bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
IoT Sensing Platform as a Driver for Digital Farming in Rural Africa
Authors: Oliveira-Jr Antonio , Resende Carlos , Pereira André , Madureira Pedro , Gonçalves João , Moutinho Ruben , Soares Filipe , Moreira Waldir
Published: June 2020

Small-scale farming can benefit from the usage of information and communication technology (ICT) to improve crop and soil management and increase yield. However, in order to introduce digital farming in rural areas, related ICT solutions must be viable, seamless and easy to use, since most farmers are not acquainted with technology. With that in mind, this paper proposes an Internet of Things (IoT) sensing platform that provides information on the state of the soil and surrounding environment in terms of pH, moisture, texture, colour, air temperature, and light. This platform is coupled with computer vision to further analyze and understand soil characteristics. Moreover, the platform hardware is housed in a specifically designed robust casing to allow easy assembly, transport, and protection from the deployment environment. To achieve requirements of usability and reproducibility, the architecture of the IoT sensing platform is based on low-cost, off-the-shelf hardware and software modularity, following a do-it-yourself approach and supporting further extension. In-lab validations of the platform were carried out to finetune its components, showing the platform’s potential for application in rural areas by introducing digital farming to small-scale farmers, and help them delivering better produce and increasing income.
The Automatic Detection of Cognition Using EEG and Facial Expressions
Authors: El Kerdawy Mohamed , El Halaby Mohamed , Hassan Afnan , Maher Mohamed , Fayed Hatem , Shawky Doaa , Badawi Ashraf
Published: June 2020

Detecting cognitive profiles is critical to efficient adaptive learning systems that automatically adjust the content delivered depending on the learner’s cognitive states and skills. This study explores electroencephalography (EEG) and facial expressions as physiological monitoring tools to build models that detect two cognitive states, namely, engagement and instantaneous attention, and three cognitive skills, namely, focused attention, planning, and shifting. First, while wearing a 14-channel EEG Headset and being videotaped, data has been collected from 127 subjects taking two scientifically validated cognitive assessments. Second, labeling was performed based on the scores obtained from the used tools. Third, different shallow and deep models were experimented in the two modalities of EEG and facial expressions. Finally, the best performing models for the analyzed states are determined. According to the used performance measure, which is the f-beta score with beta = 2, the best obtained results for engagement, instantaneous attention, and focused attention are EEG-based models with 0.86, 0.82, and 0.63 scores, respectively. As for planning and shifting, the best performing models are facial expressions-based models with 0.78 and 0.81, respectively. The obtained results show that EEG and facial expressions contain important and different cues and features about the analyzed cognitive states, and hence, can be used to automatically and non-intrusively detect them.
A Deep-Learning Model for Underwater Position Sensing of a Wake’s Source Using Artificial Seal Whiskers
Authors: Elshalakani Mohamed , Muthuramalingam Muthukumar , Bruecker Christoph
Published: June 2020

Various marine animals possess the ability to track their preys and navigate dark aquatic environments using hydrodynamic sensing of the surrounding flow. In the present study, a deep-learning model is applied to a biomimetic sensor for underwater position detection of a wake-generating body. The sensor is composed of a bundle of spatially-distributed optical fibers that act as artificial seal-like whiskers and interact with the body’s wake in the form of time-variant (bending) deflections. Supervised learning is employed to relate the vibrations of the artificial whiskers to the position of an upstream cylinder. The labeled training data are prepared based on the processing and reduction of the recorded bending responses of the artificial whiskers while the cylinder is placed at various locations. An iterative training algorithm is performed on two neural-network models while using the 10-fold cross-validation technique. The models are able to predict the coordinates of the cylinder in the two-dimensional (2D) space with a high degree of accuracy. The current implementation of the sensor can passively sense the wake generated by the cylinder at Re ≃ 6000 and estimate its position with an average error smaller than the characteristic diameter D of the cylinder and for inter-distances (in the water tunnel) up to 25-times D.
Decentralized Motion Control for Omnidirectional Wheelchair Tracking Error Elimination Using PD-Fuzzy-P and GA-PID Controllers
Authors: Batayneh Wafa , AbuRmaileh Yusra
Published: June 2020

The last decade observed a significant research effort directed towards maneuverability and safety of mobile robots such as smart wheelchairs. The conventional electric wheelchair can be equipped with motorized omnidirectional wheels and several sensors serving as inputs for the controller to achieve smooth, safe, and reliable maneuverability. This work uses the decentralized algorithm to control the motion of omnidirectional wheelchairs. In the body frame of the omnidirectional wheeled wheelchair there are three separated independent components of motion including rotational motion, horizontal motion, and vertical motion, which can be controlled separately. So, each component can have its different sub-controller with a minimum tracking error. The present work aims to enhance the mobility of wheelchair users by utilizing an application to control the motion of their attained/unattained smart wheelchairs, especially in narrow places and at hard detours such as 90˚ corners and U-turns, which improves the quality of life of disabled users by facilitating their wheelchairs’ maneuverability. Two approaches of artificial intelligent-based controllers (PD-Fuzzy-P and GA-PID controllers) are designed to optimally enhance the maneuverability of the system. MATLAB software is used to simulate the system and calculate the Mean Error (ME) and Mean Square Error (MSE) for various scenarios in both approaches, the results showed that the PD-Fuzzy-P controller has a faster convergence in trajectory tracking than the GA-PID controller. Therefore, the proposed system can find its application in many areas including transporting locomotor-based disabled individuals and geriatric people as well as automated guided vehicles.
A Real-Time Speech Separation Method Based on Camera and Microphone Array Sensors Fusion Approach
Authors: Liu Ching-Feng , Ciou Wei-Siang , Chen Peng-Ting , Du Yi-Chun
Published: June 2020

