Fast Pace Research Articles

Ecosystem approach то digitization of the agricultural industrial complex

The theoretical foundations of the ecosystem approach to the digitalization of the Russian agro-industrial complex are considered. The hypothesis of this study was the assumption that the digital ecosystem is a higher level of cooperation in the agro-industrial complex, involving the unification of all participants on a digital platform and with the help of digital technologies. Digital ecosystems meet all the requirements of the sixth technological order and allow agricultural producers to move to it at a faster pace. It is shown that digital ecosystems accelerate the process of introducing digital technologies into the agro-industrial complex (its digitalization), thereby contributing to the effective functioning of ecosystems, i.e. these are interrelated categories. It is proposed to understand the digitalization of the agro-industrial complex as “the mass introduction of digital technologies, the increase in the use of digital and/or computer technologies in the economic activities of an individual agro-industrial complex enterprise, a household or the agricultural sector of the economy as a whole." and the “digital ecosystem of the regional agro-industrial complex” is a set of organizational and economic tools, promoting the construction of mutually beneficial production relations between subjects of the region’s agro-industrial complex using a digital platform to increase the share of small and medium-sized agricultural producers in the regional market for agricultural products, and ultimately, to ensure the sustainability of the rural economy through the creation of new cooperative ties.

Variable PFAS removal by adsorbent media with sufficient prediction of breakthrough despite reduced contact time at pilot scale.

One alternative adsorbent (AA) and five ion exchange (IX) resins were tested for the removal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from groundwater in pilot-scale columns for up to 19 months using empty bed contact times (EBCTs) representative of full-scale treatment. For the six detected PFAS in the pilot feed water, the long-chain PFAS (perfluorooctanoic acid [PFOA], perfluorooctanesulfonic acid [PFOS], and perfluorohexanesulfonic acid [PFHxS]) were well removed with only PFOA, which is a perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acid (PFCA) eventually breaking through as the media became exhausted. Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS), a short-chain perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA), was also well removed, whereas short-chain PFCAs (perfluoropentanoic acid [PFPeA] and perfluorobutanoic acid [PFBA]) were not removed (i.e., immediate breakthrough). Overall, IX and AA demonstrated superior removal of PFSAs compared to PFCAs (i.e., later breakthrough of PFSAs translating to longer media life). Media life varied, ranging from 6 to 15 months before adsorbents reached a significant PFOA breakthrough. The performance of the two adsorbents piloted at shorter EBCT reasonably predicted the longer (representative) pilot EBCT results (within ±20-30%) for the same adsorbents following data scaling. This suggests that pilot-scale testing may be conducted at a faster pace and therefore more economically. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Long-chain PFAS (PFOA, PFOS, and PFHxS) were well removed by five ion exchange and one alternative adsorbent tested herein. One short-chain PFAS (PFBS) was well removed with no removal of two other short-chain PFAS (PFBA and PFPeA). Performance of the two adsorbents piloted at shorter EBCT reasonably predicted the longer (representative) pilot EBCT results for the same adsorbents following data scaling.

Breaking Barriers: Technological Adoption Challenges in Organizations of Developing Economies - A Case of Pakistan

Technology integration at the workplace is the most talked about and challenging topic in this technologically poised era. Academia and practitioners are both struggling to upgrade themselves. By not adopting technological revolutions, emerging economies face the danger of being left behind, which could lead to a significant disproportion of economic development and living canons compared to industrialized nations. Technological transformation in developing economies has both problems and possibilities. The research analyzes the challenging factors of implementing innovative technologies to foster societal development, economic advancement, and enhanced quality of organizational practices in emerging economies, with a particular emphasis on Pakistan. The study identifies the critical obstacles to adopting technology, such as scarcity of financial resources, threats over data privacy and security, the unwillingness of management personnel to embrace change, the fast pace of technical developments, and a deficiency of awareness vis-à-vis the advantages of integrating technology. This research used a cross-sectional, quantitative approach to collect data from 287 participants representing different industries/organizations in Karachi, Pakistan. The descriptive statistical analysis was performed via SPSS, emphasizing organizations' notable obstacles during technology adoption. The findings identify the importance of strategic resource allocation, strong cybersecurity measures, efficient change management, ongoing innovation, and thorough education and communication to address these difficulties. Working on these challenges is imperative if an organization seeks benefits from advanced technology and innovation, maximum employee efficiency, and required sustainable growth. The study findings propose valuable insights to help policymakers, organizational leaders, and practitioners pursue technological adoption and inspire economic development in Pakistan, an emerging economy.

