bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of Pavement Surface Condition on Roadway Departure Crash Risk in Iowa
Authors: Alhasan Ahmad , Nlenanya Inya , Smadi Omar , MacKenzie Cameron A.
Published: June 2018

Safety performance is a crucial component of highway network performance evaluation. Besides their devastating impact on roadway users, traffic crashes lead to substantial economic losses on both personal and societal levels. Due to the complexity of crash events and the unique conditions in each country and state, empirical local calibration for the correlation between attributes of interest and the safety performance is always recommended. Limited studies have established a procedure to analyze the impact of pavement condition on traffic safety in a risk analysis scheme. This study presents a thorough analysis of some roadway departure crashes which occurred in Iowa between 2006 and 2016. All crash records were mapped onto one-mile segments with known traffic volume (i.e., AADT), posted speed limits (SL), skid numbers (SN), ride qualities (IRI), and rut depths (RD) in a geographic information system (GIS) database. The crash records were correlated to the pavement surface condition (i.e., SN, IRI, and RD) using negative binomial regression models. Moreover, a novel risk analysis framework is introduced to perform crash risk assessment and evaluate the possible consequences for a given combination of events. The analysis shows a significant impact of pavement skid resistance on roadway-departure crashes under all accident conditions and severities. Risk analysis will facilitate coordination between the pavement management system and safety management system in the future, which will help with optimizing the overall highway network performance.
Improving the Matrix-Assessment of Ecosystem Services Provision—The Case of Regional Land Use Planning under Climate Change in the Region of Halle, Germany
Authors: Gorn Lydia , Kleemann Janina , Fürst Christine
Published: June 2018

Against the background of climate change, current and future provision of ecosystem services (ES) will also change. The recording of current provision potentials and its development in future is important for adapted regional planning. ES assessments are frequently carried out in the context of expert-based surveys, which have, however, revealed little information to date about uncertainties. We present a novel approach that combines the ES matrix assessment with the Delphi approach, confidence ratings, standardized confidence levels, and scenario assessment. First, the most important ES and their current and future provision potentials were identified by expert-based surveys in the study region, Halle (Saale) in Germany. Secondly, land use scenarios under climate change were developed that maintain the most important ES. The scenarios were assessed by the experts. Our study showed that the relevance of food as a provisioning ES, as well as spiritual values and recreational/landscape beauty as cultural ES, is high. A high level of acceptance was achieved by the afforestation scenario. Integration of the Delphi approach, confidence ratings, and confidence levels into the ES matrix assessment is an appropriate combination for estimating uncertainties in expert-based knowledge, thus contributing to the uncertainty assessment in regional planning.
Synergistic Effect of Graphene Oxide and Mesoporous Structure on Flame Retardancy of Nature Rubber/IFR Composites
Authors: Wang Na , Zhang Miao , Kang Ping , Zhang Jing , Fang Qinghong , Li Wenda
Published: June 2018

Aiming to improve the flame retardancy performance of natural rubber (NR), we developed a novel flame retardant synergistic agent through grafting of MCM-41 to graphene oxide (GO), named as GO-NH-MCM-41, as an assistant to intumescent flame retardants (IFR). The flame retardancy of NR/IFR/GO-NH-MCM-41 composites was evaluated by limited oxygen index (LOI), UL-94, and cone calorimeter test. The LOI value of NR/IFR/GO-NH-MCM-41 reached 26.3%; the UL-94 ratings improved to a V-0 rating. Moreover, the addition of GO-NH-MCM-41 decreased the peak heat release rate (PHRR) and the total heat release (THR) of the natural rubber composites. Furthermore, the addition of GO-NH-MCM-41 increased the thickness of char residue. The images of SEM indicated the char residue was more compact and continuous. The degradation of GO-NH-MCM-41-based NR composites was completed with a mass loss of 35.57% at 600 °C. The tensile strength and the elongation at break of the NR/IFR/GO-NH-MCM-41 composites were 13.9 MPa and 496.7%, respectively. The results of the rubber process analyzer (RPA) reached the maximum value, probably due to a better network of fillers in the matrix.
Cost-utility analysis of methadone maintenance treatment in Lithuania
Authors: Vanagas Giedrius , Padaiga Žilvinas , Bagdonas Eugenijus
Published: June 2018

Background. Economic evaluations in health care involve the identification, measurement, valuation, and then comparison of the costs (inputs) and outcomes of treatments or preventive activities. The aim was to analyze the cost-utility of six-month methadone maintenance treatment program in a Lithuanian primary health care setting. Methods. A prospective study design was used. All the information was obtained through the validated questionnaires at the baseline and 3- and 6-month follow-ups. WHOQOL-BREF was used to assess the quality of life; the costs were assessed using the DATCAP methodology from the perspective of a patient and outpatient clinic during follow-up period. Results. A total of 102 opioid-dependent patients were recruited in the study; 512 follow-up patient-months were obtained. The methadone maintenance treatment has significantly improved physical, psychological, and environmental components of quality of life during follow-up. Total program costs were 61 288.87 EUR. Cost paid by a patient comprised about 31% of total program costs. Cost per quality-adjusted life-month (QALM) for physical domain was 2227.55 EUR; for psychological domain, 1879.50 EUR; for social domain, 5467.64 EUR; and for environmental domain, 4626.47 EUR. Costs per QALM and quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) for total quality of life in the maintenance program were 2864.00 EUR and 34 368.00 EUR, respectively. Conclusions. Our results showed that 6-month methadone maintenance program was effective in the terms of quality-of-life improvement. Methadone maintenance treatment program was less effective in terms of cost per QALY.
Sudėtinės kontraceptinės tabletės ir hiperkoaguliacija
Authors: Adukauskienė Dalia , Miliauskienė Viktorija
Published: June 2018

