bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pre-Compensation of Mold in Precision Glass Molding Based on Mathematical Analysis
Authors: Zhang Yue , You Kaiyuan , Fang Fengzhou
Published: December 2020

Precision glass molding is the most appropriate method for batch production of glass lenses with high surface accuracy and qualified optical performance. However, the form error caused by material expansion and contraction is the main factor affecting the precision of the molded lenses, thus the mold must be pre-compensated. In this paper, an effective method of mold pre-compensation based on mathematical analysis is established. Based on the thermal expansion curve of D-ZK3 glass, the freezing fictive temperature of the glass under the actual cooling rate is measured, and the mold pre-compensation factor can be quickly calculated. Experimental results show that the peak valley (PV) value of the surface form error of molded aspheric lens with an aperture of 5.3 mm is effectively reduced from 2.04 μm to 0.31 μm after the pre-compensation, thus meeting the geometric evaluation criterion.
A High Q-Factor Outer-Frame-Anchor Gyroscope Operating at First Resonant Mode
Authors: Jiang Bo , Su Yan , Liu Guowen , Zhang Lemin , Liu Fumin
Published: December 2020

Disc gyroscope manufactured through microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) fabrication processes becomes one of the most critical solutions for achieving high performance. Some reported novel disc constructions acquire good performance in bias instability, scale factor nonlinearity, etc. However, antivibration characteristics are also important for the devices, especially in engineering applications. For multi-ring structures with central anchors, the out-of-plane motions are in the first few modes, easily excited within the vibration environment. The paper presents a multi-ring gyro with good dynamic characteristics, operating at the first resonant mode. The design helps obtain better static performance and antivibration characteristics with anchor points outside of the multi-ring resonator. According to harmonic experiments, the nearest interference mode is located at 30,311 Hz, whose frequency difference is 72.8% far away from working modes. The structures were fabricated with silicon on insulator (SOI) processes and wafer-level vacuum packaging, where the asymmetry is 780 ppm as the frequency splits. The gyro also obtains a high Q-factor. The measured value at 0.15 Pa was 162 k, which makes the structure have sizeable mechanical sensitivity and low noise.
Reverse Combined Microflotation of Fine Magnetite from a Mixture with Glass Beads
Authors: Rulyov Nickolaj N. , Filippov Lev O. , Sadovskyi Dmytro Y. , Lukianova Vitalina V.
Published: December 2020

Magnetite is an essential iron-bearing mineral. The primary method of magnetite ore beneficiation involves successive steps of crushing, grinding, and magnetic separation. Reverse cationic flotation is used at the final stage to remove silicate and aluminosilicate impurities from the magnetite concentrate and reduce silica content to 1–3%, depending on metallurgical processing route (electrometallurgy, direct iron reduction). In view of the stringent demands of the magnetite concentrate grade, before flotation, the ore is currently routinely ground down to a particle size below 35 µm, and magnetite particles are ground to a size below 10 µm. This significantly reduces the efficiency of flotation and increases iron loss in the tailings due to the hydraulic report in froth being up to 15–25%. Combined microflotation (CMF) looks to be a promising method of increasing fine-particle flotation efficiency, as it uses relatively small amounts of microbubbles alongside conventional coarse bubbles. Microbubbles act as flotation carriers, collecting gangue particles on their surface, which then coarse bubbles float. The purpose of this study is to explore the effectiveness of CMF for processing a model mixture that contained magnetite particles smaller than 10 µm and glass beads (Ballotini) below 37 µm in size when the initial iron content in the mixture was 63.76%. Commercial reagent Lilaflot 821M was used as both collector and frother. The flotation procedure, which included the introduction of 15 g/t of the collector before the start of flotation, and the addition of 5 g/t of the collector in combination with a microbubble dose of 0.018 m3/t 6 min after starting flotation, ensured an increase in the concentrate grade to 67.63% Fe and iron recovery of 91.16%.
Association of Red Meat Intake with the Risk of Cardiovascular Mortality in General Japanese Stratified by Kidney Function: NIPPON DATA80
Authors: Segawa Hiroyoshi , Kondo Keiko , Kadota Aya , Yamauchi Hiromi , Ohno Seiko , Tanaka-Mizuno Sachiko , Okuda Nagako , Miyagawa Naoko , Arima Hisatomi , Okamura Tomonori , Miura Katsuyuki , Okayama Akira , Ueshima Hirotsugu ,   the NIPPON DATA80 Research Group
Published: December 2020

The consumption of red meat has been recommended for individuals with reduced kidney function. However, red meat intake was recently suspected to increase cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. We evaluated the association of red meat intake with CVD mortality risk in Japanese with/without reduced kidney function. Overall, 9112 participants of a Japanese national survey in 1980, aged ≥30 years, were followed for 29 years. Red meat intake was assessed using weighed dietary record. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) of CVD mortality according to sex-specific tertiles of red meat intake. We also performed stratified analyses with/without reduced kidney function defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m2. Red meat intake was not associated with CVD mortality risk in men and women. In stratified analyses, the HR of the highest compared with the lowest tertile of red meat intake was lower only in women with reduced kidney function (0.67, 95% confidence interval 0.46–0.98). In conclusion, there were no clear associations between red meat intake and CVD mortality risk in Japanese population; however, a higher intake of red meat was associated with lower risk of future CVD mortality in women with reduced kidney function.
Management Accounting for Healthy Nutrition Education: Meta-Analysis
Authors: Abad-Segura Emilio , González-Zamar Mariana-Daniela , Gómez-Galán José , Bernal-Bravo César
Published: December 2020

