bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dyeing of m-Aramid Fibers in Ionic Liquids
Authors: Opwis Klaus , Celik Bilal , Benken Rainer , Knittel Dierk , Gutmann Jochen Stefan
Published: August 2020

Aramids represent a class of high-performance fibers with outstanding properties and manifold technical applications, e.g., in flame-retardant protective clothing for firefighters and soldiers. However, the dyeing of aramid fibers is accompanied by several economic and ecological disadvantages, resulting in a high consumption of water, energy and chemicals. In this study, a new and innovative dyeing procedure for m-aramid fibers using ionic liquids (ILs) is presented. The most relevant parameters of IL-dyed fibers, such as tensile strength, elongation and fastness towards washing, rubbing and light, were determined systematically. In summary, all aramid textiles dyed in ILs show similar or even better results than the conventionally dyed samples. In conclusion, we have successfully paved the way for a new, eco-friendly and more sustainable dyeing process for aramids in the near future.
Micro/Nanostructured Coating for Cotton Textiles That Repel Oil, Water, and Chemical Warfare Agents
Authors: Kwon Jihyun , Jung Hyunsook , Jung Heesoo , Lee Juno
Published: August 2020

Using a lotus leaf as our model, we fabricated an extremely low surface energy micro/nanostructured coating for textiles that repel oil, water, and chemical warfare agents (CWAs) using a simple process that is suitable for large scale production. This coating, called “OmniBlock”, consisted of approximately 200-nm silica nanoparticles, tetraethylorthosilicate, 3-glycidoxypropyl trimethoxysilane, and a perfluorooctanoic acid-free fluoropolymer (Fluorolink S10) that was cross-linked between Si-O-Si groups via a sol-gel process. The perfluorooctanoic acid-free fluoropolymer-coated silica nanoparticles were simply applied to the surface of a cotton fabric by a dip–dry–cure process, forming dense, continuous, and uniform layers of OmniBlock coating. OmniBlock modified the surface of the cotton fibers, creating a rough, high surface area uniform coating with many micro-crevasses. As a result, n-dodecane, water, and CWAs beaded up without wetting the surface, exhibiting large contact angles of 154° for water and 121° for n-dodecane, with a small shedding angle of 5° and contact angle hysteresis of 3.2° for water. The designed coating showed excellent liquid repellence properties against three types of CWAs: 129°, 72°, and 87° for sulfur mustard (HD), soman (GD), and VX nerve agents, respectively. Furthermore, OmniBlock coating shows good mechanical properties under tensile strength and wash tests. This remarkable ability to repel CWAs is likely to have potential military applications in personal protective equipment systems requiring self-cleaning functions.
Control the System and Environment of Post-Production Wind Turbine Blade Waste Using Life Cycle Models. Part 1. Environmental Transformation Models
Authors: Piasecka Izabela , Bałdowska-Witos Patrycja , Flizikowski Józef , Piotrowska Katarzyna , Tomporowski Andrzej
Published: August 2020

Controlling the system—the environment of power plants is called such a transformation—their material, energy and information inputs in time, which will ensure that the purpose of the operation of this system or the state of the environment, is achieved. The transformations of systems and environmental inputs and their goals describe the different models, e.g., LCA model groups and methods. When converting wind kinetic energy into electricity, wind power plants emit literally no harmful substances into the environment. However, the production and postuse management stages of their components require large amounts of energy and materials. The biggest controlling problem during postuse management is wind power plant blades, followed by waste generated during their production. Therefore, this publication is aimed at carrying out an ecological, technical and energetical transformation analysis of selected postproduction waste of wind power plant blades based on the LCA models and methods. The research object of control was eight different types of postproduction waste (fiberglass mat, roving fabric, resin discs, distribution hoses, spiral hoses with resin, vacuum bag film, infusion materials residues, surplus mater), mainly made of polymer materials, making it difficult for postuse management and dangerous for the environment. Three groups of models and methods were used: Eco-indicator 99, IPCC and CED. The impact of analysis objects on human health, ecosystem quality and resources was controlled and assessed. Of all the tested waste, the life cycle of resin discs made of epoxy resin was characterized by the highest level of harmful technology impact on the environment and the highest energy consumption. Postuse control and management in the form of recycling would reduce the negative impact on the environment of the tested waste (in the perspective of their entire life cycle). Based on the results obtained, guidelines and models for the proecological postuse control of postproduction polymer waste of wind power plants blades were proposed.
Magnetic Multiwall Carbon Nanotube Decorated with Novel Functionalities: Synthesis and Application as Adsorbents for Lead Removal from Aqueous Medium
Authors: Hanbali Ghadir , Jodeh Shehdeh , Hamed Othman , Bol Roland , Khalaf Bayan , Qdemat Asma , Samhan Subhi , Dagdag Omar
Published: August 2020

