Road Map Research Articles

Lock Protocol : a new robust workflow for a very high first pass pulmonary vein isolation during atrial fibrillation ablation

Abstract Introduction Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is the gold standard for atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. First pass PVI is often demanding when a raw geometry reconstruction is used in combination with an inaccurate automarks annotation, accounting for discontinuous or non-transmural lesions and related AF recurrences. We hypothesized that a magnetic-post processing of left atrial geometry in combination with an LSI-guided high power short duration (HPSD) automarks annotation could improve procedural efficiency. Purpose The aim of this study was to determine the impact on procedural outcomes of the new "Lock PVI protocol" during AF ablation with the new voxel mode EnSite X mapping system. Methods We included in the study consecutive patients with AF scheduled for pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) at our Departement between January 2021 and December 2022. Patients were divided in two Groups, the Lock-PVI Group and the control No Lock-PVI Group. The "Lock PVI" Group was ablated with the new Ensite X System using the new protocol, which consisted in (1) performing a road map with contact-force annotation at potential PVI sites after High Density reconstruction, (2) shaving the magnetic geometry reconstruction to unearth true 3D location of contact points, (3) Use of 3D-Automarks color-coded with a Lesion Index (LSI) target of 5.5 (anterior) and 4.5 (posterior) (4) Inter-lesion distance <6 mm (5) High Power Short Duration Approach (50 W). The No-Lock PVI was represented by patients ablated with and HPSD ablation with the previous version of the EnSite Precision mapping suit as per local standard practice. Groups were compared in term of procedural duration, radiological exposure and "first pass" isolation. Results Forty-four patients (22 "Lock PVI" and 22 controls mean age 63,3±8 years, 65,9% male, 47,7% persistent AF), for a total of 88 PVI circles were enrolled. Procedural duration was similar between approaches (121,1±43,6 vs 125,3±30,1 min; P=0,72) but RF time was shorter in the "Lock PVI" group (19,6±4 vs 29,55±9,1 min; P<0,001), although with with a longer fluoroscopy (19,5±10,1 vs 13,4±4,9 min; P=0,01). Of note, first pass isolation was significantly higher in the "Lock PVI" group: 40/44 (90,9%) vs 28/44 (63,6%) circles (P=0,002). Conclusion The new "Lock PVI" approach resulted in consistently better first-pass isolation (>90%) with less RF time when compared to standard of care PVI.Graphical AbstractLock PVI

BUSINESS CHANGE ADAPTATION: ENHANCING STUDENTS' ENTREPRENEURIAL ACTION THROUGH DYNAMIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

This systematic literature review article aims to identify appropriate entrepreneurship education so that students are able to act entrepreneurially in a dynamic business environment. The method used in writing systematic literature review (SLR) articles is the library research method. Bibliographic sources come from Scopus, ProQuest, and Springer Link databases. Of the 1206 articles that were identified according to the research title, researchers found 8 articles that were relevant based on the research results. The results of the analysis of 8 articles found that entrepreneurship education is very important as a road map for students for entrepreneurial action in the midst of a dynamic business environment. The roadmap includes communication skills to market products and services as well as collaboration skills in groups. This becomes the strength of students to face risks in entrepreneurial actions in the midst of a dynamic business environment

Evaluation of insurance policies in the Saudi Arabian construction contracts

The construction sector is more complicated and prone to risk than many other industries due to the size of the projects and the financial capital involved. Arranging insurance is the prudent course of action for risk management in the construction sector. There is a lack of clarity in insurance policies for public construction projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), which poses additional risks to all involved contracting parties. The aim of this research is to evaluate insurance policies in the KSA's public construction projects to identify the key deficiencies and obstacles and provide a road map for improvement in the insurance sector concerning insurance against financial losses, professional liability, defects' liability, hidden defects, and others. Forty-two contractors and forty-two owners in Saudi Arabia were surveyed, using a questionnaire to gather information for the study about their knowledge of and attitudes regarding risk transfer through insurance (professional liability, defects liability, and hidden defects). The study also covers the selection criteria for insurance policies for projects that potentially shift risk to the construction sector. Ten criteria were also examined as potential sources of liability issues and suggested as potential remedies in KSA. The findings indicate that the duty and liability of engineers and those participating in these projects can be offset by engineers' insurance against professional errors and hidden flaws, and by the construction industry's clear liability policy. Additionally, the research is envisaged to contribute to construction projects' overall quality and safety, ensuring that robust legal and financial safeguards protect all stakeholders.