Unequal economic growth shapes food systems. Nutrition problems incorporate inappropriate practices, so nutrition education is key to empowering consumers to choose healthy foods. However, increasing the accessibility of healthy diets is related to reducing the cost of nutritious foods. The accounting management of healthy nutrition should allow for optimal global decision-making. The evolution of scientific production and global research trends on this topic between 1968 and 2019 have been studied. Statistical and mathematical methods have been applied to 1738 documents from the Scopus database. The results provided data on the agents that participate in the development of the theme. Data reveal an exponential trend, especially in the previous decade, with more than 50% of scientific production. Future lines of research have been identified: investment in health systems; green label education; early impact of food insecurity; WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) nutrition education; food waste audit; and ecological footprint of food. The central contribution of the study has been to detect the main future directions of research, providing critical points that will allow us to identify the themes of future publications, in addition to providing an instrument for decision-making carried out by the research funding sponsors.
A Short Review on the Intranasal Delivery of Diazepam for Treating Acute Repetitive Seizures
Authors: Boddu Sai H. S. , Kumari Sneha
Published: December 2020

Benzodiazepines such as diazepam, lorazepam and midazolam remained the mainstay of treatment for acute repetitive seizures (ARS). The immediate care for ARS should often begin at home by a caregiver. This prevents the progression of ARS to prolonged seizures or status epilepticus. For a long time and despite social objections rectal diazepam gel remained only FDA-approved rescue medication. Intranasal administration of benzodiazepines is considered attractive and safe compared with rectal, buccal and sublingual routes. Intranasal delivery offers numerous advantages such as large absorptive surface area, bypass the first-pass metabolism and good patient acceptance as it is needle free and painless. Recent clinical studies have demonstrated that diazepam nasal spray (NRL-1; Valtoco®, Neurelis Inc.,San Diego, CA, USA) showed less pharmacokinetic variability and reliable bioavailability compared with the diazepam rectal gel. Diazepam nasal spray could be considered as a suitable alternative for treating seizure emergencies outside the hospital. This review summarizes the treatment options for ARS and findings from clinical studies involving intranasal diazepam for treating seizure emergencies.
Towards Medicines Reuse: A Narrative Review of the Different Therapeutic Classes and Dosage Forms of Medication Waste in Different Countries
Authors: Alhamad Hamza , Patel Nilesh , Donyai Parastou
Published: December 2020

Background: Medicines reuse, the idea of re-dispensing returned medicines to others following quality control, is yet to be implemented in the UK. This practice is potentially a sustainable way of dealing with returned medicines, which are otherwise classed as medication waste and destroyed. To inch towards medicines reuse, it is important to know more about the different therapeutic classes and dosage forms that make up medication waste. For example, it is helpful to know if medicines being returned are mostly solid-dosage forms and thus have the potential to be reused or are from therapeutic classes that would make medicines reuse cost-effective. Little is known about the therapeutic classes and the dosage forms of wasted medicines. This study aimed to narratively review and report findings from the international literature on the different therapeutic classes and the dosage forms of medicines that are returned by patients to community pharmacies, hospitals, general practitioners’ clinics, or collected through waste campaigns. Studies based on surveys without physically returning medicines were also included where relevant. Methods: A comprehensive electronic search of databases, including PubMed and Google Scholar, was carried out over one month in 2017 and updated by 5 November 2020, using a combination of carefully created keywords. Results: Forty-five studies published in English between 2002 and 2020, comprising data from 26 countries were included and reviewed. Oral solid dosage forms (mostly tablets) were the commonly reported dosage form of all wasted medicines in 14 studies out of the 22 studies (64%) that described the dosage form, with percentages ranging from 40.6% to 95.6% of all wasted medicines. Although there was variability among the levels of medication waste reported in different countries, findings from the UK and Ethiopia were relatively consistent; in these, medicines for the cardiovascular system and anti-infective medicines, respectively, were the most common therapeutic classes for medication waste. Conclusion: This narrative review provides insights about the different therapeutic classes and dosage forms of medication waste either returned by patients, collected through waste campaigns, or indicated in survey responses. The findings could help policy makers understand the potential implications of treating most unused medicines as medication waste and whether therefore pursuing a medicines reuse scheme could be environmentally or financially logical. The quality and the safety of these returned medicines using criteria related to the storage conditions (such as heat and humidity), physical shape (such as being sealed, unopened, unused, and in blister packaging), and tampering are other important considerations for a medicines reuse scheme.
EvoDevo: Past and Future of Continuum and Process Plant Morphology
Authors: Rutishauser Rolf
Published: December 2020

