bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Use of Bioactive Polymers for Intervention and Tissue Engineering: The New Frontier for Cardiovascular Therapy
Authors: Nappi Francesco , Nenna Antonio , Larobina Domenico , Martuscelli Giorgia , Singh Sanjeet Singh Avtaar , Chello Massimo , Ambrosio Luigi
Published: January 2021

Coronary heart disease remains one of the leading causes of death in most countries. Healthcare improvements have seen a shift in the presentation of disease with a reducing number of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarctions (STEMIs), largely due to earlier reperfusion strategies such as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Stents have revolutionized the care of these patients, but the long-term effects of these devices have been brought to the fore. The conceptual and technologic evolution of these devices from bare-metal stents led to the creation and wide application of drug-eluting stents; further research introduced the idea of polymer-based resorbable stents. We look at the evolution of stents and the multiple advantages and disadvantages offered by each of the different polymers used to make stents in order to identify what the stent of the future may consist of whilst highlighting properties that are beneficial to the patient alongside the role of the surgeon, the cardiologist, engineers, chemists, and biophysicists in creating the ideal stent.
Evaluation of Novel Ornamental Cladding Resistance, Comprised of GFRP Waste and Polyester Binder, within an Acid Environment
Authors: Sabău Emilia , Bere Paul , Moldovan Mărioara , Petean Ioan , Miron-Borzan Cristina
Published: January 2021

The paper presents the manufacturing technology for a material obtained from glass fiber waste, quartz sand, and polyester binder, used for ornamental building plates. The composite has a cover surface that ensures protection of the material from environment attacks and a structural material that can be subjected to chemical degradation. The mechanical properties of the obtained material were experimentally investigated through compressive mechanical tests. To observe the material’s behavior in contact with external agents (rain or acid rain, due to environmental pollution), analyses were performed in laboratory conditions. An investigation on the effects of chemical attack substances was conducted. SEM and macroscopic analyses were performed, and the surface roughness was determined for each sample area. The obtained results were statistically analyzed and showed that there is no significant difference between the surface roughness for treated and untreated samples. Furthermore, the surfaces were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and mineralogical optical microscopy in polarized light with crossed nicols. It was observed that rainwater does not affect the plate structure even if the plates are used in high-pollution environments. The material is suitable for exterior building walls from the point of view of chemical attack and resistance.
Current Technologies in Depolymerization Process and the Road Ahead
Authors: Miao Yu , von Jouanne Annette , Yokochi Alexandre
Published: January 2021

Although plastic is considered an indispensable commodity, plastic pollution is a major concern around the world due to its rapid accumulation rate, complexity, and lack of management. Some political policies, such as the Chinese import ban on plastic waste, force us to think about a long-term solution to eliminate plastic wastes. Converting waste plastics into liquid and gaseous fuels is considered a promising technique to eliminate the harm to the environment and decrease the dependence on fossil fuels, and recycling waste plastic by converting it into monomers is another effective solution to the plastic pollution problem. This paper presents the critical situation of plastic pollution, various methods of plastic depolymerization based on different kinds of polymers defined in the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) Resin Identification Coding System, and the opportunities and challenges in the future.
Novel, Environment-Friendly Cellulose-Based Derivatives for Tetraconazole Removal from Aqueous Solution
Authors: Khalaf Bayan , Hamed Othman , Jodeh Shehdeh , Hanbali Ghadir , Bol Roland , Dagdag Omar , Samhan Subhi
Published: January 2021

In this study, cellulose-based derivatives with heterocyclic moieties were synthesized by reacting cellulose with furan-2-carbonyl chloride (Cell-F) and pyridine-2,6-dicarbonyl dichloride (Cell-P). The derivatives were evaluated as adsorbents for the pesticide tetraconazole from aqueous solution. The prepared adsorbents were characterized by SEM, TGA, IR, and H1 NMR instruments. To maximize the adsorption efficiency of tetraconazole, the optimum conditions of contact time, pH, temperature, adsorbent dose, and initial concentration of adsorbate were determined. The highest removal percentage of tetraconazole from water was 98.51% and 95% using Cell-F and Cell-P, respectively. Underivatized nanocellulose was also evaluated as an adsorbent for tetraconazole for comparison purpose, and it showed a removal efficiency of about 91.73%. The best equilibrium adsorption isotherm model of each process was investigated based on the experimental and calculated R2 values of Freundlich and Langmuir models. The adsorption kinetics were also investigated using pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and intra-particle-diffusion adsorption kinetic models. The Van’t Hoff plot was also studied for each adsorption to determine the changes in adsorption enthalpy (∆H), Gibbs free energy (∆G), and entropy (∆S). The obtained results showed that adsorption by Cell-F and Cell-P follow the Langmuir adsorption isotherm and the mechanism follows the pseudo-second-order kinetic adsorption model. The obtained negative values of the thermodynamic parameter ∆G (−4.693, −4.792, −5.549 kJ) for nanocellulose, Cell-F, and Cell-P, respectively, indicate a spontaneous adsorption process. Cell-F and Cell-P could be promising absorbents on a commercial scale for tetraconazole and other pesticides.
Spray Drying for Direct Compression of Pharmaceuticals
Authors: Al-Zoubi Nizar , Gharaibeh Shadi , Aljaberi Ahmad , Nikolakakis Ioannis
Published: January 2021

