bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Optimal Harvest Decisions for Natural and Artificial Maturation Mangoes under Uncertain Demand, Yields and Prices
Authors: Chen Sheng-I , Chen Wei-Fu
Published: September 2021

This study focuses on the decisions of picking, inventory, ripening, delivering, and selling mangoes in a harvesting season. Demand, supply, and prices are uncertain, and their probability density functions are fitted based on actual trading data collected from the largest spot market in Taiwan. A stochastic programming model is formulated to minimize the expected cost under the considerations of labor, storage space, shelf life, and transportation restrictions. We implement the sample-average approximation to obtain a high-quality solution of the stochastic program. The analysis compares deterministic and stochastic solutions to assess the uncertain effect on the harvest decisions. Finally, the optimal harvest schedule of each mango variety is suggested based on the stochastic program solution.
Exploring Challenges and Solutions in Performing Employee Ecological Behaviour for a Sustainable Workplace
Authors: Farooq Khalid , Yusliza Mohd Yusoff , Wahyuningtyas Ratri , Haque Adnan ul , Muhammad Zikri , Saputra Jumadil
Published: September 2021

Organisations are a fundamental part of challenges and solutions to climate change issues. Therefore, the micro and macro factors influencing employee ecological behaviour (EEB) are a rising interest among researchers. The contemporary concept of EEB has been embraced by many organisations and attracted scholars’ attention worldwide. Nevertheless, studies that explored challenges and solutions for performing EEB at the workplace are scarce. This study explored challenges and solutions in performing EEB at the workplace and focused on qualitative research methodology. The researchers interviewed 24 academicians from five leading green research Malaysian universities. Valuable qualitative data and numerous challenges such as high costs of practising, lack of infrastructure, top management support, environmental attitude, green mindfulness, enforcement, and monitoring were identified as challenges in applying EEB from the interviews. Stringent rules and regulations, monitoring, training programmes, and monetary incentives might be efficient solutions to apply ecological behaviour at workplaces, specifically universities. In conclusion, this study has discovered the challenges and solutions in implementing EEB for a sustainable workplace by interviewing academicians from different departments of selected Malaysian higher educational institutes. Also, poor infrastructure, high cost, and the lack of top management support, environmental attitude, green mindfulness, enforcement, and monitoring were identified as the primary challenges in performing EEB. Additionally, the research also discovered significant suggestions to resolve the challenges when implementing EEB at the workplace, such as strict rules and regulations, training programmes, incentives, monitoring, and communicating change and campaigns. Therefore, the stakeholders related to the industry should be concerned with the challenges identified when applying EEB at the workplace to apply the solutions generated from the study.
Diversity Matters: A Study on the Relationship between Board Career Diversity and Firm Performance
Authors: Kim Daniel Sungyeon , Sul Hong Kee
Published: September 2021

Are shareholders better off hiring directors with in-depth specialties in the company’s core business or hiring directors with broader perspectives? This study addresses the question by investigating the relationship between directors’ career diversity and firm performance. It employs Tobin’s Q, total shareholder return, and return on equity as measures of firm performance. Accordingly, board career diversity has a significant and positive effect on firm performance. Moreover, we find that board directors with diverse industry experiences create value for firms via advisory (e.g., R&D and capital expenditures) and monitoring (e.g., equity compensation) roles. Given that diversity in career matters, corporations can seriously consider board composition and promote career diversity among board members.
Climate Literacy—Imperative Competencies for Tomorrow’s Engineers
Authors: Powers Susan E. , DeWaters Jan E. , Dhaniyala Suresh
Published: September 2021

Engineers must take a leading role in addressing the challenges of mitigating climate change and adapting to the inevitable changes that our world is facing. To improve climate literacy, technical education must include problem formulation and solutions that consider complex interactions between engineered, Earth, and societal systems, including trade-offs among benefits, costs, and risks. Improving engineering students’ climate literacy must also inspire students’ motivation to work toward climate solutions. This paper highlights the content and pedagogical approach used in a class for engineering students that helped contribute to significant gains in engineering students’ climate literacy and critical thinking competencies. A total of 89 students fully participated in a pre/post climate literacy questionnaire over four years of study. As a whole, students demonstrated significant gains in climate-related content knowledge, affect, and behavior. Substantial differences were observed between students in different engineering disciplines and male vs. female students. Assessment of critical thinking showed that students did an excellent job formulating problem statements and solutions in a manner that incorporated a multidimensional systems perspective. These skills are critical for students to address climate change effectively in their eventual professions.
Factors Influencing the Level of Local Participation in Planning and Management of the Planned Salzburger Lungau & Kärntner Nockberge Biosphere Reserve in Austria
Authors: Huber Michael , Arnberger Arne
Published: September 2021