Challenges in Geocoding: An Analysis of R Packages and Web Scraping Approaches

Georeferenced data are crucial for addressing societal spatial challenges, as most corporate and governmental information is location-compatible. However, many open-source solutions lack automation in geocoding while ensuring quality. This study evaluates the functionalities of various R packages and their integration with external APIs for converting postal addresses into geographic coordinates. Among the fifteen R methods/packages reviewed, tidygeocoder stands out for its versatility, though discrepancies in processing times and missing values vary by provider. The accuracy was assessed by proximity to original dataset coordinates (Madrid street map) using a sample of 15,000 addresses. The results indicate significant variability in performance: MapQuest was the fastest, ArcGIS the most accurate, and Nominatim had the highest number of missing values. To address these issues, an alternative web scraping methodology is proposed, substantially reducing the error rates and missing values, but raising potential legal concerns. This comparative analysis highlights the strengths and limitations of different geocoding tools, facilitating better integration of geographic information into datasets for researchers and social agents.

An ecotourism suitability index for a world heritage city using GIS-multi criteria decision analysis techniques

The concept of ecotourism has experienced a significant surge in popularity over the past two decades, primarily driven by the multitude of adverse impacts associated with mass tourism. The objective of the study was to develop a comprehensive ecotourism suitability index to guide policymakers in implementing tourism development policies. Given the considerable appeal of the study area to both local and international tourists, it is essential to conduct a systematic evaluation to pinpoint suitable areas for ecotourism development. This necessity arises from the study area's placement within a fragile ecosystem and its proximity to a UNESCO World Heritage site. We employed a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) integrated environment coupled with a fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methodology. The GIS-MCDA integrated framework leverages the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and a weighted linear combination that seeks to amalgamate many features and criteria to assess ecotourism potential by integrating 20 criteria into six separate categories: landscape, topography, accessibility, climate, forest and wildlife, and negative factors. Weights were allocated to each criterion and factor based on the expert's opinions of their impact on the development of ecotourism. The final ecotourism suitability index comprised five unique classes: very high, high, moderate, less, and not suitable. Results reveal that out of the total areas, 45.4 % (259 km2) are within the high and very high suitable classes. The sensitivity analysis suggested that ecotourism potentials are more favorable to forest and accessibility variables. The generated index can be utilized as a road map since validation verified a 64 % accuracy. Given the dearth of earlier research, this study provides vital support for the development of sustainable ecotourism projects in the study area.

Molecular and cellular neurocardiology in heart disease.

This paper updates and builds on a previous White Paper in this journal that some of us contributed to concerning the molecular and cellular basis of cardiac neurobiology of heart disease. Here we focus on recent findings that underpin cardiac autonomic development, novel intracellular pathways and neuroplasticity. Throughout we highlight unanswered questions and areas of controversy. Whilst some neurochemical pathways are already demonstrating prognostic viability in patients with heart failure, we also discuss the opportunity to better understand sympathetic impairment by using patient specific stem cells that provides pathophysiological contextualization to study 'disease in a dish'. Novel imaging techniques and spatial transcriptomics are also facilitating a road map for target discovery of molecular pathways that may form a therapeutic opportunity to treat cardiac dysautonomia.

Finding Perforator "Freeway" for Design Optimization of Expanded Flaps by Indocyanine Green Angiography.

Indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) is a useful tool for the visual assessment of superficial blood flow. Herein, we used ICGA to visualize perforator branches and linking vessels to provide a road map for flap design of an expanded flap. Twenty-eight expansions were planned to use back-cut technique in 26 patients. ICGA was used to visualize perforator branching pattern with the linking vessels and the venous network in the expanded flap before expander explantation. The appropriate perforator was selected, and the flap was designed following the axiality of its branch linked by true anastomoses. The vein running closely was chosen as the axial vein. The back cut was designed to avoid transection of the axial artery and vein. Patient demographics, defect characteristics, and reconstructive outcomes were assessed. ICGA clearly visualized the perforator branches and the linking vessels in the expanded flap at the head and neck, trunk, and extremity. The back-cut flap containing the axial artery and vein was raised successfully in 27 expansions. The arterial perforator and superficial vein separated greatly and resulted in design modification from back-cut to advancement flap in one expansion. All expanded flaps met the reconstructive needs and exhibited complete survival. ICGA allowed the visualization of the preoperative topography of the vascular network in the expanded flap and helped surgeons locate the vascular axis and perform an appropriate back-cut design for efficient and safe flap transfer.

Half bridge configurated magneto-resistive sensors with flux guide structure for enhancing sensitivity

We demonstrate the enhancement in sensitivity of half Wheatstone bridge configurated magneto-resistive sensors with a design of the magnetic flux guide. The efficacy of our flux guide design, in comparison to the conventional micro-magnetic flux concentrator for improving the flux gain, is studied using finite element method and verified with the experimental result. We observed a sensitivity of 260%/mT for our half Wheatstone bridge sensor with a very small coercivity of 0.01 mT at room temperature. Our work will contribute to paving a road map for mass production of sensitive magneto-resistive sensors with small footprints (2.5 mm2 in this study).

Mitigation of the Stranded Asset Risk Due to the Implementation of Coal Plants Early Retirement in Indonesia Using Analytical Hierarchy Process

Based on Presidential Regulation Number 112 of 2022 concerning the Acceleration of Renewable Energy Development for the Supply of Electric Power, Indonesia has a road map in which there is a strategy program for accelerating the end of the operational period of PLTUs. In implementing early retirement, there is a risk of stranded assets that needs to be mitigated. Appropriate decision-making strategies and effective mitigation are needed to reduce the impact of stranded asset risk. Using the Anaytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), this study tries to analyze the implementation of the PLTU early retirement strategy by taking into account the risk of stranded assets and finding appropriate mitigation in reducing the level of impact of the risk of stranded assets that needs to be implemented by stakeholders. The results show that effective mitigation requires comprehensive planning and stakeholder involvement, which can substantially ease the financial transitions from coal to renewable energy sources. The findings suggest that integrating economic and policy considerations into the early retirement planning of coal-fired power plants is crucial for managing the transition effectively and minimizing potential financial losses. This approach ensures a smoother transition to sustainable energy sources, contributing significantly to both national and global decarbonization goals.

LOCK PROTOCOL: A NEW ROBUST WORKFLOW FOR A VERY HIGH FIRST PASS PULMONARY VEIN ISOLATION DURING ATRIAL FIBRILLATION ABLATION

Abstract Introduction Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is the gold standard for atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. First pass PVI is often demanding when a raw geometry reconstruction is used in combination with an inaccurate automarks annotation, accounting for discontinuous or non–transmural lesions and related AF recurrences. We hypothesized that a magnetic–post processing of left atrial geometry in combination with an LSI–guided high power short duration (HPSD) automarks annotation could improve procedural efficiency. Purpose Aim of the study was to determine the impact on procedural outcomes of the new “Lock PVI protocol” during AF ablation with the new voxel mode EnSite X mapping system. Methods We included in the study consecutive patients with AF scheduled for pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) at our Departement between January 2021 and December 2022. Patients were divided in two Groups, the Lock–PVI Group and the control No Lock–PVI Group. The “Lock PVI” Group was ablated with the new Ensite X System using the new protocol, which consisted in (1) performing a road map with contact–force annotation at potential PVI sites after High Density reconstruction, (2) shaving the magnetic geometry reconstruction to unearth true 3D location of contact points, (3) Use of 3D–Automarks color–coded with a Lesion Index (LSI) target of 5.5 (anterior) and 4.5 (posterior) (4) Inter–lesion distance £6 mm (5) High Power Short Duration Approach (50 W). The No–Lock PVI was represented by patients ablated with and HPSD ablation with the previous version of the EnSite Precision mapping suit as per local standard practice. Groups were compared in term of procedural duration, radiological exposure and “first pass” isolation. Results Forty–four patients (22 “Lock PVI” and 22 controls mean age 63,3±8 years, 65,9% male, 47,7% persistent AF), for a total of 88 PVI circles were enrolled. Procedural duration was similar between approaches (121,1±43,6 vs 125,3±30,1 min; P=0,72) but RF time was shorter in the “Lock PVI” group (19,6±4 vs 29,55±9,1 min; P<0,001), even if with a longer fluoroscopy (19,5±10,1 vs 13,4±4,9 min; P=0,01). Of note, first pass isolation was significantly higher in the “Lock PVI” group: 40/44 (90,9%) vs 28/44 (63,6%) circles (P=0,002). Conclusion The new “Lock PVI” approach allowed a consistently better first pass isolation (>90%) with less RF time when compared to standard of care PVI.

