bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Physical and Mechanical Properties of Thermally-Modified Beech Wood Impregnated with Silver Nano-Suspension and Their Relationship with the Crystallinity of Cellulose
Authors: Bayani Siavash , Taghiyari Hamid R. , Papadopoulos Antonios N.
Published: September 2019

The aim of this study was to investigate the physical and mechanical properties of thermally modified beech wood impregnated with silver nano-suspension and to examine their relationship with the crystallinity of cellulose. Specimens were impregnated with a 400 ppm nanosilver suspension (NS); at least, 90% of silver nano-particles ranged between 20 and 100 nano-meters. Heat treatment took place in a laboratory oven at three temperatures, namely 145, 165, and 185 °C. Physical properties and mechanical properties of treated wood demonstrated statistically insignificant fluctuations at low temperatures compared to control specimens. On the other hand, an increase of temperature to 185 °C had a significant effect on all properties. Physical properties (volumetric swelling and water absorption) and mechanical properties (MOR and MOE) of treated wood demonstrated statistically insignificant fluctuations at low temperatures compared to control specimens. This degradation ultimately resulted in significant decrease in MOR, impact strength, and physical properties. However, thermal modification at 185 °C did not seem to cause significant fluctuations in MOE and compression strength parallel to grain. As a consequence of the thermal modification, part of amorphous cellulose was changed to crystalline cellulose. At low temperatures an increased crystallinity caused some of the properties to be improved. Crystallinity also demonstrated a decrease in NS-HT185 in comparison to HT185 treatment. TCr indices in specimens thermally treated at 145 °C revealed a significant increase as a result of impregnation with nanosilver suspension. This improvement in TCr index resulted in a noticeable increase in MOR and MOE values. Other properties did not show significant fluctuations, suggesting that the effect of the increased crystallinity and cross-linking in lignin was more than the negative effect of the low cell-wall polymer degradation caused by thermal modification. Change of amorphous cellulose to crystalline cellulose, as well as cross-linking in lignin, partially ameliorated the negative effects of thermal degradation at higher temperatures and therefore, compression parallel to grain and modulus of elasticity did not decrease significantly. Overall, it can be concluded that increased crystallinity and cross-linking in lignin can compensate for some decreased properties caused by thermal modification, but it would be significantly dependent on the temperature under which modification is carried out. Impregnating specimens with silver nano-suspension prior to thermal modification enhanced the effects of thermal modification as a result of improved thermal conductivity.
Lattice Strain Analysis of a Mn-Doped CdSe QD System Using Crystallography Techniques
Authors: Hamizi Nor Aliya , Johan Mohd Rafie , Ghazali Nadiah , Abdul Wahab Yasmin , Chowdhury Zaira Zaman , Akbarzadeh Omid , Sagadevan Suresh , Badruddin Irfan Anjum , Yunus Khan T. M. , Kamangar Sarfaraz
Published: September 2019

In this work, we report on the different sizes of manganese-doped cadmium selenide quantum dots (Mn-doped CdSe QDs) synthesized for 0 to 90 min using a reverse micelle organic solvent method and surfactant having a zinc blende structure, with physical size varying from 3 to 14 nm and crystallite size from 2.46 to 5.46 nm and with a narrow size distribution. At similar reaction times, Mn-doped CdSe QDs displayed the growth of larger QDs compared with the pure CdSe QDs. Due to the implementation of lattice strain owing to the inclusion of Mn atoms in the CdSe QD lattice, the lattice parameter was compressed as the QD size increased. Strain was induced by the particle size reduction, as observed from X-ray diffractometer (XRD) analysis. The analyses of the strain effect on the QD reduction are discussed relative to each of the XRD characteristics.
Using Parallel Genetic Algorithms for Estimating Model Parameters in Complex Reactive Transport Problems
Authors: Torlapati Jagadish , Clement T. Prabhakar
Published: September 2019

In this study, we present the details of an optimization method for parameter estimation of one-dimensional groundwater reactive transport problems using a parallel genetic algorithm (PGA). The performance of the PGA was tested with two problems that had published analytical solutions and two problems with published numerical solutions. The optimization model was provided with the published experimental results and reasonable bounds for the unknown kinetic reaction parameters as inputs. Benchmarking results indicate that the PGA estimated parameters that are close to the published parameters and it also predicted the observed trends well for all four problems. Also, OpenMP FORTRAN parallel constructs were used to demonstrate the speedup of the code on an Intel quad-core desktop computer. The parallel code showed a linear speedup with an increasing number of processors. Furthermore, the performance of the underlying optimization algorithm was tested to evaluate its sensitivity to the various genetic algorithm (GA) parameters, including initial population size, number of generations, and parameter bounds. The PGA used in this study is generic and can be easily scaled to higher-order water quality modeling problems involving real-world applications.
The New Religion-Based Work Ethic and Cultural Consumption Patterns of Religiously Conservative Groups in Turkey
Authors: Erden Özgür Olgun
Published: September 2019

