bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Design and Performance of a Composite Grating-Coupled Surface Plasmon Resonance Trace Liquid Concentration Sensor
Authors: Li Wenchao , Li Zhiquan , He Jiahuan , Chu Liyang
Published: December 2019

In this paper, a grating-coupled surface plasmon resonance concentration sensor employing a gold and indium tin oxide (Au/ITO) nanoparticle composite instead of metal is proposed. The structure and material parameters of the sensor are discussed and analyzed. Taking the ethylene glycol concentration as an example, the influence of the nanocomposite on the wave vector matching, the influence of the refractive index of the medium to be tested and the influence of the concentration on the refractive index were analyzed in detail. The experimental results show that when the sensor is used for the measurement of ethylene glycol concentration, the correlation coefficient between the concentration and the refractive index is as high as 0.999995. The fitting curve and data correlation are good, and the sensitivity has a good linear relationship with the sensitivity. Therefore, the sensor structure proposed in this paper can be used to accurately measure the trace concentration of liquid, and its sensing mode has certain reference value for the measurement of general trace fluid concentration.
Parental Involvement as a Protective Factor in School Adjustment among Retained and Promoted Secondary Students
Authors: Serna Cristina , Martínez Isabel
Published: December 2019

This study analyzes the relationship of parental involvement and school adjustment among secondary students considering their school integration, school satisfaction, and prosocial disposition. The analysis also considers academic performance through the grade retention. Study sample was 1043 Spanish adolescents aged between 12 and 17 years (51.5% girls, M = 14.21, SD = 1.38). A factorial (3x2x2x2) multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was applied for the outcome variables of school integration, school satisfaction, and prosocial behavior, with parental educational involvement, grade retention, sex, and age as independent variables. The results show that both parental involvement and academic performance are positively related to school adjustment. In addition, parental involvement influences adolescents’ school adjustment, regardless of academic performance, being a protective factor in that adjustment.
The Impact of Land Use/Land Cover Change (LULCC) on Water Resources in a Tropical Catchment in Tanzania under Different Climate Change Scenarios
Authors: Näschen Kristian , Diekkrüger Bernd , Evers Mariele , Höllermann Britta , Steinbach Stefanie , Thonfeld Frank
Published: December 2019

Many parts of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are prone to land use and land cover change (LULCC). In many cases, natural systems are converted into agricultural land to feed the growing population. However, despite climate change being a major focus nowadays, the impacts of these conversions on water resources, which are essential for agricultural production, is still often neglected, jeopardizing the sustainability of the socio-ecological system. This study investigates historic land use/land cover (LULC) patterns as well as potential future LULCC and its effect on water quantities in a complex tropical catchment in Tanzania. It then compares the results using two climate change scenarios. The Land Change Modeler (LCM) is used to analyze and to project LULC patterns until 2030 and the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is utilized to simulate the water balance under various LULC conditions. Results show decreasing low flows by 6–8% for the LULC scenarios, whereas high flows increase by up to 84% for the combined LULC and climate change scenarios. The effect of climate change is stronger compared to the effect of LULCC, but also contains higher uncertainties. The effects of LULCC are more distinct, although crop specific effects show diverging effects on water balance components. This study develops a methodology for quantifying the impact of land use and climate change and therefore contributes to the sustainable management of the investigated catchment, as it shows the impact of environmental change on hydrological extremes (low flow and floods) and determines hot spots, which are critical for environmental development.
Development of Sidewalk Block Pavement Condition Index (SBPCI) using Analytical Hierarchy Process
Authors: Kim Jangrak , Park Daegeun , Suh Youngchan , Jung Donghyuk
Published: December 2019

This study aimed at developing SBPCI (Sidewalk Block Pavement Condition Index) with sidewalk pavement condition survey data of Seoul city in order to attain a quantitative evaluation method of sidewalk pavement condition. The distress patterns of sidewalk pavement were classified into four groups of Crack/Loss, Roughness, Aging, and Corner Break. AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) technique was employed on the basis of the raking process of 31 pavement managers in order to analyze the influence of the distress patterns on the sidewalk pavement condition. The AHP analysis result indicated the weight of pop out, roughness, surface abrasion, and corner break were 0.521, 0.244, 0.164, and 0.070, respectively, by distress type. A model equation was derived by using the sidewalk pavement condition data from 420 sections. The correlation analysis between the result of the model equation and distress type revealed that the correlation of corner break was low to be excluded from SBPCI model; while pop out, roughness, and surface abrasion were statistically significant to be used as three variables of the developed SBPCI model.
Protected Areas, Tourism, and Rural Transition in Aysén, Chile
Authors: Blair Heidi , Bosak Keith , Gale Trace
Published: December 2019