The participation of the local population in the planning and management of biosphere reserves is one of the preconditions for success. While numerous studies underpin its importance, few studies have addressed to what extent participation is desired by local residents and which factors determine the level of participation. A postal survey among local residents (n = 449) explored factors influencing their willingness to participate in the planning and management of the Salzburger Lungau & Kärntner Nockberge Biosphere Reserve in Austria before it was officially recognised by UNESCO. By applying the “Theory of Planned Behaviour”, the study found a high willingness to be involved among the local population, but a considerable variance as to what extent. Regression models showed a strong influence of perceived behavioural control and the social environment, whereas the factors identified in previous studies were less relevant. The results show that the readiness to become active seems to be higher than expected by local bodies and more linked to the design of the participatory process or other barriers. The results support the biosphere reserve management in developing appropriate participatory approaches to maximise satisfaction with participation and management success.
Appraisal of Remote Sensing Technology for Groundwater Resource Management Perspective in Indus Basin
Authors: Akhter Gulraiz , Ge Yonggang , Iqbal Naveed , Shang Yanjun , Hasan Muhammad
Published: September 2021

The dynamic nature and unsustainable exploitation of groundwater aquifers pose a range of management challenges. The accurate basin-wide hydrological assessment is very critical for the quantification of abstraction rates, spatial patterns of groundwater usage, recharge and discharge processes, and identification of critical areas having groundwater mining. This study provides the appraisal of remote sensing technology in comparison with traditionally prevailing tools and methodologies and introduces the practical use of remote sensing technology to bridge the data gaps. It demonstrates the example of Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite inferred Total Water Storage (TWS) information to quantify the behavior of the Upper Indus Plain Aquifer. The spatio-temporal changes in aquifer usage are investigated particularly for irrigation and anthropogenic purposes in general. The GRACE satellite is effective in capturing the water balance components. The basin-wide monthly scale groundwater storage monitoring is a big opportunity for groundwater managers and policymakers. The remote sensing integrated algorithms are useful tools to provide timely and valuable information on aquifer behavior. Such tools are potentially helpful to support the implementation of groundwater management strategies, especially in the developing world where data scarcity is a major challenge. Groundwater resources have not grown to meet the growing demands of the population, consequently, overexploitation of groundwater resources has occurred in these decades, leading to groundwater decline. However, future developments in the field of space technology are envisioned to overcome the currently faced spatio-temporal challenges.
Aluminum Protection by Using Green Zirconium Oxide Layer and Organic Coating: An Efficient and Adherent Dual System
Authors: Moreira Vitor B. , Meneguzzi Alvaro , Jiménez-Piqué Emilio , Alemán Carlos , Armelin Elaine
Published: September 2021

In this work, the use of ZrO2 nanocoating in aluminum substrates, generated by controlled electrochemical chronoamperometry in hexafluorozirconic acid solutions (H2ZrF6·5H2O), resulted in a lower porous films than that obtained by chemical conversion coating. After the application of an epoxy coating, long-term cyclic immersion corrosion tests and scratch tests proved the superior protection of the dual system and the coating lifespan, thanks to the enhanced adhesion of ZrO2 intermediate layer and the organic coating. As zirconium-based electrolytes are considered more friendly bath if compared to that of other conversion coating processes, like chromating, phosphating or anodizing processes, the study opens new insights to the protection of structural metals in sectors such as automotive, naval and aerospace industries. The main advantages are the employment of lightweight intermediate pre-treatment (nanoscale), compared to conventional ones (microscale), and reduction of waste slurry (electrolyte bath free of additives).
Evaluation of Compost and Biochar to Mitigate Chlorpyrifos Pollution in Soil and Their Effect on Soil Enzyme Dynamics
Authors: Aziz Humera , Wang Xiukang , Murtaza Ghulam , Ashar Ambreen , Hussain Sarfraz , Abid Muhammad , Murtaza Behzad , Saleem Muhammad Hamzah , Fiaz Sajid , Ali Shafaqat
Published: September 2021

The widespread environmental contamination of chlorpyrifos (CP) has raised human health concerns and necessitated cost-effective methods for its remediation. The current study evaluated the degradation behavior of CP in compost and biochar amended and unamended (original and sterilized) soils in an incubation trial. Two levels of CP (100 and 200 mg kg−1), compost and biochar (0.50%) were applied, and soil was collected at different time intervals. At the higher CP level (200 mg kg−1), CP a showed lower degradation rate (ƙ = 0.0102 mg kg−1 d−1) compared with a low CP level (ƙ = 0.0173 mg kg−1 d−1). The half-lives of CP were 40 and 68 days for CP at 100 and 200 mg kg−1 in original soil, respectively, and increased to 94 and 141 days in sterilized soils. CP degradation was accelerated in compost amended soils, while suppressed in biochar amended soils. Lower half lives of 20 and 37 days were observed with compost application at CP 100 and 200 mg kg−1 doses, respectively. The activities of soil enzymes were considerably affected by the CP contamination and significantly recovered in compost and biochar amended soils. In conclusion, the application of organic amendments especially compost is an important strategy for the remediation of CP contaminated soil.
Impact of CSR on Organizational Behavior during a Pandemic: Highlighting Public Health and Safety in the Airline Industry
Authors: Kang Sung-Eun , Lee Choong-Ki , Moon Young-Joo , Park Yae-Na , Suess Courtney
Published: September 2021