Sudėtinės kontraceptinės tabletės yra gerai žinomas kontracepcijos metodas daugiau kaip 50 metų. Deja, šis metodas nėra visiškai saugus. Sudėtinių kontraceptinių tablečių sudėtyje yra estrogenų bei progestagenų, kurie gali skatinti kraujo krešėjimą ir giliųjų venų trombozę, taip pat su geriamųjų kontraceptikų vartojimu siejami nepageidaujami reiškiniai: žymiai padidėjusi insulto ir miokardo infarkto rizika. Labiausiai tikėtina, jog hiperkoaguliacijos ir veninės trombozės rizika priklauso nuo estrogenų dozės, bet naujausių tyrimų duomenys parodė, jog progestagenų rūšis taip pat yra reikšminga.
Revised Modelling of the Addition of Synchronous Chemotherapy to Radiotherapy in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck—A Low α/β?
Authors: Best James , Fong Charles , Benghiat Helen , Mehanna Hisham , Glaholm John , Hartley Andrew
Published: June 2018

Background: The effect of synchronous chemotherapy in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) has been modelled as additional Biologically Effective Dose (BED) or as a prolonged tumour cell turnover time during accelerated repopulation. Such models may not accurately predict the local control seen when hypofractionated accelerated radiotherapy is used with synchronous chemotherapy. Methods: For the purposes of this study three isoeffect relationships were assumed: Firstly, from the RTOG 0129 trial, synchronous cisplatin chemotherapy with 70 Gy in 35 fractions over 46 days results in equivalent local control to synchronous cisplatin chemotherapy with 36 Gy in 18# followed by 36 Gy in 24# (2# per day) over a total of 39 days. Secondly, in line with primary local control outcomes from the PET-Neck study, synchronous cisplatin chemotherapy with 70 Gy in 35# over 46 days results in equivalent local control to synchronous cisplatin chemotherapy delivered with 65 Gy in 30# over 39 days. Thirdly, from meta-analysis data, 70 Gy in 35# over 46 days with synchronous cisplatin results in equivalent local control to 84 Gy in 70# over 46 days delivered without synchronous chemotherapy. Using the linear quadratic equation the above isoeffect relationships were expressed algebraically to determine values of α, α/β, and k for SCCHN when treated with synchronous cisplatin using standard parameters for the radiotherapy alone schedule (α = 0.3 Gy−1, α/β = 10 Gy, and k = 0.42 Gy10day−1). Results: The values derived for α/β, α and k were 2 Gy, 0.20 and 0.21 Gy−1, and 0.65 and 0.71 Gy2day−1. Conclusions: Within the limitations of the assumptions made, this model suggests that accelerated repopulation may remain a significant factor when synchronous chemotherapy is delivered with radiotherapy in SCCHN. The finding of a low α/β for SCCHN treated with cisplatin suggests a greater tumour susceptibility to increasing dose per fraction and underlines the importance of the completion of randomized trials examining the role of hypofractionated acceleration in SCCHN.
Formation of Multi-Type Inclusions during the Cooling and Solidification of Steel: A Trend Model
Authors: You Dali , Michelic Susanne K. , Bernhard Christian
Published: June 2018

This paper presents a trend model of the competitive formation of multi-type inclusions during the cooling and solidification of steel. The model is able to predict the evolution of various inclusions, including their type, composition and size distribution. In the calculations, the thermodynamic library, ChemApp, was applied to perform a thermodynamic equilibrium calculation. Homogeneous nucleation, diffusion-controlled growth and dissolution were employed to simulate the size distribution evolution. At the same time, the collision of inclusions of the same type were considered in a simplified way. The inclusion stabilities were validated by laboratory experiments, which offered a strong basis for the simulations. Using the proposed model, the influence of alloying temperature and oxygen content on the formation of multi-type inclusions was investigated. The results indicated that decreasing the alloying temperature resulted in a higher number density and finer size of different oxides. The oxygen content affected the formation of various oxides in different ways. The predictions, based on the mechanism of competitive nucleation and growth, are discussed and explained. It is believed that the calculations deepen the understanding of the competitive formation of multi-type inclusions. The predicted trends provide a valuable reference for inclusion control and experiment design.
Progress in Photo-Responsive Polypeptide Derived Nano-Assemblies
Authors: Yang Lu , Tang Houliang , Sun Hao
Published: June 2018