In the context of assisted human, identifying and enhancing non-stationary speech targets speech in various noise environments, such as a cocktail party, is an important issue for real-time speech separation. Previous studies mostly used microphone signal processing to perform target speech separation and analysis, such as feature recognition through a large amount of training data and supervised machine learning. The method was suitable for stationary noise suppression, but relatively limited for non-stationary noise and difficult to meet the real-time processing requirement. In this study, we propose a real-time speech separation method based on an approach that combines an optical camera and a microphone array. The method was divided into two stages. Stage 1 used computer vision technology with the camera to detect and identify interest targets and evaluate source angles and distance. Stage 2 used beamforming technology with microphone array to enhance and separate the target speech sound. The asynchronous update function was utilized to integrate the beamforming control and speech processing to reduce the effect of the processing delay. The experimental results show that the noise reduction in various stationary and non-stationary noise environments were 6.1 dB and 5.2 dB respectively. The response time of speech processing was less than 10ms, which meets the requirements of a real-time system. The proposed method has high potential to be applied in auxiliary listening systems or machine language processing like intelligent personal assistant.
Apple Leaf Diseases Recognition Based on An Improved Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Yan Qian , Yang Baohua , Wang Wenyan , Wang Bing , Chen Peng , Zhang Jun
Published: June 2020

Scab, frogeye spot, and cedar rust are three common types of apple leaf diseases, and the rapid diagnosis and accurate identification of them play an important role in the development of apple production. In this work, an improved model based on VGG16 is proposed to identify apple leaf diseases, in which the global average poling layer is used to replace the fully connected layer to reduce the parameters and a batch normalization layer is added to improve the convergence speed. A transfer learning strategy is used to avoid a long training time. The experimental results show that the overall accuracy of apple leaf classification based on the proposed model can reach 99.01%. Compared with the classical VGG16, the model parameters are reduced by 89%, the recognition accuracy is improved by 6.3%, and the training time is reduced to 0.56% of that of the original model. Therefore, the deep convolutional neural network model proposed in this work provides a better solution for the identification of apple leaf diseases with higher accuracy and a faster convergence speed.
Odor Detection Using an E-Nose With a Reduced Sensor Array
Authors: Borowik Piotr , Adamowicz Leszek , Tarakowski Rafał , Siwek Krzysztof , Grzywacz Tomasz
Published: June 2020

Recent advances in the field of electronic noses (e-noses) have led to new developments in both sensors and feature extraction as well as data processing techniques, providing an increased amount of information. Therefore, feature selection has become essential in the development of e-nose applications. Sophisticated computation techniques can be applied for solving the old problem of sensor number optimization and feature selections. In this way, one can find an optimal application-specific sensor array and reduce the potential cost associated with designing new e-nose devices. In this paper, we examine a procedure to extract and select modeling features for optimal e-nose performance. The usefulness of this approach is demonstrated in detail. We calculated the model’s performance using cross-validation with the standard leave-one-group-out and group shuffle validation methods. Our analysis of wine spoilage data from the sensor array shows when a transient sensor response is considered, both from gas adsorption and desorption phases, it is possible to obtain a reasonable level of odor detection even with data coming from a single sensor. This requires adequate extraction of modeling features and then selection of features used in the final model.
A Human Support Robot for the Cleaning and Maintenance of Door Handles Using a Deep-Learning Framework
Authors: Ramalingam Balakrishnan , Yin Jia , Rajesh Elara Mohan , Tamilselvam Yokhesh Krishnasamy , Mohan Rayguru Madan , Muthugala M. A. Viraj J. , Félix Gómez Braulio
Published: June 2020

The role of mobile robots for cleaning and sanitation purposes is increasing worldwide. Disinfection and hygiene are two integral parts of any safe indoor environment, and these factors become more critical in COVID-19-like pandemic situations. Door handles are highly sensitive contact points that are prone to be contamination. Automation of the door-handle cleaning task is not only important for ensuring safety, but also to improve efficiency. This work proposes an AI-enabled framework for automating cleaning tasks through a Human Support Robot (HSR). The overall cleaning process involves mobile base motion, door-handle detection, and control of the HSR manipulator for the completion of the cleaning tasks. The detection part exploits a deep-learning technique to classify the image space, and provides a set of coordinates for the robot. The cooperative control between the spraying and wiping is developed in the Robotic Operating System. The control module uses the information obtained from the detection module to generate a task/operational space for the robot, along with evaluating the desired position to actuate the manipulators. The complete strategy is validated through numerical simulations, and experiments on a Toyota HSR platform.
Passenger Flow Forecasting in Metro Transfer Station Based on the Combination of Singular Spectrum Analysis and AdaBoost-Weighted Extreme Learning Machine
Authors: Zhou Wei , Wang Wei , Zhao De
Published: June 2020

