bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Crafting Smart Cities in the Gulf Region
Authors: Tok Evren , McSparren Jason James , Al Merekhi Maha , Elghaish Hanaa , Ali Fatema Mohamed
Published: August 2018

This chapter looks at these trajectories by specifically focusing on the interstices of smart cities and competitiveness through the role played by communication technologies. An initial question to tackle pertains to the definition of a smart city, as this concept is used in diverse ways in the literature. Transforming the cities into smart ones is a newly emerging strategy to deal with the problems created by the urban population growth and rapid urbanization. Smart city is often defined as an icon of a sustainable and livable city. Why are Gulf countries investing in smart cities? Is the emergence of smart cities a mere reflection or neoliberal urbanization or are there other dynamics that we need to take into consideration? This chapter attempts to convey the message that smart cities are crucial means of building social capital and also attaining better governance mechanisms in the Gulf.
Integrating BIM With BMS in Energy Performance Assessment
Authors: Reginald Ajiero Ikenna
Published: August 2018

In recent times, energy performance assessment has gained a legislative imperative in that it constitutes an indispensable criterion for preparing Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs). Accordingly, production of EPC which is heralded by energy audits and simulations using BIM software programs heavily depends on data accuracy. Whereas, there have been several studies on Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Building Management System (BMS) autonomously, peer reviewed literature on both regimes in concert, remain unavailable or perhaps emerging; thus, constituting a gap in the use of BIM for energy analysis. Against this background, a university administrative building with a Gross Floor Area (GFA) of 2353.91m2 has been the object of a comprehensive energy performance assessment. The principal aim being to use data collected from BMS readings to assess the building's energy performance, produce its EPC and highlight energy conservation strategies that will improve the building's productivity without compromising occupants' comfort. This study therefore attempts to put the teeming theoretical efforts on BIM in energy management into a practical perspective.
Energy Investment in Smart Cities Unlocking Financial Instruments in Europe
Authors: Medda Francesca Romana , Partridge Candace , Carbonaro Gianni
Published: August 2018

The intense pressures being brought to bear by the increasing diversity in European urban development patterns call for innovative funding mechanisms to promote smart sustainable urban development, most notably in the energy sector. Currently in Europe, various policy initiatives support sustainable urban development through financial engineering mechanisms operating at municipal and regional scales. The objective of this chapter is to review the main financial mechanisms focusing on energy, and in particular on urban investments committed to a highly energy-efficient, and low carbon, economy. Within this framework we assert that, in order to achieve the EU sustainable urban development outcomes, specific European financial instruments will need to be considered as viable key investment options. The structure and operational features of European Financial Instruments are explored here in the case of the Urban Development Fund implemented in London. We also discuss the importance of ESCOs and crowdfunding as essential funding sources for community energy projects, and suggest that European policy should recognise their importance.
Smart City Governance for Sustainable Public Value Generation
Authors: Ferro Enrico , Osella Michele
Published: August 2018

This position paper belongs to a series of contributions on sustainable public value generation in urban areas. The article looks at how the complex transition process cities will be experiencing in the coming decades may be governed. In particular, the discussion investigates the role played by Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) as well as how the intelligence of smart cities may be oriented towards the generation of sustainable public value. The topic is analysed from a value-oriented perspective and in the light of almost two decades of technology-driven innovation in both the private and the public sector. Two conceptual frameworks are proposed. The first one identifies the main contributions offered by ICTs, namely: the enablement of new production, distribution and governance processes; the transformation of organizational and institutional arrangements; and the information of individual choices and behaviours. The second one highlights the trade-offs to be managed and the principles to be applied for turning city intelligence into sustainable development.
Social Media and Technology May Change the Culture of Rape on College Campuses
Authors: Niblett Sherri L. , Rakes Melissa L.
Published: August 2018

This chapter per the authors identifies the problem of rape culture on college campuses, and within the nation, and the idea that social media and technology have not only brought much-needed attention to the issue of sexual assault and violence to the forefront, but it can also serve as a catalyst for college campuses to combat the issue by enlisting the help of its faculty, staff, students, and especially the college's student celebrities. It examines the effect of Social Learning Theory, Differential Association Theory of Deviance, and Feminism as a means to identify faults in our nation's culture, and to use this same method to correct the attitudes of all involved concerning rape culture, bystander intervention, and other aspects of fighting rape culture through the avenue of social media and technology.
General View for Investigative Interviewing of Children
Authors: Gökçearslan Çifci Elif , Batman Huseyin
Published: August 2018

This chapter aims to summarize the development of investigative interviewing of children especially in the UK and Turkey to give short information about the methods which have been implemented by police officers during interviews. The role of the interviewers during the interview will be outlined and some information will be given about children as witnesses. This book chapter will also express the risks and difficulties of conducting interviews with children. Moreover, it will be briefly underlined the harmfull effects of re-interviewing of children. All these subjects were examined comprehensively Interviewing is at the heart of any police investigation and thus is the root of achieving justice in society.
Social Work Practice Outcomes
Authors: Pritchard Colin , Williams Richard
Published: August 2018