Stimuli-responsive polymeric materials have attracted significant attention in a variety of high-value-added and industrial applications during the past decade. Among various stimuli, light is of particular interest as a stimulus because of its unique advantages, such as precisely spatiotemporal control, mild conditions, ease of use, and tunability. In recent years, a lot of effort towards the synthesis of a biocompatible and biodegradable polypeptide has resulted in many examples of photo-responsive nanoparticles. Depending on the specific photochemistry, those polypeptide derived nano-assemblies are capable of crosslinking, disassembling, or morphing into other shapes upon light irradiation. In this mini-review, we aim to assess the current state of photo-responsive polypeptide based nanomaterials. Firstly, those ‘smart’ nanomaterials will be categorized by their photo-triggered events (i.e., crosslinking, degradation, and isomerization), which are inherently governed by photo-sensitive functionalities, including O-nitrobenzyl, coumarin, azobenzene, cinnamyl, and spiropyran. In addition, the properties and applications of those polypeptide nanomaterials will be highlighted as well. Finally, the current challenges and future directions of this subject will be evaluated.
Raman Micro-Spectroscopy Identifies Carbonaceous Particles Lying on the Surface of Crocidolite, Amosite, and Chrysotile Fibers
Authors: Croce Alessandro , Arrais Aldo , Rinaudo Caterina
Published: June 2018

Micro-Raman spectroscopy has been applied on UICC (Union for International Cancer Control’s) crocidolite and amosite from South Africa and on UICC chrysotile from Canada. Under Optical Microscope (OM), the surface of the fibers was often characterized by areas, micrometric in size, appearing dark. The laser beam was successively focused on areas of the same sample showing different optical contrasts. On the bright zones, Raman spectra peculiar for crocidolite, amosite or chrysotile were recorded. When dark areas were optically identified, the laser beam was addressed onto these regions and, in the Raman patterns, in addition to the bands produced by the mineral fiber, bands ascribing to substituted carbonaceous phases were observed. These bands were lying in the 4000–1100 cm−1 spectral range. On the basis of the shape of the bands and their relative intensities, suggestions about the order-disorder of the carbonaceous particles could be proposed, and they appeared more ordered on amosite than on crocidolite and chrysotile. From the exposed data, crocidolite and amosite fibers from South Africa, and chrysotile fibers from Canada, largely used in industry in the past, are characterized by many carbonaceous micrometric particles, lying on the fiber surfaces. Based on the noxiousness of the carbon particles on human health, their presence on asbestos fibers may play a role in increasing the carcinogenic effects of the analyzed fibrous minerals.
Correction: Sun, Y.; et al. Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of Novel 2-Hydroxypyrrolobenzodiazepine-5,11-dione Analogues as Potent Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors. Molecules 2017, 22, 1739
Authors: Sun Ying , Bai Yujun , He Xirui , Bai Yajun , Liu Pei , Zhao Zefeng , Chen Xufei , Zheng Xiaohui
Published: June 2018

The author wishes to make the following corrections to this paper [...]
FADS Polymorphism, Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Diabetes Risk: A Systematic Review
Authors: Brayner Bárbara , Kaur Gunveen , Keske Michelle A. , Livingstone Katherine M.
Published: June 2018

The role of n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA) in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is not well established. The synthesis of LC n-3 PUFA requires fatty acid desaturase enzymes, which are encoded by the FADS gene. It is unclear if FADS polymorphism and dietary fatty acid intake can influence plasma or erythrocyte membrane fatty acid profile and thereby the risk of T2DM. Thus, the aim of this systematic review was to assess the current evidence for an effect of FADS polymorphism on T2DM risk and understand its associations with serum/erythrocyte and dietary LC n-3 PUFA. A systematic search was performed using PubMed, Embase, Cochrane and Scopus databases. A total of five studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the present review. This review identified that FADS polymorphism may alter plasma fatty acid composition and play a protective role in the development of T2DM. Serum and erythrocyte LC n-3 PUFA levels were not associated with risk of T2DM, while dietary intake of LC n-3 PUFA was associated with lower risk of T2DM in one study only. The effect of LC n-3 PUFA consumption on associations between FADS polymorphism and T2DM warrants further investigation.
Renewable Polysaccharides as Supports for Palladium Phosphine Catalysts
Authors: Levy-Ontman Oshrat , Biton Shira , Shlomov Boris , Wolfson Adi
Published: June 2018