Plants and animals are both important for studies in evolutionary developmental biology (EvoDevo). Plant morphology as a valuable discipline of EvoDevo is set for a paradigm shift. Process thinking and the continuum approach in plant morphology allow us to perceive and interpret growing plants as combinations of developmental processes rather than as assemblages of structural units (“organs”) such as roots, stems, leaves, and flowers. These dynamic philosophical perspectives were already favored by botanists and philosophers such as Agnes Arber (1879–1960) and Rolf Sattler (*1936). The acceptance of growing plants as dynamic continua inspires EvoDevo scientists such as developmental geneticists and evolutionary biologists to move towards a more holistic understanding of plants in time and space. This review will appeal to many young scientists in the plant development research fields. It covers a wide range of relevant publications from the past to present.
Influence of Multidimensional Graphene Oxide (GO) Sheets on Anti-Biofouling and Desalination Performance of Thin-Film Composite Membranes: Effects of GO Lateral Sizes and Oxidation Degree
Authors: Rodríguez Bárbara E. , Armendariz-Ontiveros María Magdalena , Quezada Rodrigo , Huitrón-Segovia Esther A. , Estay Humberto , García García Alejandra , García Andreina
Published: December 2020

The influence of the lateral size and the content of graphene oxide (GO) flakes in specific oxygenate functional groups on the anti-biofouling properties and performance of thin-film composite membrane (TFC) was studied. Three different multidimensional GO samples were prepared with small (500–1200 nm), medium (1200–2300 nm), and large (2300–3600 nm) size distribution, and with different degrees of oxidation (GO3 > GO2 > GO1), varying the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide amount during GO synthesis. GO1 sheets’ length have a heterogeneous size distribution containing all size groups, whilst GO2 is contained in a medium-size group, and GO3 is totally contained within a small-size group. Moreover, GO oxygenate groups were controlled. GO2 and GO3 have hydroxyl and epoxy groups at the basal plane of their sheets. Meanwhile, GO1 presented only hydroxyl groups. GO sheets were incorporated into the polyamide (PA) layer of the TFC membrane during the interfacial polymerization reaction. The incorporation of GO1 produced a modified membrane with excellent bactericidal properties and anti-adhesion capacity, as well as superior desalination performance with high water flow (133% as compared with the unmodified membrane). For GO2 and GO3, despite the significant anti-biofouling effect, a detrimental impact on desalination performance was observed. The high content of large sheets in GO2 and small sheet stacking in GO3 produced an unfavorable impact on the water flow. Therefore, the synergistic effect due to the presence of large- and small-sized GO sheets and high content of OH-functional groups (GO1) made it possible to balance the performance of the membrane.
Submillisecond-Response Polymer Network Liquid Crystal Phase Modulators
Authors: Li Yannanqi , Yang Zhiyong , Chen Ran , Mo Lingchao , Li Juanli , Hu Minggang , Wu Shin-Tson
Published: December 2020

A submillisecond-response and light scattering-free polymer-network liquid crystal (PNLC) for infrared spatial light modulators is demonstrated. Our new liquid crystal host exhibits a higher birefringence, comparable dielectric anisotropy, and slightly lower visco-elastic constant than a commonly employed commercial material, HTG-135200. Moreover, the electro-optical performance of our PNLCs with different monomer concentrations, cell gaps, and liquid crystal (LC) hosts is compared and discussed from four aspects: operating voltage, hysteresis, relaxation time, and light scattering loss. The temperature effect on hysteresis is also analyzed. Potential applications of PNLCs for laser beam steering and spatial light modulators especially in the infrared region are foreseeable.
Effect of Silica Size and Content on Superamphiphobic Properties of Silica-Fluoropolymer Core-Shell Coatings
Authors: Lee Jiyoung , Hwang Ha Soo , Lo Tien N. H. , Koh Won-Gun , Park In
Published: December 2020

We present a facile approach to fabricate superamphiphobic surfaces by spray coating silica-fluoropolymer core-shell particles without substrate pretreatment with an additional binder resin. A series of SiO2@poly(1H,1H,2H,2H-heptadecafluorodecyl methacrylate) (SiO2@PFMA) core-shell particles with core particles of different sizes were prepared via thiol-lactam initiated radical polymerization (TLIRP). The surface of each SiO2 particle with an average particle size of 12, 80, 150, and 350 nm was modified with (3-mercaptopropyl) trimethoxysilane and used as a seed for TLIRP. The SiO2@PFMA particles with various SiO2 sizes and contents were coated on aluminum substrates by a spray gun and then thermally treated to form a stable, rough composite layer. During the spray coating, the core-shell particles were aggregated by rapid evaporation of the solvent and then irregularly adhered to the substrate resulting in hierarchical structures. In the case of SiO2@PFMAs with low SiO2 contents, the roughness created mainly by the polymer shell disappeared during heat treatment. However, the substrates coated with SiO2@PFMAs with high SiO2 contents maintained the roughness even after heat treatment. The core-shell particles prepared with 12 nm SiO2 formed a stable superamphiphobic surface. The water/hexadecane contact and sliding angles on an aluminum plate coated with SiO2@PFMA, prepared using 12 nm silica at 46 wt% silica content (12 nm-SiO2(46)@PFMA), were 178.5°/159.2° and 1°/7°, respectively. The cross-cut tape test showed that adhesion between the 12nm-SiO2(46)@PFMA and the aluminum substrate was classified as 5B. A glass surface spray-coated with the core-shell composite particles exhibited transparent superhydrophobicity and translucent superamphiphobicity by controlling the concentration of the coating solution.
Stress Whitening as an Observation Method of Residual Stress in MABS Polymer Material through the Example of Holding Pressure in an Injection Molding Process
Authors: Brzęk Paweł , Sterzyński Tomasz
Published: December 2020