The metro system plays an important role in urban public transit, and the passenger flow forecasting is fundamental to assisting operators establishing an intelligent transport system (ITS). The forecasting results can provide necessary information for travelling decision of travelers and metro operations of managers. In order to investigate the inner characteristics of passenger flow and make a more accurate prediction with less training time, a novel model (i.e., SSA-AWELM), a combination of singular spectrum analysis (SSA) and AdaBoost-weighted extreme learning machine (AWELM), is proposed in this paper. SSA is developed to decompose the original data into three components of trend, periodicity, and residue. AWELM is developed to forecast each component desperately. The three predicted results are summed as the final outcomes. In the experiments, the dataset is collected from the automatic fare collection (AFC) system of Hangzhou metro in China. We extracted three weeks of passenger flow to carry out multistep prediction tests and a comparison analysis. The results indicate that the proposed SSA-AWELM model can reduce both predicted errors and training time. In particular, compared with the prevalent deep-learning model long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network, SSA-AWELM has reduced the testing errors by 22% and saved time by 84%, on average. It demonstrates that SSA-AWELM is a promising approach for passenger flow forecasting.
Cycling as a Sustainable Transport Alternative in Polish Cittaslow Towns
Authors: Jaszczak Agnieszka , Morawiak Agnieszka , Żukowska Joanna
Published: June 2020

It is well known that growing motor traffic in urban areas causes air pollution and noise which affects the environment and public health. It is hardly surprising then that cycling should be used as an alternative mode of transport, not just in major cities but also in smaller ones including those that are members of the Cittaslow network. Their approach is based on sustainable development, care for the environment and transport solutions which will support a healthy lifestyle, reduced energy consumption and fewer emissions. The objective of the article is to analyse how well cycling is used as a means of transport in Polish Cittaslow towns. For this purpose, an analysis was conducted to understand how towns use their transport space to ensure accessibility and road safety. Reference is made to revitalisation programmes of Cittaslow towns with focus on what has been done to improve and build cycle paths in each town and outside of it. The work uses the following research methods: analysis of the literature, analysis of documents, including analysis of road incidents and traffic count. It has been demonstrated that cycling infrastructure in the towns under analysis has been marginalised. As a result, recommendations and suggestions are given which may inform decisions on how to build and transform cycling infrastructure in Cittaslow towns and in similar towns in Poland and abroad.
Infrastructures and Sustainability: An Estimation Model for a New Highway Near Genoa
Authors: Rosasco Paolo , Sdino Leopoldo
Published: June 2020

The economic development of a territory is strongly correlated to its level of infrastructure (railway, roads, etc.); the complexity of this type of works requires careful planning and design that cannot be separated from the assessment of the impacts generated on citizenship affected by the new infrastructures. This study deals with the instrument defined by the Liguria Region for the implementation of infrastructures through the instruments called “Programmi Regionali di Intervento Strategico—P.R.I.S.” (Regional Strategic Intervention Programs) established by the Regional Law n. 39/2007. The aim of the P.R.I.S. is to guarantee the social protection of citizens that reside (as owners or tenants) or carry out economic activities in real estate units incompatible with the construction of the infrastructure, according to the main Italian law (Presidential Decree n. 327/2001) about the expropriation of private real estate for the construction of public works. In particular, the construction of a new link of the A7-A10-A12 motorway sections near the city of Genoa (called “Gronda”) is considered. The new infrastructure involves the expropriation of about 100 residential units and the relocation of about 50 production activities; the related P.R.I.S. defines the conditions that allow social cohesion through the recognition of indemnities for the expropriation of the real estate properties and the compensation of other expenses that the residents have to pay for their relocation. The valuation of the indemnities is developed through a multi-parameter model applicable for the estimation of real estate units (residential and productive) at a large-scale (mass appraisal); it is derived from the Market Comparison Approach and considers the most meaningful real estate characteristics. The aim is to develop a mass appraisal estimation model applicable in an easy way on real estate units with different destinations use. The model can be applied for the estimation of ordinary and special indemnities to be recognized for owners and tenants affected by the expropriation of their real estate units for the construction of public projects.
Digital Communication: Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Usage for Education Sustainability
Authors: Al-Rahmi Waleed Mugahed , Alzahrani Ahmed Ibrahim , Yahaya Noraffandy , Alalwan Nasser , Kamin Yusri Bin
Published: June 2020