Water pollution is one of the major challenges facing modern society because of industrial development and urban growth. This study is directed towards assessing the use of multiwall carbon nanotube, after derivatization and magnetization, as a new and renewable absorbent, to remove toxic metal ions from waste streams. The adsorbents were prepared by, first oxidation of multiwall carbon nanotube, then derivatizing the oxidized product with hydroxyl amine, hydrazine and amino acid. The adsorbents were characterized by various techniques. The adsorption efficiency of the multiwall carbon nanotube adsorbents toward Pb(II) was investigated. The effect of adsorbent’s dose, temperature, pH, and time on the adsorption efficiency were studied and the adsorption parameters that gave the highest efficiency were determined. The derivatives have unique coordination sites that included amine, hydroxyl, and carboxyl groups, which are excellent chelating agents for metal ions. The thermodynamic and kinetic results analysis results indicated spontaneous adsorption of Pb(II) by the multiwall carbon nanotube adsorbents at room temperature. The adsorption process followed pseudo-second-order and Langmuir isotherm model. The adsorbents were regenerated using 0.1 N HCl.
Deep Brain Stimulation for Major Depression and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder—Discontinuation of Ongoing Stimulation
Authors: Kilian Hannah M. , Bewernick Bettina H. , Klein Margaretha , Meyer Dora M. , Spanier Susanne , Reinacher Peter C. , Coenen Volker A. , Schlaepfer Thomas E.
Published: August 2020

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is currently under research for the treatment of psychiatric disorders, e.g., obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Since the application of DBS in psychiatry has been in use for about 20 years, it is necessary to evaluate its long-term use now. A main issue in the long-term treatment of DBS concerns the effects of a discontinuation of stimulation due to intended as well as unintended reasons. In this contribution, the literature describing discontinuation effects following DBS in OCD and TRD is reviewed. Furthermore, a patient is reported in depth who experienced an unintended discontinuation of supero-lateral medial forebrain bundle (slMFB) DBS for TRD. In this case, the battery was fully depleted without the patient noticing. DBS had led to a sustained response for seven years before discontinuation of stimulation for just several weeks caused a progressive worsening of depression. Altogether, the rapid occurrence of symptom worsening, the absence of a notification about the stimulation status and the difficulties to recapture antidepressant response represent important safety aspects. For a further understanding of the described effects, time courses until worsening of depression as well as biological mechanisms need to be investigated in double-blind controlled trials.
The Guilt Phenomenon. An Analysis of Emotions Towards God in Highly Religious Adolescents and Young Adults
Authors: Künkler Tobias , Faix Tobias , Jäckel Marie
Published: August 2020

In his model of religiosity, Huber postulates a “qualitative leap” between the groups of the “religious” and the “highly religious”. Correspondingly, the data from the Empirica Youth Survey 2018 underline that the topic of guilt and forgiveness is in itself only really present in the “highly religious”. Thus, this article aims to provide a detailed analysis of the relation between emotions towards God and the centrality of religiosity. One of the results of the exploratory factor analysis concludes that emotions towards God comprise three aspects within Protestant “highly religious” adolescents and young adults: a factor for positive emotions, one for negative emotions, and a third for emotions of guilt, release and fear. In this article, we focus on the factor that drives the experience of guilt (and release and fear) and conclude that it is a phenomenon only found within the “highly religious” and not the “religious” Protestant adolescents and young adults. We explicitly incorporate the journal’s main foci in two regards: First, we focus on the particularities of the group of “highly religious” people as identified by the Centrality of Religiosity Scale (CRS) along with the interactions between the theoretical concept of centrality of religiosity and the content of religiosity. Secondly, we briefly compare “highly religious” with “religious” adolescents and young adults.
The Politics of Purity, Disgust, and Contamination: Communal Identity of Trotter (Pig) Sellers in Madina Zongo (Accra)
Authors: Alhassan Adum-Atta Rashida
Published: August 2020

The interplay of food, people, and market in the multi-religious and multi-ethnic neighborhood of Madina Zongo, Accra, results to some extent in food exchange. In a plural setting like Madina Zongo, an important aspect of their co-existence is the sharing of food; in so doing people claim their identities and mark boundaries; consequently, food in this sense becomes a potential for conflict. My primary aim in this paper is to focus on pig feet (trotter) sellers by drawing attention to their conflicting experiences and encounters in selling trotter. Pig feet (trotter) is a commodity that comes through a global network and is considered haram and unclean by Muslims. Actions by religious practitioners, thereby, play a pivotal role in provoking these experiences and, for this reason, it is prone to triggering tensions. In this paper, I explore the embodied encounters between these traders in the market (inhabited by people of different religious traditions) and, to some extent, the buyers and how this triggers religious sensibilities and at the same time evokes strong responses among those frequenting the space (e.g., market women and customers) and those (trotter sellers) who live in predominantly Muslim neighborhoods. In my analysis on tensions and pollution, I take into consideration groundworks by authors such as Mary Douglas’ Purity and Danger, Sara Ahmed’s and Deborah Durham’s notion of disgust and the anthropology of imagination, and inspired works on materiality such as the Latourian Actor-Network Theory (ANT) which draws attention to the agency of the non-human. This paper studies how religiously contested and so-called “contaminated” foodstuffs such as pig feet (trotter) result in boundary-making practices among members of the market and Zongo community. I argue that ideas of purity are influenced largely by cultural and religious convictions which seems not to be compromised by religious practitioners. The paper also investigates strategies people/sellers develop to negotiate these social relations.
Environmental Sustainability of Heating Systems Based on Pellets Produced in Mobile and Stationary Plants from Vineyard Pruning Residues
Authors: Ilari Alessio , Toscano Giuseppe , Foppa Pedretti Ester , Fabrizi Sara , Duca Daniele
Published: August 2020

