There has been greater emphasis on moving away from the factory approach and using a more-engineered well-by-well approach. The past decade has seen many technological innovations in the well-completion domain focused on hydraulic fracturing. Within openhole multistage completions, we have seen a wider use of higher-expansion-ratio packers, such as metal expandable packers; fracturing-sleeve configurations, which enable greater stage count in a single well than previously possible; multicluster fracturing sleeves; dissolvable ball and seat technologies; and reclosable sleeves, to name a few. On the other end of the spectrum, when we look at cased-hole completions, we have seen great improvements in pumpdown technologies, dissolvable plugs, and advanced perforation and logging technologies, among other developments. There have also been great advances in fracture propagation and stage-contribution monitoring, moving from traditional radioactive tracers to various nonradioactive tracers, and developments in microseismic and fiber-optic monitoring as well as production-logging technologies. In an environment where we are limited by both surface facilities and subsurface well placement, these technologies have been crucial in trying to better understand the interaction between parent and child wells along with formulating field strategies in new basins. The implementation of machine learning and artificial intelligence in the fracture design and analysis domain, as well as in fracturing equipment operation and maintenance, has led to further optimization in planning and resource management. Some of these technologies can indirectly help us lower the carbon footprint while fracturing. As an industry, we are at a critical point where, along with advancements in hydraulic fracturing optimization, it is important to focus on highlighting our technological achievements and developments through the mainstream media. It is critical to emphasize the efforts of the oil and gas industry in lowering the environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing by using minimal resources and maximizing energy generation to fuel global economic growth. Considering the renewed focus on hydraulic fracturing as a means of meeting the world’s energy requirements, we can expect to see considerable advancement and introduction of new innovative technologies in the near future. Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. SPE 200846 - Novel Application To Recognize a Breakdown Pressure Event on Time Series Fracture Data vs. an Artificial-Intelligence Approach by Alberto Jose Ramirez, Well Data Labs, et al. SPE 201376 - Pumpdown Diagnostics for Plug-and-Perf Treatments by David Cramer, ConocoPhillips, et al. SPE 203284 - Critical Review of Multistage Fracturing Completions and Stimulation Methods by Eyad A. Alali, Saudi Aramco, et al.

The nexus of financial development, natural resource rents, technological innovation, foreign direct investment, energy consumption, human capital, and trade on environmental degradation in the new BRICS economies

Early periods of history have demonstrated that enhanced economic development is fostered in instances where natural resources are abundant, hence averting the resource curse. In this vein, accelerated economic advancement is driven by a rigorous and proficient financial sector that efficiently utilises and allocates the economy’s natural resources. A strong financial system that transforms resources into advantages rests on an advanced technological innovation base, superior human capital, distinct foreign direct investment, powerful trade, and sustainable energy consumption. While this paper investigates the nexus of these factors, the specific purpose of this research is to examine the interactive impact of financial development and natural resource rents on carbon emissions in the new BRICS economies for the duration of 1990 to 2019. The panel data generalised least squares (GLS) and the panel-corrected standard error (PCSE) techniques are adopted. The Dumitrescu and Hurlin technique is used to establish causality. The study found a U-shaped association between economic growth and emissions. The findings prove that the financial development of financial institutions and the financial development of financial markets’ relationships with emissions are significantly positive. Natural resource rents, energy consumption, and human capital create a significantly positive relationship with emissions (mostly just positive for technological innovation). Conversely, the connection involving trade and carbon emissions is significantly negative (but mostly just negative for FDI). The interaction (s) intervening financial development of financial institutions and financial development of financial markets with natural resource rent significantly lowers emissions, respectively. The interaction parameter (financial development of financial institutions, natural resource rent, and financial development of financial markets) mixed with trade significantly adds emissions (positively insignificant with energy consumption). Contrarily, this factor mixed with human capital and technological innovation, respectively, is significantly negative (just negative for FDI). The Dumitrescu–Hurlin panel Granger causality outcomes are also outlined.