Today, developments in information and communication technology (ICT) have a significant influence on education sustainability. In this study, the factors influencing students’ intentions towards using ICT in education sustainability, as well as their satisfaction from its use, were examined. This study aims to investigate student intentions to use information and communication technology, as well as their satisfaction with such use. Therefore, this study employed an extended model of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as the research framework, and adopted quantitative data collection and analysis methods by surveying 502 university students who were chosen through stratified random sampling. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), student responses were sorted into eight study constructs and analyzed to explain their intentions towards technology use and satisfaction. A significant relationship was found between computer self-efficacy (CSE), subjective norms (SN), and perceived enjoyment (PE), which were significant determinants of perceived ease of use (PEU) and perceived usefulness (PU). PEU, PU, and attitudes towards computer use (ACU) influenced students’ intentions to use (SIU) ICT and students’ satisfaction (SS). The constructs succeeded in explaining usage intentions towards ICT among students and their satisfaction from this usage.
CIM-Powered Multi-Hazard Simulation Framework Covering both Individual Buildings and Urban Areas
Authors: Lu Xinzheng , Gu Donglian , Xu Zhen , Xiong Chen , Tian Yuan
Published: June 2020

To improve the ability to prepare for and adapt to potential hazards in a city, efforts are being invested in evaluating the performance of the built environment under multiple hazard conditions. An integrated physics-based multi-hazard simulation framework covering both individual buildings and urban areas can help improve analysis efficiency and is significant for urban planning and emergency management activities. Therefore, a city information model-powered multi-hazard simulation framework is proposed considering three types of hazards (i.e., earthquake, fire, and wind hazards). The proposed framework consists of three modules: (1) data transformation, (2) physics-based hazard analysis, and (3) high-fidelity visualization. Three advantages are highlighted: (1) the database with multi-scale models is capable of meeting the various demands of stakeholders, (2) hazard analyses are all based on physics-based models, leading to rational and scientific simulations, and (3) high-fidelity visualization can help non-professional users better understand the disaster scenario. A case study of the Tsinghua University campus is performed. The results indicate the proposed framework is a practical method for multi-hazard simulations of both individual buildings and urban areas and has great potential in helping stakeholders to assess and recognize the risks faced by important buildings or the whole city.
A Critical Review of Sustainable Energy Policies for the Promotion of Renewable Energy Sources
Authors: Lu Yuehong , Khan Zafar A. , Alvarez-Alvarado Manuel S. , Zhang Yang , Huang Zhijia , Imran Muhammad
Published: June 2020

Meeting the rising energy demand and limiting its environmental impact are the two intertwined issues faced in the 21st century. Governments in different countries have been engaged in developing regulations and related policies to encourage environment friendly renewable energy generation along with conservation strategies and technological innovations. It is important to develop sustainable energy policies and provide relevant and suitable policy recommendations for end-users. This study presents a review on sustainable energy policy for promotion of renewable energy by introducing the development history of energy policy in five countries, i.e., the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark and China. A survey of the articles aimed at promoting the development of sustainable energy policies and their modelling is carried out. It is observed that energy-efficiency standard is one of the most popular strategy for building energy saving, which is dynamic and renewed based on the current available technologies. Feed-in-tariff has been widely applied to encourage the application of renewable energy, which is demonstrated successfully in different countries. Building energy performance certification schemes should be enhanced in terms of reliable database system and information transparency to pave the way for future net-zero energy building and smart cities.
MSW Management in Universities: Sharing Best Practices
Authors: Rada Elena Cristina , Magaril Elena Romenovna , Schiavon Marco , Karaeva Anzhelika , Chashchin Maxim , Torretta Vincenzo
Published: June 2020

The optimization of municipal solid waste management requires the re-organization of niche sectors too. The sector of the university is not fully explored from the scientific point of view. The creation of networks among universities in order to face this issue allows an exchange of expertise also at an international level as demonstrated in this article, by three case studies: two Italian (University of Trento and University of Insubria) and one Russian (Ural Federal University) universities. This study highlights the pros and cons of each university in terms of waste management. Specifically, setting up communication campaigns, standard procedures, monitoring actions, pricing strategies that incentivize selective collection, and improving the collaboration within the university community are identified as crucial initiatives. The margins of improvement of the three universities analyzed are favored by the composition of the generated waste. The implementation of good practices can give economic advantages to the universities, besides improving their level of sustainability.
Prosocial and Aggressive Behavior Occurrence in Young Athletes: Field Research Results in Six European Countries
Authors: Milovanović Ivana , Gentile Ambra , Gutović Tea , Kezić Ana , Matošić Doris , Kreivytė Rasa , Valantine Irena , Daidone Gioacchino , Bianco Antonino , Radjo Dijana , Obradović Borislav , Drid Patrik
Published: June 2020

