bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Resource Theories of Nonclassical Light
Authors: Tan Kok Chuan , Jeong Hyunseok
Published: September 2019

In this focused review we survey recent progress in the development of resource theories of nonclassical light. We introduce the resource theoretical approach, in particular how it pertains to bosonic/light fields, and discuss several different formulations of resource theories of nonclassical light.
Sparse Radiocarbon Data Confound Culture-Climate Links in Late Pre-Columbian Amazonia
Authors: Riris Philip
Published: September 2019

It has recently been argued that pre-Columbian societies in the greater Amazon basin during the Late Holocene were subject to “adaptive cycling”. In this model, cultures practicing “intensive” land use practices, such as raised field agriculture, were vulnerable to perturbations in hydroclimate, whereas “extensive” land use patterns, such as polyculture agroforestry, are viewed as more resilient to climate change. On the basis of radiocarbon data, the relative rise and fall of late pre-Columbian cultures and their inferred patterns of land use in six regions are highlighted to exemplify this model. This paper re-examines the radiocarbon evidence marshalled in favour of adaptive cycling, demonstrating that alleged temporal patterning in these data are overwhelmingly likely due to a combination of sampling effects, lack of statistical controls, and unacknowledged uncertainties that are inherent to radiocarbon dating. The outcome of this combination of factors seriously limits the possibility of cross-referencing archaeological data with palaeo-ecological and -climatological data without controlling for these effects, undermining the central archaeological pillar in support of adaptive cycling in Amazonia. This paper illustrates examples of such mitigation measures and provides the code to replicate them. Suggestions for how to overcome the serious limitations identified in the Late Holocene radiocarbon record of Amazonia are presented in the context of ongoing debates on inferring climatic causation in archaeological and historical datasets.
Religious Rights and Involuntary State Institutions in Democratic Countries: On Evenhandedness and Ecumenism in Militaries
Authors: Perez Nahshon
Published: September 2019

Militaries present a difficult challenge for scholars interested in navigating the complex demands of religious liberty and religion-state relations. The reason is that the most familiar features of religion-state relations in liberal countries—governmental non-interference and the structure of religious associations as voluntary associations—are incompatible with the structure of militaries as involuntary organizations that are nonetheless highly important institutions in even liberal-democratic countries. How should scholars accustomed to the liberal framework going back to Locke, hence, theorize the desirable religious-institutional state of affairs within involuntary institutions such as militaries? As the governmental non-interference model is inadequate, the argument to be presented here is that the involuntary nature of militaries presents the liberal-minded theorist, with unusual dilemmas, and hence would make two models most adequate for a religious-institutional state of affairs within militaries: evenhandedness (or multiple establishments) and ecumenism, a somewhat unusual category.
Embolization of Bio-Alcamid Gluteal Injections in a Female Patient with Patent Foramen Ovale Leading to ARDS and Embolic Stroke
Authors: Bolduc James , Abdalla Beshoy , Choudhry Mansoor , Danial Muhammad , Rizvi Syed A. A.
Published: September 2019

Bio-Alcamid is a non-FDA approved permanent dermal filler with a few known adverse effects including granuloma formation at injection site, skin infections, abscess and painful inflammation. Embolization of Bio-Alcamid has not been reported and likely represents a very rare complication. We present the case of a thirty-one-year-old female who presents with cough, dyspnea, hemoptysis, fever, and pleuritic chest pain several hours after receiving Bio-Alcamid gluteal injections. The patient’s symptoms progress rapidly and, within three days, she develops acute respiratory failure requiring intubation. A chest x-ray consistent with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is viewed. Concurrently, a 2D echocardiogram reveals a patent foramen ovale (PFO) and severe pulmonary hypertension. Five weeks after initial presentation to the emergency department, the patient demonstrates flaccid quadriplegia, is poorly responsive when sedation is held, and her CT scan of the brain showed multifocal infarcts involving bilateral cerebral hemispheres. A CT of the abdomen reveals renal and splenic infarcts. This case study presents a rare complication of a nonbiodegradable dermal filler, Bio-Alcamid.
An Approach to Estimating Water Quality Changes in Water Distribution Systems Using Fault Tree Analysis
Authors: Tchórzewska-Cieślak Barbara , Pietrucha-Urbanik Katarzyna , Papciak Dorota
Published: September 2019

Given that a consequence of a lack of stability of the water in a distribution system is increased susceptibility to secondary contamination and, hence, a threat to consumer health, in the work detailed here we assessed the risk of such a system experiencing quality changes relating to the biological and chemical stability of water intended for drinking. Utilizing real operational data from a water treatment station, the presented analysis of the stability was performed based on the fault tree method. If they are to protect their critical-status water supply infrastructure, water supply companies should redouble their efforts to distribute stable water free of potentially corrosive properties. To that end, suggestions are made on the safeguarding of water distribution systems, with a view to ensuring the safety of operation and the long-term durability of pipes.
Design and Preliminary Testing of a Continuum Assistive Robotic Manipulator
Authors: Coulson Ryan , Robinson Megan , Kirkpatrick Max , Berg Devin R.
Published: September 2019

