bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Monitoring Coastal Reclamation Subsidence in Hong Kong with Distributed Scatterer Interferometry
Authors: Sun Qishi , Jiang Liming , Jiang Mi , Lin Hui , Ma Peifeng , Wang Hansheng
Published: November 2018

Land subsidence has been a significant problem in land reclaimed from the sea, and it is usually characterized by a differential settlement pattern due to locally unconsolidated marine sediments and fill materials. Time series Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR) techniques based on distributed scatterers (DS), which can identify sufficient measurement points (MPs) when point-wise radar targets are lacking, have great potential to measure such differential reclamation settlement. However, the computational time cost has been the main drawback of current distributed scatterer interferometry (DSI) for its applications compared to the standard PSI analysis. In this paper, we adopted an improved DSI processing strategy for a fast and robust analysis of land subsidence in reclaimed regions, which is characterized by an integration of fast statistically homogeneous pixel selection based (FaSHPS-based) DS detection and eigendecomposition phase optimization. We demonstrate the advantages of the proposed DSI strategy in computational efficiency and deformation estimation reliability by applying it to two TerraSAR-X image data stacks from 2008 to 2009 to retrieve land subsidence over two typical reclaimed regions of Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) and Hong Kong Science Park (HKSP). Compared with the state-of-the-art DSI methods, the proposed strategy significantly improves the computational efficiency, which is enhanced approximately 30 times in DS identification and 20 times in phase optimization. On average, the DSI strategy results in 7.8 and 3.7 times the detected number of MPs for HKIA and HKSP with respect to persistent scatter interferometry (PSI), which enables a very detailed characterization of locally differential settlement patterns. Moreover, the DSI-derived results agree well with the levelling survey measurements at HKIA, with a mean difference of 1.87 mm/yr and a standard deviation of 2.08 mm/yr. The results demonstrate that the proposed DSI strategy is effective at improving target density, accuracy and efficiency in monitoring ground deformation, particularly over reclaimed coastal areas.
An Adaptive Parallel Processing Strategy for Complex Event Processing Systems over Data Streams in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Xiao Fuyuan , Aritsugi Masayoshi
Published: November 2018

Efficient matching of incoming events of data streams to persistent queries is fundamental to event stream processing systems in wireless sensor networks. These applications require dealing with high volume and continuous data streams with fast processing time on distributed complex event processing (CEP) systems. Therefore, a well-managed parallel processing technique is needed for improving the performance of the system. However, the specific properties of pattern operators in the CEP systems increase the difficulties of the parallel processing problem. To address these issues, a parallelization model and an adaptive parallel processing strategy are proposed for the complex event processing by introducing a histogram and utilizing the probability and queue theory. The proposed strategy can estimate the optimal event splitting policy, which can suit the most recent workload conditions such that the selected policy has the least expected waiting time for further processing of the arriving events. The proposed strategy can keep the CEP system running fast under the variation of the time window sizes of operators and the input rates of streams. Finally, the utility of our work is demonstrated through the experiments on the StreamBase system.
Indoor Positioning Based on Bluetooth Low-Energy Beacons Adopting Graph Optimization
Authors: Zuo Zheng , Liu Liang , Zhang Lei , Fang Yong
Published: November 2018

Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) beacons-based indoor positioning is a promising method for indoor positioning, especially in applications of position-based services (PbS). It has low deployment cost and it is suitable for a wide range of mobile devices. Existing BLE beacon-based positioning methods can be categorized as range-based methods and fingerprinting-based methods. For range-based methods, the positions of the beacons should be known before positioning. For fingerprinting-based methods, a pre-requisite is the reference fingerprinting map (RFM). Many existing methods focus on how to perform the positioning assuming the beacon positions or RFM are known. However, in practical applications, determining the beacon positions or RFM in the indoor environment is normally a difficult task. This paper proposed an efficient and graph optimization-based way for estimating the beacon positions and the RFM, which combines the range-based method and the fingerprinting-based method. The method exists without need for any dedicated surveying instruments. A user equipped with a BLE-enabled mobile device walks in the region collecting inertial readings and BLE received signal strength indication (RSSI) readings. The inertial measurements are processed through the pedestrian dead reckoning (PDR) method to generate the constraints at adjacent poses. In addition, the BLE fingerprints are adopted to generate constraints between poses (with similar fingerprints) and the RSSIs are adopted to generate distance constraints between the poses and the beacon positions (according to a pre-defined path-loss model). The constraints are then adopted to form a cost function with a least square structure. By minimizing the cost function, the optimal user poses at different times and the beacon positions are estimated. In addition, the RFM can be generated through the pose estimations. Experiments are carried out, which validates that the proposed method for estimating the pre-requisites (including beacon positions and the RFM). These estimated pre-requisites are of sufficient quality for both range-based and fingerprinting-based positioning.
InGaAs Diodes for Terahertz Sensing—Effect of Molecular Beam Epitaxy Growth Conditions
Authors: Palenskis Vilius , Minkevičius Linas , Matukas Jonas , Jokubauskis Domas , Pralgauskaitė Sandra , Seliuta Dalius , Čechavičius Bronislovas , Butkutė Renata , Valušis Gintaras
Published: November 2018

