bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Improved Adaptive Compensation H∞ Filtering Method for the SINS’ Transfer Alignment Under a Complex Dynamic Environment
Authors: Lyu Weiwei , Cheng Xianghong , Wang Jinling
Published: January 2019

Transfer alignment on a moving base under a complex dynamic environment is one of the toughest challenges in a strapdown inertial navigation system (SINS). With the aim of improving rapidity and accuracy, velocity plus attitude matching is applied in the transfer alignment model. Meanwhile, the error compensation model is established to calibrate and compensate the errors of inertial sensors online. To suppress the filtering divergence during the process of transfer alignment, this paper proposes an improved adaptive compensation H∞ filtering method. The cause of filtering divergence has been analyzed carefully and the corresponding adjustment and optimization have been made in the proposed adaptive compensation H∞ filter. In order to balance accuracy and robustness of the transfer alignment system, the robustness factor of the adaptive compensation H∞ filter can be dynamically adjusted according to the complex external environment. The aerial transfer alignment experiments illustrate that the adaptive compensation H∞ filter can effectively improve the transfer alignment accuracy and the pure inertial navigation accuracy under a complex dynamic environment, which verifies the advantage of the proposed method.
A Multi-Hop LoRa Linear Sensor Network for the Monitoring of Underground Environments: The Case of the Medieval Aqueducts in Siena, Italy
Authors: Abrardo Andrea , Pozzebon Alessandro
Published: January 2019

In this paper, a pervasive monitoring system to be deployed in underground environments is presented. The system has been specifically designed for the so-called “Bottini”, i.e., the medieval aqueducts dug beneath the Centre of Siena, Italy. The results of a measurement campaign carried out in the deployment scenario show that the transmission range of LoRa (Long Range) technology is limited to a maximum of 200 m, thus, making the adoption of a classical star topology impossible. Hence, a Linear Sensor Network topology is proposed based on multi-hop LoRa chain-type communications. In this scenario, an ad-hoc transmission scheme is presented that optimally evaluates the wake-up time of all nodes with the aim of minimizing the average energy dissipation deriving from clock offsets. Numerical results show that the proposed wake-up time optimization leads in the best case to a 50% reduction in power dissipation with respect to a scheme that evaluates the wake-up time in a non-optimal way.
Low-Cost, High-Performance Fiber Optic Fabry–Perot Sensor for Ultrasonic Wave Detection
Authors: Li Haoyong , Li Delin , Xiong Chaoyu , Si Wenrong , Fu Chenzhao , Yuan Peng , Yu Yiting
Published: January 2019

This study describes a novel fiber optic extrinsic Fabry–Perot interferometric (EFPI) ultrasonic sensor comprising a low-cost and high-performance silicon diaphragm. A vibrating diaphragm, 5 μm thick, was fabricated by using the Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) processing technology on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer. The Fabry–Perot (FP) cavity length was solely determined during the manufacturing process of the diaphragm by defining a specific stepped hole on the handling layer of the SOI wafer, which made the assembly of the sensor easier. In addition, the use of cheap and commercially available components and MEMS processing technology in the development of the sensing system, limited the cost of the sensor. The experimental tests showed that the minimum detectable ultrasonic pressure was 1.5 mPa/sqrt(Hz) −0.625 mPa/sqrt(Hz) between 20 kHz and 40 kHz. As a result, this sensor has the potential to successfully detect weak ultrasonic signals.
Experimentation Management in the Co-Created Smart-City: Incentivization and Citizen Engagement
Authors: Choque Johnny , Diez Luis , Medela Arturo , Muñoz Luis
Published: January 2019

Under the smart city paradigm, cities are changing at a rapid pace. In this context, it is necessary to develop tools that allow service providers to perform rapid deployments of novel solutions that can be validated by citizens. In this sense, the OrganiCity experimentation-as-a-service platform brings about a unique solution to experiment with new urban services in a co-creative way, among all the involved stakeholders. On top of this, it is also necessary to ensure that users are engaged in the experimentation process, so as to guarantee that the resulting services actually fulfill their needs. In this work, we present the engagement monitoring framework that has been developed within the OrganiCity platform. This framework permits the tailored definition of metrics according to the experiment characteristics and provides valuable information about how citizens react to service modifications and incentivization campaigns.
Differential Equation-Based Prediction Model for Early Change Detection in Transient Running Status
Authors: Wen Xin , Chen Guangyuan , Lu Guoliang , Liu Zhiliang , Yan Peng
Published: January 2019