Background: The application of continuum manipulators as assistive robots is discussed and tested through the use of Bendy ARM, a simple manually teleoperated tendon driven continuum manipulator prototype. Methods: Two rounds of user testing were performed to evaluate the potential of this arm to aid people living with disabilities in completing activities of daily living. Results: In the first round of user testing, 14 able-bodied subjects successfully completed the prescribed task (pick-and-place) using multiple control schemes after being given a brief introduction and one minute of practice with each scheme. In the second round of user testing, subjects ( n = 3 ) demonstrated between 29.5 and 48.9 percent improvement in completion time across twelve trials of a peg-in-hole task, and between 8.4 and 33.8 percent improvement across six trials of a task involving opening and closing a drawer. Conclusion: Based on these results, it is posited that continuum manipulators merit further consideration as a safer and more cost-effective alternative to existing commercially available assistive robotic manipulators.
2018 Atmospheric Motion Vector (AMV) Intercomparison Study
Authors: Santek David , Dworak Richard , Nebuda Sharon , Wanzong Steve , Borde Régis , Genkova Iliana , García-Pereda Javier , Galante Negri Renato , Carranza Manuel , Nonaka Kenichi , Shimoji Kazuki , Oh Soo Min , Lee Byung-Il , Chung Sung-Rae , Daniels Jaime , Bresky Wayne
Published: September 2019

Atmospheric Motion Vectors (AMVs) calculated by six different institutions (Brazil Center for Weather Prediction and Climate Studies/CPTEC/INPE, European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites/EUMETSAT, Japan Meteorological Agency/JMA, Korea Meteorological Administration/KMA, Unites States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/NOAA, and the Satellite Application Facility on Support to Nowcasting and Very short range forecasting/NWCSAF) with JMA’s Himawari-8 satellite data and other common input data are here compared. The comparison is based on two different AMV input datasets, calculated with two different image triplets for 21 July 2016, and the use of a prescribed and a specific configuration. The main results of the study are summarized as follows: (1) the differences in the AMV datasets depend very much on the ‘AMV height assignment’ used and much less on the use of a prescribed or specific configuration; (2) the use of the ‘Common Quality Indicator (CQI)’ has a quantified skill in filtering collocated AMVs for an improved statistical agreement between centers; (3) Among the six AMV operational algorithms verified by this AMV Intercomparison, JMA AMV algorithm has the best overall performance considering all validation metrics, mainly due to its new height assignment method: ‘Optimal estimation method considering the observed infrared radiances, the vertical profile of the Numerical Weather Prediction wind, and the estimated brightness temperature using a radiative transfer model’.
The Potential of Open Geodata for Automated Large-Scale Land Use and Land Cover Classification
Authors: Leinenkugel Patrick , Deck Ramona , Huth Juliane , Ottinger Marco , Mack Benjamin
Published: September 2019

This study examines the potential of open geodata sets and multitemporal Landsat satellite data as the basis for the automated generation of land use and land cover (LU/LC) information at large scales. In total, six openly available pan-European geodata sets, i.e., CORINE, Natura 2000, Riparian Zones, Urban Atlas, OpenStreetMap, and LUCAS in combination with about 1500 Landsat-7/8 scenes were used to generate land use and land cover information for three large-scale focus regions in Europe using the TimeTools processing framework. This fully automated preprocessing chain integrates data acquisition, radiometric, atmospheric and topographic correction, spectral–temporal feature extraction, as well as supervised classification based on a random forest classifier. In addition to the evaluation of the six different geodata sets and their combinations for automated training data generation, aspects such as spatial sampling strategies, inter and intraclass homogeneity of training data, as well as the effects of additional features, such as topography and texture metrics are evaluated. In particular, the CORINE data set showed, with up to 70% overall accuracy, high potential as a source for deriving dominant LU/LC information with minimal manual effort. The intraclass homogeneity within the training data set was of central relevance for improving the quality of the results. The high potential of the proposed approach was corroborated through a comparison with two similar LU/LC data sets, i.e., GlobeLand30 and the Copernicus High Resolution Layers. While similar accuracy levels could be observed for the latter, for the former, accuracy was considerable lower by about 12–24%.
Characterization and Trends of Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) Fire Emissions in the Brazilian Cerrado during 2002–2017
Authors: Mataveli Guilherme Augusto Verola , Silva Maria Elisa Siqueira , França Daniela de Azeredo , Brunsell Nathaniel Alan , de Oliveira Gabriel , Cardozo Francielle da Silva , Bertani Gabriel , Pereira Gabriel
Published: September 2019