Following global trends, nature-based tourism in the Aysén region of Chilean Patagonia has grown dramatically in recent years. This growth has challenged traditional economic activities derived from commodification of natural resources, including ranching, logging, and mining. A qualitative research study conducted in 2016–2017 used semi-structured interviews and focus groups to investigate how local residents perceived the changes that accompany rural development around the nationally protected area of Cerro Castillo, projected to be one of the region’s protected areas that will drive economic development through tourism in coming decades. Results identified several themes reminiscent of the rural transition that took place in the western United States in the mid to late-1900s. During this era, the remote, rugged, wild frontier lands of the sparsely populated intermountain west shifted from an economy grounded in extractive industries to a service-based one, geared towards amenity migrants and tourists seeking recreation opportunities and closeness to nature. Patterns and lessons are drawn between similar transitions across geographies and timescales, which may assist planners with understandings of trends and tendencies as tourism continues to influence rural transition in Patagonia.
Cleaner Production Technologies Increased Economic Benefits and Greenhouse Gas Intensity in an Eco-Rice System in China
Authors: Yang Bo , Ma Yuchun , Zhang Chunxue , Jia Yufei , Li Bo , Zheng Xiangqun
Published: December 2019

The sustainability of intensification of rice production is a prime concern for China. Application of organic amendments, changes in crop rotation system, ducklings’ introduction, and construction of vegetated drainage ditches are some of the original management strategies to mitigate environmental pollution from paddy fields. Although these practices affect the rice culturing system through different mechanisms, there is limited investigation on their effectiveness on nutrient pollution alleviation. Therefore, a field study was carried out with the assessment of soil physico-chemical properties, greenhouse gas emissions, nitrogen removal efficiency, grain yield, and economic benefits by comparing the eco-rice culturing system (ER) to the local single rice cultivation system (CK). Results showed that the ER system can significantly improve soil fertility by increasing the pH in acidic soil, organic matter, total nitrogen (TN), and available potassium (K) content by 5.2%, 25.7%, 19.1%, and 19.4% in relation to CK, respectively. Meanwhile, about 10% of the total fertilizer N was removed from the harvesting of the plant species (Myriophyllum elatinoides and Pennisetum purpureum) in the vegetated drainage ditches. However, the ER system decreased the plant height (1.1%) and the number of tillers (9.6%), resulting in a reduction of the total grain yield (6.0%). Moreover, compared with the CK system, the ER system increased CH4 cumulative emission, global warming potential (GWP), and greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) by 11.1%, 8.1%, and 14.3%, respectively, and decreased N2O by 27.2%, but not statistical significantly (p < 0.05). Even so, by taking the costs of farm operations and carbon costs of greenhouse gas emissions, the net economic benefits by applying the ER system were higher relative to the CK system. Thus, our study provides further understanding of the technology which has the potential to transform sustainable rice production to a more profitable, income generating, and environmentally friendly industry in China.
A Study on Multi-Objective Parametric Design Tool for Surround-Type Movable Shading Device
Authors: Kim Ho-Jeong , Yang Chang-Seok , Moon Hyeun Jun
Published: December 2019

This study presents a multi-objective parametric design tool for four-axis surround-type movable shading device using solar position tracking in Seoul, South Korea. In order to explore large numbers of possible forms of shades, generic algorithms are utilized with real-time simulation of the performative criteria such as solar radiation, daylight glare probability (DGP), and solar shielding rate on window surface. This study outlines a workflow using a multi-objective engine called Octopus that runs within Grasshopper 3D, a parametric design tool, in addition to environmental performance simulation plug-in Ladybug. The workflow utilizes a performance-based design tool, which allows the designer to explore, sort, and filter solutions, and visually compare alternative solutions in terms of energy saving and indoor daylight quality in order to determine the optimal form of shade changing its shape every one hour. The result of deriving and analyzing the optimal shade shape through the genetic algorithm proposed in this study is as follows: On the one hand, on the summer solstice, shade shapes with shielding areas of almost 100% should be derived to achieve the most effective reduction of the direct solar radiation. The proposed movable shading device reduced direct solar radiation by 52.40% and 57.20% in the south- and east-facing windows, respectively. On the other hand, in winter when solar heat gain is important, the absence of sunshade is optimal in terms of heating load. However, in order to improve the indoor light environment, it is confirmed that it is possible to derive a certain shape of sunshade according to the sun’s trajectory. On the winter solstice, the problem of glare arises from 10:00 to 15:00 in the south and 10:00 in the east. Therefore, the proposed four-axis movable shading device can be configured to have a minimum protrusion length satisfying DGP less than 0.35 in winter.
A Probabilistic Multi-Objective Model for Phasor Measurement Units Placement in the Presence of Line Outage
Authors: Huang Yu , Li Shuqin , Liu Xinyue , Zhang Yan , Sun Li , Yang Kai
Published: December 2019