Early detection of changes in transient running status from sensor signals attracts increasing attention in modern industries. To achieve this end, this paper presents a new differential equation-based prediction model that can realize one-step-ahead prediction of machine status. Together with this model, an analysis of continuous monitoring of condition signal by means of a null hypothesis testing is presented to inspect/diagnose whether an abnormal status change occurs or not during successive machine operations. The detection operation is executed periodically and continuously, such that the machine running status can be monitored with an online and real-time manner. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated using three representative real-engineering applications: external loading status monitoring, bearing health status monitoring and speed condition monitoring. The method is also compared with those benchmark methods reported in the literature. From the results, the proposed method demonstrates significant improvements over others, which suggests its superiority and great potentials in real applications.
Ambulatory Evaluation of ECG Signals Obtained Using Washable Textile-Based Electrodes Made with Chemically Modified PEDOT:PSS
Authors: Ankhili Amale , Tao Xuyuan , Cochrane Cédric , Koncar Vladan , Coulon David , Tarlet Jean-Michel
Published: January 2019

A development of washable PEDOT:PSS (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate) polyamide textile-based electrodes is an interesting alternative to the traditional Ag/AgCl disposable electrodes, usually used in clinical practice, helping to improve medical assessment and treatment before apparition or progress of patients’ cardiovascular symptoms. This study was conducted in order to determine whether physical properties of PEDOT:PSS had a significant impact on the coated electrode’s electrocardiogram (ECG) signal quality, particularly after 50 washing cycles in a domestic laundry machine. Tests performed, included the comparison of two PEDOT:PSS solutions, in term of viscosity with emphasis on wetting tests, including surface tension and contact angle measurements. In addition, polyamide textile fabrics were used as substrate to make thirty electrodes and to characterize the amount of PEDOT:PSS absorbed as a function of time. The results showed that surface tension of PEDOT:PSS had a significant impact on the wetting of polyamide textile fabric and consequently on the absorbed amount. In fact, lower values of surface tension of the solution lead to low values contact angles between PEDOT:PSS and textile fabric (good wettability). Before washing, no significant difference has been observed among signal-to-noise ratios measured (SNR) for coated electrodes by the two PEDOT:PSS solutions. However, after 50 washing cycles, SNR decreased strongly for electrodes coated by the solution that had low viscosity, since it contained less solid contents. That was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy images (SEM) and also by analyzing the color change of electrodes based on the calculation of CIELAB color space coordinates. Moreover, spectral power density of recorded ECG signals has been computed and presented. All cardiac waves were still visible in the ECG signals after 50 washing cycles. Furthermore, an experienced cardiologist considered that all the ECG signals acquired were acceptable. Accordingly, our newly developed polyamide textile-based electrodes seem to be suitable for long-term monitoring. The study also provided new insights into the better choice of PEDOT:PSS formulation as a function of a specific process in order to manufacture cheaper electrodes faster.
Combining Non-Uniform Time Slice and Finite Difference to Improve 3D Ghost Imaging
Authors: Zhang Fanghua , Cao Jie , Hao Qun , Zhang Kaiyu , Cheng Yang , Wang Yingbo , Feng Yongchao
Published: January 2019

Three-dimensional ghost imaging (3DGI) using a detector is widely used in many applications. The performance of 3DGI based on a uniform time slice is difficult to improve because obtaining an accurate time-slice position remains a challenge. This paper reports a novel structure based on non-uniform time slice combined with finite difference. In this approach, finite difference is beneficial to improving sensitivity of zero crossing to accurately obtain the position of the target in the field of view. Simultaneously, non-uniform time slice is used to quickly obtain 3DGI on an interesting target. Results show that better performances of 3DGI are obtained by our proposed method compared to the traditional method. Moreover, the relation between time slice and the signal-noise-ratio of 3DGI is discussed, and the optimal differential distance is obtained, thus motivating the development of a high-performance 3DGI.
Indoor Positioning System Based on Chest-Mounted IMU
Authors: Lu Chuanhua , Uchiyama Hideaki , Thomas Diego , Shimada Atsushi , Taniguchi Rin-ichiro
Published: January 2019

Demand for indoor navigation systems has been rapidly increasing with regard to location-based services. As a cost-effective choice, inertial measurement unit (IMU)-based pedestrian dead reckoning (PDR) systems have been developed for years because they do not require external devices to be installed in the environment. In this paper, we propose a PDR system based on a chest-mounted IMU as a novel installation position for body-suit-type systems. Since the IMU is mounted on a part of the upper body, the framework of the zero-velocity update cannot be applied because there are no periodical moments of zero velocity. Therefore, we propose a novel regression model for estimating step lengths only with accelerations to correctly compute step displacement by using the IMU data acquired at the chest. In addition, we integrated the idea of an efficient map-matching algorithm based on particle filtering into our system to improve positioning and heading accuracy. Since our system was designed for 3D navigation, which can estimate position in a multifloor building, we used a barometer to update pedestrian altitude, and the components of our map are designed to explicitly represent building-floor information. With our complete PDR system, we were awarded second place in 10 teams for the IPIN 2018 Competition Track 2, achieving a mean error of 5.2 m after the 800 m walking event.
Low-Temperature Storage Improves the Over-Time Stability of Implantable Glucose and Lactate Biosensors
Authors: Puggioni Giulia , Calia Giammario , Arrigo Paola , Bacciu Andrea , Bazzu Gianfranco , Migheli Rossana , Fancello Silvia , Serra Pier Andrea , Rocchitta Gaia
Published: January 2019