The investigation of the use of polysaccharides derived from natural sources to support metal catalysis has been the focus of several studies. Even though these molecules seem to be attractive materials, their full potential for use in support of heterogeneous catalysis still needs to be revealed. To that end, we developed a new preparation technique for polysaccharide-based palladium catalysts by immobilizing the palladium phosphine complexes on various renewable polysaccharides. The Suzuki cross-coupling in ethanol, using PdCl2(TPPTS)2 supported by various polysaccharides, was determined by gas chromatography and compared to homogeneous free-catalyst support. The PdCl2(TPPTS)2, that was immobilized on red algae supports, was successfully used as a heterogeneous catalyst in the Suzuki cross-coupling reaction, yielding high activity, higher than that of the homogeneous complex, without leaching. The FTIR spectrometry of representative heterogeneous polysaccharide-based TPPTS–PdCl2 catalysts was compared to that of native polysaccharide and polysaccharide-based TPP–PdCl2 catalysts, indicated on new bands, suggesting that the heterogenization occurs via interactions between the sulfonate group on the TPPTS and the hydroxyl groups on the polysaccharides. EDS and XPS analysis were also performed, confirming that the Pd complex was embedded within the i-carrageenan. A comparison of SEM images of i-carrageenan preparations also shed light on the interaction occurring between the polysaccharides and the TPPTS.
Synthesis and Characterization of Poly(1,4,7-Trioxacycloundecane-8,11-dione) Macrocyclic Functionalized Hydrogel for High Selectivity Adsorption and Complexation of Bismuth Ion
Authors: Omondi Brian , Okabe Hirotaka , Hidaka Yoshiki , Hara Kazuhiro
Published: June 2018

Macrocyclic functional hydrogels incorporating new poly cyclic active sites (1,4,7-trioxacycloundecane-8,11-dione) within their entire network, have been synthesized. Using the high-dilution coupling of the bi-functional monomers maleic acid and bis(chloroethyl)ether in a sol-gel chemistry synthesis, 11-membered chelate rings infused with three oxygen donor atoms were created and characterized, and their structures confirmed using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic analyses. The macrocyclic gel, designed for selective host-guest adsorption and complexation of metal substrates, was initially tested against an aqueous set of 14 metal competitive solutions, where it demonstrated exclusive selectivity for Bi3+aq, with the other metals exhibiting zero adsorption. Further analysis using binary and single ion Bi3+-containing solutions showed a near-complete removal of Bi3+ using this polycyclic hydrogel, with 98% extraction efficiency and q = 9.80 mg/g. These results clearly confirm that the 1,4,7-trioxacycloundecane-8,11-dione cyclic sites are most suitable for high selectivity and capture of Bi. The metal substrates were entrapped within the 1,4,7-trioxacycloundecane-8,11-dione cyclic sites. Evidently, by exploiting the host-guest complexation chemistry of macrocycles, we were able to design hydrogel adsorbents whose networks were comprised entirely of macrocyclic active groups for possible purification works of copper involving bismuth impurities, and/or for efficient selective uptake and recovery of bismuth trace ions existing in highly competitive environments such as sea water.
Design of Event-Triggered Fault-Tolerant Control for Stochastic Systems with Time-Delays
Authors: Gao Yi , Li YunJi , Peng Li , Liu Junyu
Published: June 2018

This paper proposes two novel, event-triggered fault-tolerant control strategies for a class of stochastic systems with state delays. The plant is disturbed by a Gaussian process, actuator faults, and unknown disturbances. First, a special case about fault signals that are coupled to the unknown disturbances is discussed, and then a fault-tolerant strategy is designed based on an event condition on system states. Subsequently, a send-on-delta transmission framework is established to deal with the problem of fault-tolerant control strategy against fault signals separated from the external disturbances. Two criteria are provided to design feedback controllers in order to guarantee that the systems are exponentially mean-square stable, and the corresponding H∞-norm disturbance attenuation levels are achieved. Two theorems were obtained by synthesizing the feedback control gains and the desired event conditions in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Finally, two numerical examples are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed theoretical results.
Fast Convolution Filter-Bank Based Non-Orthogonal Multiplexed Cognitive Radio (NOMCR) Receiver Design Using Cyclostationarity Based FRESH Filtering
Authors: Datta Jayanta , Lin Hsin-Piao
Published: June 2018

Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) systems are being considered as candidates for 5G wireless systems due to their promise of improved spectral efficiency. NOMA schemes are being combined with popular multicarrier schemes such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) to take advantage of the benefits of multicarrier signals. A variant of the power domain NOMA is Layer Division Multiplexing (LDM). The most commonly deployed power domain LDM scheme involves successive interference cancellation (SIC) based decoding at the receiver. Fast convolution based filtered-OFDM (FC-F-OFDM) systems are becoming popular among 5G wireless access technologies due to their ability to process 5G physical layer signals efficiently. In this work, firstly, a cognitive multicarrier non-orthogonal multiplexed system based on the concept of LDM is discussed, which uses FC-F-OFDM and conventional OFDM as its component layers. Secondly, cyclostationary FREquency SHift (FRESH) filter based SIC decoding is used at the receiver side, which also utilizes artificial neural network (ANN) processing. Computer simulations indicate that the system provides good bit error rate (BER) performance under frequency selective Rayleigh fading channels.
Evaluation of the Continuous Wavelet Transform for Detection of Single-Point Rub in Aeroderivative Gas Turbines with Accelerometers
Authors: Silva Alejandro , Zarzo Alejandro , Munoz-Guijosa Juan M. , Miniello Francesco
Published: June 2018

