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Found 6319 publications
Analysis of the financing activities of European football leagues
Publication Name: Economic Annals Xxi
Publication Date: 2021-06-01
Volume: 189
Issue: 5-6
Page Range: 46-56
Description:
In a market economy, effective financial management is one of the most important aspects of the functioning of any company, which plays a connecting role between various areas of its activities and determines the company's position on the market, its competitiveness, prospects for sustainable development and cost growth. In this context, the assessment of the economic efficiency of sports organizations is also relevant, due to the high social significance of the sports industry and its huge popularity among the population. The study selected leagues that use different approaches to the formation and distribution of financial resources in their activities. Thus, the subject of this research is the existing mechanisms for financing the activities of sports subjects. The comparative report of UEFA on club licensing for pre-COVID-19 period was used as an analytical basis for the study. The results obtained during the study showed that with an effective approach to the process of managing financial and economic activities, the professional sports industry can be considered as a promising tool that can generate a significant material and non-material effect on various spheres of public activity, which affects the dynamic economic growth of the industry, as evidenced, in particular, by the performance index of the football leagues of Europe calculated in the work, showing the stable growth of the industry in the pre-COVID-19 period.
Open Access: Yes
DOI: 10.21003/EA.V189-05
Artificial neural network for modeling and investigating the effects of forming tool characteristics on the accuracy and formability of thin aluminum alloy blanks when using SPIF
Publication Name: International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology
Publication Date: 2021-06-01
Volume: 114
Issue: 9-10
Page Range: 2591-2615
Description:
Incremental Sheet Forming (ISF) has attracted attention due to its flexibility as far as its forming process and complexity in the deformation mode are concerned. Single Point Incremental Forming (SPIF) is one of the major types of ISF, which also constitutes the simplest type of ISF. If sufficient quality and accuracy without defects are desired, for the production of an ISF component, optimal parameters of the ISF process should be selected. In order to do that, an initial prediction of formability and geometric accuracy helps researchers select proper parameters when forming components using SPIF. In this process, selected parameters are tool materials and shapes. As evidenced by earlier studies, multiple forming tests with different process parameters have been conducted to experimentally explore such parameters when using SPIF. With regard to the range of these parameters, in the scope of this study, the influence of tool material, tool shape, tool-end corner radius, and tool surface roughness (Ra/Rz) were investigated experimentally on SPIF components: the studied factors include the formability and geometric accuracy of formed parts. In order to produce a well-established study, an appropriate modeling tool was needed. To this end, with the help of adopting the data collected from 108 components formed with the help of SPIF, Artificial Neural Network (ANN) was used to explore and determine proper materials and the geometry of forming tools: thus, ANN was applied to predict the formability and geometric accuracy as output. Process parameters were used as input data for the created ANN relying on actual values obtained from experimental components. In addition, an analytical equation was generated for each output based on the extracted weight and bias of the best network prediction. Compared to the experimental approach, analytical equations enable the researcher to estimate parameter values within a relatively short time and in a practicable way. Also, an estimate of Relative Importance (RI) of SPIF parameters (generated with the help of the partitioning weight method) concerning the expected output is also presented in the study. One of the key findings is that tool characteristics play an essential role in all predictions and fundamentally impact the final products.
Open Access: Yes
Identification of ovine-associated staphylococci by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry
Publication Name: Acta Alimentaria
Publication Date: 2021-06-01
Volume: 50
Issue: 3
Page Range: 210-218
Description:
The objective of this study was to use matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation–time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) for the identification of ovine-associated staphylococci. Presumptive Staphylococcus isolates were recovered from ovine udder surface (US), individual raw milk, bulk tank milk, and cheese samples and were characterised by conventional phenotypic methods. A total of 69 bacterial isolates were further confirmed by MALDI-TOF MS. Forty-two (60.9%) of 69 isolates were successfully identified on genus and species level. Two thirds (n 5 28) of the 42 identified isolates were shown to be Staphylococcus spp. These 28 staphylococcal isolates formed two clusters, one consisting of 22 Staphylococcus aureus strains and the other composed of 6 non-aureus staphylococci, including S. simulans (n 5 3), S. auricularis, S. equorum, and S. haemolyticus. MALDI-TOF MS has proven to be a reliable tool for the identification of staphylococci from raw sheep’s milk, especially bulk tank milk; however, currently it appears to be less useful for the identification of bacterial isolates originating from ovine US samples. This is the first study to evaluate the applicability of MALDI-TOF MS for identification of Staphylococcus spp. in ovine raw milk, cheese, and US samples in Hungary.