The effects such as warpage, dimensional instability and environmental stress corrosion, due to the presence of residual stresses in polymeric products, are strongly dependent on injection molding conditions. The holding time and holding pressure belongs to most important processing parameters, determining the dimensional stability and properties of injected goods. A new procedure based on a visualization technique was applied, where the levels of residual stresses of the samples were estimated. The experiments were performed for samples produced of translucent methacrylate acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (MABS), a commodity polymer with a high transparency, necessary for the optical visualization of the stress whitening. The samples produced by injecting molding were deformed to a constant elongation, to observe the dependent stress whitening effect subsequently used to evaluate the stress distribution. It was found that depending on the value of the injection holding pressure, various levels of residual stress and its distribution may be observed in MABS samples. These measurements conformed that the applied optical method is an easy-to-perform technique. The possibility to detect the residual stresses over the whole cross-section of the transparent product, without the necessity for local stress determination, is another significant advantage of this investigation procedure.
Influence of Acrylic Acid and Tert-Dodecyl Mercaptan in the Adhesive Performance of Water-Based Acrylic Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives
Authors: Márquez Irene , Paredes Núria , Alarcia Felipe , Velasco José Ignacio
Published: December 2020

Currently, pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSA) are used in more than 80% of all labels in the market today. They do not require any heat, solvent, or water to activate: It only takes light pressure to apply them to a product surface. Many products that come in glass bottles need labels that have staying power in harsh conditions. For that reason, it is necessary to have a good balance between all the polymer adhesive properties. In this study is described how adhesive properties of water-based PSA were affected by varying the amount of functional monomer acrylic acid (AA) and chain transfer agent, tert-dodecyl mercaptan (TDM). Four series of PSA were prepared by emulsion polymerization. Within each polymer series, the AA monomer proportion was held constant between 0.5 and 3.0 phm, and the fraction of the chain transfer agent was varied 0.0 to 0.2 phm. The results showed that the gel content decreased with the increase of the chain transfer agent and with the reduction of AA. All adhesives properties (tack, peel, and shear resistance) improved with increasement of the AA monomer. The increase of chain transfer agent caused decrease of the gel content resulting in higher peel resistance and tack values, but lower shear resistance values.
Synthesis of Water Resistance and Moisture-Permeable Nanofiber Using Sodium Alginate–Functionalized Waterborne Polyurethane
Authors: Lu Wen-Chi , Chuang Fu-Sheng , Venkatesan Manikandan , Cho Chia-Jung , Chen Po-Yun , Tzeng Yung-Ru , Yu Yang-Yen , Rwei Syang-Peng , Kuo Chi-Ching
Published: December 2020

The development of nontoxic and biodegradable alginate-based materials has been a continual goal in biological applications. However, their hydrophilic nature and lack of spinnability impart water instability and poor mechanical strength to the nanofiber. To overcome these limitations, sodium alginate (SA) and waterborne polyurethane (WPU) were blended and crosslinked with calcium chloride; 30 wt % of SA exhibited good compatibility. Further addition of 10 wt % calcium chloride improved the water stability to an extremely humid region. Furthermore, the stress–strain curve revealed that the initial modulus and the elongation strength of the WPU/SA and WPU/CA blends increased with SA content, and the crosslinker concentration clearly indicated the dressing material hardness resulted from this simple blend strategy. The WPU/SA30 electrospun nanofibrous blend contained porous membranes; it exhibited good mechanical strength with water-stable, water-absorbable (37.5 wt %), and moisture-permeable (25.1 g/m2–24 h) characteristics, suggesting our cost-effective material could function as an effective wound dressing material.
RETRACTED: Development and Testing of a Block Hydrocyclone
Authors: Repko Alexandr , Sága Milan , Sentyakov Boris , Sviatskii Vladislav
Published: December 2020

