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Task allocation in edge computing refers to the process of distributing tasks among the various nodes in an edge computing network. The main challenges in task allocation include determining the optimal location for each task based on the requirements such as processing power, storage, and network bandwidth, and adapting to the dynamic nature of the network. Different approaches for task allocation include centralized, decentralized, hybrid, and machine learning algorithms. Each approach has its strengths and weaknesses and the choice of approach will depend on the specific requirements of the application. In more detail, the selection of the most optimal task allocation methods depends on the edge computing architecture and configuration type, like mobile edge computing (MEC), cloud-edge, fog computing, peer-to-peer edge computing, etc. Thus, task allocation in edge computing is a complex, diverse, and challenging problem that requires a balance of trade-offs between multiple conflicting objectives such as energy efficiency, data privacy, security, latency, and quality of service (QoS). Recently, an increased number of research studies have emerged regarding the performance evaluation and optimization of task allocation on edge devices. While several survey articles have described the current state-of-the-art task allocation methods, this work focuses on comparing and contrasting different task allocation methods, optimization algorithms, as well as the network types that are most frequently used in edge computing systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses innovation within the traditionally conservative legal sector as a diverse service improvement mechanism that models positive firm change. A resource-based view and practice-based view blend provided a systematic theoretical benchmark for the study. Fifty-three semi-structured interviews were conducted with law professionals from seven countries capturing their day-to-day work experiences and identifying the barriers that hinder and the opportunities that support innovation adoption in legal firms today. A data-intensive thematic analysis uncovers six core themes: human factor and culture, client and market, technology, organizational transitions, legal processes, and education. The paper contributes to the state of art by (i) contextualizing each of these themes and their diverse underpinning dimensions; (ii) developing an evidence-based conceptual framework that critically assesses legal innovation uptake barriers and opportunities; and (iii) advancing the theoretical and empirical understanding of law service operations demonstrating the rationale for legal firms to invest in technology, multidisciplinary education, and training, and to adopt leaner, hybrid and more client-driven management approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of computer hardware and communications has brought with it many exciting applications in the Internet of Things. More and more Single Board Computers (SBC) with high performance and low power consumption are used to infer deep learning models at the edge of the network. In this article, we investigate a cooperative task execution system in an edge computing architecture. In our topology, the edge server offloads different workloads to end devices, which collaboratively execute object detection on the transmitted sets of images. Our proposed system attempts to provide optimization in terms of execution accuracy and execution time for inferencing deep learning models. Furthermore, we focus on implementing new policies to optimize the E2E execution time and the execution accuracy of the system by highlighting the key role of effective image compression and the batch sizes (splitting decisions) received by the end devices from a server at the network edge. In our testbed, we used the You Only Look Once (YOLO) version 5, which is one of the most popular object detectors. In our heterogeneous testbed, an edge server and three different end devices were used with different characteristics like CPU/TPU, different sizes of RAM, and different neural network input sizes to identify sharp trade-offs. Firstly, we implemented the YOLOv5 on our end devices to evaluate the performance of the model using metrics like Precision, Recall, and mAP on the COCO dataset. Finally, we explore optimal trade-offs for different task-splitting strategies and compression decisions to optimize total performance. We demonstrate that offloading workloads on multiple end devices based on different splitting decisions and compression values improves the system's performance to respond in real-time conditions without needing a server or cloud resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the significance of the social science agenda reflecting and affecting the carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) value chain has been acknowledged, there is still a scarcity of research about it. This work contributes in developing an understanding of public perceptions regarding the acceptance, use, and purchasing of carbon dioxide (CO2)-derived products through an online quantitative survey. Our research suggests the awareness and acceptance of such products are relatively high. Respondents were in favour of CO2-derived product promotion by policy makers and the industry, approved the funding of such schemes by government, and supported companies that use captured CO2 in their products. The product category seems to influence the willingness of people to use and buy CO2-derived products, with our respondents being more willing to use CO2-derived fuels than food or beverages, showing a caution toward health-related risks. Respondents were also more willing to buy a CO2-derived product if it was cheaper or better for the environment. Male respondents were in general less willing to pay for CCU-based products, while people aged 25 to 29 were more positive toward them. We conclude that the public will be in favour of CCU-based products and willing to buy them if the involved stakeholders do their part in delivering a safe product at a comparable quality and price to existing ones. Better information provision can also support this cause. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economic development of many countries globally relies heavily on tourism arrivals and spending. Terrorist attacks, political unrest, and other external shocks create disruptions and imbalances that lead to tourism crises with devastating effects on a country's economy. The paper quantitatively examines the wider economic impacts and welfare effects of a continued decrease in tourism revenues caused by terrorism and political instability on the Kenyan economy. We use a dynamic Computable General Equilibrium model which we calibrate to a 2003 Social Accounting Matrix for Kanya. Our results reveal that a decrease in tourism spending causes a contraction of the economy in the short-term and long-term. Tourism contraction leads to decreased output, prices and wages in urban households, whereas the rural households notice an increase in welfare in the short and medium-term and a decrease in the long-term. Diversification of the tourism product, better branding, crisis management preparations and emphasis on domestic tourism that is less affected by disruption are ways to safeguard tourism in Kenya and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to evaluate the implementation of innovative programmes within the downstream domain of the pharmaceutical supply chain (PSC), with the aim of informing improved service provision. Design/methodology/approach: A mixed-method approach was used to assess to what extent innovation could be adopted by hospital and community pharmacies to improve the delivery process of pharmaceutical products. Unstructured interviews and 130 questionnaires were collected and analysed to identify factors that facilitate or prevent innovation within PSC processes. Findings: The analysis led to the creation of the innovative pharmaceutical supply chain framework (IPSCF) that provides guidance to health-care organisations about how supply chain management problems could be addressed by implementing innovative approaches. The results also indicated that the implementation of Lean and Reverse Logistics (RL) practices, supported by integrated information technology systems, can help health-care organisations to enhance their delivery in terms of quality (products and service quality), visibility (knowledge and information sharing), speed (response to customers and suppliers needs) and cost (minimisation of cost and waste). Practical implications: The study's recommendations have potential implications for supply chain theory and practice, particularly for pharmacies in terms of innovation adoption. The IPSCF provides guidance to pharmacies and health-care organisations to develop more efficient and effective supply chain strategies. Originality/value: This research contributes to the academic literature as it adds novel theoretical insights to highly complex delivery process innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automation carries paradigm-shifting potential for urban transport and has critical sustainability dimensions for the future of our cities. This article examines the diverse environmental and energy-related dimensions of automated mobility at the city level by reviewing an emerging and increasingly diversified volume of literature for road, rail, water, and air passenger transport. The multimodal nature of this investigation provides the opportunity for a novel contribution that adds value to the literature in four distinctive ways. It reviews from a sustainability angle the state of the art underpinning the transition to a paradigm of automated mobility, identifies current knowledge gaps highlighting the scarcity of non-technicalresearch outside the autonomous car's realm, articulates future directions for research and policy development, and proposes a conceptual model that contextualizes the automation-connectivity-electrification-sharing-multimodality nexus as the only way forward for vehicle automation to reach its pro-environmental and resource-saving potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), in general, and Senegal, in particular, tourism has often been proposed as a pro-poor development strategy due to its intensive use of unskilled labour. However, few studies have examined the linkage between tourism and agriculture, which is still the principal sector for employment in many SSA countries. Using a Structure Path Analysis (SPA), this paper investigates how, in structural terms, an exogenous demand shock on the tourism industry affects the Senegalese agricultural sector. The SPA results show that one of the core sub-sectors of tourism hotels and restaurants has relatively weak linkages with suppliers of agricultural inputs. Staple crops is identified as the agricultural sub-sector that has the most significant impact on tourism. Food and beverage processing plays an indirect but important role in the way hotels and restaurants industry impacts agriculture. Our analysis provides robust evidence that tourism has the capacity to create opportunities for the farmers and local food supply chains through generating additional demand for food products. Policy interventions looking to amplify the benefits that tourism can generate for agriculture, for the case of Senegal and comparable SSA countries, should focus on measures aiming at minimising imports of manufactured food and imports reflecting and affecting food and beverage processing and investing in agritourism development initiatives, such as farm-based accommodation, agricultural festivals and farm-tours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Although intersections correspond to a small proportion of the entire roadway system, they account for a disproportionally high number of fatal pedestrian crashes, especially on rural roads situated in low- and middle-income countries. This article examines pedestrian safety at rural intersections and suggests applicable accident prevention treatments by providing an in-depth analysis of 28 fatal pedestrian crashes from 8 low-volume roads in southwest China.Methods: The driving reliability and error analysis method (DREAM) is a method to support