bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Opposite Roles of Bacterial Cellulose Nanofibers and Foaming Agent in Polyhydroxyalkanoate-Based Materials
Authors: Oprică Mădălina Gabriela , Uşurelu Cătălina Diana , Frone Adriana Nicoleta , Gabor Augusta Raluca , Nicolae Cristian-Andi , Vasile Valentin , Panaitescu Denis Mihaela
Published: December 2022

In this work, an economically feasible procedure was employed to produce poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV)-based foams. Thermally expandable microspheres (TESs) were used as a blowing agent, while bacterial cellulose (BC) nanofibers served both as a reinforcing agent and as a means of improving biocompatibility. PHBV was plasticized with acetyltributylcitrate to reduce the processing temperature and ensure the maximum efficiency of the TES agent. The morphological investigation results for plasticized PHBV foams showed well-organized porous structures characterized by a porosity of 65% and the presence of both large pores (>100 µm) and finer ones, with a higher proportion of pores larger than 100 µm being observed in the PHBV nanocomposite containing TESs and BC. The foamed structure allowed an increase in the water absorption capacity of up to 650% as compared to the unfoamed samples. TESs and BC had opposite effects on the thermal stability of the plasticized PHBV, with TESs decreasing the degradation temperature by about 17 °C and BC raising it by 3–4 °C. A similar effect was observed for the melting temperature. Regarding the mechanical properties, the TESs had a flexibilizing effect on plasticized PHBV, while BC nanofibers showed a stiffening effect. An in vitro cytotoxicity test showed that all PHBV compounds exhibited high cell viability. The addition of TESs and BC nanofibers to PHBV biocomposites enabled balanced properties, along with lower costs, making PHBV a more attractive biomaterial for engineering, packaging, or medical device applications.
Electrochemical and Electrical Performances of High Energy Storage Polyaniline Electrode with Supercapattery Behavior
Authors: Gojgić Jelena , Petrović Miloš , Jugović Branimir , Jokić Bojan , Grgur Branimir , Gvozdenović Milica
Published: December 2022

Polyaniline (PANI), due to its highly reversible electrochemistry with superior energy storage and delivery characteristics, is considered as an electrode material in batteries, capacitors, and hybrid systems. We used a facile electrochemical synthesis for the formation of the PANI electrode using galvanostatic polymerization of aniline on the graphite electrode at the current density of 2.0 mA cm−2 from the aqueous electrolyte containing 0.25 mol dm−3 aniline and 1.0 mol dm−3 H2SO4. Electrochemical and electrical characterization suggested excellent energy storage features of the PANI electrode in a three-electrode system with specific energy up to 53 Wh kg−1 and specific power up to 7600 W kg−1. After 2000 successive charge/discharge cycles at 9.5 Ag−1, the PANI electrode retained 95% of the initial capacity, with practically unaltered Coulombic efficiency of nearly 98%, providing a good base for future studies and practical applications.
Dimensions of Hybrid and Nanohybrid Mouthguards for Mixed Martial Arts Fighters–Evaluation of a New Method of Fabrication
Authors: Mańka-Malara Katarzyna , Trzaskowski Maciej , Mierzwińska-Nastalska Elżbieta
Published: December 2022

Ethylene vinyl acetate mouthguards are the most often used custom protective intraoral appliances by combat sports practitioners. However, due to the difficulties in maintaining the hygiene of such mouthguards and thinning during fabrication, resulting in difficulty in predicting final dimensions, they may not be the optimal solution. The aim of this research was to evaluate an innovative method of mouthguard formation using intraoral modeling of the mouthguard pattern, hybrid acrylic material, and the addition of ZnO nanoparticles. Seventeen mouthguards patterns and 34 custom mouthguards were evaluated: 17 hybrid and 17 nanohybrid. A total of 1122 measurements were performed: each mouthguard and pattern was measured at 22 points. Statistical analyses were performed with the use of IBM® SPSS® Statistics 27.0.0 software (IBM, Armonk, NY USA). The mean thickness of the patterns and mouthguards at all labial areas of central incisors were between 4.65 and 4.80 mm. The thickness at the buccal surface of the first molar was between 3.71 and 4 mm, and at the occlusal surface between 3.40 and 3.56 mm in the cusp area. All measurements of hybrid and nanohybrid mouthguards were strongly and highly correlated with the measurements of the mouthguard patterns. Hybrid and nanohybrid mouthguards are an advantageous alternative to thermoformed custom appliances.
The Impact of Musa al-Sadr and Khomeini’s Fight for Religious Influence over Lebanon
Authors: Cohen Ronen A.
Published: December 2022