This study expands Carroll’s CSR typology with the public health and safety dimension to examine how the airline industry’s CSR and public health and safety activities influence flight attendants’ organizational identification, self-esteem, and commitment to the company during COVID-19. A total of 342 South Korean flight attendants participated in online surveys. Based on social identity theory and using structural equation modeling (SEM), the study reveals that ethical-, economic-, and philanthropic-CSR and public health and safety are positively related to organizational identification and that all are linked to the self-esteem and organizational commitment of flight attendants. However, legal-CSR did not affect their organizational identification. The results suggest that “public health and safety” should be applied when initiatives aim to enhance flight attendants’ organizational behavior. The study’s findings contribute to the literature by extending the original CSR model and providing theoretical and practical implications for academic researchers and airlines during a pandemic.
The Role of e-Tutor Competencies in Postgraduate e-Learning Courses: Spotlight on Emotion Management
Authors: Bustos-Contell Elisabeth , Porcuna-Enguix Luis , Serrano-Madrid José , Labatut-Serer Gregorio
Published: September 2021

The role of e-learning in the existing and challenging educational era is crucial. However, it is necessary to overcome some drawbacks such as feelings of isolation and a lack of emotional contact. In this sense, emotion management is a key driver of student satisfaction in e-learning, which is significantly related to students’ motivation, learning, cognitive strategies, self-regulation, and personality antecedents in the classroom. This article examines an online postgraduate course in financial statements auditing, describing the resources used by the e-tutor to conduct affective tutorials, reduce students’ feelings of isolation, increase student involvement, and achieve success in e-learning. The results of a survey administered to 125 students over the period 2015 to 2020 indicate that students who receive emotional support have higher levels of satisfaction with the course in terms of all satisfaction indicators. In addition, female e-learning students are more satisfied with intensive e-tutor monitoring overall but are less gratified by non-face-to-face e-tools. Our study responds to the calls in the 2021–2027 Digital Education Action Plan to improve and reset education and training for the digital age.
Impacts of Firm Performance on Corporate Social Responsibility Practices: The Mediation Role of Corporate Governance in Ethiopia Corporate Business
Authors: Ying Ma , Tikuye Gashaw Awoke , Shan He
Published: September 2021

In today’s globalized economy, the corporate company faces ever-increasing competitive and social pressures. This paper aims to identify the impacts of firms’ performance on corporate social responsibility practices using the mediating roles of corporate governance evidence from Ethiopia’s corporate business. The impacts of firms’ performance on CSR and corporate governance as a mediator variable were studied using a sample of TIRET corporate companies, in the Amhara region, Ethiopia. The structural equation model and multiple regression analysis were estimated and tested using 21 corporate companies. The derived model reveals how corporate governance mediates the favorable relationship between CSR and firm performance. The result indicates that a firm’s performance is the most significant influencing factor on CSR among the impacts examined in this study. Corporate governance has a positive role in serving as a legitimacy source for CSR practice. This study discusses the significance of results-based resource theory and presents the conclusion and implications. To solve the gaps in firm performance, return on asset, debts on capital structure, and governance, the corporate firms should identify unproductive enterprises and outsource non-core values. To overcome the existed inefficiency difficulties, this study proposed that corporate enterprises should be restructured, rebranded, reconsider their business models, and acquire technology-based firms. This paper contributes to CSR literature in the context of emerging economies. Firms, policymakers, and practitioners may take steps to improve CSR practice. In general, we conclude that in Ethiopia, including in the Amhara region, socially responsible corporate enterprises are more likely to be successful, and vice versa.
Measurement of the Importance of 11 Sustainable Development Criteria: How Do the Important Criteria Differ among Four Asian Countries and Shift as the Economy Develops?
Authors: Tasaki Tomohiro , Tajima Ryo , Kameyama Yasuko
Published: September 2021