A common fault in turbomachinery is rotor–casing rub. Shaft vibration, measured with proximity probes, is the most powerful indicator of rotor–stator rub. However, in machines such as aeroderivative turbines, with increasing industrial relevance in power generation, constructive reasons prevent the use of those sensors, being only acceleration signals at selected casing locations available. This implies several shortcomings in the characterization of the machinery condition, associated with a lower information content about the machine dynamics. In this work, we evaluated the performance of Continuous Wavelet Transform to isolate the accelerometer signal features that characterize rotor–casing rub in an aeroderivative turbine. The evaluation is carried out on a novel rotor model of a rotor–flexible casing system. Due to damped transients and other short-lived features that rub induces in the signals, the Continuous Wavelet Transform proves being more effective than both Fourier and Cepstrum Analysis. This creates the chance for enabling early fault diagnosis of rub before it may cause machine shutdown or damage.
Research on Factors Affecting Public Risk Perception of Thai High-Speed Railway Projects Based on “Belt and Road Initiative”
Authors: Ploywarin Sangsomboon , Song Yan , Sun Dian
Published: June 2018

Studies on the factors affecting public risk perception of high-speed railway projects in Thailand are very limited. The aim of this study was to assess the influencing factors of public railway project risk perception, which described the public trust degrees of government, enterprise, media and experts with a combination of variables. Therefore, the study used the widely accepted influential factors and proposed a comprehensive framework to clarify the mechanism among various factors in the public risk perception. Dataset of 675 samples was collected from Don Muang area Bangkok, Pak Thong Chai, Pak Chong, Kaengkhoi area, and Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand through questionnaire. Rationality of the questionnaire was ensured through its high reliability and efficiency. The dimension hypothesis of the second-order factor was validated by confirmatory factor analysis, and the relationship among information acquisition, trust, emotion and risk perception was analyzed through the structural equation model. The results show that, within the factors that affect risk perception, the public has a more direct effect on the factors of social emotion of railway projects compared with information acquirement and the factors of trust level of each subject. This study exerts practical implications to reduce public risk perception of railway projects and promote the development of railway in Thailand.
Transition of the Swiss Phosphorus System towards a Circular Economy—Part 2: Socio-Technical Scenarios
Authors: Jedelhauser Michael , Mehr Jonas , Binder Claudia R.
Published: June 2018

A transition towards a circular economy of phosphorus (P) in Switzerland is a multi-faceted challenge as P use is subject to a variety of influencing factors comprising policy interventions, consumption trends, or technological innovations on different spatial scales. Therefore, scenarios for P use that take into account both the social and the technical dimension of change are needed for investigating possible pathways of a transition towards more sustainable P futures. Drawing on the multi-level perspective of transition theory, we develop scenarios on the landscape level, i.e., a balanced and healthy human diet, on the regime level, i.e., P recovery from sewage sludge (ash) and meat and bone meal, and on the niche level, i.e., urine separation. Based on the P system of the year 2015, we assess the quantitative implications of the scenarios for the Swiss P system. While scenario 1 mainly affects the agricultural system by reducing the overall P throughput, scenario 2 significantly changes P use in waste management, because P losses to landfills and cement plants decrease and the production of secondary P increases. Scenario 3 shows little quantitative impact on the national P system. From a qualitative transition perspective, however, urine separation entails fundamental socio-technical shifts in the wastewater system, whereas P recovery from sewage sludge (ash) represents an incremental system adaptation. The combination of flow- and transition-oriented research provides more general insights into how a circular economy of P can be reached. Furthermore, the analysis of P recycling scenarios reveals that transition processes in Switzerland are embedded in a global resource economy. Thus, a sole focus on concepts of national P self-sufficiency and the reduction of Switzerland’s P import dependency tend to fall short when analysing the economisation of secondary P materials in the face of transnational resource flows and markets.
Sustainable Urban Tourism: Reflections on the Need for Building-Related Indicators
Authors: Lerario Antonella , Di Turi Silvia
Published: June 2018

A solid and consistent research production has, up to now, considerably contributed to the identification and exploration of the meanings, theoretical foundations, and possible implications of tourism in the cities. The focus on pursuing sustainable tourism activities has also inspired different approaches (eco-tourism, responsible tourism, pro-poor tourism, among others). Nevertheless, difficulties still exist in the definition of concrete solutions to the complex problem of how to activate and facilitate the diffusion of sustainable urban tourism practices. Given the central role of indicators in the monitoring of transformation and defining impact mitigation measures, this article proposes an unexplored interpretation of such tools, which are specific for the built environment as a main component of the urban context. Starting from a broad examination of the literature on urban tourism and its related impacts, and focusing on heritage destinations, the authors highlight the potential of the built environment to play an active role in reducing the extent of potential flow impacts upstream of their actual occurrence. As a result, possible building-scale indicators that could integrate current downstream evaluation and mitigation practices are identified and suggested, and their possible implications are discussed alongside those of existing indicators. Finally, further developments for future research are suggested.
Day-Ahead Probabilistic Model for Scheduling the Operation of a Wind Pumped-Storage Hybrid Power Station: Overcoming Forecasting Errors to Ensure Reliability of Supply to the Grid
Authors: Jurasz Jakub , Kies Alexander
Published: June 2018

