bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhancing Multiple Jets in Electrospinning: The Role of Auxiliary Electrode
Authors: Wu Yu-Ke , Li Zong-Jie , Fan Jie , Xia Zhao-Peng , Liu Yong
Published: September 2018

An auxiliary electrode introduced in traditional spinneret electrospinning is an effective and powerful technique to improve the production rate of nanofibers. In this work, the effects of the arrangement of auxiliary electrode, applied voltage, injection speed, and the distance between the electrode tip and the spinneret tip (ESD) on the jet number and the morphology of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibers were investigated systematically. The results showed that the number of jets firstly increased and then decreased with the increase of applied voltage and ESD, respectively, while increasing with the injection speed in both the auxiliary electrode in the vertical position and parallel position. The average nanofiber diameter decreased with increasing of applied voltage and injection speed, but decreasing in ESD in these two positions. The numerical simulation results revealed that the auxiliary electrode primarily influenced the electric field intensity in the spinning area. This work provides a deep understanding of multiple jets in electrospinning.
Effects of Specific Electric Field Stimulation on the Release and Activity of Secreted Acid Phosphatases from Leishmania tarentolae and Implications for Therapy
Authors: Dorsey Benjamin M. , Cass Cynthia L. , Cedeño David L. , Vallejo Ricardo , Jones Marjorie A.
Published: September 2018

Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease with 1.6 million new cases reported each year. However, there are few safe, effective, and affordable treatments provided to those affected by this disease. Still under-appreciated as potential pharmaceutical targets, especially for cutaneous leishmaniasis infections, are the two isozymes of secreted acid phosphatase (SAP). These enzymes are involved in the survival of the parasite in the sand fly vector, and in infecting host macrophages. While the application of electric or electromagnetic fields as a medicinal therapeutic is not new, the utility of electric field application for the treatment of leishmaniasis is under studied. Studies involving the effects of electric fields on the cell secretion of SAP or the activity of SAP that has been secreted prior to electrical stimulation have not yet been reported. This work is the first report on the effect of specific electric fields on the activity of Leishmania tarentolae secreted acid phosphatases and the modulation of this secretion from the cells. In addition, the kinetic constants for the enzyme isoforms were determined as a function of days in culture and removal of carbohydrate from the glycosylated enzymes, while using a glycosidase, was shown to affect these kinetic constants.
We Need to Recreate Natural Philosophy
Authors: Maxwell Nicholas
Published: September 2018

Modern science began as natural philosophy, an admixture of philosophy and science. It was then killed off by Newton, as a result of his claim to have derived his law of gravitation from the phenomena by induction. But this post-Newtonian conception of science, which holds that theories are accepted on the basis of evidence, is untenable, as the long-standing insolubility of the problem of induction indicates. Persistent acceptance of unified theories only in physics, when endless equally empirically successful disunified rivals are available, means that physics makes a persistent, problematic metaphysical assumption about the universe: that all disunified theories are false. This assumption, precisely because it is problematic, needs to be explicitly articulated within physics, so that it can be critically assessed and, we may hope, improved. The outcome is a new conception of science—aim-oriented empiricism—that puts science and philosophy together again, and amounts to a modern version of natural philosophy. Furthermore, aim-oriented empiricism leads to the solution to the problem of induction. Natural philosophy pursued within the methodological framework of aim-oriented empiricism is shown to meet standards of intellectual rigour that science without metaphysics cannot meet.
Biosourced Binder for Wood Particleboards Based on Spent Sulfite Liquor and Wheat Flour
Authors: Ferreira Ana M. , Pereira João , Almeida Margarida , Ferra João , Paiva Nádia , Martins Jorge , Magalhães Fernão D. , Carvalho Luísa H.
Published: September 2018

Currently, the majority of binders used in wood particleboard (PB) manufacturing are formaldehyde-based synthetic resins. Because of the toxicity of formaldehyde, there is a strong demand for eco-friendly alternatives with similar performances and economic viability. In this work, thick spent sulfite liquor (TSSL), an industrial byproduct from sulfite pulp mills, is proposed as a binder for fully bio-based PBs. The results showed that PBs bound with TSSL present appropriate mechanical performance, which was further improved when TSSL was combined with wheat flour at an 84:16 dry weight ratio and preheated to 94 °C prior to application. For 13.2% binder content per dry wood weight, the PB internal bond strength was 0.46 N mm−2, which is above the standard requirements for PB type P2 (0.35 N mm−2). Optical microscopy showed that TSSL hinders the gelatinization of starch granules during preheating, allowing the binder mixture to maintain a low viscosity suitable for combination with wood particles and PB production.
Substituent Effects of Phenyl Group on Silylene Bridge in Stereospecific Polymerization of Propylene with C1-Symmetric Ansa-Silylene(fluorenyl)(amido) Dimethyl Titanium Complexes
Authors: Wang Huajin , Li Yanqing , Cai Zhengguo
Published: September 2018