Understanding the criteria underlying development in a country is crucial to formulating developmental plans. However, it is not always clear which criteria are more important than others in different countries and at different times. The relationship between developmental criteria and the stage of economic development is also unclear in many countries. Therefore, we devised an indirect stated preference approach for the measurement of the importance of developmental criteria and employed it in four Asian countries—Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam—to measure the importance of sustainable development (SD) criteria perceived by the general public. Specifically, we evaluated the importance of 58 national goals linked to 1 of 11 SD criteria. Security, efficiency, accessibility, capability, and environmental capacity were perceived as relatively important by respondents in all four countries. The respondents perceived that the currently important criteria would be important in the future as well. The order of the importance in each country differed. For example, environmental capacity was ranked lower, and inclusiveness was ranked higher as the gross domestic product of a country increased. Thai and Vietnamese respondents had similar perceptions and, overall, tended to have higher levels of importance than South Korean and Japanese respondents, who also had similar perceptions of importance.
Sustainable Waste Management at Household Level with Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Hermetia illucens)
Authors: Mahmood Saleha , Zurbrügg Christian , Tabinda Amtul Bari , Ali Azhar , Ashraf Adil
Published: September 2021

Waste management service is inefficient in peri-urban and rural areas where biowaste is a major component of the household waste produced. Biowaste recycling using black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) at source can reduce the burden on the authorities and add economic value to a yet underutilized resource. This study evaluated the practicability of BSFL bin use at the household level to handle kitchen biowaste by placing three bins per house after 15 days interval of larval feeding. It was found that 50% of the households contacted cooperated well to continue the experiment. A set of instructions for handling BSFL bins based on reasons of agreement and disagreement was developed and shared. Key parameters to evaluate waste treatment performance and larval development were waste dry matter weight reduction (89.66%, SD 6.77%), volumetric reduction (81.3%, SD 4.8), final prepupal dry weight (69 mg/larvae, SD 7.1), biomass conversion rate (12.9%, SD 1.7), metabolism (77.3%, SD 6.0) and residue (10.4%, SD 6.8). On average, 87.7% (SD 9.1) of waste was actually digested, with 16.6% (SD 2.2) efficiently converted into biomass. Initial moisture content of waste was found to be more significant for achieving greater waste dry weight reduction as compared with the feeding rate. Source separation of biowaste and cooperation between households and authorities may lead to successful implementation of BSFL-assisted biowaste bins.
How Did the Young Children Encounter the Japanese Urban Landscape?: A Study on Emergent Pedagogy for Sustainability Transformation
Authors: Mitsuhashi Midori , Gyobu Ikuko
Published: September 2021

This research evaluates how children’s new subjectivities emerge through exploring urban landscapes in the river basin in Tokyo. Research has stressed the importance of children as active agents, while posthuman perspectives include all elements of human–nature entangled world as potential agents. This analysis indicates how an assemblage of human and non-human agents contributes to enacting children as critical agents for sustainability issues. The theoretical framework for this study is the theory of landscape, including traditional Japanese discourses and the assemblage theory inspired by Félix Guattari’s ecosophy. One of the authors conducted nine-month ethnographic research at a Japanese nursery in 2018, accompanying a five-year-old class whose curiosity drove the expedition at the river basin all the way to the Tokyo Bay. The authors applied the method of multiple interpretations of the documentation, including photos and children’s drawings. This exploration and subsequent events during the journey transformed the children’s fragmented interpretation of the environment into an interconnected one and translated it into tangible action. This study illustrated that stimulating children’s subjectivity toward the landscape and fostering their positive but critical relationship with it through emergent first-hand exploration provided them with potential grounds to be resilient by ethically and ecologically responding to changes in vulnerable environments and potential commons in the community and to take actions for sustainable lifestyles at present and in the future.
The Construction Industry as the Subject of Implementing Corporate Social Responsibility (the Case of Poland)
Authors: Bernaciak Arnold , Halaburda Małgorzata , Bernaciak Anna
Published: September 2021

Companies of the construction sector face a significant impact on the environment and people: consume massive amounts of natural resources, emit pollutants, and generate large amounts of waste, are a place of danger and accidents at work. It is well established that implementation of CSR principles can lead to several economic, social, and environmental benefits. This is shown by numerous studies carried out in various countries among companies from different sectors of the economy. The aim of the article is to identify the most determining activity motives, barriers, and effects of implementing CSR principles by enterprises of the Polish construction sector and to determine the differences in this aspect between large, medium, and small-size enterprises. A questionnaire survey covered 177 enterprises. Factor like size, a place of origin, type of capital (domestic, foreign), annual turnover and time in the market were also considered. The documents of enterprises, reports, statistical data, and internal regulations of companies were also examined. The research results show large variations in terms of motives, barriers and expected benefits out of the implementation of CSR principles in various types of construction enterprises. There are different ways of implementing CSR principles and incorporating this area into organizational structures of the companies. A special role is assigned to large enterprises that show the greatest commitment in this scope. They become sources of good practices for other types of enterprises.
Influences of a Highly Reflective Mulching Membrane on Heat Propagation throughout the Soil
Authors: Manni Mattia , Di Giuseppe Alessia , Nicolini Andrea , Sciurpi Fabio , Cotana Franco
Published: September 2021