Tableting by direct compression (DC) is one of the simplest and most cost-effective drug manufacturing approaches. However, most active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and excipients lack the compression and flow properties required to meet the needs of high-speed industrial tablet presses. Therefore, the majority of DC APIs and excipients are modified via processing/co-processing particle engineering techniques to boost their properties. Spray drying is one of the most commonly employed techniques to prepare DC grades of APIs and excipients with prominent advantages. This review aims to present an overview of the commercially marketed and investigationally-prepared DC APIs and excipients produced by spray drying.
Numerical Simulation of the Aerosol Particle Motion in Granular Filters with Solid and Porous Granules
Authors: Soloveva Olga V. , Solovev Sergei A. , Yafizov Ruzil R.
Published: January 2021

In this work, a study was carried out to compare the filtering and hydrodynamic properties of granular filters with solid spherical granules and spherical granules with modifications in the form of micropores. We used the discrete element method (DEM) to construct the geometry of the filters. Models of granular filters with spherical granules with diameters of 3, 4, and 5 mm, and with porosity values of 0.439, 0.466, and 0.477, respectively, were created. The results of the numerical simulation are in good agreement with the experimental data of other authors. We created models of granular filters containing micropores with different porosity values (0.158–0.366) in order to study the micropores’ effect on the aerosol motion. The study showed that micropores contribute to a decrease in hydrodynamic resistance and an increase in particle deposition efficiency. There is also a maximum limiting value of the granule microporosity for a given aerosol particle diameter when a further increase in microporosity leads to a decrease in the deposition efficiency.
A Photogrammetry-Based Workflow for the Accurate 3D Construction and Visualization of Museums Assets
Authors: Apollonio Fabrizio Ivan , Fantini Filippo , Garagnani Simone , Gaiani Marco
Published: January 2021

Nowadays digital replicas of artefacts belonging to the Cultural Heritage (CH) are one of the most promising innovations for museums exhibitions, since they foster new forms of interaction with collections, at different scales. However, practical digitization is still a complex task dedicated to specialized operators. Due to these premises, this paper introduces a novel approach to support non-experts working in museums with robust, easy-to-use workflows based on low-cost widespread devices, aimed at the study, classification, preservation, communication and restoration of CH artefacts. The proposed methodology introduces an automated combination of acquisition, based on mobile equipment and visualization, based on Real-Time Rendering. After the description of devices used along the workflow, the paper focuses on image pre-processing and geometry processing techniques adopted to generate accurate 3D models from photographs. Assessment criteria for the developed process evaluation are illustrated. Tests of the methodology on some effective museum case studies are presented and discussed.
Ground-Based MAX-DOAS Observations of Tropospheric NO2 and HCHO During COVID-19 Lockdown and Spring Festival Over Shanghai, China
Authors: Tanvir Aimon , Javed Zeeshan , Jian Zhu , Zhang Sanbao , Bilal Muhammad , Xue Ruibin , Wang Shanshan , Bin Zhou
Published: January 2021

Reduced mobility and less anthropogenic activity under special case circumstances over various parts of the world have pronounced effects on air quality. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of reduced anthropogenic activity on air quality in the mega city of Shanghai, China. Observations from the highly sophisticated multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscope (MAX-DOAS) instrument were used for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and formaldehyde (HCHO) column densities. In situ measurements for NO2, ozone (O3), particulate matter (PM2.5) and the air quality index (AQI) were also used. The concentration of trace gases in the atmosphere reduces significantly during annual Spring Festival holidays, whereby mobility is reduced and anthropogenic activities come to a halt. The COVID-19 lockdown during 2020 resulted in a considerable drop in vertical column densities (VCDs) of HCHO and NO2 during lockdown Level-1, which refers to strict lockdown, i.e., strict measures taken to reduce mobility (43% for NO2; 24% for HCHO), and lockdown Level-2, which refers to relaxed lockdown, i.e., when the mobility restrictions were relaxed somehow (20% for NO2; 22% for HCHO), compared with pre-lockdown days, as measured by the MAX-DOAS instrument. However, for 2019, a reduction in VCDs was found only during Level-1 (24% for NO2; 6.62% for HCHO), when the Spring Festival happened. The weekly cycle for NO2 and HCHO depicts no significant effect of weekends on the lockdown. After the start of the Spring Festival, the VCDs of NO2 and HCHO showed a decline for 2019 as well as 2020. Backward trajectories calculated using the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model indicated more air masses coming from the sea after the Spring Festival for 2019 and 2020, implying that a low pollutant load was carried by them. No impact of anthropogenic activity was found on O3 concentration. The results indicate that the ratio of HCHO to NO2 (RFN) fell in the volatile organic compound (VOC)-limited regime.
How Can Microwave Observations at 23.8 GHz Help in Acquiring Water Vapor in the Atmosphere over Land?
Authors: Liu Quanhua (Mark) , Cao Changyong , Grassotti Christopher , Lee Yong-Keun
Published: January 2021