InGaAs-based bow-tie diodes for the terahertz (THz) range are found to be well suited for development of compact THz imaging systems. To further optimize design for sensitive and broadband THz detection, one of the major challenges remains: to understand the noise origin, influence of growth conditions and role of defects for device operation. We present a detailed study of photoreflectance, low-frequency noise characteristics and THz sensitivity of InGaAs bow-tie diodes. The diodes are fabricated from InGaAs wafers grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on semi-insulating InP substrate under different technological conditions. Photoreflectance spectra indicated the presence of strong built-in electric fields reaching up to 49 kV/cm. It was demonstrated that the spectral density of voltage fluctuations at room temperature was found to be proportional to 1/f, while at lower temperatures, 77–200 K, Lorentzian-type spectra dominate due to random telegraph signals caused by individual capture defects. Furthermore, varying bias voltage, we considered optimal conditions for device room temperature operation in the THz range with respect to signal-to-noise ratio. The THz detectors grown with beam equivalent pressure In/Ga ratio equal to 2.04 exhibit the minimal level of the low-frequency noise, while InGaAs layers grown with beam equivalent pressure In/Ga ratio equal to 2.06 are found to be well suited for fabrication of room temperature bow-tie THz detectors enabling sensitivity of 13 V/W and noise equivalent power (NEP) of 200 pW/√Hz at 0.6 THz due to strong built-in electric field effects.
Investigation of Optimal Afferent Feedback Modality for Inducing Neural Plasticity with A Self-Paced Brain-Computer Interface
Authors: Jochumsen Mads , Cremoux Sylvain , Robinault Lucien , Lauber Jimmy , Arceo Juan Carlos , Navid Muhammad Samran , Nedergaard Rasmus Wiberg , Rashid Usman , Haavik Heidi , Niazi Imran Khan
Published: November 2018

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) can be used to induce neural plasticity in the human nervous system by pairing motor cortical activity with relevant afferent feedback, which can be used in neurorehabilitation. The aim of this study was to identify the optimal type or combination of afferent feedback modalities to increase cortical excitability in a BCI training intervention. In three experimental sessions, 12 healthy participants imagined a dorsiflexion that was decoded by a BCI which activated relevant afferent feedback: (1) electrical nerve stimulation (ES) (peroneal nerve—innervating tibialis anterior), (2) passive movement (PM) of the ankle joint, or (3) combined electrical stimulation and passive movement (Comb). The cortical excitability was assessed with transcranial magnetic stimulation determining motor evoked potentials (MEPs) in tibialis anterior before, immediately after and 30 min after the BCI training. Linear mixed regression models were used to assess the changes in MEPs. The three interventions led to a significant (p < 0.05) increase in MEP amplitudes immediately and 30 min after the training. The effect sizes of Comb paradigm were larger than ES and PM, although, these differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). These results indicate that the timing of movement imagery and afferent feedback is the main determinant of induced cortical plasticity whereas the specific type of feedback has a moderate impact. These findings can be important for the translation of such a BCI protocol to the clinical practice where by combining the BCI with the already available equipment cortical plasticity can be effectively induced. The findings in the current study need to be validated in stroke populations.
Adjustable Method for Real-Time Gait Pattern Detection Based on Ground Reaction Forces Using Force Sensitive Resistors and Statistical Analysis of Constant False Alarm Rate
Authors: Yu Fangli , Zheng Jianbin , Yu Lie , Zhang Rui , He Hailin , Zhu Zhenbo , Zhang Yuanpeng
Published: November 2018

A new approach is proposed to detect the real-time gait patterns adaptively through measuring the ground contact forces (GCFs) by force sensitive resistors (FSRs). Published threshold-based methods detect the gait patterns by means of setting a fixed threshold to divide the GCFs into on-ground and off-ground statuses. However, the threshold-based methods in the literature are neither an adaptive nor a real-time approach. To overcome these drawbacks, this study utilized the constant false alarm rate (CFAR) to analyze the characteristics of GCF signals. Specifically, a sliding window detector is built to record the lasting time of the curvature of the GCF signals and one complete gait cycle could be divided into three areas, such as continuous ascending area, continuous descending area and unstable area. Then, the GCF values in the unstable area are used to compute a threshold through the CFAR. Finally, the new gait pattern detection rules are proposed which include the results of the sliding window detector and the division results through the computed threshold. To verify this idea, a data acquisition board is designed to collect the GCF data from able-bodied subjects. Meanwhile, in order to test the reliability of the proposed method, five threshold-based methods in the literature are introduced as reference methods and the reliability is validated by comparing the detection results of the proposed method with those of the reference methods. Experimental results indicated that the proposed method could be used for real-time gait pattern detection, detect the gait patterns adaptively and obtain high reliabilities compared with the reference methods.
Machine Learning Aided Scheme for Load Balancing in Dense IoT Networks
Authors: Gomez Cesar A. , Shami Abdallah , Wang Xianbin
Published: November 2018