Agro-food chain impacts global greenhouse gas emissions by around 30%. To reduce this score without worsening food crops’ yield, new and more sustainable technologies (i.e., mulching membranes, advanced irrigation systems) were implemented. Within this framework, the present study aims to assess the influences on heat propagation throughout the soil of a highly reflective mulching membrane. An experimental facility was implemented in which the surface temperatures of both the soil and the membrane were monitored together with the temperature of the soil (at three depths). Five statistical days were defined by considering the same amount of percentiles of the monitored temperatures (0th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 100th percentiles). Then, the attenuation and the phase shift of the thermal wave throughout the soil and the cooling potential of the membrane were calculated. Although negligible variations from the uncovered soil were observed in surface temperature, the membrane enables a greater attenuation of the thermal wave throughout the soil. This can be up to 16 °C cooler than the surface, with potential benefits for plant growth. Furthermore, the membrane optical properties permit to offset carbon emissions from agriculture activities by around 0.1 tCO2-eq m−2.
Factors of Energy Poverty: Evidence from Tibet, China
Authors: Zang Dungang , Li Fanghua , Chandio Abbas Ali
Published: September 2021

Energy poverty due to rising energy demand is a matter of global concern. Therefore, examination of the causes of energy poverty and development of effective solutions are urgent concerns. Using survey data on livelihood development in Tibetan farming and pastoral areas in 2019, this study applied logistic and ordinary least squares models to empirically investigate the factors that influence energy poverty in Tibet. We found that energy poverty is (1) unrelated to age, gender, education, marital status, political and village cadre experience, planting, or expenditures related to religious activities; (2) negatively correlated with migrant work, village status, household income, and traffic conditions; (3) positively correlated with employment, area, and breeding; and (4) both positively and negatively affected by family residence altitude. The results offer new insights and empirical evidence for the identification and elimination of energy poverty, improving livelihoods, and promoting rural revitalisation in Tibet.
Method for Identifying the Traffic Congestion Situation of the Main Road in Cold-Climate Cities Based on the Clustering Analysis Algorithm
Authors: Pei Yulong , Cai Xiaoxi , Li Jie , Song Keke , Liu Rui
Published: September 2021

Congestion has become a common urban disease in countries worldwide, with the acceleration of urbanization. The connotation of the congestion situation is expanded to describe, in detail, the traffic operation status and change characteristics of the main road in cold-climate cities and to provide more comprehensive identification methods and theoretical basis for cold-climate cities. It includes two aspects: the state and trend. A method to distinguish the traffic congestion state level and trend type of the main road in cold-climate cities is proposed on the basis of density clustering, hierarchical clustering, and fuzzy C-means clustering, and the temporal and spatial congestion characteristics of the main roads of cold-climate cities are explored. Research results show that we can divide the traffic congestion state into three levels: unblocked, slow, and congested. We can also divide the congestion trend into three types: aggravation, relief, and stability. This method is suitable for the identification of the main road’s congestion situation in cold-climate cities and can satisfy the spatiotemporal self-correlation and difference test. The temporal and spatial distribution rules of congestion are different under different road conditions, the volatility of the congestion degree and change speed on snowy and icy pavements, and the instability of congestion spatial aggregation are more serious than that on non-snowy and non-icy pavements. The research results are more comprehensive and objective than the existing methods.
Cultural and Creative Industries as Innovation and Sustainable Transition Brokers in the Baltic Sea Region: A Strong Tribute to Sustainable Macro-Regional Development
Authors: Gerlitz Laima , Prause Gunnar Klaus
Published: September 2021

Recent research shows increasing efforts to unfold the potential of Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) for regions in order to pursue new sources of innovation, competitive edge and to manifest sustainable and inclusive growth paths driven by creativity. Due to its strong commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, on the global level, the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) has become a role model in sustainable development. Yet, individual BSR countries face challenges in the implementation of those goals. In this light, by building on the intermediate results (2017–2020) of two EU Interreg projects—Creative Ports and CTCC—this research reveals CCIs’ potential for sustainable development avenues. The investigation is based on case study methodology underpinned by empirical data gathered from participating Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and topical experts met during the projects’ implementation and study visits. The present multi-project applied research reduces the research-to-practice gap pertaining to the so far underestimated role of CCIs for supporting traditional SMEs in the implementation of their sustainable ideas. Once engaged into cross-sectoral collaboration with traditional SMEs, CCIs become important brokers—sustainable innovation drivers and enablers within regional ecosystems through contribution to environmentally responsible, socially equitable and economically feasible solutions for the business they work with. Thus, on the one hand, CCIs support SMEs in their transition towards more sustainable managerial performance. On the other hand, CCIs overcome disconnection and increase their recognition through new collaboration opportunities, thus providing them with new capitalization avenues on the regional and international level.
“Everything Somewhere” or “Something Everywhere”: Examining the Implications of Automated Vehicles’ Deployment Strategies
Authors: Tafidis Pavlos , Farah Haneen , Brijs Tom , Pirdavani Ali
Published: September 2021