Due to concerns about radio frequency interference from emerging telecommunications technology, there have been intensive discussions on the changes to the international Radio Regulations around 24 GHz at the recent World Radiocommunication Conference in 2019. Although the sensitivity to total precipitable water (TPW) at 23.8 GHz over land is small, and in some cases close to zero, state-of-the-art retrieval systems with no dependence on real-time ancillary data (e.g., numerical weather prediction (NWP) model forecasts), such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) operational Microwave Integrated Retrieval System (MiRS), have been producing reliable TPW products over both ocean and land, which implies that the microwave channel at 23.8 GHz is providing valuable information on TPW over land as well as over ocean. The contradiction between the zero or near-zero sensitivity and practical performance over land raises questions for the remote sensing community and public users of such data. In this study, we examine the underlying physics and include mathematical explanations, which address and clarify the apparent contradiction. The channel at 23.8 GHz is a direct measurement and indispensable for its combined use with microwave temperature and moisture sounding channels.
Unstructured Road Segmentation Based on Road Boundary Enhancement Point-Cylinder Network Using LiDAR Sensor
Authors: Zhu Zijian , Li Xu , Xu Jianhua , Yuan Jianhua , Tao Ju
Published: January 2021

The segmentation of unstructured roads, a key technology in self-driving technology, remains a challenging problem. At present, most unstructured road segmentation algorithms are based on cameras or use LiDAR for projection, which has considerable limitations that the camera will fail at night, and the projection method will lose one-dimensional information. Therefore, this paper proposes a road boundary enhancement Point-Cylinder Network, called BE-PCFCN, which uses Point-Cylinder in order to extract point cloud features directly and integrates the road enhancement module to achieve accurate unstructured road segmentation. Firstly, we use the improved RANSAC-Boundary algorithm to calculate the rough road boundary point set, training in the same parameters with the original point cloud as a submodule. The whole network adopts the encoder and decoder structure, using Point-Cylinder as the basic module, while considering the data locality and the algorithm complexity. Subsequently, we made an unstructured road data set for training and compared it with existing LiDAR(Light Detection And Ranging) semantic segmentation algorithms. Finally, the experiment verified the robustness of BE-PCFCN. The road intersection-over-union (IoU) was increased by 4% when compared with the best existing algorithm, reaching 95.6%. Even on unstructured roads with an extremely irregular shape, BE-PCFCN also currently has the best segmentation results.
Vegetation Cover Change and Its Attribution in China from 2001 to 2018
Authors: Mu Baohui , Zhao Xiang , Wu Donghai , Wang Xinyan , Zhao Jiacheng , Wang Haoyu , Zhou Qian , Du Xiaozheng , Liu Naijing
Published: January 2021

It is confirmed that China has been greening over the last two decades. Such greening and its driving factors are therefore significant for understanding the relationship between vegetation and environments. However, studies on vegetation changes and attribution analyses at the national scale are limited in China after 2000. In this study, fractional vegetation cover (FVC) data from Global Land Surface Satellite (GLASS) was used to detect vegetation change trends from 2001 to 2018, and the effects of CO2, temperature, shortwave radiation, precipitation, and land cover change (LCC) on FVC changes were quantified using generalized linear models (GLM). The results showed that (1) FVC in China increased by 14% from 2001 to 2018 with a greening rate of approximately 0.0019/year (p < 0.01), which showed an apparent greening trend. (2) On the whole, CO2, climate-related factors, and LCC accounted for 88% of FVC changes in China, and the drivers explained 82%, 89%, 90%, and 89% of the FVC changes in the Qinghai–Tibet region, northwest region, northern region, and southern region, respectively. CO2 was the major driving factor for FVC changes, accounting for 31% of FVC changes in China, indicating that CO2 was an essential factor in vegetation growth research. (3) The statistical results of pixels with land cover changes showed that LCC explained 12% of FVC changes, LCC has played a relatively important role and this phenomenon may be related to the ecological restoration projects. This study enriches the study of vegetation changes and its driving factors, and quantitatively describes the response relationship between vegetation and its driving factors. The results have an important significance for adjusting terrestrial ecosystem services.
Validation of Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) Devices on Sheep to Detect Grazing Movement Leaders and Social Networks in Merino Ewes
Authors: Keshavarzi Hamideh , Lee Caroline , Johnson Mark , Abbott David , Ni Wei , Campbell Dana L. M.
Published: January 2021

Understanding social behaviour in livestock groups requires accurate geo-spatial localisation data over time which is difficult to obtain in the field. Automated on-animal devices may provide a solution. This study introduced an Real-Time-Kinematic Global Navigation Satellite System (RTK-GNSS) localisation device (RTK rover) based on an RTK module manufactured by the company u-blox (Thalwil, Switzerland) that was assembled in a box and harnessed to sheep backs. Testing with 7 sheep across 4 days confirmed RTK rover tracking of sheep movement continuously with accuracy of approximately 20 cm. Individual sheep geo-spatial data were used to observe the sheep that first moved during a grazing period (movement leaders) in the one-hectare test paddock as well as construct social networks. Analysis of the optimum location update rate, with a threshold distance of 20 cm or 30 cm, showed that location sampling at a rate of 1 sample per second for 1 min followed by no samples for 4 min or 9 min, detected social networks as accurately as continuous location measurements at 1 sample every 5 s. The RTK rover acquired precise data on social networks in one sheep flock in an outdoor field environment with sampling strategies identified to extend battery life.
Sensors and Communication Simulation for Unmanned Traffic Management
Authors: Carramiñana David , Campaña Iván , Bergesio Luca , Bernardos Ana M. , Besada Juan A.
Published: January 2021

