bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ensemble-Based Hybrid Context-Aware Misbehavior Detection Model for Vehicular Ad Hoc Network
Authors: Ghaleb Fuad A. , Maarof Mohd Aizaini , Zainal Anazida , Al-rimy Bander Ali Saleh , Alsaeedi Abdullah , Boulila Wadii
Published: December 2019

Life-saving decisions in vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) depend on the availability of highly accurate, up-to-date, and reliable data exchanged by neighboring vehicles. However, spreading inaccurate, unreliable, and false data by intruders create traffic illusions that may cause loss of lives and assets. Although several solutions for misbehavior detection have been proposed to address these issues, those solutions lack adequate representation and the adaptability to vehicular context. The use of predefined static thresholds and lack of comprehensive context representation have rendered the existing solutions limited to specific scenarios and attack types, which impedes their generalizability. This paper addresses these limitations by proposing an ensemble-based hybrid context-aware misbehavior detection system (EHCA-MDS) model. EHCA-MDS has been developed in four phases, as follows. The static thresholds have been replaced by dynamic ones created on the fly by analyzing the spatial and temporal properties of the mobility information collected from neighboring vehicles. Kalman filter-based algorithms were used to collect the mobility information of neighboring vehicles. Three sets of features were then derived, each of which has a different perspective, namely data consistency, data plausibility, and vehicle behavior. These features were used to construct a dynamic context reference using the Hampel filter. The Hampel-based z-score was used to evaluate the vehicles based on their behavioral activities, data consistency, and plausibility. For comprehensive features representation, multifaceted, non-parametric-based statistical classifiers were constructed and updated online using a Hampel filter-based algorithm. For accurate representation, the output of the statistical classifiers, vehicles’ scores, context reference parameters, and the derived features were used as input to an ensemble learning-based algorithm. Such representation helps to identify the misbehaving vehicles more effectively. The proposed EHCA-MDS model was evaluated in the presence of different types of misbehaving vehicles under different context scenarios through extensive simulations, utilizing a real-world traffic dataset. The results show that the accuracy and robustness of the proposed EHCA-MDS under different vehicular dynamic context scenarios were higher than existing solutions, which confirms its feasibility and effectiveness to improve the performance of VANET critical applications.
Biomass Estimation for Semiarid Vegetation and Mine Rehabilitation Using Worldview-3 and Sentinel-1 SAR Imagery
Authors: Bao Nisha , Li Wenwen , Gu Xiaowei , Liu Yanhui
Published: December 2019

The surface mining activities in grassland and rangeland zones directly affect the livestock production, forage quality, and regional grassland resources. Mine rehabilitation is necessary for accelerating the recovery of the grassland ecosystem. In this work, we investigate the integration of data obtained via a synthetic aperture radar (Sentinel-1 SAR) with data obtained by optical remote sensing (Worldview-3, WV-3) in order to monitor the conditions of a vegetation area rehabilitated after coal mining in North China. The above-ground biomass (AGB) is used as an indicator of the rehabilitated vegetation conditions and the success of mine rehabilitation. The wavelet principal component analysis is used for the fusion of the WV-3 and Sentinel-1 SAR images. Furthermore, a multiple linear regression model is applied based on the relationship between the remote sensing features and the AGB field measurements. Our results show that WV-3 enhanced vegetation indices (EVI), mean texture from band8 (near infrared band2, NIR2), the SAR vertical and horizon (VH) polarization, and band 8 (NIR2) from the fused image have higher correlation coefficient value with the field-measured AGB. The proposed AGB estimation model combining WV-3 and Sentinel 1A SAR imagery yields higher model accuracy (R2 = 0.79 and RMSE = 22.82 g/m2) compared to that obtained with any of the two datasets only. Besides improving AGB estimation, the proposed model can also reduce the uncertainty range by 7 g m−2 on average. These results demonstrate the potential of new multispectral high-resolution datasets, such as Sentinel-1 SAR and Worldview-3, in providing timely and accurate AGB estimation for mine rehabilitation planning and management.
High-Resolution FBG-Based Fiber-Optic Sensor with Temperature Compensation for PD Monitoring
Authors: Ghorat Mohsen , Gharehpetian Gevork B. , Latifi Hamid , Hejazi Maryam A. , Bagheri Mehdi
Published: December 2019

This paper presented a new sensor to detect and localize partial discharge (PD) in power transformers based on a fiber Bragg grating (FBG). The fundamental characteristics of the proposed sensor, as a PD detector, were temperature compensation and direction independence. The proposed high-resolution PD detector operated based on the FBG wavelength shift. It is necessary to evaluate the physical parameters of the sensor to achieve the best results. Therefore, in this paper, the detected signal strength was investigated for different angles and temperatures. A Teflon hollow mandrel and two FBGs attached to the inner and outer surfaces of the hollow mandrel were chosen as the inner transformer PD detector. The changes in the sensor output were less than 0.4 mV and 0.5 mV for direction variations and a temperature variation of 14 °C (degrees Celsius), respectively. Consequently, the proposed sensor could be successfully employed for the detection of a transformer PD signal.
Optical Sensors for Multi-Axis Angle and Displacement Measurement Using Grating Reflectors
Authors: Shimizu Yuki , Matsukuma Hiraku , Gao Wei
Published: December 2019