A road semantic segmentation system for remote sensing images based on deep learning

With the rapid development of deep learning of computer science nowadays in China, many fields in academic research have experienced the powerful and efficient advantages of deep learning and have begun to integrate it with their own research. To be specific, in the field of remote sensing, the challenge of road extraction from the original images can be effectively solved by using deep learning technology. Getting a high precision in road extraction can not only help scientists to update their road map in time but also speed up the process of digitization of roads in big cities. However, until now, compared to manual road extraction, the accuracy is not high enough to meet the needs of high-precision road extraction for the deep learning model because the model cannot extract the roads exactly in complex situations such as villages. However, this study trained a new road extraction model based on UNet model by using only datasets from large cities and can get a pretty high precision in extraction for roads in big cities. Undoubtedly, this can lead to over-fitting, but its unique high accuracy ensures that the model's ability to extract roads can be well utilized under the situations of large cities, helping researchers to update road maps more conveniently and quickly in large cities.

Business Communications of Hospitality Industry Enterprises in Conditions of Political Instability

Topicality. Ukraine is going through a complex period of its societal and economic transformation. The hotel and restaurant business of our country faced significant challenges during the Russian aggression. The aim of the article is to develop a roadmap for business communications in the hospitality industry under political instability. Research methods. When conducting this research, general scientific methods were used, such as: induction and deduction, for synthesising ideas on business communication in the hotel and restaurant business; abstraction, theoretical analysis, and synthesis, for defining the business communication strategy in the hotel and restaurant industry; comparison, for assessing the dynamics of the number of establishments in the hotel and restaurant business of Ukraine; generalisation, for determining the share of Sole Trader in the hotel and restaurant business; inference, for constructing the roadmap for business communication in the hotel and restaurant business; survey, for evaluating the state of business communication in the hotel and restaurant industry; graphical method, for interpreting survey data from 30 respondents in Volyn region. Results. It is established that the majority of hotel and restaurant business establishments are Sole Trader subjects. They quickly adapt to changes, still, they are the most vulnerable ones. The study of 30 respondents in Volyn region showed the absence of an effective business communication strategy in the hotel and restaurant industry. The business communication strategy should be grounded as a road map in which relevant goals, tasks, analysis of the target audience, verification of the messages relevance, tools and tone of voice, risks, implementation terms and evaluation of results are defined. Conclusions and discussion. It is found ou that business communication is an important process in the activity of hotel and restaurant business enterprises. It is established that 86–91 % of small enterprises function in the form of small business entities in the hotel and restaurant business. It is noted that the war and instability in the country in total provoked new paradigms for conducting the hotel and restaurant business. Most of the establishments have been repurposed in accordance with customers’ requests. It is mentioned that business communications play an important role in the vast majority of the surveyed respondents. The main elements of the business communication strategy in the hotel and restaurant business are goals, tasks, target audience, results, risks, implementation terms, results evaluation. On the basis of this study, it is concluded that most hospitality industry establishments in Volyn region do not evaluate the business communication strategy according to a number of qualitative and quantitative indicators, which makes it impossible to identify their problematic issues.