This study discusses two religious elements of culture emerging within various religiously conservative groups in Turkey. The first is concerned with the building of a religious work ethic, framing work life with Islamic morals and norms. The second involves religiously oriented consumption patterns among these groups, which generate a faith-driven dimension of culture in capitalist consumer society. The study deals with how and why these two religious-cultural dimensions arose, and what forms they take in contemporary Turkey. These forms operate in the background of dress and fashion concerns of the aforesaid groups, influencing clothing styles and consumption patterns, as well as being linked to the capitalist-Islamic work ethic. The study demonstrates how consumption styles have changed in line with transformations in the class structure of the groups in question. It examines the extent to which, with the development of new religious ethic and consumption styles compatible with capitalist economic order, interpretations of Islam have shaped and organized the economic and cultural fields in Turkey. We argue that there is a mutually formative relationship between economy, religion, and culture. In that relationship, religion, which paves the way for forming a class-based religious perspective in keeping with a capitalist system, undertakes an active role in shaping an economic sphere and cultural activities in everyday life.
Automatic Methodology to Detect the Coastline from Landsat Images with a New Water Index Assessed on Three Different Spanish Mediterranean Deltas
Authors: Viaña-Borja Sandra , Ortega-Sánchez Miguel
Published: September 2019

Due to the importance of coastline detection in coastal studies, different methods have been developed in recent decades in accordance with the evolution of measuring techniques such as remote sensing. This work proposes an automatic methodology with new water indexes to detect the coastline from different multispectral Landsat images; the methodology is applied to three Spanish deltas in the Mediterranean Sea. The new water indexes use surface reflectance rather than top-of-atmosphere reflectance from blue and shortwave infrared (SWIR 2) Landsat bands. A total of 621 sets of images were analyzed from three different Landsat sensors with a moderate spatial resolution of 30 m. Our proposal, which was compared to the most commonly used water indexes, showed outstanding performance in automatic detection of the coastline in 96% of the data analyzed, which also reached the minimum value of bias of − 0.91 m and a standard deviation ranging from ±4.7 and ±7.29 m in some cases in contrast to the existing values. Bicubic interpolation was evaluated for a simple sub-pixel analysis to assess its capability in improving the accuracy of coastline extraction. Our methodology represents a step forward in automatic coastline detection that can be applied to micro-tidal coastal sites with different land covers using many multi-sensor satellite images.
Time Series GIS Map Dataset of Demolished Buildings in Mashiki Town after the 2016 Kumamoto, Japan Earthquake
Authors: Kushiyama Yuzuru , Matsuoka Masashi
Published: September 2019

After a large-scale disaster, many damaged buildings are demolished and treated as disaster waste. Though the weight of disaster waste was estimated two months after the 2016 earthquake in Kumamoto, Japan, the estimated weight was significantly different from the result when the disaster waste disposal was completed in March 2018. The amount of disaster waste generated is able to be estimated by an equation by multiplying the total number of severely damaged and partially damaged buildings by the coefficient of generated weight per building. We suppose that the amount of disaster waste would be affected by the conditions of demolished buildings, namely, the areas and typologies of building structures, but this has not yet been clarified. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to use geographic information system (GIS) map data to create a time series GIS map dataset with labels of demolished and remaining buildings in Mashiki town for the two-year period prior to the completion of the disaster waste disposal. We used OpenStreetMap (OSM) data as the base data and time series SPOT images observed in the two years following the Kumamoto earthquake to label all demolished and remaining buildings in the GIS map dataset. To effectively label the approximately 16,000 buildings in Mashiki town, we calculated an indicator that shows the possibility of the buildings to be classified as the remaining and demolished buildings from a change of brightness in SPOT images. We classified 5701 demolished buildings from 16,106 buildings, as of March 2018, by visual interpretation of the SPOT and Pleiades images with reference to this indicator. We verified that the number of demolished buildings was almost the same as the number reported by Mashiki municipality. Moreover, we assessed the accuracy of our proposed method: The F-measure was higher than 0.9 using the training dataset, which was verified by a field survey and visual interpretation, and included the labels of the 55 demolished and 55 remaining buildings. We also assessed the accuracy of the proposed method by applying it to all the labels in the OSM dataset, but the F-measure was 0.579. If we applied test data including balanced labels of the other 100 demolished and 100 remaining buildings, which were other than the training data, the F-measure was 0.790 calculated from the SPOT image of 25 March 2018. Our proposed method performed better for the balanced classification but not for imbalanced classification. We studied the examples of image characteristics of correct and incorrect estimation by thresholding the indicator.
Conditional Generative Adversarial Networks (cGANs) for Near Real-Time Precipitation Estimation from Multispectral GOES-16 Satellite Imageries—PERSIANN-cGAN
Authors: Hayatbini Negin , Kong Bailey , Hsu Kuo-lin , Nguyen Phu , Sorooshian Soroosh , Stephens Graeme , Fowlkes Charless , Nemani Ramakrishna , Ganguly Sangram
Published: September 2019