In dimensional metrology it is necessary to carry out multi-axis angle and displacement measurement for high-precision positioning. Although the state-of-the-art linear displacement sensors have sub-nanometric measurement resolution, it is not easy to suppress the increase of measurement uncertainty when being applied for multi-axis angle and displacement measurement due to the Abbe errors and the influences of sensor misalignment. In this review article, the state-of-the-art multi-axis optical sensors, such as the three-axis autocollimator, the three-axis planar encoder, and the six-degree-of-freedom planar encoder based on a planar scale grating are introduced. With the employment of grating reflectors, measurement of multi-axis translational and angular displacement can be carried out while employing a single laser beam. Fabrication methods of a large-area planar scale grating based on a single-point diamond cutting with the fast tool servo technique and the interference lithography are also presented, followed by the description of the evaluation method of the large-area planar scale grating based on the Fizeau interferometer.
Automatic Management and Monitoring of Bridge Lifting: A Method of Changing Engineering in Real-Time
Authors: Fang Yao Min , Chou Tien Yin , Hoang Thanh Van , Lee Bing Jean
Published: December 2019

In recent years, owing to the increase of extreme climate events due to global climate change, the foundational erosion of old bridges has become increasingly serious. When typhoons have approached, bridge foundations have been broken due to the insufficient bearing capacity of the bridge column. The bridge bottoming method involves rebuilding the lower structure while keeping the bridge surface open, and transferring the load of the bridge temporarily to the temporary support frame to remove the bridge base or damaged part with insufficient strength. This is followed by replacing the removed bridge base with a new bridge foundation that meets the requirements of flood and earthquake resistance. Meanwhile, monitoring plans should be coordinated during construction using the bottoming method to ensure the safety of the bridge. In the case of this study, the No. 3 line Wuxi Bridge had a maximum bridge age of 40 years, where the maximum exposed length of the foundation was up to 7.5 m, resulting in insufficient flood and earthquake resistance. Consequently, a reconstruction plan was carried out on this bridge. This study took the reconstruction of Wuxi Bridge as the object and established a finite element model using the SAP 2000 computer software based on the secondary reconstruction design of the Wuxi Bridge. The domestic bridge design specification was used as the basis for the static and dynamic analyses of the Wuxi Bridge model. As a result of the analysis, the management value of the monitoring instrument during construction was determined. The calculated management values were compared with the monitoring data during the construction period to determine the rationality of the management values and to explore changes in the behavior of the old bridges and temporary support bridges.
Evaluating Economic and Environmental Performance of the Chinese Industry Sector
Authors: Jiang Yongzhong , Chen Xueli , Valdmanis Vivian , Baležentis Tomas
Published: December 2019

This study assesses economic and environmental performance in the Chinese industry sector across 30 provinces during the period of 2006–2017. The study relies on a nonparametric framework and we apply a novel decomposition of the overall inefficiency scores into three components of technical, scale and mix inefficiency at the aggregate level by incorporating undesirable outputs. As we rely on by-production technology, industry performance is split into economic and environmental dimensions. Our results show that Chinese industry inefficiency is equally due to economic and environmental performance during 2006–2017, whereas technical and scale inefficiencies are relatively higher for environmental sub-technology (which relates energy to CO2 emission) if opposed to the economic sub-technology (which relates all the inputs to the economic value added). This implies that Chinese industry still requires improvements in environmental performance. The eastern region shows a relatively low average economic overall inefficiency if compared to other regions, yet its total OI (overall inefficiency) is the highest among the regions. Thus, environmental performance and misallocation of resources constitute the underlying causes of the total inefficiency. Therefore, structural reforms are necessary besides improvements in the production processes in the eastern region. This is important since China has experienced economic growth, but also policy must pay attention to environmental issues and sustainability.
Does Sustainable Perceived Value Play a Key Role in the Purchase Intention Driven by Product Aesthetics? Taking Smartwatch as an Example
Authors: Wang Jian , Hsu Yen
Published: December 2019