A C1-symmetric (methylphenyl)silylene-bridged (fluorenyl)(naphthylamido) titanium complex (1) and (diphenyl)silylene-bridged (fluorenyl)(naphthylamido) titanium complex (2) were synthesized and characterized by 1H NMR, element analysis, and X-ray crystal analysis. The coordination mode of the fluorenyl ligand to the titanium metal is an η3 manner in each complex. These complexes were applied for propylene polymerization using dried modified methyaluminoxane (dMMAO) as a cocatalyst under different propylene pressures in a semi batch-type method. The catalytic activity was strongly dependent on the structure of the complex and the propylene pressure, where complex 1 exhibited the highest activity (600 kg mol−1·h−1) under a propylene pressure of 8.0 atm to produce high molecular weight polypropylene. The polypropylenes obtained were syndiotactic-rich with an rr value of 0.50, indicating that the silylene bridge was not efficient for the isospecificity of a constrained geometry catalyst (CGC). The mechanical properties of the resulting polymers depended on their microstructure.
Electrically-Responsive Reversible Polyketone/MWCNT Network through Diels-Alder Chemistry
Authors: Araya-Hermosilla Rodrigo , Pucci Andrea , Raffa Patrizio , Santosa Dian , Pescarmona Paolo P. , Gengler Régis Y. N. , Rudolf Petra , Moreno-Villoslada Ignacio , Picchioni Francesco
Published: September 2018

This study examines the preparation of electrically conductive polymer networks based on furan-functionalised polyketone (PK-Fu) doped with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and reversibly crosslinked with bis-maleimide (B-Ma) via Diels-Alder (DA) cycloaddition. Notably, the incorporation of 5 wt.% of MWCNTs results in an increased modulus of the material, and makes it thermally and electrically conductive. Analysis by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicates that MWCNTs, due to their diene/dienophile character, covalently interact with the matrix via DA reaction, leading to effective interfacial adhesion between the components. Raman spectroscopy points to a more effective graphitic ordering of MWCNTs after reaction with PK-Fu and B-Ma. After crosslinking the obtained composite via the DA reaction, the softening point (tan(δ) in dynamic mechanical analysis measurements) increases up to 155 °C, as compared to the value of 130 °C for the PK-Fu crosslinked with B-Ma and that of 140 °C for the PK-Fu/B-Ma/MWCNT nanocomposite before resistive heating (responsible for crosslinking). After grinding the composite, compression moulding (150 °C/40 bar) activates the retro-DA process that disrupts the network, allowing it to be reshaped as a thermoplastic. A subsequent process of annealing via resistive heating demonstrates the possibility of reconnecting the decoupled DA linkages, thus providing the PK networks with the same thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties as the crosslinked pristine systems.
New Insights into the LGM and LG in Southern France (Vaucluse): The Mustelids, Micromammals and Horses from Coulet des Roches
Authors: Crégut-Bonnoure Evelyne , Boulbes Nicolas , Desclaux Emmanuel , Marciszak Adrian
Published: September 2018

Coulet des Roches is a natural karst trap in Southern France. Its infilling dates back to the end of the Pleniglacial (Last Glacial Maximum, LGM) and the end of the Tardiglacial (Last Glacial, LG). Three mustelid species have been identified in this infilling: the common polecat (Mustela putorius, minimum number of individuals (MNI) = 4), the stoat (Mustela erminea, MNI = 14) and the weasel (Mustela nivalis, MNI = 48). The common polecat remains are metrically and morphologically indistinguishable from recent European specimens. The smallest mustelids are mainly represented by average-sized specimens, which are slightly smaller than extant species. A partial weasel skeleton of an extremely small pygmy weasel, regarded as a typical glacial element, was also discovered. Sexual dimorphism is strongly pronounced. Seventeen horses have been identified, corresponding to the chrono subspecies Equus ferus gallicus. The analysis of the muzzles and metapodials shows overall adaptation to cool and dry weather conditions. The ibexes are typical of Capra ibex (MNI = 15). The p3 morphology is similar to the LGM populations located on the southern side of the Durance River, with an important dilation of the metaconid, except for the oldest LGM specimen. This dilation is older on the southern side of the Durance River, as it occurs at the end of MIS 3. This difference could reflect the barrier role of the Durance River. Micromammals are abundant (mostly related to rodents and shrews; 18 genera/species; MNI = 470). The paleoecological study highlighted important and rapid climatic and environmental fluctuations throughout the sequence. As a result of climatic fluctuations, the plains constituted a corridor for the migration of temperate species to Provence during cold periods (“southern refuge zone”) and their re-immigration to Western Europe during temperate episodes. In a related and complementary way, the highland areas not only played a natural role as a geographical barrier, but also constituted a refuge zone during interglacial episodes for some micromammal species originating from northern and eastern parts of Europe (“cryptic southern refugia”).
Perforated Rectal Cancer Presenting as Fournier’s Gangrene in a Confused Older Patient
Authors: George Jayan , Haboubi Hasan , Skinner Paul
Published: September 2018