Policy advice and best practices on bias and fairness in AI

The literature addressing bias and fairness in AI models (fair-AI) is growing at a fast pace, making it difficult for novel researchers and practitioners to have a bird’s-eye view picture of the field. In particular, many policy initiatives, standards, and best practices in fair-AI have been proposed for setting principles, procedures, and knowledge bases to guide and operationalize the management of bias and fairness. The first objective of this paper is to concisely survey the state-of-the-art of fair-AI methods and resources, and the main policies on bias in AI, with the aim of providing such a bird’s-eye guidance for both researchers and practitioners. The second objective of the paper is to contribute to the policy advice and best practices state-of-the-art by leveraging from the results of the NoBIAS research project. We present and discuss a few relevant topics organized around the NoBIAS architecture, which is made up of a Legal Layer, focusing on the European Union context, and a Bias Management Layer, focusing on understanding, mitigating, and accounting for bias.

Analysis of the benefits of artificial intelligence and human personality study on online fraud detection

Purpose Technology advancement has changed how banks operate. Modernizing technology has, on the one hand, made it simpler for banks to do their daily business, but it has also increased cyberattacks. The purpose of the study is to to determine the factors that have the most effects on online fraud detection and to evaluate the advantages of AI and human psychology research in preventing online transaction fraud. Artificial intelligence has been used to create new techniques for both detecting and preventing cybercrimes. Fraud has also been facilitated in some organizations via employee participation. Design/methodology/approach The main objective of the research approach is to guide the researcher at every stage to realize the main objectives of the study. This quantitative study used a survey-based methodology. Because it allows for both unbiased analysis of the relationship between components and prediction, a quantitative approach was adopted. The study of the body of literature, the design of research questions and the development of instruments and procedures for data collection, analysis and modeling are all part of the research process. The study evaluated the data using Matlab and a structured model analysis method. For reliability analysis and descriptive statistics, IBM SPSS Statistics was used. Reliability and validity were assessed using the measurement model, and the postulated relationship was investigated using the structural model. Findings There is a risk in scaling at a fast pace, 3D secure is used payer authentication has a maximum mean of 3.830 with SD of 0.7587 and 0.7638, and (CE2). Originality/value This study focused on investigating the benefits of artificial intelligence and human personality study in online transaction fraud and to determine the factors that affect something most strongly on online fraud detection. Artificial intelligence and human personality in the Indian banking industry have been emphasized by the current research. The study revealed the benefits of artificial intelligence and human personality like awareness, subjective norms, faster and more efficient detection and cost-effectiveness significantly impact (accept) online fraud detection in the Indian banking industry. Also, security measures and better prediction do not significantly impact (reject) online fraud detection in the Indian banking industry.

Design and Politics: Graphic Design in Socialist Countries

As a part of the big culture and a component of the superstructure, design art and politics interact and restrict each other. Design art has always been created and accepted in the political society, while design art often unconsciously assumes the political responsibility of transforming the society and becomes a political expression. Politics plays an important role in the evolution and development of design art. The influence of design art on politics comes from the acceptability of the meaning contained in symbol products. With the rapid development of contemporary media and information technology, the richness and diversity of communication media make the global cultural communication break through the technical limitations. While communication is smoother and visual culture is unprecedentedly popular, cross-cultural, cross-language and cross-ethnic language symbols are designed. New and more influential political and cultural systems are emerging at a faster pace.