Molecular biomarkers are very important in biology, biotechnology and even in medicine, but it is quite hard to convert biology-related signals into measurable data. For this purpose, amperometric biosensors have proven to be particularly suitable because of their specificity and sensitivity. The operation and shelf stability of the biosensor are quite important features, and storage procedures therefore play an important role in preserving the performance of the biosensors. In the present study two different designs for both glucose and lactate biosensor, differing only in regards to the containment net, represented by polyurethane or glutharaldehyde, were studied under different storage conditions (+4, −20 and −80 °C) and monitored over a period of 120 days, in order to evaluate the variations of kinetic parameters, as VMAX and KM, and LRS as the analytical parameter. Surprisingly, the storage at −80 °C yielded the best results because of an unexpected and, most of all, long-lasting increase of VMAX and LRS, denoting an interesting improvement in enzyme performances and stability over time. The present study aimed to also evaluate the impact of a short-period storage in dry ice on biosensor performances, in order to simulate a hypothetical preparation-conservation-shipment condition.
Spatio-Temporal Features in Action Recognition Using 3D Skeletal Joints
Authors: Trăscău Mihai , Nan Mihai , Florea Adina Magda
Published: January 2019

Robust action recognition methods lie at the cornerstone of Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) systems employing optical devices. Using 3D skeleton joints extracted from depth images taken with time-of-flight (ToF) cameras has been a popular solution for accomplishing these tasks. Though seemingly scarce in terms of information availability compared to its RGB or depth image counterparts, the skeletal representation has proven to be effective in the task of action recognition. This paper explores different interpretations of both the spatial and the temporal dimensions of a sequence of frames describing an action. We show that rather intuitive approaches, often borrowed from other computer vision tasks, can improve accuracy. We report results based on these modifications and propose an architecture that uses temporal convolutions with results comparable to the state of the art.
Damage Quantification with Embedded Piezoelectric Aggregates Based on Wavelet Packet Energy Analysis
Authors: Wang Zijian , Wei Li , Cao Maosen
Published: January 2019

Cement-based components have been widely used in civil engineering structures. However, due to wearing and deterioration, the cement-based components may have brittle failure. To provide early warning and to support predictive reinforcement, the piezoelectric materials are embedded into the cement-based components to excite and receive elastic waves. By recognizing the abnormalities in the elastic waves, hidden damage can be identified in advance. However, few research has been published regarding the damage quantification. In this paper, the wavelet packet analysis is adopted to calculate the energy of the transmitted elastic waves based on the improved piezoelectric aggregates (IPAs). Due to the growth of the damage, less elastic waves can pass through the damage zone, decreasing the energy of the acquired signals. A set of cement beams with different crack depths at the mid-span is tested in both numerical and experimental ways. A damage quantification index, namely the wavelet packet-based energy index (WPEI), is developed. Both the numerical and experimental results demonstrate that the WPEI decreases with respect to the crack depth. Based on the regression analysis, a strong linear relationship has been observed between the WPEI and the crack depth. By referring to the linear relationship, the crack depth can be estimated by the WPEI with a good accuracy. The results demonstrated that the use of the IPAs and the WPEI can fulfill the real-time quantification of the crack depth in the cement beams.
Guava Detection and Pose Estimation Using a Low-Cost RGB-D Sensor in the Field
Authors: Lin Guichao , Tang Yunchao , Zou Xiangjun , Xiong Juntao , Li Jinhui
Published: January 2019

Fruit detection in real outdoor conditions is necessary for automatic guava harvesting, and the branch-dependent pose of fruits is also crucial to guide a robot to approach and detach the target fruit without colliding with its mother branch. To conduct automatic, collision-free picking, this study investigates a fruit detection and pose estimation method by using a low-cost red–green–blue–depth (RGB-D) sensor. A state-of-the-art fully convolutional network is first deployed to segment the RGB image to output a fruit and branch binary map. Based on the fruit binary map and RGB-D depth image, Euclidean clustering is then applied to group the point cloud into a set of individual fruits. Next, a multiple three-dimensional (3D) line-segments detection method is developed to reconstruct the segmented branches. Finally, the 3D pose of the fruit is estimated using its center position and nearest branch information. A dataset was acquired in an outdoor orchard to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. Quantitative experiments showed that the precision and recall of guava fruit detection were 0.983 and 0.948, respectively; the 3D pose error was 23.43° ± 14.18°; and the execution time per fruit was 0.565 s. The results demonstrate that the developed method can be applied to a guava-harvesting robot.
A Transductive Model-based Stress Recognition Method Using Peripheral Physiological Signals
Authors: Li Minjia , Xie Lun , Wang Zhiliang
Published: January 2019