The key issue in all human services is outcome. The authors report on a series of four mixed methods research studies to conclude that good social work can bring about positive measurable differences to inform policy and practice. The first focuses on how effective Western nations have been in reducing Child Abuse Related Deaths (CARD); the second explores a three-year controlled study of a school-based social work service to reduce truancy, delinquency, and school exclusion; the third examines outcomes of “Looked After Children” (LAC); the forth re-evaluates a decade of child homicide assailants to provide evidence of the importance of the child protection-psychiatric interface in benefiting mentally ill parents and improving the psychosocial development and protection of their children. These studies show that social work has a measurable beneficial impact upon the lives of those who had been served and that social work can be cost-effective, that is, self-funding, over time.
Elder Abuse and Consent Capacity
Authors: Giannouli Vaitsa
Published: August 2018

This chapter explores the findings of theoretical and empirical studies for the complicated construct of capacity to consent to sexual relations in elders. This is alongside an attempt to clarify through small-scale research, the knowledge and attitudes towards consent capacity as reported by elders themselves. Results indicate that Greek respondents are not fully informed about consent capacity and approach this topic as a taboo. Moreover, they believe that the Greek society and state do not provide adequate prevention programs. Future directions on how to make elders and their family members aware of consent capacity problems are discussed.
Disaster, Vulnerability, and Violence Against Women
Authors: Nishat Khandakar Josia , Rahman Md. Shafiqur
Published: August 2018

Studies of natural disasters have adequately focused on gendered aspect of disaster and women's vulnerability and offered suitable suggestions though only few of these have focused on the issue of the relation between disaster and violence against women. By undertaking meta-analysis of cross-cultural studies, this paper aims to provide an overview of connections between disaster, women's vulnerability and violence against women and to highlight the importance and the relevance of similar researches in Bangladesh. Natural threats are real and moderated by existing socio-economic arrangements and cultural norms in Bangladesh where gender relationships are unequal and violence prone. Therefore it is expected that the lessons of international experiences and insights will help to develop a gendered research framework to understand ‘how violence against women is increasing following disasters' in the context of Bangladesh. And finally, that would pave the way for policy options to form a better co-existence for both men and women which would be more equal, dignified and violence free.
A Culture of Survivors
Authors: Seifert Jennifer L.
Published: August 2018

Drawing from the literature in Intercultural and New Media Studies (INMS), this study explores the SlutWalk social movement, a transnational movement of protest marches. The author conducted interviews with seven SlutWalk organizers from various cities in the United States to understand what culture SlutWalk organizers are fostering through their work and the role of new media communication in their organizational efforts. Results of the interpretative analysis suggest that although SlutWalk organizers foster a survivor culture through activities consistent with intercultural dialogue and third culture building, their use of various social media outlets might be motivated by various definitions of localized need. In addition, organizers highlight a tension between prioritizing more global survivor experiences over individual experiences with sexual assault and reveal the possibility for new media communication to enable anti-social cultural interactions. These findings contribute to the continued development of theorizing in INMS related to virtual third culture and continued scholarship exploring the intersections between new media and intercultural communication.
Cosmeceuticals
Authors: Yagil Reuven
Published: August 2018

This chapter will deal with delivering of a substance in a natural product, milk, via the skin – cosmeceuticals, from a variety of sources, camels, equine, ruminant and breast milk. The large quantities of bacteria on the normal skin, both friendly and “bad” bacteria provide skin and body health. The activity of cosmeceuticals of camel milk is due to the specific milk components, whose efficacy is retained in skin preparations which have not been destroyed in their preparation. By using camel milk which is pathogen-free the preparations are probiotic by definition and rapidly penetrate the outer skin layers to be active in the deeper layers. Massage therapy has been shown to improve flexibility and range of motion and strengthen the immune system. A list of the organic substances used for making the cosmeceuticals is provided.
Yoga for Psychological Wellbeing in Modern Life and Contexts
Authors: Hagen Ingunn , Kofoed Stine , Nayar Usha
Published: August 2018

In this chapter, we will address how Yoga may contribute to psychological wellbeing. The chapter will be based on review of relevant literature in the backdrop of the theoretical framework of Self-Efficacy developed by Albert Bandura in his comprehensive ‘social cognitive theory of human motivation and learning'. Illustrations are included from our study: “Yoga to promote young people's mental health and well-being?” First, we will address some current social tendencies that contribute to everyday stress and challenges to people's general wellbeing. Second, we aim to have some conceptual clarification related to the concepts in our title “Yoga for psychological wellbeing”. Third, we will address how Yoga may function as a tool for self-regulation and its relationship with self-efficacy. Fourth, we will describe how Yoga is perceived as a mean to cope with stress. We will discuss how different people use Yoga to cope with stress, and how this partly relates to the role of Yoga as a tool for self-regulation.
Multiple Voices, Multiple Paths
Authors: Ngara Rutendo
Published: August 2018