Open Access: Yes
Effect of bacterial inoculation on co-composting of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.) waste and cattle manure
Publication Name: 3 Biotech
Publication Date: 2021-06-01
Volume: 11
Issue: 6
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of Cellulomonas flavigena and Streptomyces viridosporus, as a bacterial inoculant, on the compostability of post-extraction lavender waste. The major physicochemical, microbiological, and biological properties of the composting materials were monitored for 161 days. The technology developed was shown to improve the compostability of recalcitrant herbal residues. The use of lavender waste beneficially affected the composting process by extending the thermophilic phase, accelerating the degradation of organic matter, and elevating the viable counts of useful microorganisms; however, adverse effects were also observed, including an increased carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (19.05) and a decreased germination index (93.4%). Bacterial inoculation was found to preserve the nitrogen content (2.50%) and improve the efficiency of biodegradation. The Salmonella- and Escherichia coli-free final composting products were mature, stable, and ready for soil application. To the authors’ knowledge, no previous research has investigated the compostability of lavender waste. Likewise, this is the first study that has used strains of C. flavigena and S. viridosporus in combination to facilitate a composting process.
Open Access: Yes
Intelligent wavelet based pre-filtering method for ultrasonic sensor fusion inverse algorithm performance optimization
Publication Name: Inventions
Publication Date: 2021-06-01
Volume: 6
Issue: 2
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
Certain obstacle mapping applications require the live evaluation of the measured data to prevent collision with obstacles. The fusion of different or similar sensors usually has a high calculation demand, which increases significantly with the area to be evaluated and the number of sensors. In the present considerations, we propose a wavelet-based adaptive optimization method, which can greatly decrease the number of grid points to be evaluated, and thus the necessary computation time. The basis of the method is to use the fact that the areas to be evaluated mostly face a rather small number of obstacles, which cover a smaller percentage of the whole environment. The first step in a pre-filtering process is the determination of the zones where no obstacles are present. This step can already result in a considerable decrease in the computation time, however with the transformation to polar coordinates, the method will not only be more fitted to the problem to be solved, but the area of the evaluation can also be increased with the same number of grid points. As a last step, we applied wavelet transformation to identify the regions of interest, where the application of a refined raster is necessary, and thus further decreasing the number of grid points where the calculation has to be carried out. We used our previously developed probability-based ultrasonic sensor fusion inverse algorithm to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method.
Open Access: Yes
Study of the antifungal effect of a copper-containing foliar fertilizer
Publication Name: Cereal Research Communications
Publication Date: 2021-06-01
Volume: 49
Issue: 2
Page Range: 337-341
Description:
Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important arable crops. Copper-containing fertilizers are used in crop production to treat or reduce the negative effects of copper deficiency. Various copper compounds are also widely used as effective fungicide agents. The influence of a copper-containing foliar fertilizer prepared from a copper solution and sucrose had been tested on the yield and raw protein content of winter wheat in previous field experiments. In this work, we studied the antifungal effect of this particular foliar fertilizer in an in vitro trial, wherein the fungicide effect on growth and reproduction of specific plant pathogens, i.e., Fusarium graminearum and Drechslera sorokiniana, was evaluated with the agar well diffusion method. The results showed that doses of the foliar fertilizer corresponding to field applications of at least 1 kg ha−1 had antifungal effects, which were significant (P < 0.01) above the concentration level of 3337 mg L−1, corresponding to 2 kg ha−1 application, against both fungal pathogens. A linear correlation (r2 > 0.95) was found between copper concentration and fungicide efficiency in the concentration range studied. The fungicide efficiency of the foliar fertilizer was lower than that of the commercially available copper-oxychloride fungicide. The sole use of the foliar nutrient tested probably cannot replace fungicide treatments. However, in addition to its plant nutrition effect, its antifungal properties should also be taken into consideration.