Existing research on stress recognition focuses on the extraction of physiological features and uses a classifier that is based on global optimization. There are still challenges relating to the differences in individual physiological signals for stress recognition, including dispersed distribution and sample imbalance. In this work, we proposed a framework for real-time stress recognition using peripheral physiological signals, which aimed to reduce the errors caused by individual differences and to improve the regressive performance of stress recognition. The proposed framework was presented as a transductive model based on transductive learning, which considered local learning as a virtue of the neighborhood knowledge of training examples. The degree of dispersion of the continuous labels in the y space was also one of the influencing factors of the transductive model. For prediction, we selected the epsilon-support vector regression (e-SVR) to construct the transductive model. The non-linear real-time features were extracted using a combination of wavelet packet decomposition and bi-spectrum analysis. The performance of the proposed approach was evaluated using the DEAP dataset and Stroop training. The results indicated the effectiveness of the transductive model, which had a better prediction performance compared to traditional methods. Furthermore, the real-time interactive experiment was conducted in field studies to explore the usability of the proposed framework.
Spatial and Temporal Variation of Drought Based on Satellite Derived Vegetation Condition Index in Nepal from 1982–2015
Authors: Baniya Binod , Tang Qiuhong , Xu Ximeng , Haile Gebremedhin Gebremeskel , Chhipi-Shrestha Gyan
Published: January 2019

Identification of drought is essential for many environmental and agricultural applications. To further understand drought, this study presented spatial and temporal variations of drought based on satellite derived Vegetation Condition Index (VCI) on annual (Jan–Dec), seasonal monsoon (Jun–Nov) and pre-monsoon (Mar–May) scales from 1982–2015 in Nepal. The Vegetation Condition Index (VCI) obtained from NOAA, AVHRR (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) and climate data from meteorological stations were used. VCI was used to grade the drought, and the Mann–Kendall test and linear trend analysis were conducted to examine drought trends and the Pearson correlation between VCI and climatic factors (i.e., temperature and precipitation) was also acquired. The results identified that severe drought was identified in 1982, 1984, 1985 and 2000 on all time scales. However, VCI has increased at the rate of 1.14 yr−1 (p = 0.04), 1.31 yr−1 (p = 0.03) and 0.77 yr−1 (p = 0.77) on the annual, seasonal monsoon and pre-monsoon scales, respectively. These increased VCIs indicated decreases in drought. However, spatially, increased trends of drought were also found in some regions in Nepal. For instance, northern areas mainly in the Trans-Himalayan regions identified severe drought. The foothills and the lowlands of Terai (southern Nepal) experienced normal VCI, i.e., no drought. Similarly, the Anomaly Vegetation Condition Index (AVCI) was mostly negative before 2000 which indicated deficient soil moisture. The exceedance probability analysis results on the annual time scale showed that there was a 20% chance of occurring severe drought (VCI ≤ 35%) and a 35% chance of occurring normal drought (35% ≤ VCI ≤ 50%) in Nepal. Drought was also linked with climates in which temperature on the annual and seasonal monsoon scales was significant and positively correlated with VCI. Drought occurrence and trends in Nepal need to be further studied for comprehensive information and understanding.
Experimental Analysis of Bragg Reflection Peak Splitting in Gratings Fabricated Using a Multiple Order Phase Mask
Authors: Statkiewicz-Barabach Gabriela , Tarnowski Karol , Kowal Dominik , Mergo Pawel
Published: January 2019

We performed an experimental analysis of the effect of phase mask alignment on the Bragg grating reflection spectra around the wavelength of λB = 1560 nm fabricated in polymer optical fiber by using a multiple order phase mask. We monitored the evolution of the reflection spectra for different values of the angle ϕ by describing the tilt between the phase mask and the fiber. We observed that the peak at λB is split into five separate peaks for the nonzero tilt and that separation of the peaks increases linearly with ϕ. Through comparison with theoretical data we were able to identify the five peaks as products of different grating periodicities, which are associated with the interference of different pairs of diffraction orders on the phase mask.
Motion Plan of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships by Dynamic Programming for Collision Avoidance and Speed Optimization
Authors: Geng Xiongfei , Wang Yongcai , Wang Ping , Zhang Baochen
Published: January 2019

Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) with advanced guidance, navigation, and control capabilities have attracted great attention in recent years. Sailing safely and efficiently are critical requirements for autonomous control of MASS. The MASS utilizes the information collected by the radar, camera, and Autonomous Identification System (AIS) with which it is equipped. This paper investigates the problem of optimal motion planning for MASS, so it can accomplish its sailing task early and safely when it sails together with other conventional ships. We develop velocity obstacle models for both dynamic and static obstacles to represent the potential conflict-free region with other objects. A greedy interval-based motion-planning algorithm is proposed based on the Velocity Obstacle (VO) model, and we show that the greedy approach may fail to avoid collisions in the successive intervals. A way-blocking metric is proposed to evaluate the risk of collision to improve the greedy algorithm. Then, by assuming constant velocities of the surrounding ships, a novel Dynamic Programming (DP) method is proposed to generate the optimal multiple interval motion plan for MASS. These proposed algorithms are verified by extensive simulations, which show that the DP algorithm provides the lowest collision rate overall and better sailing efficiency than the greedy approaches.
Drop Jump Asymmetry is Associated with Reduced Sprint and Change-of-Direction Speed Performance in Adult Female Soccer Players
Authors: Bishop Chris , Turner Anthony , Maloney Sean , Lake Jason , Loturco Irineu , Bromley Tom , Read Paul
Published: January 2019

Studies that examine the effects of inter-limb asymmetry on measures of physical performance are scarce, especially in adult female populations. The aim of the present study was to establish the relationship between inter-limb asymmetry and speed and change-of-direction speed (CODS) in adult female soccer players. Sixteen adult players performed a preseason test battery consisting of unilateral countermovement jump (CMJ), unilateral drop jump (DJ), 10 m, 30 m, and 505 CODS tests. Inter-limb asymmetry was calculated using a standard percentage difference equation for jump and CODS tests, and Pearson’s r correlations were used to establish a relationship between asymmetry and physical performance as well as asymmetry scores themselves across tests. Jump-height asymmetry from the CMJ (8.65%) and DJ (9.16%) tests were significantly greater (p < 0.05) than asymmetry during the 505 test (2.39%). CMJ-height asymmetry showed no association with speed or CODS. However, DJ asymmetries were significantly associated with slower 10 m (r = 0.52; p < 0.05), 30 m (r = 0.58; p < 0.05), and 505 (r = 0.52–0.66; p < 0.05) performance. No significant relationships were present between asymmetry scores across tests. These findings suggest that the DJ is a useful test for detecting existent between-limb asymmetry that might in turn be detrimental to speed and CODS performance. Furthermore, the lack of relationships present between different asymmetry scores indicates the individual nature of asymmetry and precludes the use of a single test for the assessment of inter-limb differences.
One-Parameter Weibull-Type Distribution, Its Relative Entropy with Respect to Weibull and a Fractional Two-Parameter Exponential Distribution
Authors: Alexopoulos Aris
Published: January 2019

A new one-parameter distribution is presented with similar mathematical characteristics to the two parameter conventional Weibull. It has an estimator that only depends on the sample mean. The relative entropy with respect to the Weibull distribution is derived in order to examine the level of similarity between them. The performance of the new distribution is compared to the Weibull and in some cases the Gamma distribution using real data. In addition, the Exponential distribution is modified to include an extra parameter via a simple transformation using fractional mathematics. It will be shown that the modified version also exhibits Weibull characteristics for particular values of the second parameter.
Economic Value of Improving Natural Gas Supply Reliability for Residential Consumers in South Korea
Authors: Kim Hyo-Jin , Kim Sung-Min , Yoo Seung-Hoon
Published: January 2019

An interruption to residential natural gas (NG) may cause considerable economic damage of the entire country. Thus, the South Korean government requires information about the economic value of improving residential NG supply reliability for planning NG supply. This article aims to measure the value using a specific case of South Korean residential consumers. The choice experiment (CE) approach was adopted for this purpose. The selected four attributes are the duration of interruption, the season of interruption, the time of day, and the day of the week. The value trade-off works among the four attributes and price attribute were sought and completed in a nationwide CE survey of 1000 households. The respondents revealed statistically significant willingness to pay for a decrease in the duration of interruption, avoiding interruption during winter rather than non-winter, and preventing interruption during off-daytime (18:00 to 09:00) rather than daytime (09:00 to 18:00). For example, they accepted a 0.10% increase in the residential NG bill for a one-minute reduction in interruption during NG supply interruption, a 5.16% increase in residential NG bill for avoiding interruption during winter rather than non-winter, and a 2.94% increase in residential NG bill for preventing interruption during off-daytime rather than daytime. However, they placed no importance on the day of the week. These results can be useful for policy-making and decision-making to improve residential NG supply reliability. It is necessary to conduct a study at regular intervals on the value of NG supply reliability because regarding NG supply reliability, it is difficult to maintain a specific value.
Detection and Localization of Water Leaks in Water Nets Supported by an ICT System with Artificial Intelligence Methods as a Way Forward for Smart Cities
Authors: Rojek Izabela , Studzinski Jan
Published: January 2019