“Everything somewhere” or “something everywhere” is the classic dilemma concerning the development and implementation of the future generation of vehicles, i.e., automated vehicles (AVs). Both strategies include diverse policy options that could significantly impact road networks’ planning, design, operation, and utilization. Until now, no significant research has been conducted concerning their implications. In this paper, we aim to examine how ready the current physical infrastructure is by identifying the requirements of each strategy and then applying them in a common type of intersection. The study’s findings demonstrate that AVs’ performance can be affected by policy implementation decisions and adds further weight to the argument of AVs separation or no-separation from no-AVs traffic. Furthermore, the insignificant improvements in traffic performance imply the low readiness of the current road networks in urban areas to accommodate the new technology. This study contributes to determining that research on the readiness of the road infrastructure and the deployment of AVs in urban areas is inevitable. It also identifies that roads’ geometric design can dramatically affect AVs’ operation and the difficulties of implementing dedicated lanes in urban areas due to space availability.
Developing a Traffic Model to Estimate Vehicle Emissions: An Application in Seoul, Korea
Authors: Jo Hanghun , Kim Heungsoon
Published: September 2021

In this study, a traffic demand model was created based on a simulation network, and another model was built to calculate exhaust-gas emissions generated by vehicles based on the emission function. Subsequently, emissions for three scenarios were analyzed based on the traffic restriction policy according to the vehicle grading system implemented in Seoul. According to the results of the analysis, emission reduction under the vehicle restriction policy was the highest among passenger cars in the low-speed range, while the emissions of cargo trucks in the high-speed range were found to be high. The emissions showed a high ratio of carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides, and high emissions were generated from liquefied petroleum gas and diesel vehicles. Furthermore, the effects of vehicle restriction policy were confirmed to reduce emissions from diesel and other vehicle types. Using the established model, we were able to confirm that the vehicle restriction policy contributed to the improvement of air quality. Furthermore, the diesel vehicle restriction policy also had an impact on reducing the emissions of vehicle types other than those using diesel.
Introducing the Seasonal Closure into the CCAMLR Fishery Management Framework: Problems, Methods, and Prospects
Authors: Zou Keyuan , Wang Sen
Published: September 2021

In June 2020, China unilaterally announced two seasonal closures on squid fishing in certain areas of the high seas that apply to the Chinese distant water fishing fleets. Such closure refers to the withdrawal of the Chinese distant water fishing fleet from part of the high seas where they regularly operate. It is an innovative conservation measure initiated by a nation-state with the significance for global ocean governance and meeting the requirements from the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This paper is designed to seek the possibility, through a qualitative study and interpretive analysis, of whether such an innovative conservation measure can be introduced into the fishery management in the Southern Ocean, currently mainly under the framework of CCAMLR. This paper attempts to answer some questions with this new introduction. First, whether this kind of seasonal closure is applicable or feasible within the framework of CCAMLR. Second, whether this kind of seasonal closure would infringe upon or disrupt existing regimes, such as marine protected areas (MPAs) created by CCAMLR. Third, how and to what extent such a measure is supported by best scientific evidence so as to reach optimal effectiveness. In this regard, firm support from contracting parties is necessary to enforce the seasonal closure within the coverage of CCAMLR. The paper concludes that the seasonal closure feasible under the CCAMLR legal framework, which, like the measures of MPAs, will facilitate the fulfillment of best scientific evidence and eventually contribute to the SDG-14 progressively in the Southern Ocean.
Effective Use of MBO in the Conditions of Slovak Companies
Authors: Ponisciakova Olga , Kicova Eva
Published: September 2021

With the variability of the business environment, the various tools that have emerged during the formation of management to support its functionality have been flexibly changed, used, or interchanged. With emphasis on the level of strategic management, it is not only the right choice of strategy and its implementation, but also the use of adequate theory or method of strategy implementation. There is a whole range of such methods, including management by objectives (MBO) by P. Drucker, a pioneer in modern management. The paper focuses on the implementation and use of a management system according to objectives in Slovak companies. Based on the content analysis of available professional resources, it defines the theoretical basis of the researched issues and the basic principles that relate to the MBO method. The analytical part is a case study of a selected Slovak company, in which we analyze the current state of management using qualitative and quantitative methods. Subsequently, based on the main findings, we propose possible recommendations for more effective management according to the objectives of the surveyed company.
Bacterial Resistance against Heavy Metals in Pseudomonas aeruginosa RW9 Involving Hexavalent Chromium Removal
Authors: Mat Arisah Fatini , Amir Amirah Farhana , Ramli Norhayati , Ariffin Hidayah , Maeda Toshinari , Hassan Mohd Ali , Mohd Yusoff Mohd Zulkhairi
Published: September 2021