After Musa al-Sadr arrived in Lebanon in 1959, the passive Shi’i community became active, and this activism finally ended with Hezbollah gaining control in Lebanon and serving Iran in its confrontation with Israel. The research literature on al-Sadr and his activities in Lebanon shows that al-Sadr was, and still remains, a phenomenon who, by virtue of his deeds and charisma, elevated the Shi’i population in Lebanon from being a feeble and ineffective community to a proud and dominant one. This article shows how Musa al-Sadr’s actions not only inspired the Shi’i revolution in Lebanon but also led to its wider dissemination all over the Middle East, starting with the Iranian Islamic Revolution. It will also describe how both the informal relations and the three different ideologies held by Khomeini, the Shah and al-Sadr finally helped al-Sadr crystallize his own revolutionary formula for political Shi’ism. That is, how al-Sadr’s activism and propagating within the Shi’i community in Lebanon two decades before the Islamic Revolution in Iran prepared the community to accept Khomeini’s message of a revival of Shi’ism.
Balancing the Communitarian, Civic, and Liberal Aims of Religious Education: Islamic Reflections
Authors: Saada Najwan
Published: December 2022

Balancing the communitarian, civic, and liberal aims of faith-based education presents a significant challenge to most religious education teachers. The communitarian approach to religious education is the most common, as it socializes children to become members of a given faith community. It recognizes students’ rights to collective identity and belonging. The civic approach to religious education asks, “what is the preferred meaning of respect in a religiously pluralist society, and how can it be promoted in the context of a deep belief in the primacy of one religion?” This approach also concerns itself with managing religious identities in a multifaith and democratic society. Liberal religious education involves asking the question, “how can one’s own religious doctrine be taught so as to allow the widest possible scope for critical reflection within [and about] a faith tradition?”. The current review essay addresses these questions by exploring the meanings, significance, and limitations of each approach and their possible implications for Islamic education in Israeli-Arab and Muslim-majority schools.
Applicability Assessment of a Spatiotemporal Geostatistical Fusion Model for Disaster Monitoring: Two Cases of Flood and Wildfire
Authors: Kim Yeseul
Published: December 2022

A spatial time series geostatistical deconvolution/fusion model (STGDFM), as one of spatiotemporal data fusion model, combines Dense time series data with a Coarse-scale (i.e., DC data) and Sparse time series data with a Fine-scale (i.e., SF data) to generate Synthetic Dense time series data with a Fine-scale (i.e., SDF data). Specifically, STGDFM uses a geostatistics-based spatial time series modeling to capture the temporal trends included in time series DC data. This study evaluated the prediction performance of STGDFM for abrupt changes in reflectance due to disasters in spatiotemporal data fusion, and a spatial and temporal adaptive reflectance fusion model (STARFM) and an enhanced STARFM (ESTARFM) were selected as comparative models. For the applicability assessment, flood and wildfire were selected as case studies. In the case of flood, MODIS-like data (240 m) with spatial resolution converted from Landsat data and Landsat data (30 m) were used as DC and SF data, respectively. In the case of wildfire, MODIS and Landsat data were used as DC and SF data, respectively. The case study results showed that among the three spatiotemporal fusion models, STGDFM presented the best prediction performance with 0.894 to 0.979 at the structure similarity and 0.760 to 0.872 at the R-squared values in the flood- and wildfire-affected areas. Unlike STARFM and ESTARFM that adopt the assumptions for reflectance changes, STGDFM combines the temporal trends using time series DC data. Therefore, STGDFM could capture the abrupt changes in reflectance due to the flood and wildfire. These results indicate that STGDFM can be used for cases where satellite images of appropriate temporal and spatial resolution are difficult to acquire for disaster monitoring.
Possible Mechanism of Phytoplankton Blooms at the Sea Surface after Tropical Cyclones
Authors: Chen Ying , Pan Gang , Mortimer Robert , Zhao Hui
Published: December 2022

Although previous studies have recorded that tropical cyclones cause a significant increase in chlorophyll a concentration (Chl-a), most of these results were only based on surface Chl-a observed by satellite data. Using satellite, reanalysis and model data, this study investigated the response of the upper ocean and sea surface Chl-a to three different levels of tropical cyclones in the South China Sea. In our results, the severe tropical storm (STS) did not cause an increase in surface Chl-a or depth-integrated Chl-a in the short term (i.e., ~2 days); the typhoon (TY) increased the surface Chl-a from 0.12 mg·m−3 to 0.15 mg·m−3 in the short term, but the depth-integrated Chl-a did not increase significantly; the super typhoon (STY) caused the surface Chl-a to increase from 0.15 mg·m−3 to 0.37 mg·m−3 in the short term, and also increased the depth-integrated Chl-a from 40.41 mg·m−2 to 42.59 mg·m−2. These results suggest that the increase in the surface Chl-a after TY and STY were primarily caused by physical processes (e.g., vertical mixing). However, the increase in the depth-integrated Chl-a of STY may be due to the entrainment of both nutrients and phytoplankton through upwelling and turbulent mixing under the influence of STY.
Raspberry Pi Platform Wireless Sensor Node for Low-Frequency Impedance Responses of PZT Interface
Authors: Pham Quang-Quang , Ta Quoc-Bao , Park Jae-Hyung , Kim Jeong-Tae
Published: December 2022

