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Understanding the importance of biotic community structure on ecosystem functioning, and whether communities inhabiting different microhabitats in highly heterogeneous areas provide different ecological functions is a challenge in ecological research in the face of biodiversity and habitat loss. Biological soil crusts (BSCs) have been largely treated as unique entities, and have been mostly examined in interspaces between perennial plants, limiting current understanding of their role as drivers of ecosystem functioning and their relative contribution in comparison to vascular plants. We assessed the role of BSCs on ecosystem functioning in vegetated patches and interspaces, and how individual soil functions and ecosystem multifunctionality are related to changes in BSC species- and community-level attributes. We contemplated nine ecosystem functions associated with soil water dynamics, nutrient cycling and erosion potential. We found that vegetated patches improve infiltration rates, soil stability and net potential nitrogen (N) mineralization compared to interspaces, and thus dominate multifunctionality. However, well-developed BSCs improve soil moisture and N pool in both microsites, and are multifunctional stabilizing soils and regulating soil moisture and infiltration in the interspaces. BSC surface microstructure, including changes in total cover, species richness, morphological functional groups and surface discontinuities, has significant effects on soil moisture. Differences in soil N and phosphorous are mostly related to the presence of BSC-lichens. The effect of BSCs on multifunctionality varies in dependence of the particular set of functions that are sought to simultaneously maximize. Our results suggest that vascular plants and BSCs have idiosyncratic effects on different key ecosystem functions and multifunction, and BSCs substitute vascular plants in stabilizing soils and regulating water dynamics in the interspaces. BSCs greatly contribute to small-scale heterogeneity in the functioning of vegetated patches and interspaces, hence consideration of BSCs in different microsites is essential for enhancing our understanding of their functional relevance at a regional scale. In addition, quantification of BSC microstructure is crucial, owing to the contrasting effects of BSC species- and community-level attributes on different functions and multifunction. A plain language summary is available for this article.

On the basis of considering the characteristics of reverse logistics enterprises, this paper uses stakeholder theory to establish an evaluation system containing 36 indicators in five dimensions, based on the balanced scorecard, and adopts PCA optimization index. In view of the performance evaluation problem, first, the performance data is obtained by using the super-efficiency DEA, then the enterprise performance of A company is fitted by LMBP neural network to obtain the quantitative model of performance evaluation, and finally, according to the resulting weight reference performance benchmark, the direction of reverse logistics enterprise performance improvement is given. The simulation results show that the index system can react to the reverse logistics characteristics very well, and the BP neural network based on LM algorithm can accurately and efficiently evaluate the performance of reverse logistics enterprises which has better generalization, and can find out the key performance indicators and give reasonable optimization direction for enterprises by reverse tracking the weights of the neural network.

Background: Understanding the risk factors associated with Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is important to predict and diagnose the condition. The purpose of this study is to identify risk factors that predict IGD based on psychological factors and Internet gaming characteristics; Methods: Online surveys were conducted between 26 November and 26 December 2014. There were 3568 Korean Internet game users among a total of 5003 respondents. We identified 481 IGD gamers and 3087 normal Internet gamers, based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria. Logistic regression analysis was applied to identify significant risk factors for IGD; Results: The following eight risk factors were found to be significantly associated with IGD: functional and dysfunctional impulsivity (odds ratio: 1.138), belief self-control (1.034), anxiety (1.086), pursuit of desired appetitive goals (1.105), money spent on gaming (1.005), weekday game time (1.081), offline community meeting attendance (2.060), and game community membership (1.393; p < 0.05 for all eight risk factors); Conclusions: These risk factors allow for the prediction and diagnosis of IGD. In the future, these risk factors could also be used to inform clinical services for IGD diagnosis and treatment.