In the face of a wide range of consumer electronic products, how can consumers take into account the sustainable development of the ecological environment during their purchase and consumption? This study established a new product aesthetics classification, divided it into interface aesthetics and product form aesthetics, and proposed a new conceptual model to test the impact of interface aesthetics and product form aesthetics on sustainable perceived value and purchase intention. In this study, smartwatches were used as the subject and a two-stage survey was carried out to collect samples from common consumers of consumer electronic products. Partial least squares (PLS) was employed to test the conceptual model and corresponding hypotheses on data collected from 425 survey samples. The research results suggested that interface aesthetics and product form aesthetics must be mediated by sustainable perceived value so as to have a positive impact on consumers’ purchase intention. Therefore, sustainable perceived value is a mediating variable for adjusting product aesthetics and purchase intention. In addition, sustainable perceived value greatly affects consumers’ green consumer behavior. Increasing the emotional durability established between consumers and products through sustainable perceived value to prolong the life of products reduces resource consumption and wave costs, and promotes sustainable development of ecological resources.
Evaluation of City Sustainability from the Perspective of Behavioral Guidance
Authors: Zhou Ying , Li Weiwei , Yi Pingtao , Gong Chengju
Published: December 2019

High-quality evaluation of city sustainability is an important part of city policy making and development. In this paper, we evaluated the sustainability of the 14 cities in Liaoning, China, from 2015 to 2017. Based on the comprehensive consideration of the interactions among the social, economic and environmental systems, the traditional evaluation indicator system is refined. We incorporate the attitude of decision makers into the evaluation model and propose an objective weighting method by considering data distribution to objectively guide the cities to develop towards the established goals. The empirical research results show that cities located in eastern Liaoning performed the best and in western Liaoning performed the worst. The performances of the 14 cities in Liaoning were not perfect. Both the evaluation values and growth rates of 7 cities (accounting for 50.00%) were lower than the overall average level. The evaluation values of the three systems of the 14 cities were not balanced. The evaluation values of the social, economic and environmental systems fluctuated within the range of [0.0159, 0.0346], [0.0151, 0.0677] and [0.0123, 0.0483], respectively. The social and economic systems of most cities supplied more for the environmental system than for the other system. Cities with higher environmental base rankings offered less supply to other systems. At the same time, we also provide some individualized and concrete suggestions for the guidance of city sustainable development. By comparing the empirical data with the reality, it confirms the credibility of the method and the recommendations in this paper.
Assessing Spatio-Temporal Variability of Wildfires and their Impact on Sub-Saharan Ecosystems and Air Quality Using Multisource Remotely Sensed Data and Trend Analysis
Authors: Kganyago Mahlatse , Shikwambana Lerato
Published: December 2019

Globally, wildfires are considered the most commonly occurring disasters, resulting from natural and anthropogenic ignition sources. Wildfires consist of burning standing biomass at erratic degrees of intensity, severity, and frequency. Consequently, wildfires generate large amounts of smoke and other toxic pollutants that have devastating impacts on ambient air quality and human health. There is, therefore, a need for a comprehensive study that characterizes land–atmosphere interactions with regard to wildfires, critical for understanding the interrelated and multidimensional impacts of wildfires. Current studies have a limited scope and a narrow focus, usually only focusing on one aspect of wildfire impacts, such as air quality without simultaneously considering the impacts on land surface changes and vice versa. In this study, we use several multisource data to determine the spatial distribution, frequency, disturbance characteristics of and variability and distribution of pollutants emitted by wildfires. The specific objectives were to (1) study the sources of wildfires and the period they are prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa over a 9 year period, i.e., 2007–2016, (2) estimate the seasonal disturbance of wildfires on various vegetation types, (3) determine the spatial distribution of black carbon (BC), carbon monoxide (CO) and smoke, and (4) determine the vertical height distribution of smoke. The results show largest burned areas in December–January–February (DJF), June–July–August (JJA) and September–October–November (SON) seasons, and reciprocal high emissions of BC, CO, and smoke, as observed by Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications version 2 (MERRA-2) and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO). In addition, the results reveal an increasing trend in the magnitude of BC, and CO concentration driven by meteorological conditions such as low precipitation, low relative humidity, and low latent heat flux. Overall, this study demonstrates the value of multisource remotely sensed data in characterising long-term wildfire patterns and associated emissions. The results in this study are critical for informing better regional fire management and air quality control strategies to preserve endangered species and habitats, promote sustainable land management, and reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions.
Beyond Socially Responsible Investing: Effects of Mission-Driven Portfolio Selection
Authors: Fritz Tizian M. , von Schnurbein Georg
Published: December 2019

In their pursuit of value creation, charitable foundations are mission- rather than profit-driven. Therefore, foundations are also mission-driven investors. We explore the effects of mission-driven portfolio selection based on three model foundations, representing common fields of activity in Switzerland. Employing a moving block bootstrap approach, we simulate time series. Based on these model foundations and under the integration of qualitative company rating data, such as environmental, social, and governance-related characteristics (ESG), we find both negative and no significant financial effects of portfolio screening. However, screening portfolios substantially increases mission-driven portfolio quality. Additionally, screening reduces reputational risks and even leptokurtic return characteristics under special consideration of governance issues. After a joint analysis of financial and qualitative factors for portfolios with equity shares of 25% and 50%, we did find strong enough evidence to encourage foundations to implement negative and positive screening criteria. Additionally, we argue that without the integration of mission-based qualitative criteria, for instance, the involvement in business activities contradicting the foundation’s mission, an adequate evaluation of investment opportunities’ desirability is not feasible.
Response of Anatidae Abundance to Environmental Factors in the Middle and Lower Yangtze River Floodplain, China
Authors: Jia Qiang , Zhang Yong , Cao Lei
Published: December 2019