Variable renewable energy sources (VRES), such as solarphotovoltaic (PV) and wind turbines (WT), are starting to play a significant role in several energy systems around the globe. To overcome the problem of their non-dispatchable and stochastic nature, several approaches have been proposed so far. This paper describes a novel mathematical model for scheduling the operation of a wind-powered pumped-storage hydroelectricity (PSH) hybrid for 25 to 48 h ahead. The model is based on mathematical programming and wind speed forecasts for the next 1 to 24 h, along with predicted upper reservoir occupancy for the 24th hour ahead. The results indicate that by coupling a 2-MW conventional wind turbine with a PSH of energy storing capacity equal to 54 MWh it is possible to significantly reduce the intraday energy generation coefficient of variation from 31% for pure wind turbine to 1.15% for a wind-powered PSH The scheduling errors calculated based on mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) are significantly smaller for such a coupling than those seen for wind generation forecasts, at 2.39% and 27%, respectively. This is even stronger emphasized by the fact that, those for wind generation were calculated for forecasts made for the next 1 to 24 h, while those for scheduled generation were calculated for forecasts made for the next 25 to 48 h. The results clearly show that the proposed scheduling approach ensures the high reliability of the WT–PSH energy source.
Institutional Perspectives of Climate-Smart Agriculture: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Totin Edmond , Segnon Alcade C. , Schut Marc , Affognon Hippolyte , Zougmoré Robert B. , Rosenstock Todd , Thornton Philip K.
Published: June 2018

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is increasingly seen as a promising approach to feed the growing world population under climate change. The review explored how institutional perspectives are reflected in the CSA literature. In total, 137 publications were analyzed using institutional analysis framework, of which 55.5% make specific reference to institutional dimensions. While the CSA concept encompasses three pillars (productivity, adaptation, and mitigation), the literature has hardly addressed them in an integrated way. The development status of study sites also seems to influence which pillars are promoted. Mitigation was predominantly addressed in high-income countries, while productivity and adaptation were priorities for middle and low-income countries. Interest in institutional aspects has been gradual in the CSA literature. It has largely focused on knowledge infrastructure, market structure, and hard institutional aspects. There has been less attention to understand whether investments in physical infrastructure and actors’ interaction, or how historical, political, and social context may influence the uptake of CSA options. Rethinking the approach to promoting CSA technologies by integrating technology packages and institutional enabling factors can provide potential opportunities for effective scaling of CSA options.
Who Uses Smart City Services and What to Make of It: Toward Interdisciplinary Smart Cities Research
Authors: Lytras Miltiadis , Visvizi Anna
Published: June 2018

As research on smart cities garners increased attention and its status consolidates as one of the fanciest areas of research today, this paper makes a case for a cautious rethink of the very rationale and relevance of the debate. To this end, this paper looks at the smart cities debate from the perspectives of, on the one hand, citizens’ awareness of applications and solutions that are considered ‘smart’ and, on the other hand, their ability to use these applications and solutions. Drawing from a detailed analysis of the outcomes of a pilot international study, this paper showcases that even the most educated users of smart city services, i.e., those arguably most aware of and equipped with skills to use these services effectively, express very serious concerns regarding the utility, safety, accessibility and efficiency of those services. This suggests that more pragmatism needs to be included in smart cities research if its findings are to remain useful and relevant for all stakeholders involved. The discussion in this paper contributes to the smart cities debate in three ways. First, it adds empirical support to the thesis of ‘normative bias’ of smart cities research. Second, it suggests ways of bypassing it, thereby opening a debate on the preconditions of sustainable interdisciplinary smart cities research. Third, it points to new avenues of research.
An Admission Control Mechanism for 5G LWA
Authors: Bajracharya Rojeena , Shrestha Rakesh , Kim Sung Won
Published: June 2018

To alleviate the spectrum scarcity problem in fifth-generation (5G) networks, traditional mobile data offloading schemes from long term evolution (LTE) to wireless local area networks (WLANs) have been revised by the third-generation partnership project (3GPP) in release 13, which is known as LTE-WLAN aggregation (LWA). With LWA, user equipment units (UEs) supporting both LTE and WLAN can utilize both LTE and WLAN links simultaneously. Thus, UEs under the coverage of an LWA network will be surrounded by multiple standards, such as LTE, WLAN, and LWA, along with cells of different sizes and coverage. Providing the LWA service to all UEs unconditionally may lead to serious intra-cell unfairness, degradation of system-level quality of service (QoS), and a reduction in system resource utilization. Hence, to resolve this issue, two important challenges need to be addressed: Which LTE UEs should be transferred, and how many LTE UEs need to be transferred. In this paper, we propose a user-offloading algorithm for evolved node B (eNB) hardware that smartly allocates the deprived LTE UEs and assigns the LWA service to an optimal number of UEs without degrading the QoS for existing WLAN UEs. With this proposed scheme, all LWA-preferred UEs with poor LTE performance and a good WLAN condition have the opportunity to access LWA service to improve performance. We show that the proposed scheme maximizes the throughput performance of the whole network.
Multi-Stakeholder and Multi-Level Interventions to Tackle Climate Change and Land Degradation: The Case of Iran
Authors: Amiraslani Farshad , Caiserman Arnaud
Published: June 2018