With the dramatic increase of connected devices, the Internet of things (IoT) paradigm has become an important solution in supporting dense scenarios such as smart cities. The concept of heterogeneous networks (HetNets) has emerged as a viable solution to improving the capacity of cellular networks in such scenarios. However, achieving optimal load balancing is not trivial due to the complexity and dynamics in HetNets. For this reason, we propose a load balancing scheme based on machine learning techniques that uses both unsupervised and supervised methods, as well as a Markov Decision Process (MDP). As a use case, we apply our scheme to enhance the capabilities of an urban IoT network operating under the LoRaWAN standard. The simulation results show that the packet delivery ratio (PDR) is increased when our scheme is utilized in an unbalanced network and, consequently, the energy cost of data delivery is reduced. Furthermore, we demonstrate that better outcomes are attained when some techniques are combined, achieving a PDR improvement of up to about 50% and reducing the energy cost by nearly 20% in a multicell scenario with 5000 devices requesting downlink traffic.
Evaluation of Lipases from Wild Microbial Strains as Biocatalysts in Biodiesel Production
Authors: Luna Carlos , Luna Diego , Bautista Felipa M. , Calero Juan , Romero Antonio A. , Posadillo Alejandro , Sancho Enrique D. , Estevez Rafael
Published: November 2018

In this study, the evaluation of the catalytic behavior of several wild bacterial strains in the 1,3-selective ethanolysis of triglycerides with ethanol to produce a new type of biodiesel (Ecodiesel) that integrates glycerol as monoacylglycerols was carried out. The Ecodiesel production not only avoids the elimination of glycerol, which is largely generated as a by-product in the biodiesel industry, but also results in an increase in the biofuel yield. The wild microbial strain samples were obtained from several lipophilic organisms. In addition to evaluate the enzymatic extracts, the minimum grade of purification of the strains, necessary to obtain similar results to those attained with commercial lipases was studied. This purification treatment included a dialysis followed by a lyophilization process. Such extracts were directly used as biocatalysts in the transesterification reaction of sunflower oil with ethanol, attaining much better results (yield close to 100%) than those obtained with strains which were not submitted to the purification process (yields lower than 10%). Furthermore, the results here obtained are similar to those obtained with commercial lipases but were achieved under mild conditions and lower reaction time (2 h). In addition, the stability of the enzymatic extracts was corroborated by subsequent reactions, showing no loss of activity. Thus, this study brings to light that enzymatic extracts obtained by a very simple purification process can be economically competitive with the conventional biodiesel production methods.
Microbial Population Dynamics and the Role of Sulfate Reducing Bacteria Genes in Stabilizing Pb, Zn, and Cd in the Terrestrial Subsurface
Authors: Karna Ranju R. , Hettiarachchi Ganga M. , Van Nostrand Joy , Yuan Tong , Rice Charles W. , Assefa Yared , Zhou Jizhong
Published: November 2018

Milling and mining metal ores are major sources of toxic metals contamination. The Spring River and its tributaries in southeast Kansas are contaminated with Pb, Zn, and Cd because of 120 years of mining activities. Trace metal transformations and cycling in mine waste materials greatly influence their mobility and toxicity and they affect both plant productivity and human health. It has been hypothesized that under reduced conditions in sulfate-rich environments, these metals can be transformed into their sulfide forms, thus limiting mobility and toxicity. We studied biogeochemical transformations of Pb, Zn, and Cd in flooded subsurface mine waste materials, natural or treated with organic carbon (OC), and/or sulfur (S), by combining advanced microbiological and X-ray spectroscopic techniques to determine the effects of treatments on the microbial community structure and identify the dominant functional genes that are involved in the biogeochemical transformations, especially metal sulfide formation over time. Samples collected from medium-, and long-term submerged columns were used for microarray analysis via functional gene array (GeoChip 4.2). The total number of detected gene abundance decreased under long-term submergence, but major functional genes abundance was enhanced with OC-plus-S treatment. The microbial community exhibited a substantial change in structure in response to OC and S addition. Sulfate-reducing bacteria genes dsrA/B were identified as key players in metal sulfide formation via dissimilatory sulfate reduction. Uniqueness of this study is that microbial analyses presented here in detail are in agreement with molecular-scale synchrotron-based X-ray data, supporting that OC-plus-S treatment would be a promising strategy for reducing metal toxicity in mine waste materials in the subsurface environment.
An Evaluation of Birth Outcomes in Overweight and Obese Pregnant Women Who Exercised during Pregnancy
Authors: Myrex Palee , Harper Lorie , Gould Sara
Published: November 2018