The Western knowledge paradigm – with its ways of knowing, ways of seeing and its notions of reality - has dominated the global knowledge arena, rendering many indigenous knowledge systems as invalid, illegitimate and irrelevant. This is particularly true for indigenous medical knowledge systems, which have struggled to articulate their voices from the marginalisation imposed by colonialism, globalisation and modernity. This chapter outlines paradigmatic tenets and key conceptions underpinning Western Biomedicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Traditional African Medicine. It explores areas of synergy and contradiction, as well as points for potential dialogue between the medical systems. The chapter suggests that if carefully excavated, explorations into such ontologies and epistemologies can make meaningful contributions to knowledge brokerage, thus promoting inclusivity and ethics in knowledge societies. It therefore makes a case for cognitive justice – ‘the right of different traditions of knowledge to co-exist without duress'.
Knowledge Sharing From Employee's Perspective
Authors: Peng Jianping , Quan Jing ("Jim") , Zhang Guoying , Dubinsky Alan J.
Published: August 2018

This chapter combines three less-studied factors on employee knowledge sharing, namely, social relationship, contextual performance, and IT competence. Using a survey study that was targeted to professional employees in a R&D department, we reveal that both social relationship—which incorporates degree of centrality of employee's social network and frequency of interpersonal interaction—and employee's contextual performance have significant positive impacts on knowledge sharing. This association, however, is found to be further positively moderated by employee's IT competence. Our work extends the literature pertaining to knowledge sharing by, not only providing an enhanced approach to measure social relationship, but also emphasizing that social relationship or contextual performance can magnify the impact on knowledge sharing through a high level of IT competence. The findings provide managerial and future research insights pertaining to promoting knowledge sharing by enhancing social relationship, rewarding contextual performance, and improving IT competence of employees.
A Web-Based System for Supply Chain Collaboration to Enhance Agility and Flexibility
Authors: Chang Ping-Yu
Published: August 2018

Recently, enterprises have increased their competitiveness through supply chain collaboration to efficiently allocate resources using the internet. However, supply chain collaboration usually fails because information is usually confidential. Many studies have discussed strategies of supply chain collaboration via internet but only a few of the strategies can be implemented in practice. Therefore, this research builds an information exchange platform to share production and inventory information over internet to ensure on-time delivery. This platform is implemented in a panel manufacturing company and 10% on-time delivery increase with 2% quality improvement after adapting this system. This result demonstrates the usefulness of using online platform to immediately share information will improve one-time delivery and quality assurance.
Consumers' Concerns for Reputation and Identity Theft Online Trading
Authors: Smith Alan D.
Published: August 2018

Although online trading with Amazon, eBay, and many others has its benefits, such as convenience and the ability to compare prices online, there are still many concerns about the integrity of the buyer, the seller, and/or the online action service provider (OASP). The empirical section investigated these relationships via multivariate statistical analysis of a stratified sample of working professionals resulting in 198 usable questionnaires from an initial sampling frame of over 550 professional personnel from five relatively large Pittsburgh, PA firms. It was found that buyers that felt feedback systems were viable were more willing to engage in online trading activities and more willing to pay a premium price for merchandise being sold by a seller with a better reputation, regardless of gender. Customers were especially concerned with the total price, including shipping cost, regardless of gender. In terms of the convenience of payment method, electronic forms were preferred in transacting online trading activities, regardless of age and gender.
Social Media and Motivational Complexities Associated in Promoting Professional Soccer Engagement
Authors: Smith Alan D. , Ditizio Amber A. , Clinton Steven R.
Published: August 2018

The purpose of this chapter is to examine and determine factors that lead to increased television ratings for soccer in the U.S. Undoubtedly, the topic of fantasy sports and the various roles it plays with types of fan involvement and their need for enhanced engagement with a complex social media landscape has intrigued scholars from a number of disciplines. How the various motivational factors, both intrinsically and extrinsically, impact the degree of fan involvement and loyalty have been investigated several times. The overall results have been mixed to say the least. The current chapter primarily focuses on fantasy soccer participation, involvement in soccer, presence of a local professional team, and social media interaction. After providing a brief history of soccer television ratings in the U.S., a conceptual model based on these factors is developed and explained. The factors of this conceptual model are tested through statistical analysis.
Novelty on the Matrices of Weighing
Authors: García G. María J. , Hernández G. Gilberto J. , Hernández R. José G.
Published: August 2018