Aggression and violence among youth are researched as social phenomena in sport. This paper was designed to determine the occurrence of these behaviors as well as prosocial behaviors among young athletes. The current paper is a research report aiming to detect the frequency of aggressive behavior, social exclusion, prosocial behavior and cohesion in the youth environment, the frequency of personal experience of peer violence or social exclusion, and to evaluate cross-national differences in terms of occurrence of these phenomena.The field research was conducted in six European countries (Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Italy, Lithuania, and Serbia) on a sample of 482 children aged 6 to 16. The conducted questionnaire consisted of pre-existing scales and measures for specific behaviors and social aspects that formed the Youth Environment Assessment and Youth Characteristics Questionnaire. Previous personal experience of violence and social exclusion determined groups in the sample. One-way ANOVA and discriminant analysis were conducted to compare various variables and groups within the sample. The results have shown that aggressive and social exclusion behaviors are rare or very rare, predominantly in the form of verbal aggression in the sports club environment. The results of the conducted discriminant analysis indicate that prosocial and cohesion behaviors occur “quite often” to “often” among sports club athletes’ samples. The percentage of athletes who have had personal experience of violence or social exclusion in the last two years and whose feeling of hurt by that experience was assessed as “a lot” or “fully” on the measurement scale is estimated to be approximately 25%. Mild cross-national differences emerged in the overmentioned variables, probably due to the sample specificity, or to cultural variety. The results indicate the need for longitudinal research on this topic since the sport is an environment in which cohesion can be developed among young athletes, but it is not free from social exclusion or aggression.
Climate Change and Public Policies in the Brazilian Amazon State of Mato Grosso: Perceptions and Challenges
Authors: Mello-Théry Neli Aparecida de , de Lima Caldas Eduardo , Funatsu Beatriz M. , Arvor Damien , Dubreuil Vincent
Published: June 2020

This study examines how key stakeholders in agriculture in a number of municipalities in the Brazilian Amazon state of Mato Grosso are incorporating and adapting to public policies on climate change. Fieldwork and semi-structured interviews conducted in 2014 and 2018 with key stakeholders in the region were analyzed to assess the effectiveness of public policies incorporating climate change factors. Data obtained from documents from national institutions complemented these interviews. The results show that although local government claims that its mission is economic, social and sustainable development, and although public institutions and stakeholders repeat internationally recognized protocols and agreements in their communications, in actual fact, these are not reflected by any change in institutional behavior.
Generation and Prediction of Construction and Demolition Waste Using Exponential Smoothing Method: A Case Study of Shandong Province, China
Authors: Qiao Liang , Liu Doudou , Yuan Xueliang , Wang Qingsong , Ma Qiao
Published: June 2020

The output of construction and demolition (C&D) waste in China has been rapidly increasing in the past decades. The direct landfill of such construction and demolition waste without any treatment accounts for about 98%. Therefore, recycling and utilizing this waste is necessary. The prediction of the output of such waste is the basis for waste disposal and resource utilization. This study takes Shandong Province as a case, the current output of C&D waste is analyzed by building area estimation method, and the output of C&D waste in the next few years is also predicted by Mann–Kendall trend test and quadratic exponential smoothing prediction method. Results indicate that the annual productions of C&D waste in Shandong Province demonstrates a significant growth trend with average annual growth of 11.38%. The growth rates of each city differ a lot. The better the city’s economic development, the higher the level of urbanization, the more C&D waste generated. The prediction results suggest that the output of C&D waste in Shandong Province will grow at an average rate of 3.07% in the next few years. By 2025, the amount of C&D waste will reach 141 million tons. These findings can provide basic data support and reference for the management and utilization of C&D waste.
The Relationship between Green Country Image, Green Trust, and Purchase Intention of Korean Products: Focusing on Vietnamese Gen Z Consumers
Authors: Lee You-Kyung
Published: June 2020

This study aims to extend the stream of country image research through an empirical test primarily focusing on the relationship between the green country image of Korea, as well as the green trust and purchase intention of Korean products considering Vietnamese Generation Z (hereafter Gen Z) consumers. Data were collected in November 2019 through an online survey, and 440 data samples were identified and used for conducting the data analysis. The sample was divided into Vietnamese consumers residing in Korea and Vietnam. Firstly, an examination of the variance revealed that Vietnamese Gen Z consumers residing in Vietnam (VZV) displayed less positive perceptions of the constructs measured compared to Vietnamese Gen Z consumers residing in Korea (VZK), including cognitive green country image (CGCoI), affective green country image (AGCoI) of Korea, and also green trust (GT) and purchase intention (PI) of Korean products. Second, results from the structural equation model of VZV showed that CGCoI had a significant impact on the PI, while AGCoI had a significant impact on GT. Conversely, for VZK, it was found that CGCoI had a significant impact on PI, and that AGCoI had a significant impact on both GT and PI. Thirdly, the results of comparing the path coefficient between VZV and VZK showed that the impact of CGCoI and AGCoI on PI were stronger for VZK, whereas the impact of AGCoI on GT was stronger for VZV. Based on these findings, the study discusses practical and theoretical implications for future green marketing practices in Vietnam.
Biostimulants as a Tool for Improving Environmental Sustainability of Greenhouse Vegetable Crops
Authors: Rajabi Hamedani Sara , Rouphael Youssef , Colla Giuseppe , Colantoni Andrea , Cardarelli Mariateresa
Published: June 2020