It is well established that exercise has numerous health benefits, especially in regard to weight management for the obese and overweight population. However, there is limited data to support the safety or effects of exercise in the obese and overweight pregnant population despite the fact that exercise and weight management in this demographic is particularly important. In an effort to establish the safety profile of exercise during pregnancy in this population, we tested the hypothesis that exercise would not result in adverse birth outcomes. We surveyed postpartum women with an average BMI of 34.7 regarding their participation in exercise during pregnancy. Our primary outcome of interest was small for gestational age (SGA). Secondary outcomes included gestational age at delivery, mode of delivery, head circumference, length and birthweight as compared to those who did not exercise. SGA occurred in 12.5% of women who exercised in the first trimester compared to 14.9% in those who did not exercise (p = 0.678). Similar results were seen for women who exercised in the second and third trimesters. Intensity of exercise did not alter these findings and the analysis of secondary outcomes also did not demonstrate a difference between the groups. In conclusion, overweight and obese women who reported exercising during pregnancy did not have a higher incidence of SGA infants. Exercise should not be discouraged in pregnant women due to obesity.
The Validity of the Push Band 2.0 during Vertical Jump Performance
Authors: Lake Jason P. , Augustus Simon , Austin Kieran , Mundy Peter , McMahon John J. , Comfort Paul , Haff Guy G.
Published: November 2018

The Push Band has the potential to provide a cheap and practical method of measuring velocity and power during countermovement vertical jumping (CMJ). However, very little is known about whether it conforms to laboratory-based gold standards. The aim of this study was to assess the agreement between peak and mean velocity and power obtained from the belt-worn Push Band, and derived from three-dimensional motion capture, and vertical force from an in-ground force platform. Twenty-two volunteers performed 3 CMJ on a force platform, while a belt-worn Push Band and a motion capture system (a marker affixed to the Push Band) simultaneously recorded data that enabled peak and mean velocity and power to be calculated and then compared using ordinary least products regression. While the Push Band is reliable, it tends to overestimate peak (9–17%) and mean (24–27%) velocity, and when compared to force plate-derived peak and mean power, it tends to underestimate (40–45%) and demonstrates fixed and proportional bias. This suggests that while the Push Band may provide a useful method for measuring peak and mean velocity during the CMJ, researchers and practitioners should be mindful of its tendency to systematically overestimate and that its measures of peak and mean power should not be used.
Crop Structure Changes Altered the Cropland Nitrogen Balance between 2005 and 2015 on the Sanjiang Plain, China
Authors: Yang Chunxia , Zheng Hua , Huang Binbin , Li Ruonan , Ouyang Zhiyun , Li Cong
Published: November 2018

Nitrogen (N) budgets have been computed in many countries at various scales to improve understanding of N-balance characteristics and to assess the environmental pollution risks of applying chemical fertilizer N. However, dynamic characteristics, driving forces, and potential soil fertility consequences related to cropland N balance have seldom been discussed, especially in regions with highly fertile soils and low N-use intensities. This study investigated the temporal and spatial characteristics of N balance, and the impact of agricultural development on the agro-ecosystems of the Sanjiang Plain, one of the largest producers of commodity food grains in China. County-level agricultural statistics at five-year intervals were used to calculate agricultural N balances, N surplus intensity, and N-use efficiency between 2005 and 2015. Agricultural development has brought about continual increases in cultivated land area, consumption of chemical fertilizers, and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). Nitrogen surplus intensity decreased from 65.0 kg/ha in 2005 to 43.5 kg/ha in 2010, and to 22.2 kg/ha in 2015. However, NUE was >90% in 13 counties in 2015, and in 11 counties in 2010. In contrast, only 5 counties had NUE above 90% in 2005, which indicates that N from the soil was used by crops and soil fertility was gradually decreasing. The percentage change of crop area, namely, the increase in maize area percentage, contributed significantly to the increases in NUE. A judicious management of fertilizers that meets the nutrient needs of the crops and ensures agricultural sustainability on the Sanjiang Plain is therefore essential. The findings of this study emphasize the importance of assessing the impact of crop structure adjustment on soil fertility and nitrogen balance during agricultural development.
Evaluating the Self-Sensing Ability of Cement Mortars Manufactured with Graphene Nanoplatelets, Virgin or Recycled Carbon Fibers through Piezoresistivity Tests
Authors: Belli Alberto , Mobili Alessandra , Bellezze Tiziano , Tittarelli Francesca , Cachim Paulo
Published: November 2018

This paper presents the resistivity and piezoresistivity behavior of cement-based mortars manufactured with graphene nanoplatelet filler (GNP), virgin carbon fibers (VCF) and recycled carbon fibers (RCF). GNP was added at 4% of the cement weight, whereas two percentages of carbon fibers were chosen, namely 0.05% and 0.2% of the total volume. The combined effect of both filler and fibers was also investigated. Mortars were studied in terms of their mechanical properties (under flexure and compression) and electrical resistivity. Mortars with the lowest electrical resistivity values were also subjected to cyclic uniaxial compression to evaluate the variations in electrical resistivity as a function of strain. The results obtained show that mortars have piezoresistive behavior only if they are subjected to a prior drying process. In addition, dry specimens exhibit a high piezoresistivity only when loaded with 0.2 vol.% of VCF and 0.4 wt.% of GNP plus 0.2 vol.% RCF, with a quite reversible relation between their fractional change in resistivity (FCR) and compressive strain.
The Contribution of Technological and Non-Technological Innovation to Environmental Performance. An Analysis with a Complementary Approach
Authors: González-Blanco Jennifer , Coca-Pérez Jose Luis , Guisado-González Manuel
Published: November 2018