In this paper, we present a state-of-the-art precipitation estimation framework which leverages advances in satellite remote sensing as well as Deep Learning (DL). The framework takes advantage of the improvements in spatial, spectral and temporal resolutions of the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) onboard the GOES-16 platform along with elevation information to improve the precipitation estimates. The procedure begins by first deriving a Rain/No Rain (R/NR) binary mask through classification of the pixels and then applying regression to estimate the amount of rainfall for rainy pixels. A Fully Convolutional Network is used as a regressor to predict precipitation estimates. The network is trained using the non-saturating conditional Generative Adversarial Network (cGAN) and Mean Squared Error (MSE) loss terms to generate results that better learn the complex distribution of precipitation in the observed data. Common verification metrics such as Probability Of Detection (POD), False Alarm Ratio (FAR), Critical Success Index (CSI), Bias, Correlation and MSE are used to evaluate the accuracy of both R/NR classification and real-valued precipitation estimates. Statistics and visualizations of the evaluation measures show improvements in the precipitation retrieval accuracy in the proposed framework compared to the baseline models trained using conventional MSE loss terms. This framework is proposed as an augmentation for PERSIANN-CCS (Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Network- Cloud Classification System) algorithm for estimating global precipitation.
GNSS/LiDAR-Based Navigation of an Aerial Robot in Sparse Forests
Authors: Chiella Antonio C. B. , Machado Henrique N. , Teixeira Bruno O. S. , Pereira Guilherme A. S.
Published: September 2019

Autonomous navigation of unmanned vehicles in forests is a challenging task. In such environments, due to the canopies of the trees, information from Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) can be degraded or even unavailable. Also, because of the large number of obstacles, a previous detailed map of the environment is not practical. In this paper, we solve the complete navigation problem of an aerial robot in a sparse forest, where there is enough space for the flight and the GNSS signals can be sporadically detected. For localization, we propose a state estimator that merges information from GNSS, Attitude and Heading Reference Systems (AHRS), and odometry based on Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors. In our LiDAR-based odometry solution, the trunks of the trees are used in a feature-based scan matching algorithm to estimate the relative movement of the vehicle. Our method employs a robust adaptive fusion algorithm based on the unscented Kalman filter. For motion control, we adopt a strategy that integrates a vector field, used to impose the main direction of the movement for the robot, with an optimal probabilistic planner, which is responsible for obstacle avoidance. Experiments with a quadrotor equipped with a planar LiDAR in an actual forest environment is used to illustrate the effectiveness of our approach.
Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Search and Rescue Missions Using Real-Time Cooperative Model Predictive Control
Authors: de Alcantara Andrade Fabio Augusto , Reinier Hovenburg Anthony , Netto de Lima Luciano , Dahlin Rodin Christopher , Johansen Tor Arne , Storvold Rune , Moraes Correia Carlos Alberto , Barreto Haddad Diego
Published: September 2019

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have recently been used in a wide variety of applications due to their versatility, reduced cost, rapid deployment, among other advantages. Search and Rescue (SAR) is one of the most prominent areas for the employment of UAVs in place of a manned mission, especially because of its limitations on the costs, human resources, and mental and perception of the human operators. In this work, a real-time path-planning solution using multiple cooperative UAVs for SAR missions is proposed. The technique of Particle Swarm Optimization is used to solve a Model Predictive Control (MPC) problem that aims to perform search in a given area of interest, following the directive of international standards of SAR. A coordinated turn kinematic model for level flight in the presence of wind is included in the MPC. The solution is fully implemented to be embedded in the UAV on-board computer with DUNE, an on-board navigation software. The performance is evaluated using Ardupilot’s Software-In-The-Loop with JSBSim flight dynamics model simulations. Results show that, when employing three UAVs, the group reaches 50% Probability of Success 2.35 times faster than when a single UAV is employed.
Fault Diagnosis of Rotary Parts of a Heavy-Duty Horizontal Lathe Based on Wavelet Packet Transform and Support Vector Machine
Authors: Jin Hongyu , Titus Avitus , Liu Yulong , Wang Yang , Han Zhenyu
Published: September 2019

The spindle box is responsible for power transmission, supporting the rotating parts and ensuring the rotary accuracy of the workpiece in the heavy-duty machine tool. Its assembly quality is crucial to ensure the reliable power supply and stable operation of the machine tool in the process of large load and cutting force. Therefore, accurate diagnosis of assembly faults is of great significance for improving assembly efficiency and ensuring outgoing quality. In this paper, the common fault types and characteristics of the spindle box of heavy horizontal lathe are analyzed first, and original vibration signals of various fault types are collected. The wavelet packet is used to decompose the signal into different frequency bands and reconstruct the nodes in the frequency band where the characteristic frequency points are located. Then, the power spectrum analysis is carried out on the reconstructed signal, so that the fault features in the signal can be clearly expressed. The structure of the feature vector used for fault diagnosis is analyzed and the feature vector is extracted from the collected signals. Finally, the intelligent pattern recognition method based on support vector machine is used to classify the fault types. The results show that the method proposed in this paper can quickly and accurately judge the fault types.
Opportunistic Multipath Routing in Long-Hop Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Kim Sangdae , Kim Beom-Su , Kim Kyong Hoon , Kim Ki-Il
Published: September 2019