Unmanned traffic management (UTM) systems will become a key enabler to the future drone market ecosystem, enabling the safe concurrent operation of both manned and unmanned aircrafts. Currently, these systems are usually tested by performing real scenarios that are costly, limited, hardly scalable, and poorly repeatable. As a solution, in this paper we propose an agent-based simulation platform, implemented through a micro service architecture, which may simulate UTM information sources, such as flight plans, telemetry messages, or tracks from a surveillance network. The final objective of this simulator is to use these information streams to perform a system-level evaluation of UTM systems both in the pre-flight and in-flight stages. The proposed platform, with a focus on simulation of communications and sensors, allows to model UTM actors’ behaviors and their interactions. In addition, it also considers the manual definition of events to simulate unexpected behaviors/events (contingencies), such as communications failures or pilots’ actions. In order to validate our architecture, we implemented a simulator that considers the following actors: drones, pilots, ground control stations, surveillance networks, and communications networks. This platform enables the simulation of the drone trajectory and control, the C2 (command and control) link, drone detection by surveillance sensors, and the communication of all agents by means of a mobile communications network. Our results show that it is possible to truthfully recreate complex scenarios using this simulator, mitigating the disadvantages of real testbeds.
A Spatial-Temporal Approach Based on Antenna Array for GNSS Anti-Spoofing
Authors: Zhao Yuqing , Shen Feng , Xu Guanghui , Wang Guochen
Published: January 2021

The presence of spoofing signals poses a significant threat to global navigation satellite system (GNSS)-based positioning applications, as it could cause a malfunction of the positioning service. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to present a spatial-temporal technique that enables GNSS receivers to reliably detect and suppress spoofing. The technique, which is based on antenna array, can be divided into two consecutive stages. In the first stage, an improved eigen space spectrum is constructed for direction of arrival (DOA) estimation. To this end, a signal preprocessing scheme is provided to solve the signal model mismatch in the DOA estimation for navigation signals. In the second stage, we design an optimization problem for power estimation with the estimated DOA as support information. After that, the spoofing detection is achieved by combining power comparison and cross-correlation monitoring. Finally, we enhance the genuine signals by beamforming while the subspace oblique projection is used to suppress spoofing. The proposed technique does not depend on external hardware and can be readily implemented on raw digital baseband signal before the despreading of GNSS receivers. Crucially, the low-power spoofing attack and multipath can be distinguished and mitigated by this technique. The estimated DOA and power are both beneficial for subsequent spoofing localization. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of our method.
Experimental Results of Partial Discharge Localization in Bounded Domains
Authors: Perfetto Luca , D’Antona Gabriele
Published: January 2021

This work presents a novel diagnostic method to localize Partial Discharges (PDs) inside Medium Voltage (MV) and High Voltage (HV) equipment. The method is well suited for that equipment presenting a bounded domain with fixed Boundary Conditions (BCs) such as Oil-Filled Power Transformers (OFPTs), Air Insulated Switchgears (AISs), Gas Insulated Switchgears (GISs) or Gas Insulated Transmission Lines (GILs). It is based on Electromagnetic (EM) measurements which are used to reconstruct the EM field produced by the PD and localize the PD itself. The reconstruction and localization tasks are based on the eigenfunctions series expansion method which intrinsically accounts for the physical information of the propagation phenomenon. This fact makes the proposed diagnostic method very robust and accurate even in real and complex scenarios. The promising experimental results, obtained in two different test cases, confirmed the ability and powerfulness of the proposed PD localization method.
Role of Project Planning and Project Manager Competencies on Public Sector Project Success
Authors: Irfan Muhammad , Khan Sanam Zaib , Hassan Nasruddin , Hassan Mazlan , Habib Muhammad , Khan Salma , Khan Hadi Hassan
Published: January 2021

Even though the world has progressed exponentially, the core reasons for the failure of many public sector projects remain the same, i.e., the poor planning and competency of a project manager. Therefore, it becomes essential even in the contemporary world to assess and evaluate a model that determines the effect of planning and the project manager’s competency on the success of public sector projects. Moreover, the present study aims to assess the role of project planning and the project manager’s competency in project success in the context of project management methodology defined by the Project Management Institute. In the current survey-based study, a sample of 260 project engineers, from the public sector organizations operating in Balochistan, that were engaged in projects was taken in order to understand the relationship between the constructs. Quantitative data were collected to address the proposed hypotheses using the partial least squares structural equation modeling technique. It was inferred from the findings that planning and competency have a significant positive impact on the success of public sector projects. Among the two, it was determined that planning for public sector projects has a greater role in the success of projects. Therefore, it is concluded based on the results of the study that in future, due consideration should be given to planning and the abilities of a project manager.
A Conceptual Framework on Reconceptualizing Customer Share of Wallet (SOW): As a Perspective of Dynamic Process in the Hospitality Consumption Context
Authors: Baek Jooa , Lee Jaeseok
Published: January 2021