Fire occurrence is a major disturbance in the Brazilian Cerrado, which is driven by both natural and anthropogenic activities. Despite increasing efforts for monitoring the Cerrado, a biome-scale study for quantifying and understanding the variability of fire emissions is still needed. We aimed at characterizing and finding trends in Particulate Matter with diameter less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5) fire emissions in the Brazilian Cerrado using the PREP-CHEM-SRC emissions preprocessing tool and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) active fires datasets for the 2002–2017 period. Our results showed that, on average, the Cerrado emitted 1.08 Tg year−1 of PM2.5 associated with fires, accounting for 25% and 15% of the PM2.5 fire emissions in Brazil and South America, respectively. Most of the PM2.5 fire emissions were concentrated in the end of the dry season (August, 0.224 Tg month−1 and September, 0.386 Tg month−1) and in the transitional month (October, 0.210 Tg month−1). Annually, 66% of the total emissions occurred over the savanna land cover; however, active fires that were detected in the evergreen broadleaf land cover tended to emit more than active fires occurring in the savanna land cover. Spatially, each 0.1° grid cell emitted, on average, 0.5 Mg km−2 year−1 of PM2.5 associated with fires, but the values can reach to 16.6 Mg km−2 year−1 in a single cell. Higher estimates of PM2.5 emissions associated with fires were mostly concentrated in the northern region, which is the current agricultural expansion frontier in this biome. When considering the entire Cerrado, we found an annual decreasing trend representing -1.78% of the annual average PM2.5 emitted from fires during the period analyzed, however, the grid cell analysis found annual trends representing ± 35% of the annual average PM2.5 fire emissions.
Analysis of Changes in Forest Structure using Point Clouds from Historical Aerial Photographs
Authors: Bożek Piotr , Janus Jaroslaw , Mitka Bartosz
Published: September 2019

Dynamic changes in land use, many of which are related to land abandonment, are taking place in many regions of the world. As a result, forest vegetation appears, which in part is a consequence of planned afforestation programs and in part has the characteristics of secondary forest succession. Monitoring of forest structure allows the range and dynamics of such changes to be identified. The aim of the study was to assess the usefulness of historical aerial photographs in the determination of forest structure. On the basis of such data, a point cloud was created which represented the forest structure in 1966. Subsequently, using airborne laser scanning data for the same area, corresponding datasets describing the situation in 2012 were created. Comparison of the two tall vegetation models made it possible to perform four analyses related to forest structure changes over a period of 46 years. The analyses were carried out in four areas in southern Poland. The analysis of the results confirmed that historical aerial photographs may be a valuable source in long-term analyses of changes in the range and height structure of areas containing tall vegetation.
A Methodology to Assess Land Use Development, Flooding, and Wetland Change as Indicators of Coastal Vulnerability
Authors: Halls Joanne Nancie , Magolan Jessica Lynn
Published: September 2019

Coastal areas around the world are becoming increasingly urban, which has increased stress to both natural and anthropogenic systems. In the United States, 52% of the population lives along the coast, and North Carolina is in the top 10 fastest growing states. Within North Carolina, the southeastern coast is the fastest growing region in the state. Therefore, this research has developed a methodology that investigates the complex relationship between urbanization, land cover change, and potential flood risk and tested the approach in a rapidly urbanizing region. A variety of data, including satellite (PlanetScope) and airborne imagery (NAIP and Lidar) and vector data (C-CAP, FEMA floodplains, and building permits), were used to assess changes through space and time. The techniques consisted of (1) matrix change analysis, (2) a new approach to analyzing shorelines by computing adjacency statistics for changes in wetland and urban development, and (3) calculating risk using a fishnet, or tessellation, where hexagons of equal size (15 ha) were ranked into high, medium, and low risk and comparing these results with the amount of urbanization. As other research has shown, there was a significant relationship between residential development and wetland loss. Where urban development has yet to occur, most of the remaining area is at risk to flooding. Importantly, the combined methods used in this study have identified at-risk areas and places where wetlands have migrated/transgressed in relationship to urban development. The combination of techniques developed here has resulted in data that local government planners are using to evaluate current development regulations and incorporating into the new long-range plan for the County that will include smart growth and identification of risk. Additionally, results from this study area are being utilized in an application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Community Response System which will provide residents with lower flood insurance costs.
What Helps and What Hinders? Exploring the Role of Workplace Characteristics for Parental Leave Use and Its Career Consequences
Authors: Samtleben Claire , Bringmann Julia , Bünning Mareike , Hipp Lena
Published: September 2019