To improve the packet delivery ratio in wireless sensor networks, many approaches such as multipath, opportunistic, and learning-based routing protocols have been proposed. However, the performance of the existing protocols are degraded under long-hop wireless sensor networks because the additional overhead is proportional to the number of hops. To deal with the overhead, we propose an opportunistic multipath routing that forecasts the required number of paths, as well as bifurcation based on opportunistic routing according to the reliability requirement. In the proposed scheme, an intermediate node is able to select a different node for each transmission and to handle path failure adaptively. Through a performance evaluation, we demonstrate that the proposed scheme achieves a higher packet delivery ratio and reduces the energy consumption by at least approximately 33% and up to approximately 65% compared with existing routing protocols, under the condition of an 80% link success ratio in the long-hop sensor network.
Wearable Inertial Sensors to Assess Standing Balance: A Systematic Review
Authors: Ghislieri Marco , Gastaldi Laura , Pastorelli Stefano , Tadano Shigeru , Agostini Valentina
Published: September 2019

Wearable sensors are de facto revolutionizing the assessment of standing balance. The aim of this work is to review the state-of-the-art literature that adopts this new posturographic paradigm, i.e., to analyse human postural sway through inertial sensors directly worn on the subject body. After a systematic search on PubMed and Scopus databases, two raters evaluated the quality of 73 full-text articles, selecting 47 high-quality contributions. A good inter-rater reliability was obtained (Cohen’s kappa = 0.79). This selection of papers was used to summarize the available knowledge on the types of sensors used and their positioning, the data acquisition protocols and the main applications in this field (e.g., “active aging”, biofeedback-based rehabilitation for fall prevention, and the management of Parkinson’s disease and other balance-related pathologies), as well as the most adopted outcome measures. A critical discussion on the validation of wearable systems against gold standards is also presented.
Transport Properties of Nanostructured Li2TiO3 Anode Material Synthesized by Hydrothermal Method
Authors: Lakshmi-Narayana Ambadi , Hussain Obili M. , Mauger Alain , Julien Christian
Published: September 2019

Li2TiO3 nanopowders were synthesized by hydrothermal process using anatase TiO2 and LiOHH2O as raw materials. Li2TiO3 crystallizes in the layered monoclinic structure (space group C2/c) with average crystallite size of 34 nm. Morphology, elemental composition and local structure of products were carried out using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Transport properties investigated by d.c. (4-probe measurements) and a.c. (complex impedance spectroscopy) show the activation energy of 0.71 and 0.65 eV, respectively. The ionic transport properties of Li+ ions in nanocrystalline Li2TiO3 characterized by cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy validate the good electrochemical properties of this anode material for lithium-ion batteries.
Sustainability Development of Knowledge-Intensive Business Services: Strategic Actions and Business Performance
Authors: Bumberová Veronika , Milichovský František
Published: September 2019

The recognition of the relevance of knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) is becoming especially acute in the European Union and even more important for many emerging economies. The objective of the present study is twofold: (1) to examine whether an empirically-based typology of sustainability development can be constructed for KIBS; (2) to identify whether different development patterns are associated with different business performance outcomes. The empirical evidence is based on quantitative and firm-level data gathered through an email questionnaire which yielded 128 qualified responses from KIBS in the Czech Republic. The analysis is based on exploratory factor and cluster analysis to identify the cluster membership and to assess the relationship with performance outcomes it has been used the parametric test one-way ANOVA. Data analysis revealed that three distinct patterns types of KIBS exist, which were associated with different performance outcomes. With regard to the level of sustainable development, we found the conservative KIBS following market extension through a repositioning of existing and revised services, innovating KIBS following a new service development strategy focusing mainly on complements or line extension to existing services based on changes in technology and middle-ranged KIBS focusing on traditional strategy of comprehensiveness of services or “more services under one roof”. Innovating KIBS outperform other types of KIBS in all financial and non-financial parameters. The results have implications for practices involved in strategy development in services and useful for government efforts. The limitation of the research is done by focus on small companies, operating mainly in ICT and architectural and engineering services.
A Two-Stage Restoration Resource Allocation Model for Enhancing the Resilience of Interdependent Infrastructure Systems
Authors: Kong Jingjing , Zhang Chao , Simonovic Slobodan P.
Published: September 2019