The consumer decision journey is a complex and situation-dependent process. In highly competitive markets with diverse brands in the hospitality industry, it is important to understand how customers’ wallets are allocated to a particular brand among a set of competing brands. A review of the literature indicates that customers generally follow a previous purchasing experience and its evaluation (e.g., satisfaction, preference) but may change their former decisions at the purchasing moment through the dynamic process. This study builds upon the concept of brand categorization to understand complex choice behavior and the customer’s share of wallet. This study proposes a conceptual framework incorporating several recent theoretical developments in consumer research to better understand customers’ purchasing behavior in the hospitality industry. As such, it provides guidelines for designing a more effective marketing and communication strategy for hospitality entities.
Estimating the True Size of Public Procurement to Assess Sustainability Impact
Authors: Hafsa Fatima , Darnall Nicole , Bretschneider Stuart
Published: January 2021

Public procurement, the government’s purchase of goods and services, is an important tool to advance sustainability objectives. Since government is the largest consumer in the economy, it can have a sizable impact on the market by purchasing sustainably. However, its sustainability impact (both environmental and social) is undermined because the public procurement’s size is underestimated. Previous estimates of public procurement only consider contract-based purchases or non-defense purchases. In other instances, data are too limited to estimate government purchases appropriately. These factors lead to underestimations of the extent to which government purchasing can be leveraged to advance sustainability objectives. To understand the true impact of government purchases, we estimated the size of public procurement by considering all aspects of public procurement. We used this estimation to assess whether current measurement processes misrepresent the size of public procurement and identify key elements that may be missing from the current public procurement measures. We applied our estimate to four OECD countries, the U.S., the U.K., Italy, and the Netherlands for two years (2017 and 2018). Our results showed that that across all levels of government, public procurement as a percentage of GDP in the U.S., the U.K., Italy, and the Netherlands ranged between 19–24%, 13–56%, 3–10%, and 12–38%, respectively. Our findings revealed that governments have substantially greater market power than previously estimated, which can be leveraged to pursue sustainability goals. Our findings also illustrate systemic data challenges to how public procurement data are collected and analyzed.
Working towards Sustainable Innovation for Green Waste Benefits: The Role of Awareness of Consequences in the Adoption of Shaded Cocoa Agroforestry in Ghana
Authors: Yamoah Fred A. , Kaba James S. , Botchie David , Amankwah-Amoah Joseph
Published: January 2021

Drawing on the awareness of consequence literature, this paper unpacks how the awareness of the consequences of full-sun cocoa production can encourage farmers to adopt shaded cocoa agroforestry that preserves the land and favours better cocoa farm waste management. Using Ghana as a case study, the paper provides distinctive insights on how shaded cocoa agroforestry systems provide sustainable yields in the medium- to long-term, relative to unshaded systems. We also find that cocoa farmers’ awareness of consequences about the effects of undertaking unshaded cocoa production could make individual farmers exhibit pro-environmental behaviour, leading to the adoption of cocoa agroforestry systems that help preserve soil fertility and improve waste management. We recommend that the utilization of awareness of consequence protocols, coupled with the efficient diffusion of information on the benefits of agroforestry in terms of waste management and environmental improvements to the cocoa farmers, could increase the adoption of shaded cocoa production regimes in Ghana.
Noonomy as the Material Basis for a Prospective Humanitarian Model of Public Order
Authors: Bodrunov Sergey
Published: January 2021

The development of the modern technological revolution and evidence of a deepening civilization crisis make us pose the question about the prospects of the social and economic transformation of the modern society under the influence of certain factors. S. Bodrunov approaches the resolution of this problem from the historical perspective on public development. He relies on methodology of the classical political economy and considers changes in the material basis of production as the main drivers of upcoming changes. Technological shifts lead to changes in the content of human activity and opportunities for the satisfaction of human wants. They also result in a gradual removal of humans from immediate production and cause shifts in the entire social structure. The author shows that the next stage in the development of the modern civilization will be the formation of a new type of public order–the New Industrial Society of the Second Generation (NIS.2), which stipulates gradual creation of prerequisites for transitioning from the economy to the noonomy. The noonomy constitutes a non-economic way of satisfying humans’ reasonable wants. It will serve as the material foundation for forming and ensuring the functionality of the noosociety. The article determines that humanitarian culture as a timeless value exerts crucial influence on the positive development of transformation processes considered under the theory of noonomy.
The Impact Assessment of Increasing Population Density on Jeddah Road Transportation Using Spatial-Temporal Analysis
Authors: Aljoufie Mohammed
Published: January 2021