The division of parental leave among couples today is still unequal—even in countries with progressive leave schemes. Given the gendered nature of the workplace, we examine how organizational characteristics relate to fathers’ uptake and length of parental leave as well as to the perceived career consequences of leave uptake among those fathers who took leave. In our mixed methods study, we draw on unique quantitative and qualitative data on different-sex couples with young children in Germany (2015). We find that the fear of professional repercussions and the lack of a replacement at work inhibit fathers both from taking leave in general and, for those who take leave, from taking it for more than two months. Interestingly, however, the majority of fathers who took leave did not think that their leave negatively affected their professional advancement. This positive evaluation was independent of the length of leave. We compared fathers’ perceived leave consequences to those of mothers, who tended to have a more negative view of the impact of taking leave on their careers. Both fathers and mothers were more likely to report negative career consequences if they worked in organizations that promoted a strong ideal worker norm, that is, where employees thought that they were expected to prioritize paid work over their private life.
Reciprocal Personality Assessment of Both Partners in a Romantic Relationship and Its Correlates to Dyadic Adjustment
Authors: Smith Evelyne , Guérard Adèle , Leduc Hugues , El-Baalbaki Ghassan
Published: September 2019

This project examines the effects of self- and partner-rated personality and their reciprocal interaction between two partners. Personality in 113 young dating couples was measured with the Five-Factor Model and maladaptive personality trait model of the DSM-5. Partners completed self- and partner-reports of the NEO-FFI-3 and the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) as well as the self-report Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS). Three sets of Actor-Partner Interdependence Models (APIMs) were run to estimate actor and partner effects of self-rated personality, partner-rated personality, and of both sets of effects simultaneously in an integrated model. When self- and partner-rating models were examined separately, several significant actor and partner effects were observed. However, the strongest effects were observed in the partner-rating models. When self- and partner-rated personality were examined at the same time, most effects from the self-rating models disappeared. Furthermore, most of the effects as well as the strongest one observed were associated with an individual’s perception of their partner’s personality, particularly men’s perception of women’s personality. This study demonstrates the incremental predictive utility of individuals’ perception of their partner’s personality for explaining their own dyadic adjustment.
Fast and Simultaneous Determination of Soil Properties Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS): A Case Study of Typical Farmland Soils in China
Authors: Xu Xuebin , Du Changwen , Ma Fei , Shen Yazhen , Zhou Jianmin
Published: September 2019

Accurate management of soil nutrients and fast and simultaneous acquisition of soil properties are crucial in the development of sustainable agriculture. However, the conventional methods of soil analysis are generally labor-intensive, environmentally unfriendly, as well as time- and cost-consuming. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a “superstar” technique that has yielded outstanding results in the elemental analysis of a wide range of materials. However, its application for analysis of farmland soil faces the challenges of matrix effects, lack of large-scale soil samples with distinct origin and nature, and problems with simultaneous determination of multiple soil properties. Therefore, LIBS technique, in combination with partial least squares regression (PLSR), was applied to simultaneously determinate soil pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), total potassium (TK), available phosphorus (AP), and available potassium (AK) in 200 soils from different farmlands in China. The prediction performances of full spectra and characteristic lines were evaluated and compared. Based on full spectra, the estimates of pH, CEC, SOM, TN, and TK achieved excellent prediction abilities with the residual prediction deviation (RPDV) values > 2.0 and the estimate of TP featured good performance with RPDV value of 1.993. However, using characteristic lines only improved the predicted accuracy of SOM, but reduced the prediction accuracies of TN, TP, and TK. In addition, soil AP and AK were predicted poorly with RPDV values of < 1.4 based on both full spectra and characteristic lines. The weak correlations between conventionally analyzed soil AP and AK and soil LIBS spectra are responsible for the poor prediction abilities of AP and AK contents. Findings from this study demonstrated that the LIBS technique combined with multivariate methods is a promising alternative for fast and simultaneous detection of some properties (i.e., pH and CEC) and nutrient contents (i.e., SOM, TN, TP, and TK) in farmland soils because of the extraordinary prediction performances achieved for these attributes.
Assessment of Entrepreneurial Traits and Small-Firm Performance with Entrepreneurial Orientation as a Mediating Factor
Authors: Imran Tazeen , Ahmed Rizwan Raheem , Streimikiene Dalia , Soomro Riaz Hussain , Parmar Vishnu , Vveinhardt Jolita
Published: September 2019

Entrepreneurship is considered to be one of the most critical factors contributing to the successful performance of business, innovations, and growth of the economy. Entrepreneurship is the main driver of innovation and sustainable business. The purpose of this research is to assess the main traits that are deemed essential for the successful performance of a firm. A model is developed to assess how entrepreneurs’ creativity, self-efficacy, and achievement motivation influence the performance of small firms through the role of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) as a mediating variable. The hypotheses are tested by using Smart PLS (partial least squares path modeling) on a sample of 353 business owners to seek the insight of entrepreneurial traits on small-firm performance. The findings of the research show that self-efficacy and EO have a significant and positive association with the performance of a firm, while creativity and internal locus of control are fully mediated by EO. The subjective measures are used to examine the performance of a firm in terms of growth, sustainability, and financial performance, but the same can also be assessed by objective measures. The practical implication of this research provides entrepreneurs with a different perspective of the entrepreneurial traits that contribute to successful firm performance. The originality of the research lies in the attempt to explore the entrepreneurial traits that significantly influence the effectiveness of the performance of firms in the Pakistani context.
Do Corporate Governance Recommendations Apply to U.S. Agricultural Cooperatives?
Authors: Franken Jason R. V. , Cook Michael L.
Published: September 2019