The last decade has seen the development of complex IT systems to support city management, i.e., the creation of so-called intelligent cities. These systems include modules dedicated to particular branches of municipal economy, such as urban transport, heating systems, energy systems, telecommunications, and finally water and sewage management. In turn, with regard to the latter branch, IT systems supporting the management of water supply and sewage networks and sewage treatment plants are being developed. This paper deals with the system concerning the urban water supply network, and in particular, with the subsystem for detecting and locating leakages on the water supply network, including so-called hidden leakages. These leaks cause the greatest water losses in networks, especially in old ones, with a very diverse age and material structure. In the proposed concept of the subsystem consisting of a GIS (Geographical Information System), SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system and hydraulic model of the water supply network, an algorithm of leak detection and location based on the neural networks’ MLP (multi-layer perceptron) and Kohonen was developed. The algorithm has been tested on the hydraulic models of several municipal water supply networks.
Pozzolanic Potential and Mechanical Performance of Wheat Straw Ash Incorporated Sustainable Concrete
Authors: Amin Muhammad Nasir , Murtaza Tariq , Shahzada Khan , Khan Kaffayatullah , Adil Muhammad
Published: January 2019

The pozzolanic potential, mechanical strength, and stress-strain behavior of a locally available wheat straw ash (WSA) as a partial substitute of cement was evaluated in this study. Various samples of a locally available wheat straw were burnt to ashes at three distinct temperatures and characterized through X-ray powder diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The WSA obtained from burning at 550 °C was found highly amorphous and possessed suitable chemical composition to be used as pozzolanic material. The burned WSA was grounded to achieve the desired fineness and mortar cubes and concrete cylinders were cast by substituting 15%, 20%, 25%, and 30% cement with it. The strength of mortar and concrete decreased with increasing amounts of WSA except for those containing 15% WSA, where it slightly increased than the respective control samples at later ages, i.e., 28 and 91 days. Despite reduced strength at high replacements (20%, 25%, and 30%), the strength activity index values met ASTM C618 requirements for pozzolanic materials. Moreover, the compressive strength of concrete containing 20% WSA exceeded to that of control concrete at 91 days. The stress-strain relation of concrete containing 15% to 20% WSA also showed comparable stiffness and toughness to those of control samples at all ages. Particularly, the concrete containing 15% WSA showed significant improvement of strength, stiffness, toughness, and ductility at 91 days. Lastly, the results of mechanical strengths and pozzolanic reactivity were successfully validated indirectly by measuring the porosity of mortars and thermo-gravimetric analysis of cement pastes, respectively. Based on current findings and their validation, WSA can be used as a substitute of cement up to 20% in the production of sustainable normal strength concrete for their application in common domestic building projects.
What Sustainable Development Goals Do Social Innovations Address? A Systematic Review and Content Analysis of Social Innovation Literature
Authors: Eichler Georg M. , Schwarz Erich J.
Published: January 2019

Interest in social innovations (SIs) from both the academic and the policy side is growing. Nonetheless, we still know little about which sustainable development goals (SDGs) SIs already address. Furthermore, only little is known about who the innovators developing and implementing SIs are. In this paper, we aim to bring more clarity and structure to the field of SIs. Firstly, a systematic literature review was conducted, before a content analysis was used to analyze the definitions used with regard to similarities. Secondly, all case studies described in the reviewed articles were then further systematically analyzed in order to identify the social or environmental problems addressed and the innovators involved. For the purpose of classifying the diverse types of problems, we used the globally known and broadly accepted 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs). Results showed that most SI case studies deal with an improvement of health and well-being. Furthermore, our study illustrates that there is a pronounced difference in the focus of SIs between developing and developed countries. Concerning the innovators, our results indicate that five types of innovators are fundamentally involved in developing and implementing SIs: social entrepreneurs, NGOs and non-profits, public institutions, civil society, firms, and social enterprises. Our definition analysis as well as the identification and classification of the innovators and addressed social needs bring much-needed clarity and structure to the field. However, our systematic review shows that SI is still in its infancy and it will be interesting to see where the field will head.
Why Are Corporations Willing to Take on Public CSR? An Organizational Traits Approach
Authors: Liu Yun , Wang Greg. G. , Chen Yu
Published: January 2019