This chapter relates some social aspects, such as playfulness, customer service, and citizen safety with one of the simplest multicriteria techniques to implement, matrixes of weighing (MOW, matrices de ponderación [MDP]). Taking as starting point the work matrixes of weighing and catastrophes, a brief review is made of the MOW, highlighting new applications of the same, as well as new concepts that have emerged from its use. The objective of this work will be to present some applications of the matrixes of weighing, while explaining what they are and how they apply, the multilayer matrix of weighing with multiplicative factors (ML-MOWwMf). To achieve this general objective and secondary objectives, this chapter will make use of the integrated-adaptable methodology for the development of decision support system (IAMDSS [MIASAD])
Identification of Green Procurement Drivers and Their Interrelationship Using Fuzzy TISM and MICMAC Analysis
Authors: Bag Surajit
Published: August 2018

The objective of the chapter is to identify the leading green procurement drivers and identify the interrelationships using fuzzy total interpretive structural modeling and MICMAC approach. For the purpose of this study, 25 drivers were identified from existing literature that influence green procurement practices. These are finally refined through experts' opinions. The final fuzzy model consists of fuzzy relationships between one-to-one criteria. The key drivers which emerged from fuzzy TISM and MICMAC analyses are government policy and regulations, total quality environmental management, management support, management review, continuous education of employees, cross-functional team building, organization culture, and green process and technology. The green procurement model may assist supply chain practitioners in better decision making and successful implementation of green procurement programs.
Geographic Information Systems
Authors: Remoaldo Paula Cristina , Ribeiro Vitor P. , Lopes Hélder Silva , Silva Sara Catarina Gomes
Published: August 2018

The emergence of technological systems with computerized cartographic application allowed the resolution of certain military problems between the 1950s and 1960s. The first GIS was created in Canada Geographic Information Systems in 1964 for Tomlinson. At this time, GIS was in a consolidation phase in multiple areas and for various purposes. The geographical science growth with the development of GIS were in connection to the subject of the new geography, justified by the application of the methods of quantitative analysis in various spatial nature of research. In this context, the GIS feature a number of operational advantages and have allowed the proliferation of new fields of endeavor in open access systems across multiple forms of acquisition, management, interpretation, and spatial information analysis. The main goal of this chapter is to underwrite the concept of GIS, as well as distinguish the diversity of applications from the past until the present, and to identify new paths to accommodate recent scientific approaches with extensive range of application possibilities.
Parallel Development of Three Major Space Technology Systems and Human Side of Information Reference Services as an Essential Complementary Method
Authors: Maphanyane Joyce Gosata
Published: August 2018

The first human footprints dated more than 1.9 million years ago; the Homo erectus era, “upright man,” marks the beginning of man's socio-economic historical development. It culminated in the Bronze Age, Iron Age, Industrial Revolution, and currently the Information Age. The current era has allowed rapid global communications and networking to shape modern society. Individuals are able to transfer information freely, with instant access to knowledge that would have been difficult or impossible previously. This chapter elaborates upon GIS/remote sensing: the highest echelon in ICT. It compares and contrasts the four globally used GIS systems of GOES, the Geosynchronous Orbiting Environmental Satellite; LANDSAT; SPOT, Satellite Pour l'Observation de la Terre; and the WorldView. Their temporal resolution, spatial resolution, spectral resolution, radiometric resolution, and their DEM characteristics are reviewed. The human side of information reference services in the form of TEK is alluded to.
Dance as a Supplementary Instrument for Cardiac Rehabilitation
Authors: Urbano Igor , Marques Anna Carolina Souza , Milanez Matheus
Published: August 2018

Intrinsic socio-cultural and motivational dance aspects, physical demands,general and styles characteristics, may promote positive influence on cardiac rehabilitation programs development and progression, if dance is approached as a supplementary activity and resource for cardiac patients. The aim of this study was to conduct an integrative literature review to evaluate dance as a supplementary activity on cardiac rehabilitation, considering physical demands, dance socio cultural aspects and regular practice related effects on cardiac patients' health and quality of life. Classical ballet and modern dance are not supported by this revision as appropriated alternatives to improve cardiovascular capacities for cardiopaths However, belly dance, ballroom dance, emphasis on Samba, Samkya showed multiple positive effects: glycemia levels reduction, resting heart rate reduction, cholesterol (HDL, LDL) and triglycerides level regulation, BP reduction, cardio respiratory increment and body relaxation.
Building Trust for Sample Voting
Authors: Blanchard Nicolas K.
Published: August 2018

This article explores how to build popular trust for voting systems that rely heavily on statistical tools, as they are generally counter-intuitive to the average citizen (and even to experts). By trying out the voting system in public and letting people tinker with it, a first level of familiarity can be achieved. Preliminary results from real-world experiments seem encouraging and point out the importance of psychological and sociological factors in election organization as well as the influence of user interface design. To go further, integration into a larger debating platform held by a national party could give first-hand experience to the majority of the people, and would progressively build trust as the political stakes grow higher. Finally, the authors look into how different e-democratic tools could interact in a mutually beneficial manner.
CoPS - Cooperative Provenance System with ZKP using Ethereum Blockchain Smart Contracts
Authors: Gouru Navya , Vadlamani NagaLakshmi
Published: August 2018