Pseudomonas aeruginosa RW9 is a promising candidate for the bioremediation of chromium hexavalent (Cr(VI)) pollution, as it resists a high concentration of up to 60 mg/L of Cr(VI). Leaving cells exposed to Cr(VI) has large bioreduction potential, implying its capacity to extract the ions from the contaminated medium. In this study, the tolerance for and distribution of Cr(VI) were investigated to identify the cells’ adaptation and removal strategies. Micro-characterization analysis was conducted to assess the effect of Cr(VI) on the cells. The cells’ elongation was observed at higher Cr(VI) concentrations, signifying their adaptation to DNA damage caused by Cr(VI) toxicity. Cr(VI) distribution analysis showed that the strain developed a complex mechanism to adapt to Cr(VI), based on surface-bound (0.46 mg/L), intracellularly accumulated (1.24 mg/L) and extracellular sequestration (6.74 mg/L), which accounted for 85% of the removal efficiency. The extracellular sequestration might be attributable to the production of metabolites, in accordance with the fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra and orcinol analysis that confirmed the presence of a glycolipid biosurfactant, rhamnolipid. Remarkably, the rhamnolipid was slightly induced in the presence of Cr(VI). From the data obtained, it was confirmed that this local strain is well equipped to survive high doses of Cr(VI) and has great potential for application in Cr(VI) bioremediation.
Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Excretion in Grazing Cows with High and Low Milk Urea Nitrogen Breeding Values
Authors: Correa-Luna Martín , Donaghy Daniel , Kemp Peter , Schutz Michael , López-Villalobos Nicolás
Published: September 2021

Milk urea nitrogen content is moderately heritable and is phenotypically related to urine nitrogen (UN). Based on this relationship, it has been suggested that genetic selection for lower milk urea nitrogen in grazing dairy cows could decrease UN concentration thereby reducing nitrogen excretions into the ground. The objective of this study was to compare the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and excretion in grazing cows with high and low milk urea nitrogen breeding values (MUNBV) in two farms of contrasting farming intensity. On the high-intensity farm (HIF) 68 and 70 cows with low and high MUNBV, respectively, were fed higher levels of supplementation and milked twice-daily, while on the low-intensity farm (LIF) 82 and 86 cows with low and high MUNBV, respectively, were fed lower levels of supplementation milked once-daily. Nitrogen use efficiency (g/g) was calculated as the ratio of daily milk N to daily N intake. Daily N intake (g/day) was derived from feed intake estimates based on energy requirements. The UN (g/day) was estimated by back-calculation from dietary N and subtracting milk N, faecal N, and N retained in body tissues. Irrespective of farm, cows with low MUNBV had significantly lower MY and milk urea nitrogen (p < 0.001) but this was not linked to significantly less UN. In the LIF, cows with low MUNBV had lower NUE (p < 0.001) than cows with high MUNBV, and this was explained by the reduced protein yield (p < 0.001). Selecting cows for low MUNBV was not an effective tool to reduce N losses and to increase the NUE in two dairy farms of contrasting farming intensity.
Rotational Diode: Clockwise/Counterclockwise Asymmetry in Conducting and Mechanical Properties of Rotating (semi)Conductors
Authors: Chernodub M. N.
Published: September 2021

It is difficult to imagine an isolated classical object which possess different moments of inertia when it is uniformly rotated about the same axis with the same angular frequency in opposite, clockwise and counterclockwise, directions. We argue that due to quantum effects, certain (semi-) conductors should exhibit asymmetry in their mechanical and conducting properties with respect to the opposite rotations. We show that a cylinder made of a suitably chosen semiconductor, coated in a metallic film and placed in the magnetic-field background, can serve as a “rotational diode”, which conducts electricity only at a specific range of angular frequencies. The critical angular frequency and the direction of rotation can be tuned with the magnetic field’s strength. Mechanically, the rotational diode possesses different moments of inertia when rotated in clockwise and counterclockwise directions. These effects emerge as a particularity of the Fermi-Dirac statistics of electrons in rotating conductors.
Body Balance after Fascial Therapy in Athletes with Soft Lower Limb Muscle Injuries
Authors: Pawik Łukasz , Pawik Malwina , Karwacka Magdalena , Wysoczańska Emilia , Schabowska Aleksandra , Kuciel Natalia , Biernat Karolina , Dębiec-Bąk Agnieszka , Lewandowska Joanna , Fink-Lwow Felicja
Published: September 2021