Optimal phasor measurement units (PMU) placement was developed to determine the number and locations of PMUs on the premise of full observability of the whole network. In order to enhance reliability under contingencies, redundancy should also be considered beside the number of PMUs in optimal phasor measurement units placement problem. Thus, in this paper, a multi-objective model was established to consider the two conflicting components simultaneously, solved by ε-constraint method and the fuzzy satisfying approach. The redundancy here was formulated as average possibility of observability including random component outages, and full possibility formula was applied to calculate the average possibility of observability in the case of single line outage. Finally, the model was employed to the IEEE-57 bus system, and the results verified that the developed model could provide a placement scheme with higher reliability.
Modelling Public Transport Accessibility with Monte Carlo Stochastic Simulations: A Case Study of Ostrava
Authors: Horak Jiri , Tesla Jan , Fojtik David , Vozenilek Vit
Published: December 2019

Activity-based micro-scale simulation models for transport modelling provide better evaluations of public transport accessibility, enabling researchers to overcome the shortage of reliable real-world data. Current simulation systems face simplifications of personal behaviour, zonal patterns, non-optimisation of public transport trips (choice of the fastest option only), and do not work with real targets and their characteristics. The new TRAMsim system uses a Monte Carlo approach, which evaluates all possible public transport and walking origin–destination (O–D) trips for k-nearest stops within a given time interval, and selects appropriate variants according to the expected scenarios and parameters derived from local surveys. For the city of Ostrava, Czechia, two commuting models were compared based on simulated movements to reach (a) randomly selected large employers and (b) proportionally selected employers using an appropriate distance–decay impedance function derived from various combinations of conditions. The validation of these models confirms the relevance of the proportional gravity-based model. Multidimensional evaluation of the potential accessibility of employers elucidates issues in several localities, including a high number of transfers, high total commuting time, low variety of accessible employers and high pedestrian mode usage. The transport accessibility evaluation based on synthetic trips offers an improved understanding of local situations and helps to assess the impact of planned changes.
Connectivity and Accessibility of the Railway Network in China: Guidance for Spatial Balanced Development
Authors: Fan Jing , Li Ye , Zhang Yu , Luo Xiao , Ma Changxi
Published: December 2019

Good connectivity and accessibility help to enhance the competitiveness of regions and countries. This research provides a detailed analysis of the connectivity and accessibility of the Chinese railway network. The studied period starts in 1949 and ends in 2017. The research scope covers the railway system of the entire country (except Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao). Instead of focusing on main cities as research objects, this paper provides more detailed insights by using counties as the basic research units. The analysis shows that the achieved connectivity has been increasing continuously over the study period. Four accessibility indicators (temporal location indicator, weighted average travel time, daily accessibility, and potential indicator) provide comprehensive and complementary results, indicating that the most accessible cities and units are located in the southeastern part of the Hu line. In addition, higher economic level, or higher population density, is correlated with higher accessibility. Furthermore, the current network exhibits an unbalanced spatial distribution pattern, with an underdeveloped west. All the indicators show that the accessibility of the northwest and southwest regions is the lowest. Based on these conclusions, regional policy-making suggestions can be made to guide a rational railway network expansion and facilitate the equality and sustainable economic development of regions. The future railway system development is suggested to focus more on enhancing inner and inter-region communication in the west of China and attach importance to poverty-stricken counties in support of balanced regional growth and development. The railway development of the eastern regions needs to focus on optimizing the structure of the network as well as reasonably organizing railway routes.
The Inefficiency of the Neoclassical Paradigm in the Promotion of Subjective Well-Being and Socioeconomic, and Environmental Sustainability: An Empirical Test for the Spanish Case
Authors: Membiela-Pollán Matías , Alló-Pazos María , Pateiro-Rodríguez Carlos , Blázquez-Lozano Félix
Published: December 2019

The recent literature developed in the field of happiness economics highlights the overvaluation of income and material prosperity as determinants of happiness, and calls into question many of the assumptions of traditional economic theory linked to “rationality” and the “non-satiety” of the consumer. This article aimed to study which factors explain individual subjective well-being, paying special attention to the role of income and the incidence of social variables and focusing on the case of Spain. As a novelty, this research introduces variables such as trust or the perception of justice, among others. Based on the analysis of the European Social Survey and through the estimation of an ordered logit, we find that, in line with the theory of happiness economics, the material aspects do not play a relevant role as explanatory of subjective well-being, unlike social aspects, such as sociability and trust in people (social capital). In addition, our results indicate that in the case of Spain, the most materialistic people are associated with a lower level of happiness. Thus, it seems that the excess of concern for material and economic issues in the pursuit of happiness undermines socioeconomic and environmental sustainability by causing the “wealth destruction effect”.
Prediction of Technological Change under Shared Socioeconomic Pathways and Regional Differences: A Case Study of Irrigation Water Use Efficiency Changes in Chinese Provinces
Authors: Guo Aijun , Jiang Daiwei , Zhong Fanglei , Ding Xiaojiang , Song Xiaoyu , Cheng Qingping , Zhang Yongnian , Huang Chunlin
Published: December 2019