Understanding and predicting animal distribution is one of the most elementary objectives in ecology and conservation biology. Various environmental factors, such as habitat area, habitat quality, and climatic factors, play important roles in shaping animal distribution. However, the mechanism underlying animal distribution remains unclear. Using generalized additive mixed models, we analyzed the effects of environmental factors and years on the population of five Anatidae species: Tundra swan, swan goose, bean goose, greater and lesser white-fronted goose, across their wintering grounds along the Middle and Lower Yangtze River floodplain (MLYRF) during 2001–2016. We found that: (1) All populations decreased except for that of the bean goose. (2) The patch area was not included in any of the best models. (3) NDVI was the most important factor in determining the abundance of grazing geese. (4) Climatic factors had no significant effect on the species in question. Our results suggest that, when compared to habitat area, habitat quality is better in predicting Anatidae distribution on the basin scale. Thus, to better conserve wintering Anatidae, we should keep a sufficiently large area at the single lake, as well as high quality habitat over the whole basin. This might be achieved by developing a more strategic water plan for the MLYRF.
An Empirical Study of the Role of Higher Education in Building a Green Economy
Authors: Gao Wenjuan , Ding Xiaohao , Chen Ran , Min Weifang
Published: December 2019

The relationship between higher education and economic development has long been emphasized in the research on economics and education. Much of the existing literature focuses on the gross domestic product (GDP) as a core measure of a nation’s economic accounting system, but this may neglect some negative effects of production, such as resource depletion and environmental damage. Under such circumstances, the concept of “green GDP” was conceived to consider environmental influence simultaneously with the economy. It is, however, only theoretically feasible due to the complexity in calculating environmental pollution and the unavailability of data about resource consumption. Considering the measurement problems, this paper proposes a new approach to indirectly estimate green GDP. Using this approach, we mainly explore the impact of higher education on economic growth, especially regarding the development of a green economy. Results show that (a) higher education plays a significant role in building a green economy, and (b) green GDP is more responsive to changes in higher education than the traditional GDP. This study provides empirical evidence for the substantial contribution that higher education makes in promoting green economic growth to achieve comprehensive sustainable development.
Fostering Green Entrepreneurship and Women’s Empowerment through Education and Banks’ Investments in Tourism: Evidence from Serbia
Authors: Radović-Marković Mirjana , Živanović Branko
Published: December 2019

The aim of our research is to consider the potential for women’s empowerment through tourism and women’s equality inherent in the green economy. In addition, our research should shed more light on the women’s dimensions of green growth, especially in the context of development of entrepreneurship in tourism. In line with this, our approach in the study combines a women’s perspective with green growth and entrepreneurship development in the tourism sector in Serbia. The research was carried out in the most important tourist centers in the country, such as Novi Sad, Nis, Zlatibor, Vrnjačka Banja, and Sokobanja. This study showed that insufficient attention has been dedicated to this industry from the perspective of its benefits for women. In addition, the research indicated that, in the field of tourism, women mostly prefer special programs of education that are adjusted to the job requirements that they have already been performing or to a similar job that they are just about to start. It is necessary to involve them more often in various projects that encourage their further empowerment. The research also discovered gaps in the supply of finance between the needs of green entrepreneurs in tourism and what the financial system is willing to provide to them. Firstly, there is a lack of appropriate lending products offered by the commercial banking sector. In particular, a combination of financial support and suitable financial tools to encourage women’s initiatives for start-ups in tourism is missing.
Implementation of Sustainable Motorways of the Sea Services Multi-Criteria Analysis of a Croatian Port System
Authors: Žgaljić Dražen , Tijan Edvard , Jugović Alen , Poletan Jugović Tanja
Published: December 2019

Motorways of the Sea present a practical example of combined and sustainable transport. With respect to the present model of functionality of the transport system in the Republic of Croatia, where the development of the port and of the gravitational transport system is left to each individual port (six independent ports), and where there is no systematic approach to specialization of each port or route, the results of the analysis are not promising. The goal of this research is to explain why the current Motorways of the Sea implementation model is inefficient and unsustainable. The analysis shows that a scientific approach to multicriteria analysis, which includes the identification of all relevant factors, the analysis of the transport infrastructure, as well as the identification of criteria which could potentially affect the Motorways of the Sea system, can correctly define the optimal model for the implementation of a sustainable Motorways of the Sea system.
Dynamic Optimized Cleaner Production Strategies to Improve Water Environment and Economic Development in Leather Industrial Parks: A Case Study in Xinji, China
Authors: Li Xianying , Xu Feng , Xiang Nan , Wang Yating , Zhang Yingkui
Published: December 2019