Corporation social responsibility includes the relational responsibility for the contractual stakeholders (relational CSR) and the public responsibility for the whole society (public CSR). In this paper, we examined the effect of organizational virtuousness on a corporation’s public CSR behavior and the moderating effect of organizational identity orientation between them. To test our hypothesis, we collected and analyzed a sample from 88 corporations and 742 respondents through questionnaires. Our results show that organizational virtuousness is positively associated with a corporation’s public CSR behavior, and this positive effect is moderated by organizational identity orientation. Among them, individualistic and collectivistic identity orientation positively moderates the relationship between organizational virtuousness and public CSR, while relational identity orientation negatively moderates the relationship between them. Our results suggest that a virtuous corporation does not necessarily have more willingness to take on public CSR than its counterparts, because the intention also depends on the type of identity orientation possessed by the virtuous corporation. In order to improve the enthusiasm of enterprises to take on public CSR, in addition to cultivating the virtue of organizations, different management measures should be taken according to the identity orientation of organizations.
A Novel System for Wind Speed Forecasting Based on Multi-Objective Optimization and Echo State Network
Authors: Wang Jianzhou , Wu Chunying , Niu Tong
Published: January 2019

Given the rapid development and wide application of wind energy, reliable and stable wind speed forecasting is of great significance in keeping the stability and security of wind power systems. However, accurate wind speed forecasting remains a great challenge due to its inherent randomness and intermittency. Most previous researches merely devote to improving the forecasting accuracy or stability while ignoring the equal significance of improving the two aspects in application. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel hybrid forecasting system containing the modules of a modified data preprocessing, multi-objective optimization, forecasting, and evaluation to achieve the wind speed forecasting with high precision and stability. The modified data preprocessing method can obtain a smoother input by decomposing and reconstructing the original wind speed series in the module of data preprocessing. Further, echo state network optimized by a multi-objective optimization algorithm is developed as a predictor in the forecasting module. Finally, eight datasets with different features are used to validate the performance of the proposed system using the evaluation module. The mean absolute percentage errors of the proposed system are 3.1490%, 3.0051%, 3.0618%, and 2.6180% in spring, summer, autumn, and winter, respectively. Moreover, the interval prediction is complemented to quantitatively characterize the uncertainty as developing intervals, and the mean average width is below 0.2 at the 95% confidence level. The results demonstrate the proposed forecasting system outperforms other comparative models considered from the forecasting accuracy and stability, which has great potential in the application of wind power systems.
How Does Urban Rail Transit Influence Residential Property Values? Evidence from An Emerging Chinese Megacity
Authors: Zhang Dongfang , Jiao Jingjuan
Published: January 2019

Urban rail transit (URT) plays crucial economic, social, and environmental roles and may generate positive externalities that can influence the residential property values (RPVs) in real estate markets. Little attention has been given to exploring the impacts with respect to both the spatial and temporal perspectives. This paper explores the impacts of URT on the RPVs of 480 gated communities with respect to the spatial and temporal dimensions using the hedonic price model and a panel data set from Zhengzhou for 2012–2016. The results show the following: (1) URT does have a significant positive impact on the RPVs in all the selected years from 2012 to 2016, and the influencing strength was a “U-shape” with the increased travel time to the nearest URT stations in most of the selected years. Specially, there is quite some interaction between the temporal and spatial dimensions. (2) The influencing strength of URT during its early stages of planning and construction was higher than that during the operation periods, which is quite different from previous research that uses these first-tier cities such as Beijing and Shanghai in China. (3) Regarding the operating period, the influencing strength reached its peak point after two years of the URT line operating. The results of this paper could provide some new ideas for policy-makers, real estate developers, and even the consumers in real estate markets.
Extraction Behaviour and Income Inequalities Resulting from a Common Pool Resource Exploitation
Authors: Owusu Kwabena A. , Kulesz Micaela M. , Merico Agostino
Published: January 2019

Using an experimental approach, we investigate income distribution among heterogeneous subjects exploiting a Common Pool Resource (CPR). The CPR experiments are conducted in continuous time and under different treatments, including combinations of communication and monitoring. While many studies have focused on how real-life income inequality affects cooperation and resource use among groups, here we examine the relationship between individuals’ cooperative traits, harvest inequalities, and institutional arrangements. We found that: (1) When combined with monitoring, communication decreases harvest inequality—that is, harvest is more equally distributed among individuals in all treatments; and (2) the cooperative trait of individuals significantly predicts harvest inequality. The relative proportion of non-cooperators and cooperators (i.e., the cooperative dependency ratio) drives the within-session harvest distribution—as the cooperative dependency ration increases, the income distribution becomes increasingly unequal, leading to a downward spiral of resource overexploitation and scarcity. Finally, our results suggest that harvest and income inequalities are contingent to resource abundance, because under this regime, non-cooperators exert the greatest amount effort—thus leading to resource scarcity and income inequalities.
Recent Progress in Green Cement Technology Utilizing Low-Carbon Emission Fuels and Raw Materials: A Review
Authors: Naqi Ali , Jang Jeong Gook
Published: January 2019