Laparoscopic donor and recipient hepatectomy followed by robot-assisted liver graft implantation in living donor liver transplantation

Minimally invasive surgery has been introduced for liver transplantations. Although laparoscopic or robot-assisted living donor hepatectomy is being used, minimally invasive surgery is rarely performed in recipients during liver transplantation. A 63-year-old patient (body mass index: 21.9kg/m2 ) with primary biliary cirrhosis underwent total laparoscopic explant hepatectomy, followed by robot-assisted liver engraftment using advanced technological innovations. The total operation time for the recipient was 12h 20min, including laparoscopic explant hepatectomy (140min) and robot-assisted engraftment (220min). Achieving hepatic and portal vein anastomoses consumed 35 and 28min, respectively. The hepatic artery anastomosis and bile duct reconstruction took 83 and 66min, respectively. The estimated blood loss was 3600ml. The warm and cold ischemic times were 87 and 220min, respectively. The patient received 10 units each of red blood cells and fresh frozen plasma during the surgery and recovered from early allograft dysfunction after liver transplantation. This case study suggests that laparoscopic explant hepatectomy followed by robot-assisted engraftment is feasible in selected recipients only. We obtained informed consent for this innovative procedure from the patient and from her living donor.

New Stage in Russia’s Nuclear Energy Strategy

This article discusses a technological platform of nuclear energy for implementing the proposed Atomic Project 2.0 which is focused on the country’s objectives in sustainable development, including the development of advanced innovative technologies and materials, and producing examples of new equipment. The basis of modern nuclear power in Russia and the world is water-cooled pressurized reactors with capacity 1000 MW or more, and there are no objective prerequisites for changing this paradigm in the foreseeable future. In this connection, VVER technology remains the most important tool for achieving the strategic goals of our country in the field of nuclear energy. The existing strategic plans relegate extensive adoption of fast reactors and NFC closure based on them to the 2030s, which can be viewed as the customary maximalism in the face of the current moderate notions concerning growing demand for nuclear generation. The prospects for the introduction of small and medium-sized nuclear power plants, taking into account the forecasted demand for electricity and the territorial distribution of generation in Russia, as well as the opportunities for foreign business, promise a new quality of nuclear energy production and a fundamentally different niche in the energy basket. Perhaps the strongest indication of the current stage of progress in nuclear energy is a resurgence of expansion into new areas of energy consumption. It must be assumed that a version of the nuclear energy strategy worthy of presentation in Atomic Project 2.0 will incorporate development of directions of heat supply, hydrogen production, and seawater desalination by means of nuclear technologies for the home and international markets, as well as promising areas such as molten-salt nuclear technologies or hybrid systems.

Ultrasound Contrast Imaging: Fundamentals and Emerging Technology

The development of microbubble contrast agents has broadened the scope of medical ultrasound imaging. Along with dedicated imaging techniques, these agents provide enhanced echoes from the blood pool and have enabled diagnostic ultrasound to assess and quantify microvascular blood flow. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound is currently used worldwide with clinical indications in cardiology and radiology, and it continues to evolve and develop through innovative technological advancements. In this review article, we present an overview of the basic microbubble physics and bubble-specific imaging techniques that enable this modality, and follow this with a discussion on new and emerging applications.

Rural Transportation Infrastructure in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Review of Impacts, Implications, and Interventions

The rural transport infrastructure sector is a critical force for sustainable development that is interwoven with many other sectors. Rural transportation is an underlying driver of many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and a crucial contributor to many socioeconomic benefits for rural people around the world. This review paper expands upon, enhances, and cross-references the perspectives outlined in previous rural infrastructure-focused review papers. Firstly, this work gives a thorough look into the progress of the rural transportation sector in recent years by focusing on the thematic relationships between infrastructure and other components of sustainable development, namely, economics and agriculture, policy and governance, health, gender, education, and climate change and the environment. Secondly, several strategies, approaches, and tools employed by governments and practitioners within the rural transport sector are analyzed and discussed for their contributions to the wellbeing of rural dwellers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). These include rural roads, bridges, maintenance, and non-infrastructural approaches that include concepts such as advanced technological innovations, intermediate modes of transport (IMTs), and transport services. This paper concludes that enhancement, improvement, and extension of rural transportation infrastructure brings significant benefits to rural dwellers. However, this paper also calls for additional integration of the sector and increased usage of systems approaches that view rural transport as an active part of many other sectors and a key leverage point within rural development as a whole. Further, this paper notes areas for future research and investigation, including increased investigation of the relationship between rural transportation infrastructure and education, improved data collection and management in support of improved policymaking, improved prioritization of interventions and institutionalization of maintenance, and expansion of pro-poor transportation strategies and interventions.