Plant biostimulants have gained great interest from the agrochemical industry and farmers because of their ability to enhance nutrient use efficiency and increase abiotic stress tolerance in crop production. However, despite the considerable potential of biostimulants for the sustainable development of the agricultural sector, the environmental evaluation of the application of biostimulants is still missing. Hence, this is the first study that focuses on the environmental assessment of the biostimulant action of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices and vegetal-derived protein hydrolysate on two greenhouse vegetable crops, spinach and zucchini squash, under different fertilization regimes. The life cycle assessment from a cradle to gate perspective, which covers all processes related to crop cultivation up to harvest, was carried out to calculate the carbon footprint of the production chain for these two crops. The results of the comparative analysis revealed that the CO2 equivalent emissions of both crops were reduced due to the biostimulant applications. In particular, the effect of the mycorrhization on the reduction of carbon emissions compared to the un-mycorrhized control was higher in zucchini plants under organic fertilization (12%) than under mineral fertilization (7%). In addition, organic fertilization increased the total carbon footprint of zucchini (52%) compared with mineral fertilization. The results also showed that an increase of nitrogen fertilization from 15 to 45 kg N ha−1 in spinach production enhanced the total CO2 emissions per ton of harvested leaves in comparison with treatments that involved the foliar applications of protein hydrolysate together with a lower nitrogen input; this increase was 4% compared to the unfertilized treatment with application of biostimulant. This study can support decision-making in terms of agronomic technique choices in line with sustainable development of vegetable crop production.
Multistage Horizontal Subsurface Flow vs. Hybrid Constructed Wetlands for the Treatment of Raw Urban Wastewater
Authors: Herrera-Melián José Alberto , Mendoza-Aguiar Mónica , Guedes-Alonso Rayco , García-Jiménez Pilar , Carrasco-Acosta Marina , Ranieri Ezio
Published: June 2020

In this study, pilot-scale hybrid constructed wetlands (CWs) and multistage horizontal subsurface flow CWs (HF CWs) have been studied and compared for the treatment of raw urban wastewater. In the hybrid CWs, the first stage was a mulch-based horizontal subsurface flow CW and the second stage was a vertical subsurface flow CW (VF CW). The VF CWs were used to determine if sand could improve the performance of the hybrid CW with respect to the mulch. In the multistage HFs, mulch, gravel and sand were used as substrates. The effect of water height (HF10: 10 cm vs. HF40: 40 cm) and surface loading rate (SLR: 12 vs. 24 g Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)/m2d) has been studied. The results show that the use of sand in the vertical flow stage of the hybrid CW did not improve the average performance. Additionally, the sand became clogged, while the mulch did not. The effect of water height on average pollutant removal was not determined but HF10 performed better regarding compliance with legal regulations. With a SLR of 12 g COD/m2d, removals of HF10 were: 79% for COD, 75% for NH4+-N, 53% for dissolved molybdate-reactive phosphate-P (DRP), 99% for turbidity and 99.998% for E. coli and total coliforms. When SLR was doubled, removals decreased for NH4+-N: 49%, DRP: −20%, E coli and total coliforms: 99.5–99.9%, but not for COD (85%) and turbidity (99%). Considering the obtained results and the simplicity of the construction and operation of HFs, HF10 would be the most suitable choice for the treatment of raw urban wastewater without clogging problems.
Promoting Sustainable Development of Cultural Assets by Improving Users’ Perception through Space Configuration; Case Study: The Industrial Heritage Site
Authors: Bazazzadeh Hassan , Nadolny Adam , Attarian Koorosh , Safar ali najar Behnaz , Hashemi safaei Seyedeh sara
Published: June 2020

The role of the cultural assets as one of the pillars of sustainable development is undeniably of great significance in the cultural sustainability of cities. Indeed, the way users understand and interpret cultural heritage sites would be highly critical to managing cultural organizations properly. It means by improving users’ perception of these sites, it can expect a fair distribution of comprehensive awareness among generations about the values of cultural assets. Past studies in spatial psychology have demonstrated that environmental properties can positively Influence human emotions. On the other hand, using computational–mathematical methods used to examine spatio-visual properties have rarely been compared to human perceptions. This paper examines the impact of spatio-visual properties on human perception as a clever cultural management strategy to promote cultural sustainability. It is discussed how environmental features in general, and visibility in particular, can shape the way users interpret cultural heritage. Results indicate that not only visibility of users’ paths within cultural heritage sites can be an influential factor for the development of users’ perception, but also the visibility of the entrance of these complexes can change their understanding. This means that decision-makers, architects, and managers of the cultural organizations can apply these findings as cultural management framework by defining predefined paths in these sites in the way that they possess high visibility and visible entrance. Consequently, the distribution of public awareness among generations can be improved to strengthen the role of cultural aspects in sustainable development.
Evaluation of Electrochemical Methods for Poultry Slaughterhouse Wastewater Treatment
Authors: Meiramkulova Kulyash , Jakupova Zhanar , Orynbekov Duman , Tashenov Erbolat , Kydyrbekova Aliya , Mkilima Timoth , Inglezakis Vassilis J.
Published: June 2020