Background: Most injuries in competitive sports are due to overstrain and excessive muscular and fascial tension. This study aimed to assess the effects of a single session of fascial therapy on balance and lower limb weight-bearing in professional athletes following a lower limb soft-tissue injury. Methods: A pedobarographic platform was used to assess the weight-bearing on both lower limbs and corporal balance. A total of 41 athletes with an acute soft-tissue injury involving the quadriceps femoris muscle were included in the study. Each patient underwent myofascial therapy in the injured limb only. The therapy was intended to release tension and improve proprioception. Results: The injured and healthy limbs showed significant asymmetry in body weight distribution. Before treatment, the patients bore less weight on the injured limb than on the healthy limb. After fascial therapy, eyes-closed tests showed an improved weight distribution symmetry between the two lower limbs. There were no significant differences in the values of the evaluated balance parameters between those measured at baseline and those measured after the therapy, measured after the rehabilitation session. Conclusions: A single fascial therapy session has a beneficial effect on corporal balance in runners with an injured lower limb.
Null Homology Groups and Stable Currents in Warped Product Submanifolds of Euclidean Spaces
Authors: Li Yanlin , Laurian-Ioan Pişcoran , Ali Akram , Alkhaldi Ali H.
Published: September 2021

In this paper, we prove that, for compact warped product submanifolds Mn in an Euclidean space En+k, there are no stable p-currents, homology groups are vanishing, and M3 is homotopic to the Euclidean sphere S3 under various extrinsic restrictions, involving the eigenvalue of the warped function, integral Ricci curvature, and the Hessian tensor. The results in this paper can be considered an extension of Xin’s work in the framework of a compact warped product submanifold, when the base manifold is minimal in ambient manifolds.
Riemann–Hilbert Approach for Constructing Analytical Solutions and Conservation Laws of a Local Time-Fractional Nonlinear Schrödinger Type Equation
Authors: Xu Bo , Zhang Sheng
Published: September 2021

Fractal and fractional calculus have important theoretical and practical value. In this paper, analytical solutions, including the N-fractal-soliton solution with fractal characteristics in time and soliton characteristics in space as well as the long-time asymptotic solution of a local time-fractional nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS)-type equation, are obtained by extending the Riemann–Hilbert (RH) approach together with the symmetries of the associated spectral function, jump matrix, and solution of the related RH problem. In addition, infinitely many conservation laws determined by an expression, one end of which is the partial derivative of local fractional-order in time, and the other end is the partial derivative of integral order in space of the local time-fractional NLS-type equation are also obtained. Constraining the time variable to the Cantor set, the obtained one-fractal-soliton solution is simulated, which shows the solution possesses continuous and non-differentiable characteristics in the time direction but keeps the soliton continuous and differentiable in the space direction. The essence of the fractal-soliton feature is that the time and space variables are set into two different dimensions of 0.631 and 1, respectively. This is also a concrete example of the same object showing different geometric characteristics on two scales.
Modeling Neuronal Systems as an Open Quantum System
Authors: Sun Yu-Juan , Zhang Wei-Min
Published: September 2021

We propose a physical model for neurons to describe how neurons interact with one another through the surrounding materials of neuronal cell bodies. We model the neuronal cell surroundings, include the dendrites, the axons and the synapses, as well as the surrounding glial cells, as a continuous distribution of oscillating modes inspired from the electric circuital picture of neuronal action potential. By analyzing the dynamics of this neuronal model by using the master equation approach of open quantum systems, we investigated the collective behavior of neurons. After applying stimulations to the neuronal system, the neuron collective state is activated and shows the action potential behavior. We find that this model can generate random neuron–neuron interactions and is appropriate for describing the process of information transmission in the neuronal system, which may pave a potential route toward understanding the dynamics of nervous system.
Effects of Botulinum Toxin Type A on Pain among Trigeminal Neuralgia, Myofascial Temporomandibular Disorders, and Oromandibular Dystonia
Authors: Yoshida Kazuya
Published: September 2021

The differences in analgesic effects of botulinum toxin type A were compared in 28 patients with trigeminal neuralgia, 53 patients with myofascial temporomandibular disorders, and 89 patients with the jaw closing oromandibular dystonia. The patients were treated by injection of botulinum toxin type A into the masseter, temporalis, medial pterygoid, and other muscles based on the symptoms of each patient. The pain severity was evaluated using the visual analog scale, pain frequency, and pain scale of the oromandibular dystonia rating scale. Botulinum toxin injection was performed 1068 times in all patients without significant adverse effects. The visual analog, pain frequency, and pain scales at baseline were reduced (p < 0.001) after two, four, eight, and 12 weeks after the first botulinum toxin therapy and at the endpoint. The effects differed significantly (p < 0.001) among the groups (repeated-measures analysis of variance). The mean improvement (0%, no effect; 100%, complete recovery) at the endpoint was 86.8% for trigeminal neuralgia, 80.8% for myofascial pain, and 75.4% for oromandibular dystonia. Injection of the botulinum toxin can be a highly effective and safe method to treat trigeminal neuralgia, myofascial pain, and oromandibular dystonia.