Formulation of a Robust Closed-Circuit Television Design For Owerri Municipality

ABSTRACT In this research study, a thorough field survey was conducted to ascertain the actual outlook of Owerri Municipality. The road-map of the city in question, which served as an aid towards preparing the survey, was obtained from the Works Department of the Owerri Municipal Council Headquarters. The survey was carried out using the Google cloud-based survey software. The outcome of the field work was holistically analyzed and evaluated using the Google cloud-based Spreadsheet. The required engineering design for installation of a Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) in the area was eventually realized. Keywords: Owerri Municipality, CCTV, Road map, Design, Google, Software.

Phase change materials in textiles: synthesis, properties, types and applications – a critical review

Phase change properties of clothing gain attention of the researcher now for their significant unique ability to absorb, release, store, and deposit temperature during phase transition. Phase change materials have been widely used and utilized now in various fields, as well as in textiles. In apparel products, phase change materials are used to introduce various special features, especially its make garments smart or have technical functions. Various researchers pay attention to this area for its large organic and inorganic resources. This review paper summarizes the road map of phase change materials in textiles, including the way of synthesis, the characteristics of phase change materials, and their applications in smart textiles. In addition, the diverse usage of phase change materials in different textiles is discussed. It also tries to cover the principles of phase change behavior, phase change material types, and their thermal properties. After that, the paper will try to mention the potential benefits and challenges associated with utilizing phase change materials in various applications that have been discussed here. Finally, this paper concludes with the mass acceptance of phase change materials in various technological advancements, along with a short note about future research opportunities.

SmallMap: Low-cost Community Road Map Sensing with Uncertain Delivery Behavior

Accurate road networks play a crucial role in modern mobile applications such as navigation and last-mile delivery. Most existing studies primarily focus on generating road networks in open areas like main roads and avenues, but little attention has been given to the generation of community road networks in closed areas such as residential areas, which becomes more and more significant due to the growing demand for door-to-door services such as food delivery. This lack of research is primarily attributed to challenges related to sensing data availability and quality. In this paper, we design a novel framework called SmallMap that leverages ubiquitous multi-modal sensing data from last-mile delivery to automatically generate community road networks with low costs. Our SmallMap consists of two key modules: (1) a Trajectory of Interest Detection module enhanced by exploiting multi-modal sensing data collected from the delivery process; and (2) a Dual Spatio-temporal Generative Adversarial Network module that incorporates Trajectory of Interest by unsupervised road network adaptation to generate road networks automatically. To evaluate the effectiveness of SmallMap, we utilize a two-month dataset from one of the largest logistics companies in China. The extensive evaluation results demonstrate that our framework significantly outperforms state-of-the-art baselines, achieving a precision of 90.5%, a recall of 87.5%, and an F1-score of 88.9%, respectively. Moreover, we conduct three case studies in Beijing City for courier workload estimation, Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) in last-mile delivery, and fine-grained order assignment.

Toward Equity in Access to Midwifery in Saskatchewan: Key Informants’ Perspectives

In this article, we report on the second phase of our exploratory research into issues related to equity in access to midwifery in Saskatchewan. This phase of the research project aimed to explore equity in access to midwifery as understood and experienced by key stakeholders involved in the early stages of midwifery implementation in Saskatchewan. A total of 19 interviews were conducted with participants from Saskatchewan Health, the Midwifery Transitional Council, and Saskatoon’s Regional Midwifery Operations Committee, as well as practitioners, primary health care managers, directors from select regional health authorities, and Saskatchewan midwives. Additionally, all available midwifery policy documents and relevant Primary Health Care and Health Human Resource documents complemented the qualitative analysis. Initial thematic analysis led to five policy recommendations: (1) develop a provincial definition of “priority population” for midwifery clients, (2) establish a midwifery health human resource plan, (3) identify provincial midwifery research priorities, (4) facilitate growth in interprofessional relationships, and (5) develop a provincial “road map” for implementation. A secondary analysis of participants’ responses revealed concern over the poor public education about midwifery services and lack of provincial government prioritization, as well as varied perceptions of the concept of “equity.” We conclude that although general commitments to equity in midwifery service and access are enshrined in Saskatchewan’s health care policies and midwifery regulations, insider perspectives suggest that significant yet modifiable barriers to equity in access to care currently exist. This article has been peer reviewed