The leather industry has contributed significantly to economic development, but serious water environmental problems have arisen due to manufacturing processes in this industry. The leather industry must implement sustainable development by improving cleaner production capabilities under the Chinese ecological development background. The Xinji industrial park in China has the largest leather production base in which the leather industry is the leading industry that contributes nearly 50% of economic gains. This study investigated optimal cleaner production strategies for the leather industrial park by adopting an improved multi-objective simulation approach integrating the environmentally extended input–output and system dynamics models. Simulations were able to estimate the socio-economic and water environment development of the Xinji industrial park from 2015 to 2025. Adopting cleaner approaches, including production efficiency enhancing, sewage pre-treatment facility construction in leather companies, and reclaimed water recycling, simulation results indicated that, with steady economic growth (optimal 7.7% annual growth rate), it is possible to conserve 18% of the water resources, with an 80 % and 90% reduction for the chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia (NH3-N) water pollutant emission intensity, respectively. The cleaner development path and measures analyzed in this study are of great significance to promote the sustainable development of leather industrial parks.
Factors Affecting Local Governments’ Public–Private Partnership Adoption in Urban China
Authors: Zhang Bo , Zhang Li , Wu Jing , Wang Shouqing
Published: December 2019

Local governments around mainland China initiated over 14,000 public–private partnership (PPP) projects with a total investment of 18 billion RMB in recent years, but nearly half have been withdrawn since the end of 2017, which raised wide concerns about whether PPP can contribute to the sustainable infrastructure development in urban China. In this study, we empirically investigated major factors affecting local governments’ PPP adoption, especially factors that led local governments to initiate inappropriate PPP projects. Based on a unique panel dataset of 286 Chinese cities between 2014 and 2017, the empirical findings suggested that local governments’ financial pressure was the most important factor and cities with higher off-budgetary debts or lower budgetary deficits tended to initiate more PPP projects. PPP projects initiated under off-budgetary burdens were more likely to be inappropriate and subsequently withdrawn. Based on the empirical results, we provide policy suggestions to promote sustainable PPP developments in China.
Monthly Allocation of Water Resources and Pollutant Loads in a Basin Based on the Water Footprint and Fallback Bargaining
Authors: Xue Yinglan , Chen Yan , Cui Dan , Xie Yuxi , Zeng Weihua , Zhang Jing
Published: December 2019

The refined allocation of water resources and pollutant loads in a basin according to seasonal changes is an important measure for sustainable management. This study proposes a monthly water resource and pollutant load allocation model that is based on the water footprint and fallback bargaining. First, the water utilization and pollutant discharge demand and allocable resources are accounted for by taking their water footprints as indicators. Subsequently, various initial allocation schemes are designed based on several typical bankruptcy rules. Finally, with the goal of resource sustainability, the initial schemes are optimized by applying the fallback bargaining approach. The Huangshui River basin, which is located in Qinghai, China, is a typical seasonal basin with water use conflicts and it is considered for verifying the proposed methodology. The results show that the monthly allocation framework can effectively balance the water use and pollutant discharge demand of regions upstream and downstream in different seasons, improve the overall resource utilization efficiency in the basin, and ensure that the allocation each month reaches the Pareto optimum.
On the Design of a Youth-Led, Issue-Based, Crowdsourced Global Monitoring Framework for the SDGs
Authors: Mohanty Sharada Prasanna , Ramaswamy Rajiv , Duraiappah Anantha Kumar
Published: December 2019

In this paper, we propose a novel methodology and design to contribute towards the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by member states of the United Nations for a better and more sustainable future for all. We particularly focus on achieving SDG 4.7—using education to ensure all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development. We describe the design of a crowdsourced approach to monitor issues at a local level, and then use the insights gained to indicate how learning can be achieved by the entire community. We begin by encouraging local communities to identify issues that they are concerned about, with an assumption that any issue identified will fall within the purview of the 17 SDGs. Each issue is then tagged with a plurality of actions taken to address it. Finally, we tag the positive or negative changes in the issue as perceived by members of the local community. This data is used to broadly indicate quantitative measures of community learning when solving a societal problem, in turn telling us how SDG 4.7 is being achieved. The paper describes the design of a unique, youth-led, technology-based, bottom-up approach, applicable to communities across the globe, which can potentially ensure transgressive learning through participation of and monitoring by the local community leading to sustainable development.
The TRAX Light-Rail Train Air Quality Observation Project
Authors: Mendoza Daniel , Crosman Erik , Mitchell Logan , Jacques Alexander , Fasoli Benjamin , Park Andrew , Lin John , Horel John
Published: December 2019