We present the case of an eighty-two-year-old man who presented with testicular pain, diarrhoea, fresh rectal bleeding, and weight loss. A clear history was not obtained because of presumed chronic confusion secondary to age related vascular dementia. He was subsequently diagnosed with Fournier’s gangrene and a retrospective obtainment of his collateral history revealed a completely normal pre-morbid cognitive level of function. Thus, his confusion was secondary to an atypical cause of sepsis and he was managed with surgical debridement. We highlight the value of urgent computed tomography (CT) scanning as well as the use of screening tools for assessing cognitive function, particularly in surgical specialties, as well as the importance of obtaining a collateral history and discussing means for better collaborative efforts amongst surgeons and physicians in managing the “confused patient”.
Mining Hard Negative Samples for SAR-Optical Image Matching Using Generative Adversarial Networks
Authors: Hughes Lloyd Haydn , Schmitt Michael , Zhu Xiao Xiang
Published: September 2018

In this paper, we propose a generative framework to produce similar yet novel samples for a specified image. We then propose the use of these images as hard-negatives samples, within the framework of hard-negative mining, in order to improve the performance of classification networks in applications which suffer from sparse labelled training data. Our approach makes use of a variational autoencoder (VAE) which is trained in an adversarial manner in order to learn a latent distribution of the training data, as well as to be able to generate realistic, high quality image patches. We evaluate our proposed generative approach to hard-negative mining on a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and optical image matching task. Using an existing SAR-optical matching network as the basis for our investigation, we compare the performance of the matching network trained using our approach to the baseline method, as well as to two other hard-negative mining methods. Our proposed generative architecture is able to generate realistic, very high resolution (VHR) SAR image patches which are almost indistinguishable from real imagery. Furthermore, using the patches as hard-negative samples, we are able to improve the overall accuracy, and significantly decrease the false positive rate of the SAR-optical matching task—thus validating our generative hard-negative mining approaches’ applicability to improve training in data sparse applications.
Vegetation Phenology Driving Error Variation in Digital Aerial Photogrammetrically Derived Terrain Models
Authors: Goodbody Tristan R.H. , Coops Nicholas C. , Hermosilla Txomin , Tompalski Piotr , Pelletier Gaetan
Published: September 2018

Digital aerial photogrammetry (DAP) and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have emerged as synergistic technologies capable of enhancing forest inventory information. A known limitation of DAP technology is its ability to derive terrain surfaces in areas with moderate to high vegetation coverage. In this study, we sought to investigate the influence of flight acquisition timing on the accuracy and coverage of digital terrain models (DTM) in a low cover forest area in New Brunswick, Canada. To do so, a multi-temporal UAS-acquired DAP data set was used. Acquired imagery was photogrammetrically processed to produce high quality DAP point clouds, from which DTMs were derived. Individual DTMs were evaluated for error using an airborne laser scanning (ALS)-derived DTM as a reference. Unobstructed road areas were used to validate DAP DTM error. Generalized additive mixed models (GAMM) were generated to assess the significance of acquisition timing on mean vegetation cover, DTM error, and proportional DAP coverage. GAMM models for mean vegetation cover and DTM error were found to be significantly influenced by acquisition date. A best available terrain pixel (BATP) compositing exercise was conducted to generate a best possible UAS DAP-derived DTM and outline the importance of flight acquisition timing. The BATP DTM yielded a mean error of −0.01 m. This study helps to show that the timing of DAP acquisitions can influence the accuracy and coverage of DTMs in low cover vegetation areas. These findings provide insight to improve future data set quality and provide a means for managers to cost-effectively derive high accuracy terrain models post-management activity.
Odorant-Binding Proteins as Sensing Elements for Odour Monitoring
Authors: Pelosi Paolo , Zhu Jiao , Knoll Wolfgang
Published: September 2018

Odour perception has been the object of fast growing research interest in the last three decades. Parallel to the study of the corresponding biological systems, attempts are being made to model the olfactory system with electronic devices. Such projects range from the fabrication of individual sensors, tuned to specific chemicals of interest, to the design of multipurpose smell detectors using arrays of sensors assembled in a sort of artificial nose. Recently, proteins have attracted increasing interest as sensing elements. In particular, soluble olfaction proteins, including odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) of vertebrates and insects, chemosensory proteins (CSPs) and Niemann-Pick type C2 (NPC2) proteins possess interesting characteristics for their use in sensing devices for odours. In fact, thanks to their compact structure, their soluble nature and small size, they are extremely stable to high temperature, refractory to proteolysis and resistant to organic solvents. Moreover, thanks to the availability of many structures solved both as apo-proteins and in complexes with some ligands, it is feasible to design mutants by replacing residues in the binding sites with the aim of synthesising proteins with better selectivity and improved physical properties, as demonstrated in a number of cases.
Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) as a Cancer Biomarker and MMP-9 Biosensors: Recent Advances
Authors: Huang Hao
Published: September 2018