Wyoming Conservation Exchange: A Case Study in Grassroots Conservation Program Design

This article describes the conception and development of a market-based conservation program in Wyoming whose purpose was threefold: to compensate landowners for good stewardship of their land and water resources; facilitate meaningful conservation; and encourage environmentally responsible energy development. The program was developed with strong stakeholder support against a backdrop of significant regulatory change. The project, called the Wyoming Conservation Exchange (WCE), represents a project-based alternative to more traditional program-based Extension efforts. This article evaluates ways in which the WCE can act as a road map—but also a cautionary tale—for similar Extension efforts in the future.

Single-Image Building Height Estimation Using EfficientNet: A Simplified, Scalable Approach

We present a novel approach for estimating building heights using single street-level images. The method employs EfficientNet, a state-of-the-art neural network, to eliminate the need for additional data like street maps. We compare this new method with existing techniques, focusing on accuracy evaluated through metrics like Mean Absolute Error (MAE). The model is pre-trained on the Cityscapes dataset and fine-tuned on images from Toronto’s 3D Massing dataset. It demonstrates strong accuracy, with an MAE of 1.21 meters, outperforming traditional methods.

Elevation Accuracy of Forest Road Maps Derived from Aerial Imaging, Airborne Laser Scanning and Mobile Laser Scanning Data

Forest road maps are a fundamental source of information for the sustainable management, protection, and public utilization of forests. However, the precision of these maps is crucial to their use. In this context, we assessed and compared the elevation accuracy of terrain on three forest road surfaces (i.e., asphalt, concrete, and stone), which were derived based on data from three remote sensing technologies (i.e., aerial imaging, airborne laser scanning, and mobile laser scanning) using five geospatial techniques (i.e., inverse distance; natural neighbor; and conversion by average, maximal, and minimal elevation value). Specifically, the elevation accuracy was assessed based on 700 points at which elevation was measured in the field, and these elevations were extracted from fifteen derived forest road maps with a resolution of 0.5 m. The highest precision was found on asphalt roads derived from mobile laser scanning data (RMSE from ±0.01 m to ±0.04 m) and airborne laser scanning data (RMSE from ±0.03 m to ±0.04 m). On the other hand, the lowest precision was found on all roads derived from aerial imaging data (RMSE from ±0.11 m to ±0.23 m). Furthermore, we found significant differences in elevation between the measured and derived terrains. However, the differences in elevation between specific techniques, such as inverse distance, natural neighbor, and conversion by average, were mostly random. Moreover, we found that airborne and mobile laser scanning technologies provided terrain on concrete and stone roads with random elevation differences. In these cases, it is possible to replace a specific technique or technology with one that is similar without significantly decreasing the elevation accuracy (α = 0.05).

Effect of enzymatic hydrolysis with Alcalase or Protamex on technological and antioxidant properties of whey protein hydrolysates

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the enzymatic hydrolysis, performed using Alcalase and Protamex enzymes, on the technological functionalities and the antioxidant capacity of whey protein hydrolysates (WPHs) to identify the conditions allowing to obtain target functionality/ies. Samples were characterized for hydrolysis degree (DH), molecular weight distribution, structural properties, and food-related functionalities. Free sulfhydryl groups and surface hydrophobicity significantly decreased with the increase in DH, regardless of the used enzyme. The foaming and antioxidant properties of Alcalase WPHs were higher as compared to those of WPI, reaching the maximum value at DH = 18–20 %, while higher DH resulted in impaired functionality. Gelling properties were guaranteed when WPI was hydrolysed by Protamex at DH < 15 % while foaming and antioxidant abilities were fostered at 15 < DH < 21 %. These results were well correlated with MW distribution and were rationalized into a road map which represents a useful tool in the selection of proper hydrolysis conditions (time, DH, enzyme type) to obtain WPHs with tailored functionalities. Research outcomes highlighted the possibility to drive protein hydrolysis to optimize the desired functionality/ies.