Application of Project-Based Learning in Classrooms: An Innovative Pedagogy for Sustainable Education

In this modern age, the learners want practicable knowledge to adapt to the fast pace of technological modernization. This research has dealt the very concept of application of project based learning (PBL) approach in teaching learning activities. It develops their inherent ability enhancing sustainable education exploring their ability, and strengthening confidence for their all-round development. The qualitative research has been designed with the questionnaire accessing 50 respondents. The core area of the research is Janaprakash Secondary School of Pokhara-29, Gandaki Province, Nepal. The primary data have been collected and literature reviews have been supportive for the research. Similarly, 15 different questions have been developed for the research. For the validity 10 secondary level experienced teachers have been asked to respond to the questionnaire. Professionally teachers and students, and demographically males and females of 15 to 55 years old respondents have been selected for responses. The results show that the PBL approach is applicable to enhance the sustainable development of the new era through education. The study concludes that an application of PBL in teaching learning activities enhances the competence of the learners.

Secretary bird optimization algorithm: a new metaheuristic for solving global optimization problems

This study introduces a novel population-based metaheuristic algorithm called secretary bird optimization algorithm (SBOA), inspired by the survival behavior of secretary birds in their natural environment. Survival for secretary birds involves continuous hunting for prey and evading pursuit from predators. This information is crucial for proposing a new metaheuristic algorithm that utilizes the survival abilities of secretary birds to address real-world optimization problems. The algorithm's exploration phase simulates secretary birds hunting snakes, while the exploitation phase models their escape from predators. During this phase, secretary birds observe the environment and choose the most suitable way to reach a secure refuge. These two phases are iteratively repeated, subject to termination criteria, to find the optimal solution to the optimization problem. To validate the performance of SBOA, experiments were conducted to assess convergence speed, convergence behavior, and other relevant aspects. Furthermore, we compared SBOA with 15 advanced algorithms using the CEC-2017 and CEC-2022 benchmark suites. All test results consistently demonstrated the outstanding performance of SBOA in terms of solution quality, convergence speed, and stability. Lastly, SBOA was employed to tackle 12 constrained engineering design problems and perform three-dimensional path planning for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. The results demonstrate that, compared to contrasted optimizers, the proposed SBOA can find better solutions at a faster pace, showcasing its significant potential in addressing real-world optimization problems.

Beacon, a Lightweight Deep Reinforcement Learning Benchmark Library for Flow Control

Recently, the increasing use of deep reinforcement learning for flow control problems has led to a new area of research focused on the coupling and adaptation of the existing algorithms to the control of numerical fluid dynamics environments. Although still in its infancy, the field has seen multiple successes in a short time span, and its fast development pace is certainly partly imparted by the open-source effort that drives the expansion of the community. Yet this emerging domain is still missing a common ground to (i) ensure the reproducibility of the results and (ii) offer a proper ad hoc benchmarking basis. To this end, we propose beacon, an open-source benchmark library composed of seven lightweight one-dimensional and two-dimensional flow control problems with various characteristics, action and observation space characteristics, and CPU requirements. In this contribution, the seven considered problems are described, and reference control solutions are provided. The sources for the following work are publicly available.

Driving in Cars with Noise

Driving in Cars with Noise

Relaxation time for the alignment between quark spin and angular velocity in a rotating QCD medium

We compute the relaxation times for massive quarks and antiquarks to align their spins with the angular velocity in a rigidly rotating medium at finite temperature and baryon density. The rotation effects are implemented using a fermion propagator immersed in a cylindrical rotating environment. The relaxation time is computed as the inverse of the interaction rate to produce an asymmetry between the quark (antiquark) spin components along and opposite to the angular velocity. For conditions resembling heavy-ion collisions, the relaxation times for quarks are smaller than for antiquarks. For semicentral collisions, the relaxation time for quarks is within the possible lifetime of the QGP for all collision energies. However, for antiquarks, this happens only for collision energies sNN≳50 GeV. The results are quantified in terms of the intrinsic quark and antiquark polarizations, namely, the probability to build the spin asymmetry as a function of time. Our results show that these intrinsic polarizations tend to 1 with time at different rates given by the relaxation times with quarks reaching a sizable asymmetry at a faster pace. These are key results to further elucidate the mechanisms of hyperon polarization in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Ghost roads and the destruction of Asia-Pacific tropical forests.