As one of the most widely investigated matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), MMP-9 is a significant protease which plays vital roles in many biological processes. MMP-9 can cleave many extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins to regulate ECM remodeling. It can also cleave many plasma surface proteins to release them from the cell surface. MMP-9 has been widely found to relate to the pathology of cancers, including but not limited to invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis. Some recent research evaluated the value of MMP-9 as biomarkers to various specific cancers. Besides, recent research of MMP-9 biosensors discovered various novel MMP-9 biosensors to detect this enzyme. In this review, some recent advances in exploring MMP-9 as a biomarker in different cancers are summarized, and recent discoveries of novel MMP-9 biosensors are also presented.
An Improved Yaw Estimation Algorithm for Land Vehicles Using MARG Sensors
Authors: Shi Gang , Li Xisheng , Jiang Zhengfu
Published: September 2018

This paper presents a linear Kalman filter for yaw estimation of land vehicles using magnetic angular rate and gravity (MARG) sensors. A gyroscope measurement update depending on the vehicle status and constraining yaw estimation is introduced. To determine the vehicle status, the correlations between outputs from different sensors are analyzed based on the vehicle kinematic model and Coriolis theorem, and a vehicle status marker is constructed. In addition, a two-step measurement update method is designed. The method treats the magnetometer measurement update separately after the other updates and eliminates its impact on attitude estimation. The performances of the proposed algorithm are tested in experiments and the results show that: the introduced measurement update is an effective supplement to the magnetometer measurement update in magnetically disturbed environments; the two-step measurement update method makes attitude estimation immune to errors induced by magnetometer measurement update, and the proposed algorithm provides more reliable yaw estimation for land vehicles than the conventional algorithm.
Development of a Dual MOS Electronic Nose/Camera System for Improving Fruit Ripeness Classification
Authors: Chen Li-Ying , Wu Cheng-Chun , Chou Ting-I. , Chiu Shih-Wen , Tang Kea-Tiong
Published: September 2018

Electronic nose (E-nose) systems have become popular in food and fruit quality evaluation because of their rapid and repeatable availability and robustness. In this paper, we propose an E-nose system that has potential as a non-destructive system for monitoring variation in the volatile organic compounds produced by fruit during the maturing process. In addition to the E-nose system, we also propose a camera system to monitor the peel color of fruit as another feature for identification. By incorporating E-nose and camera systems together, we propose a non-destructive solution for fruit maturity monitoring. The dual E-nose/camera system presents the best Fisher class separability measure and shows a perfect classification of the four maturity stages of a banana: Unripe, half-ripe, fully ripe, and overripe.
An Adaptive Zero Velocity Detection Algorithm Based on Multi-Sensor Fusion for a Pedestrian Navigation System
Authors: Ma Ming , Song Qian , Gu Yang , Li Yanghuan , Zhou Zhimin
Published: September 2018

The zero velocity update (ZUPT) algorithm is an effective way to suppress the error growth for a foot-mounted pedestrian navigation system. To make ZUPT work properly, it is necessary to detect zero velocity intervals correctly. Existing zero velocity detection methods cannot provide good performance at high gait speeds or stair climbing. An adaptive zero velocity detection approach based on multi-sensor fusion is proposed in this paper. The measurements of an accelerometer, gyroscope and pressure sensor were employed to construct a zero-velocity detector. Then, the adaptive threshold was proposed to improve the accuracy of the detector under various motion modes. In addition, to eliminate the height drift, a stairs recognition method was developed to distinguish staircase movement from level walking. Detection performance was examined with experimental data collected at varying motion modes in real scenarios. The experimental results indicate that the proposed method can correctly detect zero velocity intervals under various motion modes.
An Optimized Relay Selection Technique to Improve the Communication Reliability in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Laurindo Suelen , Moraes Ricardo , Nassiffe Ríad , Montez Carlos , Vasques Francisco
Published: September 2018

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) are enabler technologies for the implementation of the Internet of Things (IoT) concept. WSNs provide an adequate infrastructure for the last-link communication with smart objects. Nevertheless, the wireless communication medium being inherently unreliable, there is the need to increase its communication reliability. Techniques based on the use of cooperative communication concepts are one of the ways to achieve this target. Within cooperative communication techniques, nodes selected as relays transmit not only their own data, but also cooperate by retransmitting data from other nodes. A fundamental step to improve the communication reliability of WSNs is related to the use of efficient relay selection techniques. This paper proposes a relay selection technique based on multiple criteria to select the smallest number of relay nodes and, at the same time, to ensure an adequate operation of the network. Additionally, two relay updating schemes are also investigated, defining periodic and adaptive updating policies. The simulation results show that both proposed schemes, named Periodic Relay Selection and Adaptive Relay Selection, significantly improve the communication reliability of the network, when compared to other state-of-the-art relay selection schemes.
An Artificial Bee Colony-Based Green Routing Mechanism in WBANs for Sensor-Based E-Healthcare Systems
Authors: Yan Jian , Peng Yuhuai , Shen Dawei , Yan Xinxin , Deng Qingxu
Published: September 2018