Iran faces environmental challenges such as erosion and extreme events, namely droughts and floods. These phenomena have frequently affected the country over the past decades and temperature rise has led to a more challenging situation. Iran started to implement national and provincial policies in the 1950s to cope with these phenomena. To provide an overview of Iran’s efforts to tackle land degradation and climate change, this paper examined through literature since 2000 the stakeholders’ policies, their interventions and obstacles to the mitigation of these environmental challenges. Government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and international projects have been the primary actors. Erosion-sensitive soil plantation, drought-resistant seeds, and water-saving irrigation systems were the main interventions of these policies. However, the research stresses the lack of coordination between these stakeholders, and the absence of a comprehensive database that could enable climate change to be tackled better in the future.
Paediatric Strongyloidiasis in Central Australia
Authors: Wilson Angela , Fearon Deborah
Published: June 2018

Few published studies are available describing the prevalence of paediatric strongyloidiasis in endemic areas within Australia. This literature review and exploratory clinical audit presents the first seroprevalence data for paediatric patients in Central Australia. A total of 16.1% (30/186) of paediatric inpatients tested for Strongyloides stercoralis in 2016 were seropositive (95% CI: 11.5% to 22.1%). Eosinophilia of unknown aetiology was the most common indication for testing (91.9%). Seropositive patients were significantly more likely to reside in communities outside of Alice Springs (p = 0.02). Seropositive patients were noted to have higher mean eosinophil counts with a mean difference of 0.86 × 109/L (95% CI: 0.56 to 1.16, p < 0.0001), although the limited utility of eosinophilia as a surrogate marker of strongyloidiasis has been described previously. All seropositive patients were Indigenous. There was no significant difference in ages between groups. There was a male predominance in the seropositive group, although this was not significant (p = 0.12). Twelve patients had known human T-lymphotropic virus 1 (HTLV-1) status and all were seronegative. Further research describing the epidemiology of strongyloidiasis in Central Australia is required.
Counter Land-Grabbing by the Precariat: Housing Movements and Restorative Justice in Brazil
Authors: Irazábal Clara
Published: June 2018

Social housing movements in Brazil, whose majority members are part of Brazil’s precariat or lowest-income class, are courageously pressing for true urban reform in Brazil, whose old promise has been systematically delayed and subverted, even by some of those who were put in power to realize it. By occupying vacant and underutilized land and buildings, not only are these movements confronting neoliberalism in Brazil at a time of the model’s highest level of hegemony in the country and the world, they are also unveiling the impossibility of the system to deliver sociospatial justice to the poor and are enacting an alternative. Through restorative justice practices, they go beyond critique and press for an alternate sociopolitical project that would allow millions of people in Brazil access to decent housing, and through it, to a myriad of other opportunities, including the right to the city. As shown in the experiences of those participating in housing struggles, restorative justice deserves further exploration as an alternative planning mode that can combine the strengths of advocacy planning and communicative action while reducing their drawbacks. These reflections focus on the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Sen Teto (MTST) and partially feed from team ethnographic and planning studio work on several building and land occupations in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in Brazil in 2016.
Integrated Modeling Approach for the Development of Climate-Informed, Actionable Information
Authors: Judi David R. , Rakowski Cynthia L. , Waichler Scott R. , Feng Youcan , Wigmosta Mark S.
Published: June 2018

Flooding is a prevalent natural disaster with both short and long-term social, economic, and infrastructure impacts. Changes in intensity and frequency of precipitation (including rain, snow, and rain-on-snow) events create challenges for the planning and management of resilient infrastructure and communities. While there is general acknowledgment that new infrastructure design should account for future climate change, no clear methods or actionable information are available to community planners and designers to ensure resilient designs considering an uncertain climate future. This research demonstrates an approach for an integrated, multi-model, and multi-scale simulation to evaluate future flood impacts. This research used regional climate projections to drive high-resolution hydrology and flood models to evaluate social, economic, and infrastructure resilience for the Snohomish Watershed, WA, USA. Using the proposed integrated modeling approach, the peaks of precipitation and streamflows were found to shift from spring and summer to the earlier winter season. Moreover, clear non-stationarities in future flood risk were discovered under various climate scenarios. This research provides a clear approach for the incorporation of climate science in flood resilience analysis and to also provides actionable information relative to the frequency and intensity of future precipitation events.
Concentrations, Distribution, and Ecological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Daya Bay, China
Authors: Tang Huijuan , Ke Zhixin , Yan Muting , Wang Wenjing , Nie Huayue , Li Boxing , Zhang Jingping , Xu Xiangrong , Wang Jun
Published: June 2018