Roads are expanding at the fastest pace in human history. This is the case especially in biodiversity-rich tropical nations, where roads can result in forest loss and fragmentation, wildfires, illicit land invasions and negative societal effects1-5. Many roads are being constructed illegally or informally and do not appear on any existing road map6-10; the toll of such 'ghost roads' on ecosystems is poorly understood. Here we use around 7,000 h of effort by trained volunteers to map ghost roads across the tropical Asia-Pacific region, sampling 1.42 million plots, each 1 km2 in area. Our intensive sampling revealed a total of 1.37 million km of roads in our plots-from 3.0 to 6.6 times more roads than were found in leading datasets of roads globally. Across our study area, road building almost always preceded local forest loss, and road density was by far the strongest correlate11 of deforestation out of 38 potential biophysical and socioeconomic covariates. The relationship between road density and forest loss was nonlinear, with deforestation peaking soon after roads penetrate a landscape and then declining as roads multiply and remaining accessible forests largely disappear. Notably, after controlling for lower road density inside protected areas, we found that protected areas had only modest additional effects on preventing forest loss, implying that their most vital conservation function is limiting roads and road-related environmental disruption. Collectively, our findings suggest that burgeoning, poorly studied ghost roads are among the gravest of all direct threats to tropical forests.

The evolution of larvae in temnospondyls and the stepwise origin of amphibian metamorphosis.

The question of what the ancient life cycle of tetrapods was like forms a key component in understanding the origin of land vertebrates. The existence of distinct larval forms, as exemplified by many lissamphibians, and their transformation into adults is an important aspect in this field. The temnospondyls, the largest clade of Palaeozoic-Mesozoic non-amniote tetrapods, covered a wide ecomorphological range from fully aquatic to terrestrial taxa. In various species, rich ontogenetic data have accumulated over the past 130 years, permitting the study of early phases of temnospondyl development. In temnospondyls, eight ontogenetic phases have been identified in which the skeleton formed. In branchiosaurids and the eryopiform Sclerocephalus, large parts of the ossification sequence are now known. Most taxa in which small specimens are preserved had aquatic larvae with external gills that superficially resemble larval salamanders. In the edopoids, dvinosaurs, and eryopiforms, the larvae developed slowly, with incompletely ossified axial and appendicular skeletons, but possessed a fast-developing dermal skull with strong teeth. Irrespective of adult terrestriality or a fully aquatic life, there was no drastic transformation during later ontogeny, but a slow and steady acquisition of adult features. In dissorophoids, the limbs developed at a much faster pace, whereas skull formation was slowed down, especially in the amphibamiforms, and culminating in the neotenic Branchiosauridae. In the zatracheid Acanthostomatops, slow but profound transformation led to a fully terrestrial adult. The basal dissorophoid Stegops retained rapid development of dermal skull bones and established a fully dentigerous, strongly ossified palate early. In Micromelerpeton, formation of the last skull bones was slightly delayed and metamorphosis remained a long and steady phase of morphological transformations. In amphibamiforms, metamorphosis became more drastic, with an increasing number of events packed into a short phase of ontogeny. This is exemplified by Apateon, Platyrhinops, and Amphibamus in which this condensation was maximised. We distinguish three different types of metamorphosis (morphological, ecological and drastic) that evolved cumulatively in early tetrapods and within temnospondyls.