The study aimed to theoretically substantiate the efficiency of liquid purification and obtain corroborating experimental data for a hydrocyclone, consisting of several blocks. Mathematical models of the process of hydrodynamic fluid filtration were developed with the use of screw swirlers. The obtained mathematical models characterize all the main processes of fluid movement in various zones of the functioning of the hydrocyclone. Formulas for calculating the structures of hydrocyclone blocks are included. A block for swirling the flow of the liquid to be cleaned has been made in the form of a three-way screw. For the first time, wear-resistant and high-strength plastic ZEDEX ZX-324 has been used as a material. An experimental study was conducted and the change in the Reynolds number and the coefficient of fluid consumption was shown, using different constructions of the three-way screw. The research results confirmed the correctness and sufficiency of mathematical models for the development and production of block hydrocyclones.
Whispering-Gallery-Mode for Coherent Random Lasing in a Dye-Doped Polystyrene Encapsulated Silica-Glass Capillary
Authors: Nie Kai , Wang Yueqi , Zhang Zhenzhen , Zou Gang , Xu Xiaolong , Hu Zhijia , Zhang Qijin
Published: December 2020

Dye-doped polystyrene (DDPS) encapsulated in a silica-glass capillary with a diameter of 300 μm was fabricated through radical polymerization of styrene within the capillary. The coherent random lasing (RL) with full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 0.36 nm and a quality factor of 1608 was produced in the DDPS with the capillary when pumping at 532 nm. However, the incoherent RL with FWHM of 6.62 nm and a quality factor of 92 was produced in the DDPS without the capillary. A detailed investigation on this phenomenon by changing the diameter of the capillary and core refractive index (RI) reveals that there exists a strong whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonance in the capillary, which helps generate the coherent RL. The findings may open up a new approach for the fabrication of highly efficient photonic devices.
From Cardoon Lignocellulosic Biomass to Bio-1,4 Butanediol: An Integrated Biorefinery Model
Authors: De Bari Isabella , Giuliano Aristide , Petrone Maria Teresa , Stoppiello Giovanni , Fatta Vittoria , Giardi Cecilia , Razza Francesco , Novelli Alessandra
Published: December 2020

Biorefineries are novel, productive models that are aimed at producing biobased alternatives to many fossil-based products. Biomass supply and overall energy consumptions are important issues determining the overall biorefinery sustainability. Low-profit lands appear to be a potential option for the sustainable production of raw materials without competition with the food chain. Cardoon particularly matches these characteristics, thanks to the rapid growth and the economy of the cultivation and harvesting steps. An integrated biorefinery processing 60 kton/y cardoon lignocellulosic biomass for the production of 1,4-butanediol (bio-BDO) is presented and discussed in this work. After designing the biorefinery flowsheet, the mass and energy balances were calculated. The results indicated that the energy recovery system has been designed to almost completely cover the entire energy requirement of the BDO production process. Despite the lower supply of electricity, the energy recovery system can cover around 78% of the total electricity demand. Instead, the thermal energy recovery system was able to satisfy the overall demand of the sugar production process entirely, while BDO purification columns require high-pressure steam. The thermal energy recovery system can cover around 83% of the total thermal demand. Finally, a cradle-to-gate simplified environmental assessment was conducted in order to evaluate the environmental impact of the process in terms of carbon footprint. The carbon footprint value calculated for the entire production process of BDO was 2.82 kgCO2eq/kgBDO. The cultivation phase accounted for 1.94 kgCO2eq/kgBDO, the transport had very little impact, only for 0.067 kgCO2eq/kgBDO, while the biorefinery phase contributes for 0.813 kgCO2eq/kgBDO.
Design, Overproduction and Purification of the Chimeric Phage Lysin MLTphg Fighting against Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Wang Feng , Liu Xiaohang , Deng Zhengyu , Zhang Yao , Ji Xinyu , Xiong Yan , Lin Lianbing
Published: December 2020

With the increasing spread of multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens, it is of great importance to develop alternatives to conventional antibiotics. Here, we report the generation of a chimeric phage lysin, MLTphg, which was assembled by joining the lysins derived from Meiothermus bacteriophage MMP7 and Thermus bacteriophage TSP4 with a flexible linker via chimeolysin engineering. As a potential antimicrobial agent, MLTphg can be obtained by overproduction in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) cells and the following Ni-affinity chromatography. Finally, we recovered about 40 ± 1.9 mg of MLTphg from 1 L of the host E. coli BL21(DE3) culture. The purified MLTphg showed peak activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC6538 between 35 and 40 °C, and maintained approximately 44.5 ± 2.1% activity at room temperature (25 °C). Moreover, as a produced chimera, it exhibited considerably improved bactericidal activity against Staphylococcus aureus (2.9 ± 0.1 log10 reduction was observed upon 40 nM MLTphg treatment at 37 °C for 30 min) and also a group of antibiotic-resistant bacteria compared to its parental lysins, TSPphg and MMPphg. In the current age of growing antibiotic resistance, our results provide an engineering basis for developing phage lysins as novel antimicrobial agents and shed light on bacteriophage-based strategies to tackle bacterial infections.
Crumb Rubber as a Secondary Raw Material from Waste Rubber: A Short Review of End-Of-Life Mechanical Processing Methods
Authors: Lapkovskis Vjaceslavs , Mironovs Viktors , Kasperovich Andrei , Myadelets Vadim , Goljandin Dmitri
Published: December 2020