The redesign of cloud storage with the amalgamation of cooperative cloud and an immutable and unhackable distributed database blockchain thrives towards a strong CIA triad and secured data provenance. The conspiracy ideology associated with the traditional cloud has economized with cooperative cloud storage like Storj and Sia, decentralized storage, which allows renting the unused hard drive space and getting monetary compensation in an exchange with cryptocurrency. In this article, the authors explain how confidentiality, integrity and availability can be progressed with cooperative cloud storage along with tamper-proof data provenance management with ethereum smart contracts using zero-knowledge proof (ZKP). A contemporary architecture is proposed with regards to storing data on the cooperative cloud and collecting and verifying the provenance data from the cloud and publishing the provenance data into blockchain network as transactions.
E-VEDGE
Authors: Debbarma Mira Rani , Bhowmik Sangita Rani , Majumder Abhishek
Published: August 2018

Hole minimization in wireless sensor networks is a critical issue. In the presence of obstacles, the issue becomes much more challenging. In this article, a hole minimization technique named enhanced VEDGE (E-VEDGE) has been proposed. The scheme uses both the Voronoi polygon and Delaunay triangulation so that it can work efficiently in presence of obstacle. The proposed scheme, along with two other existing schemes namely: VEDGE and the Delaunay Triangulation-Score (DT-Score) has been simulated. Simulation results show that while the proposed E-VEDGE provides a maximum coverage of 95% to 96.8%, VEDGE and DT-Score provide maximum coverage of 89% to 92.5% and 86% to 87%, respectively.
Named Entity System for Tweets in Hindi Language
Authors: Jain Arti , Arora Anuja
Published: August 2018

Due to the growing need of smart-health applications in Hindi language, there is a rapid demand for health-related Named Entity Recognition (NER) system for Hindi. For the purpose of the same, this research considers Twitter social network to extract tweets dated 1st October 2016 to 15th October 2017 from Patanjali, Dabur and other Hindi language-oriented Twitter based health sites; while considering four NE types- Person, Disease, Consumable and Organization. To the best of its knowledge, the considered Twitter dataset and NE types for Hindi language is one of the first resources that is being taken care. This article introduces three stage NER system for Tweets in Hindi language (HinTwtNER system)- pre-processing stage; machine Learning stage (Hyperspace Analogue to Language (HAL) and Conditional Random Field (CRF)); and post-processing stage. HinTwtNER looks into binary features and achieves an overall F-score of 49.87% which is comparable to the Twitter based NER systems for English and other languages.
Symmetric Uncertainty Based Search Space Reduction for Fast Face Recognition
Authors: Hemalatha C. Sweetlin , Sankaran Vignesh , Vaidehi V  , Shree Nandhini S  , Sharmi P  , Lavanya B  , Vasuhi S  , Kumar Ranajit
Published: August 2018

Face recognition from a large video database involves more search time. This article proposes a symmetric uncertainty based search space reduction (SUSSR) methodology that facilitates faster face recognition in video, making it viable for real time surveillance and authentication applications. The proposed methodology employs symmetric uncertainty based feature subset selection to obtain significant features. Further, Fuzzy C-Means clustering is applied to restrict the search to nearest possible cluster, thus speeding up the recognition process. Kullback Leibler's divergence based similarity measure is employed to recognize the query face in video by matching the query frame with that of stored features in the database. The proposed search space reduction methodology is tested upon benchmark video face datasets namely FJU, YouTube celebrities and synthetic datasets namely MIT-Dataset-I and MIT-Dataset-II. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology with a 10 increase in recognition accuracy and 35 reduction in recognition time.
An Empirical Study to Understand the Effect of Supply Chain Agility on Organizational Operational Performance
Authors: Nazempour Rayhaneh , Yang Jianhua , Waheed Abdul
Published: August 2018

To bring agility in supply chain operations is a critical factor for firms in order to meet customers' requirements in an effective and productive manner. Several researchers have been argued that agility has become a prime driver of competitiveness. However, agility with respect to supply chain was not extensively studied, especially less attention was paid to empirical work. This article attempts to fulfill such need by investigating the relationship between supply chain agility (SCA) and organizational performance (OP) in the context of Iran. Primary data were collected through surveys distribution to 500 SC managers of all levels in Iranian SMEs. Subsequently, hypotheses were tested through SPSS and Structure Equation Modeling (SEM). The findings revealed a positive relationship between SCA and OP along with positive relationships of each dimension of SCA (e.g., alertness, decisiveness, flexibility, accessibility, and swiftness). This article ensures that organizational OP might be improved by focusing SCA in the today's competitive environment.
Using Social Media to Improve Peer Dialogue in an Online Course About Regional Climate Modeling
Authors: Yarker Morgan B. , Mesquita Michel D.S.
Published: August 2018