A limited inquiry into cooperative governance and performance suggests that best practices from corporate governance literature may not apply uniformly to cooperatives. The rarely addressed issue of endogeneity limits confidence in recommendations for corporations and cooperatives alike and inference of recommendations for cooperatives is complicated by availability of appropriate performance measures. By accounting for the most commonly recognized sources of endogeneity and measuring overall cooperative performance, expectations of better performance by larger cooperatives with smaller boards are confirmed, while limited evidence is obtained on the expected positive effects of seating outside experts on the board.
Evaluating Social Media Response to Urban Flood Disaster: Case Study on an East Asian City (Wuhan, China)
Authors: Cheng Xiaoxue , Han Guifeng , Zhao Yifan , Li Lin
Published: September 2019

Social media is an important tool for disaster prevention and management. To reveal the public responses to disasters on social media in the context of East Asian culture, an urban flood disaster event that occurred in Wuhan City, China, in the summer of 2016 was selected as a case. Data were collected from Sina-Weibo, which is the earliest and most popular social media platform in China. We categorized a total of 17,047 messages into four types, analyzed the Pearson correlation between information dissemination and precipitation, and identified the important accounts and their messages in the social networks by visualized analysis. The results show that there is a one-day lag between participation and public response. Message dissemination has a steeply downward trend over time, that is, a long tail effect. Information disseminates quickly within two hours, and then dissemination declines after four hours, with opinion messages disseminating faster than other types of messages. Famous news organizations and several celebrities play a leading role in social networks. In general, the participation of Chinese netizens in disaster events is lower than that of people in Western countries, and social media is not yet used as a tool for disaster response.
Enhancing Risk Management by Partnering in International EPC Projects: Perspective from Evolutionary Game in Chinese Construction Companies
Authors: Yang Yujing , Tang Wenzhe , Shen Wenxin , Wang Tengfei
Published: September 2019

Research on risk management in Engineering–Procurement–Construction (EPC) projects has received increasing attention. It is essential to integrate the resources of all participants into the risk management process optimally from the perspective of evolutionary games. The conceptual risk management model in the delivery of international EPC projects is developed in the study. Based on the data from an industry survey, the model has been validated. The path analysis shows that partnering not only directly contributes to interface management and risk management, thereby improving project outcomes, but also has a positive impact on risk management through enhanced interface management. The case study illustrates how partnering has a close linkage with interface management and risk management to achieve superior project performance, confirming the analysis of evolutionary game. The results suggest that contractors’ success in applying partnership can play an exemplary role for other contractors, and governments can create a favorable environment to stimulate participants using win–win philosophy for better infrastructure development.
Effects of Long-Term Crop-Livestock-Forestry Systems on Soil Erosion and Water Infiltration in a Brazilian Cerrado Site
Authors: Sone Jullian Souza , Sanches de Oliveira Paulo T. , Pereira Zamboni Pedro A. , Motta Vieira Nelson O. , Altrão Carvalho Glauber , Motta Macedo Manuel C. , Romeiro de Araujo Alexandre , Baptaglin Montagner Denise , Alves Sobrinho Teodorico
Published: September 2019

Integrating agricultural land uses is a suitable alternative for fostering economic development and improving food security. However, the effects of long-term integrated systems on soil erosion and water infiltration are still poorly understood. Here, we investigate the influence of different agricultural land uses on soil erosion and water infiltration in an Oxisol site located in the Brazilian Cerrado region. The experimental area consisted of continuous grazing under variable stocking rates with regular fertilization (CG-RF), continuous cropping under no-till (CC-NT) and no-till with 4-year subsoiling (CC-SS), rotation of one year cropping and three years livestock in the livestock phase (C1-L3), rotation of four years cropping and four years livestock in the cropping phase (CL-4C) and in the livestock phase (CL-4L), and integrated crop-livestock-forestry in the cropping phase (CLF-C) and in the livestock phase (CLF-L). To evaluate water infiltration and soil loss, we used a rainfall simulator with a constant rainfall intensity of 74.9 ± 3.6 mm h−1 in plots of 0.7 m2. We carried out 72 rainfall simulations comprising four repetitions in each treatment under vegetation and bare soil. Stable infiltration rate (SIR) ranged from 45.9 to 74.8 mm h−1 and 19.4 to 70.8 mm h−1 under vegetation covers and bare soil, respectively. Our findings indicated that SIR values under CLF-C were 60% greater than under CG-RF. We also found that soil loss rates under CLF-C were 50% smaller than under CG-RF. The crop–livestock rotation period that presented better results of SIR and soil loss was one year of cropping and three years of livestock (C1-L3). Overall, we noted that SIR and soil loss values under CLF-C are similar to the Cerrado native vegetation. Therefore, our study reveals the opportunity to increase agricultural production, improve food supply, and reduce soil erosion with adequate soil and agricultural management.
Entrepreneurship Education and Sustainable Development Goals: A literature Review and a Closer Look at Fragile States and Technology-Enabled Approaches
Authors: Rashid Lubna
Published: September 2019