Despite technological developments, modern methods for the disposal of end-of-life tires most often involve either their incineration in cement kilns or the destruction of tires in special landfills, demonstrating a lack of sustainable recycling of this valuable material. The fundamental role of recycling is evident, and the development of high-efficiency processes represents a crucial priority for the European market. Therefore, the investigation of end-of-life rubber processing methods is of high importance for both manufacturers and recyclers of rubber materials. In this paper, we review existing methods for processing of end-of-life tires, in order to obtain rubber crumb, which can later be used in the production of new industrial rubber goods and composites. We consider processes for separating end-of-life tires into fractions (in terms of types of materials) using chemical, mechanochemical, and mechanical methods to process the materials of used tires, in order to obtain crumb rubber of various fractions and chemical reactivities.
Parisian Time of Reflected Brownian Motion with Drift on Rays and Its Application in Banking
Authors: Dassios Angelos , Zhang Junyi
Published: December 2020

In this paper, we study the Parisian time of a reflected Brownian motion with drift on a finite collection of rays. We derive the Laplace transform of the Parisian time using a recursive method, and provide an exact simulation algorithm to sample from the distribution of the Parisian time. The paper was motivated by the settlement delay in the real-time gross settlement (RTGS) system. Both the central bank and the participating banks in the system are concerned about the liquidity risk, and are interested in the first time that the duration of settlement delay exceeds a predefined limit. We reduce this problem to the calculation of the Parisian time. The Parisian time is also crucial in the pricing of Parisian type options; to this end, we will compare our results to the existing literature.
Mapping the Distribution of Coffee Plantations from Multi-Resolution, Multi-Temporal, and Multi-Sensor Data Using a Random Forest Algorithm
Authors: Tridawati Anggun , Wikantika Ketut , Susantoro Tri Muji , Harto Agung Budi , Darmawan Soni , Yayusman Lissa Fajri , Ghazali Mochamad Firman
Published: December 2020

Indonesia is the world’s fourth largest coffee producer. Coffee plantations cover 1.2 million ha of the country with a production of 500 kg/ha. However, information regarding the distribution of coffee plantations in Indonesia is limited. This study aimed to assess the accuracy of classification model and determine its important variables for mapping coffee plantations. The model obtained 29 variables which derived from the integration of multi-resolution, multi-temporal, and multi-sensor remote sensing data, namely, pan-sharpened GeoEye-1, multi-temporal Sentinel 2, and DEMNAS. Applying a random forest algorithm (tree = 1000, mtry = all variables, minimum node size: 6), this model achieved overall accuracy, kappa statistics, producer accuracy, and user accuracy of 79.333%, 0.774, 92.000%, and 90.790%, respectively. In addition, 12 most important variables achieved overall accuracy, kappa statistics, producer accuracy, and user accuracy 79.333%, 0.774, 91.333%, and 84.570%, respectively. Our results indicate that random forest algorithm is efficient in mapping coffee plantations in an agroforestry system.
Diurnal Evolution of the Wintertime Boundary Layer in Urban Beijing, China: Insights from Doppler Lidar and a 325-m Meteorological Tower
Authors: Yang Yuanjian , Fan Sihui , Wang Linlin , Gao Zhiqiu , Zhang Yuanjie , Zou Han , Miao Shiguang , Li Yubin , Huang Meng , Yim Steve Hung Lam , Lolli Simone
Published: December 2020

The diurnal evolution of the atmospheric boundary layer—the lowermost part of the atmosphere where the majority of human activity and meteorological phenomena take place—is described by its depth. Additionally, the boundary layer height (BLH) and the turbulence intensity strongly impact the pollutant diffusion, especially during transition periods. Based on integrated observations from a 325-m meteorological tower and a Doppler Wind lidar in the center of Beijing, the entire diurnal cycle of urban BLH in December 2016 was characterized. Results highlight that the Doppler lidar exhibited it is well suited for monitoring convective BLH while it trudges in monitoring stable BLH, while a 325-m meteorological tower provided an important supplement for Doppler lidar under nocturnal boundary layer and heavily polluted conditions. For the diurnal cycle, under light wind condition, the pattern of urban BLH was largely modulated by thermal forcing of solar radiation and may partly be affected by wind speed. While under strong wind condition, the pattern of urban BLH was largely modulated both by thermal forcing and dynamical forcing. The present work also presented evidence for several new features in the morning and afternoon transitions of the urban boundary layer, showing the duration of the morning transition varied between 1 and 5 h, with the largest value occurring under weak wind with high PM2.5 concentration; while the afternoon transition ranged from 3 to 6 h, which was positively (negatively) correlated to wind speed (PM2.5 concentration). Our work highlights that weak wind speed (weak dynamic motion) and heavy aerosol pollution (weak thermal forcing due to the effect of cooling) can dramatically affect the evolution of the boundary layer.
A Semi-Automated Method to Extract Green and Non-Photosynthetic Vegetation Cover from RGB Images in Mixed Grasslands
Authors: Xu Dandan , Pu Yihan , Guo Xulin
Published: December 2020