Recent technology advancements provide worldwide information exchange that has been invaluable for the scientific community, particularly for issues surrounding global climate change. Many online learning spaces have developed which are often repositories of information rather than a space of knowledge construction. Classroom dialogue is shown to be an important component for effective learning, therefore it should be developed online as well. This article explores how social media can support dialogue in e-learning. Interactions were studied in two online courses about regional climate modeling. The first used traditional forums and the other promoted a Facebook group for online interactions. Qualitative results indicate that the Facebook group showed improvement because elements of dialogue began to emerge, including open-ended questions and episodes of peer discussion. Quantitative findings suggest the Facebook interactions were perceived as more informal and participants posted, responded, and interacted with their peers more significantly than traditional forums.
An Assessment Framework of Environmental Management Practices of EMAS Certified Firms
Authors: Nikolaou Ioannis E. , Shaun Lundy , Evangelinos Konstantinos , Skouloudis Antonis
Published: August 2018

This article describes how the Environmental Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) is considered an effective means for firms to address environmental challenges such as wastewater treatment, solid waste management, recycling practices and air emissions control. Many of the present studies have mainly employed statistical and econometric methods to examine the role of EMAS certification, principally to identify potential relationships with economic and innovation parameters. This article aims to contribute to this academic field by analyzing the type of environmental issues addressed by EMAS certified firms. The method of analysis is based on the scoring/ benchmarking techniques for analyzing environmental statements published by EMAS certified firms. An application is made in a sample of EMAS certified Greek firms. The findings show that different environmental management practices have been undertaken by firms of different sectors. In general, the examined firms have focused on energy consumption, water reduction, solid waste management and air emission control issues, with little attention given to biodiversity topics. Finally, the best environmental scores were achieved by the petroleum industry, while the food sector ranked last overall.
A Comparative Study on the Professional Identity of Current and Prospective Teachers
Authors: Tafazoli Dara , Sadeghi Sajad
Published: August 2018

The main purpose of this study was to probe whether or not there is a statistically significant difference between the prospective teachers' perceptions of professional identity and current teachers' self-perceptions. To meet the end, the researchers applied the Teachers' Professional Identity Questionnaire, by Hasegawa and Kudomi, which contains 48 items on a four-point Likert system. This questionnaire was distributed among 440 Iranian professionals who had majored in one of the majors related to English language. After collecting the data, the researchers tapped them into SPSS software and analyzed them statistically. A Mann-Whitney test on the scores of the two groups of participants highlighted a statistically significant difference. Hence, data analysis indicated that there is a statistically significant difference between the prospective teachers' perceptions of professional identity and the current teacher's self-perceptions.
The Integration of Social Networking Services in Higher Education
Authors: Marzulina Lenny , Habibi Akhmad , Mukminin Amirul , Desvitasari Deta , Yaakob Mohd Faiz Mohd , Ropawandi Doni
Published: August 2018

Social networking services (SNSs) have been popular and essential media to increase lecturer-student interaction, collaboration, and communication as well as lecturers' supervision in Indonesian universities including in teaching English as a foreign language (EFL). This mixed method study utilized a survey and interview as the techniques of data collection which specifically explored the lecturers' perspectives on the use SNSs for personal and educational purposes as well as demographic information related to the experience and frequency using SNSs, ownership (possession) of SNSs, and SNSs popularity. The findings revealed that the participants had much knowledge and experiences with SNSs. Even though most participants found some benefits of SNSs in EFL classes including easing communication, supervision and evaluation, time flexibility, and creativity. There were two barriers that have emerged, including lack of skill and cost to use. Implications and future research are offered to improve technology integration in higher education.
The Use of Natural Earth as Concret Slab: The Dome for the Auditorium of Sant Julià de Ramis Fortress (Girona)
Authors: Fuses Josep , Viader Joan Maria
Published: August 2018

This project provides for the restoration of Sant Julià's fortress complex, built at the end of the 19th century . The restoration is planned to create a facility to host a contemporary arts center with complementary services: workshops for artists, an auditorium for 450 people and a hotel-restaurant. The fortress is formed by a complex of independent structures, built with vaults and stone walls of considerable thickness, the majority being semi buried and connected by 1500 m of tunnels and galleries dug into the mountain. The lower part of the complex hosts the museum, while the hotel is located at the higher level, in the former "stronghold", the space where explosives were stored. In front of the main entrance, an oval-shaped auditorium is planned, with a height of 7.5 m and a vault made of concrete.All the new buildings are mostly made of reinforced concrete, with glass and corten steel being prominent, to avoid mimicry of the existing structures and to work with the old and the new as two joined parts of a whole set.The planned dome is an oval space of 34 x 24 m, covering a surface area of 524 m2, built underground to comply with current urban planning legislation. For the construction of the new dome, a formwork system with natural earth from the site has been used. This article analyzes different issues related to the concept of adaptive architecture, taking as an example the construction system used and the different phases of the process, planned and directed by the authors of this article.
Building Optimization: The Adaptive Façade
Authors: Lanza Volpe Annalisa
Published: August 2018