Understanding the efficiency of different wastewater treatment technologies tested under real conditions is essential for successful decision making by engineers and managers. In this study, real poultry slaughterhouse wastewater coming from defeathering, cooling, and evisceration processes was treated using a lab-scale electrochemical process by use of iron-iron (Fe-Fe), iron-graphite (Fe-Gr) and aluminum-graphite (Al-Gr) electrode combinations. A water quality index (WQI) was developed and used as a tool for evaluating and classifying the effectiveness of different electrode combinations. The Al-Gr electrode combination showed an impressive performance achieving an “excellent” status for all of the three studied sources of wastewater with a WQI ranging from 13 to 34. The Fe-Gr electrode combination showed an “excellent” status performance for the wastewater from the cooling process as classified by the WQI and “good water” class for the defeathering and evisceration processes. The lower performance, which was highly affected by the increase in turbidity, was observed for the Fe-Fe electrode combination with a “poor water” status for the wastewater coming from defeathering and cooling processes and “good water” status for evisceration process.
How does an Intelligence Chatbot Affect Customers Compared with Self-Service Technology for Sustainable Services?
Authors: Um Taehyee , Kim Taekyung , Chung Namho
Published: June 2020

To gain competitive advantages and sustainable service innovation, hotels are considering artificial intelligence technologies (AI), including robots, kiosks for service automation and chatbots. However, due to the change of the service process and unfamiliar communication interface, hotel customers may have difficulties in adopting the new change. In this paper, we tried to find out if the failure of AI-based services would affect customers’ perception. For this, we designed the experiment by separating AI (i.e., chatbot) services and self-service technology (SST, i.e., pad) services and service failures and successful cases, respectively. As a result, SST showed more positive perceptions and revisit intention in the successful service situation. The service failure situation showed no differences between chatbot and SST. In addition, novelty and the need for interaction characteristics of customers showed significant differences between groups in terms of service success and failure, respectively. Additionally, we explored negative word-of-mouth (WOM) to learn further effects by service failures and successes.
The Strategic Role of the Corporate Social Responsibility and Circular Economy in the Cosmetic Industry
Authors: Fortunati Simona , Martiniello Laura , Morea Donato
Published: June 2020

In the literature, circular economy (CE) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) are increasingly interconnected concepts. Turon at al. (2016) consider CE the guidelines of conduct for designing and developing good CSR strategies. In particular, the corporate management philosophy needs to be translated into mandatory CSR reports that better frames circular economy objectives by identifying and communicating actions to achieve sustainable development goals. The purpose of this paper is to explore a number of CSR reports in order to understand if cosmetic multinationals’ (MNC) nonfinancial reporting is focused on the concept of circular economy and if CSR reports ensure an adequate level of disclosure to circular strategies. Moreover, the paper highlights the advantages that arise by converging the concepts of CSR and CE. The originality of this paper lies on providing evidence on “how” MNC are implementing a circular model. This paper contributes to our understanding on the relation between CSR and CE; it assesses the state of the art of circular strategies in MNC and proposes a consolidation of the concept of CE in terms of sustainable strategic and managerial practices communicated to the market by CSR reports. Moreover, it brings MNC to a better understanding of the ways to communicate their new circular business model. The analysis reveals a good level of attention by MNC to circularity in drafting their CSR reports that in many cases are able to describe objectives and actions that embrace multiple dimensions.
LEGAL STATUS OF A FORENSIC EXPERT: TOPICAL REGULATORY ACTIVITY PROBLEMS
Authors: Nesterenko S. , Stulov O.
Published: June 2020

The article deals with the analysis of dissertation thesis and scientific publications in domestic and foreign editions, the concepts of “legal personality”, “legal status of a forensic expert”, “procedural status of a forensic expert”, their general and distinctive features. The authors propose to improve these concepts as well as the legislative consolidation of the status of a forensic expert in the new version of the Law of Ukraine “On Forensic Expertise”. The authors draw attention to the imperfection of regulation of the legal status of a forensic expert in the Law of Ukraine “On Forensic Expertise”, as well as to the unreasonable extension of the powers of a forensic expert by a subordinate normative legal act – the Instructions on the appointment and conduct of forensic examinations and expert studies, approved by order of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine as of August 10, 1998 No. 53/5 (as amended by the order of the Ministry of Justice of December 26, 2012 No. 1950/5). As a result of the conducted research, the authors come to the conclusion that the issues of the status of a forensic expert need to be updated, as a participant in criminal proceedings, as well as draw attention to the lack of harmonization of domestic legislation in the field of forensic examination and procedural legislation. There is a need to adopt a new version of the Law of Ukraine “On Forensic Expertise”, considering all international obligations of Ukraine and the practice of the European Court of Human Rights.
ELECTRONIC SEGMENT IN THE CRIMINAL PROCEDURE LAW OF THE LATVIA
Authors: Kalancha I.
Published: June 2020

The article deals with the electronic segment in criminal procedural law in Latvia. It analyses both specialized electronic tools of criminal procedure in the form of information system (judicial information system) and non-specialized electronic tools of criminal procedure.