A wireless impedance monitoring system, called SSeL-Pi, is designed to have cheap, mobile, and handy practical features as compared to wired commercial impedance analyzers. A Raspberry Pi platform impedance sensor node is designed to measure signals at a low-frequency range of up to 100 kHz. The low-frequency impedance measurement via the proposed node has been combined with a new PZT interface technique for measuring local responses sensitive to structural damage. The new PZT interface can work as a surface-mounted or embedded sensor, and its local dynamic characteristics are numerically analyzed to pre-determine an effective impedance resonant frequency range of less than 100 kHz. Next, a software scheme was designed to visualize the input/output parameters of the proposed SSeL-Pi system (i.e., Raspberry Pi platform and PZT interface) and automate signal acquisition procedures of the impedance sensor node. The calibration for impedance signals obtained from the proposed system was performed by a series of procedures, from acquiring real and imaginary impedance to adjusting them with respect to a commercial impedance analyzer (HIOKI-3532). The feasibility of the wireless impedance monitoring system was experimentally evaluated for PZT interfaces that were subjected to various compressive loadings. The consistent results analyzed from signals measured by the SSeL-Pi and HIOKI 3532 systems were observed. Additionally, the strong relationships between impedance features (frequency shift and RMSD index) and compressive stresses of the PZT interfaces showed the potential for axial force/stress variation monitoring in real structures using the Raspberry Pi platform impedance sensor node and developed PZT interface.
3D Reality-Based Survey and Retopology for Structural Analysis of Cultural Heritage
Authors: Gonizzi Barsanti Sara , Guagliano Mario , Rossi Adriana
Published: December 2022

Cultural heritage’s structural changes and damages can influence the mechanical behaviour of artefacts and buildings. The use of finite element methods (FEM) for mechanical analysis is largely used in modelling stress behaviour. The workflow involves the use of CAD 3D models and the use of non-uniform rational B-spline (NURBS) surfaces. For cultural heritage objects, altered by the time elapsed since their creation, the representation created with the CAD model may introduce an extreme level of approximation, leading to wrong simulation results. The focus of this work is to present an alternative method intending to generate the most accurate 3D representation of a real artefact from highly accurate 3D reality-based models, simplifying the original models to make them suitable for finite element analysis (FEA) software. The approach proposed, and tested on three different case studies, was based on the intelligent use of retopology procedures to create a simplified model to be converted to a mathematical one made by NURBS surfaces, which is also suitable for being processed by volumetric meshes typically embedded in standard FEM packages. This allowed us to obtain FEA results that were closer to the actual mechanical behaviour of the analysed heritage asset.
Design and Research of Chromatic Confocal System for Parallel Non-Coaxial Illumination Based on Optical Fiber Bundle
Authors: Zhang Yali , Yu Qing , Wang Chong , Zhang Yaozu , Cheng Fang , Wang Yin , Lin Tianliang , Liu Ting , Xi Lin
Published: December 2022

Conventional chromatic confocal systems are mostly single-point coaxial illumination systems with a low signal-to-noise ratio, light energy utility and measurement efficiency. To overcome the above shortcomings, we propose a parallel non-coaxial-illumination chromatic-confocal-measurement system based on an optical fiber bundle. Based on the existing single-point non-coaxial-illumination system, the optical fiber bundle is used as the optical beam splitter to achieve parallel measurements. Thus, the system can yield measurements through line scanning, which greatly improves measurement efficiency. To verify the measurement performance of the system, based on the calibration experiment, the system realizes the measurement of the height of the step, the thickness of the transparent specimen and the reconstruction of the three-dimensional topography of the surface of the step and coin. The experimental results show that the measuring range of the system is 200 μm. The measurement accurcy can reach micron level, and the system can realize a good three-dimensional topography reconstruction effect.
Automatic Recognition of Road Damage Based on Lightweight Attentional Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Liang Han , Lee Seong-Cheol , Seo Suyoung
Published: December 2022

An efficient road damage detection system can reduce the risk of road defects to motorists and road maintenance costs to traffic management authorities, for which a lightweight end-to-end road damage detection network is proposed in this paper, aiming at fast and automatic accurate identification and classification of multiple types of road damage. The proposed technique consists of a backbone network based on a combination of lightweight feature detection modules constituted with a multi-scale feature fusion network, which is more beneficial for target identification and classification at different distances and angles than other studies. An embedded lightweight attention module was also developed that can enhance feature information by assigning weights to multi-scale convolutional kernels to improve detection accuracy with fewer parameters. The proposed model generally has higher performance and fewer parameters than other representative models. According to our practice tests, it can identify many types of road damage based on the images captured by vehicle cameras and meet the real-time detection required when piggybacking on mobile systems.
Smartphone-Based Optical Fiber Fluorescence Temperature Sensor
Authors: Huang Jianwei , Liu Ting , Zhang Yeyu , Zhan Chengsen , Xie Xiaona , Yu Qing , Yi Dingrong
Published: December 2022