At present, sensor-based E-Healthcare systems are attracting more and more attention from academia and industry. E-Healthcare systems are usually a Wireless Body Area Network (WBANs), which can monitor or diagnose human health by placing miniaturized, low-power sensor nodes in or on patient’s bodies to measure various physiological parameters. However, in this process, WBAN nodes usually use batteries, and especially for implantable flexible nodes, it is difficult to accomplish the battery replacement, so the energy that the node can carry is very limited, making the efficient use of energy the most important problem to consider when designing WBAN routing algorithms. By considering factors such as residual energy of node, the importance level of nodes, path cost and path energy difference ratios, this paper gives a definition of Optimal Path of Energy Consumption (OPEC) in WBANs, and designs the Optimal Energy Consumption routing based on Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) for WBANs (OEABC). A performance simulation is carried out to verify the effectiveness of the OEABC. Simulation results demonstrate that compared with the genetic algorithm and ant colony algorithm, the proposed OEABC has a better energy efficiency and faster convergence rate.
Void Hole Avoidance for Reliable Data Delivery in IoT Enabled Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Sher Arshad , Khan Aasma , Javaid Nadeem , Ahmed Syed Hassan , Aalsalem Mohammed Y , Khan Wazir Zada
Published: September 2018

Due to the limited availability of battery power of the acoustic node, an efficient utilization is desired. Additionally, the aquatic environment is harsh; therefore, the battery cannot be replaced, which leaves the network prone to sudden failures. Thus, an efficient node battery dissipation is required to prolong the network lifespan and optimize the available resources. In this paper, we propose four schemes: Adaptive transmission range in WDFAD-Depth-Based Routing (DBR) (A-DBR), Cluster-based WDFAD-DBR (C-DBR), Backward transmission-based WDFAD-DBR (B-DBR) and Collision Avoidance-based WDFAD-DBR (CA-DBR) for Internet of Things-enabled Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks (IoT, UWSNs). A-DBR adaptively adjusts its transmission range to avoid the void node for forwarding data packets at the sink, while C-DBR minimizes end-to-end delay along with energy consumption by making small clusters of nodes gather data. In continuous transmission range adjustment, energy consumption increases exponentially; thus, in B-DBR, a fall back recovery mechanism is used to find an alternative route to deliver the data packet at the destination node with minimal energy dissipation; whereas, CA-DBR uses a fall back mechanism along with the selection of the potential node that has the minimum number of neighbors to minimize collision on the acoustic channel. Simulation results show that our schemes outperform the baseline solution in terms of average packet delivery ratio, energy tax, end-to-end delay and accumulated propagation distance.
Correlation between the Fluctuations in Worldwide Seismicity and in Atmospheric Carbon Pollution
Authors: Carpinteri Alberto , Niccolini Gianni
Published: September 2018

The crucial stages in the geochemical evolution of the Earth’s crust, ocean, and atmosphere could be explained by the assumed low-energy nuclear reactions (LENR) that are triggered by seismic activity. LENR result in the fission of medium-weight elements accompanied by neutron emissions, involving Fe and Ni as starting elements, and C, N, O as resultants. Geochemical data and experimental evidences support the LENR hypothesis. The time series analysis highlighted significant correlation between the atmospheric CO2 growth rate and the global seismic-moment release rate, whereas the trending behavior was in response to the anthropogenic emissions. The fluctuations in the atmospheric CO2 growth rate time series were inexplicable in terms of anthropogenic emissions, but could be explained by the cycles of worldwide seismicity, which massively trigger LENR in the Earth’s crust. In this framework, LENR from active faults must be considered as a relevant cause of carbon formation and degassing of freshly-formed CO2 during seismic activity.
Pharmacokinetic Enhancers (Boosters)—Escort for Drugs against Degrading Enzymes and Beyond
Authors: Krauß Jürgen , Bracher Franz
Published: September 2018

Pharmacokinetic enhancers (boosters) are compounds used in combination with a primary therapeutic agent (drug) and are not used for their direct effects on the disease but because they enhance or restore the activity of the primary agent. Hence, in certain cases, they represent an indispensable escort for enzyme-labile drugs. Pharmacokinetic enhancers can exert their activity on different ways. In the most common case, they inhibit enzymes such as human cytochrome P450 enzymes in the liver or other organs and, thereby, block or reduce undesired metabolism and inactivation of the primary drug. In this review, an overview will be given on the therapeutically most important classes of pharmacokinetic enhancers like β-lactamase inhibitors, inhibitors of CYP (cytochrome P450) enzymes in HIV therapy and hepatitis C, boosters for fluoropyrimidine-type anticancer agents, compounds utilized for enabling therapy of Parkinson’s disease with levodopa, and others. Inhibitors of efflux pumps in both pathogenic bacteria and tumor cells will be addresses shortly.
Stratification with Honors: A Case Study of the “High” Track within United States Higher Education
Authors: Stich Amy E.
Published: September 2018