a systematic classification of accident causation information and to facilitate aggregation of that information into patterns of contributing factors. This is the first time that DREAM was used to analyze pedestrian-vehicle crashes and provide suggestions for road improvements in China.Results: The key issues adversely affecting pedestrian safety can be organized in 4 distinctive thematic categories, namely, deficient intersection safety infrastructure, lack of pedestrian safety education, inadequate driver training, and insufficient traffic law enforcement. Given that resources for traffic safety investments in rural areas are limited, it is determined that the potential countermeasures should focus on low-cost, easily implementable, and long-lasting measures increasing the visibility and predictability of pedestrian movement and reducing speeding and irresponsible driving among drivers and risk-taking behaviors among pedestrians.Conclusions: Accident prevention treatments are suggested based on their suitability for rural areas in southwest China. These countermeasures include introducing better access management and traffic calming treatments, providing more opportunities for pedestrian education, and enhancing the quality of driver training and traffic law enforcement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the leading causes of dental implant loss in the present time is peri-implantitis. This paper describes a clinical case of peri-implantitis treatment using Er:YAG and a 980-nm diode laser. In the present case report, it is explained how to use these two different wavelengths on soft tissue and on the implant surface. The use of diode and Er:YAG lasers allows the removal of inflamed tissue and the bacterial biofilm from the implant surface which results in bone regeneration/reparation in the peri-implant area. In the present report, it is recommended using Er:YAG and diode lasers at 2W power to be used in the therapy of peri-implantitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bike sharing is one of the most promising urban planning interventions to facilitate an all-necessary transition towards a more sustainable transport paradigm. Regardless of the fact that hundreds of schemes run in more than 50 countries worldwide, bike sharing is still moderately investigated by research. This paper reports on a primarily quantitative study of 558 responses that was set to frame attitudes reflecting public acceptance towards the rapidly expanding bike-sharing scheme in Gothenburg, Sweden (Styr & Ställ), in an attempt to identify the 'formula for success'. The respondents generally believed that Styr & Ställ is a pro-environmental, inexpensive and healthy transport mode, which complements the city's public transport services and promotes a more human-friendly identity for Gothenburg. Even the respondents that self-reported a small (or no) likelihood to use bike sharing were positive towards the scheme. This means that they recognise that bike sharing has a significant pro-social potential and is not a system favouring a particular road-user segment over others that might not be interested or able to use it. The fact that the majority of the respondents do not use the scheme and yet its popularity is still vast indicates that there is much potential for more use in real terms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an ageing society older people have a growing influence on politics in general, and potentially on the acceptability of road charging in particular. They face specific types of risk of transport-related social exclusion which may influence their views on charging, although there is also evidence to suggest that older people favour, more than any other age group, what is positively valued by society - a process known as 'pro-social value orientation'. Family and friends may also affect older people's considerations about their intentions and choices - thus the importance of studying the influence of 'social norms' on older people's attitudes to road charging. The paper develops our understanding of these issues, based on the findings of a quantitative survey conducted in Bristol, UK. Evidence indicates that the attitudes of older people to road charging do differ from those of younger people and that pro-social value orientations and social norms do contribute to the formation of these attitudes. It is concluded that the presence of pro-social attitude orientations assists in explaining why people assumed to be 'natural supporters' of charging schemes may hold negative attitudes, which underlines to scheme promoters the importance of understanding and overcoming strongly held, psychologically complex objections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected our cities in monumental ways with no sector likely being more severely impacted than transport. Lockdowns, physical spacing, transport restrictions and stay-at-home guidelines have transformed personal mobility and highlighted the mistakes of an unbalanced pro-car culture that defined a century of urban planning. One immediate effect of the virus in relation to travel demand and supply was the emergence of active travel modes because of their unique ability to provide a socially distanced way of transport. Cycling is one of the modes that has enjoyed significant attention. Numerous cities have reallocated street and public space to cyclists and introduced pro-bike interventions like pop-up cycle lanes, e-bike subsidies, free bike-share use and traffic calming measures. This newly found outbreak-induced momentum creates an opportunity to establish a new ethos that allows the promotion of potentially permanent strategies that may help cycling to be (re-)established as a robust, mainstream and resilient travel mode for inner city trips and not as a second-class alternative operating under the automobile's giant shadow. This paper provides a state-of-the-art description of the anti-COVID cycling-friendly initiatives that have been introduced globally, the successes and failures of these initiatives, the lessons learnt that can help us redefine the bicycle's role in local societies today and a best cycling practice policy guide