The impact of heat production from vineyard pruning pellets has been evaluated in this paper. The study considers two different systems: the first one based on a mobile pelletizer (PS1) and the second one based on a stationary pellet plant (PS2). The analysis conducted is from “cradle to grave”; the systems under analysis includes pruning harvesting, transport to storage area, pelletization (mobile system or stationary production plant), transport to consumer and combustion. The functional unit selected is 1 MJ of thermal energy produced. The impact assessment calculation methods selected are Eco-Indicator 99 (H) LCA Food V2.103/Europe EI 99 H/A with a midpoint and endpoint approach, and ReCiPe Midpoint (H) V1.10. Considering Life Cycle Assessment results, Eco-indicator shows a total impact of 4.25 and 4.07 mPt for mobile pelletizer and stationary pellet plant, respectively. Considering the three damage categories, PS1 has values of 2.4% (Human Health), 3.8% (Ecosystem Quality) and 17.3% (Resources), more impactful than PS2. Contribution analysis shows that direct emissions are the major damage contributor, followed by wood ash management. From a comparison between the baseline scenario and a scenario with an avoided product (wood ash as a standard potassium fertilizer), PS1 and PS2 with an avoided product approach are 41% and 40% less impactful than in the baseline scenarios. When testing the impact of mobile pelletizer while considering transportation as a factor, a reduction of distance for pellet has been evaluated. Reducing the distance from 100 to 10 km, the total impact of PS1 almost reaches the impact of PS2 with a difference of around 4.6% (Eco-indicator 99 method). The most impactful processes are pellet production, direct emissions and ash management, while a less impactful factor is the electricity consumption. Transportation shows the lowest impact. Considering the ReCiPe impact calculation method with a midpoint approach, the results confirm what was found with Eco-indicator 99; the PS1 shows a slightly higher impact than PS2.
Automatic Detection of Earthquake-Damaged Buildings by Integrating UAV Oblique Photography and Infrared Thermal Imaging
Authors: Zhang Rui , Li Heng , Duan Kaifeng , You Shucheng , Liu Ke , Wang Futao , Hu Yong
Published: August 2020

Extracting damage information of buildings after an earthquake is crucial for emergency rescue and loss assessment. Low-altitude remote sensing by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for emergency rescue has unique advantages. In this study, we establish a remote sensing information-extraction method that combines ultramicro oblique UAV and infrared thermal imaging technology to automatically detect the structural damage of buildings and cracks in external walls. The method consists of four parts: (1) 3D live-action modeling and building structure analysis based on ultramicro oblique images; (2) extraction of damage information of buildings; (3) detection of cracks in walls based on infrared thermal imaging; and (4) integration of detection systems for information of earthquake-damaged buildings. First, a 3D live-action building model is constructed. A multi-view structure image for segmentation can be obtained based on this method. Second, a method of extracting information on damage to building structures using a 3D live-action building model as the geographic reference is proposed. Damage information of the internal structure of the building can be obtained based on this method. Third, based on analyzing the temperature field distribution on the exterior walls of earthquake-damaged buildings, an automatic method of detecting cracks in the walls by using infrared thermal imaging is proposed. Finally, the damage information detection and assessment system is researched and developed, and the system is integrated. Taking earthquake search-and-rescue simulation as an example, the effectiveness of this method is verified. The damage distribution in the internal structure and external walls of buildings in this area is obtained with an accuracy of 78%.
Indirect Validation of Ocean Remote Sensing Data via Numerical Model: An Example of Wave Heights from Altimeter
Authors: Jiang Haoyu
Published: August 2020

Using numerical model outputs as a bridge, an indirect validation method for remote sensing data was developed to increase the number of effective collocations between remote sensing data to be validated and reference data. The underlying idea for this method is that the local spatial-temporal variability of specific parameters provided by numerical models can compensate for the representativeness error induced by differences of spatial-temporal locations of the collocated data pair. Using this method, the spatial-temporal window for collocation can be enlarged for a given error tolerance. To test the effectiveness of this indirect validation approach, significant wave height (SWH) data from Envisat were indirectly compared against buoy and Jason-2 SWHs, using the SWH gradient information from a numerical wave hindcast as a bridge. The results indicated that this simple indirect validation method is superior to “direct” validation.
Inter-Comparison of AIRS Temperature and Relative Humidity Profiles with AMMA and DACCIWA Radiosonde Observations over West Africa
Authors: Osei Marian Amoakowaah , Amekudzi Leonard Kofitse , Ferguson Craig R. , Danuor Sylvester Kojo
Published: August 2020