This paper aimed to measure and analyze the impact of temporal population density changes on transportation in Jeddah, a fast-growing city in Saudi Arabia. Local cooperative interpretation is first used to quantify the temporal population density and transportation changes for three sample districts in Jeddah from 2007 to 2014. Three temporal indicators were developed to measure the impact of increasing population density on transportation: (1) District Road Density Index (DRDI); (2) District Parking Index (DPI); and (3) District Trip Index (DTI). Then, a statistical analysis was conducted to examine the temporal relationship between population density and transportation for the years 2007 and 2014, by performing a Pearson correlation analysis, a paired t-test and a bootstrap for paired samples test. The results of temporal indicators revealed a significant change in population density in Jeddah from 2007 to 2014, which seems to indicate intensified demand for transportation infrastructure. The Pearson correlation analysis indicated a strong positive relationship between population density variables and temporal impact indicators. Both a paired t-test and a bootstrap for paired samples test results indicated the effect of population density changes on transportation changes in Jeddah as a result of population density regulation changes in Jeddah from 2007 to 2014. This study presents sophisticated tools to study the impact of temporal population density change on transportation in a fast-growing city, which will facilitate the measurement and evaluation of urban sustainability.
Prioritization in Strategic Environmental Assessment Using Fuzzy TOPSIS Method with Random Generation for Absent Information in South Korea
Authors: Park Daeryong , Fan Huan-Jung , Zhu Jun-Jie , Kim Taesoon , Um Myoung-Jin , Kim Siyeon , Jeon Seol , Jung Kichul
Published: January 2021

This study evaluated a fuzzy technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) as a multicriteria decision making system that compensates for missing information with undefined weight factor criteria. The suggested Fuzzy TOPSIS was applied to ten potential dam sites in three river basins (the Han River, the Geum River, and the Nakdong River basins) in South Korea. To assess potential dam sites, the strategic environment assessment (SEA) monitored four categories: national preservation, endangered species, water quality, and toxic environment. To consider missing information, this study applied the Monte Carlo Simulation method with uniform and normal distributions. The results show that effects of missing information generation with one fuzzy set in GB1 site of the Geum River basin are not great in fuzzy positive-ideal solution (FPIS) and fuzzy negative-ideal solution (FNIS) estimations. However, the combination of two fuzzy sets considering missing information in Gohyun stream (NG) and Hoenggye stream (NH) sites of the Nakdong River basin has a great effect on estimating FPIS, FNIS, and priority ranking in Fuzzy TOPSIS applications. The sites with the highest priority ranking in the Han River, Geum River, and Nakdong River basins based on Fuzzy TOPSIS are the Dal stream 1 (HD1), Bocheong stream 2 (GB2) and NG sites. Among the sites in all river basins, the GB2 site had the highest priority ranking. Consequently, the results coincided with findings of previous studies based on multicriteria decision making with missing information and show the applicability of Fuzzy TOPSIS when evaluating priority rankings in cases with missing information.
Conceptualization and Realization of a National Trail in a Small Island-Nation: The Commonwealth of Dominica’s Experience
Authors: Christian Colmore S.
Published: January 2021

The island-nation of Dominica, 790 km2 in area, is located approximately 1126.5 km Southeast of Florida, USA. In the mid-1990s, Dominica embarked on developing the 183.5 km Waitukubuli National Trail (WNT), the first and only national trail model in the Eastern Caribbean. The 14-segment WNT, officially opened in May 2013, passes through some of the island’s most diverse landscapes. WNT was designed to link as many rural communities as possible and promote ecotourism and community socioeconomic development. Rehabilitation work continues on the WNT and the rest of Dominica, following the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria of 2017. This article, based primarily on a limited questionnaire survey, selected interviews, and literature review, explored the research question ‘What were the challenges faced by a small-island nation in the development of a National Trail? Five specific research objectives focused on the conceptualization, implementation challenges, partnerships fostered, national and sub-regional significance, and future outlook of the Trail were considered. Questionnaire respondents identified the island’s topography and negotiations with private landowners as significant trail construction challenges. A 100% of survey respondents anticipate that reliable funding to support timely maintenance would likely be a critical future issue. Some respondents identified marketing, public engagement, and visitor safety as potential issues. Face-to-face interviews found strong support for the WNT. The interviewees were confident that Dominica would realize sustainable socioeconomic benefits from the Trail. The article concludes with lessons learned and proposes strategies and research themes to ensure the Trail’s sustainability.
Quantization of Gravitationally Bound Systems
Authors: Fil’chenkov Michael , Laptev Yuri
Published: January 2021

Some of the approaches to quantization in gravity theory concerning gravitationally bound systems are considered. Grades of quantization applicable to these systems have been classified in terms of quantum mechanics, quantum field theory, and quantum geometrodynamics. Energy levels for the graviatom, Lemaître’s atom, quantum gravitational collapse have been calculated, and relationships for the masses of bound system components, as well as Universe’s birth probabilities, are presented to exemplify the properties of gravitationally bound systems. Objects and processes in them have been analyzed to construct quantum models of compact astrophysical objects and the early Universe.
Three-Dimensional Cell Culture Systems for Studying Hepatitis C Virus
Authors: So Chui-Wa , Randall Glenn
Published: January 2021

Hepatocytes, the major target of hepatitis C virus (HCV), are highly polarized. HCV infection requires extensive trafficking to distinct subcellular domains in the polarized hepatocyte. Polarized cells and three-dimensional organoids are commonly used to study liver functions and differentiation. Researchers have begun adapting these cell culture models that morphologically and physiologically resemble hepatocytes in vivo to study HCV infection. This review summarizes the use of three-dimensional cell culture systems in studies of HCV infection.
Start-Up of Anammox SBR from Non-Specific Inoculum and Process Acceleration Methods by Hydrazine
Authors: Zekker Ivar , Artemchuk Oleg , Rikmann Ergo , Ohimai Kelvin , Dhar Bhowmick Gourav , Madhao Ghangrekar Makarand , Burlakovs Juris , Tenno Taavo
Published: January 2021