Technological changes in water use efficiency directly influence regional sustainable development. However, few studies have attempted to predict changes in water use efficiency because of the complex influencing factors and regional diversity. The Chinese Government has established a target of 0.6 for the effective utilization coefficient of irrigation water, but it is not clear how the coefficient will change in different provinces in the future. The purpose of this study is to predict irrigation water use efficiency changes using a conditional convergence model and combined with the shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) scenario settings and hydro-economic (HE) classification to group 31 Chinese provinces by their different economic and water resources conditions. The results show that the coefficient exponentially converges to 0.6 in half the provinces under SSP1 (sustainability), SSP2 (middle of the road), and SSP5 (conventional development) by 2030, whereas SSP3 (fragmentation) and SSP4 (inequality) are generally inefficient development pathways. HE-3 provinces (strong economic capacity, substantial hydrological challenges) achieve the greatest efficiency improvements (with all coefficients above 0.6), and SSP1 is a suitable pathway for these provinces. HE-2 provinces (strong economic capacities, low hydrological challenges) have relatively low efficiency because they lack incentives to save water, and SSP1 is also suitable for these provinces. For most HE-1 provinces (low economic capacity, low hydrological challenges), the coefficients are less than 0.6, and efforts are required to enhance their economic capacity under SSP1 or SSP5. HE-4 provinces (low economic capacity, substantial hydrological challenges) would improve efficiency in a cost-efficient manner under SSP2.
Physical Activity and Commuting to School in Spanish Nine-Year-Old Children: Differences by Gender and by Geographical Environment
Authors: Martínez-Martínez Jesús , Aznar Susana , González-Víllora Sixto , López-Sánchez Guillermo F.
Published: December 2019

Children’s health status is related to their physical activity levels. Active commuting is associated with higher physical activity and reduced risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease incidence, and diabetes. The objective of this research was to study the levels of physical activity and the commuting to school (active vs. passive) in Spanish nine-year-old children, analyzing the differences by gender and by the geographical environment where they live (rural or urban environment). Accelerometry was used for the measurement of physical activity: Sedentary time (min/day), vigorous physical activity (min/day), moderate to vigorous physical activity (min/day), intensity (counts/min), steps (number). The questionnaire of the European Youth Heart Study (EYHS) was used to determine the geographical environment (city/urban, residential area/outside city, rural/village) and the modes of transport (active: Walking and bicycle, passive: Car, motorcycle, public transport). A total of 455 Spanish nine-year-old children (247 girls and 208 boys) belonging to the EYHS participated in this study. The results showed that boys were significantly more physically active than girls (p ≤ 0.001). Results also showed that active commuting to school was positively correlated with the levels of physical activity (r = 0.324, p ≤ 0.001). The geographical environment influenced the way in which children went to school, being active commuting to school significantly (p ≤ 0.001) less frequent in those children who lived in a rural environment (22.4%) than in those who lived in the city (57.1%) or in a residential area (62.7%). As active commuting to school means increasing levels of physical activity in both sexes, strategies should be implemented in order to encourage active commuting to schools, contributing at the same time to better health and sustainability of future generations.
The Effect of Incremental Innovation and Switching-Over to Architectural Innovation on the Sustainable Performance of Firms: The Case of the NAND Flash Memory Industry
Authors: Kim Heiseung , Park Changhyun , Lee Heesang
Published: December 2019

This paper presents an empirical study that shows the relationship between innovation activities and the sustainable performance of firms in terms of market share and profit. While previous studies of innovation effects have focused on one type of innovation in the industry, such as incremental or radical innovations, the study of both incremental and architectural innovations in the same industry would enrich our understanding of innovation. This study discusses and emphasizes the importance of continuous incremental innovation and how switching-over to architectural innovation affects the sustainable performance of firms in the NAND flash memory industry. A systematic content analysis, comparing the changes in market and profit leadership in terms of continuous incremental innovation and an introduction of architectural innovation, was performed, and it was concluded that both continuous incremental innovation and switching-over to architectural innovation positively affects the sustainable market and profit leadership of firms. Additionally, architectural innovation reframes the technological lifecycle in the industry and gives a firm a chance to retain and continue its technological leadership by establishing new dominant designs. This study suggests that continuous incremental innovation is very important for high-tech firms, and firms should consider the option of switching-over to architectural innovation instead of the incremental development of current dominant design when the complexity of technology and market is increased in order to have a sustainable advantage.
Influence of Parapets on Wave Overtopping on Mound Breakwaters with Crown Walls
Authors: Molines Jorge , Bayon Arnau , Gómez-Martín M. Esther , Medina Josep R.
Published: December 2019