Surface sediment samples were collected from 19 sites throughout Daya Bay, China to study the concentrations, spatial distributions, potential ecological risk, and possible sources of heavy, including metals copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and chromium (Cr). The mean concentrations of the eight heavy metals were 24, 109, 6.5, 0.09, 35.3, 26.8, 0.07, and 109 µg g−1, respectively. The concentrations of most heavy metals were within range of those recorded in previous years. The spatial distribution pattern of most heavy metals were similar, with lowest values recorded along the southeast coast and the open sea area; the highest values were recorded in the northern Daya Bay, especially the northwest. Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Pb, and Hg were classified as Class I, and Ni and Cr were classified as Class II according to the Sediment Quality Guidelines (SQGs) of China. The potential ecological risk (Eif) indices of Cu, Zn, As, Pb, Ni, and Cr specify that these metals pose low risk to the ecosystem of the Bay, whereas Cd and Hg pose a very high risk in some sites. The geoaccumulation indices (Igeo) of Cu, Zn, As, Ni, and Cr specify weak or no pollution in Daya Bay, whereas those of Pb, Cd, and Hg in some sites indicate moderate or even high pollution. Spatial distribution, carbon/nitrogen analysis, Pearson correlation, and principal components analysis indicated that Cu, Zn, As, Pb, Ni, Cr, total organic carbon (TOC), and total nitrogen (TN) originated from the same sources. Ballast water or sewage from the cargo ships that park at the harbors or anchor in the Bay were the important sources for Cu, Zn, As, Pb, Ni, Cr, TOC, and TN. Other anthropogenic sources, such as agricultural runoff and aquaculture, might also be responsible, whereas Hg and Cd originated from other point sources.
Institutionalizing Participation in Water Resource Development: Bottom-Up and Top-Down Practices in Southern Thailand
Authors: Singto Chakaphon , Fleskens Luuk , Vos Jeroen
Published: June 2018

Substantive stakeholder engagement is increasingly recognized as essential for effective water resource development. Infrastructure development projects and strategies are however typically designed by engineers first before initiating discussions about impacts with stakeholders. In altering this sequence, designing meaningful participatory planning processes needs careful attention. This requires an innovative approach taking into account the institutional and discursive structure of the negotiation arena. This study uses eight features of participation and related micro-politics questions to scrutinize the design process of two water resource development projects in Thailand. The research shows that in one case some of the affected stakeholders were excluded, and in the other case, a lack of trust made one village obstruct the design process from the start. In both cases, the capacity to facilitate the negotiation about alternative designs and compensation was deficient. It is concluded that participation should be institutionalized and facilitated in a way that fosters accountable representation by all stakeholders, builds trust, and recognizes stakeholder interests and knowledge. The approach taken helps to understand the outcomes of the planning process and is useful to design planning processes that foster the accountable representation of all stakeholders and the recognition of their interests and knowledge.
Optimal Powertrain Design through a Virtual Development Process
Authors: Piechottka Hendrik , Küçükay Ferit , Kercher Felix , Bargende Michael
Published: June 2018

The ever more stringent global CO2 and pollutant emission regulations imply that the optimization of conventional powertrains can only provide partial reductions in fleet emissions. Vehicle manufacturers are therefore responding by increasing the electrification of their powertrain portfolios. This in turn, results in higher levels of electrification of the individual powertrain units. The increase in electric power leads to a comprehensive range of possible technologies—from 48 V mild hybrids to pure electric concepts. The powertrain topology and the configuration of the electrical components of a hybrid powertrain play a decisive role in determining the overall efficiency when considering the individual market requirements. Different hybrid functions as well as performance and customer requirements are determined from statutory cycles and in customer operation. A virtual development chain that is based on MATLAB/Simulink then represents the steps for the identification, configuration, and evaluation of new electrified powertrains. The tool chain presented supports powertrain development through automated conceptualization, design, and evaluation of powertrain systems and their components. The outcome of the entire tool chain is a robust concept decision for future powertrains. Using this methodical and reproducible approach, future electrified powertrain concepts are identified.
SO2 gas adsorption on carbon nanomaterials: a comparative study
Authors: Babu Deepu J , Puthusseri Divya , Kühl Frank G , Okeil Sherif , Bruns Michael , Hampe Manfred , Schneider Jörg J
Published: June 2018

Owing to their high stability against corrosive gases, carbon-based adsorbents are preferentially used for the adsorptive removal of SO2. In the present study, SO2 adsorption on different carbon nanomaterials namely carbon nanohorns (CNHs), multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) are investigated and compared against the adsorption characteristics of activated carbon and graphene oxide (GO). A comprehensive overview of the adsorption behavior of this family of carbon adsorbents is given for the first time. The relative influence of surface area and functional groups on the SO2 adsorption characteristics is discussed. The isosteric heat of adsorption values are calculated to quantify the nature of the interaction between the SO2 molecule and the adsorbent. Most importantly, while chemisorption is found to dominate the adsorption behavior in activated carbon, SO2 adsorption on carbon nanomaterials occurs by a physisorption mechanism.