Infrastructure systems play a critical role in delivering essential services that are important to the economy and welfare of society. To enhance the resilience of infrastructure systems after a large-scale disruptive event, determining where and when to invest restoration resources is a challenge for decision makers. Comprehensively considering the recovery time of infrastructure systems and the overall losses resulting from a disaster, this study proposes a two-stage restoration resource allocation model for enhancing the resilience of interdependent infrastructure systems. First, to evaluate the effect of resource allocation during the recovery process, dynamic resilience is selected as the criterion for the recovery of infrastructure systems. Second, taking into consideration the decision makers’ point of view, a two-stage resource allocation model is proposed. The objective of the first stage is to quickly recover the infrastructure systems’ dynamic resilience to meet the basic needs of the users. The second stage is aimed at minimizing the overall losses in the following recovery process. The effects of infrastructure interdependencies on resource allocation are incorporated in the model using the dynamic inoperability input–output model. Through a case study, the proposed approach is compared with other resource allocation strategies. The results show that: (1) the restoration resource allocation strategy obtained from the proposed approach balances the recovery time and the overall losses to infrastructure systems; and (2) the value of the usage cost of the unit restoration resource has a significant impact on the recovery time and the overall losses under different strategies. The proposed model is both effective and efficient in solving the post-disaster resource allocation problem and can provide decision makers with scientific decision support.
Environmental Management Accounting and Performance Efficiency in the Vietnamese Construction Material Industry—A Managerial Implication for Sustainable Development
Authors: Le Thi Tam , Nguyen Thi Mai Anh , Phan Thi Thu Hien
Published: September 2019

This study was conducted to investigate factors impacting the application of environmental management accounting (EMA) and the relationship between EMA application and performance efficiency including financial and environmental sectors. The scope of research was to investigate construction material manufacturing enterprises in Vietnam with medium and large scales, which is considered one of the industries causing significant negative impacts on the environment. The questionnaires were sent to chief management accountants of 600 construction material enterprises in Vietnam from 2018 to 2019. This process obtained 418 valid votes. Using SPSS 22.0 software to process data, the research results indicate that there are six factors that positively influence the application of EMA practices, including government enforcement, stakeholder interest, positive environmental strategies, community expectations, professional education network, and financial condition, of which, government enforcement has the most significant and positive relationship with the adoption of EMA. On the other hand, it appears that the application of EMA positively impacts financial efficiency and environmental efficiency. As found by many previous studies, environmental efficiency also strongly positively impacts financial efficiency. Thus, innovative solutions to reduce environmental pollution can promote enterprises’ profitability.
Free Riding without Dead Weight Losses
Authors: Kim Kwon-Sik , Jeong Seong-ho
Published: September 2019

Traditional economic theory assumes that dead weight loss due to free riding on public goods is inevitable. This study demonstrates that free riding without dead weight losses can theoretically exist through Bowen’s model. To this end, this study uses the consumer surplus analysis to present the conditions for free-riding that do not involve dead weight losses, as well as to demonstrate that policy choices that satisfy both the value of efficiency and equity in the supply of public goods are possible. This article formularizes the conditions under which such exceptional cases occur and examines what policy implications the presence of such conditions have in making decisions about the provision of public goods. The discussion of possibility and conditions for free-riding without dead weight losses is significant in that it suggests theoretical and policy implications for policies to raise equity as another important value, not just providing a solution to market failure.
Historical and Scientific Investigations into the Use of Hydraulic Lime in Korea and Preventive Conservation of Historic Masonry Structures
Authors: Kang Sung-Hoon , Lee Sang-Ok , Hong Sung-Gul , Kwon Yang-Hee
Published: September 2019

In addition to non-hydraulic lime, natural hydraulic lime (NHL) is a material widely used to repair and restore historic buildings. In Korea, although lime mortars have been used as important building materials for thousands of years, the sharing of information and technology with other countries has been relatively inactive. While not recognizing the suitability of NHL as a repair material, undesirable materials such as Portland cement have often been selected due to their high strength, ease of use, and hydraulicity, but unfortunately, this has resulted in the irreversible damage of existing elements, especially in historic masonry structures. This study aims to emphasize the need for hydraulic lime for the sustainable preservation of Korea’s architectural heritage. To justify its use, historical and scientific investigations were conducted. By reviewing literature written in the 15th century, it was found that dark limestone was used to manufacture building lime. Based on this, the chemical compositions of different-colored limestone were experimentally analyzed, and significant evidence was found that dicalcium silicate was formed in the quicklime manufactured by calcining blue-green and green-black limestone. Prior to the 19th century, it would have been impossible to record the chemical compositions of various types of limestone, except for visual observations such as color differences. Fortunately, this important information was recorded in royal documents and has been handed down to the present day. Thus, knowledge from 500 years ago could be scientifically interpreted using the latest technology. The link between the historical record and the experimental results shown in this study can contribute to the selection of a suitable material. This is a method for the preventive preservation of historic masonry structures, as it can significantly lower the possibility of future damages caused by efflorescence and freeze–thaw.
Working in a Physically Dangerous Work Environment: Employee Vitality and Sustainable Behavior
Authors: Afshar Jahanshahi Asghar , Brem Alexander , Gholami Hussain
Published: September 2019