Optical fiber sensors are one preferred solution for temperature sensing, especially for their capability of real-time monitoring and remote detection. However, many of them still suffer from a huge sensing system and complicated signal demodulate process. In order to solve these problems, we propose a smartphone-based optical fiber fluorescence temperature sensor. All the components, including the laser, filter, fiber coupler, batteries, and smartphone, are integrated into a 3D-printed shell, on the side of which there is a fiber flange used for the sensing probe connection. The fluorescence signal of the rhodamine B solution encapsulated in the sensing probe can be captured by the smartphone camera and extracted into the R value and G value by a self-developed smartphone application. The temperature can be quantitatively measured by the calibrated G/R-temperature relation, which can be unified using the same linear relationship in all solid–liquid–gas environments. The performance verifications prove that the sensor can measure temperature in high accuracy, good stability and repeatability, and has a long conservation time for at least 3 months. The proposed sensor not only can measure the temperature for remote and real-time detection needs, but it is also handheld with a small size of 167 mm × 85 mm × 75 mm supporting on-site applications. It is a potential tool in the temperature sensing field.
Nanoscale Characterization of Graphene Oxide-Based Epoxy Nanocomposite Using Inverted Scanning Microwave Microscopy
Authors: Joseph C. H. , Luzi Francesca , Azman S. N. Afifa , Forcellese Pietro , Pavoni Eleonora , Fabi Gianluca , Mencarelli Davide , Gentili Serena , Pierantoni Luca , Morini Antonio , Simoncini Michela , Bellezze Tiziano , Corinaldesi Valeria , Farina Marco
Published: December 2022

Scanning microwave microscopy (SMM) is a novel metrological tool that advances the quantitative, nanometric, high-frequency, electrical characterization of a broad range of materials of technological importance. In this work, we report an inverted near-field scanning microwave microscopy (iSMM) investigation of a graphene oxide-based epoxy nanocomposite material at a nanoscopic level. The high-resolution spatial mapping of local conductance provides a quantitative analysis of the sample’s electrical properties. In particular, the electrical conductivity in the order of ∼10−1 S/m as well as the mapping of the dielectric constant with a value of ∼4.7 ± 0.2 are reported and validated by the full-wave electromagnetic modeling of the tip–sample interaction.
Older Persons’ Perceptions concerning Climate Activism and Pro-Environmental Behaviors: Results from a Qualitative Study of Diverse Population Groups of Older Israelis
Authors: Ayalon Liat , Ulitsa Natalie , AboJabel Hanan , Engdau Shelly
Published: December 2022

Older people are under-represented in the climate change movement yet are highly susceptible to the negative effects of climate change. This study’s objectives were to identify possible barriers faced by older persons to increase their pro-environmental behaviors and participation in the climate movement. Relying on in-depth qualitative interviews and focus groups with 50 older persons from four different population groups in Israel, we identified three themes. The first theme concerned assigning responsibility for the current climate situation. This theme addressed the question of who is seen as responsible for the current situation. The second theme covered actions taken by older persons to address the current situation. Finally, older persons view governments/municipalities, industry, and individuals as responsible for the changing climate, with a more traditional segment of the population also viewing God as responsible. Moreover, although governments were identified as important institutions with relevance to the current climate challenge, respondents mainly acknowledged the relevance of pro-environmental behaviors rather than climate change activism. In conclusion, the findings highlight the need to increase environmental activism among older persons. It is also important to increase the breadth of possible pro-environmental behaviors older persons can engage with.
Well-Being and Geography: Modelling Differences in Regional Well-Being Profiles in Case of Spatial Dependence—Evidence from Turkey
Authors: Elburz Zeynep , Kourtit Karima , Nijkamp Peter
Published: December 2022

The aim of this study is to provide a new quantitative perspective on the geography of well-being using an urban–rural typology and characteristic city size elements in order to detect where people are happier and to examine the determinants of well-being by considering spatial dependence effects. We use 81 NUTS 3 regions and the time period 2012–2019 to analyse the geography of well-being for Turkey with panel and spatial panel models. Our results show that living in an urban area, in general, makes people happy, but that density negatively affects well-being. In addition, city size matters for enhancing well-being. We also analyse the determinants of well-being by using several socio-economic well-being indicators. Next, the aspatial and spatial model results based on spatial econometric regressions show that education, health, employment, and income are all important for well-being, whereas indirect effects (spillovers) of these indicators also exist. Our results indicate that ignoring spatial effects causes a misinterpretation of the effects of critical determinants of well-being in geography.
Moderating Role of Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivations in the Relationship between Community Leadership and Social Capital in Rural Malaysia
Authors: Md Rami Ahmad Aizuddin , Zaremohzzabieh Zeinab , Aziz Faiq , Ismail Ismi Arif , Abdullah Haslinda
Published: December 2022