Background literature on the influence of parapets on the overtopping of mound breakwaters is limited. In this study, numerical tests were conducted using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to analyze the influence of nine crown wall geometries (seven with parapets). The CFD model was implemented in OpenFOAM® and successfully validated with laboratory tests. A new estimator of the dimensionless mean wave-overtopping discharges (logQ) on structures with parapets is proposed. The new estimator depends on the estimation of logQ of the same structure without a parapet. The effects on wave overtopping of the parapet angle (εp), parapet width (wp), and parapet height (hp) were analyzed. Low values of εp and wp/hp ≈ 1 produced the highest parapet effectiveness to reduce the mean wave-overtopping discharges.
Decomposition Analysis of Factors that Drive the Changes of Major Air Pollutant Emissions in China at a Multi-Regional Level
Authors: Yang Jun , Miao Yongmei , Li Yunfan , Li Yiwen , Ma Xiaoxue , Xu Shichun , Wang Shuxiao
Published: December 2019

The regional emission reduction determines the national emission reduction for one country, and the differences in regional economic characteristics may result in regional differences in air pollutant emissions (APEs). In this regard, this study constructs a regional contribution index of different factors through an extended LMDI (Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index) method and investigates regional differences in factors driving the changes of China’s major APEs (SO2, NOx, and PM2.5). It reveals that the regional emission efficiency effect was a key inhibitory factor on APEs, which was more obvious in the eastern and northern regions. The regional energy intensity had greater inhibitory effects on SO2 and NOx than on PM2.5, and these inhibitory effects were more obvious in the eastern region. The regional population structure promoted APEs for northern, southern, northeastern, and eastern regions, and inhibited APEs for central, southwestern, and northwestern regions. The regional relative income had a slight effect, which curbed APEs for northern, eastern, southern, and northern regions. The national economic growth effect was the key factor in promoting APEs, which was obvious in eastern and northern regions, followed by southern, central, and southwestern regions. Policy implications are put forward based on empirical results.
Social-Demographic Correlates of the Mental Health Conditions among the Chinese Elderly
Authors: Du Wenjuan , Zhou Jiayi , Liu Jianjian , Yang Xuhao , Wang Hanxu , He Meikun , Mao Zongfu , Liu Xiaojun
Published: December 2019

Studies on psychological problems among the elderly were mainly conducted in developed countries, which may not fit China under the context of the dramatic changes of social environment. This study aims to assess the status and social-demographic determinants of the mental health among the Chinese elderly. The Chinese version of the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R) was used to measure participants’ mental health. A logistic model was established to identify the main socio-demographic factors associated with the overall detection rate of SCL-90-R. The overall positive detection rate of SCL-90-R was 23.6%, and the four symptoms with the highest positive detection rate were somatization (39.5%), obsessive-compulsive disorder (28.1%), other poor mental health symptoms (mainly sleep and diet problems) (25.7%), and depression (25.1%). The results showed those aged 75–79 (OR = 0.640, 95% CI 0.452 to 0.905) and 80 or above (OR = 0.430, 95% CI 0.302 to 0.613), those received 0 (OR = 0.224, 95% CI 0.162 to 0.310) or 1–5 years of education (OR = 0.591, 95% CI 0.449 to 0.776), those were living with spouse only (OR = 0.817, 95% CI 0.563 to 0.997) and with multiple generations (OR = 0.689, 95% CI 0.472 to 0.950), those holding a non-agricultural household registration (OR = 0.727, 95% CI 0.537 to 0.984), and those with an better higher household income were less likely to be positive in overall mental health symptoms. Mental health was shown to be better among those with more advanced ages (≥75), lower levels of schooling (≤5), normal body mass index, higher household incomes, and those who are married and live with their spouse or multiple generations, and those who came from city and currently live in the county.
GIS Based Novel Hybrid Computational Intelligence Models for Mapping Landslide Susceptibility: A Case Study at Da Lat City, Vietnam
Authors: Nguyen Viet-Tien , Tran Trong Hien , Ha Ngoc Anh , Ngo Van Liem , Nadhir Al-Ansari , Tran Van Phong , Duy Nguyen Huu , M. A. Malek , Amini Ata , Prakash Indra , Ho Lanh Si , Pham Binh Thai
Published: December 2019