In this study, we pursue two objectives. First, we analyse the influence of product, process, and non-technological innovation on environmental performance. Second, we explore the existence of complementarities or substitutabilities between the different combinations of these three types of innovations to learn which combinations improve or worsen environmental performance. The analyses were performed using data from the 2013 Technological Innovation Panel (PITEC) for Spanish manufacturing companies. We use the two-stage least-squares method as an instrumental variable estimator, which allows us to control the endogeneity and obtain consistent estimators. Our findings indicate that product innovation and process innovation have a negative influence on environmental performance. Likewise, we have also found that the simultaneous implementation of product innovation and process innovation is unconditionally substitutive and that the joint implementation of process innovation and non-technological innovation is conditionally substitutive. This result reinforces the position of those researchers who have pointed out that the association between a greater technology orientation and a better firm environmental performance is probably too simplistic. Finally, it should be emphasized that only non-technological innovation contributes to achieving better environmental performance and that the joint implementation of product innovation and non-technology innovation is conditionally complementary.
The Unexplored Contribution of Responsible Innovation in Health to Sustainable Development Goals
Authors: Lehoux Pascale , Pacifico Silva Hudson , Pozelli Sabio Renata , Roncarolo Federico
Published: November 2018

Responsible Innovation in Health (RIH) represents an emerging Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) approach that could support not only the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) “Good health and well-being” but also other SDGs. Since few studies have conceptualized the relationships between RIH and the SDGs, our goal was to inductively develop a framework to identify knowledge gaps and areas for further reflections. Our exploratory study involved: (1) performing a web-based horizon scanning to identify health innovations with responsibility features; and (2) illustrating through empirical examples how RIH addresses the SDGs. A total of 105 innovations were identified: up to 43% were developed by non-profit organizations, universities or volunteers; 46.7% originated from the United States; and 64.5% targeted countries in Africa, Central and South America and South Asia. These innovations addressed health problems such as newborn care (15.5%), reduced mobility and limb amputation (14.5%), infectious diseases (10.9%), pregnancy and delivery care (9.1%) and proper access to care and drugs (7.3%). Several of these innovations were aligned with SDG10-Reduced inequalities (87%), SDG17-Partnerships for the goals (54%), SDG1-No poverty (15%) and SDG4-Quality education (11%). A smaller number of them addressed sustainable economic development goals such as SDG11-Sustainable cities and communities (9%) and SDG9-Industry and innovation (6%), and environmental sustainability goals such as SDG7-Affordable and clean energy (7%) and SDG6-Clean water and sanitation (5%). Three examples show how RIH combines entrepreneurship and innovation in novel ways to address the determinants of health, thereby contributing to SDG5 (Gender), SDG10 (Inequalities), SDG4 (Education) and SDG8 (Decent work), and indirectly supporting SDG7 (Clean energy) and SDG13 (Climate action). Further research should examine how alternative business models, social enterprises and social finance may support the STI approach behind RIH.
Enacting Responsibilities in Landscape Design: The Case of Advanced Biofuels
Authors: Di Lucia Lorenzo , Ribeiro Barbara
Published: November 2018

In this article, we explore the opportunities and challenges of landscape approaches through the lens of responsible research and innovation (RRI). We use the case of transport biofuels to reflect on the capacity of landscape approaches to support the governance of emerging technologies. The case study, developed in the region of Sardinia, Italy, consists of a landscape design process for the implementation of biofuel technologies that rely on the use of non-food dedicated crops and agricultural residues. By using non-food feedstocks, the biofuel project aims to avoid competition with food production and achieve sustainability goals. Through the discussion of key dimensions of RRI in relation to this case, the article puts forward a set of critical aspects of landscape design processes that require further attention from theorists and practitioners in the field of landscape-based planning. These include the power imbalance that exists between the diverse actors involved in project activities, a need for improving the flexibility of the configuration of socio-technical systems, revising assumptions on ‘valid’ knowledge, and improving the deliberative component of planning processes.
Effect of Growing Miscanthus x giganteus on Soil Microbial Communities in Post-Military Soil
Authors: Nebeská Diana , Trögl Josef , Pidlisnyuk Valentina , Popelka Jan , Veronesi Dáňová Petra , Usťak Sergej , Honzík Roman
Published: November 2018