(1) Background: Social capital linking, bridging, and bonding have become fascinating options for sustainable development in rural Malaysia. (2) Objective: The aims of this research were (i) to evaluate how leadership styles affect the social capital in rural Malaysia, and (ii) to examine the moderating role of motivation in enhancing these relationships. (3) Methods: The researchers utilized a quantitative approach to analyze data collected through a self-administered survey involving 190 members of the Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK) in Malaysia. The concept of “leadership quality” was measured based on transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership, while “motivations” cover its extrinsic and intrinsic components. The data were analyzed using a structural equation modeling (SEM) technique. (4) Results: The findings reveal that transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership types are essential to increase social capital in rural Malaysia. It may therefore be suggested that community leadership and its effective styles should be nurtured within the rural community to address more complex problems regarding social capital development. On top of that, extrinsic and intrinsic motivations also appeared to be significant moderating factors in determining social capital development in rural Malaysia. (5) Conclusions: Based on the results, community leaders with different leadership styles may offer better social benefits to the rural community by using various incentives to engage rural residents in facilitating social activities. (6) Policy recommendations: This study suggests further implications for academics and policy makers focused on social capital for sustainable rural development in Malaysia.
Prediction of Supply Chain Financial Credit Risk Based on PCA-GA-SVM Model
Authors: Li Meiyan , Fu Yingjun
Published: December 2022

Supply Chain Finance (SCF) is a new type of financing business carried out by commercial banks on the basis of supply chain management, which effectively promotes the healthy development of the supply chain. As the most typical mode of SCF, accounts receivable financing mode can use the part of accounts receivable occupying working capital for financing, which is widely used. In order to effectively manage the credit risk in the Supply Chain Finance and maintain the healthy operation of the supply chain, this paper proposes a supply chain financial credit risk prediction model based on PCA-GA-SVM. First, principal component analysis (PCA) is used to reduce the dimension of the original index system, and then genetic algorithm (GA) is used to optimize the parameters of support vector machine (SVM). Finally, the principal components selected by PCA are input into the GA-SVM model for training, and the final prediction model is established. The running results show that the prediction performance of PCA-GA-SVM model is better than that of SVM and GA-SVM models. It has a good generalization ability, which can be used as a reference for commercial banks to improve the credit risk management ability of Supply Chain Finance and is conducive to the sustainable development of supply chain finance business.
A Multi-Equipment Task Assignment Model for the Horizontal Stripe Pre-Cut Mining Method
Authors: Tu Siyu , Jia Mingtao , Wang Liguan , Feng Shuzhao , Huang Shuang
Published: December 2022

This paper proposes a multi-equipment task assignment model for the horizontal stripe pre-cut mining method to address the problem of cooperative scheduling operation of multi-equipment in underground metal mines under complex constraints. The model is constructed with multiple objectives, including operation time, operational efficiency, equipment utilization rate, and ore grade fluctuation by considering the constraints of time, space, equipment, and processes. The NSGA-III algorithm is used to obtain the solution. The effectiveness of the algorithm is tested based on the actual data from the Chambishi Copper Mine. The results show that the average equipment utilization rate is 51.25%, and the average ore output efficiency is 278.71 tons/hour. The NSGA-III algorithm can quickly generate the optimal multi-equipment task assignment solution. The solution reduces the interference of manual experience and theoretically improves the actual operation of the mine.
Modelling Residents’ Perspectives of Tourism Opposition in US Counties with the Highest Historical Numbers of Reported COVID-19 Cases
Authors: Erul Emrullah , Woosnam Kyle Maurice , Denley Tara J.
Published: December 2022

This work tests an extended theory of planned behavior model to examine residents’ behavioral intent to oppose tourism living in densely populated US counties with historically high rates of COVID-19 cases. The addition of three constructs serves as antecedents to the traditional theory of planned behavior constructs. Results revealed that passive and active opposition explained 67% of the variance in behavioral intent to oppose tourism. Of the proposed model hypotheses, 14 of the 15 were supported with oppositional attitudes toward tourism, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control explaining 78% and 68% of the variance in passive and active behavioral intent, respectively. This paper contributes several theoretical implications (e.g., to ascertain residents’ opposition to tourism in the context of COVID-19, the current study employed TPB constructs and showed how TPB constructs effective predictors of residents’ intention to oppose tourism). The current study indicates that as the level of residents’ awareness of COVID-19 increases, they will have more negative attitudes, norms, opinions, and intentions toward tourism. Our findings will help inform destination marketing organizations in their efforts to navigate the best steps forward while balancing residents’ health and well-being with much-needed economic recovery.
Recovery of Sugar and Nutrients from Algae and Colocasia esculenta (Taro) Leaves Using Chemical Hydrolysis
Authors: Dahiya Swati , Chowdhury Raja , Kumar Pradeep , Ghosh Sanjoy , Srinivasan Asha
Published: December 2022