Landslides affect properties and the lives of a large number of people in many hilly parts of Vietnam and in the world. Damages caused by landslides can be reduced by understanding distribution, nature, mechanisms and causes of landslides with the help of model studies for better planning and risk management of the area. Development of landslide susceptibility maps is one of the main steps in landslide management. In this study, the main objective is to develop GIS based hybrid computational intelligence models to generate landslide susceptibility maps of the Da Lat province, which is one of the landslide prone regions of Vietnam. Novel hybrid models of alternating decision trees (ADT) with various ensemble methods, namely bagging, dagging, MultiBoostAB, and RealAdaBoost, were developed namely B-ADT, D-ADT, MBAB-ADT, RAB-ADT, respectively. Data of 72 past landslide events was used in conjunction with 11 landslide conditioning factors (curvature, distance from geological boundaries, elevation, land use, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), relief amplitude, stream density, slope, lithology, weathering crust and soil) in the development and validation of the models. Area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC), and several statistical measures were applied to validate these models. Results indicated that performance of all the models was good (AUC value greater than 0.8) but B-ADT model performed the best (AUC= 0.856). Landslide susceptibility maps generated using the proposed models would be helpful to decision makers in the risk management for land use planning and infrastructure development.
Independent Directors and Organizational Performance: New Evidence from A Meta-Analytic Regression Analysis
Authors: Zubeltzu-Jaka Eugenio , Ortas Eduardo , Álvarez-Etxeberria Igor
Published: December 2019

This study not only revisits, from a meta-analytic perspective, the influence of firms’ boardroom independence on corporate financial performance, but also addresses the way that countries’ social and institutional contexts moderate that connection. A meta-regression covering 126 independent samples reveals that firms’ boardroom independence has a positive and negative effect on accounting and market-based measures of corporate financial performance, respectively. Further analyses reveal that while the firms’ board independence-financial performance connection is stronger in non-communitarian societies, that relationship becomes weaker in countries with greater developed mechanisms to protect the interest of minority investors. These results are robust to different model specifications and to the presence of a set of methodological control variables. Our results are of outstanding relevance for companies’ board composition processes by suggesting the way that corporations should actively re-balance the proportion of independent directors across different social and institutional contexts to ensure their financial success.
Car Use: Intentional, Habitual, or Both? Insights from Anscombe and the Mobility Biography Literature
Authors: Daramy-Williams Edmond , Anable Jillian , Grant-Muller Susan
Published: December 2019

Policy-makers have recognized that changing travel behavior is important. People, however, do not change their behavior so readily, particularly the use of the car. A central concept that has been invoked to account for this has been the concept of habit. However, various studies also present people as having concrete reasons for driving: Their choices are intentional. This interdisciplinary study attempts to reconcile these two understandings of travel behavior by drawing on insights from the philosopher Anscombe and a growing body of travel research termed the mobility biography literature. It applies some of Anscombe’s insights from Intention to the act of driving. With regard to the mobility biography literature, it draws out conceptual implications both from theoretical and empirical aspects: In particular, the characterization of travel decisions as nested in a hierarchy of life decisions and the association of life events with changes in travel decisions. It concludes that a broader conceptualization of human behavior leads to a broader view as to what policy-makers can do. It reminds us that transport is ‘special’, that transport and policy are inextricable, and that the importance of infrastructure provision should not be ignored.
Socio-Problematization of Green Chemistry: Enriching Systems Thinking and Social Sustainability by Education
Authors: Marcelino Leonardo , Sjöström Jesper , Marques Carlos Alberto
Published: December 2019

The current research on systems thinking criticizes the additive nature of green chemistry (GC) not being supportive of systems thinking to achieve holism in its practices. This paper argues that systems thinking should comprise of the social issues, and, therefore, it studies renowned papers by GC pioneers and reviews on the field regarding how they address the social dimension of sustainability. It points out how GC has ignored social sustainability in its discourses, practices, and evaluations, leading to a reductionist interpretation of sustainability. Then, this paper presents some challenges to be overcome in order to achieve balanced sustainability. A systemic chemical thinking is advocated, considering chemistry in culture and chemistry as culture, expanding the chemistry rationality from ontological and technological dimensions into the epistemological and ethical ones. It is then discussed how chemistry education can help to promote sustainability in a broad and systemic way.
Use of Life Cycle Cost Analysis and Multiple Criteria Decision Aid Tools for Designing Road Vertical Profiles
Authors: Loulizi Amara , Bichiou Youssef , Rakha Hesham
Published: December 2019

The current design practice for the vertical profile of roads in rolling and mountainous terrains is to follow the existing grades in order to minimize earthwork costs. This means that the only criterion considered during the design phase is the initial cost. It would be preferable to include other criteria that are directly related to sustainability, particularly fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Therefore, this paper describes a proposed design procedure that starts by finding feasible alternatives with different grades. Then, a microsimulation traffic tool is used to simulate the movement of predicted vehicles (volume and type) over the different alternatives. The microsimulation tool provides reliable estimates of travel times, fuel consumption, and CO2 emissions for the different alternatives. With these data, it is possible to use life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) or multiple criteria decision aid (MCDA) tools to select the “optimal” alternative. The proposed procedure was used on a case study involving a 6-km highway section with different proposed grades ranging from 2% to 8%. Using LCCA and an MCDA tool, it was revealed that the current design alternative is not the optimal alternative in most considered scenarios (various fuel values for LCCA and different “Cost” weights for MCDA).
Carbon Dioxide Human Gains—A New Approach of the Estimation
Authors: Rodero Antonio , Krawczyk Dorota Anna
Published: December 2019