Observing air quality from sensors onboard light rail cars in Salt Lake County, Utah began as a pilot study in 2014 and has now evolved into a five-year, state-funded program. This metropolitan region suffers from both elevated ozone levels during summer and high PM2.5 events during winter. Pollution episodes result predominantly from local anthropogenic emissions but are also impacted by regional transport of dust, chemical precursors to ozone, and wildfire smoke, as well as being exacerbated by the topographical features surrounding the city. Two electric light-rail train cars from the Utah Transit Authority light-rail Transit Express (“TRAX”) system were outfitted with PM2.5 and ozone sensors to measure air quality at high spatial and temporal resolutions in this region. Pollutant concentration data underwent quality control procedures to determine whether the train motion affected the readings and how the sensors compared against regulatory sensors. Quality assurance results from data obtained over the past year show that TRAX Observation Project sensors are reliable, which corroborates earlier preliminary validation work. Three case studies from summer 2019 are presented to illustrate the strength of the finely-resolved air quality observations: (1) an elevated ozone event, (2) elevated particulate pollution resulting from 4th of July fireworks, and (3) elevated particle pollution during a winter time inversion event. The mobile observations were able to capture spatial gradients, as well as pollutant hotspots, during both of these episodes. Sensors have been recently added to a third light rail train car, which travels on a north–south oriented rail line, where air quality was unable to be monitored previously. The TRAX Observation Project is currently being used to provide reliable pollutant data for health studies and inform urban planning efforts. Links to real-time data displays and updated information on the quality-controlled data from this study are available on the webpage for the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Utah.
Evaluation of the Safety and Protection Efficacy of spiC and nmpC or rfaL Deletion Mutants of Salmonella Enteritidis as Live Vaccine Candidates for Poultry Non-Typhoidal Salmonellosis
Authors: Li Qiuchun , Zhu Yue , Ren Jingwei , Qiao Zhuang , Yin Chao , Xian Honghong , Yuan Yu , Geng Shizhong , Jiao Xinan
Published: December 2019

Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) is a host-ranged pathogen that can infect both animals and humans. Poultry and poultry products are the main carriers of S. Enteritidis, which can be transmitted to humans through the food chain. To eradicate the prevalence of S. Enteritidis in poultry farms, it is necessary to develop novel vaccines against the pathogen. In this study, we constructed two vaccine candidates, CZ14-1∆spiC∆nmpC and CZ14-1∆spiC∆rfaL, and evaluated their protective efficacy. Both mutant strains were much less virulent than the parental strain, as determined by the 50% lethal dose (LD50) for three-day-old specific-pathogen free (SPF) White Leghorns and Hyline White chickens. Immunization with the mutant candidates induced highly specific humoral immune responses and expression of cytokines IFN-γ, IL-1β, and IL-6. In addition, the mutant strains were found to be persistent for almost three weeks post-infection. The survival percentages of chickens immunized with CZ14-1∆spiC∆nmpC and CZ14-1∆spiC∆rfaL reached 80% and 75%, respectively, after challenge with the parental strain. Overall, these results demonstrate that the two mutant strains can be developed as live attenuated vaccines.
POLYETHERIMIDE FOR CREATION OF HEAT-RESISTANT POLYMERIC COMPOSITE MATERIALS WITH HIGH PHYSICAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
Authors: Бородулин А. , Borodulin A. , Калинников А. , Kalinnikov A. , Музыка С. , Muzyka S. , Терешков А. , Tereshkov A.
Published: December 2019

Thermoplastic and soluble in organic solvents polyetherimide is of great interest for the creation of heat-resistant composite materials with high physical and mechanical properties. In recent decades, the main scientific approaches to the synthesis of polyimides with the ability to process from melt and solutions in organic solvents have been developed. According to this methodology, the glass transition temperature of rigid-chain polyimides is reduced by increasing the flexibility of the main polymer chain and/or by reducing the intermolecular interaction. Evolution of fine organic synthesis is one of the priority directions of development of chemical technology. Chemistry of high-molecular compounds is the subject of research by various domestic and foreign scientists. This interest is due to the prospects for the use of materials for industrial purposes. The polyetherimide contains various aromatic, heterocyclic and cycloaliphatic groups and systems in its chain. This article describes the main approaches to the creation of polymers with improved, compared with polyimides, technological properties and prospects for their application in the production of filled composite materials based on them. The paper presents the properties of the materials under consideration as a justification for the creation of heat-resistant composite materials.
Compléments gallo-grecs
Authors: Lejeune Michel
Published: December 2019

New Gallo-greek inscriptions.