The vertical profiles of temperature and water vapour from the Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder (AIRS) have been validated across various regions of the globe as an effort to provide a substitute for radiosonde observations. However, there is a paucity of inter-comparisons over West Africa where local convective processes dominate and radiosonde observations (RAOBs) are limited. This study validates AIRS temperature and relative humidity profiles for selected radiosonde stations in West Africa. Radiosonde data were obtained from the AMMA and DACCIWA campaigns which spanned 2006–2008 and June–July 2016 respectively and offered a period of prolonged radiosonde observations in West Africa. AIRS performance was evaluated with the bias and root mean square difference (RMSD) at seven RAOB stations which were grouped into coastal and inland. Evaluation was performed on diurnal and seasonal timescales, cloud screening conditions and derived thunderstorm instability indices. At all timescales, the temperature RMSD was higher than the AIRS accuracy mission goal of ±1 K. Relative humidity RMSD was satisfactory with deviations <20% and <50% for both lower and upper troposphere respectively. AIRS retrieval of water vapour under cloudy and cloud-free conditions had no significant difference whereas cloud-free temperature was found to be more accurate. The seasonal evolution of some thunderstorm convective indices were also found to be comparable for AIRS and RAOB. The ability of AIRS to capture the evolution of these indices imply it will be a useful dataset for the African Science for Weather Information and Forecasting Techniques (SWIFT) high impact weather studies.
Sensorized Assessment of Dynamic Locomotor Imagery in People with Stroke and Healthy Subjects
Authors: De Bartolo Daniela , Belluscio Valeria , Vannozzi Giuseppe , Morone Giovanni , Antonucci Gabriella , Giordani Gianluca , Santucci Stefania , Resta Federica , Marinozzi Franco , Bini Fabiano , Paolucci Stefano , Iosa Marco
Published: August 2020

Dynamic motor imagery (dMI) is a motor imagery task associated with movements partially mimicking those mentally represented. As well as conventional motor imagery, dMI has been typically assessed by mental chronometry tasks. In this paper, an instrumented approach was proposed for quantifying the correspondence between upper and lower limb oscillatory movements performed on the spot during the dMI of walking vs. during actual walking. Magneto-inertial measurement units were used to measure limb swinging in three different groups: young adults, older adults and stroke patients. Participants were tested in four experimental conditions: (i) simple limb swinging; (ii) limb swinging while imagining to walk (dMI-task); (iii) mental chronometry task, without any movement (pure MI); (iv) actual level walking at comfortable speed. Limb swinging was characterized in terms of the angular velocity, frequency of oscillations and sinusoidal waveform. The dMI was effective at reproducing upper limb oscillations more similar to those occurring during walking for all the three groups, but some exceptions occurred for lower limbs. This finding could be related to the sensory feedback, stretch reflexes and ground reaction forces occurring for lower limbs and not for upper limbs during walking. In conclusion, the instrumented approach through wearable motion devices adds significant information to the current dMI approach, further supporting their applications in neurorehabilitation for monitoring imagery training protocols in patients with stroke.
Thermal Characterization of Phantoms Used for Quality Assurance of Deep Hyperthermia Systems
Authors: Farina Laura , Sumser Kemal , van Rhoon Gerard , Curto Sergio
Published: August 2020

Tissue mimicking phantoms are frequently used in hyperthermia applications for device and protocol optimization. Unfortunately, a commonly experienced limitation is that their precise thermal properties are not available. Therefore, in this study, the thermal properties of three currently used QA phantoms for deep hyperthermia are measured with an “off-shelf” commercial thermal property analyzer. We have measured averaged values of thermal conductivity (k = 0.59 ± 0.07 Wm−1K−1), volumetric heat capacity (C = 3.85 ± 0.45 MJm−3K−1) and thermal diffusivity (D = 0.16 ± 0.02 mm2s−1). These values are comparable with reported values of internal organs, such as liver, kidney and muscle. In addition, a sensitivity study of the performance of the commercial sensor is conducted. To ensure correct thermal measurements, the sample under test should entirely cover the length of the sensor, and a minimum of 4 mm of material parallel to the sensor in all directions should be guaranteed.
Fostering Sustainability through Visualization Techniques for Real-Time IoT Data: A Case Study Based on Gas Turbines for Electricity Production
Authors: Lavalle Ana , Teruel Miguel A. , Maté Alejandro , Trujillo Juan
Published: August 2020