Growing a second generation energetic plant Miscanthus x giganteus (Mxg) in former military sites appears to be a promising way to use such areas with synergic phytoremediation of contaminants (organic pollutants, potential toxic metals). Effect of Mxg growth on soil microbial communities during a two-year pot experiment with real post-military soil (Sliač, Slovakia) and the effect of potential toxic metal concentration was studied by analyses of microbial activities and phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA). Year-on-year positive changes in microbial community structure and state were detected (higher ratios of G+/G− bacteria and fungal/bacterial PLFA, and a decrease of stress indicators trans/cis and cy/pre PLFA). Portion of gram-positive bacteria correlated negatively with potential toxic metal concentrations; however, the concentration of potential toxic metals was not identified as the main stress factor—the access to bioavailable nutrients was more important. Overall, Mxg growth generally exhibited a positive effect on soil microorganisms.
Measuring the Performance in Creative Cities: Proposal of a Multidimensional Model
Authors: Rodrigues Margarida , Franco Mário
Published: November 2018

Cities are essential vectors for economic and sustainable development worldwide, as a consequence of globalization and the recent economic, financial, social, and environmental crises. In this connection, urban creativity, intelligence, and sustainability are inseparable dimensions of those cities, since when they are in harmony with the networks from which they originate, they can be predictors of their improved performance. Therefore, this study aims to propose a conceptual and multidimensional model for cities that shows their implicit dimensions and general indicators so that their performance can be measured in a holistic way. This study also forms some implications for theory and practice. Finally, the conclusion shows the study’s contribution and limitations together with suggestions for future research.
Shrinkage Characteristics of Boulder Marl as Sustainable Mineral Liner Material for Landfill Capping Systems
Authors: Beck-Broichsitter Steffen , Gerke Horst H. , Horn Rainer
Published: November 2018

The soil shrinkage behavior of mineral substrates needs to be considered for engineering long-term durable mineral liners of landfill capping systems. For this purpose, a novel three-dimensional laser scanning device was coupled with (a) a mathematical-empirical model and (b) in-situ tensiometer measurements as a combined approach to simultaneously determine the shrinkage behavior of a boulder marl, installed as top and bottom liner material at the Rastorf landfill (Northern Germany). The shrinkage behavior, intensity, and geometry were determined during a drying experiment with undisturbed soil cores (100 cm3) from two soil pits; the actual in-situ shrinkage was also determined in 0.2, 0.5, 0.8, and 1.0 m depth by pressure transducer tensiometer measurements during a four-year period. The volume shrinkage index was used to describe the pore size dependent shrinkage tendency and it was classified as low (4.9%) for the bottom liner. The in-situ matric potentials in the bottom liner ranged between −100 and −150 hPa, even during drier periods, thus, the previously highest observed drying range (pre-shrinkage stress) with values below −500 hPa and −1000 hPa was not exceeded. Therefore, the hydraulic stability of the bottom liner was given.
The Use of Photocatalysis and Titanium Dioxide on Diesel Exhaust Fumes for NOx Reduction
Authors: A. Atzl Beatrice , Pupp Maximilian , Rupprich Marco
Published: November 2018

Nitrogen oxides are emitted in large quantities by vehicles, and solutions to the problem are sought after. Efforts towards abatement include Selective Catalytic Reduction, catalytic converters, and redesigning engines to make them more efficient. This article focuses on the photocatalytic oxidation, which involves the use of titanium dioxide and ultraviolet radiation to oxidise nitrogen oxides to nitrates. To test this, the interior of a serpentine reactor was coated with titanium dioxide and irradiated with various intensities of ultraviolet light, and the photocatalytic abatement was monitored for the exhaust fumes from a standalone 4-stroke test diesel engine. The conversion rates were calculated using the entering concentration and the concentration after a certain time increment. The rates varied between 13.7% and 37.3% and depended strongly on the relative humidity, as a higher relative humidity directly correlated with a better conversion. The irradiance was also varied, and a decline in the conversion rate occurred when the irradiance was increased.
Use of Instream Structure Technique for Aquatic Habitat Formation in Ecological Stream Restoration
Authors: Park Kidoo , Lee Kil Seong , Kim Young-Oh
Published: November 2018

Drought flow as the minimum flow rate required for restoration of the Mokgamcheon stream was calculated by the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) V.5.0. The adequacy of drought flow to guarantee the minimum ecological environment was assessed using suitable low-flows not exceeding the maximum pollution concentration of the ecosystem calculated by Design FLOWs (DFLOW) V.4.1. Fish flows, which provide proper ecological habitat for fish, were calculated using Physical HABitat SIMulation (PHABSIM) V.1.5.2 to provide proper ecological habitat for target fishes such as Carassius auratus and Zacco platypus. The monthly expected instream flows were determined as the largest value between drought flow and fish flow. In most cases, instream flows were determined by drought flows exceeding fish flows that satisfy the condition of species habitat, but in the case of Carassius auratus, drought flows were less than fish flows in April, September, and October. Thus, structural measures for the supply of additional discharge were required. Instead, when natural environment-friendly instream structures, such as stepping stones were used, affordable ecological restoration that met the preferred conditions for discharge and depth of Carassius auratus was possible. The stepping stones were assessed using River2D V.0.95a to measure their effectiveness compared to other structural measures that would be costly and time-consuming to secure shortage of fish flow. Finally, the stability of the habitat was assessed through flood analysis; in case of a flood discharge of 5.2 m3/s obtained from time-series analysis, it was evaluated that the stability of habitats could be reasonable.
The Higher Education Sustainability through Virtual Laboratories: The Spanish University as Case of Study
Authors: Salmerón-Manzano Esther , Manzano-Agugliaro Francisco
Published: November 2018