Green (GV) and non-photosynthetic vegetation (NPV) cover are both important biophysical parameters for grassland research. The current methodology for cover estimation, including subjective visual estimation and digital image analysis, requires human intervention, lacks automation, batch processing capabilities and extraction accuracy. Therefore, this study proposed to develop a method to quantify both GV and standing dead matter (SDM) fraction cover from field-taken digital RGB images with semi-automated batch processing capabilities (i.e., written as a python script) for mixed grasslands with more complex background information including litter, moss, lichen, rocks and soil. The results show that the GV cover extracted by the method developed in this study is superior to that by subjective visual estimation based on the linear relation with normalized vegetation index (NDVI) calculated from field measured hyper-spectra (R2 = 0.846, p < 0.001 for GV cover estimated from RGB images; R2 = 0.711, p < 0.001 for subjective visual estimated GV cover). The results also show that the developed method has great potential to estimate SDM cover with limited effects of light colored understory components including litter, soil crust and bare soil. In addition, the results of this study indicate that subjective visual estimation tends to estimate higher cover for both GV and SDM compared to that estimated from RGB images.
Understanding the Energy Consumption of Battery Electric Buses in Urban Public Transport Systems
Authors: Wang Shefang , Lu Chaoru , Liu Chenhui , Zhou Yue , Bi Jun , Zhao Xiaomei
Published: December 2020

The ever-increasing concerns over urban air quality, noise pollution, and considerable savings in total cost of ownership encouraged more and more cities to introduce battery electric buses (e-bus). Based on the sensor records of 99 e-buses that included over 250,000 h across 4.7 million kilometers, this paper unveiled the relationship between driving behaviors and e-bus battery energy consumption under various environments. Battery efficiency was evaluated by the distance traveled per unit battery energy (1% SoC, State of Charge). Mix effect regression was applied to quantify the magnitude and correlation between multiple factors; and 13 machine learning methods were adopted for enhanced prediction and optimization. Although regenerative braking could make a positive contribution to e-bus battery energy recovery, unstable driving styles with greater speed variation or acceleration would consume more energy, hence reduce the battery efficiency. The timing window is another significant factor and the result showed higher efficiency at night, over weekends, or during cooler seasons. Assuming a normal driving behavior, this paper investigated the most economical driving speed in order to maximize battery efficiency. An average of 19% improvement could be achieved, and the optimal driving speed is time-dependent, ranging from 11 to 18 km/h.
Using Logistic Regression to Identify Leading Factors to Prepare for an Earthquake Emergency during Daytime and Nighttime: The Case of Mass Earthquake Drills
Authors: Santos-Reyes Jaime
Published: December 2020

Historical data have demonstrated that earthquakes can happen any time of the day and night. Drills may help communities to better prepare for such emergencies. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from 4 October to 20 November 2017, in Mexico City. The sample size was 2400. The addressed research questions were “what factors predict the likelihood that respondents would report that they agree on conducting mass evacuation drills: (a) any time of the day and (b) any time at night?” The logistic regression technique was employed to identify the factors leading to the outcome. In relation to (a), five variables were significantly associated with the outcome, i.e., age, frequency of drills, warning time, knowledge on what to do, and “perception vulnerability city”. Regarding (b), five variables were also significantly associated with the outcome variable, i.e., age, level of education, frequency of drills, negative emotions, and fear of house/building collapsing. More generally, several drills should be conducted any time of the day and night; further, 50% of them should be announced and 50% unannounced. Furthermore, the time of earthquake drills should be randomly selected. In this way, we may just match the spatial–temporal dimension of an earthquake emergency. It is hoped that the findings will lead to better preparedness of the residents of the capital city during an earthquake occurrence.
Diversity, Economic Value and Regional Distribution of Plant Food Products at Local Tropical Markets: A Samoa Case Study
Authors: Verner Vladimir , Novy Pavel , Tauchen Jan , Huml Lukas , Soon Julian Wong , Kudera Tomas , Laupua Fiti , Kokoska Ladislav
Published: December 2020

Local markets are still an integral part of the food system in developing economies of tropical regions including Samoa. This small South Pacific country is largely dependent on the production of crops in village agriculture, where traditional markets play an important role in sustainability of food supply. Similarly as many small island developing economies, Samoa is currently facing several challenges such as food security and high dependence on food imports. Therefore, we decided to monitor the diversity of plant foods on Samoan local markets and their economic and geographic indicators through interviews with the vendors. Our results suggest that assortment and economical value of plant food products have potential to increase sustainable food security of the local population and support economic growth of the region. For example, underutilized crops available at local markets are prospective species for development of new food products with beneficial nutritional and health properties. Moreover, certain commodities (e.g., papaya, kava and Samoan cocoa) seem to be promising for export. In addition, our findings suggest that development of appropriate processing technologies and the optimization of the logistics of crop products sold at local markets can contribute to an increase in efficiency of the regional agricultural sector.
Social Innovation in Rural Areas? The Case of Andalusian Olive Oil Co-Operatives
Authors: Sánchez-Martínez José Domingo , Rodríguez-Cohard Juan Carlos , Garrido-Almonacid Antonio , Gallego-Simón Vicente José
Published: December 2020