Improving sustainability is a key concern for industrial development. Industry has recently been benefiting from the rise of IoT technologies, leading to improvements in the monitoring and breakdown prevention of industrial equipment. In order to properly achieve this monitoring and prevention, visualization techniques are of paramount importance. However, the visualization of real-time IoT sensor data has always been challenging, especially when such data are originated by sensors of different natures. In order to tackle this issue, we propose a methodology that aims to help users to visually locate and understand the failures that could arise in a production process.This methodology collects, in a guided manner, user goals and the requirements of the production process, analyzes the incoming data from IoT sensors and automatically derives the most suitable visualization type for each context. This approach will help users to identify if the production process is running as well as expected; thus, it will enable them to make the most sustainable decision in each situation. Finally, in order to assess the suitability of our proposal, a case study based on gas turbines for electricity generation is presented.
Ghost Detection and Removal Based on Two-Layer Background Model and Histogram Similarity
Authors: Xu Yiping , Ji Hongbing , Zhang Wenbo
Published: August 2020

Detecting and removing ghosts is an important challenge for moving object detection because ghosts will remain forever once formed, leading to the overall detection performance degradation. To deal with this issue, we first classified the ghosts into two categories according to the way they were formed. Then, the sample-based two-layer background model and histogram similarity of ghost areas were proposed to detect and remove the two types of ghosts, respectively. Furthermore, three important parameters in the two-layer model, i.e., the distance threshold, similarity threshold of local binary similarity pattern (LBSP), and time sub-sampling factor, were automatically determined by the spatial-temporal information of each pixel for adapting to the scene change rapidly. The experimental results on the CDnet 2014 dataset demonstrated that our proposed algorithm not only effectively eliminated ghost areas, but was also superior to the state-of-the-art approaches in terms of the overall performance.
Simple and Cost-Effective Electrochemical Method for Norepinephrine Determination Based on Carbon Dots and Tyrosinase
Authors: Baluta Sylwia , Lesiak Anna , Cabaj Joanna
Published: August 2020

Although neurotransmitters are present in human serum at the nM level, any dysfunction of the catecholamines concentration may lead to numerous serious health problems. Due to this fact, rapid and sensitive catecholamines detection is extremely important in modern medicine. However, there is no device that would measure the concentration of these compounds in body fluids. The main goal of the present study is to design a simple as possible, cost-effective new biosensor-based system for the detection of neurotransmitters, using nontoxic reagents. The miniature Au-E biosensor was designed and constructed through the immobilization of tyrosinase on an electroactive layer of cysteamine and carbon nanoparticles covering the gold electrode. This sensing arrangement utilized the catalytic oxidation of norepinephrine (NE) to NE quinone, measured with voltammetric techniques: cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry. The prepared bio-system exhibited good parameters: a broad linear range (1–200 μM), limit of detection equal to 196 nM, limit of quantification equal to 312 nM, and high selectivity and sensitivity. It is noteworthy that described method was successfully applied for NE determination in real samples.
A Compact High-Speed Image-Based Method for Measuring the Longitudinal Motion of Living Tissues
Authors: Yang Ruilin , Liao Heqin , Ma Weng , Li Jinhua , Wang Shuxin
Published: August 2020

Intraoperative imaging of living tissue at the cell level by endomicroscopy might help surgeons optimize surgical procedures and provide individualized treatments. However, the resolution of the microscopic image is limited by the motion of living tissue caused by heartbeat and respiration. An active motion compensation (AMC) strategy has been recognized as an effective way to reduce, or even eliminate, the influence of tissue movement for intravital fluorescence microscopy (IVM). To realize the AMC system, a high-speed sensor for measuring the motion of tissues is needed. At present, state-of-the-art commercialized displacement sensors are not suitable to apply in minimally invasive imaging instruments to measure the motion of living tissues because of the size problem, range of measurement or the update rate. In this study, a compact high-speed image-based method for measuring the longitudinal motion of living tissues is proposed. The complexity of the proposed method is the same as that of the traditional wide-field fluorescent microscopy (WFFM) system, which makes it easy to be miniaturized and integrated into a minimally invasive imaging instrument. Experimental results reveal that the maximum indication error, range of measurement and the sensitivity of the laboratory-built experimental prototype is 150 μm, 6 mm and −211.46 mm−1 respectively. Experimental results indicate that the proposed optical method is expected to be used in minimally invasive imaging instruments to build an AMC system.
Portable XRF Quick-Scan Mapping for Potential Toxic Elements Pollutants in Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems: A Methodological Approach
Authors: Venvik Guri , Boogaard Floris C.
Published: August 2020

Sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS) such as swales are designed to collect, store and infiltrate a large amount of surface runoff water during heavy rainfall. Stormwater is known to transport pollutants, such as particle-bound Potential Toxic Elements (PTE), which are known to often accumulate in the topsoil. A portable XRF instrument (pXRF) is used to provide in situ spatial characterization of soil pollutants, specifically lead (Pb), zink (Zn) and copper (Cu). The method uses pXRF measurements of PTE along profiles with set intervals (1 m) to cover the swale with cross-sections, across the inlet, the deepest point and the outlet. Soil samples are collected, and the In-Situ measurements are verified by the results from laboratory analyses. Stormwater is here shown to be the transporting media for the pollutants, so it is of importance to investigate areas most prone to flooding and infiltration. This quick scan method is time and cost-efficient, easy to execute and the results are comparable to any known (inter)national threshold criteria for polluted soils. The results are of great importance for all stakeholders in cities that are involved in climate adaptation and implementing green infrastructure in urban areas. However, too little is still known about the long-term functioning of the soil-based SuDS facilities.
Hemp Seed Production: Environmental Impacts of Cannabis sativa L. Agronomic Practices by Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Carbon Footprint Methodologies
Authors: Campiglia Enio , Gobbi Laura , Marucci Alvaro , Rapa Mattia , Ruggieri Roberto , Vinci Giuliana
Published: August 2020

This paper evaluated the environmental impacts of different agronomic practices for a hemp seed crop grown in Mediterranean environment. The following agricultural variables have been considered: seven monoecious hemp varieties(Epsilon68 (E68), Fedora17 (F17), Felina32 (F32), Ferimon (Fe), Futura75 (F75), Santhica27 (S27), Uso31 (U31)), three plant densities (40, 80, and 120 plants m−2), and two levels of nitrogen (N) fertilization (50 and 100 kg ha−1 of N). Life cycle assessment (LCA) and carbon footprint (CF) methodologies have been applied to evaluate impacts. In all hemp genotypes, the impacts grew by decreasing both N fertilizer and plants densities. The scenario most impacting was E68/F75/S27 genotypes cultivated with 50 kg ha−1 of N fertilizer and 40 plants m−2, while the lowest one was Fe with 100 kg ha−1 of N fertilizer and 120 plants m−2. The highest CF was found for E68/F75/S27 cultivated with 50 kg ha−1 of N fertilizer and 40 plants m−2 (18.720 kg CO2 eq). This study highlighted the most environmentally sustainable agronomic practices to support farmer and decision maker in Cannabis sativa L. cultivation for seed production.
Revisiting the Contested Role of Natural Resources in Violent Conflict Risk through Machine Learning
Authors: Schellens Marie K. , Belyazid Salim
Published: August 2020

The integrated character of the sustainable development goals in Agenda 2030, as well as research in environmental security, flag that sustainable peace requires sustainable and conflict-sensitive natural resource use. The precise relationship between the risk for violent conflict and natural resources remains contested because of the interplay with socio-economic variables. This paper aims to improve the understanding of natural resources’ role in the risk of violent conflicts by accounting for complex interactions with socio-economic conditions. Conflict data was analysed with machine learning techniques, which can account for complex patterns, such as variable interactions. More commonly used logistic regression models are compared with neural network models and random forest models. The results indicate that a country’s natural resource features are important predictors of its risk for violent conflict and that they interact with socio-economic conditions. Based on these empirical results and the existing literature, we interpret that natural resources can be root causes of violent intrastate conflict, and that signals from natural resources leading to conflict risk are reflected in and influenced by interacting socio-economic conditions. More specifically, the results show that variables such as access to water and food security are important predictors of conflict, while resource rents and oil and ore exports are relatively less important than other natural resource variables, contrasting what prior research has suggested. Given the potential of natural resource features to act as an early warning for violent conflict, we argue that natural resources should be included in conflict risk models for conflict prevention.
Puyango, Ecuador Petrified Forest, a Geological Heritage of the Cretaceous Albian-Middle, and Its Relevance for the Sustainable Development of Geotourism
Authors: Morante-Carballo Fernando , Herrera-Narváez Geanella , Jiménez-Orellana Nelson , Carrión-Mero Paúl
Published: August 2020

Geodiversity treaties have multiplied and given rise to geological heritage as a singular value of protection and preservation for territories. The Puyango Petrified Forest (PPF) is a recognized Ecuadorian reserve, which was declared a National Heritage Treasure. It has an area of 2659 hectares, and it is located in the south of Ecuador, between the provinces of El Oro and Loja. The petrified trunks and trees were buried by volcanic lava, dating from the Cretaceous Period, 96 to 112 million years ago. Thus, silicification and carbonization, two important fossilization events, have produced hundreds of samples of paleontological wealth in Puyango. The objective of this work is to methodologically assess the geodiversity of a fraction of the PPF by registering its geological heritage and value for its preservation and sustainable development. The methodology is based on: (i) Analysis of information on the territory used for tourist visits, as a pilot study area. Presentation of paleontological components and their main sections to enhance their geotouristics value; (ii) Assessment of the geological heritage for its geotourism categorization with a recognized scientific methodology and one proposed by the co-authors propose; and (iii) Analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) as a guide for protection and development strategies. Findings reveal the high geotourism potential for a Geopark Project in Puyango, since only 300 hectares are used for tourism and the remaining area is a virgin environment for research and improving knowledge of geodiversity and biodiversity.
Decisions in Power Supply Chain with Emission Reduction Effort of Coal-Fired Power Plant under the Power Market Reform
Authors: Xu Lingyan , Huang Fenglian , Du Jianguo , Wang Dandan
Published: August 2020