New documents found in Martigues (Bouches-du-Rhône) and Alise-Sainte-Reine (Côte-d’Or) : owners' marks on earthware. From Martigues, an ample series of owner’s signatures left by Ριτυμος (17 complete, 3 abridged) ; apart from some other abridged signatures, each site has produced a double denomination (idionym + patronym), which is exceptional amongst property marks : Martigues Βιτουκλοβιος Αισιανιος·, Alise Ατεο[ Ερικκ[ .
Penser la mondialisation. La Théologie face à la dialectique de la reconnaissance
Authors: Hort Bernard
Published: December 2019

Résumé : La dialectique de la reconnaissance héritée du Hegel de la Phénoménologie de l’Esprit est actuellement retravaillée de façon critique par de grands éthiciens. Leurs recherches visent à produire de nouveaux cadres théoriques susceptibles d’accompagner positivement la mondialisation présente, dans ses développements politiques, économiques et culturels, sans tomber dans un syncrétisme destructeur des cultures et des identités et pourvoyeur de revanches archaïsantes. En cette conjoncture, la théologie chrétienne se trouve conviée elle aussi à concevoir, sur le terrain social, de nouvelles articulations entre le particulier et l’universel. C’est ce à quoi se consacre cet article, qui évoque successivement la situation du monde occidental et celle de l’Afrique.
Lanza del Vasto et la modernité
Authors: Rognon Frédéric
Published: December 2019

Résumé : La pensée de Lanza del Vasto a souvent été qualifiée de «prémoderne » , ou d’ «anti-moderne » : hostile à la civilisation technique, à la sécularisation, à l’autonomie individuelle et au progrès historique. Cependant, sa critique de la «modernité » ne se rapproche-t-elle pas autant des positions «post-modernes » que «pré-modernes » ? En réalité, l’oeuvre de Lanza del Vasto ne peut être réduite à aucune des catégories communes de classification : penseur de l’utopie et de l’uchronie, cet auteur demeure inclassable. La découverte de sa pensée dans toute sa complexité nous conduit à interroger le principe même de l’entreprise taxinomique, et à remettre en question sa pertinence heuristique.
La difficile implantation de l’oecuménisme spirituel en Suède entre 1937 et 1990
Authors: Chanel Christian
Published: December 2019

Cet article étudie, à partir d’archives suédoises, les raisons du retard pris par la Semaine de Prière pour l’Unité dans un pays comptant parmi les pionniers de l’oecuménisme. Le premier obstacle fut un réflexe de méfiance envers l’origine «romaine » de ladite Semaine, initiative de l’abbé Paul Couturier importée par la minorité Haute Église. À partir des années 50, la concurrence avec la Semaine de l’Alliance évangélique, indispensable à l’unité des Églises Libres en voie d’intégration à l’oecuménisme national, entrava l’expansion de la Semaine oecuménique.
La théologie de Martin Luther et la théologie contemporaine : interpellations réciproques
Authors: Arnold Matthieu
Published: December 2019

Martin Luther’s theology is rooted in prayer, founded only on the Bible, and centred on Christ ; it lays stress on the struggle against the Devil, on moral commitment, and on the proximity of God’s Kingdom ; it is kept up by the courage and humour of an extraordinary writer. As such, it meets with many modern theological preoccupations, but it also challenges theologies that are often embarrassed by the sola scriptura and the solus Christus, theologies that are ready to victimize man and limit eschatology to the coming of Christ into the believer’s inner self. From contemporaneous theology it can learn that each exegesis has its context, that doing theology does not only consist of uttering statements, that the religious dialogue does not confine itself to the anathema, and that God’s acts in history are not univocal.
Aux sources de la philosophie selon E. Weil. 1. Violence et fragilité de la raison
Authors: Guibal Francis
Published: December 2019

Précédant le discours systématiquement développé qu’est la Logique de la philosophie, une substantielle introduction cherche dans une réflexion anthropologique la condition première et l’envoi le plus décisif de l’entreprise philosophante. Toujours pris dans la dualité essentielle de la raison et de la violence, l’homme s’appuie d’abord sur une sécurité communautaire idéalisée avant de chercher un recours dans des constructions ontologiques dont la fragilité objective ne pourra cependant pas résister à l’émergence d’une «condition » moderne vouée à l’épreuve de sa finitude radicale.
URINARY INFECTION AT DEPARTMENT OF UROLOGY OF HUE UNIVERSITY OF MEDICINE AND PHARMACY HOSPITAL
Authors: Le Dinh Khanh , Le Dinh Dam , Nguyen Khoa Hung , Nguyen Xuan My , Vo Minh Nhat , Nguyen Ngoc Minh , Ho Thi Ngoc Suong
Published: December 2019

Objectives: To investigate clinical characteristics, bacterial characteristics, drug resistance status in patients with urinary tract infections treated at Department of Urology, Hue University Hospital.

Materials and Method: The study was conducted in 474 patients with urological disease treated at Department of Urology, Hue Universiry Hospital from July 2017 to April 2018. Urine culture was done in the patients with urine > 25 Leu/ul who have symptoms of urinary tract disease or infection symptoms. Patients with positive urine cultures were analyzed for clinical and bacterial characteristics.

Results: 187/474 (39.5%) patients had symptoms associated with urinary tract infections. 85/474 (17.9%) patients were diagnosed with urinary tract infection. The positive urine culture rate was 45.5%. Symptoms of UTI were varied, and no prominent symptoms. E. coli accounts for the highest proportion (46.67%), followed by, Staphycoccus aureus (10.67%), Pseudomonas aeruginsa (8,0%), Streptococcus faecali and Proteus (2.67%). ESBL - producing E. coli was 69.23%, ESBL producing Enterobacter spp was 33.33%. Gram-negative bacteria are susceptible to meropenem, imipenem, amikacin while gram positive are vancomycin-sensitive.