There is a limited understanding of the antecedents and consequences of employee vitality during war zone exposure. The current study is one of the first ones to investigate the direct effects of perceived danger on employee vitality by collecting data from Afghanistan, one of the most dangerous countries in the world. Furthermore, it was investigated how employee vitality affects sustainable behavior at the workplace. The hypotheses of the study have been tested by using data from two surveys collected from 192 employees working in small-sized private businesses in Afghanistan. The results indicate that high levels of perceived danger negatively impact employee vitality at work. In addition, we found that employees with vitality engage in more pro-environmental behavior in the workplace. The engagement of vital employees in pro-environmental behavior is higher among those employees who have a high level of environmental awareness. This paper concludes by presenting the limitations and implications of this study, as well as highlighting potential avenues for future research.
Assessment of a Cattle Manure Vermicomposting System Using Material Flow Analysis: A Case Study from Uganda
Authors: Jjagwe Joseph , Komakech Allan John , Karungi Jeninah , Amann Arabel , Wanyama Joshua , Lederer Jakob
Published: September 2019

Growth in cattle population is associated with increased manure generation whose current management in low-income countries is associated with health and environmental problems as well as low utilization rates. This trend can be reversed by promoting better manure management technologies. This study assessed vermicomposting as one of the technologies to manage organic wastes, using the case study in Uganda. A vermicomposting system using cattle manure and earthworms (Eudrilus euginea) was monitored for one year with the harvesting of products (compost, earthworm biomass) after every three months. Vermicompost samples from the beginning of the experiment and after every harvest were analyzed for the following parameters: pH, ash content, volatile and total solids, nutrients N, P, K, and C. Emissions of CO2, CH4, NH3, and N2O were also measured. Material flow analysis was used to determine the flows and retention of nutrients within the system. Results showed that total solids, ash, N, P, and K content significantly increased, while contents of volatile solids and C, as well as the pH, significantly decreased over time. Of the materials that entered the vermicomposting system, 46% went to vermicompost, 2% into earthworms, and 52% was lost to the atmosphere. Substance flow analysis showed that 30% of C went to vermicompost, 69% was emitted to the atmosphere, and 2% ended up in earthworms while 75% of N was transferred to vermicompost, 7% went to earthworms, and 18% escaped into the atmosphere. The cumulative emissions were 102 g CO2 kg−1 waste, 7.6 g CH4 kg−1 waste, and 3.943 × 10−5 g N2O kg−1 waste on a dry basis, while NH3 was not detected throughout the measurement time. Compared to other manure management methods, vermicomposting demonstrated good potential in conserving nutrients as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Chloroanisoles and Other Chlorinated Compounds in Cork from Different Geographical Areas
Authors: Salvatella Pau , Prat Chantal , Roselló Jordi , Anticó Enriqueta
Published: September 2019

Cork quality is crucial for the fabrication of corks intended to be used to seal wine bottles. This work has focused on the determination of chloroanisoles (CAs)—exogenous compounds with a low perception threshold—in cork. The identification and quantification of these compounds was carried out with Bond Elut-ENV solid phase extraction and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry detection. Cork samples were obtained from oaks from Catalonia, Extremadura and Italy, and the presence of CAs was evaluated. Moreover, cork affected by the presence of yellow stains (a defect present in cork, mainly originated from the growth of the fungus Armillaria mellea) was analysed separately. The results obtained from cork macerates revealed the presence of trichloroanisole (TCA) in Catalan and Italian cork. Furthermore, TCA concentration was not statistically different when comparing cork affected and non-affected by the growth of A. mellea. Other chlorinated compounds were identified by comparison of their mass spectra with the data from the NIST library.
Cloning and Expression of Genes for Biodegrading Nodularin by Sphingopyxis sp. USTB-05
Authors: Xu Qianqian , Ma Hongfei , Fan Jinhui , Yan Hai , Zhang Haiyang , Yin Chunhua , Liu Xiaolu , Liu Yang , Wang Huasheng
Published: September 2019

Biodegradation is efficient for removing cyanobacterial toxins, such as microcystins (MCs) and nodularin (NOD). However, not all the microbial strains with the microcystin-biodegrading enzymes MlrA and MlrC could biodegrade NOD. Studies on genes and enzymes for biodegrading NOD can reveal the function and the biodegradation pathway of NOD. Based on successful cloning and expression of the USTB-05-A and USTB-05-C genes from Sphingopyxis sp. USTB-05, which are responsible for the biodegradation of MCs, the pathway for biodegrading NOD by these two enzymes was investigated in this study. The findings showed that the enzyme USTB-05-A converted cyclic NOD (m/z 825.4516) into its linear type as the first product by hydrolyzing the arginine and Adda peptide bond, and that USTB-05-C cut off the Adda and glutamic acid peptide bond of linearized NOD (m/z 843.4616) and produced dimeric Adda (m/z 663.4377) as the second product. Further, based on the homology modeling of enzyme USTB-05-A, site-directed mutants of USTB-05-A were constructed and seven crucial sites for enzyme USTB-05-A activity were found. A complete enzymatic mechanism for NOD biodegradation by USTB-05-A in the first step was proposed: glutamic acid 172 and histidine 205 activate a water molecule facilitating a nucleophilic attack on the arginine and Adda peptide bond of NOD; tryptophan 176 and tryptophan 201 contact the carboxylate side chain of glutamic acid 172 and accelerate the reaction rates; and histidine 260 and asparagine 264 function as an oxyanion hole to stabilize the transition states.
A Serosurvey of Multiple Pathogens in American Black Bears (Ursus americanus) in Pennsylvania, USA Indicates a Lack of Association with Sarcoptic Mange
Authors: Niedringhaus Kevin D. , Brown Justin D. , Ternent Mark A. , Cleveland Christopher A. , Yabsley Michael J.
Published: September 2019