Entrepreneurship has the potential to reduce poverty, stimulate economic growth and boost innovation, in addition to enhancing social and environmental sustainability. In accordance with the human capital theory and previous empirical studies, it is assumed that entrepreneurship education and training (EET) directly correlates with positive entrepreneurial outcomes and therefore sustainable development. Although several scholars have attempted to review and analyze EET literature over the past decade, none of these reviews directly links EET with sustainable development or focuses on the role and status of EET (research) in less-stable areas of the world. This systematic review thus attempts to analyze recent literature to identify the extent to which EET research addresses Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The review identifies several gaps in research and practice that potentially hinder EET from adequately advancing sustainable development, including a dearth of research on fragile states and demographic diversity, limited EET access to non-university students and a general lack of focus on educational technology, progressive education approaches, and innovation in fragile countries compared to stable ones. The review also identifies challenges pertaining to EET resource constraints in fragile contexts. The paper concludes by offering insights on how educational technology could mitigate EET challenges in fragile environments to ultimately ease some barriers towards SDG advancement and provides recommendations for future research directions.
Travelers’ Acceptance of Electric Carsharing Systems in Developing Countries: The Case of China
Authors: Tran Vanduy , Zhao Shengchuan , Diop El Bachir , Song Weiya
Published: September 2019

Emerging electric carsharing (EC) systems have demonstrated their advantages and attracted public attention. The number of EC systems is growing throughout the world, especially in metropolitan areas in developing countries. For successful implementation, developers need to understand the public acceptance of EC services. In this study, we sought to determine the factors that affect EC acceptance in the context of developing countries. The study involved 437 individuals, aged between 18 and 65 years, who were randomly sampled from an EC service area in China. The determinants of EC acceptance were investigated based on an extended version of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and tested by using Structural Equation Modeling. The results indicated that hedonic motivation (HM) has a powerful effect on behavioral intention (BI) to use the EC service in the future. Performance expectancy (PE), effort expectancy (EE), and familiarity with the carsharing concept (FM) also influenced EC’s acceptance. However, the impact of social influence (SI) did not emerge from this study. The results also revealed that gender moderates the effects of EE and FM on BI. Age moderated the effect of FM on BI and unexpectedly moderated the impact of HM on BI. The present study confirmed the validity of the UTAUT research model in predicting the intention to use an EC system in developing countries. Implications and recommendations for government and EC developers are also discussed.
The Impact of Intangible Assets and Sub-Components of Intangible Assets on Sustainable Growth and Firm Value: Evidence from Turkish Listed Firms
Authors: Ocak Murat , Fındık Derya
Published: September 2019

This study explores the effect of intangible assets and sub-components of intangible assets on sustainable growth and firm value in Turkey. The cumulative (i.e., aggregative) value of intangible assets of firms and sub-components of intangible assets were used as test variables in the current study. Further, intangible assets of the firms were divided into three sub-components using the classification of Corrado, Hulten and Sichel, namely computerized information and database, innovative property, and economic competence. Firms listed on Borsa İstanbul were analyzed to test the hypotheses. Two different measures of sustainable growth of firms and unique measure of firm value were used as dependent variables. The final sample includes 1353 observations for nine years between 2005–2013 in Turkey. Ordinary least square (OLS) and Heckman two-stage estimation procedures were employed to test the hypotheses. Estimation results of OLS and Heckman two-stage procedures show that the cumulative value of intangible assets affect the sustainable growth rates of firms and firm value positively. When the cumulative value of intangible assets was classified into three sub-components, both computerized information and database and economic competence impact the sustainable growth rates of firms and firm value.
Studies of a Rotary–Centrifugal Grain Grinder Using a Multifactorial Experimental Design Method
Authors: Marczuk Andrzej , Blicharz-Kania Agata , Savinykh Petr A. , Isupov Alexey Y. , Palichyn Andrey V. , Ivanov Ilya I.
Published: September 2019