Conclusions: Clinical manifestations of urinary tract infections varied and its typical symptoms are unclear. E.coli is a common bacterium (46.67%). Isolated bacteria have a high rate of resistance to some common antibiotics especially the third generation cephalosporins and quinolones. Most bacteria are resistant to multiple antibiotics at the same time. Gram (+) bacteria are susceptible to vancomycin, and gram (-) bacteria are susceptible to cefoxitin, amikacin, and carbapenem.

Key words: urinary tract infection
Constructivist Learning in University Undergraduate Programmes. Has Constructivism been Fully Embraced? Is there Clear Evidence that Constructivist Principles have been Applied to all Aspects of Contemporary University Undergraduate Study?
Authors: Holmes Andrew Gary Darwin
Published: December 2019

This conceptual paper provides an overview of constructivist education and the development and use of constructivist principles in contemporary higher education, outlining constructivism and some specific facets of student-centred learning. Drawing from first-hand experience and using two examples of current university assessment practice, reflective learning, and learning outcomes, the author argues that, despite claimsconstructivist pedagogical approaches have become normative practice, when it comes to assessment processes, constructivism has not been fully embraced. The question ‘is there clear evidence that constructivist principles have been applied to all aspects of university undergraduate study?’ is considered. This is important and significant and should be of concern to all educators who espouse constructivist principles in higher education.
Exploring Reading Strategies and Difficulties among Bangladeshi Undergraduates
Authors: Suchona Iffat Jahan , Urmy Khadizatul Kobra
Published: December 2019

Reading being one of the four skills has to be mastered properly to be a successful language learner. In an ESL (English as a Second Language) context, particularly in Bangladesh, the newly admitted University students who are from Bangla medium background, often find it difficult to understand English textbooks especially when they are in the Department of English. For most of the students, reading everything in English, decoding the words, understanding the deeper meanings becomes quite difficult and leads them to anxiety. This paper aims to identify the types of difficulties the English Department Undergraduates encounter during reading and also points out the kinds of strategies they implement to prevail over the problems.
Testaments of Resistance and Resilience: An Analysis of Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood
Authors: Rubiya S , K Swamy Sumathy
Published: December 2019

Where there is Oppression, there is going to be resistance. This is the story of almost every Independence struggle history has ever seen. Such was also the story of one the most shocking and horrendous tale of oppression the world has come to know, the apartheid system of South Africa.  It was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that divided the whites and blacks living in South Africa, which gave the former full rights to enjoy all the privileges that the natives ought to enjoy rightfully, depriving the latter of every good thing the country had to offer.  This paper will attempt to throw some light on the whole system by analysing a work of art not written by an outsider, but through the eyes of a person who was born into it and saw apartheid for what it was and what it did to the blacks living in South Africa. It is a memoir written by South African comedian Trevor Noah titled Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood, an autobiographical work published in the year 2016 where Noah narrates instances from his childhood living in post-apartheid South Africa.

The book is a kind of dedication to Noah’s mother, Patricia Nombuyiselo Noah, a symbol of resistance. Patricia Noah broke almost every rule imposed by the White government, from having a good education and moving in to a house in a white  neighbourhood to having a relationship with a white person resulting in giving birth to child of mixed race, a crime for which the punishment was death. The paper will attempt to bring out the struggles and tales of resilience of the black people under apartheid by analysing the experiences of the Noah Family with special emphasis on Patricia Noah who can be seen as an embodiment of Resistance, resilience and above all sheer stubbornness to comply with the rules of the colonizers.
Estudo retrospectivo de ultrassonografias em felinos realizadas no hospital veterinário da Universidade Federal de Goiás – Regional Jataí no ano 2017.
Authors: Dos Santos Benedito Matheus , Ogliari Kaline , Leite Jaqueline Ferreira , De Carvalho Camila Franco , Do Amaral Andréia Vitor Couto
Published: December 2019

O uso do diagnostico ultrassonográfico especialmente em pequenos animais, vem se tornando uma prática cada vez mais comum na rotina clinica médico veterinária. O presente estudo teve como objetivo quantificar e analisar os exames ultrassonográficos realizados em pacientes felinos no Hospital Veterinário da UFG/REJ durante o ano de 2017. Através do levantamento dos dados constatou-se que foram realizados 208 diagnósticos por imagem através da ultrassonografia, onde 29,33%, 29%, 8% e 3% dos casos correspondem a patologias dos sistemas digestório, urinário, reprodutivo e respiratório respectivamente. Dessa forma este estudo retrospectivo permitiu identificar e quantificar, quais são os achados e as patologias mais frequente em felinos em nossa rotina clínica, demonstrando também a importância da aplicabilidade da ultrassonografia para o diagnóstico das enfermidades.