At present, U.S. postsecondary sorting is best evidenced by an increasingly stratified system of higher education. However, very little attention is paid to even deeper levels of stratification within colleges and universities where academic tracking and its consequences are manifest. Given this significant lack of attention to deepening levels of stratification within many of the most “accessible” postsecondary institutions in the U.S., the purpose of this article is threefold: (1) to introduce readers to the notion of academic tracking within the postsecondary sector, (2) to situate honors education within the U.S. postsecondary tracking structure, and (3) to demonstrate the depths of stratification within a system that is lauded as the contemporary architect of social mobility. Based upon qualitative data collected during the 2016–2017 academic year at one public 4-year “accessible” university, findings illustrate the persistence, structure, and depths of stratification as an unintended consequence of one university’s efforts to reconcile the competing goals of excellence and equity.
Relative Importance of Climatic and Anthropogenic Drivers on the Dynamics of Aboveground Biomass across Agro-Ecological Zones on the Mongolian Plateau
Authors: Zhou Xiang , Yamaguchi Yasushi
Published: September 2018

The dynamics of aboveground biomass (AGB) are driven by both climate variation and anthropogenic modification, however, few studies have evaluated the relative importance of these two drivers, especially in a heterogeneous landscape. Taking the Mongolian Plateau as a case study and employing the vegetation optical depth retrieval as a proxy of AGB, this study aimed to determine the relative importance of climatic and anthropogenic drivers on the dynamics of AGB in Mongolia (ML) and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (IM), China. Spatial panel data model specific to each agro-ecological zone was employed to fulfill the task. The results revealed that: (1) Since the socio-institutional transition in the early 1990s, AGB declined in most parts of the grazing zone of Mongolia. The reduction of precipitation, the rise of temperature and the intensification of livestock grazing were the major drivers behind it. Ranked by their relative importance, the order in the grazing zone with relatively humid climate was: Precipitation ≈ temperature > livestock grazing; the order in the grazing zone with relatively arid climate was: Precipitation > temperature > livestock grazing; (2) Since the implementation of a series of ecological restoration programs in the early 2000s, AGB increased in most parts of the grazing zone of IM, and the increase of precipitation was the dominant driver behind it; (3) Since the early 2000s, AGB increased in most parts of the grazing-farming zone of IM. The increase of precipitation, the decline of temperature and the intensification of grain production were the major drivers behind it. Ranked by their relative importance, the order was: Precipitation > grain production > temperature; (4) Since the early 2000s, AGB increased in most parts of the farming zone of IM. The increase of precipitation and the intensification of grain production were the major drivers behind it. Ranked by their relative importance, the order was: Grain production > precipitation.
Sustainable Business Models of SMEs: Challenges in Yacht Tourism Sector
Authors: Battistella Cinzia , Cagnina Maria Rosita , Cicero Lucia , Preghenella Nadia
Published: September 2018

Despite the high number of active small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in all sectors, current studies have barely developed investigations on the sustainability of their business models so far. The aim of this study was thus to bridge the gap between sustainable business models of SMEs in the service industry, to uncover the challenges that SMEs face when seeking business model reconfiguration toward sustainability. More specifically, the empirical investigation adopted a case study research design in the context of yacht tourism, as one business form among many within the tourism industry and thus within the broader category of the service industry. Interviews were conducted with seven European SMEs, whose business models were analyzed through the lens of the triple bottom line and sustainability challenges in their business models. The results display a varied typology of case studies, where business model components reveal diverse expressions of facing sustainability challenges. The work discusses reported findings with a cross-case comparison among detected business models and outlines a list of propositions for sustainable business models of SMEs. The paper contributes in continuing the discourse on sustainable business models, adopting the perspective of the challenges for SMEs and offers food for thought for managers of SMEs in comparing their own business with the identified business model types.
Using Soil Survey Database to Assess Soil Quality in the Heterogeneous Taihang Mountains, North China
Authors: Geng Shoubao , Shi Peili , Zong Ning , Zhu Wanrui
Published: September 2018

Soil quality evaluation is an effective pathway to understanding the status of soil function and ecosystem productivity. Numerous studies have been made in managed ecosystems and land cover to quantify its effects on soil quality. However, little is coincident regarding soil quality assessment methods and its compatibility in highly heterogeneous soil. This paper used the soil survey database of Taihang Mountains as a case study to: (i) Examine the feasibility of soil quality evaluation with two different indicator methods: Total data set (TDS) and minimum data set (MDS); and (ii) analyze the controlling factors of regional soil quality. Principal component analysis (PCA) and the entropy method were used to calculate soil quality index (SQI). SQI values assessed from the TDS and MDS methods were both significantly correlated with normalized difference vegetation index (p < 0.001), suggesting that both indices were effective to describe soil quality and reflect vegetation growth status. However, the TDS method represented a slightly more accurate assessment than MDS in terms of variance explanation. Boosted regression trees (BRT) models and path analysis showed that soil type and land cover were the most important controlling factors of soil quality, within which soil type had the greatest direct effect and land cover had the most indirect effect. Compared to MDS, TDS is a more sensitive method for assessing regional soil quality, especially in heterogeneous mountains. Soil type is the fundamental factor to determining soil quality. Vegetation and land cover indirectly modulate soil properties and soil quality.
Optimization of the Fuzzy Matter Element Method for Predicting Species Suitability Distribution Based on Environmental Data
Authors: Zhang Quanzhong , Wei Haiyan , Zhao Zefang , Liu Jing , Ran Qiao , Yu Junhong , Gu Wei
Published: September 2018