An Approach to Wire-Wound Hall-Effect Based Current Sensor for Offset Reduction

The advancement of technological innovation in the smart grid demands a reliable and economical solution that could optimize the benefits to the end-user. The presence of unwanted offset and lower sensitivity in available sensors cannot be a reliable solution from the application perspective. This paper proposes a novel current measurement technique that works on the Hall-effect principle to measure current in medium voltage distribution systems. Parameters that affect the output of a Hall-effect sensor like the height, width, thickness, magnetic field, and applied bias voltage are discussed with necessary mathematical proof and electrical equivalent models. Apart from eliminating the conventional biasing, the concerned measurement technology allows the user to achieve considerable sensitivity by varying the biasing voltage and the phase of the applied magnetic field. Experimental validation and simulation of the proposed three-dimensional current sensor with advanced materials like graphene and zinc oxide are carried out, showing a sensitivity of 230.03±2.1 mV/VT and theoretically zero offsets. The feedback feature and controlling ability help the sensor achieve a broad range with minimum nonlinearity and noise. The simulation and laboratory experimentation results confirmed that the offset of the Hall-effect-based sensor is reduced to zero with minimum noise and higher sensitivities for the current measurement.

Digital Mainstream in the Promotion of Food Industry Products

Digitalization of the food industry involves the use of modern digital information technologies at all stages of agro-industrial production, i.e. digital transformation of the industry, as well as other high technologies formed at the intersection of electronics and robotics. Information technologies, digital technologies, science-intensive technologies are currently closely intertwined, and their implementation in the industry depends not only on the degree of computerization, but also on the level of use of systems, devices and mechanisms that allow for the possibility of autonomous use (without human intervention). The article outlines well-known advanced innovative technologies, including “smart”, “precision” farming, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, biotechnology, off-ground growing of plants (hydroponics) and vertical farming, satellite navigation systems for combines and other equipment, autonomous robots, unmanned aerial vehicles, “Internet of Things”, blockchain technologies. The characteristics of existing digital technologies are given and the options for using artificial intelligence in the food industry are described. In addition to artificial intelligence, complex agricultural technologies are: “smart” agriculture, “smart farming”, “precision farming”, etc.

A systemic analysis of the impacts of Product 4.0 on the triple bottom-line of Sustainability

The advent of innovative technologies is reshaping every aspect of our lives. Smart products incorporating these new technologies have become commonplace in both our private and professional lives. The use of advanced technologies has shown great potential in improving and streamlining various daily activities, but the products that support their deployment in real life present serious threats to the environment. Indeed, the speed at which new technological products are brought onto the market and old ones are discarded is generating a dual negative effect: an exponential increase in electrical and electronic waste and unsustainable exploitation of non-renewable natural resources. This situation in turn can have significant effects on the economic sustainability of our societies, due to the increasing costs of waste disposal and the increasingly limited availability of raw materials. As is evident, the introduction of smart products has its positive and negative sides that influence all aspects of sustainability within a complex structure of cause-effect relationships. Therefore, this article investigates the main variables at play and their interconnections when considering smart products. To analyse the effects of these variables, a Causal Loop Diagram (CLD) is developed and thoroughly discussed. The proposed CLD highlights the sustainability aspects of smart products. In addition, it highlights how the introduction of the so-called ”Product 4.0” can be a solution to improve the triple bottom-line of sustainability.