Algal biomass and Colocasia esculenta (Taro) leaves are available as waste biomass all over India. These biomasses can be used as renewable and sustainable resources for sugars and nutrients. Recovered nutrients and sugars can be used as cheap raw materials for biofuels and biomaterials production. The hydrolysis of dried algal biomass and Colocasia esculenta (Taro) leaves were investigated using 1%, 2%, and 5% solutions of ferric-chloride, nitric acid, and acetic acid for the reaction times of 30 and 60 min at 121 °C and 103.4 kPa (15 psi). 1% and 2% H2SO4 treatments were used as the reference. The solid: liquid ratio was kept at 1:10 for all the experiments. For algal biomass, a 5% acetic acid treatment for 60 min was found to be optimum with a total carbohydrate release of 44.2 mg/g biomass (solubilized monomers-0.82 mg/g of biomass) and N and P solubilization of 1.8 mg total nitrogen/g biomass and 7 mg total phosphorus/g biomass. Moreover, for Colocasia esculenta (Taro) leaves, the maximum carbohydrate yield of 95 mg/g biomass (solubilized monomers-43.6 mg/g of biomass) and nutrient solubilization of 5.02 mg total nitrogen/g biomass was obtained with 5% ferric chloride treatment for 60 min. The results obtained showed that various hydrolyzing agents used in this study acted differently on different types of biomasses. Acetic acid worked best in hydrolyzing the algal biomass, and for the hydrolysis of Taro leaves, ferric chloride and nitric acid were effective. Statistical analysis showed that the chemical concentration was one of the prime factors for releasing P from algal biomass. For carbohydrate release from Taro leaves, either time or concentration, or both, were the prime factors that affected the carbohydrate release.
Influence of Type of Sleeper–Ballast Interface on the Shear Behaviour of Railway Ballast: An Experimental and Numerical Study
Authors: Navaratnarajah Sinniah Karuppiah , Mayuranga Henpita Gamage Sushan , Venuja Somasundaraiyer
Published: December 2022

The shear resistance at the sleeper–ballast interface of a ballasted track is an important contributor in maintaining track stability under faster and heavier axle loads where the ballast undergoes significant lateral sliding. Different types of sleeper–ballast interfaces based on the type of sleeper arrangements, such as concrete sleepers, timber sleepers, and under sleeper pads (USPs) attached to the concrete sleepers influence the lateral stability of railway tracks. Therefore, in this study the shear and degradation behaviour of ballast at concrete–ballast, timber–ballast, and USP–ballast interfaces were examined in the laboratory using large-scale direct shear tests under 60 kPa normal stress. The use of waste materials in the construction of civil infrastructure is gaining a lot of interest in the engineering community. Therefore, in addition to commercial USPs manufactured using raw materials, recycled USPs manufactured from granulates of end-of-life rubber tyres were also tested in this study. The discrete element modelling (DEM) approach was used to predict the shear behaviour of ballast at 30, 90, 120, 150, and 180 kPa normal stresses. The bonded particle model (BPM) was adopted in the DEM to simulate the effects of particle breakage during shearing. The results exhibited that both commercial and recycled USPs significantly improve the shear resistance at the sleeper–ballast interface while reducing particle degradation compared to concrete and timber sleeper interfaces.
Bibliometric Analysis of the Scientific Research on Sustainability in the Impact of Social Media on Higher Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Hossain Saddam , Batcha M. Sadik , Atoum Ibrahim , Ahmad Naved , Al-Shehri Afnan
Published: December 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has created massive issues around the world. To ensure that education continued during the crisis, educational institutions had to implement a variety of initiatives. This paper aims to examine the growth and country collaboration on social media (SM) research during the COVID-19 pandemic through a systematic review and investigate the impact of this body of work by citation and network analyses. The number of articles, keywords, and clusters of worldwide academic scholars working in the area was mapped using R studio and the VOS viewer tool. According to the study results, 519 articles have been retrieved from the Web of Science in the field of domain. The USA has produced the most publications, and Chen IH and Lin CY were the most prolific authors. Furthermore, the most studies on SM use in higher education were released in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. This research will help academic researchers, organizations, and policymakers to understand the ongoing research on SM during the last pandemic. It will help future academics analyze the evolution of social media technologies in higher education throughout the pandemic and identify areas for further study.
Cost Deviation Model of Construction Projects in Saudi Arabia Using PLS-SEM
Authors: Alsugair Abdullah M.
Published: December 2022