The performance of the classical and adaptive backstepping control schemes for the angular position control of a nonlinear Propeller-Driven Pendulum System (PDPS) is investigated in this paper. A Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm has been utilized to tune the design parameters of the proposed controllers. Based on the Lyapunov stability analysis the classical and the Adaptive Back-Stepping Controllers have been constructed in order to prove the convergence of the system’s error with time. The Adaptive Backstepping Controller (ABSC) is designed to compensate for the variation in the system’s mass magnitude. In terms of system transient response, a comparison study of the effectiveness of both controllers has been presented in this work. The simulation results have been obtained based on the MATLAB software. In addition, a comparison study between the proposed controllers and other controllers has been listed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller. The simulation results show that the PSO based classical Backstepping Controller (BSC) has a better performance in terms of reducing the settling time, the steady-state error, and the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) value in comparison with the STSMC and SMC. In addition, the simulation results reveal that the PSO based ABSC has a better performance in terms of reducing the steady state error and the maximum overshoot in comparison with the PSO based BSC and ASTSMC.

This study explores how the sustainability balanced scorecard (SBSC) incorporates endogenous (actions created by an organisation) and exogenous environmental risk (actions or events external to an organisation) factors. The study's motivation is the traditional balanced scorecard’s (TBSC’s) limited ability to capture organisational environmental risks and resource resilience actions effectively. Public healthcare organisations' use of TBSC suggests its sensitivity to healthcare organisations’ external and internal environment changes, but with limited investigations. Data collected by interviews from a large Australian regional public health organisation were thematically analysed. The findings suggest SBSC is a more useful tool than TBSC in recognising and distinguishing a public healthcare system’s internally generated endogenous environmental practices, such as disposal of surgical waste products, and exogenous environmental risk factors including climate change impacts, natural disasters, and pandemics. The study provides two important contributions. First is a preliminary guide to identify and monitor actions that mitigate exposure to exogenous environmental risks and build resilience. Second, a new direction for the SBSC's theoretical development is identified by the findings, highlighting the use of the fifth perspective to monitor the response to exogenous conditions and resilience of the organisation to such risks.

Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is a mathematical programming model that calculates the relative efficiency of homogenous Decision Making Units (DMUs). The conventional DEA models used to calculate the efficiency require the exact amount of inputs and outputs; in real business situations, however, it is often impossible to determine the exact numeral value of some inputs and outputs. At the same time the Common Set of Weights (CSW) overcomes the weakness of DEA models for assessment under same conditions. On the other hands, it is important to considering the balance in evaluation and calculation of indicators. This study develops a new model to calculate the CSW in fuzzy environments, considering the balanced environment using the Balanced Scorecard (BSC). Our proposed model is linear for fairly and equitably evaluating the DMUs on the same scale, also enables us to deal with fuzzy environment and greatly reduces the computational complexities for enormous volumes of data in many real applications and treat difficulties in fuzzy DEA models. From a managerial point of view, this paper aims to provide an integrated framework to form a better strategic decision-making process about organization performance, which ultimately leads to the competitive advantages and success of the organization in the long run. Finally, in the field of performance management, the proposed model was applied to evaluate the performances of ten manufacturing enterprises in to confirm the validity and applicability of the proposed approach.

Over the history of myelodysplastic neoplasms (MDS), an increasing number of treatment modalities have become available. It is therefore important to assess whether these developments have translated into improved overall survival (OS) for patients. We analyzed data from 1,147 patients in the German MDS registry and observed a progressive improvement in median survival across three diagnostic periods: until 2000 (20 months), 2001–2010 (31 months), and after 2011 (57 months). Patients treated with allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) had the best prognosis with a median survival of 108 months. Over time, both the proportion of patients undergoing allogeneic SCT (6.3% vs. 22.1% vs. 40.0%) and the median age at transplantation (36.5 vs. 52 vs. 61 years) increased. Notably, OS also improved among patients treated with best supportive care (BSC) alone (17 vs. 31 vs. 64 months; p  < 0.001). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the period of first diagnosis had an independent positive effect on survival. The underlying reasons for this improvement remain unclear, but a multifactorial origin—including improved supportive measures and greater eligibility for allogeneic SCT—must be considered.