Biological nutrient removal from wastewater to reach acceptable levels is needed to protect water resources and avoid eutrophication. The start-up of an anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) process from scratch was investigated in a 20 L sequence batch reactor (SBR) inoculated with a mixture of aerobic and anaerobic sludge at 30 ± 0.5 °C with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 2–3 days. The use of NH4Cl, NaNO2, and reject water as nitrogen sources created different salinity periods, in which the anammox process performance was assessed: low (<0.2 g of Cl−/L), high (18.2 g of Cl−/L), or optimum salinity (0.5–2 g of Cl−/L). Reject water feeding gave the optimum salinity, with an average nitrogen removal efficiency of 80%, and a TNRR of 0.08 kg N/m3/d being achieved after 193 days. The main aim was to show the effect of a hydrazine addition on the specific anammox activity (SAA) and denitrification activity in the start-up process to boost the autotrophic nitrogen removal from scratch. The effect of the anammox intermediate hydrazine addition was tested to assess its concentration effect (range of 2–12.5 mg of N2H4/L) on diminishing denitrifier activity and accelerating anammox activity at the same time. Heterotrophic denitrifiers’ activity was diminished by all hydrazine additions compared to the control; 5 mg of N2H4/L added enhanced SAA compared to the control, achieving an SAA of 0.72 (±0.01) mg N/g MLSS/h, while the test with 7.5 mg of N2H4/L reached the highest overall SAA of 0.98 (±0.09) mg N g/MLSS/h. The addition of trace amounts of hydrazine for 6 h was also able to enhance SAA after inhibition by organic carbon source sodium acetate addition at a high C/N ratio of 10/1. The start-up of anammox bacteria from the aerobic–anaerobic suspended biomass was successful, with hydrazine significantly accelerating anammox activity and decreasing denitrifier activity, making the method applicable for side-stream as well as mainstream treatment.
Efficiency of Arsenic and Iron Removal Plants (AIRPs) for Groundwater Treatment in Rural Areas of Southwest Bangladesh
Authors: Rahman Md. , Kumar Sazal , Bari A. , Sharma Abhishek , Rahman Mohammad
Published: January 2021

Arsenic (As) removal plants were installed in As-endemic areas of Bangladesh to remove As from well water. In many cases, these removal plants did not perform satisfactorily. This study evaluated the efficiency of 20 As and iron (Fe) removal plants (AIRPs) during pre- and post-monsoon conditions in rural Bangladesh. Results revealed that As removal efficiencies ranged from 67% to 98% and 74 to 93% during the pre- and post-monsoons periods, respectively. In the post-monsoon season As removal at individual AIRP sites was on average (4.01%) greater than in the pre-monsoon season. However, two removal plants were unable to remove As below 50 µg L−1 (Bangladesh drinking water standard) during pre-monsoon, while 11 samples out of 20 were unable to remove As below the WHO provisional guideline value of 10 µg L−1. During post-monsoon, none of the samples exceeded 50 µg L−1, but eight of them exceeded 10 µg L−1. The Fe removal efficiencies of AIRPs were evident in more than 80% samples. Although As removal efficiency was found to be substantial, a cancer risk assessment indicates that hazard quotient (HQ) and carcinogenic risk (CR) of As in treated water for adults and children are above the threshold limits. Thus, additional reductions of As concentrations in treated water are needed to further reduce the excess cancer risk due to As in drinking water. Since 55% and 40% of the AIRPs were unable to remove As < 10 µg L−1 during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon, further improvement including changes in AIRP design, regular cleaning of sludge, and periodic monitoring of water quality are suggested. Future research is needed to determine whether these modifications improve the performance of AIRPs.
A Simple Method for the Control Time of a Pumping Station to Ensure a Stable Water Level Immediately Upstream of the Pumping Station under a Change of the Discharge in an Open Channel
Authors: Yan Peiru , Zhang Zhao , Lei Xiaohui , Zheng Ying , Zhu Jie , Wang Hao , Tan Qiaofeng
Published: January 2021

For an open channel with cascade pumping stations, the water level immediately upstream of the pumping station should be kept constant to ensure pumping stability and lining safety. In this study, a simple method was proposed to determine the control time of the pumping station to ensure a stable water level immediately upstream of the pumping station using reverse analysis. The variable discharge process and fixed water level were taken as the upstream and downstream boundaries of the one-dimensional open channel hydrodynamic model, and the discharge process of the pumping station was obtained under ideal conditions. The control time was determined by the equivalent water volume change considering the step change of the discharge of the pumping station. A case study was performed using the Jiaodong water diversion project from Songzhuang sluice to Huibu pumping station (G1–P1), and the effects of the initial discharge, variable discharge, and downstream water level on the control time were investigated. The results show that (1) the larger the initial discharge, the shorter the control time; (2) increasing the upstream discharge reduced the control time, while decreasing the upstream discharge increased the control time; (3) the control time decreased with the increase of the water depth immediately upstream of the pumping station.
Comparative Investigation of Aquatic Invertebrates in Springs in Münsterland Area (Western Germany)
Authors: Alqaragholi Sura Abdulghani , Kanoua Wael , Göbel Patricia
Published: January 2021