Miscalculations during cost estimation can have adverse effects on construction projects, including delaying or canceling planned projects, reducing project scope, and creating considerable financial risks for both owners and contractors. The objective of this research was to identify the major factors that cause cost deviation and study the effect of the interaction between these factors on cost deviation prior to the tender phase of construction projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This was accomplished by carrying out a comprehensive literature review of the factors affecting cost deviation; implementing a survey questionnaire for project participants, including contractors, consultants, and clients, who are aware of the construction industry in Saudi Arabia; and developing a model for cost deviation based on the questionnaire data using the partial least square structural equation model (PLS-SEM). The cost deviation model was developed, and the PLS-SEM provided the critical factors affecting cost deviation and gave theoretical support for the study’s conceptual framework. The results revealed that the problem is shared by the owners and contractors, as the factors with the highest rankings were project characteristics, contractual procedures, and estimator performance. The study also showed that the issue of cost deviation is more important to owners than contractors, as the predictive relevance of project characteristics, contractual procedures, and estimator performance were 0.229, 0.335, and 0.197, respectively, for the client–consultant model, and 0.117, 0.118, and 0.292, respectively, for the contractor model. The results indicate the need to control the highest-ranked factors to enhance the efficiency of the cost estimation process. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by generating the PLS-SEM model that takes into account the indirect relationships among affecting cost deviation factors and considers these relationships while preparing the bid to reduce the deviation cost.
Entrepreneurial Orientation as a Determinant of Sustainable Performance in Polish Family and Non-Family Organizations
Authors: Ingram Tomasz , Bratnicka-Myśliwiec Katarzyna , Kraśnicka Teresa , Steinerowska-Streb Izabella
Published: December 2022

The paper investigates the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and sustainable firm performance with the mediating role of innovation output in family and non-family businesses in the post-transition economy. In order to analyze these relationships, quantitative research on a sample of 322 Polish organizations was conducted. The research results show a few differences between family and non-family businesses concerning the influence of entrepreneurial orientation on innovativeness and sustainable organizational performance. Moreover, the study reveals the critical role of the proactiveness dimension in shaping long-term firm performance.
Wheat Straw Burial Enhances the Root Physiology, Productivity, and Water Utilization Efficiency of Rice under Alternative Wetting and Drying Irrigation
Authors: Franz Gouertoumbo Willy , Alhaj Hamoud Yousef , Guo Xiangping , Shaghaleh Hiba , Ali Adam Hamad Amar , Elsadek Elsayed
Published: December 2022

This study evaluated whether the straw burial and alternative wetting and drying (AWD) irrigation could improve the root activity, yield, and water utilization efficiency (WUE) of rice. Accordingly, we conducted a field experiment with three straw burial levels, i.e., with no straw burial (NSB), low straw burial 300 kg.ha−1 (LSB), and dense straw burial 800 kg.ha−1 (DSB), and three irrigation regimes, i.e., alternate wetting/moderate drying (AWMD), alternate wetting/severe drying (AWSD), and alternate wetting/critical drying (AWCD). Results showed that straw burial improved the root activity, rice yield, and WUE under AWD regimes. The combination AWMD×DSB resulted in the greatest values of total dry mass (1764.7 g/m2) and water use (853.1 mm). Conversely, the treatment AWCD × NSB led to the lowest values of total biomass (583.3 g/m2) and water use (321.8 mm). Root dry weight density (1.11 g cm−3) and root active absorption area (31.6 m2 plant−1) were higher in the treatment AWMD × DSB than root dry weight density (0.41 g cm−3) and root active absorption area (21.2 m2 plant−1) were in the treatment AWCD×NSB. The former combined treatment increased root oxidation ability (55.5 mg g−1 FWh−1), the root surface phosphatase activity (1.67 mg g−1 FWh−1) and nitrate reductase activity of root (14.4 μg g−1 h−1) while the latter considerably reduced the values of root oxidation ability (21.4 mg g−1 FWh−1), the root surface phosphatase activity (0.87 mg g−1 FWh−1) and nitrate reductase activity of root (5.8 μg g−1 h−1). The following conclusions can be drawn with regard to water use and biomass yield. (i) The reduction in water consumption was greater than the reduction in yield in the case of AWSD. (ii) The decline in water consumption was less than the decline in biomass yield in the case of AWCD. (iii) The increase in in water consumption was greater than the increase in biomass yield in the case of AWMD. Therefore, the indicators of WUE were recorded in the following order: AWSD > AWMD > AWCD. This study recommends AWD irrigation to improve the root growth traits that contribute to the greater biomass yield of rice. It also suggests that farmers should implement AWD irrigation after leaving wheat straw residues in the field, and followed by deep tillage, to mitigate the negative effect of drought stress caused by AWD irrigation, preserving plant growth without large biomass losses, and thus, addressing the constrains of straw residues and sustaining rice production under limited freshwater resources.
Exploring the Impact of Sustainability, Board Characteristics, and Firm-Specifics on Firm Value: A Comparative Study of the United Kingdom and Turkey
Authors: A. Almaqtari Faozi , Elsheikh Tamer , Tawfik Omar Ikbal , Youssef Mayada Abd El-Aziz
Published: December 2022