Open Access: Yes
Blockchain research in healthcare: a bibliometric review and current research trends
Publication Name: Journal of Data Information and Management
Publication Date: 2021-06-01
Volume: 3
Issue: 2
Page Range: 109-124
Description:
The literature on blockchain-enabled use cases has grown exponentially over recent years. Yet, studies are missing that apply bibliometrics and visualization techniques to unravel the dynamics and current discussions pertaining to the nexus of blockchain technology (BCT) and the healthcare field. To close this knowledge gap, we examine the knowledge base and research hotspots of BCT research in the field of healthcare. We carry out a series of bibliometric analyses on the extant literature, including the scholarly production, developmental pattern of the annual total number of authors, and identification of productive academic institutions, countries, and leading authors. Additionally, we conduct a keyword co-occurrence analysis and identify the major research hotspots and trends for the future. The findings of this research are valuable for scholars and practitioners who seek to better understand the development status, dynamics, and trends pertaining to BCT in healthcare.
Open Access: Yes
Artificial aging experiments of neat and contaminated engine oil samples
Publication Name: Lubricants
Publication Date: 2021-06-01
Volume: 9
Issue: 6
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
This study highlights how the results from an artificial engine oil aging method compare to used engine oil samples collected from a vehicle fleet. Additionally, this paper presents the effect of contaminating the oil during aging with synthetic fuel alternatives on the physical and chemical properties of artificially aged engine oil samples. A laboratory-scale artificial thermo-oxidative aging experiment was conducted on multiple samples of commercially available formulated fully-synthetic SAE 0W-30 engine oil. The goal of the experiment was to establish the validity of the artificially aged samples as well as the validity of the underlying process in reproducibly fabricating small batches of aged engine oil with comparable chemical and physical properties to real-life used oils. Eight samples were subjected to distinct load cases (temperature, air flow rate, sample volume and aging time). Six additional samples were subjected to an intermediate load case, with five of them contaminated with selected conventional fuels and novel automotive fuel candidates. Conventional oil analysis was conducted on each sample to determine oxidation, residual additive content, kinematic viscosity and total base number. Additionally, analysis results were compared to in-use engine oil samples through PCA. The resulting oil condition after aging is in accordance with independently published results in terms of zinc dialkyldithiophosphate content and kinematic viscosity. Contaminated aging with OME3-5 resulted in a drop in antioxidant content and elevated kinematic viscosity. Based on the comparison with in-use samples, artificial aging of 200 mL engine oil at 180◦ C with 1 L/min air flow for 96 h can produce similar oil conditions as mixed vehicle use for 7000 km.
Open Access: Yes
Opinion of the hungarian population on the reform of beverage packaging deposit-refund system
Publication Name: Sustainability Switzerland
Publication Date: 2021-06-01
Volume: 13
Issue: 11
Page Range: Unknown
Description:
The research subject is the deposit-refund system of beverage packaging (PET, glass and aluminium) in Hungary, which is under development. For the success of the planned system, it is important to consider the population’s opinion. Therefore, data from a primary questionnaire survey were used for the analyses. This questionnaire was conducted in 2020 and resulted in an evaluable sample of 20, 430 people. The study aims to answer the following research questions (Q). Q1. Does the reform of the beverage packaging deposit-refund system in Hungary have a raison d’être? Q2. What are the demographic characteristics (gender, type of residence, qualification) of those who would redeem beverage packaging in their households if the state paid for it? Q3. Do the demographic characteristics and/or the environmental attitudes of individuals significantly influence their perceptions of the planned new system, and how strong is the relationship between them? As for the method for answering the research questions, descriptive statistics and relationship analyses (Cramer’s V and Kendall’s tau) were applied to the closed answers. The results show that the analysis of the primary research provides well-determined directions for legislators and decision makers who develop the detailed operating rules of the new system.
Open Access: Yes
DOI: 10.3390/su13116373