Sustainability in power supply chain has been supported by emission reduction of coal-fired power generation and increasing renewable energy power generation. Under the power market reform of direct power purchase transactions, this paper focuses on the channel selection and emission reduction decisions of power supply chain. From the theoretical perspective, this paper develops the decision-making models of centralized and decentralized power supply chain, which consist of one renewable energy power generation enterprise, one coal-fired power plant and one power grid enterprise. The optimal strategies of power quantities and profits for power supply chain members and their corresponding numerical experiments are analyzed in different cases. The results show that there are qA1Nc*qB1Lc* and eBNc*>eBLc* for coal-fired power plant B, which indicate that the direct power purchase channel in the centralized scenario is conducive to promoting the transaction quantity of renewable energy power generation, as well as the on-grid power quantity and emission reduction efforts of coal-fired power plant B. Furthermore, the profit of whole power supply chain could be enhanced by the increasing on-grid power preference coefficient of coal-fired power generation, subsidy for renewable energy power generation and preference coefficient for clean production, and by the decreasing emission reduction cost coefficient of coal-fired power plant. Additionally, the emission reduction effort of coal-fired power plant is positively relevant with preference coefficient for clean production, whereas it is negatively relevant with power grid wheeling charge, emission reduction cost coefficient and subsidy for renewable energy power generation. Our findings can provide useful managerial insights for policymakers and enterprises in the sustainability of power supply chain.
Spatiotemporal Evolution of Land-Use and Ecosystem Services Valuation in the Belt and Road Initiative
Authors: Zuo Qiting , Li Xing , Hao Lingang , Hao Minghui
Published: August 2020

Land-use changes can significantly affect both the ecosystem services value (ESV) and ecosystem functions. Estimating the impacts of land-use changes in ESV in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is indispensable to provide public awareness about the status of ESV, and to help in policy-making processes. To understand the spatiotemporal evolution of land-use its impact on ESV in the BRI, this study investigated the main water-resource areas of BRI. Using GLCNMO data (2003, 2008, 2013), the land-use dynamic degree, comprehensive index of land-use degree, land-use transfer matrix, and method of ESV valuation were adopted to analyze the changes in land-use and ESV. The results showed that forest and cropland area increased markedly between 2003 and 2013, whereas grassland and shrubland area notably decreased. Forest, shrubland, grassland, cropland, and bare land occupied a relatively large proportion and changed frequently. The total ESV of the study area has increased from US $74.98 million in 2003 to US $82.12 million in 2013, which was primarily caused by the transition from cropland and grassland to forest. The impacts of land-use changes on the specific ecosystem services are also tremendous. The presented results can be valuable for the government for future land-use planning activities.
Sustainable Move towards Flexible, Robotic, Human-Involving Workplace
Authors: Gajšek Brigita , Stradovnik Saša , Hace Aleš
Published: August 2020

The realisation of the ideas of smart factories and sustainable manufacturing can be quickly realised in companies where industrial production is high-volume, low-mix. However, it is more difficult to follow trends toward industry 4.0 in craft industries such as tooling. This kind of work environment is a challenge for the deployment of sustainability and smart technologies because many stages involve the so-called “manual processing according to the worker’s feeling and experience.” With the help of literature review and testing in the production environment, we approach the design of a procedure for planning a sustainable technological upgrade of craft production. The best method proved to be a combination of a maturity model, process mapping with flowcharts, critical analysis, and customised evaluation model. Workplace flexibility, as a move towards sustainability, is presented in a laboratory environment on screwing performed by human wearing HoloLens and collaborative robot.
The Role of Perceived Smart Tourism Technology Experience for Tourist Satisfaction, Happiness and Revisit Intention
Authors: Pai Chen-Kuo , Liu Yumeng , Kang Sangguk , Dai Anna
Published: August 2020

The rapid advancement of smart tourism technology brings new opportunities for tourism development. More travel destinations are relying on smart technology to attract more tourists to visit and enrich their travel experience. The main purpose of this study was to explore whether tourists are satisfied with their smart tourism technology experience (i.e., informativeness, accessibility, interactivity, personalization, and security). This study also investigated the impact of smart tourism technology experience on tourists’ happiness and revisit intention. This study used a structural equation method to find the relationship among smart tourism technology attributes, travel satisfaction, happiness, and revisit intention. Surveys of a total of 527 participants who traveled to Macau from Mainland China were used for the analysis. The results showed that accessibility is the most important factor affecting the smart tourism technology experience and personalization the least. Smart tourism technology experience is shown to be significantly associated with travel experience satisfaction, and travel experience satisfaction has a positive effect on both tourists’ happiness and revisit intention. Finally, tourist happiness is also shown to be positively associated with revisit intention. This study provides theoretical and practical significance for the development of smart tourism in the future.
A Game-Based Approach to Exploring Gender Differences in Smallholder Decisions to Change Farming Practices: White Rice Production in Laos
Authors: Larson Silva , (Giger)-Dray Anne , Cornioley Tina , Thephavanh Manithaythip , Thammavong Phomma , Vorlasan Sisavan , Connell John G. , Moglia Magnus , Case Peter , Alexander Kim S. , Perez Pascal
Published: August 2020