Over the years, with the efforts of many researchers, the field of species distribution model (SDM) has been well explored. The model of fuzzy matter elements (FME), which, combined with GIS to predict species distribution, has received extensive attention since its emergence. Based on previous studies, this paper improved FME, extended the scope of the membership degree and habitat suitability index, and explored the unsuitable areas of species. We have enhanced the limitation effect of key variables on species habitats, making the operation of FME more consistent with biological laws. By optimizing the FME, it could avoid the accumulation of predicted errors with multi-variables, and make the predicted results more reasonable. In this study, Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Thunb.) Makino was used as an example. The experimental process used several major environmental variables (climate, soil, and terrain variables) to predict the habitat suitability distribution of G. pentaphyllum in China for its current and future period, which includes the period of 2050s (average for 2041–2060) and 2070s (average for 2061–2080) under representative concentration pathways 4.5 (RCP4.5). The results of the analysis showed that the model performed well with a high accuracy by reducing the redundancy of the environmental data. The study could relieve the reliance on a large database of environmental information and propose a new approach for protecting the G. pentaphyllum in unsuitable areas under climate change.
A Derivation of Factors Influencing the Innovation Diffusion of the OpenStreetMap in STEM Education
Authors: Shiau Steven J. H. , Huang Chi-Yo , Yang Chia-Lee , Juang Jer-Nan
Published: September 2018

Geographic information is a confluence of knowledge from spatial science, information technologies, engineering, and mathematics, etc. Effective spatial training can enhance achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Therefore, the geographic information system (GIS) plays a daily role in modern STEM education. Volunteered Geographical Information (VGI) is characterized by the openness of the geographic information being generated and accumulated by volunteers. Within the VGI sphere, OpenStreetMap (OSM) is one of the most well-known VGI due to its openness, flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and web-based mapping capability, making it one of the best alternatives for use as the mapping application for STEM education. However, very few or no prior works have investigated the factors influencing the innovation diffusion of OSM in STEM education. Therefore, to fill this gap, this work aims to investigate these factors. To achieve this purpose, the authors have defined an analytic framework based on innovation diffusion theory (IDT) and the technology acceptance model (TAM). The factors influencing students’ acceptance and intention to continue using and diffusing OSM in STEM education will be investigated. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to confirm the hypothesized IDT–TAM integrated model. An empirical study based on sample data collected from 145 Taiwanese undergraduate and graduate students from engineering-related institutes was used to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed analytic framework and to derive the factors related to the adoption and diffusion of OSM in STEM education. The proposed theoretical framework forged in this study was proven to be successful. Based on the empirical study results, ease of use, observability, and compatibility are the most influential factors in OSM diffusion. Therefore, activities that enhance the ease of use, observability, and compatibility of OSM should be emphasized so that STEM students’ perception of the usefulness of the technology and their perceived attitude towards it leads to the intention to continue the use of OSM. The analytic results can serve as a foundation for the design, development, and accelerated adoption and diffusion of OSM in STEM education.
Cooperative Longevity: Why Are So Many Cooperatives So Successful?
Authors: Iliopoulos Constantine , Valentinov Vladislav
Published: September 2018

Despite popular misconceptions, cooperatives present a very successful organizational form worldwide. A recent study found that in the U.S., for example, 134 agricultural cooperatives celebrated their 100th anniversary in 2014. This observation on cooperative longevity is not matched by a corresponding research effort on what makes cooperatives so successful. Most of the extant research seems to focus on intra-cooperative problems that posit significant challenges to cooperatives. This special issue of Sustainability bridges the considerable gap between scholarly work and reality. By focusing on what makes cooperatives so successful for such a long period of time, this issue sheds light on key aspects of cooperative longevity. Bridging social capital, fundamental solutions to excessive heterogeneity-induced high ownership costs, tinkering, cooperative genius, and superior capacity to adapt to shocks and changes are among the factors identified to explain extended cooperative longevity. The insights thereby gained are useful to students of cooperatives, practitioners, and policy makers.
An Emergency Decision-Making Method for Urban Rainstorm Water-Logging: A China Study
Authors: Ding Jiyong , Cai Juefang , Guo Guangxiang , Chen Chen
Published: September 2018