A scientific and technical literature review on machines designed to grind fodder grain revealed that the existing designs of grinding machines—those based on destruction by impact, cutting, or chipping—have various drawbacks. Some disadvantages include high metal and energy intensity, an uneven particle size distribution of the ground (crushed) product, a high percentage of dust fraction, the rapid wear of work tools (units), and heating of the product. To eliminate most of the identified shortcomings, the design of a rotary–centrifugal grain grinder is proposed in this paper. The optimization of the grinder’s working process was carried out using experimental design methodology. The following factors were studied: the grain material feed, rotor speed (rpm), opening of the separating surface, number of knives (blades) on the inner and outer rings, technical conditions of the knives (sharpened or unsharpened), and the presence of a special insert that is installed in the radial grooves of the distribution bowl. The optimization criteria were based on the amount of electricity consumed by and the performance of the rotary–centrifugal grain grinder. The quality of performance was quantified by the finished product, based on the percentage of particles larger than 3 mm in size. An analysis of the results of the multifactorial experiment allowed us to establish a relationship (interaction) between the factors and their influence on the optimization criteria, as well as to determine the most significant factors and to define further directions for the research of a centrifugal–rotary grain grinder. From our experimental results, we found that the grinder is underutilized in the selected range of factor variation. Furthermore, the number of knives installed at the second stage of the grinder, the gap (clearance) of the separating surface, and the technical condition of the knives are among the most important factors influencing the power consumption and the quality of the resulting product. A reduction in the number of knives at the first stage has a positive effect on all the selected optimization criteria; and by varying the factors in the selected range, it is possible to obtain a product corresponding to medium and coarse grinding.
Systems Thinking Using SSM and TRIZ for Stakeholder Engagement in Infrastructure Megaprojects
Authors: Ninan Johan , Phillips Ibukun , Sankaran Shankar , Natarajan Swaminathan
Published: September 2019

Infrastructure megaprojects straddle multiple stakeholder boundaries who have an interest in the project and are affected by the project. Multiple papers in the literature stress the need for holistic approaches to stakeholder engagement, as existing approaches only address the concerns of the noisy stakeholders. This research proposes an innovative approach in which Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) is used for understanding stakeholder concerns, complemented by the use of Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) for identifying innovative solutions to address conflicting stakeholder goals. The researchers simulated the stakeholder engagement of the Coimbatore metro rail project, in India, through a workshop setting in a classroom to check the feasibility of this approach for stakeholder engagement. The 15 participants of the workshop were divided into four groups representing different stakeholders of the project. Data was collected through participant observations by the authors and oral feedback from the participants. The results show that while SSM helped to capture the concerns and goals of each stakeholder, TRIZ helped to identify and dissolve conflicts among these goals through innovative solutions. The theoretical, practical and pedagogical contributions are highlighted.
Simian Foamy Virus Co-Infections
Authors: Murray Shannon M. , Linial Maxine L.
Published: September 2019

Foamy viruses (FVs), also known as spumaretroviruses, are complex retroviruses that are seemingly nonpathogenic in natural hosts. In natural hosts, which include felines, bovines, and nonhuman primates (NHPs), a large percentage of adults are infected with FVs. For this reason, the effect of FVs on infections with other viruses (co-infections) cannot be easily studied in natural populations. Most of what is known about interactions between FVs and other viruses is based on studies of NHPs in artificial settings such as research facilities. In these settings, there is some indication that FVs can exacerbate infections with lentiviruses such as simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). Nonhuman primate (NHP) simian FVs (SFVs) have been shown to infect people without any apparent pathogenicity. Humans zoonotically infected with simian foamy virus (SFV) are often co-infected with other viruses. Thus, it is important to know whether SFV co-infections affect human disease.
Relationship between Landform Development and Lake Water Recharge in the Badain Jaran Desert, China
Authors: Yue Da-Peng , Zhao Jing-Bo , Ma Yan-Dong , Huang Xiao-Gang , Shao Tian-Jie , Luo Xiao-Qing , Ma Ai-Hua
Published: September 2019

Four distinctive but poorly documented landforms in the Badain Jaran megadunes were studied: arcuate steps, multi-stage fans, depressions formed by runoff erosion, and groundwater overflow zones around lakes. The development of these four landform types indicates the following: (1) The hydrological balance in the sand layers of the megadune areas is positive; (2) After evaporation and transpiration, precipitation is able to infiltrate the deep sand layers; (3) Precipitation is a source for the groundwater and for many of the lakes of the area. The groundwater recharge mechanism is characterized by intense precipitation events that provide a water source, high infiltration rate, shallow evaporation depth, and low water retention. These factors together enable the precipitation to be transformed into groundwater. The energy of gravity water and the high water film pressure of adsorbed water together provide the forces necessary for effective water recharge.
An Efficient and Structured Procedure to Develop Conceptual Catchment and Sewer Models from Their Detailed Counterparts
Authors: Ledergerber Julia M. , Pieper Leila , Binet Guillaume , Comeau Adrien , Maruéjouls Thibaud , Muschalla Dirk , Vanrolleghem Peter A.
Published: September 2019

Modelling flow rates in catchments and sewers with a conceptual, also known as hydrological, approach is widely applied if fast simulations are important. In cases where a detailed hydrodynamic model exists, it is common to start conceptualizing from this detailed counterpart. Unfortunately, no generalized procedure exists, which is surprising as this can be a complex and time-consuming task. This research work proposes a procedure that is validated with two independent combined sewer case studies. The conceptual models provide the targeted results with respect to representation of the flow rates and reduction in the computational time. As the desired performance could be reached for different levels of model aggregation, it is concluded that the conceptual model can be tailored to the points where accurate flow rates need to be predicted. Furthermore, the comparison of the conceptual model results with flow measurements highlights the importance of analyzing and eventually compensating for the limitations of the detailed model.
Evaluation of a Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm for Low Impact Development in an Overcrowded City
Authors: Ho Hao-Che , Lin Shih-Wei , Lee Hong-Yuan , Huang Cheng-Chia
Published: September 2019