The cement industry is facing numerous challenges in the 21st century due to depleting natural fuel resources, shortage of raw materials, exponentially increasing cement demand and climate linked environmental concerns. Every tonne of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) produced releases an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. In this regard, cement manufactured from locally available minerals and industrial wastes that can be blended with OPC as substitute, or full replacement with novel clinkers to reduce the energy requirements is strongly desirable. Reduction in energy consumption and carbon emissions during cement manufacturing can be achieved by introducing alternative cements. The potential of alternative cements as a replacement of conventional OPC can only be fully realized through detailed investigation of binder properties with modern technologies. Seven prominent alternative cement types are considered in this study and their current position compared to OPC has been discussed. The study provides a comprehensive analysis of options for future cements, and an up-to-date summary of the different alternative fuels and binders that can be used in cement production to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, the practicalities and benefits of producing the low-cost materials to meet the increasing cement demand are discussed.
Investigating the Impact Factors of the Logistics Service Supply Chain for Sustainable Performance: Focused on Integrators
Authors: Ju Yingjie , Wang Yue , Cheng Ye , Jia Jun
Published: January 2019

The overall scale of China’s logistics industry is growing rapidly, and the environment and conditions for its development are constantly improving, which lays a solid foundation for further accelerating the development of the logistics industry. However, logistics services are characterized by subordination, immediacy, demand volatility, and substitutability. Low-level integrated management of logistics services seriously hinders the development of the logistics service supply chain (LSSC) for sustainable performance. Many studies have been limited to the performance evaluation of LSSCs, and the factors affecting LSSC performance have generally been ignored. This study focuses on integrated LSSCs by using an integrator’s opportunistic behavior as the entry point of research and investigates the factors that affect the sustainability of LSSC performance. On the basis of relevant theories, a model for a hypothesis is constructed and eight hypotheses are subsequently proposed. Moreover, 271 survey responses from functional logistics service providers (research object) are utilized to develop a structural equation model for empirical research. Findings show that integrators with opportunistic behavior inhibit the information-sharing behavior of supply chain members. Consequently, the integration capability and agility of LSSCs are reduced, which affects the overall performance of LSSCs. The findings of this study can provide management insights into the behaviors of supply chain members and governments.
Club Convergence and Factors of Per Capita Transportation Carbon Emissions in China
Authors: Bai Caiquan , Mao Yuehua , Gong Yuan , Feng Chen
Published: January 2019

China is the largest carbon dioxide emitter in the world, and reducing China’s transportation carbon emissions is of great significance for the world. Using the Chinese provincial data from 2005–2015, this article analyzes the convergence characteristics of per capita transportation carbon emissions in China. It employs the log t regression test method and the club clustering algorithm developed by Phillips and Sul (2007) to separate the provinces and municipalities in China into three convergence clubs with different transportation carbon emission levels and one divergent group. Among them, the divergent group consisted of Beijing and Liaoning; the high carbon emission club consisted of Shanghai and Inner Mongolia; the low carbon emission club consisted of Jiangxi, Henan, Shandong, Hebei, and Sichuan; the medium carbon emission club consisted of the remaining 21 provinces and municipalities. On this basis, this article adopts the Ordered Logit model to explore factors influencing the formation of the convergence clubs. The regression results showed that the per capita transportation carbon emissions in the provinces with a high energy intensity of the transportation sector, a high urbanization level, or a high fixed assets investment intensity of the transportation sector tended to converge into the high carbon emission club.
Assessment of Adaptive Reuse Practices through User Experiences: Traditional Houses in the Walled City of Nicosia
Authors: Günçe Kağan , Mısırlısoy Damla
Published: January 2019

The conservation of traditional residential architecture is crucial in terms of sociocultural continuity. When the traditional houses are no longer used for residential purposes, new functions should be assigned to them for the continuity of the heritage buildings. However, new functions should respect the originality of the heritage building. This research focuses on the conservation and reuse of traditional houses located in the walled city of Nicosia. The walled city is divided into two parts as north and south with a buffer zone between the two. This paper includes case studies of re-functioned traditional houses from the two parts. The study questions the appropriateness of the new functions that have been assigned to the traditional houses both in the northern and southern parts of the city. This research aims to measure and compare the success of the adaptive reuse practices through user experiences. As the method of study, the literature survey was carried out to identify different aspects of adaptive reuse projects. Then, selected buildings were observed through site surveys in order to discover the current condition of the adaptive reuse projects. The third step was to complete the questionnaires with different users in order to question the success of the adaptive reuse projects through the user experience. Finally, the collected data were evaluated and discussed. The respondents were asked to answer questions about each building, which are organized under the three categories of sociocultural, economic, and physical aspects of the heritage buildings. As observed with the evaluated case studies, heritage buildings that are re-functioned with the public use, such as commercial, cultural, and educational use, are more successful in contributing to the sociocultural and economic development of the city. The preservation and reuse of abandoned traditional houses in the walled city contribute to the continuity and livability of the city. For the continuity of the heritage buildings, sociocultural, economic, and physical aspects should be taken into consideration with a holistic approach.