for planning a more bike-centric future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Microwave Radiometry (MWR) is a new validated method, which allows evaluation of thermal heterogeneity of carotid arteries and is associated with inflammation.Purpose: The aim of this pilot study was to determine if thermal heterogeneity in the carotid arteries is associated with aortic elastic properties in patients with dyslipidemia and whether treatment for dyslipidemia affects thermal heterogeneity. Method: Twenty-nine patients with dyslipidemia (mean age 42 ± 13 years, range 22–75, 19 men) without known cardiovascular disease, underwent assessment of carotid thermal heterogeneity (temperature difference-DT) using MWR. Mean common carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) was also assessed. Twenty-one patients were treated for 6 months with statin or/ and ezetimibe and thermal heterogeneity was assessed after treatment. Results: There was a positive correlation between ΔT and cIMT (r = 0.474, p = 0.009). In multivariate regression analysis, after adjustment for potential confounders such as age, sex, mean blood pressure and body-mass index, cIMT showed a positive correlation with ΔT in carotid arteries (Adjusted R2 = 0.258, p = 0.048). Thermal heterogeneity after 6 months of treatment was reduced statistically significant (0.88 ± 0.42 to 0.58 ± 0.29 °C, p = 0.021) (Image). Conclusion: In a group of patients with dyslipidemia thermal heterogeneity in the carotid arteries was positively associated with carotid subclinical atherosclerosis. Moreover, dyslipidemia treatment reduced thermal heterogeneity after a short-term period, implying a beneficial effect of treatment on thermal heterogeneity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bicycle sharing systems (BSSs) have been implemented in cities worldwide in an attempt to promote cycling. Despite exhibiting characteristics considered to be barriers to cycling, such as hot summers, hilliness and car-oriented infrastructure, Southern European island cities and tourist destinations Limassol (Cyprus), Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain) and the Valletta conurbation (Malta) are all experiencing the implementation of BSSs and policies to promote cycling. In this study, a year of trip data and secondary datasets are used to analyze dock-based BSS usage in the three case-study cities. How land use, socio-economic, network and temporal factors influence BSS use at station locations, both as an origin and as a destination, was examined using bivariate correlation analysis and through the development of linear mixed models for each case study. Bivariate correlations showed significant positive associations with the number of cafes and restaurants, vicinity to the beach or promenade and the percentage of foreign population at the BSS station locations in all cities. A positive relation with cycling infrastructure was evident in Limassol and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, but not in Malta, as no cycling infrastructure is present in the island's conurbation, where the BSS is primarily operational. Elevation had a negative association with BSS use in all three cities. In Limassol and Malta, where seasonality in weather patterns is strongest, a negative effect of rainfall and a positive effect of higher temperature were observed. Although there was a positive association between BSS use and the number of visiting tourists in Limassol and Malta, this is predominantly explained through the multi-collinearity with weather factors rather than by intensive use of the BSS by tourists. The linear mixed models showed more fine-grained results and explained differences in BSS use at stations, including differences for station use as an origin and as a destination. The insights from the correlation analysis and linear mixed models can be used to inform policies promoting cycling and BSS use and support sustainable mobility policies in the case-study cities and cities with similar characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The benefits of having a Bike Sharing System (BSS) in a city are numerous. Among other advantages, it promotes a cleaner environment with less traffic and pollution. One major problem the users of such services encounter is that of full or empty stations, causing user dissatisfaction. The objective of this work is to propose a new user-based incentive method to enhance BSS performance. The proposed method relies on a spatial outlier detection algorithm. It consists of adapting the departure and arrival stations of the users to the BSS state by stimulating the users to change their journeys in view of minimizing the number of full and empty stations. Experiments are carried out to compare our proposed method to some existing methods for enhancing the resource availability of BSSs, and they are performed on a real dataset issued from a well-known BSS called Velib. The results show that the proposed strategy improves the availability of BSS resources, even when the collaboration of users is partial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shifting from a fossil-fueled to an eco-friendly vehicle fleet in cities could pave the way towards a more sustainable future. Electric Vehicles (EVs) should thus be prioritized, so that they could replace conventional vehicles gradually. In this context, an EV-accommodating infrastructure, which ensures the functionality of the entire system, is essential. This study aims to develop a methodological framework to identify suitable locations for the deployment of EV charging points in urban environments. To meet this objective, we acquired a mixed method approach including a systematic literature review, 12 semistructured stakeholder interviews which were thematically analyzed, and an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). The outcome is a spatial model function, which consists of parameters and weights for estimating the suitability of each urban road link that will allow the establishment of EV charging points. Results show that the key location selection factors are: transport hubs, marked or controlled parking spaces, and points of interest. The