Sustainability and resilience are up-to-date considerations for urban developments in terms of flood mitigation. These considerations usually pose a new challenge to the urban planner because the achievement of a sustainable design through low impact development (LID) practices would be affected by the selection and the distribution of them. This study proposed a means to optimize the distribution of LIDs with the concept of considering the reduction of the flood peak and the hydrologic footprint residence (HFR). The study region is a densely populated place located in New Taipei City. This place has been developing for more than 40 years with completive sewer systems; therefore, the design must consider the space limitations. The flood reduction induced by each LID component under different rainfall return periods was estimated, and then the detention ponds were also conducted to compare the improvements. The results showed that the performance of LIDs dramatically decreased when the return periods were larger than ten years. A multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) was then applied to optimize the spatial distribution of LIDs under different budget scenarios, and to decide the priority of locations for the LID configuration. Finally, the Monte Carlo test was used to test the relationship between the optimal space configuration of LIDs and the impermeability of the study region. A positive correlation was uncovered between the optimal allocation ratio and the impermeable rate of the partition. The study results can provide general guidelines for urban planners to design LIDs in urban areas.
A Novel Charging and Discharging Algorithm of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles Considering Vehicle-to-Grid and Photovoltaic Generation
Authors: Aljanad Ahmed , Mohamed Azah , Khatib Tamer , Ayob Afida , Shareef Hussain
Published: September 2019

Considering, the high penetration of plug-in electric vehicles (PHEVs), the charging and discharging of PHEVs may lead to technical problems on electricity distribution networks. Therefore, the management of PHEV charging and discharging needs to be addressed to coordinate the time of PHEVs so as to be charged or discharged. This paper presents a management control method called the charging and discharging control algorithm (CDCA) to determine when and which of the PHEVs can be activated to consume power from the grid or supply power back to grid through the vehicle-to-grid technology. The proposed control algorithm considers fast charging scenario and photovoltaic generation during peak load to mitigate the impact of the vehicles. One of the important parameters considered in the CDCA is the PHEV battery state of charge (SOC). To predict the PHEV battery SOC, a particle swarm optimization-based artificial neural network is developed. Results show that the proposed CDCA gives better performance as compared to the uncoordinated charging method of vehicles in terms of maintaining the bus voltage profile during fast charging.
Formulation and evaluation of nanoparticulate ofloxacin ophthalmic gel using ionic gelation method
Authors: Salman B Syed , Mohd Abdul Hannan Baig
Published: September 2019

Oflaxacin is an ophthalmic and topical anti-bacterial agent used in the management of Allergic conjunctivitis, Trachoma, Blepharitis. The basic idea behind the development of such a system is to maintain a sustained drug release from the dosage form. Oflaxacin is suitable candidate for formulation into sustained dosage form in order to prolong the release of drug. The drug-excipient compatibility studies were carried out by using FTIR technique. Based on the results, excipients were found to be compatible with ofloxacin. In preformulation study, estimation of Ofloxacin was carried out by systronics UV spectrophotometer at λmax 284nm using distilled water, which had a good reproducibility and this method was used in entire study. Formulation was prepared by using ionic gelation method .The response drug content, entrapment efficiency, diffusion, spreadability, In vitro drug release was evaluated Drug content ranging from to 82.6 % to 91.24% entrapment efficiency values are ranged from 91.25% to 94.02% and in -vitro drug release studies are also studied. The In-vitro drug release study of Ofloxacin was carried out by using In-vitro diffusion apparatus.100ml of using tear fluid was taken in a beaker. The solution was stirred with 100rpm by maintaining the temperature of 37˚c ± 5˚c. The drug release data were explored for this type of release mechanism followed. The best fit with the highest determination R2 coefficients was shown by both the models (zero and peppas) followed by Higuchi model which indicate the drug release via diffusion mechanism. However as indicated by the values of R both of the models (zero and peppas) followed by Higuchi model were found to be efficient in describing the release of Ofloxacin.
La situation et les tendances de l'agriculture au printemps 1960, d'après une enquête auprès des chefs d'exploitation
Authors: Maurel Françoise , Demeret Pierre
Published: September 2019

Les principaux éléments de la situation et des tendances en agriculture au printemps 1960 sont les suivants :

Intensification de la production animale et accroissement de l'effectif bovin ; diminution de la main-d'œuvre permanente ; pessimisme moins accentué quant à l'évolution des prix ; achats moins importants de matériel et augmentation de la consommation des engrais ; — sont les tendances qui se dégagent pour 1960.