Background Extracellular polymeric matrix (EPM) is a complex component of the organo-mineral assemblages created by biological soil crusts (BSCs). Mainly of polysaccharide origin, it embeds soil and sediments and provides key benefits to the crust community. Services provided include: sediment cohesion and resistance to erosion, moisture provision, protection from external harmful factors, as well as support to plant establishment and growth. EPM is the product of BSC microbial community, and it is constituted by exopolysaccharides (EPS) associated to other substances, organized in a three-dimensional structure having different levels of gelation, and degrees of condensation. Scope This review aims at focusing scientific attention, for the first time, on the characteristics and the roles of three operationally defined EPM fractions, one water soluble, one more adherent to cells and sediments, and one firmly attached to microbial cells. The latest results obtained by analyzing EPM of natural and induced (i.e, the result of cyanobacteria inoculation) BSCs are outlined, and the optimized extraction methodology is described in details. Conclusions The review underlines the complexity of investigating the characteristics and the role of microbial EPS, and its supra-structure (EPM), in natural conditions (as opposed to cultures in laboratory conditions), where the matrix is subjected to continuous microbial rearrangement due to biosynthetic, self- and cross-feeding processes, and where microbial activity affected by environmental parameters.

Purpose This study aims to analyse international publications about the Sustainability Balanced Scorecard (SBSC) and the need to integrate Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into a Balanced Scorecard (BSC), identifying trends in evolution and future research opportunities. Design/methodology/approach Based on bibliometric techniques, the outputs obtained in the Web of Science (n = 65) and Scopus (n = 80) databases were analysed in the bibliometrix R package to map and systematically review the literature. After removing duplicates, this paper obtained a final output of 96 articles. Findings The interconnection between SDGs and BSC is a pertinent and emerging topic in academic and business circles. Therefore, there has been a growing number of publications on SBSC in recent years, particularly in countries such as Qatar, Taiwan, Portugal, Australia, Malaysia and Indonesia. Researchers in these countries have analysed the SBSC, Corporate Sustainability, Corporate Social Sustainability and Performance Evaluation as their main research themes. This research identifies four main research clusters: Strategy and Performance, Model Management Indicators, Balanced Scorecard Decision-Making and, finally, SBSC. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature on Sustainability, BSC and SDGs. It can be useful for researchers and organizations that intend to integrate SDGs into a BSC and design an SBSC.

Aims Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are widely considered critical for soil fertility in arid ecosystems. However, how microbial communities regulate the C and N cycles during BSC succession is not well understood. Methods We utilized GeoChip 5.0 to analyze the functional potential of bacteria and fungi involved in the C and N cycles of BSCs along a 61-year revegetation chronosequence. Results The normalized average signal intensities of different functional genes involved in C and N metabolism in 61-year-old BSCs were significantly different from those in younger BSCs and most functional gene subcategories and the corresponding dominant functional populations were derived from bacterial rather than fungal communities. Most C degradation genes (dominated by the starch-degrading gene amyA ) were derived from Actinobacteria (mainly Streptomyces ) in bacteria, but Ascomycota (mainly Aspergillus ) was the key population for lignin degradation (dominated by the phenol oxidase gene) during BSC succession. N cycle genes involved in denitrification (such as narG , nirK/S , and nosZ ) and N fixation ( nifH ) were mainly derived from Unclassified Bacteria , whereas genes involved in ammonification ( ureC ) were mainly derived from Streptomyces . Moreover, redundancy analysis showed that soil biogeochemical properties were closely related to bacterial and fungal functional gene structures during BSC succession. Conclusions These findings indicate that bacteria play a crucial role in the regulation of C and N cycles during BSC succession in arid ecosystems, while fungi perform supplementary degradation of lignin, and these communities can successfully stimulate an increase in C and N metabolism in soil during the later successional stages of BSCs.