Human health is dependent on the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) of residential and public buildings, where people spend a substantial amount of time. Part of IAQ parameters, like temperature or humidity influence the thermal comfort of users, whereas too high carbon dioxide concentration (CO2) could cause various complaints or diseases. In buildings like offices and schools, where we have a brush with a high density of users, the main source of CO2 is simply people. The type of their activity brings higher or lower carbon dioxide gains, that must be taken into account to design and properly use room ventilation, allowing recommended CO2 levels not to be exceeded. This paper presents an approach to marking human CO2 generation off by using an experimental method. The method was verified based on measuring results of six test series conducted in different types of rooms at Bialystok University of Technology (Poland) during lectures, meetings, projects and laboratories. Carbon dioxide gains were comparable with an average value of 0.0045 L/s, which corresponds to theoretical CO2 generation rates that are symptomatic of males and females, between 16 and 30 years old, with low physical activity.
Framework of Last Mile Logistics Research: A Systematic Review of the Literature
Authors: Olsson John , Hellström Daniel , Pålsson Henrik
Published: December 2019

Coincident with the rapid growth of omni-channel retailing, growing urbanization, changing consumer behavior, and increasing focus on sustainability, academic interest in the area of last mile logistics has significantly increased. The growth in academic publications has been tremendous, with three out of four articles appearing within the past five years. The influx of research spans multiple disciplines and various methodologies, underlining the complexity and fragmentation of last mile logistics research, which leads to a lack of unity in the understanding of the concept. We provide a systematic review and classification of the literature to provide a more coherent view of last mile logistics research. The review covers 155 peer-reviewed journal publications focusing on last mile logistics. Findings demonstrate that the literature embraces a diversity of aspects and facets that are classified into five themes: emerging trends and technologies, operational optimization, supply chain structures, performance measurement, and policy. Further, we propose a framework of last mile logistics literature that comprises five components and their interrelationships, namely, last mile logistics, last mile distribution, last mile fulfillment, last mile transport, and last mile delivery. The results provide a foundation for further development of this research area by proposing avenues for future research.
Consumers’ Valuation of Farmers’ Varieties for Food System Diversity
Authors: Meier Claudia , Oehen Bernadette
Published: December 2019

To increase the diversity in the food system from seed to fork, participatory on-farm breeding schemes have been proposed. For participatory on-farm breeding schemes to be successful, consumers need to be willing to compensate farmers for their efforts in breeding and in diversifying their cultivation. Using vegetables as an example, we investigated whether consumers of four selected European countries liked the idea of having farmers breed their own varieties and whether they would be willing to pay a premium for farmers’ as compared to standard varieties in a supermarket setting. The data was collected in an online survey and a willingness to pay was elicited using a contingent valuation approach. After providing respondents with information about the problem (diversity loss), solution (on-farm breeding), and the benefits of farmers’ varieties, consumers’ acceptance was very high and consumers were willing to pay a small premium. Our findings suggest that farmers’ varieties can be appealing to a wide range of consumers if the appropriate information is provided, as they not only address the increasing demand for more sustainable products but also for more food diversity and tasty products. To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine consumer preferences for farmers’ varieties for food system diversity.
Vertical Distribution of Particulates within the Near-Surface Layer of Dry Bulk Port and Influence Mechanism: A Case Study in China
Authors: Shen Jinxing , Feng Xuejun , Zhuang Kai , Lin Tong , Zhang Yan , Wang Peifang
Published: December 2019

Knowing the vertical distribution of ambient particulate matter (PM) will help port authorities choose the optimal dust-suppression measures to reduce PM concentrations. In this study, we used an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to assess the vertical distribution (0–120 m altitude) of PM in a dry bulk port along the Yangtze River, China. Total suspended particulates (TSP), PM10, and PM2.5 concentrations at different altitudes were measured at seven sites representing different cargo-handling sites and a background site. Variations in results across sites make it not suitable to characterize the vertical distribution of PM concentration at this port using simple representative distributions. Bulk cargo particle size, fog cannon use, and porous fence all affected the vertical distribution of TSP concentrations but had only minor impacts on PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations. Optimizing porous fence layout according to weather conditions and cargo demand at port have the most potential for mitigating PM pollution related to port operation. As ground-based stations cannot fully measure vertical PM distributions, our methods and results represent an advance in assessing the impact of port activities on air quality and can be used to determine optimal dust-suppression measures for dry bulk ports.
Variance Ranking for Multi-Classed Imbalanced Datasets: A Case Study of One-Versus-All
Authors: Ebenuwa Solomon H. , Sharif Mhd Saeed , Al-Nemrat Ameer , Al-Bayatti Ali H. , Alalwan Nasser , Alzahrani Ahmed Ibrahim , Alfarraj Osama
Published: December 2019