Relationship between quadriceps femoris echotexture biomarkers and muscle strength and physical function in older adults with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

BackgroundMuscle wasting is pronounced in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). The quadriceps femoris echotexture biomarkers assessed by ultrasound (US) have not been studied in these patients. ObjectiveTo describe echotexture biomarkers assessed by the US and to assess their relationship with sex, age, body mass index (BMI), self-reported outcomes, muscle strength and physical function in older adults with HFpEF. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted. Patients 70 years and older with HFpEF were included. The sex, age, BMI, and self-reported outcomes were collected. The US assessed muscle and subcutaneous fat tissue contrast, correlation, energy, homogeneity, and entropy at rest and maximal voluntary isometrical contraction (MVIC). The six-minute walk test (6MWT), the short physical performance battery (SPPB), the timed up and go test (TUG), the usual pace gait speed test (UGS), and the fast pace gait speed test (FGS) were used to assess physical function. The five-repetitions sit-to-stand test (5-STS) was performed to assess muscle strength. Bivariant Pearson correlations and subsequent multivariate linear regression analyses were conducted. ResultsSeventy-two older adults with HFpEF [81.06 years, 29.13 BMI, and 55.60% females] were recruited. In women, relaxed and MVIC muscle energy and entropy explained 35.40% of the TUG variance; relaxed muscle entropy and MVIC muscle energy shared 24.00% of the UGS variance; relaxed and MVIC muscle entropy, MVIC muscle contrast and MVIC muscle energy explained 32.60% of the FGS variance, adjusted all the models by age and BMI. ConclusionsEchotexture biomarkers are related to women's muscle strength and physical function, especially muscle energy, contrast, and entropy. Echotexture biomarkers assessed by the US could facilitate the management of older adults with HFpEF, monitor its progression and assess the effectiveness of treatments on the musculoskeletal structure. Trial registrationNCT03909919. April 10, 2019. Retrospectively registered.

Encapsulating perovskite solar cells for long-term stability and prevention of lead toxicity

Lead halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have achieved remarkable efficiencies comparable to those of their established silicon counterparts at a very fast pace. Moreover, solution-processable facile technologies offer low-cost, low-temperature, scalable fabrication of these solar cells. Numerous studies have focused on improving the performance, stability, and processing of PSCs. However, potential lead toxicity and poor long-term stability impede their commercialization. In recent years, several studies have developed novel encapsulants for PSCs that can simultaneously improve stability and impede potential lead leakage. Although improvements have been made on both fronts, no solution to date could achieve a level of stability and leakage prevention that could result in a market breakthrough. Here, we analyze PSC encapsulation and lead leakage prevention techniques undertaken in recent years. While most of the related studies focused on improving either stability or toxicity, we note that both can be solved together with a suitable encapsulant that is impermeable to both moisture and Pb2+ ions. In addition, the lack of a unified standard stability testing protocol has led to stability testing under a variety of temperatures, humidities, and environmental conditions. Therefore, the urgency for a standard protocol for stability and lead toxicity testing cannot be overlooked.

Study of Challenges and Opportunities that SMES Encounter in Integrating Ai-Driven Approaches into their Marketing Strategies in the Indian Context

This research explores the complex world of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in India, looking at the potential and problems they have when trying to use AI-driven methods in their marketing campaigns. AI technologies provide SMEs with the opportunity to transform their marketing strategies as the business environment continues to change at a fast pace. The study intends to highlight the opportunities that these technologies bring as well as fully comprehend the obstacles preventing the smooth integration of AI tools into marketing operations. We will carefully look at the obstacles that Indian SMEs face when implementing AI-driven strategies. These obstacles include lack of funds, inadequate technology infrastructure, and a lack of knowledge and comprehension of AI applications. Concurrently, the research will highlight prospects that arise from using AI, delving into improved consumer targeting, tailored marketing strategies, and data-centric decision-making. It will also examine how AI affects marketing efficacy, providing insight into performance indicators and return on investment for small and medium-sized enterprises

Human Attention Restoration, Flow, and Creativity: A Conceptual Integration.