Infectious diseases, particularly of wildlife, are intrinsically linked to human and domestic animal health. Reports of sarcoptic mange in black bears (Ursus americanus) are increasing in multiple states in the USA and while the reason is unknown, mange in other species has been associated with immunosuppression from multiple causes. Serum from bears across Pennsylvania were collected to determine the seroprevalence of five pathogens important for animal and/or human health: Canine distemper virus (CDV), canine parvovirus (CPV), canine adenovirus-1 (CAV), Toxoplasma gondii, and Trichinella sp. from bears with sarcoptic mange as well as bears that were clinically normal. Several of these pathogens, particularly canine distemper virus, are associated with immunosuppression and secondary infections in other hosts. In addition to describing the seroprevalence and relating these findings to data from other regions, statistics were performed to determine if antibodies to any of these pathogens were associated with mange in bears. The overall seroprevalence to these pathogens was as follows: CDV 7.1% (17/240), CPV 16% (15/94), CAV 6.9% (6/87), Toxoplasma gondii 64.9% (194/299), and Trichinella spiralis 3.2% (7/220). While there was no association between mange and antibodies to these pathogens, infection with one or more of these pathogens has implications for bears, other wildlife, domestic animal, and human health.
Numerical Simulation of Air–Water Two-Phase Flow on Stepped Spillways behind X-Shaped Flaring Gate Piers under Very High Unit Discharge
Authors: Dong Zongshi , Wang Junxing , Vetsch David Florian , Boes Robert Michael , Tan Guangming
Published: September 2019

Stepped spillways are commonly used under relatively low unit discharge, where cavitation pitting can be avoided by self-aerated flow. However, there are several dams in China with stepped spillways in combination with X-shaped flaring gate piers with unit design discharge considerably larger than specified in the available guidelines. Consequently, air–water two-phase flow on stepped spillway behind X-shaped flaring gate piers under very high unit discharge was investigated using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. The 3-D Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations were solved, including sub-grid models for air entrainment, density evaluation, and drift-flux, to capture self-aerated free-surface flow over the spillway. The pressure on the vertical step faces was compared with laboratory data. In addition, the air–water two-phase flow characteristics and prototype step failure of the simulated prototype spillway were analyzed based on the numerical results of velocity, pressure, and air concentration. Moreover, an optimized bottom-aeration was further studied. The results reveal that the involved models can predict the air concentration near the steps. The cavitation index at the stepped surface is below the threshold value, and the air concentration is insufficient under high unit discharges. Moreover, with the proposed optimization of the aerator air entrainment can be improved and thereby cavitation erosion risk can be reduced.
Urban Hydroinformatics: Past, Present and Future
Authors: Makropoulos C. , Savić D. A.
Published: September 2019

Hydroinformatics, as an interdisciplinary domain that blurs boundaries between water science, data science and computer science, is constantly evolving and reinventing itself. At the heart of this evolution, lies a continuous process of critical (self) appraisal of the discipline’s past, present and potential for further evolution, that creates a positive feedback loop between legacy, reality and aspirations. The power of this process is attested by the successful story of hydroinformatics thus far, which has arguably been able to mobilize wide ranging research and development and get the water sector more in tune with the digital revolution of the past 30 years. In this context, this paper attempts to trace the evolution of the discipline, from its computational hydraulics origins to its present focus on the complete socio-technical system, by providing at the same time, a functional framework to improve the understanding and highlight the links between different strands of the state-of-art hydroinformatic research and innovation. Building on this state-of-art landscape, the paper then attempts to provide an overview of key developments that are coming up, on the discipline’s horizon, focusing on developments relevant to urban water management, while at the same time, highlighting important legal, ethical and technical challenges that need to be addressed to ensure that the brightest aspects of this potential future are realized. Despite obvious limitations imposed by a single paper’s ability to report on such a diverse and dynamic field, it is hoped that this work contributes to a better understanding of both the current state of hydroinformatics and to a shared vision on the most exciting prospects for the future evolution of the discipline and the water sector it serves.
PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES AND THEIR MULTIPLE NEEDS IN PENITENTIARY ESTABLISHMENTS
Authors: Khasia Z. M.
Published: September 2019