The façade design has so far mainly viewed in a static form but besides the architectural criteria many external variable factors influence the resulting building performance. If we refer for instance to the building envelope as a key element to control the exchanges between indoors and outdoors, the amount of energy used will depend on some variables such as climatic factors, orientation, structure, materials and use. In order to accurately evaluate heat and mass transfer over time, sophisticated simulation software exists. They can provide access to an in-depth understanding of the consequences of the design choices and may even inspire new architectural solutions. The step forward in the use of such software is the development of adaptive systems that can react in different situations. This concept can optimize the buildings performances. In the last years, thanks to the advances in technology, adaptive solutions represent a growing field of experimentation. This paper explores the possibilities of adaptive façades with the aim to furnish a framework for their design.
An integrated approach to child psychotherapy with co-parental support: a longitudinal outcome study
Authors: Miscioscia Marina , Simonelli Alessandra , Svanellini Lorenza , Sisti Marta , Sudati Laura , Brianda Maria Elena , Battistella Pier Antonio , Gatta Michela
Published: August 2018

Studies about the effectiveness of psychodynamic psychotherapy interventions with children and adolescents suggest potential adverse effects of this treatment when not supported by a parallel work with parents: it seems that it could damage family functioning and affect family balances. This research aims to assess psychopathological outcomes after two years of psychodynamic psychotherapy by comparing two groups (G) of children and adolescents, related to a Childhood Adolescence Family Service: G1 – individual therapy for child/adolescent only; G2 - therapy for child/adolescent and a separate session of co-parenting support. 21 families with children aged between 6 and 17 years completed the entire treatment. The research protocol involves: Lausanne Trilogue Play, Children Behavior Check List and Family Empowerment Scale. Results show a positive effect of the treatment on the child/adolescent psychopathological profile with a significant improvement concerning the reduction of both internalizing and externalizing problems. Results show the effectiveness of the integrated intervention in the improvement of parents’ abilities to validate the children emotional state. Our results suggesting that parenting support increase parental sensitivity, helping the parents to become more able to recognize the children’s emotional state and to validate it.
NO2 and HCHO measurements in Korea from 2012 to 2016 from Pandora spectrometer instruments compared with OMI retrievals and with aircraft measurements during the KORUS-AQ campaign
Authors: Herman Jay , Spinei Elena , Fried Alan , Kim Jhoon , Kim Jae , Kim Woogyung , Cede Alexander , Abuhassan Nader , Segal-Rozenhaimer Michal
Published: August 2018

Abstract. Nine Pandora
spectrometer instruments (PSI) were installed at eight sites in
South Korea as part of the KORUS-AQ (Korea U.S.-Air Quality) field study
integrating information from ground, aircraft, and satellite measurements
for validation of remote sensing air-quality studies. The PSI made
direct-sun measurements of total vertical column NO2, C(NO2), with
high precision (0.05 DU, where 1 DU =2.69×1016 molecules cm−2)
and accuracy (0.1 DU) that were retrieved using spectral fitting techniques.
Retrieval of formaldehyde C(HCHO) total column amounts were also obtained at
five sites using the recently improved PSI optics. The C(HCHO) retrievals have
high precision, but possibly lower accuracy than for NO2 because of
uncertainty about the optimum spectral window for all ground-based and
satellite instruments. PSI direct-sun retrieved values for C(NO2) and
C(HCHO) are always significantly larger than OMI (AURA satellite Ozone
Monitoring Instrument) retrieved C(NO2) and C(HCHO) for the OMI
overpass local times (KST=13.5±0.5 h). In urban areas, PSI
C(NO2) 30-day running averages are at least a factor of two larger than
OMI averages. Similar differences are seen for C(HCHO) in Seoul and nearby
surrounding areas. Late afternoon values of C(HCHO) measured by PSI are even
larger, implying that OMI early afternoon measurements underestimate the
effect of poor air quality on human health. The primary cause of OMI
underestimates is the large OMI field of view (FOV) that includes regions
containing low values of pollutants. In relatively clean areas, PSI and OMI
are more closely in agreement. C(HCHO) amounts were obtained for five sites,
Yonsei University in Seoul, Olympic Park, Taehwa Mountain, Amnyeondo, and Yeoju.
Of these, the largest amounts of C(HCHO) were observed at Olympic Park and
Taehwa Mountain, surrounded by significant amounts of vegetation.
Comparisons of PSI C(HCHO) results were made with the Compact Atmospheric
Multispecies Spectrometer CAMS during overflights on the DC-8 aircraft for
Taehwa Mountain and Olympic Park. In all cases, PSI measured substantially more
C(HCHO) than obtained from integrating the CAMS altitude profiles. PSI
C(HCHO) at Yonsei University in Seoul frequently reached 0.6 DU and
occasionally exceeded 1.5 DU. The semi-rural site, Taehwa Mountain, frequently
reached 0.9 DU and occasionally exceeded 1.5 DU. Even at the cleanest site,
Amnyeondo, C(HCHO) occasionally exceeded 1 DU.
Remineralization rate of terrestrial DOC as inferred from CO2 supersaturated coastal waters
Authors: Fransner Filippa , Fransson Agneta , Humborg Christoph , Gustafsson Erik , Tedesco Letizia , Hordoir Robinson , Nycander Jonas
Published: August 2018