In today's fast paced, attention-demanding society, executive functions and attentional resources are often taxed. Individuals need ways to sustain and restore these resources. We first review the concepts of attention and restoration, as instantiated in Attention Restoration Theory (ART). ART emphasizes the role of nature in restoring attention. We then discuss the essentials of experiments on the causal influences of nature. Next, we expand the concept of ART to include modern, designed environments. We outline a wider perspective termed attentional ecology, in which attention behavior is viewed within a larger system involving the human and their interactions with environmental demands over time. When the ecology is optimal, mental functioning can be a positive "flow" that is productive, sustainable for the individual, and sometimes creative.

APPLICATION OF BIOTECHNOLOGY IN AQUACULTURE

Biotechnology plays a major role in fish production through various techniques such as selective breeding , genetic engineering to enhance the growth rate and disease resistance in aquaculture . Fish culture business is fastest-growing sector of agricultural fields. The consumer demand for fish products continues to rise at an alarming rate. At the same time, wild fish stocks are declining at a fast pace due to over-fishing – a major concern. Every year, aquaculture contributes more than 18 million tons of fish and shellfish to the world's food supply. The increased public demands for fish, coupled with the dwindling natural marine habitats, have led scientists to study ways in which biotechnology can help boost fish and shellfish production. application of biotechnology allows researchers to identify and combine traits in fish and shellfish to enhance the productivity and quality . This article delves into the various ways in which biotechnology is applied to aquaculture and what the future holds for fish farming. The field of aquaculture has been revolutionized by the introduction of biotechnology. With the help of advanced genetic research, scientists have been able to enhance the growth of fish production.

How Are Tier 2 Metropolises Affected by Housing Asset Value Deflation in the Depopulation Era? A Comparison between the Tokyo and Kansai Metropolitan Areas

This study analyzes the differences and similarities between Tier 1 (Tokyo) and Tier 2 (Kansai) metropolitan areas due to shrinking city problems. Both metropolitan areas will see a dramatic decrease in the housing asset value (HAV). Kansai is declining at a faster pace than Tokyo: it is projected that HAVs will register a further decrease of around 38% by 2045, and the decline will be quantitatively more important in the northern suburbs of Osaka. These results raised the question of whether Kansai would be more impoverished by HAV deflation. By focusing on the income multiplier of HAV per household, we find that Tokyo has a higher income multiplier of around 4 (against 2 for Osaka), thus causing much greater HAV deflation per household in Tokyo. Greater HAV deflation per household entails more severe problems for elderly households that need to finance their retirement. Considering our findings, despite earlier and faster trends of HAV deflation in the Tier 2 metropolitan area, the Tier 1 metropolitan area could face big socioeconomic challenges in the future. We conclude that HAV deflation leads to problems of different nature depending on metropolitan rank, rather than just knowing which one is losing more through HAV deflation.

Nutritional Profile and consumers’ Perceptions of Cereal Bars

ABSTRACT The fast pace of our daily lives often prompts consumers to seek convenient and ready-to-eat snacks, such as cereal bars. This work aims to characterize the cereal bars available in the Portuguese market (Study 1), as well as consumers’ perceptions of different types of these products (Study 2). First, we collected data (e.g. nutritional information, price) on 277 cereal bars from two major Portuguese retailers. The results indicated that most of these products do not comply with the current guidelines for key nutrients like sugar, fat, and salt. Second, using an online survey, we asked participants (N = 373) to evaluate cereal bars from different categories (e.g. “energy/protein”) across eleven dimensions. Overall, the bars were rated as tasty but also unhealthy, highly caloric, processed, and unsuitable for athletes, children, and weight loss. Interestingly, participants overestimated the content of most nutrients contained in cereal bars. A content analysis revealed that participants indicated more reasons for not consuming (e.g. excessive sugar content) than consuming (e.g. convenience) these products. Given the increasing popularity of cereal bars, our findings call for action from multiple stakeholders toward improving cereal bars’ nutritional profile and advancing our understanding of consumers’ perceptions of these products to facilitate healthier choices.