Education has been integrated into the globalization process supported by technological advances such as e-learning. The sustainability of the universities is one of the key points of the university survival, and they strongly depend on the number of students that can enroll in them. Thus, many of the educational institutions have had to develop their curricula based on the use new technologies. Without a doubt, virtual laboratories are the latest technology in this regard. The objective of this work is to determine which are the main institutions and research trends in relation to virtual laboratories. The methodology followed in this research was to perform a bibliometric analysis of the whole scientific production indexed in Scopus. The world’s scientific production has been analysed in the following domains: first the trend over time, types of publications and countries, second the main subjects and keywords, third main institutions and their main topics, and fourth the main journals and proceedings that publish on this topic. After that, a case study was analysed in detailed as a representative country (Spain). The most productive institution in this field, Universidad de Educación a Distancia (UNED). If the ranking is established by average citations per published paper, the first three institutions are from the USA: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of Washington (Seattle), and Carnegie Mellon University. The scientific categories at world level and in the case of study are similar. First, there is the field of engineering followed by computer science and above all it highlights the wide spectrum of branches of knowledge in which this topic is published, which indicates the great acceptance of this teaching methodology in all fields of education. Finally, community detection has been applied to the case study and six clusters have been found: Virtual Reality, Users, E-learning, Programming, Automatic-robotics, Computer Simulation and Engineering Education. As a main conclusion, bibliographic analysis confirms that research in virtual laboratories is a very active field, where scientific productivity has exponentially increased over recent years in tandem with universities growth. Therefore, expectations are high in this field for the near future. The possibility of virtual laboratories opens up new perspectives for higher education sustainability, where the educational policies of countries could be reoriented.
Household Preferences to Reduce Their Greenhouse Gas Footprint: A Comparative Study from Four European Cities
Authors: Sköld Bore , Baltruszewicz Marta , Aall Carlo , Andersson Camilla , Herrmann Alina , Amelung Dorothee , Barbier Carine , Nilsson Maria , Bruyère Sébastien , Sauerborn Rainer
Published: November 2018

This paper investigates households’ preferences to reduce their carbon footprint (CF) measured in carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e). It assumes that a substantial CF reduction of households is essential to reach the 1.5 °C goal under the Paris Agreement. Data was collected in four mid-size cities in France, Germany, Norway, and Sweden. Quantitative data was obtained from 308 households using a CF calculator based on a questionnaire, and a simulation game. The latter investigated households’ preferences when being confronted with the objective to reduce their CF by 50 percent by 2030 in a voluntary and forced scenario. Our results show that the greater the CO2e-reduction potential of a mitigation action, the less willing a household was to implement that action. Households preferred actions with moderate lifestyle changes foremost in the food sector. Voluntarily, households reached a 25% footprint reduction by 2030. To reach a substantial reduction of 50 percent, households needed to choose actions that meant considerable lifestyle changes, mainly related to mobility. Given our results, the 1.5 °C goal is unlikely to be realizable currently, unless households receive major policy support. Lastly, the strikingly similar preferences of households in the four European cities investigated seem to justify strong EU and international policies.
An Analysis of Land-Use Change and Grassland Degradation from a Policy Perspective in Inner Mongolia, China, 1990–2015
Authors: Hu Yunfeng , Nacun Batu
Published: November 2018

Land-use and land-cover changes have important effects on ecology, human systems, the environment, and policy at both global and regional scales. Thus, they are closely related to human activities. The extraction of more details about land-use change and grassland degradation is necessary to achieve future sustainable development in Inner Mongolia. The current study presents the patterns and processes of land-use changes over space and time, while also analyzing grassland degradation that is based on an analysis of land-use changes using a transition matrix, the Markov chain model and Moran’s I index, and a combination of long-time-scale remote sensing data as the data source. The major results indicate the following. (1) In 1990–2015, 13% (123,445 km2) of the total study area, including eight land-use types, changed. Woodland increased the most and moderate grassland decreased the most. (2) Grassland degradation, which occupied 2.8% of the total area of Inner Mongolia, was the major land-use conversion process before 2000, while, after 2000, 8.7% of the total area was restored; however, grassland degradation may still be the major ecological issue in Inner Mongolia. (3) Environmental protection policies show a close relationship with land-use conversion.
Enhancing Bank Loyalty through Sustainable Banking Practices: The Mediating Effect of Corporate Image
Authors: Igbudu Nicholas , Garanti Zanete , Popoola Temitope
Published: November 2018