Abstract. Coastal seas receive large amounts of terrestrially derived organic carbon (OC). The fate of this carbon, and its impact on the marine environment, is however poorly understood. Here we combine underway CO2 partial pressure (pCO2) measurements with coupled 3D hydrodynamical-biogeochemical modelling to investigate whether remineralization of terrestrial dissolved organic carbon (tDOC) can explain CO2 supersaturated surface waters in the Gulf of Bothnia, a subarctic estuary. We find that a substantial remineralization of tDOC, and that a strong tDOC induced light attenuation dampening the primary production, is required to reproduce the observed CO2 supersaturated waters in the nearshore areas. A removal rate of tDOC of the order of one year, estimated in a previous modelling study in the same area, gives a good agreement between modelled and observed pCO2. The remineralization rate is on the same order as bacterial degradation rates calculated from published incubation experiments, suggesting that this remineralization could be caused by bacterial degradation. Furthermore, the observed high pCO2 values during the ice covered season argues against photochemical degradation as the main removal mechanism. All of the remineralized tDOC is outgassed to the atmosphere in the model, turning the northernmost part of the Gulf of Bothnia to a source of atmospheric CO2.
Frictional interactions between tidal constituents in tide-dominated estuaries
Authors: Cai Huayang , Toffolon Marco , Savenije Hubert H. G. , Yang Qingshu , Garel Erwan
Published: August 2018

Abstract. When different tidal constituents propagate along an estuary, they interact
because of the presence of nonlinear terms in the hydrodynamic equations. In
particular, due to the quadratic velocity in the friction term, the effective
friction experienced by both the predominant and the minor tidal constituents
is enhanced. We explore the underlying mechanism with a simple conceptual
model by utilizing Chebyshev polynomials, enabling the effect of the
velocities of the tidal constituents to be summed in the friction term and,
hence, the linearized hydrodynamic equations to be solved analytically in a
closed form. An analytical model is adopted for each single tidal constituent
with a correction factor to adjust the linearized friction term, accounting
for the mutual interactions between the different tidal constituents by means
of an iterative procedure. The proposed method is applied to the Guadiana
(southern Portugal–Spain border) and Guadalquivir (Spain) estuaries for
different tidal constituents (M2, S2, N2, O1, K1)
imposed independently at the estuary mouth. The analytical results appear to
agree very well with the observed tidal amplitudes and phases of the
different tidal constituents. The proposed method could be applicable to
other alluvial estuaries with a small tidal amplitude-to-depth ratio and
negligible river discharge.
Microbial processes in the weathering crust aquifer of a
temperate glacier
Authors: Christner Brent C. , Lavender Heather F. , Davis Christina L. , Oliver Erin E. , Neuhaus Sarah U. , Myers Krista F. , Hagedorn Birgit , Tulaczyk Slawek M. , Doran Peter T. , Stone William C.
Published: August 2018

Abstract. Incident solar radiation absorbed within the ablation zone of glaciers generates a shallow perched aquifer and seasonal ice-bound microbial habitat. During the melt seasons of 2014 and 2015, borehole investigations were used to examine the physical, geochemical, and microbiological properties in the near-surface ice and aquifer of the temperate Matanuska Glacier (southcentral Alaska). Based on temperature, solar forcing, and ice optical properties, the dissipation of shortwave radiation promoted internal melting and the formation of a weathering crust with a maximum depth of ~ 2 m. Boreholes into the weathering crust provided access to water percolating through the porous ice. The water had low ion concentrations (4–12 µS cm−1), was aerobic (12 mg O2 L−1), contained 200 to 8,300 cells mL−1, and harbored growing populations with estimated in situ generation times of 11 to 14 days. During the melt season, the upper 2 m of ice experienced at least 3 % of the surface photosynthetically active radiation flux and possessed a fractional water content as high as 10 %. Photosynthetic subsistence of biogeochemical reactions in the weathering crust ecosystem was supported by ex situ metabolic experiments and the presence of phototrophic taxa (cyanobacteria, golden and green algae) in the aquifer samples. Melt water durations of ~ 7.5 months coupled with the growth estimates imply biomass may increase by four orders-of-magnitude each year. Our results provide insight on how seasonal dynamics affect habitability of near-surface ice and microbial processes in a portion of the glacial biome poised to expand in extent with increasing global temperature and ablation season duration.