The author studies the requirements for electronic recording of specific investigatory actions (interrogation of a juvenile victim and witness, questioning, exhumation, line-up for identification). The research focuses as well on the electronic component of special investigatory actions (correspondence control, communication facilities control, data control in an automated data processing system, content control of the transmitted data, audio or video location control, individual audio control). It provides further evidence for the possibility of implementing procedural actions using technical means (telephone conference, videoconference) if the interests of criminal proceedings so require.

It is made clear that it is the duty of individual subjects of criminal proceedings at the request of the person who administers the proceedings to immediately notify in writing postal or e-mail address for managing written communications. The author outlines the terms for sending notifications in criminal proceedings and subpoenas to the individual’s email address. The article also investigates the procedure for publishing electronic images of a detainee, suspect, victim and witness in the media. It studies the regulations for recording the course of a court hearing in full size using audio, video or other technical means, as well as recording the parole by means of electronic surveillance.

According to the results of the study, the author proposes to take into account a number regulations in criminal procedural law in Latvia when developing proposals for improving domestic criminal procedural law, including: interrogation of a minor using technical means and a psychologist in another room; the obligation to provide in writing postal or e-mail address for managing written communications and the possibility of sending a notification as for the decision with the enclosed copies to that e-mail address; sending summons to an email address; the procedure for the publication in the media of images of the suspect, victim and witness taken during the proceedings; arranging the parole using electronic surveillance.
Value of Immediate Post-Kidney Biopsy Ultrasound in Excluding Late Hemorrhagic Complications
Authors: Al-Balas Alian , Almehmi Ammar , Allon Michael
Published: June 2020

Background

Hemorrhage is the most serious potential complication of percutaneous kidney biopsy. Patients are typically observed for at least 6–8 hours after a kidney biopsy, with serial measurements of vital signs and hemoglobin to monitor for major hemorrhage. This study assessed whether an immediate postbiopsy ultrasound can reliably exclude delayed major hemorrhage.

Methods

We retrospectively evaluated the clinical outcomes in 147 patients undergoing an outpatient native kidney biopsy with an 18-gauge needle at a large medical center during a 2.5-year period (January 2017 to June 2019). All patients underwent a standardized postbiopsy ultrasound to assess for active extravasation of blood. We extracted from the medical records vital signs and hemoglobin values obtained before the biopsy and at 2, 4, and 6 hours after the procedure. We ascertained whether any patients with a negative postbiopsy ultrasound developed a delayed major hemorrhage.

Results

Each patient underwent two or three biopsy passes. The mean patient age was 48±17 years, 49% were female, 37% were black, 53% had hypertension, and 16% had diabetes. Of the 142 patients without evidence of active extravasation on ultrasound, the BP, heart rate, and hemoglobin remained stable during 6 hours of observation. All were discharged after 6 hours, and none had a late bleeding complication.

Conclusions

If the immediate postkidney biopsy ultrasound does not show active bleeding, the patient is extremely unlikely to develop a late major hemorrhagic complication (negative predictive value, 100%). Such patients can be discharged home safely after a 2-hour observation, thereby simplifying their management.
Covid-19 Hastalarında Temel ve İleri Yaşam Desteği Algoritmaları
Authors: TEZCAN KELEŞ Gönül , KUMCU Onur
Published: June 2020

Dünya Sağlık Örgütü (DSÖ) tarafından, Çin-Wuhan eyaletinde başlayan pnömoni olgularının İran, İtalya, Güney Kore gibi farklı ülkelerde ve giderek artan sayıda görülmesi ile 11 Mart 2020 tarih Covid-19 pandemisi olarak ilan edildi. Covid-19 semptomları kuru öksürük, ateş, nefes darlığı, yorgunluk ve kas ağrısı olarak tanımlandı. İnsandan insana damlacık yoluyla ve enfeksiyon ajanı ile kirlenmiş objelerden veya yüzeylerden eller aracılığı ile alınarak ağıza, buruna veya göze teması ile bulaştığı gösterilmiştir. Olguların kardiak arrest sebebinin solunum ile ilgili olduğu, durumun ciddiyeti göz önüne alındığında hem hasta hem kurtarıcı ve sağlık çalışanlarının büyük risk altında olduğu görüldü. Tüm bu durumların ışığında Covid-19 olgulara yönelik güncellenen temel ve ileri yaşam desteği rehberlerinde kurtarıcıların güvenliğini ön plana çıkaran çeşitli uygulama farklılıkları önerilmiştir. Bu yazıda kardiyopulmoner resüsitasyon uygulanan Covid-19 olgularda temel ve ileri yaşam desteğine yönelik değişiklikler ele alınmıştır.