The study aims to investigate the effect of several sustainability indicators on firms’ value. Panel data of 1914 observations from the UK and Turkey from 2016 to 2021 with a fixed effect model are used to estimate the results. The findings reveal that ESG indicators associate significantly with firms’ value. However, ESG indicators exhibit a stronger significant association with Tobin’s Q than stock prices and market-to-book value. This indicates that sustainability indicators are linked to the firm’s overall market value and the long-term run market valuation rather than just the stock market value. The results also reveal that while board independence, board expertise, and diversity exhibit a significant and positive association with firms’ value, board size negatively affects firms’ value. The current study provides unique contributions and comprehensive evidence based on different institutional and country sustainability enforcement statuses. It offers empirical implications for regulatory authorities and other developing countries to provide a comprehensive ESG reporting framework.
Decentralized Composting Analysis Model—Benefit/Cost Decision-Making Methodology
Authors: Daskal Shira , Asi Omar , Sabbah Isam , Ayalon Ofira , Baransi-Karkaby Katie
Published: December 2022

Municipal solid waste management is considered one of the major environmental challenges. Organic waste, especially food waste, usually accounts for over 50 wt% of municipal solid waste, yet, in most countries, it is the least recovered material. Decentralized composting aims to develop a new framework of waste management, building a closed-loop system for the composting of home, community, and commercial organic waste in urban environments. However, in some cases, decentralized composting is not economically and/or environmentally viable. Even when it is viable, various barriers and challenges need to be addressed in many cases. Different models in the literature address certain aspects of organic waste management, such as food waste treatment technology, recovery of energy, site selection, or environmental impact. The objective of this study is to provide guidelines and a methodological framework to quantify economic, social, operational, environmental, and regulatory aspects, in order to examine the viability and feasibility of decentralized composting projects at any given location. The decentralized composting analysis model proposed in this study has been developed with an innovative approach to decentralized composting project planning and design, an approach that is both holistic and very practical. The innovative model incorporates various aspects to examine the viability of decentralized composting projects based on benefit/cost criteria. In this respect, a result obtained through another model that examines a specific aspect of decentralized composting can be used as input for the model presented here. The decentralized composting analysis model provides a powerful tool for decision makers, based on the quantification of the decentralized composting project characteristics, and a benefit/cost index that takes into account the various impact variables. The decentralized composting analysis model allows examining the viability of the decentralized composting project in different scenarios, locations and options, and can help indicate the most viable alternative. In this paper, we describe the decentralized composting analysis model and its methodological framework, along with numerical examples to demonstrate its implementation.
Students’ Academic Performance and Perceptions towards Online Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic at a Large Public University in Northern Cyprus
Authors: Asgharzadehbonab Saeid , Akkeleş Arif , Ozder Hasan
Published: December 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted education systems in educational environments, especially in universities. In some educational institutions, including Eastern Mediterranean University, the decision was made to replace face-to-face learning with online learning to ensure the health of students and instructors. It is necessary to find out how a transition would impact the education quality and what the feedback will be among students. This study examines the level of satisfaction with the current online learning platforms, students’ preference between face-to-face and online learning, and the students’ continuous intention to use online learning. Students’ academic performance during the two years of the COVID-19 pandemic era and the two years before the COVID-19 pandemic era are compared together in this research to examine the change in their academic performance outcomes. To collect data, a cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 1087 participants fully responded to the online survey. The findings of this study provide strong support for online learning against face-to-face learning. The evaluation of students’ academic performance showed a very slight drop, which showed that the level of satisfaction of students from online learning might not be linked to their academic achievements. The results of this study can help educational environments to improve the situation of online education, and policymakers will have a good view of students’ acceptance and satisfaction with online learning.
Developmental Trajectories of Symptom-Specific Anxiety in Chinese Preschoolers: The Role of Maternal Anxious Rearing Behaviors
Authors: Zhou Siyu , Li Xiaowei
Published: December 2022

Although developmental trajectories of anxiety have begun to be explored, most research has focused on total anxiety symptom scores in middle childhood and adolescence. Little is known about the developmental trajectories of specific anxiety symptoms in early childhood. This three-wave longitudinal study investigated (1) the developmental trajectories of four specific anxiety symptoms (separation anxiety, special fear, social anxiety, and generalized anxiety) during early childhood, and (2) the association between maternal anxious rearing behaviors and these four specific anxiety symptoms concurrently and over time. Mothers of 105 Chinese children completed the Preschool Anxiety Scale (PAS) and the “Egna Minnen Beträffande Uppfostran” for parents (EMBU-P) to report their child’s anxiety symptoms and their own anxious rearing behaviors when their child was 2–4, 3–5, and 6–7 years old. The results of latent growth curve modelling (LGCM) showed that participating children exhibited a slight linear decrease in special fear and social anxiety across three time points, whereas the trajectories of separation anxiety and generalized anxiety remained stable. Maternal anxious rearing behaviors were significant and positively related to children’s separation anxiety at T3 and specific fear at T1 and T2 but unrelated to social anxiety and generalized anxiety at any time points. These findings help us better understand how various types of anxiety problems develop in early life and isolate the risk factors (e.g., maternal anxious rearing behaviors) contributing to the emergence and continuity of anxiety problems as early as possible.