The present article discusses the special categories with multiple needs that any penitentiary establishment faces in its practice periodically. The purpose of this article is to briefly discuss and explain the importance of granting the PWDs with a status, appropriate to their multiple needs; as well as the importance of addressing such comprehensive needs in the context of the treatment of persons with disabilities and, on its basis, establishing conditions for serving a sentence on an equal basis with other convicted persons and in line with honour and human dignity.
ПОНЯТТЯ, КЛАСИФІКАЦІЯ ТА НОРМАТИВНЕ ВИЗНАЧЕННЯ ЗАХОДІВ ВГАМУВАННЯ, ЩО ЗАСТОСОВУЮТЬСЯ ДО ЗАСУДЖЕНИХ, ПОЗБАВЛЕНИХ ВОЛІ
Authors: Колб І.
Published: September 2019

У статті з’ясовано сутність і зміст заходів фізичної сили, спеціальних засобів, гамівної сорочки та зброї, що застосовуються персоналом колоній у визначених у законі випадках, а також розроблено науково обґрунтовані пропозиції, спрямовані на вдосконалення правового механізму з означених питань.
X-RAY AND MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING FEATURES IN PATIENTS WITH ACQUIRED LUMBAR SPINAL STENOSIS
Authors: Hoang Van Trung , Le Van Ngoc Cuong
Published: September 2019

Background: Lumbar spinal stenosis often associates with chronic pain described the abnormal narrowing of the lumbar spinal canal, resulting in compression of neural elements within the central spinal canal or the lateral recesses or the root canals or coordinate with each other. The purpose of this study was to describe and compare the plain X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging features of lumbar canal stenosis.

Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 78 patients with an acquired lumbar spinal canal between October 2017 and May 2018.

Results: The X-rays confirmed osteophytes in 92.3%, endplate sclerosis in 88.5% and disc space narrowing 62.8%. On MRI, 213 lumbar levels were lumbar spinal canal stenosis, 181 lumbar levels were evaluated for the grade of central spinal canal stenosis.

Conclusions: X-ray examination has limitations in a diagnosis of lumbar spinal stenosis but also serves as a diagnostic aid. MRI is well diagnosed as spinal pathology as well as lumbar spinal stenosis.

Key words: Lumbar spinal, Lumbar spinal stenosis, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), X-ray, Grading
İNME SONRASI HASTA VE BAKIM VERENLERİN AİLE İÇİ İLİŞKİLERİNİN DEĞERLENDİRİLMESİ
Authors: ER Filiz , YILDIRIM Şeyda
Published: September 2019

İnme, beyni
besleyen damarların pıhtı ile tıkanması ya da kanaması sebebi ile beyinde bir
odağın beslenememesidir. İnmeden sonra hastanın yaşamında fiziksel kayıpların
yanında psiko-sosyal açıdan da çeşitli sorunlar ortaya çıkmaktadır. Bu
çalışmanın amacı hasta ve bakım verenlerin inmeden sonra aile içi ilişkilerde yaşadıkları
sorunları belirlemektir. Araştırma
evrenini Bursa İlker Çelikcan Fizik Tedavi ve Rehabilitasyon Hastanesinde
yatarak inme tedavisi gören hastalar ve hastaya bakım veren aile üyeleri
oluşturmaktadır. Bu hastalardan araştırmaya dâhil edilme kriterlerini
karşılayan 10 hasta ve 10 bakım veren araştırmanın örneklemini oluşturmuş ve
amaçlı örneklem yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Nitel araştırma yöntemiyle tasarlanan
araştırmada araştırmacılar tarafından hazırlanan yarı-yapılandırılmış görüşme
formu kullanılmıştır. Görüşmeler sırasında ses kaydı alınmıştır.Bu görüşmeler sonucunda elde
edilen bulgularla aile içi ilişkiler ana teması altında katılımcıların görüşmelerine ilişkin olarak kullandıkları benzeşik ifadeler
ele alınarak alt temalar oluşturulmuş ve temalar MOXQDA programında oluşturulan
kodlamaların altına yerleştirilerek kod matrisk analizi ile görünür hale
getirilmiştir. Araştırmada hem hastaların hem de bakım veren aile üyelerinin
kullanılan benzeşik ifadeleri ile oluşan alt temalar şu şekildedir; “rollerde
değişiklik”, “yakınlaşma”, “uzaklaşma”, “cinsel ilişki sorunları”. Elde edilen
bulgulara göre hem hasta hem de bakım verenlerde aile içinde bir rol değişim
olduğu, inmeden sonra bazı ailelerde aile üyeleri arasında yakınlaşma olurken
bazılarında gerginlik ve münakaşa nedeniyle uzaklaşma olduğu ve  cinsel yaşamda önemli değişiklikler olduğu
görülmektedir.Bu araştırma sonucunda inme hastalığının kişilerin aile
ilişkilerine olumsuz etkilerde bulunduğu ortaya konmuştur. Buna göre tedavi ve
rehabilitasyon sürecinde ailelerin desteklenme ihtiyacı ortaya çıkmaktadır. Bu
noktada aile ilişkilerinin değişen koşullara uyumunu sağlayabilmesi için
aileyle çalışmayı amaçlayan sosyal hizmet uygulamalarının gerekliliği ortaya
çıkmaktadır.