Abstract
The complexity of automotive supply chain management presents significant challenges, demanding rigorous coordination of tasks to ensure efficiency in its operations. This chapter examines the potential benefits of adopting blockchain technology in supply chain management. The study employs a case study methodology, focusing on a prominent European automotive company that, compared to its major competitors, appears hesitant to integrate blockchain into its supply chain management practices. The analysis relies on secondary data and utilizes a range of strategic analysis tools to gain deeper insights into the advantages that blockchain technology could offer in supply chain management. Based on the findings, this chapter offers 12 strategic recommendations pertaining to blockchain technology, which can aid the company in addressing various management issues by enhancing security, efficiency, and technological advancements. © 2024, IGI Global. All rights reserved.

Abstract
Deep Learning has reached human-level performance in several medical tasks including clas-sification of histopathological images. Continuous effort has been made at finding effective strategies to interpret these types of models, among them saliency maps, which depict the weights of the pixels on the classification as an heatmap of intensity values, have been by far the most used for image classification. However, there is a lack of tools for the systematic evaluation of saliency maps, and existing works introduce non-natural noise such as random or uniform values. To address this issue, we propose an approach to evaluate the faithfulness of the saliency maps by introducing natural perturbations in the image, based on oppose-class substitution, and studying their impact on evaluation metrics adapted from saliency models. We validate the proposed approach on a breast cancer metastases detection dataset PatchCamelyon with 327,680 patches of histopathological images of sentinel lymph node sections. Results show that GradCAM, Guided-GradCAM and gradient-based saliency map methods are sensitive to natural perturbations and correlate to the presence of tumor evidence in the image. Overall, this approach proves to be a solution for the validation of saliency map methods without introducing confounding variables and shows potential for application on other medical imaging tasks.

Abstract
This study presents and applies cross-correlation analysis of lower limb joint angular kinematic signal for coordination assessment during impulse phase of standard Maximum Vertical Jump (MVJ). Standard MVJ has been applied for noninvasive subject specific analysis at Counter Movement Jump (CMJ) and Drop Jump (DJ) with long and short Counter Movement (CM) for comparison with Squat Jump (SJ) and no CM. Long and short CM are intrinsically related to the underlying mechanisms of muscle Stretch–Shortening Cycle (SSC) with the integration of muscular action and synergistic joint coordination an open issue on the contribution for the task to perform. Lower limb joint coordination has thus received increasing research interest as an external observed result of the neuromuscular control mechanisms and the hypotheses of training and repetition contribution for stereotyped coordination with the need of objective tools considering entire time series while avoiding subjective point selection for coordination assessment. The results of maximum cross-correlation (CCr max) and corresponding time delay (t) from entire time series of the Hip (H), the Knee (K) and the Ankle (A) joints angular displacement (?), angular velocities (?) and angular accelerations (a) during a fifty-four trial sample with long, short and no CM performed by a group of healthy untrained subjects conduced to detection of maximum synchrony with null t of the lower limb ? at different conditions, whereas ? and a CCr led to detection of different time delay for CCr max with dominant negative t values corresponding to a proximal–distal coordination sequence at H–K-A. These results point thus for the need to consider entire time series of joint ? and a in addition to joint ? to detect different joint coordination and avoid subjective point selection for coordination assessment. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023.

Abstract
Over time, distribution systems have progressed from small-scale systems to complex networks, requiring modernization to adapt to these increasing levels of active loads and devices. It is essential to manage the capacity of distribution networks to support all these new technologies. This work, therefore, presents a method for evaluating the impact of optimal allocation and sizing of DGs and load shedding for response demand programs on distribution networks to improve the reliability and financial performance of electric power systems. The proposed optimization tool uses the Greedy Randomized Adaptive Search Procedure and Tabu Search algorithms. The combined optimization of DG allocation simultaneously with load shedding, reliability indices, load transference, and the possibility of islanded operation significantly improves the quality of the planning proposals obtained by the developed method. The results demonstrate the efficiency and robustness of the proposed method, improving the voltage profile by up to 2.02%, relieving the network capacity, and increasing the load restoration capability and reliability. Statistical analysis is also carried out to highlight the performance of the proposed methodology.

Abstract
This paper presents the goals and components of a quantitative energy balance assessment framework to define PEDs flexibly in three important contexts: the context of the district's density and RES potential, the context of a district's location, induced mobility and the context of the dis-trict's future environment and its decarbonized energy demand or supply. It starts by introducing the practical goals of this definition approach: achievable, yet sufficiently ambitious to be inline with Paris 2050 for most urban and rural Austrian district typologies. It goes on to identify the main design parts of the definition: system boundaries, balancing weights and balance targets and argue how they can be linked to the definition goals in detail. In particular we specify three levels of system boundaries and argue their individual necessity: operation, including everyday mobili-ty, including embodied energy and emissions. It argues that all three pillars of PEDs, energy effi-ciency, onsite renewables and energy flexibility can be assessed with the single metric of a prima-ry energy balance when using carefully designed, time-dependent conversion factors. Finally, it is discussed how balance targets can be interpreted as information and requirements from the sur-rounding energy system, which we identify as a "context factor". Three examples of such context factors, each corresponding to the balance target of one of the previously defined system bounda-ries operation, mobility and embodied emissions are presented: Density (as a context of opera-tion), sectoral energy balances and location (as a context for mobility) and an outlook of a person-al emission budgets (as a context for embodied emissions). Finally, the proposed definition framework is applied to seven distinct district typologies in Austria and discussed in terms of its design goals.

Abstract
In chronic shoulder pain, adaptations in the nervous system such as in motoneuron excitability, could contribute to impairments in scapular muscles, perpetuation and recurrence of pain and reduced improvements during rehabilitation. The present cross-sectional study aims to compare trapezius neural excitability between symptomatic and asymptomatic subjects. In 12 participants with chronic shoulder pain (symptomatic group) and 12 without shoulder pain (asymptomatic group), the H reflex was evoked in all trapezius muscle parts, through C3/4 nerve stimulation, and the M-wave through accessory nerve stimulation. The current intensity to evoke the maximum H reflex, the latency and the maximum peak-to-peak amplitude of both the H reflex and M-wave, as well as the ratio between these two variables, were calculated. The percentage of responses was considered. Overall, M-waves were elicited in most participants, while the H reflex was elicited only in 58-75% or in 42-58% of the asymptomatic and symptomatic participants, respectively. A comparison between groups revealed that the symptomatic group presented a smaller maximum H reflex as a percentage of M-wave from upper trapezius and longer maximal H reflex latency from the lower trapezius (p < 0.05). Subjects with chronic shoulder pain present changes in trapezius H reflex parameters, highlighting the need to consider trapezius neuromuscular control in these individuals' rehabilitation.