As the demand for a more sustainable society increases, adopting a sustainable banking approach serves as a competitive advantage for banks that are focused on attaining bank loyalty. This study revolves around understanding the role of sustainable banking practices in bank loyalty while exploring the mediating effect of corporate image on the relationship between sustainable banking practices and bank loyalty. For this study, 511 questionnaires derived from customers of the banking sector were adopted. Results from structural equation modeling showed that sustainable banking practices positively and directly affected bank loyalty and corporate image, corporate image directly and positively affected bank loyalty, and corporate image also mediated the relationship between sustainable banking practices and bank loyalty.
What Is the Focus of Structural Reform in China?—Comparison of the Factor Misallocation Degree within the Manufacturing Industry with a Unified Model
Authors: Jin Laiqun , Mo Changwei , Zhang Bochao , Yu Bing
Published: November 2018

The misallocation of production factors, with structural misallocation as an important aspect, is a key instigator of low total factor productivity (TFP) growth rate in China, but one important question is which structural misallocation of what factor is more serious in China. Using China’s manufacturing industrial enterprise data from 1998 to 2013, we calculated and compared the factors misallocation degree among industries, ownerships and regions. The results indicated that, the misallocation among industries was most serious, which led to a TFP loss of 8.12% annually. The misallocation among ownerships ranked second, which led to a TFP loss of 5.49%. The least degree of the misallocation recorded among provinces led to TFP loss of 3.05%. By using the relative severity index, the rank is the same. As to the capital, the misallocation among ownerships was most serious, which led to TFP loss of 4.62%. But as to the labor, the misallocation among industries was most serious, which led to TFP loss of 4.58%. Moreover, the misallocation among ownerships alleviated rapidly from 1998 to 2007, while alleviated slower among industries and regions. However, from 2008 to 2013, all three types of structural misallocation have become worse, especially in labor. These conclusions are important to identify the focus of structural reform in China.
The Influence of Different Pre-Treatments of Concrete Surface on the Bond Strength of Geopolymer-Type Coating Layer
Authors: Sicakova Alena
Published: November 2018

The treatment of concrete surface using more durable material is one way to slow down the damage process of material, which can negatively affect durability of construction. This paper is aimed at testing the geopolymer-type coating materials of different composition while placing emphasis on various techniques of surface pre-treatments of concrete to which they were applied. The main composition variables were as follows: the fly ash fineness (original, ground) and the addition of washing-aggregate sludge. Four compositions were tested and compared with the composition based on cement binder. The cement mixture was prepared using the same fillers. The following techniques of surface pre-treatment of concrete were applied: brushing, pressure washing, and pressure washing followed by penetration, together with non-treated surface being used for comparison. The effect of the surface treatment technique was tested through the adhesion strength, which was executed at 2, 7, 28, and 120 days after application of the coating. The influence of the composition of geopolymer coating material was also discussed. Geopolymer-based mixtures achieved better adhesive strength than the cement-based mixture, regardless of surface treatment technique. The addition of sludge microfiller seems to be beneficial in improving the adhesive strength of geopolymer-type coating material.
Efficient Association Rules Hiding Using Genetic Algorithms
Authors: Khuda Bux Naadiya , Lu Mingming , Wang Jianxin , Hussain Saajid , Aljeroudi Yazan
Published: November 2018

In today’s world, millions of transactions are connected to online businesses, and the main challenging task is ensuring the privacy of sensitive information. Sensitive association rules hiding (SARH) is an important goal of privacy protection algorithms. Various approaches and algorithms have been developed for sensitive association rules hiding, differentiated according to their hiding performance through utility preservation, prevention of ghost rules, and computational complexity. A meta-heuristic algorithm is a good candidate to solve the problem of SARH due to its selective and parallel search behavior, avoiding local minima capability. This paper proposes simple genetic encoding for SARH. The proposed algorithm formulates an objective function that estimates the effect on nonsensitive rules and offers recursive computation to reduce them. Three benchmark datasets were used for evaluation. The results show an improvement of 81% in execution time, 23% in utility, and 5% in accuracy.
Some Interacting Dark Energy Models
Authors: Khurshudyan Martiros , Khurshudyan Asatur Zh.
Published: November 2018

In this paper, we study various cosmological models involving new nonlinear forms of interaction between cold dark matter (DM) and dark energy (DE) assuming that DE is a barotropic fluid. The interactions are nonlinear either due to log ( ρ d e / ρ d m ) or log ( ρ d m / ρ d e ) parameterizations, respectively. The main purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the applicability of the forms of suggested interactions to the problem of modern cosmology known as accelerated expansion of the Universe. Using the differential age of old galaxies expressed in terms of H ( z ) data, the peak position of baryonic acoustic oscillations (known as BAO data), the SN Ia data with strong gravitational lensing data, we obtain the best fit values of the model parameters for each case. Besides, using O m analysis and S 3 parameter from the statefinder hierarchy analysis, we also demonstrate that the considered models are clearly different from the Λ CDM model. We obtain that the models predict Hubble parameter values consistent to the estimations from gravitational lensing, which probes the expansion out to z ≤ 1.7 . We show that, with considered models, we can also explain PLANCK 2015 and PLANCK 2018 experiment results.