Imbalanced classes in multi-classed datasets is one of the most salient hindrances to the accuracy and dependable results of predictive modeling. In predictions, there are always majority and minority classes, and in most cases it is difficult to capture the members of item belonging to the minority classes. This anomaly is traceable to the designs of the predictive algorithms because most algorithms do not factor in the unequal numbers of classes into their designs and implementations. The accuracy of most modeling processes is subjective to the ever-present consequences of the imbalanced classes. This paper employs the variance ranking technique to deal with the real-world class imbalance problem. We augmented this technique using one-versus-all re-coding of the multi-classed datasets. The proof-of-concept experimentation shows that our technique performs better when compared with the previous work done on capturing small class members in multi-classed datasets.
Model of Threats to Computer Network Software
Authors: Novokhrestov Aleksey , Konev Anton , Shelupanov Alexander
Published: December 2019

This article highlights the issue of identifying information security threats to computer networks. The aim of the study is to increase the number of identified threats. Firstly, it was carried out the analysis of computer network models used to identify threats, as well as in approaches to building computer network threat models. The shortcomings that need to be corrected are highlighted. On the basis of the mathematical apparatus of attributive metagraphs, a computer network model is developed that allows to describe the software components of computer networks and all possible connections between them. On the basis of elementary operations on metagraphs, a model of threats to the security of computer network software is developed, which allows compiling lists of threats to the integrity and confidentiality of computer network software. These lists include more threats in comparison with the considered analogues.
Supersymmetric NJL-Type Model for a Real Superfield Composite
Authors: Cheng Yifan , Dai Yan-Min , Faisel Gaber , Kong Otto C. W.
Published: December 2019

The Nambu–Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model is a classic theory for the strong dynamics of composite fields and symmetry breaking. Supersymmetric versions of the NJL-type models are certainly of interest too. Particularly, the case with a composite (Higgs) chiral superfield formed by two (quark) chiral superfields has received much attention. Here, we propose a prototype model with a four-chiral-superfield interaction, giving a real superfield composite. It has a spin-one composite vector field with properties being somewhat similar to a massive gauge boson of spontaneously broken gauge symmetry. As such, it is like the first supersymmetric analog to non-supersymmetric models with spin-one composites. The key formulation developed here is the picture of quantum effective action as a superfield functional with parameters like constant superfields, having explicit supersymmetric and Grassmann number dependent supersymmetry breaking parts. Following the standard non-perturbative analysis for NJL-type models, the gap equation analysis shows plausible signature of dynamical supersymmetry breaking which is worth more serious analysis. With an extra superfield model Lagrangian included, comparison between the models and their non-supersymmetric counterparts is discussed, illustrating the notion of supersymmetrization is nontrivial in the setting.
Properties of Partially Degenerate Complex Appell Polynomials
Authors: Kim Dojin , Kim Sangil
Published: December 2019

Degenerate versions of polynomial sequences have been recently studied to obtain useful properties such as symmetric identities by introducing degenerate exponential-type generating functions. As part of our continued work in degenerate versions of generating functions, we subsequently present our study on degenerate complex Appell polynomials by considering a partially degenerate version of the generating functions of ordinary complex Appell polynomials in this paper. We only consider partially degenerate generating functions to retain the crucial properties of the Appell sequence, and we present useful identities and general properties by splitting complex values into their real and imaginary parts; moreover, we provide several explicit examples. Additionally, the differential equations satisfied by degenerate complex Bernoulli and Euler polynomials are derived by the quasi-monomiality principle using Appell-type polynomials.
Research on Nonlinear Coupling Anti-Swing Control Method of Double Pendulum Gantry Crane Based on Improved Energy
Authors: Shi Huaitao , Li Gang , Ma Xin , Sun Jie
Published: December 2019

The double pendulum type gantry crane is a typical symmetry underactuated motion system. It has control problems in that the swing of the payload is difficult to suppress and the precise positioning of the trolley is not accurate. A new nonlinear coupling control method based on improved energy is proposed in this paper. We define coupled control signal among trolley, hook and payload. An improved energy storage function is established based on the new coupling control signal. Consequently, a nonlinear anti-swing controller is constructed straightforwardly, and the closed-loop system stability is subject to strict mathematics analysis by Lyapunov and LaSalle’ s theorem. Moreover, the new energy function based on the coupling behaving between the trolley motion and the payload swing leads to the improved control performance. Numerical simulation results show that the proposed method has better performance than traditional controllers. It not only effectively suppresses the swing of the load and the hook, but also precisely controls the displacement of the trolley. It has strong robustness to the displacement of the payload, the change of the gantry crane parameters and the external disturbance.