What influences farmers’ decisions to adopt agricultural technologies is an important question for international agricultural research projects. There are often interpersonal differences between women and men that influence the adoption of decisions and behaviours, but few studies in the literature focus on these factors. We describe a game-based approach to explore decision-making processes underpinning the adoption of new farming technologies and practices in Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Sowing a different rice variety is the tailored technology. The game explored adoption behaviours influencing decisions on transitioning from growing glutinous rice, a traditional variety preferred for consumption, to “white” rice for commercial export to international markets. We conducted separate game-workshops with 36 women and 36 men in 4 villages of southern Laos that were transitioning from subsistence to commercial smallholder production. The gaming exposed various possible behaviours and decisions that women and men considered. Access to resources, both assets and information, was equal for all players, yet women were found to adopt new rice varieties more readily than men and to engage in cooperative behaviours in the game situation. The study highlighted the need for further gender-sensitive research into cooperation among women in the agricultural context—an understanding beneficial for countries and regions undergoing agricultural transition.
Global Emission Taxes and Port Privatization Policies under International Competition
Authors: Pian Feng , Xu Lili , Chen Yuyan , Lee Sang-Ho
Published: August 2020

This study considers two asymmetric ports under international competition in which each country has a hub port and a private manufacturer and investigates strategic interactions between port privatization and emission tax policies. We emphasize the key role of the relative market size between the two countries and show that in a privatization choice game, port privatization is a dominant strategy in a larger country, but it will be chosen by a smaller country only if its relative market size is not so small. We also show that the coordination of global emission taxes before privatization choices can induce the equilibrium of the game to be globally optimal when the emission tax is relatively high. This finding provides an important policy implication on the climate change that coordinated global environmental policy is imperatively required in the port privatization policy.
Promoting Students’ Well-Being by Developing Their Readiness for the Artificial Intelligence Age
Authors: Dai Yun , Chai Ching-Sing , Lin Pei-Yi , Jong Morris Siu-Yung , Guo Yanmei , Qin Jianjun
Published: August 2020

This study developed and validated an instrument to measure students’ readiness to learn about artificial intelligence (AI). The designed survey questionnaire was administrated in a school district in Beijing after an AI course was developed and implemented. The collected data and analytical results provided insights regarding the self-reported perceptions of primary students’ AI readiness and enabled the identification of factors that may influence this parameter. The results indicated that AI literacy was not predictive of AI readiness. The influences of AI literacy were mediated by the students’ confidence and perception of AI relevance. The students’ AI readiness was not influenced by a reduction in their anxiety regarding AI and an enhancement in their AI literacy. Male students reported a higher confidence, relevance, and readiness for AI than female students did. The sentiments reflected by the open-ended responses of the students indicated that the students were generally excited to learn about AI and viewed AI as a powerful and useful technology. The student sentiments confirmed the quantitative findings. The validated survey can help teachers better understand and monitor students’ learning, as well as reflect on the design of the AI curriculum and the associated teaching effectiveness.
An Analysis of the Success Factors for Passenger Boarding Enthusiasm for Low-Cost Regional Airline Routes
Authors: Zu Enhou , Liu Shao-Yu , Hsu Bi-Min , Wang Yu-Cheng , M. Lau Edwin
Published: August 2020

Airports are important air transportation facilities, providing cargo transportation, aircraft takeoff and landing, and passenger services. Trade liberalization and globalization along with shifting economies and trading focuses have led to the rapid growth of airline and cargo transportation in Asia-Pacific regions. Therefore, Asian countries are constantly expanding and improving their airport facilities. Thus, improving and measuring airline service quality has attracted significant research attention in recent years. The Chinese Government has also actively promoted low-cost tourism, although competition in low-cost carrier markets was bound to be fierce. This not only promoted tourism industries but also attracted many foreign visitors to taking low-cost carriers to China for sightseeing. With international oil prices and regional economy issues, full-service carriers face considerable operational pressure on cost and competition. This study used the fuzzy delphi and decision making trial and evaluation laboratory methods to explore and analyze key factors for passengers choosing low-cost airlines. We considered passengers using U Airlines to travel from Shanghai to Taiwan (Taoyuan, Kaohsiung Far) and investigated service quality, low-price strategies, switching costs, and boarding willingness factors. We found that boarding willingness and service quality were strongly relevant to passenger satisfaction. Service quality should be prioritized, followed by switching cost, to enhance passenger boarding willingness. Low-cost regional airlines need to prioritize improving service quality empathy and service quality responsiveness with limited resources. Performance indicators such as willingness, service quality assurance, and service quality reliability showed significant benefits for overall service performance and passenger boarding willingness.