Social innovations have been the subject of much academic discussion in recent years and have been approached from multiple scientific perspectives. This work sets out to determine whether innovations carried out by Andalusian olive oil cooperatives can be described in terms of social innovation and if they could run a main role as rural development actors preserving the competitive capacity of farmers and the living conditions in rural Andalusia. Through an analysis of the available literature, the use of municipal statistical data and the conducting of in-depth interviews, we show how cooperatives have been proposed as a solution to the problems that international competition poses for the production activity of olives and olive oil. At present, the most innovative cooperatives are undergoing a slow process of incorporating innovations, above all organisational and management ones, which reach beyond the entities themselves, given the social character that they have in the region, where they are considered a public good. Despite the problems that olive oil cooperatives have historically had in competing in the market, they can contribute to maintaining the population in the rural environment and improving the quality of life in the region, justifying the need for government support.
Dealing with Green Gentrification and Vertical Green-Related Urban Well-Being: A Contextual-Based Design Framework
Authors: Ling Tzen-Ying , Hung Wei-Kai , Lin Chun-Tsu , Lu Michael
Published: December 2020

Urbanization and climate change have generated ever-increased pressure to the ecosystem, bringing critical resilience challenges to densely congested cities. The resulted displaced and encroached habitat in need of recuperation demands a comprehensive overhaul to the customary urban planning practices; further, the deteriorating public health state of urban residents calls for strategies in dealing with green deprivation and gentrification issues. Frequently, urban greening strategies are envisaged at a macro-scale on a dedicated horizontal track of land, rendering local implementation in a densely built neighborhood a challenged undertaking. Communities lacking green and land resources could promote vertical greening to enable and enhance social and psychological well-being. This study ascertains that vertical greenery closest to the inhabitants could be allocated on a building facade. It can contribute to a more sustainable ecology. The article presents the systemic design approach to urban vertical greening thinking and its role in well-being provision. We propose an interdisciplinary multicriteria contextual-based scalable framework to assess vertical green infrastructure; the prototype requires an innovative approach to balance architecture, human needs, and the local environment. The vertical greening application provides an alternative paradigm in the design implementation for urban green. We proposed the locality and place to be incorporated into the vertical greening design framework. The research concludes the three-tiered consideration framework resulted: (1) in line with the human-habitat ecosystem, the local environment-social dimension is explored; (2) the well-being criteria encourage the design practice’s support for localized driven community vitality; (3) the design paradigm requires integration with the increasing demand for green space as well as taking into account the impact of severe climate; and (4) the framework should achieve the strengthening of health and well-being of the community.
Spatially Disaggregated Cultural Consumption: Empirical Evidence of Cultural Sustainability from Austria
Authors: Getzner Michael
Published: December 2020

The determinants of cultural consumption are rarely explored by means of travel demand (i.e., travel cost) models. In this paper, the empirical results are presented in regard to the frequency of attendance to cultural events as an indicator of cultural sustainability. Approximately 50% of the respondents who participated in a representative household survey in Austria stated that they would participate in cultural events at least once a year. The average frequency of attendance came to about 3 to 4 times a year, depending on the kind of cultural event (e.g., drama/opera performances, museum visits, concerts in schools of music). The estimations support the notion that the distance from the respondent’s residence to the cultural event is negatively correlated with the frequency of attendance. Other determinants include the typical socio-economic characteristics of respondents (e.g., education, income). However, the availability of cultural infrastructure in urban or rural areas, as well as municipal cultural spending, are the main spatial and public finance variables influencing attendance frequency. Based on the econometric estimations of the travel cost model, the economic value of attending a cultural event (consumer surplus) varies from EUR 38 (cinema) to EUR 55 (theater, opera) on average. The results suggest that local and regional cultural infrastructure are significant contributors to cultural sustainability.
Green Management Tools as a Way to Sustainable Behaviour in the Hotel Industry: Case Study from Czechia
Authors: Scholz Petr , Linderová Ivica , Konečná Kristýna
Published: December 2020

Sustainability has long been a buzzword and is also currently one of the major priorities of tourism all over the world. In many places, hotels function as a driving force for socio-economic development, serving as employers for the local population, but also providing space for meetings, conferences, private/family events, and ceremonies. Unfortunately, the hotel industry is also considered an industry characterized by the consumption of considerable amounts of resources. These include mainly energy and water consumption, but also waste production. Emphasis is placed on the role of the communication between the various players involved in the operation of hotels. The article deals with applying elements of green management in a selected hotel in Czechia. It analyses the implementation of green management elements and principles of sustainable development in accommodation services. The primary data were conducted from April 2017 to March 2018 and we used structured and semi-structured interviews with the TOP management of the hotel and by author observation. We used the methods of scientific work, i.e., the analysis, mathematical, and statistical methods. As part of economic and social activities, cooperation with suppliers in the close surroundings of the hotel and the selection of local employees work well. Room for improvement has been observed, e.g., in supporting local infrastructure or promoting environmentally friendly types of transport.