The main aim of this study was to investigate the abundance of invertebrates in groundwater in relation to groundwater conditions (groundwater table, discharge, rainfall, and physio-chemical parameters), and to examine the suitable time for invertebrate sampling in springs. Thus, eight springs in two separate study areas, “Baumberge” and “Schöppinger Berg” (Münsterland area, North-Rhine Westphalia in Germany), were sampled five times (24 h for 2–5 consecutive sampling days) between November 2018 and October 2019. The results showed high spatial and temporal variance. In general, the existence of invertebrates and stygobites increased, whereas invertebrate types decreased with increasing hydraulic head and spring discharge. Therefore, investigating the abundance of invertebrates and invertebrate species is recommended to be done separately. Abundance of invertebrates was affected by different factors in both areas. Spearman correlation test (two-tailed) and factor analyses (n = 80, p ≤ 0.01) highlighted the importance of detritus as the main controlling factor for invertebrate existence and stygobite individuals in Baumberge, whereas dissolved oxygen is essential for their existence in Schöppinger Berg.
Presence and Reduction of Anthropogenic Substances with UV Light and Oxidizing Disinfectants in Wastewater—A Case Study at Kuopio, Finland
Authors: Ikonen Jenni , Nuutinen Ilpo , Niittynen Marjo , Hokajärvi Anna-Maria , Pitkänen Tarja , Antikainen Eero , Miettinen Ilkka T.
Published: January 2021

Anthropogenic substances are a major concern due to their potential harmful effects towards aquatic ecosystems. Because wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are not designed to remove these substances from wastewater, a part of the anthropogenic substances enter nature via WWTP discharges. During the spring 2019, the occurrence of anthropogenic substances in the municipal wastewater effluent in Kuopio, Finland, was analysed. Furthermore, the capacity of selected disinfection methods to reduce these substances from wastewater was tested. The disinfection methods were ozonation (760 mL min−1) with an OxTube hermetic dissolution method (1), the combined usage of peracetic acid (PAA) (<5 mg L−1) and ultraviolet (UV) disinfection (12 mJ/cm2) (2), and the combined usage of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) (<10 mg L−1) and UV disinfection (12 mJ/cm2) (3). The substances found at the concentrations over 1 µg L−1 in effluent (N = 3) were cetirizine (5.2 ± 1.3 µg L−1), benzotriazole (BZT) (2.1 ± 0.98 µg L−1), hydrochlorothiazide (1.7 ± 0.2 µg L−1), furosemide (1.6 ± 0.2 µg L−1), lamotrigine (1.5 ± 0.06 µg L−1), diclofenac (DCF) (1.4 ± 0.2 µg L−1), venlafaxine (1.0 ± 0.13 µg L−1) and losartan (0.9 ± 0.2 µg L−1). The reduction (%) with different methods (1, 2, 3) were: cetirizine (99.9, 5.0, NR = no removal), benzotriazole (67.9, NR, NR), hydrochlorothiazide (91.1, 5.9, NR), furosemide (99.7, 5.9, NR), lamotrigine (46.4, NR, 6.7), diclofenac (99.7, 7.1, 16.7), venlafaxine (91.3, NR, 1.1), losartan (99.6, 13.8, NR). Further research concerning the tested disinfection methods is needed in order to fully elucidate their potential for removing anthropogenic substances from purified wastewater.
PENGARUH CURRENT RATIO, DEBT TO EQUITY RATIO, RETURN ON EQUITY, TOTAL ASSET TURNOVER, DIVIDEN PAYOUT RATIO TERHADAP RETURN SAHAM PADA PERUSAHAAN OTOMOTIF
Authors: WAHYUDI MATIUS , DEITIANA TITA
Published: January 2021

The purpose of this research is to test and analyze empirically the influence of current ratio, debt to equity ratio, return on equity, total asset turnover, and dividen payout ratio toward stock return. The object of this research is automotive sector companies that listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange period 2009-2015. The purposive sampling is used as sampling technique, where 8 companies met the criteria and were analyzed using Eviews9 panel data regression with fixed effect model to test the hyphotesis. The result of this research shows that current ratio, return on equity, total asset turnover influence stock return, while debt to equity ratio, and dividen payout ratio do not influence stock return.
SERVICE QUALITY, CUSTOMER SERVICE QUALITY, CUSTOMER SATISFACTION, DAN CORPORATE IMAGE TERHADAP CUSTOMER LOYALTY PADA KLINIK KECANTIKAN DI JAKARTA
Authors: TAMIA MEGI , SOEDIONO WIBISONO
Published: January 2021

The purpose of this research to aware of the influence of service quality, customer satisfaction, and corporate image, toward customer loyalty on klinik kecantikan erha skin care at Jakarta. This study using regression analysis to analyse data. The research has 100 sample on klinik kecantikan erha skin care. Research used purposive sampling method to determine this study. This study found that service quality, customer satisfaction and corporate image good effect on customer loyalty on klinik kecantikan erha skin care in Jakarta.