less significant factor is public services. Therefore, there is a preference, in stakeholder level, for transport features over the land use ones (69% over 31%). Although this research is conducted in Greece, we intend to suggest methods and generate valuable findings that may be valid and generalizable for a more global context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing increase of bicycle traffic in urban areas forces transport authorities to reconsider the space allocation for different transport modes. Transport policies favor the introduction of high-quality bicycle infrastructure along urban corridors to improve the traffic quality and safety for bicyclists but more importantly to increase the attractiveness of bicycling and over vehicular modes. Especially in urban areas with an already established high and steadily increasing share of bicyclists, the introduction of bicycle highways is considered to further alleviate saturated interurban public transport and motor vehicle connections and increase the average traveled distance by non-motorized modes. Due to the expensive implementation costs and the space restrictions in already built-up urban environments, there should be an extensive planning phase for defining the expected changes in traffic efficiency and safety. However, the effects of urban bicycle highways on traffic performance metrics of bicyclists as well as other road users are not thoroughly studied. This paper aims to quantify and assess the potential effects of urban bicycle highway on road users. The study considers a possible inner-city pilot route in the city of Munich, where the present bicycle infrastructure is planned to be upgraded to a bicycle highway. A simulation model is designed using traffic data from field observations and future estimates for the traffic composition. Through microscopic traffic simulation, the potential effects of the introduced infrastructure on road users are determined for different study scenarios. Results show that traffic quality thresholds for bicycle highways, as defined in official guidelines, can only be fulfilled through the implementation of special bicycle traffic control measures such as bicycle coordination or bicycle passage time extension. Finally, unidirectional bicycle highways together with bicycle passage time extension provided the best overall traffic performance for bicycle traffic and motor vehicle traffic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a powerful concept still in its infancy that has the potential, if utilised responsibly, to provide a vehicle for positive change that could promote sustainable transitions to a more resource-efficient livability paradigm. AI with its deep learning functions and capabilities can be employed as a tool which empowers machines to solve problems that could reform urban landscapes as we have known them for decades now and help with establishing a new era; the era of the "smart city". One of the key areas that AI can redefine is transport. Mobility provision and its impact on urban development can be significantly improved by the employment of intelligent transport systems in general and automated transport in particular. This new breed of AI-based mobility, despite its machine-orientation, has to be a user-centred technology that "understands" and "satisfies" the human user, the markets and the society as a whole. Trust should be built, and risks should be eliminated, for this transition to take off. This paper provides a novel conceptual contribution that thoroughly discusses the scarcely studied nexus of AI, transportation and the smart city and how this will affect urban futures. It specifically covers key smart mobility initiatives referring to Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs), autonomous Personal and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (PAVs and UAVs) and Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS), but also interventions that may work as enabling technologies for transport, such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Physical Internet (PI) or reflect broader transformations like Industry 4.0. This work is ultimately a reference tool for researchers and city planners that provides clear and systematic definitions of the ambiguous smart mobility terms of tomorrow and describes their individual and collective roles underpinning the nexus in scope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new mobility ethos is needed for cities looking to overcome the problems that have been accumulated for decades by a transport paradigm that prioritises automobiles over people. Bike-sharing, a measure promoting voluntary travel behaviour change, could be part of a refined toolbox that will help in forging this new ethos. Despite a rapid emergence during the last handful of years, as evidenced by 1956 operational local schemes and approximately 15,254,400 self-service public use bicycles across the world, bike-sharing has been attracting negative attention lately. Tens of schemes have closed down, deemed as financial or operational failures, stigmatising bike-sharing's brand and putting the future of the concept itself in jeopardy. However, discounting bike-sharing as flawed may not be fair or accurate. This paper identifies a formula of success for bike-sharing operations based on a state-of-the-art case study analysis, which is supported by primary data evidence from two survey-based studies in Sweden and Greece. This paper suggests that residents in cities hosting or looking to host bike-sharing schemes are usually very supportive of them but not always likely to use them. More importantly, this paper delivers some key policy and business lessons that form a survival guide for effectively introducing and running public bicycle schemes. These lessons include, among others, the need for: tailoring the system design and expansion strategy according to the host city needs, city-operator and commercial partner synergies, more bike-friendly infrastructure and legislation, pro-active cultural engagement, anti-abuse measures, enhanced fleet management and realistic profit expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]