With the rapid development of the urbanization process, rainstorm water-logging events occur more frequently in big cities in China, which causes great impact on urban traffic safety and brings about severe economic losses. Water-logging has become a hot issue of widespread concern in China. As one kind of natural disasters and emergencies, rainstorm water-logging has the uncertainties of occurrence, development, and evolution. Thus, the emergency decision-making in rainstorm water-logging should be carried out in stages according to its development trend, which is very complicated. In this paper, an emergency decision-making method was proposed for urban water-logging with a hybrid use of dynamic network game technology, Bayesian analysis, and multi-attribute utility theory. The dynamic game process between “rainstorm water-logging” and “decision-making group” was established and the dynamic generation of emergency schemes was analyzed based on Bayesian analysis in various stages of water-logging. In terms of decision-making attributes, this paper mainly considered two goals, i.e., ensuring smooth traffic and controlling emergency cost. The multi-attribute utility theory was used to select the final scheme. An example analysis in Guangzhou of China showed that the method is more targeted and can achieve emergency management objectives more effectively when compared with traditional methods. Therefore, it can provide reference for the scientific decision-making of emergency management in urban rainstorm water-logging.
Consumption-Intention Formation in Education for Sustainable Development: An Adapted Model Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior
Authors: Bauer Deidre , Arnold Julia , Kremer Kerstin
Published: September 2018

Global biosphere issues call for an education for sustainable consumption decisions. Enabling adolescent learners to form sustainable consumption intentions involves an understanding of underlying internal predictors. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) delivers a useful approach to this challenge. Understanding of the underlying motives behind sustainable consumption decision-making, however, requires knowledge and evaluation of three basic sustainability aspects, the generational, the coherence, and the spatial aspect. As yet, the TPB framework does not take account of those facets. In this paper, we propose an extension of the TPB that meets these shortcomings by integrating the sustainability aspects while including the concepts of sustainability knowledge and sustainability values into the existing model. Furthermore, we extended the functional range of the attitude construct to the three sustainability aspects. The objective of the present article is to introduce and discuss the adapted framework which can serve as a first step for an educational implementation of the concept of sustainable consumption.
Psychological Capital Research: A Meta-Analysis and Implications for Management Sustainability
Authors: Kong Fanzhu , Tsai Cheng-Hung , Tsai Fu-Sheng , Huang Wenyi , De la Cruz Shareena Malapitan
Published: September 2018

The purpose of this study is to conduct a wide-ranging meta-analytic review of empirical psychological capital studies in the management field. We conducted a meta-analysis on papers collected from the EBSCOhost and ProQuest databases. For comprehensive and extensive literature coverage, we also searched and compared the Journal Citation Report for the journals that referenced the most-cited articles (e.g., Journal of Organizational Behavior, Academy of Management Journal, etc.). A total of 81 published types of research were thoroughly selected and analyzed. The results revealed that, with different weighting, the following influencing factors have significant associations with psychological capital: organizational climate, organizational justice, authentic leadership, leader–member exchange, and occupational stress. Also, with different influencing weighting, psychological capital is confirmed to have impacts on job satisfaction, attitude, performance, organizational citizenship behavior, and undesirable behaviors. Implications for managerial sustainability are discussed.
The Effect of Green Software: A Study of Impact Factors on the Correctness of Software
Authors: Gil David , Fernández-Alemán Jose Luis , Trujillo Juan , García-Mateos Ginés , Luján-Mora Sergio , Toval Ambrosio
Published: September 2018

Unfortunately, sustainability is an issue very poorly used when developing software and hardware systems. Lately, and in order to contribute to the earth sustainability, a new concept emerged named Green software which is computer software that can be developed and used efficiently and effectively with minimal or no impact to the environment. Currently, new teaching methods based on students’ learning process are being developed in the European Higher Education Area. Most of them are oriented to promote students’ interest in the course’s contents and offer personalized feedback. Online judging is a promising method for encouraging students’ participation in the e-learning process, although it still has to be researched and developed to be widely used and in a more efficient way. The great amount of data available in an online judging tool provides the possibility of exploring some of the most indicative attributes (e.g., running time, memory) for learning programming concepts, techniques and languages. So far, the most applied methods for automatically gathering information from the judging systems are based on statistical methods and, although providing reasonable correlations, these methods have not been proven to provide enough information for predicting grades when dealing with a huge amount of data. Therefore, the great novelty of this paper is to develop a data mining approach to predict program correctness as well as the grades of the students’ practices. For this purpose, powerful data mining technologies taken from the artificial intelligence domain have been used. In particular, in this study, we have used logistic regression, decision trees, artificial neural network and support vector machines; which have been properly identified as the most suitable ones for predicting activities in the e-learning domains. The results have achieved an accuracy of around 74%, both in the prediction of the program correctness as well as in the practice grades’ prediction. Another relevant issue provided in this paper is a comparison among these four techniques to obtain the best accuracy in predicting grades based on the availability of data as well as their taxonomy. The Decision Trees classifier has obtained the best confusion matrix, and time and memory efficiency were identified as the most important predictor variables. In view of these results, we can conclude that the development of green software leads programmers to implement correct software.